Thatch to Redshirt in 2019 - 2020 Season

[Littlebill]

9 minutes ago, Reinert310 said:

I’d actually like to see French’s minutes cut at least a little bit next year...not as a punishment, but as a reward. I know he’s a warrior and he’d play every minute of every game if he could, but how nice would it be for French’s sake if Jimmy Bell could be relied upon to carry the load inside so Has can play 32 minutes instead of 37 or 38. Those minutes add up over a long season. I have as much faith as anybody that Jimmy will improve significantly by the start of next year (I also think Diarra is going to contribute) and Has will be all the better for it. Again, this isn’t a slight on French at all, quite the opposite. He works so hard, he deserves more of a breather than he’s gotten.

Has is playing 31 mpg this year

22 minutes ago, wgstl said:

Bell can get more minutes.  Him and French together more isnt a bad thing at all. 

While I agree with that, who will lose mins from 1-3 then? I'm not sure I feel comfortable giving Goodwin less minutes, and I assumed Weaver's minutes will go to Jimerson and (hopefully) Thatch. You can't keep Perkins off the floor at this point, and you assume Collins will only earn more minutes going forward

[3star_recruit]

1 minute ago, TheChosenOne said:

I don't think Ian is a good comparison for Bell as Ian had a really well developed skill set, but had strength/athleticism limitations. Not meant at a shot at either guy, just not comparable players in my mind.

Bell's biggest physical limitation as a freshman is the same one Ian had -  he can't jump over a phone book and takes too long to get off the ground.

[TheChosenOne]

2 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

Bell's biggest physical limitation as a freshman is the same one Ian had -  he can't jump over a phone book and takes too long to get off the ground.

Goctha, so you are merely talking about physical limitations. Sure, they are both unathletic poorly conditioned bigs. I just don't see them as having remotely similar skill sets.

[Reinert310]

7 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

Has is playing 31 mpg this year

While I agree with that, who will lose mins from 1-3 then? I'm not sure I feel comfortable giving Goodwin less minutes, and I assumed Weaver's minutes will go to Jimerson and (hopefully) Thatch. You can't keep Perkins off the floor at this point, and you assume Collins will only earn more minutes going forward

I understand and my post wasn’t meant to be taken that literally. There are games when Has deserves more of a break than he’s gotten. Do I hope he gets less minutes against Dayton or Richmond next year? No. Do I hope he gets less minutes against Fordham next year? Yes. Jimmy Bell’s improvements will play a big part in that.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Reinert310
Wrong word

[3star_recruit]

6 minutes ago, TheChosenOne said:

Goctha, so you are merely talking about physical limitations. Sure, they are both unathletic poorly conditioned bigs. I just don't see them as having remotely similar skill sets.

There are no perfect apples to apples comparisons. But as far as big men comparisons are concerned you're not going to see a much closer one than this is: virtually the same size, the same kinds of physical limitations, good footwork, relatively good free throw shooters.

[Clock_Tower]

3 hours ago, Littlebill said:

Has is playing 31 mpg this year

While I agree with that, who will lose mins from 1-3 then? I'm not sure I feel comfortable giving Goodwin less minutes, and I assumed Weaver's minutes will go to Jimerson and (hopefully) Thatch. You can't keep Perkins off the floor at this point, and you assume Collins will only earn more minutes going forward

Yes. I would love to have the options to cut down Has’ minutes.  How many games did he foul out this year?  Or play tentatively with 3 or 4 fouls?  Or pace himself knowing how we struggle without a guy  block shots and protect the lane?  Or play in the final few minutes while shooting 35% from the line?  Or just have a bad game - UMass?  

[Quality Is Job 1]

I'd like to see almost everyone receive fewer minutes next year than this year as Coach Ford is able to finally unleash Team Blue as a full-time uptempo team for the full season next year as he started to do at the beginning of this season.

[Clock_Tower]

3 hours ago, 3star_recruit said:

There are no perfect apples to apples comparisons. But as far as big men comparisons are concerned you're not going to see a much closer one than this is: virtually the same size, the same kinds of physical limitations, good footwork, relatively good free throw shooters.

