Isaiah Whaley Appreciation Thread

[Tuna]

This isn't hard. When you are playing with 4 perimeter players every minute of every game, you really really really want a 5 that can play with his back to the basket in the low post. That is Cobb and Carlton. Add to that that Cobb was our best player in our best win of the year, and then might have been our best in taking Arizona to the wire, and Hurley gave him every chance to keep the backup job. Ultimately, his defense devolved to where he couldn't cover my salad (presumably a Cobb salad) in a refrigerator, but playing a string bean pogo stick 5 without a shot was not going to make this team better.

You'd never remember how many threads there were in November and December wanting to criticize Hurley for not playing Cobb more.

Are you really saying there wasn’t an opportunity to mix Whaley in today?

 

[JimHurley]

Let’s not overreact or write him off after today. We were completely outmatched by one of the best teams in the country.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Not to derail this thread but it would have been nice to see what four years of development could have done for Facey. The kid had a seriously high ceiling that he didn't come close to approaching.

Can't like this enough. It was coaching malpractice.

I’m on this train too.

 

[bmayuc]

I've been repping for more Isaiah all damn year(check my posts). He does the stuff that we lack(rebounding, toughness, rim protection, big man ability to play P&R) from the post, an plays with energy.

Another point of evidence. Check the plus-minus in todays game against Houston. Everyone in the starting 5 is minus a zillion. Carlton is freaking -42.

Isaiah: +4

 

[Fishy]

Isaiah Whaley doesn’t play a lot because he isn’t very good.

This is not a hard front court to crack and he hasn’t managed to crack it.

 

[coachn]

Let's hope IsaIah will be on board when this train starts rolling next year. He gives us so much of what we need the most.

 

[ToolzieFan]

I loved Whaley's performance against USF. He was a big reason we got that win. And I'm not one to ever get down on a kid with more talent than I could dream of having myself. But I do think some people are overselling his performance last year. For example, he averaged 6.5 rebounds per 40 minutes as a freshman. He seems like a legitimately good kid, but I don't think our season would have gone differently had he played more.