Kenner Semis

[hoyaboy1]

Game 1 - Tombs win 70-68. Were up 69-59, couldn't hit any FTs. Gist dunked off his own FT to cut it to 2, then the last few seconds ticked away and a big argument ensued.

Game 2 - Clyde's won, 67-66 (I think, it was by 1 though). No real last shot.

Quickies:

Green - no points outside but a lot inside, good boarding.

Ewing - same, 1 three, bunch of blocks, just missed a NASTY dunk where he got fouled

Egerson - only a few points, but played solidly

Thornton, Sapp - very quiet, although a nasty block by Sapp.

Spann wasn't there.

Hibbert - 20 points, 8/12, 4/6. Very good on offense, but go killed on the boards by Calvin Brown (he had a lot of points too, but tons of TOs in the 2nd half).

Cook - played decently but low impact.

Sead - 5 points, 1 three, one little J inside. Some very nice passing.

Who were 12 and 14 (scored a lot) on the Tombs? Who was 2 on Clyde's?

[hoyalove4ever]

Thanks for the insight. If I was in the DC area, I'd be there. It sure beats working on securities research for your business law professor!

I'm really glad that Hibbert is putting up some points. And in some ways, I'm glad that he got beasted on the boards. Roy has the potential to be an enormous force (literally and figuratively) for us, but it will take some hard knocks. What developing seven-foot plus guy hasn't been whipped by smaller, quicker players? Maybe having that happen in Kenner will help him develop for the season.

I'd love for Sead to get some time, simply because he is such a good passer, and that is so important for the Princeton offense. He also has a nice three. Did he play any D? That is the big issue for him.

[BubbleVisionBiff]

First game seemed a little uneven in terms of the flow. Tombs almost gave it up again for the second week in a row. Couldn't buy a shot there for awhile. No one could finish. Nevertheless, Jeff was great, and Jon showed even better instinct going to the rack. Jesse and Marc also looked good, in terms of being in the right spots and not pushing too much. Who was #6 on Jammers who got the intentional on Marc at the end, not thrilled with him. Still don't know who #14 on Tombs was, but I know little.

Roy looked good in the first half of second game that I saw. Much more in control of himself around the basket, but still a little out of position on defense. Can get us 10 ppg this year, enough to make people pay attention. Like to see him stay home more on D.

Hoya Boy & HL4E, also agreed on Sead. Gathered his shot quickly, but also had nice court awareness for the "best" pass when his own shot was not there. Patient but alert. He can have an impact.

Was it me, or did Tombs not get second shot in the bonus in 2d half even though scoreboard showed Jammers with 10 fouls?

[JB5]

The Tombs did their best to give away the game when they couldn't make foul shots down the stretch. The good news is that Green and PE Jr gave the Jammers problems throughout. If #14 had some more patience and looked for them inside rather than trying to create his own shot, they could have put the game away midway through the second half. Can't wait to see Ewing as a Hoya; he showed outstanding athleticism today.

Also another strong game from Wallace. He made some nice passes and hit a couple of key shots. He is clearly working on his defense and was the most consistent backcourt player for the Tombs. Sapp also had some decent moments, including a couple of big rebounds. Maybe 6-7 points for Jesse.

In the second game, Roy put up some numbers but should have had more. Too often, his teammates were not looking in to him but trying to score for themselves. When he did get the ball, he showed much improved hands and made some nice passes when the defense collapsed on him. Ashanti was a non-factor. He looked tired much of the game. Sead played well, especially getting himself involved in the offense and finding the open man. He made a nice 3 in the first half, and looked to be working on his defense.

During the second half of the Clyde's game, some guys in the front row were getting on one of the refs during a timeout for not calling some of the contact going on. The ref turned to them and said "No harm, no foul. It's summer league." Can we sign him up to work the Big East?

[hoyaboy1]

6 on Jammers was apparently Gordon Clayborn or something, who goes to Fairleigh Dickinson (or so some guy told me).

FTs were weird. There seemed to be no double bonus, and the bonus didn't start until 10 fouls.

[BubbleVisionBiff]

je3 said:

Sead played well, especially getting himself involved in the offense and finding the open man. He made a nice 3 in the first half, and looked to be working on his defense.

