GIFFEY

[Rico444]

Niels was on fire. Dominated the 3-point contest. Hopefully he keeps that going during the season.

 

[husky99]

how was DD

 

[mets1090]

clearly nervous. made like 4 shots

 

[DieHardHusky]

DD will be fine come opening tip. Great to see Niels catch fire and I'm hoping he can keep it up during the year!

 

[SJ]

i was very excited for NG. not only did he come in second at the fun run, he killed the 3 point shootout. and, at the end of the night, he won the simon sez competition, which was no joke! apparently, the kid can really follow instructions. i am happy for him and hope it's his time to shine.

 

[Husky Dynasty]

He was definitely unfazed during the contest. He was running out of time and calmly drilled the last three shots to completely blow out the competition. Definitely good to see. Hopefully it carries over into the regular season.

 

[Waquoit]

i he won the simon sez competition, which was no joke! apparently, the kid can really follow instructions.

Insert German joke here.

 

[Husky Dynasty]

After which he said to the interviewer something along the lines of, "I am German you know."

 

[61cygni]

NG is a robot sent back in time to follow instructions from the savior of mankind, Jim Calhoun.

 

[Kitaman]

NG is a robot sent back in time to follow instructions from the savior of mankind, Jim Calhoun.

You could have also used coach's initials and we still would have known what you meant.

 

[Sportsman5]

how was DD

almost air-balled the first shot long, then air-balled the second shot long. Like the previous poster said. He was clearly nervous and the air-balls at the beginning threw him off.

 

[James]

DD seemed lackadaisical more than "nervous". If he shoots like that in games I'll go nuts

 

[Sportsman5]

I'd say nervous. The event was filmed by ESPN and there were 10,000 people in the stands all looking at him. It could be a combination of both.

 

[Rico444]

DD seemed lackadaisical more than "nervous". If he shoots like that in games I'll go nuts

I doubt that. He was pretty upset with his performance in the interview right after, calling it horrible.

 

[mets1090]

I was sitting under the basket that they shot at for the 3 point contest so I had a pretty clear view of his face and mechanics. He looked like he was really guiding the ball to the rim and not so much shooting it. He was definitely nervous to start and the first two shots being pretty horrible probably threw him off the rest of the way.

 

[DogMania]

I'd say nervous. The event was filmed by ESPN and there were 10,000 people in the stands all looking at him. It could be a combination of both.

I agree. I saw him take and make 2 or 3 in a row before the competition started. He airmailed the first attempt and the crowd sort of groaned which I bet got immediately into his head. It looked like a classic case of fear of failure. I bet if he had made that first 3 or strung a couple together early he might have gone on a roll.

I'm not too worried about him. He might struggle early in the season since if he starts out similar in his first few games missing his first shots, but he's too talented to fail. Does anyone know if they play many real games at IMG? If he hasn't played many meaningful games over the past year, it might take him a while to get it going. I'm sure it was quite intimidating being out there for the first time in front of that many people who were solely watching him perform. Clearly not anything we should draw many conclusions on. JC obviously had enough confidence in him to pick him and Giffey as the two to compete in the contest.

 

[iam76]

its good to know that mr NG won't be nervous in any games

 

[CTPride]

Cmon guys it was a midnight madness 3 point contest. DD will be fine.

 

[ctchamps]

I was sitting under the basket that they shot at for the 3 point contest so I had a pretty clear view of his face and mechanics. He looked like he was really guiding the ball to the rim and not so much shooting it. He was definitely nervous to start and the first two shots being pretty horrible probably threw him off the rest of the way.

You have to wonder if this was his first time playing with a huge crowd and ESPN in the house. Hopefully this was just first time jitters rather than his personality gets into a funk if he starts of badly.

 

[hungry husky]

Neils has a good stroke, but he's a maximum effort guy. Obviously, the overall talent level of the team declines when he's on the floor, but you know exactly what you're getting: jumping on the deck to grab a loose ball, hard screens, and a determination to make the team better. Guys like him help you win (potentially multiple) national championships (I see you Souley).

 

[Husky Dynasty]

I agree. I saw him take and make 2 or 3 in a row before the competition started. He airmailed the first attempt and the crowd sort of groaned which I bet got immediately into his head. It looked like a classic case of fear of failure. I bet if he had made that first 3 or strung a couple together early he might have gone on a roll.

I'm not too worried about him. He might struggle early in the season since if he starts out similar in his first few games missing his first shots, but he's too talented to fail. Does anyone know if they play many real games at IMG? If he hasn't played many meaningful games over the past year, it might take him a while to get it going. I'm sure it was quite intimidating being out there for the first time in front of that many people who were solely watching him perform. Clearly not anything we should draw many conclusions on. JC obviously had enough confidence in him to pick him and Giffey as the two to compete in the contest.

I noticed the same thing. After the first airball, the crowd groaned, and I felt that it affected DD from there on out. The rest of his shots seemed tentative, but I wouldn't worry about translating over into the regular season. He did hit most of his practice shots, and seemed to have a exceedingly smooth release. Hopefully we'll actually make a few threes this year, although I'll certainly take the same end result as last season. Fortunately/unfortunately the overall talent level in college basketball is much improved this year, so a team might not be able to replicate our post-season success last year without hitting at least a few three pointers.

 

[huskyharry]

The depth on this team at wing is amazing...I really like Niels' game and I think he makes those around him better (unselfish, good passer, hustles etc.)

 

[CTBballfan243]

Neils need to also work on getting the shot off quicker. His three point stroke is sweet but it's way to slow. In an actual game he wouldn't have time to get that 3 shot off.

 

[Kitaman]

He was announced as a guard last night. Could he be the 4th one? He could be a JJ (forgive me for cursing) type sharpshooting SG, irrespective of ball handling. Opens up the middle.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Obviously, the overall talent level of the team declines when he's on the floor (I see you Souley).

i completely disagree with that. he has talent to be a better than average player. the kid is athletic although not freakishly like a few of our players but the kid has some serious talent so dont sell him short like all he can be is a role player his whole career. i dont think this kid has scratched the surface of what he can be. jc once said he reminds him of john havlicek who was no slouch.