billikenmetz Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Ok, I'm pumped we landed a kid outside the Central Time Zone to play for the Bills, but does anyone who isn't employed by rivals.com have any insight on Horace and his immediate impact on our basketball team? All I know is that we will be deep in the 3/4 but kind of thin in the backcourt unless Obi can be our Hector Luna and play 2/3. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 how are we thin in the backcourt? We have 6 guards who can all play. Two of them are returning 1st team A-10 freshman members, another started his entire freshman year, and another started half the games last season out of position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Thin in the backcourt? I have to disagree with that. This is probably the most balanced team I've ever seen at SLU. That being said, I too would be very interested in any Dixon info. Has anybody seen him play? TDell, does Tommie have any comments? Anybody else talk to the players? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Latsch Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I asked a friend who watched Horace Dixon play some pickup games at SLU, what is the difference between Justin Johnson and Dixon? My friend said they are similar players, except J.J. can shoot and Dixon can't. I think it's great to add depth inside with another 6-foot-8 guy, but I don't have high hopes for next season for a prep school kid who commits to a college this late in the process. I know he's been linked to some big-name schools (just like Obi Ikeakor was at one point) but there has to be a reason that he wasn't getting much recruiting attention until recently — especially if he really is a super athletic 6-8 forward. Now, players like Ikeakor and Dixon can pay off a couple years down the road, but I wouldn't count on them coming in and making significant contributions as freshmen. - Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Agreed. In fact someone was discussing who may or may not be redshirted next year and he seems to be the best candidate for that at this time. Of course nobody has seen him play, so this is all just speculation. However, the reports I've heard regarding Knollmeyer in early scrimmages has been very encouraging and Dixon seems to be more raw at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenmetz Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 I guess what I was trying to get at was our depth...thin was a bad term I guess. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I haven't seen Dixon play either but I found it hard to believe that he's as poor a finisher around the goal as JJ. No wonder the latter is content taking so many jump shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 The main problem with JJ is his mind. Loses focus, not much of a defender (mostly mental if the athleticism is there), gets into trouble, etc. With Dixon coming in after a 5 year of school AND that school being a military academy, I don't think that will be much of an issue. Everybody see's JJ's potential...it has just never been fulfilled. If Dixon fulfills his potential, this is a great pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromGreeceWithLove Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I would say that our team is pretty deep in the backcourt with five guys returning with significant experience. We have improved our depth at the 4, but that position still remains a question mark for me. We have four guys competing at that position, but none of them are guys that we have seen provide quality minutes for us. I do like the fact that we have some more options at that position going into the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromGreeceWithLove Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 JJ is more concerned with how "tight" he looks than he is with anything else. I do not think JJ is as athletic as a lot of posters give him credit for. He runs like a baby giraffe and is not an extremely good leaper, doesn't seem to really jump straight up. I read the basetball media guide from last season and apparently Justin, aka JHolla, is going to record an album with Danny Brown, aka D-Nice. Has anyone heard anything about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikan Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 If Dixon is already similar to JJ--a redshirt senior-- and the only difference is that Dixon cannot shoot then I think we could have a real player on our hands. In my view it was JJs insistance on shooting that killed us last year in several games as he threw up bricks early in the shot clock. He also falls asleep and loses his man on the defensive end at times. If Dixon can defend and pay attention to the fundamentals--and not shoot bad shots--then he would be at least equal and probably a better fit than JJ for this team. We do not need our 4 man to be an outside shooter and JJ is a terrible finisher at the rim except for a few uncontested dunks. If JJ does not really come on and improve his basketball judgment in early practices then I can see Dixon, as a freshman with much more upside potential for the team in the future, taking away his minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I'm happy we signed Dixon simply because it adds depth but I have a lot of difficulty believing we could find a U.S. player at this point in the recruiting process that can contribute immediately for a team with NCAA aspirations. Obi and Dixon are recruits that you necessarily had to take a risk on and hope the work out a year or two down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p diddy Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 we lack experience at the "four" spot, but it seems that we have some ability. besides, i will take the combination of adam, horace (sight unseen) and obi over the JJ and Vas'shun, who we had to suffer through last year before brad turned to luke out of desparation. with JJ, it's simple for me. I expect nothing. if you get something out of him, then just be pleasantly surprised. if he his regular JJ as a fifth-year senior, then you are not disappointed. bad boyz for life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenmetz Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Nate - what is your thinking behind that? Lisch and Liddell stepped up as freshman and contributed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 They were "impact" recruits that could have gone to just about any school they wanted (outside a select few). We need to be realistic in our expectations for AK and HD as Adam's final 2 were us and UWM and HD simply wouldn't be available at this point if he was good enough to have a TL or KL type impact in the A-10 his freshman year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Agree with Pdiddy....anything from JJ is a plus, but I wouldn't bet the farm it's gonna happen. He's had 3/4 years in the system. He ain't got it yet, so what light bulb's going off this year? I still remember watching him in warmups at Charlotte his freshman year. He was more interested in showing and goofing off than focusing. Therein lies his problem. I have no idea as to HD, AK, and believe Obi might be our next Floyd McLain. So #4 is still up in the air for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 >I asked a friend who watched Horace Dixon play some pickup >games at SLU, what is the difference between Justin Johnson >and Dixon? > >My friend said they are similar players, except J.J. can >shoot and Dixon can't. > >I think it's great to add depth inside with another 6-foot-8 >guy, but I don't have high hopes for next season for a prep >school kid who commits to a college this late in the >process. I know he's been linked to some big-name schools >(just like Obi Ikeakor was at one point) but there has to be >a reason that he wasn't getting much recruiting attention >until recently — especially if he really is a super athletic >6-8 forward. > >Now, players like Ikeakor and Dixon can pay off a couple >years down the road, but I wouldn't count on them coming in >and making significant contributions as freshmen. > >- Nate Nate, You also spoke poorly of Jamar Smith who was the best shooting freshman in the nation this past year at 49%. I have no idea if Horace Dixon will be the answer to SLU's power forward need, but after listening to you rip on my Illini, I have hope for the SLU faithful with regards to Dixon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Nate, it is a shame that the PD didn't cover this story because it would be helpful to get more information about HD. (That is a commentary on your editors, not about you or the beat writer.) After four years, most everyone can agree that JJ lacks the ineffable "intangibles" that are required to succeed at D1. Do former coaches, recruiting experts, etc. believe HD has such intangibles? It would also be helpful to understand how HD's athleticism differed from JJ's. Brad described HD as running "like a gazelle." That analogy would never be used to describe JJ (unless the gazelle was running through thick mud). I have also read comments indicating that HD is a good shot blocker; again, I don't ever recall JJ blocking a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I think JJ runs the court quite well and have heard others compare his running style to that of a gazelle (and not one that is running through thick mud). Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 You're kidding, right? He takes awkwardly large strides that make him look like he is running with shoes two sizes too big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I agree with David ... JJ seems slow, his feet are so big he has to hit his chin with his knees to clear his toes. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman and loyal subject of Billsboy and all ex D1 players and coaches everywhere. You da man Billsboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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