He was definitely giving Roy the business end of his forearm!

Was it Jesse who had that SICK criss over late in the first of the Tombs game? Silly, just silly.

[MCIGuy]

hoyaboy1 said:

Who were 12 and 14 (scored a lot) on the Tombs?

I wasn't there but I'm guessing if he was a guard and played with the Tombs its Isiah Swann of Florida State. One of the most talented players to come out of the DC area in the last few years.

As for Clyde's if the person you're referring to had the build of a big guard/small forward and was very explosive out there on the court the its probably JR Pinnock of George Washington.

[hoyaboy1]

I thought 14 might be Swann, but he looked 30 so I wasn't sure. But looking at pics it was.

The guy on Clyde's I was curious about was short. No Pinnock, I don't think.

[WilsonBlvdHoya]

#14 was Isaiah Swann for FSU. And even though I only saw the second half, I have to violently disagree with the poster who said Tombs would have done better had Swann looked for Jeff and PE more; in fact, Swann hit some big shots and made some nice dishes that were the difference in the game--without him, Tombs lose today! Also, Sterling Ledbetter didn't show up today, would have made for a very different game had he played. #6 for the opposing team was Antric Klaiber's brother who goes to FDU (somewhat surprising as he showed more than mid-major talent.....). Gist posted up Marc E. at will in the second half; Egerson said after the game his wrist was OK even though he had a big icepack on it.

Jeff and PE looked good (especially off the dribble-penetration from the wings), JW played within himself as well and Jesse penetrated reasonably well. But all three halves I saw were lackluster/sloppy/disappointing. By my count Roy had 15 pts in first half, including a nasty dunk but only 2 pts in the second half and had his shot blocked twice on the baseline late (no excuse for that when he's facing guys shorter than him)--it really was a Jekyll/Hyde game for him. I think the board needs to temper expectations of him for BE play; he's still not completely ready for prime-time in the sense that he needs work on defensive positioning (he often goes for ball-fakes and allows guys to go up and under on him), keeping his arms up at all times, boxing out, and going up stronger still (weight room, weight room, weight room--too many MEAC guys are pushing Roy around on the blocks). Don't get me wrong, he's improved dramatically over this time last year and he continues to show progress but he's not near, say, a Dikembe-like contribution defensively or for that matter offensively against the likes of Jason Fraser or other seasoned big men. This is meant as no slam on Roy (I really like him and his attitude); I only write it as a counterpoint to what I perceive are some of the more overly-glowing reports lately. And I know he'll continue to put in the work to get into BE shape.....

Ashanti had a quiet but effective 9 points....What else to report?? Two SJs showed up (McFadden and Bodnar); I guess they only come out for the big time games!! ;D I certainly hope the quality of play is superior tomorrow (the games reminded me of late JT2 era matches where neither team was executing particularly smoothly on the offense--one exception to that was Cuts in the first 15 minutes or so)! In any event, should be interesting to see how Ashanti and Roy handle the frosh, Jeff, JW and PEJr...

[jerseyhoya34]

I am as big of a Roy cheerleader on these boards as anyone, and I don't think anyone is trying to build him up as Deke on the defensive end or a dominant offensive force. I think all of us agree that he could give us 10-12 points and 8-10 boards on a given night. I think that is about where he should be at this stage in his career, and that would represent a major advance from last year.

One thing I noticed today is that he tired in the second half, which is why he perhaps was not going up as strong as he was in the first half and why we saw those blocked shots. Roy is a guy who rarely played more than 20 minutes in BE play let alone a full 40 in an uptempo, playground-style summer league contest. Just shows that Roy needs some more treadmill work.

I do not read too, too much into how Calvin Brown went around him or executed some good moves on him. Brown is no more than 6'7" in terms of height and has a low center of gravity. How many players with a football player's frame will Roy see in the BE? Very few. How many 6'7" PF's will Roy guard this year? Zero. In the NBE, the opposing center will consistently be a 6'9" player or above, at least on the good teams. Roy did very well in the Kenner against Gist, which interests me much more than how he performs against a 6'7" gimmick player. Tomorrow might also be an interesting match-up with Jeff.

