Don’t sleep on Springs

[Fishy]

Hilton Armstrong started a lot of games as a freshman, but didn't play starter's minutes.

He played 10-12 minutes a game until he was a senior because we had guys like Emeka Okafor, Charlie V and Josh Boone playing ahead of him.

 

[McLovin]

Love that he hung around, love that he’s out there working, but he’s played about 30 minutes in two years and now Hurley wants to play four out….I don’t think there’s much oxygen left for Springs after Johnson, Sanogo, Karaban and Clingan.

3 years if you count his red shirt season. Guy could technically have 3 more years of eligibility too lol.

 

[HuskyHawk]

3 years if you count his red shirt season. Guy could technically have 3 more years of eligibility too lol.

He's still only 20 right now. Will turn 21 in September. I don't know what to expect, but I'm hoping all this effort pays off.

 

[RichZ]

I can’t really find anyone who did not play at all who eventually ended up as a contributor. I thought maybe Rudy Johnson, he was at the tail end of the rotation playing few minutes before starting as a senior.

Wasn't Rudy's issue somehow related to an injury?

 

[McLovin]

He's still only 20 right now. Will turn 21 in September. I don't know what to expect, but I'm hoping all this effort pays off.

Not a lot of kids would stick around and continue to put in the work he is putting in. Whaley is a perfect example of what can happen if a guy just gets a legitimate shot!

 

[Umami Zen]

Not a lot of kids would stick around and continue to put in the work he is putting in. Whaley is a perfect example of what can happen if a guy just gets a legitimate shot!

Perhaps this kid's coach sees something in him in practice that he hasn't been able to show on the court? As you said--3 yrs of eligibility and one unfortunate injury in our Big's rotation from playing important minutes.. Good kid to have on the roster.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

He looks like he already has better handles than Terry larrier ever did!

 

[Huskybass]

Springs has looked pretty good given the limited time he has seen the court. Would love to see him get some run this year as a depth piece.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I like Springs.
I have a hard time seeing any time for him on the court this season. The only possibility is if he’s somehow ahead of Samson and Clingan, or if he’s magically developed stretch 4 skills enough to compete with Karaban.
But maybe he’s taken on that challenge this off-season.

 

[RichZ]

Perhaps this kid's coach sees something in him in practice that he hasn't been able to show on the court? As you said--3 yrs of eligibility and one unfortunate injury in our Big's rotation from playing important minutes.. Good kid to have on the roster.

I've always felt the opposite was the case. When he does get in, he absolutely looks like he belongs. Effort, poise, plays hard. Does all the right things, and has a great looking mid-range jumper. I could never understand why he doesn't get the real time minutes, and figured coach must not be happy with his practice habits.

 

[Umami Zen]

I've always felt the opposite was the case. When he does get in, he absolutely looks like he belongs. Effort, poise, plays hard. Does all the right things, and has a great looking mid-range jumper. I could never understand why he doesn't get the real time minutes, and figured coach must not be happy with his practice habits.

You could be right. My comments were partially influenced by Isiah Whaley's opinion of Richie's performance in practices last year and by DH's comments.. Frequently going up against IW in scrimmages--Obviously IW is not the coach who allocates PT but he does have a pretty good reputation for defense and playing vs some pretty good guys in the BE.

Our group of Bigs are young and hungry and unproven at the CBB level (with the exception of AS).. AS is even young for being a Jr.. RS has some work to do to move up the depth chart but he knows the system/rotations,etc. to be valuable in the minutes he gets.

 

[Fishy]

Wasn't Rudy's issue somehow related to an injury?

It was largely related to him being not as good as the other people on the team.

 

[80shusky]

I'm rooting for Springs. One of the things we are missing is a Whaley type player now that we don't have Whaley. I don't mean a Whaley who eats up major minutes, I mean someone who can rebound, play good defense and knock down a few baskets with some bench minutes.

 

[Shamon30]

Springs looked better than Johnson in the small sample size of minutes we've had to compare. Johnson seems to have more upside, particularly for the modern game. As of now though, he looks lost and overpowered on defense. Springs seems a more traditional big, but more ready to contribute.

 

[CL82]

I like Springs.
I have a hard time seeing any time for him on the court this season. The only possibility is if he’s somehow ahead of Samson and Clingan, or if he’s magically developed stretch 4 skills enough to compete with Karaban.
But maybe he’s taken on that challenge this off-season.

I’m inclined to agree. Still, I’m rooting for him to get on the court. He’s worked hard and hasn’t complained about playing time. It’s tough not to want to see that kind of kid get rewarded.

 

[Hoophound]

I’m inclined to agree. Still, I’m rooting for him to get on the court. He’s worked hard and hasn’t complained about playing time. It’s tough not to want to see that kind of kid get rewarded.

Thus far, nothing indicates Clingan or Samson Johnson is better than Springs. It will be interesting.

 

[tcf15]

 

[CL82]

Thus far, nothing indicates Clingan or Samson Johnson is better than Springs. It will be interesting.

That’s fair. There is a tendency to have recency bias. So Clingan definitely benefits from that. Still, he looked good, albeit against high school students, with surprisingly good footwork. Dan Hurley has really suggested that Samson is something special and we got a chance to see him perform at the D1 level more than Richie. I think those things contribute to the perception that Samson and Clingan will be ahead of Springs. Still, as I said above, I am cheering for Richie to have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully this year.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I came to this thread expecting a stream of terrible puns...leaving disappointed

 

[bigknight3]

For the last week every time someone said Springs looked competent in his limited minutes last season, I kept thinking I don't really remember. I need an @tcf15 highlight video... And there it is!

Thank you!

 

[HuskyHawk]

For the last week every time someone said Springs looked competent in his limited minutes last season, I kept thinking I don't really remember. I need an @tcf15 highlight video... And there it is!

Thank you!

While the likely result is that Fishy is correct, it's also true that he's a classic PF. Rebounding, some rim protection, will score on catches in the post, offensive rebounds and midrange jumpers. In short, just like Isaiah Whaley. But his defense is likely not close to being at that level. So to the extent that Hurley needed a player like that, it was never going to be Springs while Whaley was here. There will be some games where we might need that kind of physical presence and he's really the only option now.

 

[IllinoisHuskie]

Don’t sleep on springs. Get a water bed.

 

[Improviser]

Don’t sleep on springs. Get a water bed.

Or a memory foam bed.

 

[bigknight3]

Or a memory foam bed.

Or a cot

 

[Dove]

Or a cot

Temper your pea dick.