Frank Howard

[Brooky03]

I know, I know, he's supposedly gone. He did something egregious that he can't make up for. Burned bridges, yada, yada, yada.

But...

What if he not only stays, but the guys who had beef with him are gone? I know, or think I know, the issue with him was something he did to hurt the team as a whole, not individual guys specifically. But what if the main dudes who didn't gel with him were the seniors and Lydon? He has weaknesses on the court but he showed, to me at least, that he can play better when he's the complimentary guard instead of the lead guard. With the possibility that we could play a 'small' lineup with Battle at SF next season, Howard at SG could actually work out pretty well with only slight improvements needed to his already considerably better shooting stroke. He's a capable passer who just needs to work on ball security and decision making.

Thoughts? Can he get his head right and contribute next season or is he truly a lost cause? He's a 6'5", former top 100 recruit. I'd like to think there's still some upside left. 2 season nowadays seems like an eternity. 10 years ago, a player 2 seasons into his career was just scratching the surface of his potential.

 

[85SUAlum]

During JB's presser today, didn't sound at all like Howard is gone.
JB was talking him up pretty well, saying how he thinks he'll make progress next year similar to Scoop from his sophomore to junior year.

 

[Shark58]

so we'll play battle at 3 with what other guards?

more like Battle at the 1 with four PFs

not saying a kid can't mature, but rumors are FH was disgruntled with new players taking away his position and PT. if we are going to be successful next year we need more talent, esp at guard and wing. if Frankie comes back, and we get 2-3 more players at spots we need, who's PT does that effect?

 

[Brooky03]

During JB's presser today, didn't sound at all like Howard is gone.
JB was talking him up pretty well, saying how he thinks he'll make progress next year similar to Scoop from his sophomore to junior year.

That's encouraging. I'll have to give the presser a listen.

Howard has attitude, which is something I think we've lacked on the court since Devo pretty much. If he learns to channel it correctly and constructively, he's really got something going.

 

[Brooky03]

so we'll play battle at 3 with what other guards?

more like Battle at the 1 with four PFs

not saying a kid can't mature, but rumors are FH was disgruntled with new players taking away his position and PT. if we are going to be successful next year we need more talent, esp at guard and wing. if Frankie comes back, and we get 2-3 more players at spots we need, who's PT does that effect?

Brissett and Moyer won't be on the court at the same time much if at all. TT should play PF exclusively (hopefully he can learn the rotations there) and Sidibe and Chukwu will hopefully be rim protectors. We're not getting any new interior players, so none of this (PF and C) has any possibility of changing anyway.

If we get Ayala for 2017, then fine, I don't care what Howard does. If you're talking grad transfers, then boooooo. Yeah, grad transfers eventually played good basketball and helped the team. That was after about 20 games of the grad transfer PG having his head up his butt fighting for air and the grad transfer forward wandering around on defense guarding nobody. I'm not as eager as others to sit through another season of grad transfers doing their own thing and playing crappy zone defense for 75% of the season.

 

[Shark58]

Brissett and Moyer won't be on the court at the same time much if at all. TT should play PF exclusively (hopefully he can learn the rotations there) and Sidibe and Chukwu will hopefully be rim protectors. We're not getting any new interior players, so none of this has any possibility of changing anyway.

If we get Ayala for 2017, then fine, I don't care what Howard does. If you're talking grad transfers, then boooooo. Yeah, grad transfers eventually played good basketball and helped the team. That was after about 20 games of the grad transfer PG having his head up his butt fighting for air and the grad transfer forward wandering around on defense guarding nobody. I'm not as eager as others to sit through another season of grad transfers doing their own thing and playing crappy zone defense for 75% of the season.

ideally, it would be waters, ayala, duarte and the slav with maybe a decent 5th yr wing shooter type

 

[Brooky03]

To add to my previous post, Ayala, Howard, and Battle on the court together sounds like a damn fun lineup that could play some seriously uptempo basketball, which we haven't had in like 4 centuries.

 

[RF2044]

If Howard can stop doing the negative stuff that's hurt the team, team chemistry, and recruiting, then I have no problem with him getting a second chance.

Big if. Here's hoping he can.

