Coleman's game

[stuckinbig11]

He is improving in many respects, but he needs to go up strong and dunk it when close to the hoop. Lay-ins off the glass work in high school but not in college where someone big is shoving your body and changing the trajectory of your shot. As with Craig Forth (who I liked), I would like to have a hoop, some large pads, and a couple big walk-ons, and one day of practice with him.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Lay-ins off the glass work in high school but not in college where someone big is shoving your body and changing the trajectory of your shot.

Don't forget about the guys who are not real big either that are stopping him in the paint. You have to think that a guy that size is pretty strong but it just seems like these smaller guys are waiting for him to bring the ball up and they are just knocking it away from him. One thing he definitely needs to do is stop that dribbling and to learn the keep the ball up high. Get our big man coach on that

 

[RF2044]

He gets more shots blocked than any player I can remember [obviously, Harris was notorious for this, too, but he was 4+ inches shorter]. Definitely more than any big.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

He needs to develop a baby hook shot.

 

[Deano]

Needs to watch game tape of AO's development and hone his game like him.

 

[pearl31]

Needs to watch game tape of AO's development and hone his game like him.

and DeJuan Blair, too

 

[Gabjon]

He needs to lose more weight. He is not explosive enough and he needs too much time and space together before he goes up. He needs to do explosive exercises and a ton of cardio to get faster on jump quicker so he doesn't need to squat before going up.

 

[pfister1]

The Paul Harris comparison is apt. Expectations were/are too high. He will be fine, but needs time to adjust to the college game both in terms of the faster pace and strength of opponents. I think the problem is with all those who thought he was going to come in and be Jared Sullinger as a freshman. Jared Sullinger was a rare, rare player. DCII can get there, but it is going to take him more time than it took Sullinger.

 

[billsin01]

He needs to lose more weight. He is not explosive enough and he needs too much time and space together before he goes up. He needs to do explosive exercises and a ton of cardio to get faster on jump quicker so he doesn't need to squat before going up.

Needs to watch game tape of AO's development and hone his game like him.

Yes and yes. People here still have no idea just how good and how rare AO was as an offensive weapon. The only reasons he didn't have much bigger numbers were the talent he shared the ball with and the fact that JB's teams rarely seem to run offenses through big men.

But, the point remains that Coleman still needs to lose a good 20-25 pounds and do some work in the weight room/plyometrics department. He also needs to be able to go with either hand. He's simply not athletic enough to consistently finish right-handed from the left-hand side of the basket.

To his credit, however, I give him a little leeway b/c I actually think he's been a bit more productive than I would have guessed coming in (though I'm generally very conservative with my true frosh predictions I guess).

 

[cliftonparksufan]

To his credit, however, I give him a little leeway b/c I actually think he's been a bit more productive than I would have guessed coming in (though I'm generally very conservative with my true frosh predictions I guess).

Yes, for example he was 13 and 9 today in 20 minutes. Not bad with 5 of 11 shooting. Not exactly goose eggs. Like most things, our expectations exceed reality.

 

[Knicks411]

Like most things, our expectations exceed reality.

I think this is really the key. Our freshmen big guys pretty much never come in and contribute a lot right away. Which is fine, big men take time to develop, but it seems like even though we see it every year we forget it when it comes time to project the newest freshmen big guy. If we get Dakari Johnson I can see the exact same thing happening next year as well.

 

[OttoMets]

Don't forget about the guys who are not real big either that are stopping him in the paint. You have to think that a guy that size is pretty strong but it just seems like these smaller guys are waiting for him to bring the ball up and they are just knocking it away from him. One thing he definitely needs to do is stop that dribbling and to learn the keep the ball up high. Get our big man coach on that

Show him a clip of Baye's catch-and-finish on the lob pass today. Loop the film and make him watch it for an hour. Then have him go out and do it a hundred times.

I've never seen a big man get so many shots blocked, and not just by other bigs - guards are attacking that low release point.

 

[Flacusian]

The flip side of the fact that it's become apparent that it will take time for him to develop his game at the college level is that he will spend more time wearing Orange and as a result will contribute to the program for a longer period of time. There will be a time when he is going to be a considerable force and a huge asset to the team and program. I'm in complete agreement with the other posts that have mentioned unreasonable expectations.

There is a long litany of Orange big men who required time to develop into players who are now remembered fondly long after they left Syracuse. Otis, Etan, AO, and many more. DC2 has considerable talent and potential and time takes time. Big men typically make the largest jump from freshman to sophomore year and DC2 will be no exception.

 

[OttoMets]

The flip side of the fact that it's become apparent that it will take time for him to develop his game at the college level is that he will spend more time wearing Orange and as a result will contribute to the program for a longer period of time. There will be a time when he is going to be a considerable force and a huge asset to the team and program. I'm in complete agreement with the other posts that have mentioned unreasonable expectations.

There is a long litany of Orange big men who required time to develop into players who are now remembered fondly long after they left Syracuse. Otis, Etan, AO, and many more. DC2 has considerable talent and potential and time takes time. Big men typically make the largest jump from freshman to sophomore year and DC2 will be no exception.

Good post; this seems likely. He's probably going to be here for four years and be a very good ACC center.

 

[stuckinbig11]

Please recognize that the point of the original post was that DCII should be dunking whenever he is close to the basket, shedding the defenders from his back like so many flies.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

He takes shots from his chest or shoulder. Ball is too low and opponents know they can either block it or foul him with little consequence at the line. And, when he does take the ball to the rim, he's not exploding vertically. Seems like, unless he's completely wide open, his objective is a lay-up. So, ball held low, and no lift = blocked shots.

His other issue is that he's frequently shooting while in a twisting/contorting his body position. His form is whack, and he's just 'putting it up,' hoping the touch keeps it close to the rim. He's rushing those shots because he's so used to getting the others put back at him.

Here's a cheap pop-psych analysis... I'm thinking he's a gentle giant, and too used to Trying Not To Hurt the Smaller Kids. Put those elbows out, DC. Protect and go up with conviction. Forget about making those calculated moves each time. Play it like Keita - he doesn't mess around with the ball. If you're in the the paint, that's close enough - forget the dribble and drop steps. Just square up. And anything at the rim: dunks only. No pitty-pat stuff.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I've been saying all year up to this point-- Coleman will get many shots blocked. He's undersized and at this point doesn't have the aggressive mindset/shot fake to get his shot off in the paint in traffic.

 

[armory]

In the meantime, Rak has made huge strides in his offensive game, we really need to feed him underneath a lot more often than 1 time a game.