Where is Mamadou?

[Hugo]

A lot of teams have guard oriented offenses but still always have competent bigs. Something tells me if we had a legit big he would see the ball plenty. Brimah saw the ball plenty and he was a horrendous offensive player.

If we had a legit big, but we don't at this point. The question is why don't we have one. We can't seem to recruit a high ranked big. We've missed out on some over the past few years for whatever reason, but IMO it's our offensive style and out inability to integrate the bigs into the offense. We land bigs that are not highly ranked and then can't develop them. I'd bet any high level big we are recruiting is hearing the same things from those schools we are recruiting against.

 

[Fan4ever]

His RS year was not "learning". The nature of his particular injury prescribes 'rest', ie not playing. At best, I would have expected him to stay the same, but more likely the year that year probably hurt him, given how raw he was coming in. I thought he was always supposed to be a developmental guy.

When your a scholarship player on RS, you are not getting a free pass to not engage w/ the team. Certainly you are not playing/contact, however you dont to do that in order to understand the game and where you fit in. KO is coaching every day and giving feedback good/bad/extraordinary/positioning/defensive posture/rebounding approach and the player should be listening. That doesn't seem to have been the case of 1+ year in the system.

 

[mauconnfan]

If we had a legit big, but we don't at this point. The question is why don't we have one. We can't seem to recruit a high ranked big. We've missed out on some over the past few years for whatever reason, but IMO it's our offensive style and out inability to integrate the bigs into the offense. We land bigs that are not highly ranked and then can't develop them. I'd bet any high level big we are recruiting is hearing the same things from those schools we are recruiting against.

They're hearing it from the other schools competing for the same kid, of course. But if people do their homework they will realize the kids they had weren't very good and didn't understand the game, like Brimah he was not very smart basketball-wise. Turned out Facey and Enoch weren't either. You can't develop no matter who is teaching you if you can't figure out what's going on out there and have a feel for the next thing you need to do and what to look for on both ends. These guys didn't they came in as very incomplete players and left the same - can't always teach fundamentals to people not game ready. Actually if the kid doesn't have a clue by the time he's 18-19 how to play the game he's probably not going to be very good. If anything and this has been said a million times, they need to recruit smarter bigs/kids with an understanding of the game. And of course the whack himself Zach Brown killed them by turning into a ...ehh ... well I'm not sure but it wasn't good.

 

[EBonz30]

He was basically the recruit to recruit Diallo. As you can see, after a year + of learning the system he just doesn't have the capacity or skill. Hate to harp on the kid, but he will not be effective to this program.

That’s quite a strong statement for a kid who has played a total of 20 mins of collegiate basketball.

Can we please give the kid at least a fair shot before we say he “doesn’t have the capacity or skill”?

Maybe your right, but hopefully your dead wrong!!

 

[intlzncster]

When your a scholarship player on RS, you are not getting a free pass to not engage w/ the team. Certainly you are not playing/contact, however you dont to do that in order to understand the game and where you fit in. KO is coaching every day and giving feedback good/bad/extraordinary/positioning/defensive posture/rebounding approach and the player should be listening. That doesn't seem to have been the case of 1+ year in the system.

Huge, huge difference between listening and doing though. You can tell somebody what to do all day, but until they actually do it, over and over and over again at full speed, it's pretty much wind. It's not like studying playbooks in football. Basketball is very instinctual.

 

[intlzncster]

That’s quite a strong statement for a kid who has played a total of 20 mins of collegiate basketball.

Can we please give the kid at least a fair shot before we say he “doesn’t have the capacity or skill”?

Maybe your right, but hopefully your dead wrong!!

Yah, let's convene 3 years from now and have that discussion.

 

[Fan4ever]

Yah, let's convene 3 years from now and have that discussion.

Love to have that conversation if he is still here. Too much pipeline and not enough Primetime.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Thought he was one of the positives of that first half, honestly

 

[Stainmaster]

@Fan4ever your thoughts on Diarra's performance today?

 

[Fan4ever]

Would not confuse with an MVP performance, i guess if your KO you put him in with your team down by 20. First play his way he fouls by reaching rather than using his body (100% in line with prior comments). Lost his man on rebounds multiple times.

On the brighter side, came out ready to fight, not lethargic.

 

[Hankster]

Diarra, went in got a quick block then 2 fouls (one an awful one for the obvious moving screen - he has to know not to do that) and then he got abused for 2 quick hoops on defense. He needs more time vs lower level teams once we have a comfortable lead so he can learn more of the nuances of the game so he can be of help to us later on in the season.

That said we battled all night, our lack of experienced interior depth showed but there were many teachable moments in this game we can grow from and regardless of the outcome just the experience of this game should help us for the league schedule and hopefully come March.

I agree it has to help. However, I wonder why Ollie chose to sign up for PK80. Young team going against top teams. Experience? okay I buy that, but....getting whacked today can't help much.