|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 0:18:36 GMT -5
Post by hbone13 on Feb 24, 2009 0:18:36 GMT -5
I'm not going to be over criticial. This experiment should be done for this season. We have been awful with him in the starting line up. For every point he scores, he costs us two. Put Jessie back in the starting lineup for #@$ sake, or even Sims or Wattad. Nikita isn't working. Let's put the best talent on the floor and try and make a run here at the end. Does anyone else see that this isn't working? Let's stop playing for the future and play for the rest of this season. There isn't much left before the NIT.
|
|
skyhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,496
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 0:27:36 GMT -5
Post by skyhoya on Feb 24, 2009 0:27:36 GMT -5
The season offically ended tonite. Play for the future. Bench Summers and Nikita, put in Julian and Henry. Nikita did what he was told to do-feed Greg, no one else would. That didn't work eithert III needs to re-design his offense around Greg.
|
|
hoyaboy1
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,346
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 0:30:16 GMT -5
Post by hoyaboy1 on Feb 24, 2009 0:30:16 GMT -5
I don't blame Nikita - he's being put into a position he isn't ready for. I guess that's what happens when you recruit guys like him and Omar "because not everyone can play," but then only end up with 8 other scholarship players and the guys that were intended to sit on the bench need to start.
|
|
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 0:31:01 GMT -5
Post by hbone13 on Feb 24, 2009 0:31:01 GMT -5
Henry is better at feeding Greg and a better rebounder and defender. When Henry misses threes, people are all over him. That is Nikita's job and he can't do it. Also, the season isn't over yet.
|
|
3xhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,171
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 0:33:14 GMT -5
Post by 3xhoya on Feb 24, 2009 0:33:14 GMT -5
I think they should try playing Henry. Sapp has responded fairly well to playing off the bench and it has allowed Chris to take over control of the team so there is no need to change tha aspect again (and I am a huge Sapp fan, but his fire from the bench is good for the team). There are too many people currently playing out of position. Henry should play the 5 allowing the rest to play their natural position. Sure he may get pushed around down low and have some defensive and offensive lapses, but this is no different than what we are experiencing now. Henry has shown flashes and for this team to develop he needs to develop and the best way to do that is by throwing him in the mix.
|
|
mapei
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,088
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 8:56:51 GMT -5
Post by mapei on Feb 24, 2009 8:56:51 GMT -5
I think Nikita is fine and that the team has been playing better since he's been starting. He scored our first five points last night and had a sweet assist on a night when there were precious few of them. You can even make a case that he is playing better than our other forward.
JT3 should mix and match as the game goes on, which seems to be what he's doing. It isn't working, but I'm not sure it is working better when Nikita is off the floor than when he is in the game. It does appear to be working better than it was two weeks ago, though not well enough to beat the #7 and #9 teams in the country.
|
|
ksf42001
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 901
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 9:06:40 GMT -5
Post by ksf42001 on Feb 24, 2009 9:06:40 GMT -5
Nikita will never be a star, but he is a necessary part of the team. I see him starting at the beginning of the season next year until JT3 feels like Hollis is ready, so he needs to play now so he can handle that load next year...
|
|
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 9:16:10 GMT -5
Post by summersshowers on Feb 24, 2009 9:16:10 GMT -5
yea, dajuan definitely needs benching now that his draft stock is plummeting and he'll probably be coming back next year. let's put him on the bench to get him all prepared for his senior season.
skyhoya, who decided you get to be village idiot around here? oh, self-appointed? nuts. i know some others who would've made good candidates.
|
|
bmartin
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,459
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 9:16:20 GMT -5
Post by bmartin on Feb 24, 2009 9:16:20 GMT -5
Stop hating on Nikita. He probably looks like an All American in practice going against Summers and Freeman. NM is a red shirt freshman who is doing his best to play his role. We were best toward the end of the 1st half when he was in for Summers.
|
|
bubbrubbhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
We are the intuitive minds that plot the course. Woo-WOOO!
Posts: 1,369
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 9:24:54 GMT -5
Post by bubbrubbhoya on Feb 24, 2009 9:24:54 GMT -5
Playing Nikita is playing for the future. This guy is a freshman, as bmartin points out. Is he spectacular? No. But he's a pretty good first year, and his confidence has shot up by leaps and bounds this season. He is one of the best passers on the team, and as soon as his work rate is joined by a few more shots, he's going to be a solid player on the squad for a long time. Look for Nikita to be a fan-favorite and a huge contributor come his junior and senior seasons. Until then, he'll have good games and bad games. Frankly, I'm looking forward to his future.
|
|
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 9:45:57 GMT -5
Post by FrazierFanatic on Feb 24, 2009 9:45:57 GMT -5
Henry is better at feeding Greg and a better rebounder and defender. When Henry misses threes, people are all over him. That is Nikita's job and he can't do it. Also, the season isn't over yet. Henry is better at feeding Greg than Nikita? You're kidding, right? I mean Nikita has his deficiencies, but he is far better at getting the ball inside than Henry, or anyone else on the team at this point.
|
|
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 10:42:54 GMT -5
Post by hoyaheaven on Feb 24, 2009 10:42:54 GMT -5
Can anyone explain how or why some of these kids got a scholarship at the D-1 Level?
|
|
Cambridge
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Canes Pugnaces
Posts: 5,304
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 10:56:46 GMT -5
Post by Cambridge on Feb 24, 2009 10:56:46 GMT -5
Three comments on Nikita: 1) Great interior passer - perhaps the best on the team after Monroe. 2) Knows his role and plays within his game. 3) Seems to be picked on by officials more than any player I've ever watched.