Anyway, you make fair points about Roy and how he is not Deke on the glass or Pat on the offensive end. Very few people are. He'll still make a valuable contribution to the team and post up some very respectable numbers.

[WilsonBlvdHoya]

Jersey, you and I are 99% in agreement; I just believe there needs to be a little more expectations management on the part of fans re Roy given the tenor of some of the latest posts (I also didn't see him against Gist so perhaps my perceptions are unrepresentative!!). I especially agree with you on him being winded in the second half.

Here's my concern: if a guy like Calvin Brown can push Roy around, what will Jason Fraser do to him? Or even Dante Cunningham?! Or the big guy from SU (I forget his name)?! Point being, he won't face "football build" guys (6'7" 250), in the NBE, he'll face Zo-build guys (6' 10"+ 250+) who can leverage their strength even more! He needs to bulk up and add power moves to his repertoire (he already is amazingly agile for a guy his size; yet there's times when he's still quite awkward out there) for the NBE.

[DFW HOYA]

wilsonblvdhoya said:

Here's my concern: if a guy like Calvin Brown can push Roy around, what will Jason Fraser do to him? Or even Dante Cunningham?! Or the big guy from SU (I forget his name)?!

You could always bring in this guy as a reserve...

guhoyas.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/kohl_jarrod00.html

[jerseyhoya34]

wilsonblvdhoya said:

Jersey, you and I are 99% in agreement; I just believe there needs to be a little more expectations management on the part of fans re Roy given the tenor of some of the latest posts (I also didn't see him against Gist so perhaps my perceptions are unrepresentative!!). I especially agree with you on him being winded in the second half.

Here's my concern: if a guy like Calvin Brown can push Roy around, what will Jason Fraser do to him? Or even Dante Cunningham?! Or the big guy from SU (I forget his name)?! Point being, he won't face "football build" guys (6'7" 250), in the NBE, he'll face Zo-build guys (6' 10"+ 250+) who can leverage their strength even more! He needs to bulk up and add power moves to his repertoire (he already is amazingly agile for a guy his size; yet there's times when he's still quite awkward out there) for the NBE.

I disagree with some of your points in the second paragraph. Calvin Brown is among the more physically strong players you'll find anywhere on the floor. It takes a herculean effort to move him off the block, and I'd be surprised if the Boones, Terrance Robertses, and even the Jason Frasers of the NBE could do it. He has a low center of gravity, whereas these guys are longer and not as compact. The Jason Frasers may have more leverage, but for what ends? Calvin Brown has more authority and physical explosion in the blocks than these guys and would command position against most NBE teams.

I think Roy is at a point where we see more agility than awkwardness, and he's shown a new array of post moves during the KL. He is probably half a step quicker up the floor, which makes a difference.

I may be hyping him up too much, but I see him as the most improved returning player. Someone could make a case for Wallace, but give me what Roy has done during this offseason. In the end, I think he'll start but split minutes with Owens as we flip and flop between the tall and small lineups.

[WilsonBlvdHoya]

Um, DFW, what happened to Amadou?! Might as well go with the walk-on we know vs. the walk-on we don't know! Or are you just showing some preference for GU FB players!?

Good thing GU has Baltimore Sun HS player of the Year 6'7/8", 240lb DaJuan Summers is coming on board to provide front-court help in 2006-07!!!

[WilsonBlvdHoya]

jerseyhoya34 said:

wilsonblvdhoya said:

Jersey, you and I are 99% in agreement; I just believe there needs to be a little more expectations management on the part of fans re Roy given the tenor of some of the latest posts (I also didn't see him against Gist so perhaps my perceptions are unrepresentative!!). I especially agree with you on him being winded in the second half.

Here's my concern: if a guy like Calvin Brown can push Roy around, what will Jason Fraser do to him? Or even Dante Cunningham?! Or the big guy from SU (I forget his name)?! Point being, he won't face "football build" guys (6'7" 250), in the NBE, he'll face Zo-build guys (6' 10"+ 250+) who can leverage their strength even more! He needs to bulk up and add power moves to his repertoire (he already is amazingly agile for a guy his size; yet there's times when he's still quite awkward out there) for the NBE.