 

[OrangeZeus]

ideally, it would be waters, ayala, duarte and the slav with maybe a decent 5th yr wing shooter type

We have Frank, Howard, Tyus, Matt, Taurean, O'Shae, Paschal, and Bourama as eight players on scholarship for next season. That leaves three spots left. I think we get Ayala if he is able to reclassify and if not then we fall back on Duarte.

I'm hoping the staff goes for two grad transfers again in order to open up more space for us with the 2018 class. Not only can grad transfers come in and play right away, but they also only take up a scholarship for one year as opposed to freshman taking up spots for the next four. I'd much rather see us get one more freshman in this class with two grad transfers so that way we can have a 3 or 4 player class in 2018 depending on if Tyus Battle declares or not. If we decide to get three more freshman in the 2017 class we can only have a 1 or 2 player class in 2018 depending on Tyus.

It'd be nice to add Ayala, Duarte, and Dolezaj to wrap up the 2017 class, but having a 7 player class (counting Matt Moyer as a freshman), would tie us down until the 2019-20 season when the sanctions are done and Howard/Chukwu are graduated.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I know, I know, he's supposedly gone. He did something egregious that he can't make up for. Burned bridges, yada, yada, yada.

But...

What if he not only stays, but the guys who had beef with him are gone? I know, or think I know, the issue with him was something he did to hurt the team as a whole, not individual guys specifically. But what if the main dudes who didn't gel with him were the seniors and Lydon? He has weaknesses on the court but he showed, to me at least, that he can play better when he's the complimentary guard instead of the lead guard. With the possibility that we could play a 'small' lineup with Battle at SF next season, Howard at SG could actually work out pretty well with only slight improvements needed to his already considerably better shooting stroke. He's a capable passer who just needs to work on ball security and decision making.

Thoughts? Can he get his head right and contribute next season or is he truly a lost cause? He's a 6'5", former top 100 recruit. I'd like to think there's still some upside left. 2 season nowadays seems like an eternity. 10 years ago, a player 2 seasons into his career was just scratching the surface of his potential.

He can't play at an ACC level. It's that easy.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

ideally, it would be waters, ayala, duarte and the slav with maybe a decent 5th yr wing shooter type

I thought Waters was a Hopkins recruit.

 

[PhatOrange]

Frank has the tools to be a very good player here

 

[jgeorge322]

I thought Waters was a Hopkins recruit.

The guy who hasnt been released from his schollie yet is no one's recruit besides maybe moyer.

 

[Funk Doc]

Frank has the tools to be a very good player here

Definitely...the question is does he have the mental toughness to fight through some tough times(bad plays, competition for PT, etc.).

Comparing him to Scoop, I think he could be ahead of where Scoop was as a Soph. The problem is that Scoop's junior and senior years were excellent. Ended up being a great floor leader. Can Frank make that kind of jump? Maybe, and it sounds like according to JB we are going to find out.
If he doesn't, we could be in some major trouble if we don't have another plan!

 

[jordoo]

Definitely...the question is does he have the mental toughness to fight through some tough times(bad plays, competition for PT, etc.).

Comparing him to Scoop, I think he could be ahead of where Scoop was as a Soph. The problem is that Scoop's junior and senior years were excellent. Ended up being a great floor leader. Can Frank make that kind of jump? Maybe, and it sounds like according to JB we are going to find out.
If he doesn't, we could be in some major trouble if we don't have another plan!

Scoop's sophomore year was when he came off the bench with KrisJo in that 09 season when we were great and people often said we have 7 starters. Remember he redshirted his second season with a stress fracture. I never wondered if Scoop was a lead guard, he always played that way even when he wasn't doing the right things. He never picked up his dribble in a bad spot 8' past half court because he couldn't decide where to dribble when the guy he wanted to pass to wasn't open. Scoop made decisions on the fly, wasn't hesitant or scared even from the beginning. That is what worries me most about Frank as a PG. He doesn't look nature at running offense or being the lead decision maker. Gillon was the same way early in the season but got better as he went along. Frank to me seems best suited to play off the ball where he could make use of his vision on quick one or two dribble drives. The problem is he seemingly has no mid range game, often gets into trouble if he drives too deep and isn't a reliable jump shooter. I'm just not sold on him being a PG. I'm sure he will be a better player next year if he is back but we need to have another option at PG other than freshman Washington and junior Howard IMO.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Honestly, I'd take either.

