VMack

[FrazierFanatic]

I like what we are seeing from Vernon lately - for a McD's All-American to sit as much as he has this year, and still work as hard as he obviously has to become comfortable in the offense, make some plays both scoring and passing, and start to be a solid contributor, is a testament to his character and to the staff for keeping him motivated.

[TBird41]

That backdoor pass he made to Ewing (?) as the shot clock ran down was awesome. The Ticket is a ridiculous passer, as we saw today. Once he gets stronger and adds some post moves, he's going to be a real force on offense with his passing ability.

[Dhall]

I like him as well but he is a huge defensive liability. He gets muscled by front court players and guards blow right by him. If he were better defensively, he'd be seeing more time, but as it is Roy and Ewing are taking those few extra minutes away from him because of it. On the offensive end, I think he's really fantastic at picking his spots for rebounds/scoring and finding the open man with crisp passes.

[FrazierFanatic]

He definitely needs some muscle on the defensive end, but his obvious work ethic will certainly lead to mega-hours in the weight room this summer.

[dajuan]

Good point Dhall. There's a reason why the Hoyas often go to a zone as soon as Macklin comes in for Roy. He got toasted off the dribble at least once last night.

[HealyHoya]

Macklin definitely needs to work on his D but, hey, ain't no shame in our 6'10" freshman having trouble defending quick 6'2" BE-caliber guards. Give him time....he has the skills and as long as he has the patience to learn the system, develop strength and technique, he'll be the real deal

[SoCalHoya]

I have confidence in VMack. Remember, this is only his first year.

[Coast2CoastHoya]

I like how even though Roy is the FG% leader in the nation, Big Vern is the FG% leader on our team.

Once he works on his D (and he does need to), his passing skills, intensity, hoops smarts, shot selection, and athleticism will help carry him (and us) far.

[rhman]

I agree, great to see him get the action last night and really contribute. One thing I noticed is that he is focused being stationary when he sets a pick up top. It seemed like he got in position a few seconds early and then didn't move a muscle...

Great to see that smile and attitude as well!!!

[prhoya]

tothebeach said:

I like how even though Roy is the FG% leader in the nation, Big Vern is the FG% leader on our team.

Once he works on his D (and he does need to), his passing skills, intensity, hoops smarts, shot selection, and athleticism will help carry him (and us) far.

The medicine to cure this is the Hoya-NBA Summer Camp for Centers and Forwards held in McD every year.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

Yeah you can defeintly see the potential. He's goign to be great down the line.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

18 minutes last night was big. We will need him for a successful tourney run.

[sweetness]

How sweet was the spin dribble from Rivers and pass to the cutting Macklin for the dunk -- hopefully they are developing a little chemistry.

[RDF]

Ticket is coming along just fine--his defense isn't bad--he just needs to work on his post defense--he should use his quickness and front post more and not allow bigger/stronger kids to post him with him standing behind them. His worst aspect of defensive ball is that he is poor helpside defender--he stays home and doesn't come over to help/challenge shot enough. That is easily corrected and will be in future.

As for his overall development--he's going to be a kid who benefits most from this coaching staff. He's got some skills you can't teach--his passing is amazing for a young post player--he's calm when doubled/tripled and finds open man, and he's got a great court sense to find open man. He is someone who will fit differently than what we've seen under III so far--the offense will be tweaked a bit more for him/fit his skills and surrounding talent as well. We'll run more pick and roll and by time Vernon is a JR I expect him to be able to hit a face up jumper. He's got some nice post moves already and can finish with either hand--he'll be a guy who should use this offseason as a big chance to work on his shot/face up game--if he gets that--he'll be a force due to his quickness.

Beauty of having a kid like Ticket is he can contribute while still be a "raw" prospect. It's going to be fun watching his development over rest of his career and if he's as hard working as he's been rumored to be, then he'll be a special player and add to his game each year in the program.

[The Stig]

Sometimes I think Vernon is a bit out of sync with our offense, but that's not too surprising given his lack of minutes. On defense too he doesn't have anything like the presence that Roy has. If he's going to fill Roy's shoes, that's something he'll have to develop.

When I see a guy like Vernon out on the floor, I'm glad we have a coach like JTIII. In terms of player development he's second-to-none. Just look what he's done with Hibbert and Wallace - taken them beyond what everybody thought their potential was. If Vernon's willing to work hard enough (and I see no reason to believe he won't), then the sky's the limit.