I disagree with some of your points in the second paragraph. Calvin Brown is among the more physically strong players you'll find anywhere on the floor. It takes a herculean effort to move him off the block, and I'd be surprised if the Boones, Terrance Robertses, and even the Jason Frasers of the NBE could do it. He has a low center of gravity, whereas these guys are longer and not as compact. The Jason Frasers may have more leverage, but for what ends? Calvin Brown has more authority and physical explosion in the blocks than these guys and would command position against most NBE teams.

I think Roy is at a point where we see more agility than awkwardness, and he's shown a new array of post moves during the KL. He is probably half a step quicker up the floor, which makes a difference.

I may be hyping him up too much, but I see him as the most improved returning player. Someone could make a case for Wallace, but give me what Roy has done during this offseason. In the end, I think he'll start but split minutes with Owens as we flip and flop between the tall and small lineups.

Let's agree to disagree on Brown; I think Jai Lewis of GMU and KL might be more formidable physically and is certainly a better bball player. Roy alternately struggled with Jai but also held his own. Brown, to me, is very much a one-trick pony which is why it concerns me that Roy didn't dominate him....

[MCIGuy]

wilsonblvdhoya said:

Jersey, you and I are 99% in agreement; I just believe there needs to be a little more expectations management on the part of fans re Roy given the tenor of some of the latest posts (I also didn't see him against Gist so perhaps my perceptions are unrepresentative!!). I especially agree with you on him being winded in the second half.

Here's my concern: if a guy like Calvin Brown can push Roy around, what will Jason Fraser do to him? Or even Dante Cunningham?! Or the big guy from SU (I forget his name)?! Point being, he won't face "football build" guys (6'7" 250), in the NBE, he'll face Zo-build guys (6' 10"+ 250+) who can leverage their strength even more! He needs to bulk up and add power moves to his repertoire (he already is amazingly agile for a guy his size; yet there's times when he's still quite awkward out there) for the NBE.

Only problem with this argument, Wilson, is that there is already evidence out there to counter this. On tape I have games from last season in which Roy faced bigger and stronger frontcourt players on Syracuse and Notre Dame and did not get pushed around by them. In fact he held up well against these players and outplayed a few of them. Does that mean he dominated them? No. Does that mean he was in always in position to challenge them on defense, get all the rebounds that he should have or connected on all of his close shots when going up against these players? No. As a matter of fact he appeared downright awkward and slow in some situations. But was he pushed around? Nope. So I tend to think he can hold up on that end just fine during the BE.

No offense but I think you and my boy Ron tend to exaggerate a bit about how often the Hoya players are pushed around in the KL. Then again it is a legitimate concern to point out considering the Hoyas' difficulties in the paint the last two seasons. Plus I'll admit its not something I tend to keep too much an eye on since I concentrate more on what I see the players do offensively when the ball is in their hands. Still I think some of what you're writing comes across as a tad hyperbolic. Roy being pushed around by too many MEAC guys? Sorry. Not this summer. Two summers ago? Yes. Last summer? Of course. This summer? No. At least not in the games that I caught.

Maybe its just a case of me missing every game in which Roy was thrown around but what are the odds of that? But I'll play devil's advocate and say that what you're telling us is 100% true. In that case I assume you're disappointed because you think anyone of Roy's size should not be moved around at all. That's quite understandable but it doesn't explain how you and especially Ron came down so hard on Jeff and Pat for supposedly being backed down also in the paint by Universal Madness earlier this summer. Those guys aren't nearly the size that Roy is after all and should be more susceptible to physical play like that (I still stand by my claim I didn't think it was nearly as bad as Ron made it out to be). So is it your view that just because these players suit up for Gtown that anyone getting the best of them in any possession is worrisome? Do we think that little of the hearts and strengths of other players from supposedly inferior programs? In the end doesn't it matter more that the Hoya players involved got the best of their opponents for the most part individually and that their teams won those games? Or is only perfection expected every time they hit the court? If so, by that line of thought, every time a Hoya player has his dribble picked off or shot blocked by an opponent, and that opponent turns out to be from a mid to low level D1 program (or even a D2 player), it would be time for panic would it not? Every time a Hoya player goes up to take a shot and misses with a guy from Bowie State guarding him does he have some explaining to do?