Agreed. Ian had a 3 point shot and hook shot. Bell wont have a 3 point shot but he can certainly get a hook shot down and appears to have a more powerful inside game than Ian. 

[Quality Is Job 1]

5 minutes ago, Clock_Tower said:

Agreed. Ian had a 3 point shot and hook shot. Bell wont have a 3 point shot but he can certainly get a hook shot down and appears to have a more powerful inside game than Ian. 

Vouyoukas developed a fair 3-point shot during his senior year (as Baniak had before him), but it wasn't part of his arsenal for the first three seasons.

How do you know that Bell can't or won't be able to hit the 3 before he graduates?

[Clock_Tower]

Because I have not seen Bell shoot the ball beyond 5 feet. Sure. I could wrong. Hope I am wrong.  And no, I cannot recall when Ian began making open shots around the FT line.  

[DoctorB]

14 hours ago, TheChosenOne said:

Goctha, so you are merely talking about physical limitations. Sure, they are both unathletic poorly conditioned bigs.

Bell is hardly unathletic.  Coaches have raved to me about his athleticism, especially hands and feet.  But he needs better conditioning and some time to grow into what his body will be in a couple years.  I agree he is slow off the floor but he can improve his explosiveness over time.  His strength off the floor is phenomenal.

Overall I just shake my head about the impatience for a first year big. Give it some time; he's got some pretty impressive attributes.

[dennis_w]

2 minutes ago, DoctorB said:

Bell is hardly unathletic.  Coaches have raved to me about his athleticism, especially hands and feet.  But he needs better conditioning and some time to grow into what his body will be in a couple years.  I agree he is slow off the floor but he can improve his explosiveness over time.  His strength off the floor is phenomenal.

Overall I just shake my head about the impatience for a first year big. Give it some time; he's got some pretty impressive attributes.

he shot some 3's in his highlight video, shot looked ok, that said he may never have the green light for the bills. at some pt i expect to see the 10-15 ft shot part of his game

[3star_recruit]

11 hours ago, Clock_Tower said:

Because I have not seen Bell shoot the ball beyond 5 feet. Sure. I could wrong. Hope I am wrong.  And no, I cannot recall when Ian began making open shots around the FT line.  

I have seen Bell shoot from distance when watching his high school games online.  There's a reason he's trending toward 70% from the free throw line.  He's got a nice stroke.

When Bell's the primary post option in a couple more years and gets a lot more touches, you'll see more of his offensive game.

[DoctorB]

3 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

 He's got a nice stroke.

When Bell's the primary post option in a couple more years and gets a lot more touches, you'll see more of his offensive game.

Yes to both.  There have been other big bodies who learned how to use massive physical strength to score easily down low.  He will become a force for good in the universe: meaning, Bell has many double-doubles ahead of him in A10 play, but maybe in 2022 or so...

[Cowboy]

-Jimmy shot from outside the free throw line last game

[wgstl]

6 minutes ago, Cowboy said:

-Jimmy shot from outside the free throw line last game

hes pulled up for a few elbow jumpers this year 

[RiseAndGrind]

I criticize Jimmy a lot but he has a nice shot. 

[ACE]

1 hour ago, DoctorB said:

Bell is hardly unathletic.  Coaches have raved to me about his athleticism, especially hands and feet.  But he needs better conditioning and some time to grow into what his body will be in a couple years.  I agree he is slow off the floor but he can improve his explosiveness over time.  His strength off the floor is phenomenal.

Overall I just shake my head about the impatience for a first year big. Give it some time; he's got some pretty impressive attributes.

When we signed Bell, if you saw the video and read his bio, I figured he would barely see the floor this year, so he clearly exceeded my expectations for his first year. He does have excellent hands, plays solid defense and has a nice touch. I think he will continue to improve his scoring in the low post and develop a nice mid range game and as an upperclassman, even knock down some threes. I don't think he projects as a great rebounder and do to his lack of hops, he's not going to be a shot blocker. After Has graduates, I hope we have another big on the roster who can block shots and rebound at a high level.

