Frank Howard deserves a lot of credit for this entire season

[orangeinnyc]

I think he has made these strides to which you refer to various degrees. As far as maturing, in my view he has somewhat but there is still a lot of growth to be done. The technical foul against Georgia Tech cannot happen, the occasional finger-pointing at teammates cannot happen, the occasional lack of hustle after a turnover cannot happen. He also has lapses in judgment that are borne from a lack of maturity.

i didn't see the GT game so idk about the tech but all these are valid points, i think you can pretty much say the same about almost any player on our team though, the finger pointing can be a good thing albeit if he isn't ripping on teammates and more guiding them, it shows he is taking on a leadership role and as the floor general he needs to direct the troops to where he wants them to be, especially with his vision and ability to pass and our lack of scoring, we def want our pg to be vocal, the lack of hustle i agree with 100%, cant have that especially in crunch time, i also think he commits too many fouls on chase down plays, we cant afford him or battle to get in foul trouble, we need to learn to just surrender the layup especially early on in games, brisset did this twice last night also which needs to be addressed imo

 

[Arangeman]

In ACC games his A/T ratio is 1.00. Someone posted a list the other day putting him at last among starting ACC point guards in that category.

He's a lot better. 3pt shooting is great. I know our offensive limitations and his usage rate effect the ratio. Hopefully the jump next year is in key pg skills.

 

[iommi]

i didn't see the GT game so idk about the tech but all these are valid points, i think you can pretty much say the same about almost any player on our team though, the finger pointing can be a good thing albeit if he isn't ripping on teammates and more guiding them, it shows he is taking on a leadership role and as the floor general he needs to direct the troops to where he wants them to be, especially with his vision and ability to pass and our lack of scoring, we def want our pg to be vocal, the lack of hustle i agree with 100%, cant have that especially in crunch time, i also think he commits too many fouls on chase down plays, we cant afford him or battle to get in foul trouble, we need to learn to just surrender the layup especially early on in games, brisset did this twice last night also which needs to be addressed imo

Sometimes the finger pointing is instructional but often it happens after he throws an errant pass. It's a transparent ploy to shift the blame. And it's the opposite of leadership.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

IOW, until he reasonably approaches perfection he's on probation, per you. Noted.

I think (not to presuppose that I know what is in the OP's mind) that he is not criticizing all mistakes Frank makes, just the one where it appears he has "zoned out" and makes a careless pass, or doesn't realize there are defenders behind him who might take the ball as he dribbles nonchalant in the middle of the floor


Try to hit a half court alley-oop? Try to thread the needle between 3 guys? Errors of commission. As a fan, I can live with that, from time to time.

All that said, kudos and bravos to Frank for his season to date. He has been, on the whole, outstanding this year and is, in my mind, team MVP so far.

 

[OrangeDW]

He obviously has some big flaws, and he has obviously improved a lot.
I think he has generally played about as well as he is capable of playing, which should be commended.

I wish we had more talent, but we don’t. I hope we’re in a position next year where we don’t have to rely on him as much which will help hide his flaws and let him play to his strengths more.

 

[rrlbees]

Sometimes the finger pointing is instructional but often it happens after he throws an errant pass. It's a transparent ploy to shift the blame. And it's the opposite of leadership.

I don’t really think that happens as much as some think. He is the only one on the team that talks so that accentuates things. I’ve been to or seen every game but one and haven’t seen that but a few times. Three times I have sat court side and didn’t see him point fingers once. One time I thought he looked mad at Chukwu and seemed to be yelling at him but then patted his roommate on the butt, so no big deal. He has a few times pointed to someone who didn’t recognize something and was upset about it. So yes he has done it but I don’t find it totally over the top for a PG with a very young team since he also encourages them. Doubt it ever goes to zero but I don’t see the big deal.

Not directed to you but I’ll add on here to those who have said he whines and complains to refs more than anyone...huh? Yes he does that at times, all players do. But the guy on our team that constantly complains is Battle. And it doesn’t bother me at all.