Look I’m not trying to be smart-alecky. I just want to point out that we should give credit from time to time to the opponent who comes in and plays his tail off instead, and not predict gloom whenever they give our players fits. These are guys who sometimes get their biggest shot at doing something noteworthy by outplaying more highly regarded players in the summer league. This happens all across the country every summer. Sometimes some dude will come in a gym and light up supposedly better players. But most dudes who do something like that could not compete on a regular basis if they had to play regular season ball against the level of competition those "more highly regarded players” face. But the nature of this game (as well as other factors) allows a physically inferior player to get the best of a superior one in certain circumstances. So how much do we make of it when that occurs is the question.

Trust me I would love to see Roy dominate Calvin Brown and outscore him by 50 points. I would love to hear that he sealed him in the paint every time the two collided. However I’m not going to worry much if today Brown pushed him around a bit. The fact is that Roy has improved too much for me to think that he can’t go out and be a major contributor for the Hoyas by the time the Be season rolls around. The truth is, as you and I both know, last year Roy may not have managed to score 7 points against Brown and his team, a team in which he is the focal point, would have lost. This summer Roy has been in double figures in points easily in every game based upon reports and has been almost as good in rebounding. His team, for which he is the clear MVP, is the only undefeated team left in the KL. So to me at least it seems a tad unfair to come down hard on him after a supposedly sub par performance when you’ve been relatively more silent when he does well.

That being said I don’t think anyone here (okay, with the possible exception of Jersey as well as those who think in a few years he’ll be the #1 player in the draft ) has gone overboard with expectations. The majority of us don’t see Roy becoming a First Team BE player overnight. He has a lot of work to do. And as I pointed out in my KL evaluations (which I do promise to put the final touches on soon) there are physical limitations he has. I don’t think any work in the weight room is going to give him more explosion off the floor and it won’t do much to help him cover ground while in the paint. But he will definitely keep getting better as you and I both know because of his work ethic and he can help this team out now. I don’t know if he will start but he can give this team a lift regardless despite all of his imperfections. And I really, really, really disagree with you concerning Roy’s offensive abilities compared to Deke’s. Roy will never be the defensive presence Mutombo is but he is already a better offensive weapon than Deke. Roy has shown more ways to score on the block than Deke. He has a softer touch on the ball and can hit a spot up jumper with ease. He can put the ball on the floor better than anyone of his size should (certainly better than Mutombo could ever dream of). And he’s ten times the passer Mutombo ever was. If he was capable of playing 30 minutes a game last season he would have averaged double figures as a frosh. As tough as the Princeton concept is on a big, natural center like Roy, just think how awful Deke would have been in a similar situation.

So I’ll go on record and say that Roy is capable of creeping up to near 10 points and 7 boards a game next season with the proper minutes. He would still frustrate you with his slow physical reactions and make you go away from games thinking he has a lot of work to do before he can be a real contributor. But he will also have a handful of games against big frontlines (it’s the small frontlines that gives him the most trouble) in which he will excite you by putting up 15 to 17 points along with 10 to 12 boards.

With all that said let me once again point out that its all love here and I hold nothing against you, Wilson. I hope this hasn’t come across as an attack or a flame. We’re just seeing things a little different. But both of us are rooting for Roy and that’s all that matters. Peace.

[theEDGEfactor]

wilson ur thinkin of greg fourth i think thats how he spells it, but roy did kill him last year at SU and he graduated this past year

[jerseyhoya34]

wilsonblvdhoya said:

Good thing GU has Baltimore Sun HS player of the Year 6'7/8", 240lb DaJuan Summers is coming on board to provide front-court help in 2006-07!!!

So far as I can tell, the plan is to have Summers as a SF from day one at GU. This does not mean he won't occasionally find his way to the post, but he is not our silver bullet for physical weakness in the post. That will hopefully be Vernon II and another guy whose name can be rearranged to spell "Screw Duke."

