If Nikkita get the PT/Develops, Gauranteed Final 4

[professorhoya]

If Mescheriakov can get enough PT/development during the regular season this is a guaranteed Final 4 team.

It will be just too unstoppable to have a Long 6-9 Russian with Athleticism, ball handling and deadly 3 Pt shooting. Along with Simms I think he is really key since he has the size and length that will be needed in the Tourney's against certain teams.

If he's anything close to Russian SuperAthlete AK47 he needs to be playing Minutes.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Do you realize that if Nikita continues production at the pace of last game he'll average 120 points per game? I guarantee a Final Four appearance if that happens. Otherwise, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[professorhoya]

Jan 15, 2009 0:44:09 GMT -5 StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) said:

Do you realize that if Nikita continues production at the pace of last game he'll average 120 points per game? I guarantee a Final Four appearance if that happens. Otherwise, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I think we'll go far regardless of his development. But if he can develop into anything close to AK47, then it's a lock for the Final 4.

He's someone who can spelll Summers as Nikita is a very long 6-9 ball handling 3 Pt shooting Athletic Russian.

Him and Wattad have the best pure 3 Pt shots on the team. Their strokes are flawless.

[blueandgray]

exactly... he hit two great shots and earned himself more minutes agaisnt zone defenses....he still has to guard someone.

that said, JT3 certainly got the most out of him in two minutes.

[professorhoya]

Jan 15, 2009 0:49:05 GMT -5 blueandgray said:

exactly... he hit two great shots and earned himself more minutes agaisnt zone defenses....he still has to guard someone.

that said, JT3 certainly got the most out of him in two minutes.

I think people wrote him off after seeing him come in for 1 mintue and then getting benched again after some bad plays earlier this season. He has the tools and is very athletic and long, give him some solid PT and he can develop and be an asset like we saw tonight.

His two threes and the saving of Monroe's TO were the catalyst that changed the momentum of the game for good tonight.

[professorhoya]

"The run was sparked by two 3-pointers by sophomore Nikita Mescheriakov , who had only two field goals all season entering the game. Mescheriakov's first 3 was answered by Syracuse's Jonny Flynn , but he immediately followed with another from the top of the key.

''Nikita comes in, and he's been a little bit of a deer in headlights,'' Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. ''I said, 'Let's just throw him in there,' and he bangs two shots in a row.'''

That basket started a string of 14 straight points by Georgetown, including thunderous dunks by Summers and Henry Sims .

Meschariakov's first 3-pointer started a more than 9-minute stretch where Georgetown did not miss a field goal, making 11 straight shots, including a four-point play by Freeman that gave the Hoyas their biggest lead of the game, 47-26, with 2 minutes left in the first half. "

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/viewcast/2009/01/14/index.html?contestId=54601&vendorId=200901140229&vendorVisitTeam=553&vendorHomeTeam=229&pageType=recap

[PopeJohn2]

unfortunately missed the game. have 2 questions:

1. is there any particular reason nikita was put in so early in the game?
2. if he goes 2-2 why did coach pull him after only 2 minutes?

thanks.

[tjm62]

I mean, he's still a role player!

He had a great few minutes nailing some shots, (and made a nice dive for the ball also), but I'm not surprised they took him out.

The crowd loved him, though, wow.

[hoyaboy1]

Nikita is absolutely nothing like Kirilenko - he isn't actually 6'9", he isn't that athletic, and he doesn't play defense. He can shoot, pass, and has a decent handle for his size, but let's not go crazy here.

[bubbrubbhoya]

Early word is that Nikita will be replacing Geithner for Obama's Treasury pick due to the tax evasion problems. He will then fix TARP over a game of 1-on-1 with the President (elect) and pull us into a new age of prosperity. Nothing can stop this man!

[DrumsGoBang]

Cuse stopped playing zone after those two 3 pointers in the first half and didn't return to it until the second half. The switched to a full court man to prevent more 3's and get rebounds, but it didn't turn out that great for them in the end.

[hoyalawyer]

Yeah great situational sub. You know Syracuse didn't have Nikita on the scouting report b/c he hadn't played all season. Throw him out there see how he does on the zone. He knocks two down, and the defense keys in on him, take him back out for efficacy sake. Way to steal 6 points coach, way to be clutch and deliver Nikita.

[kellycpcm]

It appears that teh Belaruse assassin did more than shot lights oit. here is a quote from the Orange paper
"Nikita Mescheriakov, who moves slightly faster than a snail in molasses, hit back-to-back three's for his six points to ignite a 17-1 Georgetown run in the first half. He also contributed to the win by being the guy that fell on Andy Rautins left knee and took him out of the game. "

As rough as the Oranage played, it is nice to see we were more effective in taking them out

[CAHoya07]

First of all, there is no such thing as a guaranteed Final Four for any team. That's the beauty of March Madness. Anything can happen on any given night.

Second, let's not go too crazy here. I was as shocked as anyone to see Nikita so early. But, over the years, I've learned that JT III goes on hunches a lot, for seemingly no real rational reason. Like starting Omar over Jessie for one game. He sees a lot more in practice than we ever will, so that's probably part of it too. But after I scratch my head for a second, usually the hunch ends up working out. That is why I think JT III is a genius.

Nikita was fantastic in his two minutes of play - 2-2 3pt FG, 6 points, and one hustle to grab a loose ball that subsequently knocked Rautins out of the game. But there's still a lot of deficiencies in his game at this point. I really don't think he'll be part of the regular rotation, but get spot minutes when JT III has a hunch.

But that said, excellent performance. Really the turning point early in the game. Our bench overall was the star of the game, IMHO. It's nice to know even Nikita can step up to be that spark off the bench, if needed.

[SFHoya99]

I always go back to what sometime poster Jon Solomon said about III when we hired him. To paraphrase:

Sometimes he'll have substitutions that seem almost random. But they are usually right.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I love how so many syracuse fans are claiming that JTIII sent Nikita into the game specifically as a thug to take out Rautins. Really?! Nikita? and if we were going to take out a player wouldn't we go for someone who had made a shot at that point in the game.

[hoyasexy]

It would have been interesting to see Nikita go after Rick Jackson.

[SoCalHoya]

Jan 15, 2009 11:29:25 GMT -5 HoyaSinceBirth said:

I love how so many syracuse fans are claiming that JTIII sent Nikita into the game specifically as a thug to take out Rautins. Really?! Nikita? and if we were going to take out a player wouldn't we go for someone who had made a shot at that point in the game.

[sarcasm]Yes, I could hear III saying "Sweep the leg!" a la Karate Kid to Nikita right before he sent him in.[/sarcasm]

[vivanloshoyas]

As I've said somewhere else, it's Belarusian, not Russian, not Belaruse...

[nychoya3]

If I can change, and you can change, EVERYONE CAN CHANGE!!!!

I predict Nikita gives this speech when we play Cuse at the Dome, ushering an era of detente in Hoya-Orange relations.

(I know I'm screwing up the plot of Rocky IV, but the comparison of Nikita to AK-47 melted my brain.)