 

[iommi]

I don’t really think that happens as much as some think. He is the only one on the team that talks so that accentuates things. I’ve been to or seen every game but one and haven’t seen that but a few times. Three times I have sat court side and didn’t see him point fingers once. One time I thought he looked mad at Chukwu and seemed to be yelling at him but then patted his roommate on the butt, so no big deal. He has a few times pointed to someone who didn’t recognize something and was upset about it. So yes he has done it but I don’t find it totally over the top for a PG with a very young team since he also encourages them. Doubt it ever goes to zero but I don’t see the big deal.

Not directed to you but I’ll add on here to those who have said he whines and complains to refs more than anyone...huh? Yes he does that at times, all players do. But the guy on our team that constantly complains is Battle. And it doesn’t bother me at all.

I've seen you type a similar defense before. I'm just going off body language, which can be tough to do. I do find it interesting that, as I said, I notice it after he makes a mistake. I'm not saying it's a rampant issue, just something that he could reign in.

Yeah, I don't see him complaining to refs too much. I do see Battle lobbying for calls a lot; TB seems to get hit on the arm a lot while shooting and does not get the calls a good deal of the time. Tyus does not get the star treatment, that's for sure.

 

[rrlbees]

I've seen you type a similar defense before. I'm just going off body language, which can be tough to do. I do find it interesting that, as I said, I notice it after he makes a mistake. I'm not saying it's a rampant issue, just something that he could reign in.

Yeah, I don't see him complaining to refs too much. I do see Battle lobbying for calls a lot; TB seems to get hit on the arm a lot while shooting and does not get the calls a good deal of the time. Tyus does not get the star treatment, that's for sure.

Completely agree on Battle. While I think he complains the most, he also gets screwed the most and should complain. He’s always getting grabbed and slapped. Not just on drives but on jumpers too. Louisville game he clearly got hit 3 times where nothing was called.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

He shouldn’t get any criticism for this year.
The guy has played his ass off and earned a lot of respect for overcoming his past and really having a solid year and in my opinion has taken the leadership mantle.

When Frank hit his left hand on the drive with 6 minutes left he was in a ton of pain and still took the FTs and finished the game.

The guy takes a lot of crap but he has absolutely no doubt deserves credit.
His usage rate will make his shooting percentages lower but he should win most improved player in the ACC and is one of the top 15 players in the conference.

Frank does deserve a lot of credit. He’s been much improved from last year, and has shown a lot of leadership. He’ll continue to get better, and it will be nice to have a senior PG next year leading us.

 

[cusefan88]

He's really tough player and I love what he's done this year. For next season I want to see three things improve:

• Reduce Turnovers
• Improve 3PT% (At 34% now)
• Look to push in transition (easier with more depth obviously)

 

[IthacaMatt]

I predict Frank will wind up being voted either Third Team All-ACC or Honorable Mention. I'll predict Honorable Mention. He's compiling high assist and PPG rates.

It comes down to how many games we can win down the stretch. Successful teams always get the accolades.

 

[Gotothehole]

Thinking he will be a pro

 

[kirbivore]

what about suited J-10? my fav poker hand pre-flop.

me too

 

[shu 49]

I think he has made these strides to which you refer to various degrees. As far as maturing, in my view he has somewhat but there is still a lot of growth to be done. The technical foul against Georgia Tech cannot happen, the occasional finger-pointing at teammates cannot happen, the occasional lack of hustle after a turnover cannot happen. He also has lapses in judgment that are borne from a lack of maturity.

I agree but also have to call out Battle then cause he had cost us 2 games in a row a while back with his boneheaded plays. I just think it happens to people sometimes. Do I wanna choke Howard once in a while, yeah I do but also Brissett for not finishing, our center for dribbling in the lane when he knows not too, and Moyer for chucking 3 's and looking at coach too see how mad he is. Lol.