- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
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Call him Porkchop or Poppers, The Wrench or The Winner or simply Ike, he is a unique player taking best advantage of a unique opportunity - a 5th year of eligibility due to COVID-19.
Is there room for improvement or is he at his ceiling? How much time at 4 vs. 5? Will Akok (or others) eat into his minutes?
5 Things we have seen:
5 Things to expect:
Summary:
Is there room for improvement or is he at his ceiling? How much time at 4 vs. 5? Will Akok (or others) eat into his minutes?
5 Things we have seen:
Struggled to find a role under Ollie and early Hurley. Showed some promise as a quick-twitch rebounder. Horrific form when he was forced to throw up a jumper.
We have seen what we have not seen: a low post offensive repertoire. This is not his game but he has become a better finisher.
Began his blow-up second half of junior year. Really astounding improvement in multiple disciplines. That reluctant ugly duckling jumper bloomed into a better looking if still erratic part of his arsenal. He has even stretched it out to 3-point land, where DH will require 4’s to frequently roam. Kid is coachable.
Gain in strength as a junior allowed him to shed and shred on the boards. Secondary jump is as quick as it gets. Brings superior energy to the floor. Senior smarts showed in entire approach culminating in being crowned conference DPOY.
Hurley's master stroke was to cast him in the role of instigator in his 35' hedge scheme. It took a while to click but his long body disrupted and his excellent recovery twitch let him sag back underneath.
5 Things to expect:
Leadership gains. The once soft-spoken and skinny kid will be a mature defensive leader. He will begin to orchestrate more, be less foul-prone on hedges and stay on the floor longer.
With so much room for improvement as a frosh it’s possible we won’t ever see the ceiling on his jumper but he will be climbing more rungs towards it.
Enough minutes to share 4 and 5. Only Josh's 11 are available. Expect something similar to last year's 28 (Sanogo 25, Akok 20, Springs+Johnson 7.)
Scoring impact should tick up a tad if only due to consistency gains in the jumper. The rest will be his bread and butter sprinkled with second chance nickels and fast break dimes.
Influence. As a 5th year his experience is priceless. In games will be a defensive instigator and in practice will provide young bigs with the competition they need to grow.
Summary:
Phenomenally quick and relentless leaper and has become an outrageous defender, demanding the ball with pressure leading to steals and blocks. As a holdover from the Ollie era his production has increased voluminously under new management. Only player to start every game last year. Incumbent conference DPOY. Don’t expect him to suddenly become a creator but do expect more consistency and influence. Adding the ‘3’ keeps him on the floor in more varied situations.