nostatic Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 A lot of positives to be taken from the AZ game. This was my first look at the Bills this year. JJ helped us when he was in, so did IO. Varner will be OK as long as he doesn't have to play long minutes. I think patience with all the bigs is a key. Reggie's defense has been talked about, starting last year already. After seeing him play, it was better than I anticipated. However, that doesn't mean it can't be improved. I think Brad is concerned with his effort; it shows up in 2 areas that I noticed. 1) closing out on a shooter -- when the ball is passed to the man he is guarding, he is usually half a step slow getting to him and allows him to get the shot off. Look and see who was guarding Chris Rodgers when he was hitting those threes and AZ took the lead. Fisher and Drejaj take it personal when their man gets a shot off -- their desire and effort is at a higher level than Reggie's (it hasn't become a priority for him) 2) penetration by a guard off the dribble has to be stopped on the perimeter by a defender next to the ball. Again, Reggie seems to be half a step slow closing up that gap. If he doesn't get there, then one of the bigs has to deal with the dribbler; and they have enough to worry about already. Was his defense terrible -- no way! Will it get better? I think Brad has shown that he can teach that end of the floor. Reggie will be fine. He hasn't figured out that every defensive possession is crucial for us, and can make the difference in a 1 pt game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastballer45 Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Great post I think your right about everything you said it just makes me wonder about Reggie and caring about defense. It's not like he didn't know what coach wanted before the game he just didn't do it on that end of the floor and it really hurt us against Arizona. I hope the same thing doesn't happen with GT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bauman Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I agree that his D leaves something to be desired when compared to JF and AD but I'm about at the point of saying lets live with it. He is clearly the only true scorer on the team and is really needed in that role. Watching Josh, AD and CS play defense explains why they often are not as good on the Off. end at the end of games-they are worn out. If we can get 4/5 of our players playing great D for 40 minutes then I'm willing to let RB guard the other team's least Offensive- minded Guard and continue to score thoughout the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 claggett wasnt the best defender either and we lived with his "effort" just fine. that said, reggie can and i bet will do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 whether Brad Soderberg recruits Claggett. Before everyone goes crazy, let's review the type of player that Brad goes for. He likes athleticism, toughness, and strong defenders. Drejaj has the toughness and strong defense. Clarke supposedly has the athleticism. Liddell has the combination of all three. As for Claggett, he was a jump shooter. Wasn't overly quick or athletic. Somewhat similar to... that's alright, I won't go there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p diddy Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 mr. genius, who was it that recruited reggie to slu? bad boyz for life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastballer45 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Living with his defense now would only lead to more billiken loses every player on the team has to take the same approach to the defensive side of the ball. And I think that will happen atleast I hope I think some teams in our league throw up close to 20 3s a game. His defense will get better because Brad will not sacrafice loses so one player can score 20 a game. He is a team coach and Reggies defense will get better, I just thought I would address the issue. He has great up side and has to games under his belt after a long lay off,just want him to take defensive side of ball like he does his offensive side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Are you trying to equate Claggett's athleticism with Bryant's?? Answer this question for me. In terms of athleticism, is Bryant above average? I'd say yes. He also achieved success in the Big East, averaging close to double digits. As for Claggett, I used to think he was athletic until I saw him play in St. Charles. Then I understood why Melvin Booker got a taste in the NBA and Claggett didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 >As for Claggett, he was a jump shooter. Wasn't overly quick >or athletic. Somewhat similar to... that's alright, I won't >go there. Clagget was pretty quick, he could go one on one with anybody. He was 6'1 and could dunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Reggie was not Gary payton against 'Zona but I didn't see him make many huge mistakes. He didn't get out to his man on a few outside shots which were either caused by being out of position or not getting around screens. His pure one on one skills were decent though. I expected alot worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Attack my opinion as you wish. It was pure speculation on my part. It's not like I ran Erwin Claggett through a series of athletic tests. I don't know his 40 time or vertical leap. I do know he was overmatched with the St. Louis Swarm. He just didn't have the handle or defensive ability to have an impact there. I've also noticed the type of player that Brad appears to go for and just wonder if he would go for an undersized shooting guard, given the conference we're in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Erwin Claggett was quite athletic (few ever got as far off the ground on jumpers as Erwin): he had some awesome two-handed dunks, and he was listed at 6-1. Furthermore, he had a good first step and cross-over dribble. Claggett wasn't just a shooter; he was a scorer. Your insinuation that Claggett is like Drew Diener is about as ignorant as you've ever been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Erwin Claggett is the all-time leading scorer of the Great Midwest Conference, and he scored in a variety of ways. Frankly, I think Darren Clarke is somewhat reminiscent of Claggett, other than the fact that Clarke handles the ball better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 The comparison was Blake Ahearn. Can't believe you would go there... Just didn't want to stir up any more Ahearn threads... