Taj79 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 So far he's had two chances to play, I believe. Short of one brief blurb in another thread, I haven't seen anything on Ian. Did he play at all? Did he do anything in that time? Can anyone who has seen the games offer an assessment? It may be too early to call because yes it is only two games but RB stepped in nicely. So too did Charlie V. up at Uconn. How does our latest import look ... mindful that I am not expecting much at this point but how about a report for us out-of-towners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenTX Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I saw Ian yesterday at TCU. He does well passing out of the post as do all our post players IMO. But Ian brings down the ball too fast allowing smaller defenders a chance to create a turnover. He looks like he has problems with physical defenders and physical play. He did not attempt a shot in the game, so I cannot comment on that. He looks like he moves well and can play on the fast break since he can move well...so that looks promising with Polk and Tommmie joining him next season. But the jury is still out on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 ... with a capital "P?" He not Kleizas at Mizzou or Dreier at Florida then? Safer to say another IO? Only bigger? Broy? Tri-star? thicks? davidnark? But not a Latimore either? Although .... I got to say that at this point, IO, while definitely better than a Latimore or Nondas, its not by much for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikan Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Ian is an 18 year old kid who is thousands of mile from home in a new country. He just became eligible. Let's give him a chance before we label him. If you are looking for a name to compare, based upon what the coaches have said, and our brief looks in games he might be compared with Sabonis. He plays the low post with his eyes open constantly looking for a pass to set up a shot. He can shoot from 15 feet in and he has a nice touch. He needs more upper body strength but he is plenty big. He is not as tall as Sabonis and I hope he is quicker from end to end but he appears to be that kind of smart and lcever player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Geez that is a pretty harsh comment on Izik saying he is not much better than Nondas or Latimer. C'mon Izik has played now 1 full year of college ball and has markedly improved his defense in the last month while his offense has been somewhat spotty he is still (quoting Rammer) on a different planet than Latimer or Nondas. Ian is still feeling his way through. He had a couple offensive fouls on him last night and Rammer and Earl said he seemed to be looking for some contact like he gets from Frericks in practice. With his size right now all Ian needs to do is turn and shoot. At this point on offense he is just trying to hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Majerus Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 When I first became a season ticket holder at SLU, freshman weren't even eligible, and few sophs got playing time. There's still a transition, whether it be from HS or from Europe. Kleiza is all world, and it's not fair to compare Izik and Ian to him. In my opinion, Ike is contributing now, and I expect Ian to contribute next year - Varner and Sloan will be gone, so, at least, he will get all of the backup minutes behind Tom, and I think we will be happy. I expect him to stay for all four years, and we will be singing his praises greatly in years 3-4. I also expect a few good minutes out of him this year, as he settles in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I believe that Ian will have some very impressive moments this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 oh he appears to have the tools. he just looked a little lost to me. i tend to think he will be a player down the road. but i wouldnt count on much this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 .... of what I've read goes like this (with disclaimer to follow): Billikan says he's an 18-year old, thousands of miles away from home and should be given a chance before we label him. But Bryce was labeled the minute he signed was he not? The two guys I listed from Mizzou and Florida were expected and are performing at higher levels, oaky it took the Florida kid a year due to injury ... they're also thousands of miles from home. thetorch thinks my comparison was a harsh comment on IO versus Latimore and Nondas ... and it probably was. UNCA said that its all still a huge transition from high school and international ball to college. I agree .... but others outside those on the Bills seem to handle it with more success. Of course, those guys are the all-world guys like UNCA points out that Kleiza is .... but we don't get those guys at SLU. UNCA points out that Ike is contributing now with better defense and Ian will do so next year. Okay, I can live with that. david predicts that Ian will have impressive "moments" this year. and broy reports Ian has the tools but is not expecting much this year. The disclaimer .... before I get the usual "negative" label, I would just like to point out that in a preseason post, I thought it pressure-packed to place a lot of the scoring load on RB coming off a "rust year." I was less than optimistic about overall chances if the lunch pail team did show every night. I saw hopes and chances being placed on the international two of Izik and Ian with a past SLU track record that was not the greatest on unknown international players much like these two. Right now ... we're still there. My mid-term grades: RB .... much, much better than expected. JFisher .... yeoman-type, all-around work and production, team MVP. Sloan .... in a funk. Frericks .... good for limited amounts of time. Drejaj .... too streaky at too many times. Varner .... c'mon graduation. Izik .... now hoping the second 1 and a half years are five times better than the first one and a half years. JJ .... veiled promise. DC .... don't know, too early to tell. Ian and Bryce .... projects. You can take it as a negative post .... I look at it as more objective. This team will win ... providing it accepts the fact that the talent won't be what gets them to the "W". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 taj said, "My mid-term grades: RB .... much, much better than expected. JFisher .... yeoman-type, all-around work and production, team MVP. Sloan .... in a funk. Frericks .... good for limited amounts of time. Drejaj .... too streaky at too many times. Varner .... c'mon graduation. Izik .... now hoping the second 1 and a half years are five times better than the first one and a half years. JJ .... veiled promise. DC .... don't know, too early to tell. Ian and Bryce .... projects." overall i think you are fair mr taj. here is my thoughts player by player. reggie bryant..actually about what i expected. what is the surprise is he drives to the basket better than i expected. imo he is better than claggett. josh fisher..the walking advertisement of why a player should stay for 4 years and redshirt if possible. josh IS the team mvp. and IS a very good point guard. nothing flashy, but does his job. it is nice to not have to worry about a player. chris sloan...taj says in a funk, i disagree. i see the consumate team player that just does what has to be done to win games. a gamer, a winner. willing to do whatever job needs to be done to win. some games he takes the big shot, other games, he sees that a reggie or a frericks is scoring at will, he sets the screens makes the extra pass to capitalize on that moment of heat. he is the guy on the team that will become a head coach. or at least should be. we would not have won some of these games without chris sloan. if he scores 19 great. if he scores 3 but does all the other things every game, great as well. i will take it and run. missouri would kill for 2 chris sloans right now imo. tom frericks....this is the man that has exceeded expectations the most for me. and he has shown stretches where he can be as good as any inside player in c-usa. tom needs to decide to step up and put the team on his shoulders and go. that doesnt mean i want him to average 20 points a game, if he does great. but to see him manhandle the middle, control the boards and beginning to play kb like defense is what will make frericks the most important. still, his hands and athleticism are a huge improvement over any inside player that the billikens have trotted out on the floor since mr bonner was here. izik ohannon...he has not exceeded any expectations. in fact he is the most disappointing. however, he continues to surprise and show flashes that give us hope. his breakaway dunk and his grab of the errant shot with an over the head backwards flip in basket weds nite were big time plays. now he is starting to play defense. izik, like frericks, makes this team. when the two of them are playing well, the billikens play well. drejaj...how anyone cannot like anthony is beyond me. he is so loaded with confidence and energy. gotta believe that spills over to his teamates. his defense is fabulous, and he goes on sprees where he looks like a very good shooter and has single handedly kept us in a few games. we shouldnt lose sight of the fact that he is a sophomore. i think anthony has a lot of great moments ahead of him and i am sure glad he is a billiken. so far this year, other than his free throws, i have no complaints about drejaj. i would say he is playing as expected. ross varner...ross is ross. no surprises either way. he does what he can and any negativity towards ross is just not fair. we should be thrilled he is there trying to set an example for the younger guys. the shame is that they havent stepped up and taken his minutes. ross is playing as expected imo. justin johnson...frustrating. you can see he is a talent. but he sits. justin, just do in practice whatever ross does. underachieving. darren clarke....see justin johnson. ian and bryce....projects that anyone can see they could become future difference makers. let's just all keep in mind that their abilities to affect the games this season will be limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I don't know where our final won-loss record will be at year end, but I do like the signs we have been seeing since Coach Soderberg went to the shorter rotation. While we do win games with lots of defense and limited offense and one can translate that to mean win ugly...that's just fine with me as I'll take the wins anyway that we can get them. I still have hope that we will get IO to contribute more on the offensive end before this season is over, and I would be surprised if we don't see some flashes of better things to come next season before this season is over from Ian. Remember Coach Soderberg has said that he expects Ian will be considered one of the best big men to have ever played at SLU before his career is over...hardly seems that Coach would rate Ian as a Project, and it seems that some of the things he accomplished in Europe before showing up at SLU would agree more with Coach''s strong comments in favor of Ian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I would not list a true freshman who missed almost 1/2 of the season but still has seen playing time as a project. He obviously has adjustments to make but he will get better each time he plays. By the way, the poster who said that Ian was thousands of miles from home and the other poster who countered that others are a long way from home but have still played well as freshmen - the first poster may not have said but what he meant was thousands of miles from home and in a foreign country - that is a lot different than being across the country in a country that you are a native of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gister Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 BRoy said: "justin johnson...frustrating. you can see he is a talent. but he sits. justin, just do in practice whatever ross does. underachieving. darren clarke....see justin johnson." The one difference there is that Justin Johnson was around all last year in practice to learn how things are done and what is expected. I think that makes him more frustrating than Clarke at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bauman Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Broy, I gotta agree strongly with you on C Sloan. I don't know how anyone watching this team will itself to wins could say CS is in a funk. At the very least he is responsible for one win (KS) and I believe his desire and leadership are at the heart of this team's success. I watched a replay of the TCU game and CS exhibited once again that he just wants to win, and will do whatever is needed to do so. Taj, I usually agree with most of what you say but this time you are WAY OFF the mark. Finally, having attended