Are we better with Hima out there over McLeod?

[br801]

Lol. Try something new?!? No, Jesse left for the big payday, plain and simple.

Yeah, the big payday was something new. And maybe he wanted to experience playing for another program. The SU fan base needs to get over it and move on.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Hima looked pretty badly injured vs Gonzaga from up close in Hawaii.

McLeod hate is moronic he’s swatted a ton of shots so far and done good vs big bruisers. He’s not Edwards or a reliable 30 min per night player but he can score inside and defend the rim and hits free throws. Isn’t he top 10 in the country BPG or was?

Turns it over when doubled and you can’t ask too much from him but same goes for Hima.

Browns gonna eat most of the minutes at the 5 anyways most nights.

I agree with this. If Hima and MacLeod can each give us a couple 4 minute segments a game, we'll be in great shape. That would only require Maliq to play the 5 for 20-25 minutes a game instead of 30-35. Those extra minutes will make a big difference in how much he gets worn down over 30 games defending against bigger guys.

 

[CardiacCuse]

Failure of epic proportions? In the end, he wanted to try something new in his last season. Lots of really good players are doing that these days.

having 4 centers on the roster...and having the centers be a weak spot is def a failure

hopefully there is a lot of roster movement at that spot next offseason.

makes no sense to have 4 centers and none of them be starting caliber

 

[CardiacCuse]

Hima looked pretty badly injured vs Gonzaga from up close in Hawaii.

McLeod hate is moronic he’s swatted a ton of shots so far and done good vs big bruisers. He’s not Edwards or a reliable 30 min per night player but he can score inside and defend the rim and hits free throws. Isn’t he top 10 in the country BPG or was?

Turns it over when doubled and you can’t ask too much from him but same goes for Hima.

Browns gonna eat most of the minutes at the 5 anyways most nights.

Mcleod brings some intriguing qualities to the table

he just makes it so much easier on opponents than necessary sometimes...which kills the competitiveness of the team and renders his aggregated contributions much less than they otherwise would be.

yeah he gets blocks but he also gives up a ton of easy scores too.

needs to play with more edge and fire, imo

i'd start with telling him to simply guard the hoop...stay within 5 feet of the hoop and DO NOT ALLOW dunks layups...at all.

for such a great shot blocker, he often leaves the rim unprotected...which is inexplicable

his postion is: rim protector. thats it.

his mission: force teams to score with jump shots when he is on the floor.

 

[Col. Bleep]

Not this year...but Peter Carey may become a real player.
There's a lot to like in him...eventually.

 

[shu 49]

Long term, no. I think Red caught lightning in a bottle today with Hima. He might be able to give this team something occasionally when the matchups are favorable, but I don't expect to see him getting regular minutes in every game.

I saw it differently. Hima did the same things last year but we had Edwards. He does the things we need and he is a good passer, shot blocker, and getting a bit better screening. Now if we could get a backside blockout when hima blocks or defends basket we could be tough to play.

 

[SmilinBob]

If Hima can continue to work on his footwork on D he'll be quite the asset as playing the zone last year may have set him back a little. I think once he starts showing some consistency he and Mcleod will be a nice two headed at the 5 along with Carey once he develops and Brown for now.

 

[Sherman20]

Red said in the press conference that McLeod told him his foot was bothering him and that he didn't think he could go in the second half.

 

[Sherman20]

Yeah, the big payday was something new. And maybe he wanted to experience playing for another program. The SU fan base needs to get over it and move on.

That's not what happened though. He didn't want to "try something new." It was the payday plain and simple. It was a big mistake anyways because Huggins got canned and other players left. If he had stayed at Cuse, we'd be a solid top 25 team and Jesse would be in the spotlight all year long—and having a chance to make a lot of money in pro basketball here or overseas in the coming years. He'd be playing with much better guards here, and playing with better players improves your game. Instead he's on an also-ran WVU team.

 

[br801]

That's not what happened though. He didn't want to "try something new." It was the payday plain and simple. It was a big mistake anyways because Huggins got canned and other players left. If he had stayed at Cuse, we'd be a solid top 25 team and Jesse would be in the spotlight all year long—and having a chance to make a lot of money in pro basketball here or overseas in the coming years. He'd be playing with much better guards here, and playing with better players improves your game. Instead he's on an also-ran WVU team.