[MCIGuy]

It'd be interesting if someone could actually figure out how Gtown did on the boards when Roy was on the court. Roy at times grabbed rebounds by accident (being the tallest guy on the floor helped). But mostly he would assist his team by tapping the ball away from an opponent (by accident again) and over to a teammate or by taking one of the opponents' big men out of the equation by simply putting a body on him.

[WilsonBlvdHoya]

mciguy said:

wilsonblvdhoya said:

Only problem with this argument, Wilson, is that there is already evidence out there to counter this. On tape I have games from last season in which Roy faced bigger and stronger frontcourt players on Syracuse and Notre Dame and did not get pushed around by them. In fact he held up well against these players and outplayed a few of them. Does that mean he dominated them? No. Does that mean he was in always in position to challenge them on defense, get all the rebounds that he should have or connected on all of his close shots when going up against these players? No. As a matter of fact he appeared downright awkward and slow in some situations. But was he pushed around? Nope. So I tend to think he can hold up on that end just fine during the BE.

No offense but I think you and my boy Ron tend to exaggerate a bit about how often the Hoya players are pushed around in the KL. Then again it is a legitimate concern to point out considering the Hoyas' difficulties in the paint the last two seasons. Plus I'll admit its not something I tend to keep too much an eye on since I concentrate more on what I see the players do offensively when the ball is in their hands. Still I think some of what you're writing comes across as a tad hyperbolic. Roy being pushed around by too many MEAC guys? Sorry. Not this summer. Two summers ago? Yes. Last summer? Of course. This summer? No. At least not in the games that I caught.

Maybe its just a case of me missing every game in which Roy was thrown around but what are the odds of that? But I'll play devil's advocate and say that what you're telling us is 100% true. In that case I assume you're disappointed because you think anyone of Roy's size should not be moved around at all. That's quite understandable but it doesn't explain how you and especially Ron came down so hard on Jeff and Pat for supposedly being backed down also in the paint by Universal Madness earlier this summer. Those guys aren't nearly the size that Roy is after all and should be more susceptible to physical play like that (I still stand by my claim I didn't think it was nearly as bad as Ron made it out to be). So is it your view that just because these players suit up for Gtown that anyone getting the best of them in any possession is worrisome? Do we think that little of the hearts and strengths of other players from supposedly inferior programs? In the end doesn't it matter more that the Hoya players involved got the best of their opponents for the most part individually and that their teams won those games? Or is only perfection expected every time they hit the court? If so, by that line of thought, every time a Hoya player has his dribble picked off or shot blocked by an opponent, and that opponent turns out to be from a mid to low level D1 program (or even a D2 player), it would be time for panic would it not? Every time a Hoya player goes up to take a shot and misses with a guy from Bowie State guarding him does he have some explaining to do?

Look I’m not trying to be smart-alecky. I just want to point out that we should give credit from time to time to the opponent who comes in and plays his tail off instead, and not predict gloom whenever they give our players fits. These are guys who sometimes get their biggest shot at doing something noteworthy by outplaying more highly regarded players in the summer league. This happens all across the country every summer. Sometimes some dude will come in a gym and light up supposedly better players. But most dudes who do something like that could not compete on a regular basis if they had to play regular season ball against the level of competition those "more highly regarded players” face. But the nature of this game (as well as other factors) allows a physically inferior player to get the best of a superior one in certain circumstances. So how much do we make of it when that occurs is the question.

Trust me I would love to see Roy dominate Calvin Brown and outscore him by 50 points. I would love to hear that he sealed him in the paint every time the two collided. However I’m not going to worry much if today Brown pushed him around a bit. The fact is that Roy has improved too much for me to think that he can’t go out and be a major contributor for the Hoyas by the time the Be season rolls around. The truth is, as you and I both know, last year Roy may not have managed to score 7 points against Brown and his team, a team in which he is the focal point, would have lost. This summer Roy has been in double figures in points easily in every game based upon reports and has been almost as good in rebounding. His team, for which he is the clear MVP, is the only undefeated team left in the KL. So to me at least it seems a tad unfair to come down hard on him after a supposedly sub par performance when you’ve been relatively more silent when he does well.