[TheChosenOne]

4 hours ago, DoctorB said:

Overall I just shake my head about the impatience for a first year big. Give it some time; he's got some pretty impressive attributes.

I'm not sure if this is meant in response to me. I am actually quite pleased with Bell and his future with the program (has far exceeded my expectations this season), so don't take my posts saying that I don't personally see Ian being a comp for him to mean I don't think he will be a player for us. I just saw Ian as more of a traditional Euro big who you could likely run offense thru at times while I see Bell as being a more traditional in the paint big who can really bang. I was a student manager during Ian's developmental years, so I saw him producing in practice even when he wasn't getting minutes in games and always thought he was more of that stretch big type like a Jontay Porter.

[Clock_Tower]

51 minutes ago, TheChosenOne said:

I'm not sure if this is meant in response to me. I am actually quite pleased with Bell and his future with the program (has far exceeded my expectations this season), so don't take my posts saying that I don't personally see Ian being a comp for him to mean I don't think he will be a player for us. I just saw Ian as more of a traditional Euro big who you could likely run offense thru at times while I see Bell as being a more traditional in the paint big who can really bang. I was a student manager during Ian's developmental years, so I saw him producing in practice even when he wasn't getting minutes in games and always thought he was more of that stretch big type like a Jontay Porter.

Agree.  Maybe I just assumed Ian could/would shoot the 3 because he was from Greece - and therefore was/would be a Euro big.   According to his college stats, though, Ian shot .2 three pointers per game as a JR (6 shots if you assume 30 games) and .7 as a SR (21 shots if you assume 30 games). So if that is the goal, I could care less if Bell reaches such a goal.

I certainly think Bell has been quite good this year and fully expect to continue his development. 

But my real question is:  why do we care or want Bell (or any other center) to be a 3 point shooter?  Two of my favorite Billikens were Rob Loe and Cody Ellis - but I am just fine without ever having a 3 point shooting Euro big or a true stretch 4.   Traditional centers and power forwards are just fine with me.    I am more than content to have 3 point shots come from the other 3 positions.  

[billikenfan05]

7 minutes ago, Clock_Tower said:

Agree.  Maybe I just assumed Ian could/would shoot the 3 because he was from Greece - and therefore was/would be a Euro big.   According to his college stats, though, Ian shot .2 three pointers per game as a JR (6 shots if you assume 30 games) and .7 as a SR (21 shots if you assume 30 games). So if that is the goal, I could care less if Bell reaches such a goal.

I certainly think Bell has been quite good this year and fully expect to continue his development. 

But my real question is:  why do we care or want Bell (or any other center) to be a 3 point shooter?  Two of my favorite Billikens were Rob Loe and Cody Ellis - but I am just fine without ever having a 3 point shooting Euro big or a true stretch 4.   Traditional centers and power forwards are just fine with me.    I am more than content to have 3 point shots come from the other 3 positions.  

People forget Husak could shoot the ball every now and then.

[Quality Is Job 1]

1 hour ago, billikenfan05 said:

People forget Husak.

FIFY.

[dennis_w]

On 2/20/2020 at 11:54 AM, crymdg2 said:

Ford just said on Frank's show that Thatch will redshirt this year and that he was expecting him to be back to 100% soon. 

here

[Old guy]

Ford, who is obviously closer and more knowledgeable in this matter than any one of us, can say anything he wants or hopes for That's performance next season. I could also say that Elon Musk will have a thriving colony in Mars before the end of this decade. Are these things going to happen? We have to wait and see.

[BIG BILL FAN]

9 minutes ago, Old guy said:

Ford, who is obviously closer and more knowledgeable in this matter than any one of us, can say anything he wants or hopes for That's performance next season. I could also say that Elon Musk will have a thriving colony in Mars before the end of this decade. Are these things going to happen? We have to wait and see.

yes, no reason to listen to our coach....unreal...