a number of practices this year, I cannot remember any practice that Coach has not used CS as an example to some of the younger and/or less hungry players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 ... and retract the Sloan grade based on baumann's support of broy. You guys are there ..... maybe (as someone else said) I was as harsh on that grade as I was on the Ian subject. I have to admit I did not figure in the intangibles when I said he was in a "funk" and that was short-sighted of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 ... what he meant. My counter understood the foreign country thing as well. Both of my examples .... Kleiza and Dreier (sp?) ..... are similar in that the Mizzou kid if from Lithuania (I think) and the Florida kid is from somewhere in Europe (I believe). My only real point is this .... when other schools get some of these European kids, they go bonzers or are solid contributors on the collegiate level. Besides the two mentioned above, I can think of Andrew Gage, Luc Longley, Tim Duncan (okay, the Virgin Islands is somewhat different but not too far off), Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem the Houston Dream (don't want to attempt the last name spelling .. too lazy), whatshisname -- recent grad at Wake Forest, Etimov at UNC, and some others. Granted these weren't kids that came in and dominated their first year ... some might argue that Florida's Dreier ain't there either.... and maybe didn't dominate at all. But you would have to admit .. well, I would .... that these are guys whose 6 to 8 ppg and 5 to 7 rpg contributions, if they were that and I'm guessing, are a lot better than what we see here at SLU. Its hard to overcome 30 or so years of failed expectations. I like what Brad is doing and I am hoping that at best, all the projections come true to the highest of degrees. My real outlook is that guys like Ian, Bryce and JJ can add these modest contributions to high-flying acts promised with the next incoming class. Add the east side kid to that in the next class and supporting role players like what is mentioned above become paramount to the overall success. They don't have to carry ... they just have to add to it. The ultimate complimentary example I can think of over my time with SLU is Redditt Hudson. If you know where he was in all this history and what his contributions were, you'll understand my point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 >The ultimate complimentary example I can think of over my >time with SLU is Redditt Hudson. If you know where he was >in all this history and what his contributions were, you'll >understand my point. I don't know, so please educate me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 To label ian a project is wrong. He plays like a freshman, he has only played in two games, getting limited minutes. To me a project is a guy who is redshirted so that he can even play limited minutes. Think back to Jeff Harris as a freshman, remember him playing much.....no he didn't but by his sophmore year he was a contributor. Izik really has only played one full year and two games. Infact if not for Izik and Frericks slu loses to TCU. I agree with Davidnark and Broy Ian has the tools will have some impressive minutes later in the year, but now is trying to figure out what is going on what he is suppose to do and then trying to do it. When he is able to just go out and do it he will a good center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I recall that he was a big that played during the Rich Grawer days. He was a serviceable big...nothing spectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehms13 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I agree with most of what you've said, I definitely right now feel that JF is MVP so far this year. He's playing well. I actually think the guys are all playing well. It's not their best performance every night....but I do like the fact that when it's an off night for one of our players, another player steps up to the plate. I think that's a plus for us. I don't feel that we've had our real break out game as of yet, but I'm anticipating that when all of our players in rotation are on, we will be untouchable. I love CS and AD, mostly their attitude, even if its an off game, their right in it to win. Izik really did his thing with TCU, I was pumped. TF if he keeps his frustration in check he'll help us go the distance (foul calls etc...he gets a little angry when he feels slighted), Ian well he's getting warmed up, lets not forget his age and experience in college basketball, RV must be doing well in practice and If Coach trust him in games, then I'll support that decision...Reg well u already know my stance on that.... Overall I feel the team is a good one.. "lunch meal" or however u put it, I don't really think so. No there aren't any "BIG" named players but I think we're proving that we don't need the hype and eventually when we slip thru that back door people will recognize and finally give SLU props. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 good point gister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 taj, from afar with no tv coverage to speak of and only boxscores to judge, there is no way to evaluate chris sloan accurately. you judged it the way you saw it from the stats in front of you. cant blame you a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 kleiza is flat out the best player on the tiger team. my guess is if $nyder used him correctly, they would have won a couple more games and klieza would be headed for the nba next year. he had to cost the boys some cash. i didnt even know they had walmarts in lithuania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 why does "redshirt" have to be associated with project? i would consider ian a project. now maybe i could see him being labeled less of a project than bryce. ian appears closer to being a contributor anyway. but still i think of a project player as one who has some tool or tool that makes his future development expectations to be geometrically higher. i.e. coach brad keeps saying that ian will be vlade divac. does anyone else think that is the case right now? i sure dont. but i do see great hands and he glides around under the basket and is looking for his teamates when he gets the ball, so i can see where that might develop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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