He'll still have a professional career, even if this move hasn't worked out as planned.

 

[tbonezone]

I saw it differently. Hima did the same things last year but we had Edwards. He does the things we need and he is a good passer, shot blocker, and getting a bit better screening. Now if we could get a backside blockout when hima blocks or defends basket we could be tough to play.

hey he's five fouls. some games you need those. work him in every chance you get. never know.

 

[cuseinseattle]

Hima is much better. At times I wonder if I would prefer a little Carey with mostly Hima.

 

[br801]

Hima is much better. At times I wonder if I would prefer a little Carey with mostly Hima.

This reads like madness to me. Hima has played 12 minutes in two games to this point, in part because he is seemingly limited physically right now (and maybe for the immediate future). Carey has played 13 minutes and has mostly looked overmatched. I'm not sure how this combination would translate into victories against most opponents left on the schedule.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Either way, most limited starting five we've had since the immortal Billy Celuck.

And Billy Celuck was a fun player. We all loved Billy Celuck.

 

[althea]

Either way, most limited starting five we've had since the immortal Billy Celuck.

And Billy Celuck was a fun player. We all loved Billy Celuck.

Let’s just say some loved him more than others.

 

[OmahaCuse]

Not this year...but Peter Carey may become a real player.
There's a lot to like in him...eventually.

Do we have time in the portal age to wait until, Carey, McCloud and Williams all get better? I do think they will all get better like Edwards did but he left after we all waited for him to get better and watched him almost foul out of every game. Like all the guys as prospects, but don't we want to win now and have a dominant big guy?

 

[br801]

Do we have time in the portal age to wait until, Carey, McCloud and Williams all get better? I do think they will all get better like Edwards did but he left after we all waited for him to get better and watched him almost foul out of every game. Like all the guys as prospects, but don't we want to win now and have a dominant big guy?

I don't know what you were watching, but Edwards gave us two full seasons of high-end play at center and left after four years in the program. You make it sound like he had a few good games and bolted. I honestly don't get all the butt-hurt.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I don't know what you were watching, but Edwards gave us two full seasons of high-end play at center and left after four years in the program. You make it sound like he had a few good games and bolted. I honestly don't get all the butt-hurt.

Yeah, so also... Jesse was awesome and people really underrated his talent and production. We've had a handful of guys average 10 rebounds a game. He's one of them. His efficiency from the floor and consistent scoring production from the 5 were pretty rare. He's a high level college center. I don't understand why, but that got glossed over sometimes in favor of really not picky criticisms like he didn't really have a go to post move or he wasn't great passing out of double teams.

Which is funny, because the guys we have playing the 5 now definitely don't have any post moves, let alone a go to move, and suck bad passing in general, forget about commanding consistent double teams or the rare occasion the defense throws a double at them.

I'm not bitter. Why would I be upset at Jesse's dad?

 

[Chip]

I'm taking Red at his word. He said some matchups would be good for Hima, some probably won't.

Unless my eyes were deceiving me (and I didn't see a replay), I cannot believe he wasn't called for a foul on that end of the half G'Town 3 pointer.

Hima will have good moments but probably a lot of bad ones too. Ride whatever center works best that game.

 

[two3zone]

Either way, most limited starting five we've had since the immortal Billy Celuck.

And Billy Celuck was a fun player. We all loved Billy Celuck.

HOF’er in some eyes.

 

[br801]

Yeah, so also... Jesse was awesome and people really underrated his talent and production. We've had a handful of guys average 10 rebounds a game. He's one of them. His efficiency from the floor and consistent scoring production from the 5 were pretty rare. He's a high level college center. I don't understand why, but that got glossed over sometimes in favor of really not picky criticisms like he didn't really have a go to post move or he wasn't great passing out of double teams.

Which is funny, because the guys we have playing the 5 now definitely don't have any post moves, let alone a go to move, and suck bad passing in general, forget about commanding consistent double teams or the rare occasion the defense throws a double at them.

I'm not bitter. Why would I be upset at Jesse's dad?

