He either influenced or blocked at least 7 or 8 shots in the first half.
He's not gonna get drafted but he is an exceptionally valuable college basketball player despite the lack of flash and hype in his game.
6-foot-5 combo guard who can hit shots, make plays and get to the line. Also is earning something of a rep as a big game player with excellent half-court feel.
Wow that is an interesting take. You think Diarra is a key. My thinking is that we need to see Ball improve. With Spencer, Newton and Castle ball handling will not be a problem. If Ball improves SJ plays like he is then we need one of the wings to step up Stewart, Ross or Romogolou will be key. At this point with Cam and TN and Castle guards are our strength. I would like to see AR get more real playing time. Right now he appears to be ahead of Stewart and Ross. That may change but right now from what I am seeing he deserves a shot.
I didn't say he was key. I said he's important. Just like all of our senior back up guards in the past. He gives us energy, defense and a ball handler off the bench.....a la Donnell Beverly.
I think we need to be realistic about Donovan’s foot situation. Rightly or wrongly he’s out there showing a lot of toughness when some guys in his situation would be sitting for another month or two. His size with his arms extended impacts shots even if he isn’t blocking as many as normal.
Diarra is well liked by his teammates. While granted his shooting has a ceiling, Hassan’s ability to play uptempo offense and pressure defense creates his role on this team. He can also blow pass people with his dribble.
Tristen comes from a competitive Texas family of good athletes. He is just wired to compete mentally and physically. Then you mix that basketball with football and you get that toughness. That explains his defense and scoring after contact.
He's just gotten better and better with more confidence. Great player.
Yeah man, the back half of the second round is where older guys tend to get drafted. Jalen Pickett was an outlier at pick 32, but then look at the run of guys who were already 23 (or turned 23 before camp) 14 picks later:
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Light goes on, just a little improvement in his offensive game and he will really piss off hte opponents. Senior moment!!
At this point I'm not sure if it's the lingering affect of the injury, his still being out of game shape or hesitation to prevent hurting it again. But yes these things can take a while before someone fully recovers.
Was it TN himself or Dan Hurley that said near the end of last year that he doesn't realize how good he can be?
I went back and watched some tournament games after rewatching the IU game. He is not moving as well that is for certain. You don’t see it as much when he is running as you do when he is jumping. He also looks heavier. He may be filling out but we don’t want to see him any heavier than he is. I trust our coach and program would not be putting him out there if there was a significant risk or if he was not completely healed. he is still impacting the game in a big way. SJ is also very long and if he can learn to just not leave the floor on every shot fake from a smaller player he can cause problems at the basket for other teams. I was really impressed with that length when he got around Were to deflect that missed shot. It was a big play. He is looking better and better.
Wow - I agree on all points, especially how Tristen’s ability use his body is a lost art.