That being said I don’t think anyone here (okay, with the possible exception of Jersey as well as those who think in a few years he’ll be the #1 player in the draft ) has gone overboard with expectations. The majority of us don’t see Roy becoming a First Team BE player overnight. He has a lot of work to do. And as I pointed out in my KL evaluations (which I do promise to put the final touches on soon) there are physical limitations he has. I don’t think any work in the weight room is going to give him more explosion off the floor and it won’t do much to help him cover ground while in the paint. But he will definitely keep getting better as you and I both know because of his work ethic and he can help this team out now. I don’t know if he will start but he can give this team a lift regardless despite all of his imperfections. And I really, really, really disagree with you concerning Roy’s offensive abilities compared to Deke’s. Roy will never be the defensive presence Mutombo is but he is already a better offensive weapon than Deke. Roy has shown more ways to score on the block than Deke. He has a softer touch on the ball and can hit a spot up jumper with ease. He can put the ball on the floor better than anyone of his size should (certainly better than Mutombo could ever dream of). And he’s ten times the passer Mutombo ever was. If he was capable of playing 30 minutes a game last season he would have averaged double figures as a frosh. As tough as the Princeton concept is on a big, natural center like Roy, just think how awful Deke would have been in a similar situation.

So I’ll go on record and say that Roy is capable of creeping up to near 10 points and 7 boards a game next season with the proper minutes. He would still frustrate you with his slow physical reactions and make you go away from games thinking he has a lot of work to do before he can be a real contributor. But he will also have a handful of games against big frontlines (it’s the small frontlines that gives him the most trouble) in which he will excite you by putting up 15 to 17 points along with 10 to 12 boards.

With all that said let me once again point out that its all love here and I hold nothing against you, Wilson. I hope this hasn’t come across as an attack or a flame. We’re just seeing things a little different. But both of us are rooting for Roy and that’s all that matters. Peace.

LOL, MCI! I'm feeling the love too and we're definitely on the same side--I have a great deal of respect for your write-ups and insights; no flame perceptions over here. But where to start?! ;D

Your most telling comment was that Roy was capable of "10 points and 7 boards a game next season WITH THE PROPER MINUTES (my emphasis)." Roy was quite foul-prone last year and still is in the KL to some extent. His work on defensive positioning and not going for ball fakes will be critical for him to stay in the game more than 15 minutes. Last year in BE play, he averaged 17.5 minutes with 5.25 pts and 3.5 boards/game. So what you're saying is he's going to double his output in probably the same amount of minutes (maybe getting 20-30 minutes/outing by staying out of foul trouble). It's possible he'll do this given the improvements he's making and will continue to make in the off-season. But I'm not comfortable in making that prediction yet and that's what's driving my "let's manage expectations of Roy" argument. It's not that I doubt Roy's potential; he certainly CAN do it (BTW, I haven't been "overly silent" when he's done well; I've always called him out when he's performed on the court)--I'm just more concerned that people not get on him later if he doesn't. Remember, let's let him develop at his own pace, he'll be an 18-year old sophomore when the season starts.

My comparison of him to Dikembe on the offensive end was probably not the most apt one and you rightly called me out on it; he is more fluid than Deke ever was, has a better low-post repertoire (although no hook shot yet! lol), and is certainly a far superior passer. I think I made it because I do see the potential for Roy to be Dike-like on the defensive end, a potential which he is only recently beginning to tap.

Your point on GU guys not having to dominate MEAC guys 100% of the time in every KL game is reasonable too. My concern on the blocks is not player-specific (it happened to Jeff and Roy and others throughout the KL), it's a systemic/programmatic one as I've said before. GU players are either not taught to block out or do not implement such instruction on the court. It's been a problem since the mid 90s and it's just frustrating to see a lack of fundamentals (especially when, on the offensive end, the fundamentals of team play via III's instruction are improving so much) on the blocks....

To conclude, in many ways, Roy is an ideal representative of the program. He's diligent, supposedly very affable, a big hit with the students, his parents show up to EVERY game, he shows fierce desire and determination on the court, he seems to be very polite and dignified off the court, he seems to take his academics seriously and he comes from a Jesuit HS (a big plus in this old alum's opinion! lol). I'm a huge fan of his---which is why I don't want people to overload on him with expectations, especially since he will be so critical to this team's performance next year.