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 who don't fit into a particular coach's system. Doesn't mean that the player can't be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Even so, I don't think Erwin Claggett is reminiscent of Blake Ahearn, either. In fact, I think that's even worse. Also, don't try to project Claggett's IBL game onto his college game. That's not fair at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 i thought claggett was athletic and quick. if he wasnt anything, it was strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 i'm with thicks on that one. i will be shocked if ahearn ever approaches erwin claggett level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastballer45 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 yeah he had 24 points what were his other stats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwyjibo Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Ok,I didn't see a lot of Claggett when he played but besides being a great (if a bit streaky) shooter he did have a great "take a few steps in and hit an 8-10 footer off the dribble" move that was a killer as well. I saw him play about 5 years ago in an exhibition game and he was lights out against UMass. It was really a thrill and it freaked out the crowd (the all-star team had another hot shooter that night that I cannot remember). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 on Claggett, but I do know he rarely drove to the hole. True, he could take a guy off the dribble, but typically, I remember him doing fadeways in the lane. No, I'm not saying Claggett wasn't athletic. I'm just wondering if he was top shelf athlete. That's why I compare him to Ahearn. I think Ahearn is decent athlete and I know he dunked more than Claggett. Here's why I see them being similar: 1. Both were prolific scorers locally. 2. Both were similar heights and size. 3. Both rely on perimeter jumpers. 4. Neither was noted for their defense or ballhandling. I happen to think Ahearn has a chance for a prolific career at SMS. Maybe Brad is right when he says Ahearn doesn't have the size and athleticism to compete at CUSA, but that doesn't mean he can't excel in the Mo Valley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 claggett shot because he was smart enough to know that his shot was his bread and butter. however, i remember a dunk at the conference tourney in milwaukee that year that was pretty darn nice. i remember him dunking as a freshman in a game at the old arena. like i said, i think erwin's only problem throughout his career was his slight build which he never changed. imo that alone kept him out of the nba. he was good enough in all other aspects to play bigtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehms13 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Sorry I was so late with this post but had to say it. Stop Hatin!!. Reg and the coach knew what his defense was like when he RECRUITED Reg. He called our phone. Reg wasn't even out of Nova when different coaches started calling. I agree, he has to step up his defense, he has to get better. That's what college is for, If anybody's game was perfect, they would have left college early(??). They said the same things about Reg Miller....The point is he played well and It could've been better, especially on the defense, but don't shoot down his effort because you're a hater. Acknowledge them, accept them and move on. I was at home yelling about his defense, but It was not that damn bad. He could never lose a game for this team, if Reg is responsible for losing a game for SLU it will be due to his poor shooting, not his defense or lack there of. That's what he was brought here to do shoot, Brad knew about his defensive issues. He is working on that, not just IGNORING THE COACH!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastballer45 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I have the same view as you do I loved having another guy on the floor that could score. Your right college is about getting better. I don't hate any of the players I know they are college students and athlets and have lives outside of the game. All I was doing was trying to prove my point along with the other posters.I know Reggie's defense will improve because it can only get better. I want all the players to have the same intensity on the defensive side of the ball. All five men in their guys jock and working hard. If all five guys have that same defensive intensity against Arizona we win that game, if we hit all are free throws we win that game, if we stay in the offense every series and make extra passes we win that game. So your right Reggie will never lose a game for the Billikens by himself because it is a team game everyone loses, just like everyone contributs to a win good and bad things. But so you know I don't hate any of the players on this team, Im a poster like everyone else and have my own opinion. Sorry I came across as a hater because a hater I am not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Majerus Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I know that IL wanted Claggs, but they were on probation and had to give up some scholarships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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