Just like I'd take any of those names to add to the roster.

But we know which one you'd prefer to take.

Thanks for the softball to brighten my morning.

 

[Chip]

But we know which one you'd prefer to take.

Thanks for the softball to brighten my morning.

For myself, or for someone else.

You don't have to answer that.

 

[dan7800]

With FH, I just don't see it.

Some guys make plays and are winners. Some guys just seem to never be able to put it together.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Frank has the tools to be a very good player here

Missing the most important tools (or at least hasn't demonstated he has them to date): heart and head.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I know, I know, he's supposedly gone. He did something egregious that he can't make up for. Burned bridges, yada, yada, yada.

But...

What if he not only stays, but the guys who had beef with him are gone? I know, or think I know, the issue with him was something he did to hurt the team as a whole, not individual guys specifically. But what if the main dudes who didn't gel with him were the seniors and Lydon? He has weaknesses on the court but he showed, to me at least, that he can play better when he's the complimentary guard instead of the lead guard. With the possibility that we could play a 'small' lineup with Battle at SF next season, Howard at SG could actually work out pretty well with only slight improvements needed to his already considerably better shooting stroke. He's a capable passer who just needs to work on ball security and decision making.

Thoughts? Can he get his head right and contribute next season or is he truly a lost cause? He's a 6'5", former top 100 recruit. I'd like to think there's still some upside left. 2 season nowadays seems like an eternity. 10 years ago, a player 2 seasons into his career was just scratching the surface of his potential.

A SG who can't S. Great

 

[ForCuseSake]

For myself, or for someone else.

Yes.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

We have Frank, Howard, Tyus, Matt, Taurean, O'Shae, Paschal, and Bourama as eight players on scholarship for next season. That leaves three spots left. I think we get Ayala if he is able to reclassify and if not then we fall back on Duarte.

I'm hoping the staff goes for two grad transfers again in order to open up more space for us with the 2018 class. Not only can grad transfers come in and play right away, but they also only take up a scholarship for one year as opposed to freshman taking up spots for the next four. I'd much rather see us get one more freshman in this class with two grad transfers so that way we can have a 3 or 4 player class in 2018 depending on if Tyus Battle declares or not. If we decide to get three more freshman in the 2017 class we can only have a 1 or 2 player class in 2018 depending on Tyus.

It'd be nice to add Ayala, Duarte, and Dolezaj to wrap up the 2017 class, but having a 7 player class (counting Matt Moyer as a freshman), would tie us down until the 2019-20 season when the sanctions are done and Howard/Chukwu are graduated.

IF we sign 2 or more guards, JB will show Frank the door.

 

[Trueblue25]

If we somehow land a quality guard in the next few months, get Frank out.

I was a huge Frank fan, but even his original upside doesn't outweigh the numerous problems he's caused our teams short term and long term success, not just in recruiting.

 

[cuse10]

A SG who can't S. Great

Like Michael Carter Williams?

As far as Frank goes, the potential to be a serviceable guard is there. He just makes poor decisions. He has to work on his game this Summer, particularly his handle and jump shot to take that next step.

 

[Funk Doc]

Scoop's sophomore year was when he came off the bench with KrisJo in that 09 season when we were great and people often said we have 7 starters. Remember he redshirted his second season with a stress fracture. I never wondered if Scoop was a lead guard, he always played that way even when he wasn't doing the right things. He never picked up his dribble in a bad spot 8' past half court because he couldn't decide where to dribble when the guy he wanted to pass to wasn't open. Scoop made decisions on the fly, wasn't hesitant or scared even from the beginning. That is what worries me most about Frank as a PG. He doesn't look nature at running offense or being the lead decision maker. Gillon was the same way early in the season but got better as he went along. Frank to me seems best suited to play off the ball where he could make use of his vision on quick one or two dribble drives. The problem is he seemingly has no mid range game, often gets into trouble if he drives too deep and isn't a reliable jump shooter. I'm just not sold on him being a PG. I'm sure he will be a better player next year if he is back but we need to have another option at PG other than freshman Washington and junior Howard IMO.

Yeah agree. I only meant physically he is perhaps ahead of Scoop. But his overall Basketball IQ for a PG is way below where Scoop was! But yes... definitely need a backup plan!!