As to that last point, Nikita does foul a lot - and I actually like it against teams like Louisville, Marquette and other teams who do not shoot particularly well from the line, but Nikita NEVER gets the benefit of the doubt. Seriously, other teams' forwards and guards can lay heavy pressure and bump our players 50 feet from the basket all game, set moving screens, and bump cutters...but if Nikita even coughs in the direction of someone wearing the other jersey it's a foul. Now, I admit he is an aggressive defender who probably (definitely) tries to guard closer than his physical abilities should allow and hence he will draw a high number of foul calls, but it's gotten ridiculous. The officials appear to have a hair trigger on Nikita.
|
|
bmartin
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,459
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 11:07:08 GMT -5
Post by bmartin on Feb 24, 2009 11:07:08 GMT -5
At least his fouls come from contesting shots, not reaches 30 feet from the basket.
|
|
ksf42001
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 901
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 11:09:06 GMT -5
Post by ksf42001 on Feb 24, 2009 11:09:06 GMT -5
Can anyone explain how or why some of these kids got a scholarship at the D-1 Level? Well, they were going to offer one of those scholarships to you, but were afraid you'd turn them down. We sadly had to offer it to one of these scrubs instead...
|
|
hoyaalf
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
I like what your doing very much. Why squirrel hate me?
Posts: 688
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 11:16:14 GMT -5
Post by hoyaalf on Feb 24, 2009 11:16:14 GMT -5
Keep Nik; the guy can thread a needle with the ball.
Hopefully Summers will go out early; he doesnt seem to care.
Why aren't there threads about him?
|
|
rosslynhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,595
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 11:18:16 GMT -5
Post by rosslynhoya on Feb 24, 2009 11:18:16 GMT -5
As to that last point, Nikita does foul a lot - and I actually like it against teams like Louisville, Marquette and other teams who do not shoot particularly well from the line, but Nikita NEVER gets the benefit of the doubt. Seriously, other teams' forwards and guards can lay heavy pressure and bump our players 50 feet from the basket all game, set moving screens, and bump cutters...but if Nikita even coughs in the direction of someone wearing the other jersey it's a foul. Now, I admit he is an aggressive defender who probably (definitely) tries to guard closer than his physical abilities should allow and hence he will draw a high number of foul calls, but it's gotten ridiculous. The officials appear to have a hair trigger on Nikita. I made the same observation during last night's game: "Nikita's got a reputation already." I assume whatever cliff's notes that the refs share among themselves show Nikita with 3-5 fouls a game with few minutes of playtime and so they go into the game looking for it, probably the same as they did with Roy throughout his entire career and the same way they treated Dajuan earlier this season when everyone was blasting him for his "emotional" issues. Give him a couple years in the league, talk up his defensive game, and the refs will no doubt start according him the benefit of the doubt. I think we're going to be quite happy with our freshmen's development in the next couple years.
|
|
NCHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,927
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 11:20:33 GMT -5
Post by NCHoya on Feb 24, 2009 11:20:33 GMT -5
This criticism of Nikita is not warranted. Nikita knows his role, and plays it. Nikita is only a freshman but is arguably our best passer not named Monroe so he also has the much coveted "upside" too. So why all the negativity. Yeah, he turned the ball over against Pitino's press, so that is the reason he should be demoted?. If that is our standard than DS should have been benched a month ago.
Also, I am tired of all the praise Henry gets for playing 5 minutes a game and making a jumpshot. When Sims is in, he does not play like a 5 so how can JT3 play him as a 5? Julian is the only 5 on this roster and even that took time until he accepted his role. Sims is another versatile do everything, great at nothing forward. He needs to develop a role and purpose to his game. He is 6'10" and should get in the paint, he avoids it like the plague. I am tired of the "versatility" tag on all our players - each should play a specific role so the sum of the parts are greater than the whole. I just see a bunch of talented, unfocused, do everything accomplish nothing players right now.
|
|
hoyaalf
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
I like what your doing very much. Why squirrel hate me?
Posts: 688
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 11:20:51 GMT -5
Post by hoyaalf on Feb 24, 2009 11:20:51 GMT -5
Whoops! My bad. There is a thread on Summers.
|
|
|
Nikita
Feb 24, 2009 12:48:09 GMT -5
Post by smittydakid on Feb 24, 2009 12:48:09 GMT -5
Nikita defense is too bad to play a lot of minutes. Our team is terrible and he's the worst. His feet are too slow to watch anybody. JT3 has to pick his spots to play him. Sims has more upside, so play him more. It can't get much worse? Can it?
|
|