Finally some Abraham news

[mauconnfan]

I’ll restate my point. Ross can be an excellent defender and is much more impactful defensively than Stew. Key for Ross is to stay on his damn feet. His quickness and length are superior to anyone else we have at that spot.

He was certainly better tonight on D by far his best game not close. Stew made 3 big threes to get us going as well.

 

[boog204]

He was certainly better tonight on D by far his best game not close. Stew made 3 big threes to get us going as well.

Absolutely those 3’s were huge. Man it would be great if he could play a complete 25-30 minutes. Stew was invisible and 6 turnovers after those threes.

 

[uconngb]

Did a decent job tonight in Milwaukee if you ask me

Yeah I created a separate thread on it to eat crow

 

[mauconnfan]

Yeah I created a separate thread on it to eat crow

Me as well

 

[Kitaman]

Ross is a sophomore with more to learn and grow. He's a four year player and it appears his development is on track.

We just have to patiently wait for 'Senior' Ross and when that comes this team will be looking at another Championship. In the meantime there is and will be plenty to see from him.

 

[UCTitleTown]

This thread got derailed so let me get it back on IA: He's a freshman on a team with veterans and older players ahead of him. You gotta earn it young buck. That's all I'm gonna say.

 

[El Obrero]

Aside from Liam returning healthy, I think the success of this season hinges on one thing above all else: getting Solo Ball as many open shot opportunities as possible.

 

[RuffRuff]

Aside from Liam returning healthy, I think the success of this season hinges on one thing above all else: getting Solo Ball as many open shot opportunities as possible.

With Liam back and defenses focusing on Solo the guy that should really benefit is Alex.

 

[gtcam]

Ross plays defense well enough that Hurley puts him in at the end of games at D. I don't what you are watching. It's almost like you think you are trying to get clicks.

two different points of view - two different sets of eyes
Stop the damn chirping game
Ross has not contributed up to this present time to the point where I agree with DH's assessment. He has been wrong before and will be again.
Again, if the kid can play D at this level why not give him some PT?
I am not pro IA or anti Ross - I see Ross plays hard on D but he does give up a lot of fouls and he falls for ball fakes worse than my 10 yo grandson. As far as IA - Ive seen him in at least 6 practices and the kid has a lot of upside - quick feet and aggressive defensively. Can't be worse than a lot of guys offensively.

 

[RuffRuff]

two different points of view - two different sets of eyes
Stop the damn chirping game
Ross has not contributed up to this present time to the point where I agree with DH's assessment. He has been wrong before and will be again.
Again, if the kid can play D at this level why not give him some PT?
I am not pro IA or anti Ross - I see Ross plays hard on D but he does give up a lot of fouls and he falls for ball fakes worse than my 10 yo grandson. As far as IA - Ive seen him in at least 6 practices and the kid has a lot of upside - quick feet and aggressive defensively. Can't be worse than a lot of guys offensively.

Ross played his intended role incredibly well against Marquette. He finally looked relaxed, and had a calm about him I haven’t seen much of this year. Let’s now see if he can build off that, as he’s going to be needed Friday.

 

[superjohn]

I just cannot believe all the people on this board who think Ross cannot defend. There are metrics that show he defends well. Does he get caught biting on pump fakes more than he should, yes he does. But just take the time and watch what happens when he properly challenges three point shots. The man he is guarding does not make them at all and they shoot a very low percentage.

Hurley is the best coach in the country and couple that with the metrics and these arguments about how bad a defenderRoss is only show how little basketball acumen those posters have.

Focus on the negative only. Defense is not a zero sum situation, you only notice him when he does something stupid and that is usually on the ball. So you don’t notice when he is in position doing his job. He does his job or his assignment on defense so much better than Stewart and Ball so that is why he plays more.

Just get over it, he is our best defender you should be encouraging him to stop the mistakes that are easy to see. Because if he stops those he gets very close to being an elite defender. I think we should be hoping he does because it could win us some games over the next 8 weeks.

What are the metrics that say he's our best defender?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Sorry but he is better than Solo only due to him being terrible but he and Stewie at best are equal. Stewie at times does a great job on bigger guys backing him down or trying to but he’s inconsistent. I’ve seen some decent defense on occasion by Ross but even then 75% of time he’s gonna bite, jump and lose his position. There’s not much for me there on the eye test actually his defense is overrated!

Ross is a better perimeter defender than Stewart for sure. But he gambles too much, something I think Coach has him working on. Stewart is a better defender in the paint and brings some shot blocking. Ross is really a long guard, Stewart if a forward.

In our defense, when hedging, the 3-4 man has to move to the paint and cover the rim. Stewart is much better at that. I haven't checked the sub patterns, but it wouldn't surprise me if we see that Ross is usually in with Reed and Stewart with Johnson.

 

[RuffRuff]

Ross is a better perimeter defender than Stewart for sure. But he gambles too much, something I think Coach has him working on. Stewart is a better defender in the paint and brings some shot blocking. Ross is really a long guard, Stewart if a forward.

In our defense, when hedging, the 3-4 man has to move to the paint and cover the rim. Stewart is much better at that. I haven't checked the sub patterns, but it wouldn't surprise me if we see that Ross is usually in with Reed and Stewart with Johnson.

Ross 13 blocks on the year to Stews 5. Stew has those two out of no where against Dixon that were amazing, but not indicative of his usual game out there. Tends be his issue as a whole, sustaining focus. Flashes of brilliance with long swoons.

Stew 6 for his last 7 from 3, has him up to 38% on year.

 

[REB1094]

Abraham is long, athletic, strong, and enjoys playing defense. When he was recruited I heard/saw that he was raw offensively but in super limited minutes he was splashing threes and taking guys into the post, so much better than expected (although not against real competition)

There is a path to key bench minutes next year if he keeps working hard. Excited to see what him and Ahmad can do next season

 

[aceboon]

two different points of view - two different sets of eyes
Stop the damn chirping game
Ross has not contributed up to this present time to the point where I agree with DH's assessment. He has been wrong before and will be again.
Again, if the kid can play D at this level why not give him some PT?
I am not pro IA or anti Ross - I see Ross plays hard on D but he does give up a lot of fouls and he falls for ball fakes worse than my 10 yo grandson. As far as IA - Ive seen him in at least 6 practices and the kid has a lot of upside - quick feet and aggressive defensively. Can't be worse than a lot of guys offensively.

lol @ this level of lying

 

[RuffRuff]

Abraham is long, athletic, strong, and enjoys playing defense. When he was recruited I heard/saw that he was raw offensively but in super limited minutes he was splashing threes and taking guys into the post, so much better than expected (although not against real competition)

There is a path to key bench minutes next year if he keeps working hard. Excited to see what him and Ahmad can do next season

IA sure has some nice looking offensive traits - has a very smooth stroke. Based on his physical attributes, it's hard to understand why he wasn't ranked higher.

HS profile:

What they are saying about him: Jamie Shaw of On3.com has a positive scouting report of Abraham: “Isaiah Abraham is an explosive wing. He has great measurables with long arms and good positional size. At his core, Abraham is a shot-maker. He has touch, range, and confidence from anywhere on the floor. He is going to have to shore up his footwork and balance, which will help with his shot selection and shot-making. Abraham is able to attack the rim in straight lines and finish well above the rim in transition. He can get to his spots off one and two dribble pull-ups. Abraham has the upside, both physically and athletically, to be a solid team defender; there is a toughness in there… Abraham’s father, Faisal Abraham, played at Marquette, and his aunt Tajama Abraham Ngongba played at George Washington.”