He was one of the better centers I've seen come through the program with my own eyes, and I have been watching since Danforth.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Do we have time in the portal age to wait until, Carey, McCloud and Williams all get better? I do think they will all get better like Edwards did but he left after we all waited for him to get better and watched him almost foul out of every game. Like all the guys as prospects, but don't we want to win now and have a dominant big guy?

There's only so many NIL dollars to go around. Boosters create each team's "salary cap". We made the offer that Edwards originally asked for. That should have closed the deal, like if somebody accepts your offer to buy a house.

But in this case, the "seller" (Edwards' dad) apparently took the commitment and shopped it around, and then when he got an offer, he came back and asked us to match, after we had already met his original number. Do you follow that?

Edwards Dad: "We'll come back for $350K"
SU: "OK, we can put that together for you."
Edwards Dad: "Cool. [To Everybody Else: "Hey, can you beat this??"]
WVU: "Sure, we'll double that."
Edwards Dad: "WVU will double your offer."
SU: "Why did you shop our offer? We asked you your number, and then we met it. What's up with that?"
Edwards Dad: "Well, WVU will pay us double"
SU: "OK, we have a budget, and we have other players to take care of, too. Good luck." {Jerk!}

 

[IthacaMatt]

He was one of the better centers I've seen come through the program with my own eyes, and I been watching since Danforth.

He's at the edge of the Top 10, so I guess I agree. But he wasn't that great, yet. His offense with his back to the basket is not that great; he travels a LOT.

My Top SU Centers:

1. Derrick Coleman (Yes, a PF until his last year. But played C as a Sr.)
2. Rony Seikaly
3. Etan Thomas
4. Bill Smith
5, Arinze Onuaku
6. Rick Jackson
7. LeRon Ellis
8. Danny Schayes
9. Otis Hill
10. Conrad McRae
11. Andre Hawkins
12. J B Reafsnyder

I could see you slotting in Dutch Treat somewhere in there toward the end of the list.

 

[br801]

He's at the edge of the Top 10, so I guess I agree. But he wasn't that great, yet. His offense with his back to the basket is not that great; he travels a LOT.

My Top SU Centers:

1. Derrick Coleman (Yes, a PF until his last year. But played C as a Sr.)
2. Rony Seikaly
3. Etan Thomas
4. Bill Smith
5, Arinze Onuaku
6. Rick Jackson
7. LeRon Ellis
8. Danny Schayes
9. Otis Hill
10. Conrad McRae
11. Andre Hawkins
12. J B Reafsnyder

I could see you slotting in Dutch Treat somewhere in there toward the end of the list.

He definitely belongs in that top ten. Take a close look at his last two years here.

 

[IthacaMatt]

He definitely belongs in that top ten. Take a close look at his last two years here.

So, let's talk about that.

Let's start with LeRon Ellis. I think he only had 2 seasons with us, but he replaced Seikaly and kept us right at an elite level, although he wasn't quite as good as Rony, but an elite player who transferred from Kentucky and went to HS with Hop. His 1st year he had 6 pts & 4 rebs, but Coleman and McRae also took some minutes at C so we could get Dave Johnson on the floor. As a senior, 11 points, 8 rebs & 2.5 blocks a game in 29 minutes, for the Big East Champs and #7 ranked team in the final poll.

Danny Schayes backed up Rosie Bouie, but in his senior year (only year as a starter), we won the Big East Tournament. He averaged 14.6 pts and 8 reb, and went on to have an 18 year NBA career.

Otis Hill got us to a Championship Game as John Wallace's sidekick, and was arguably the difference maker in the National Semifinal game vs. MIssissippi State. He averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds over 4 years, and peaked at 16 points and 6.4 rebounds as a senior.

Conrad McRae was the anchor at center during the transition from the Glory Days (1) though Probation, along with guys like Autry, Moten, Hopkins, Wallace and Lukey Jackson. He was a ferocious shot blocker, had great hops, and a decent shot, but he shot us out of a couple big games when he should not have been the guy taking the shot. Talented guy, though; not a great basketball IQ at times.

Hawkins battled in the early Big East against Ewing, Pinone and Pinckney, Bill Wennington, those guys. Tough as nails at only 6-5. Heart of a lion.

Reafsnyder was part of a center rotation that got us to a championship game, and was a more talented, more athletic version of Craig Forth. Results matter. Being part of a good team vs. a bad one says something about your worth as a player.