Vernon Macklin Discussion

[HoyaAtHeart]

Prior to him playing in the Kenner League last summer....what were your realistic expectations of what he would do his freshman season?

[DrumsGoBang]

I wanted him to do a 720 spin dunk from halfcourt

[JimmyHoya]

His contributions were close to what I expected, but he played less than I thought he would.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Mine were pretty much how the season worked out, based on reading between the lines of Ticket's and Coach's comments over the summer, which essentially said that Vernon was going to be in learning mode this year, and that his contributions would focus on defense and rebounding help.

[chesapeake]

Vernon is going to have a great season next year. He's got the talent and a year in the system. Even if Jeff and Roy stay, I think he will see a lot more minutes and be a great contributor. If Jeff leaves, then that really opens things up for Vernon. Having a year in the system already will allow him to jump right into it.

[GUMBA]

I thought his offensive game would have come along a bit more quickly. I would like to see him develop a baby hook and turnaround baseline jumper. He is very fluid for such a big guy. I think a few basic moves would really help make him a force down low. On defense he needs to make better decisions. He gets caught from time to time and commits on pump fakes. I too agree that he has tremendous upside. If Jeff and Roy both go then Vernon will see 30 minutes a game next year if he can stay out of foul trouble.

[lichoya68]

after the kenner just hwat i thougth dajuann more polished all around game vernon great athlete,, powerful just need more time in the weight room and foot work he wil be great in 2008

[Dhall]

He's already a great rebounder and passer and gets up and down the floor well. Even if he only shoots the ball from 5 feet in, that would be fine. He really needs to improve his defense/strength and foul shooting and that's why he didn't play much this year in my opinion.

[hoyaboy1]

I was surprised by Macklin, actually. I expected him to be a good rebounder and defender, but struggle on offense. In reality, he was pretty effective on offense, but did not do a good job blocking shots, playing D, or getting defensive rebounds.

[hoyalove4ever]

I saw him play a HS game last year, and his contributions could have been predicted after that. He is a freak athlete, but he lacks a lot of tangible skills on offense, and he's way too skinny to defend anyone in the post. But with time and hard work, he could be a force.

[YB]

Vern will have a great year, I hope he works hard for the extra opportunity this summer!

[ichirohoya]

After a summer in the gym with the "Drill Seargent of Desire" Vern will be alot more of a force inside. He will be much tougher to push around and may even do a little pushing around of his own.

[jacko]

Pre Kenner League I think I would have committed myself to a mental institution if I heard the word "raw" one more time. I didn't know what to expect aside from that.

After K-League he and Ewing were the two that really exceeded my expectations. I expected his hands to be like bricks and for his ability to finish under the basket to be non-existent. We know that turned out differently. I think he's turned out to be a good defender for the PF position that I expected him to be for the C position. Offensively he's more than I expected, and I never foresaw his passing being as good as it is. And as for his FT klunks at the beginning of the year, just from watching a few FTs and warmup jumpers near the end of the year you can tell his shooting stroke has improved by leaps and bounds.

[NCHoya]

Coach made it very clear before the season that Macklin was not going to get much playing time. You could tell he just did not have the basketball IQ necessary to contribute in our offense and defense. He had gotten by in HS on pure athleticism and needed to learn. So he met my expectations.

Next year will be a whole different ball game. I think he will play much more and be able to do more when he gets the time. I see Macklin as an outstanding Junior/Senior after Roy graduates. He will be a force in the middle and provide us a very different style at the center position than we are used to with Roy.

[theexorcist]

Vern will continue to learn in the system, possibly starting, possibly coming off the bench. During the season, many people will post in threads with names like "This Lineup Will Never Ever Score!!!" or "San Antonio, Here We Come", occasionally referencing him in a positive or potentially negative manner. Attractive Hoya fans may hold up signs cleverly referencing his name and the fact that he is a very good basketball player and not someone ten years out of college on the fast track to developing a peptic ulcer. His name may or may not be referenced on a "Stay, Ticket, Stay!!!!!!" thread later in the year.

lic's posts on him will be the most cogent.

[Highsmith]

His performance was about as expected based on JTIII's comments. I had thought he would be much more involved when I first started hearing about him, but most of those comments were more about his eventual potential than his current state. I think a big priority is to get him to bulk up a bit--not so much he loses the athleticism, but enough so he can really get into some "muscle tussles" the next few years. He is a player I think we will all really enjoy watching develop through his career.

[YB]

If Vern could pass and make decisions similar to Jeff, he'd get a TON more PT, immediately.

Gotta work on the shooting.

[KHoyaNYC]

Macklin will be a breakthrough player for us next year. Just give it some time.

[TBird41]

yb said:

If Vern could pass and make decisions similar to Jeff, he'd get a TON more PT, immediately.

Gotta work on the shooting.

You mean if he had the passing and decision making ability of the BE POY, he'd get more run? If that's the standard for playing time, I'm surprised we're able to field a team. Macklin has pretty good passing skills, but doesn't have the bulk/strength to be a post presence yet, and since we aren't a running/gambling team, he wasn't able to make an immediate impact, since those were the most Big East ready skills he had. If he can get the strength/bulk necessary for the post, and/or we open it up on offense, I see him making a big impact next year. I mean, he did shoot like 75% from the floor

[GIGAFAN99]

I kind of think his decision-making was fine except for one key ingredient: patience.

And that's to be expected. You get the ball in the post for the third time ever in the big east everyone descends on you and takes the ball away. So you end up rushing things, tossing up wild shots, etc.

Think about the hot potato Sapp played as a freshman. Now think about him leading the team in assists and asst/to this year. Vern is going to be a great player this year. He has all the talent and athleticism to make a difference. This isn't Wesley Wilson. This is a guy who can use his athleticism to make plays. He's going to be excellent once he gets on the Tyler Crawford weight training program.