McCullough Moving Up

[PhatOrange]

He had a killer cross-over, and he could hit the wing jump shot. JB undermined his confidence in shooting, just like he has done with numerous players.

Look at Grant. Is there any reason he should go from 15 three-point attempts as a frosh to none as a sophomore when he went 6-15 his first year? That's a decent percentage. JB's hook for not taking the shot HE wants you to take is legendary.

that's crazy talk. Grant has one of the worst shooting forms to ever grace the hill. You really want him shooting 3's ?

 

[PhatOrange]

Chris McCullough, Syracuse: With his motor continuing to be a concern and his game showing no notable improvements in the better part of the past two years, McCullough fell to an unprecedented low, 29th overall, earlier this winter. But he has responded in the two months since, finishing his career at IMG Academy and starting to show the renewed passion and energy level that help to maximize his almost limitless athletic tools. With unrivaled length, speed, athleticism and agility, he’s as good of a physical prospect as there is in the 2014 class, but there’s still work left to be done as he never has consistently committed himself to being the best player he can be. If, and when, he does, there will be few better NBA prospects coming out of this ESPN 100.

2 things stick out to me especially with a lot of the crazy negativity about this kid. A) it wouldnt be a stretch to think his game stagnated because he's just not had the competition to improve it. When he's consistantly up against 6-9, 6-10 D1 kids in practice maybe that'll elevate his game.

2) he fell to '29th' ... is that a joke. Not 79th but 29th. What Syracuse kids have been rated in the top 30 over the past 15 years?

 

[Millhouse]

Paul Harris would have had a better a chance to play in the NBA if he played elsewhere than Syracuse. He and JB had a failure to communicate, but his commitment got us Johnny Flynn. I wish Paul Harris well, but his hype was higher than McCollough's. Harris is why I am hesitant to put some much hype on McCollough. Harris could have been a lockdown defender 0n a m2m team.

he's had a lot of chances since. i just don't think a couple years at syracuse makes or breaks a guys chances to play in the nba. nba scouts see what guys do in the d league and overseas.

 

[durhamcuse]

Paul Harris would have had a better a chance to play in the NBA if he played elsewhere than Syracuse. He and JB had a failure to communicate, but his commitment got us Johnny Flynn. I wish Paul Harris well, but his hype was higher than McCollough's. Harris is why I am hesitant to put some much hype on McCollough. Harris could have been a lockdown defender 0n a m2m team.

Yes, but McCullough is 6'10".

 

[Millhouse]

He had a killer cross-over, and he could hit the wing jump shot. JB undermined his confidence in shooting, just like he has done with numerous players.

Look at Grant. Is there any reason he should go from 15 three-point attempts as a frosh to none as a sophomore when he went 6-15 his first year? That's a decent percentage. JB's hook for not taking the shot HE wants you to take is legendary.

career 29% 3 pt shooter in the d league. 95 games. no college coach can do that much damage.

 

[Alsacs]

I understand McCollough is 6'10" but his motor is questioned and that is a nice way to say he plays soft. I think the kid will be fine at Syracuse, but I will wait to see him play before I give him hype. If we get Isaiah Austin's Freshman year at Baylor from McCollough 13ppg, 8rpg, 1.4 apg then we are dangerous in March and I would consider that a huge success.

 

[durhamcuse]

I understand McCollough is 6'10" but his motor is questioned and that is a nice way to say he plays soft. I think the kid will be fine at Syracuse, but I will wait to see him play before I give him hype. If we get Isaiah Austin's Freshman year at Baylor from McCollough 13ppg, 8rpg, 1.4 apg then we are dangerous in March and I would consider that a huge success.

Agreed. I worry about our depth at certain positions, but with Kaleb running the show (emphasis on running), I feel that he will bring out the best in McCullough.

 

[RF2044]

I understand McCollough is 6'10" but his motor is questioned and that is a nice way to say he plays soft. I think the kid will be fine at Syracuse, but I will wait to see him play before I give him hype. If we get Isaiah Austin's Freshman year at Baylor from McCollough 13ppg, 8rpg, 1.4 apg then we are dangerous in March and I would consider that a huge success.

It definitely is NOT a euphamism for playing soft in this case, it is more about playing hard at all times.

13 and 8 will be tough for McCullough; he's unrefined offensively.

 

[Alsacs]

It definitely is NOT a euphamism for playing soft in this case, it is more about playing hard at all times.

13 and 8 will be tough for McCullough; he's unrefined offensively.

That is fair I wouldn't disagree with your description of motor. Playing soft may have been a little extreme.

If 13 and 8 is too much to ask for McCullough next year we will struggle to average 65 ppgs.

Cooney/Joseph/Gbinije probably need to average 25ppg combined
Roberson/McCullough need to average 24 ppg combined
Christmas/Obokoh should get us 8ppg combined
Patterson/Johnson this is a lot to ask for but 10ppg would be huge combined

That is 67ppg.

 

[cuseguy]

2 things stick out to me especially with a lot of the crazy negativity about this kid. A) it wouldnt be a stretch to think his game stagnated because he's just not had the competition to improve it. When he's consistantly up against 6-9, 6-10 D1 kids in practice maybe that'll elevate his game. 2) he fell to '29th' ... is that a joke. Not 79th but 29th. What Syracuse kids have been rated in the top 30 over the past 15 years?

Basically every one of our Mickey D AAs.

 

[timkay99]

That is fair I wouldn't disagree with your description of motor. Playing soft may have been a little extreme.

If 13 and 8 is too much to ask for McCullough next year we will struggle to average 65 ppgs.

Cooney/Joseph/Gbinije probably need to average 25ppg combined
Roberson/McCullough need to average 24 ppg combined
Christmas/Obokoh should get us 8ppg combined
Patterson/Johnson this is a lot to ask for but 10ppg would be huge combined

That is 67ppg.

I think we will struggle to score. But, with a front of line of McCullough, Roberson and Christmas, other teams will struggle to score too (and could result in more run outs and easy baskets to alleviate our half court offense struggles).

When was the last time the zone would have that type of athleticism and length on the back line? If McCullough can learn a few of the ins and outs of the zone and Roberson is the rebounder we all expect with more minutes, it will be very difficult to score in the interior.

 

[Garbs]

I understand McCollough is 6'10" but his motor is questioned and that is a nice way to say he plays soft. I think the kid will be fine at Syracuse, but I will wait to see him play before I give him hype. If we get Isaiah Austin's Freshman year at Baylor from McCollough 13ppg, 8rpg, 1.4 apg then we are dangerous in March and I would consider that a huge success.

Like RF said, there is nothing soft about his game at all. Anyone who has seen even one highlight dunk would know that. He loses interest at times, but definitely not soft.

Also, (and this is not aimed at you Alsacs) Austin is not a good comparison at all, completely different players.

 

[sufandu]

What is "Talent"?

Is it the ability to actually play the game of basketball well - what we call high basketball IQ, the ability to do the fundamentals, the ability to shoot, pass, rebound, dribble, defend (the hoops equivalent of the "5 skills" of baseball)?

Or is "talent" a synonym for athletic ability, the ability to dunk, leap high and run well?

Because I think the game focuses way too much on definition #2 of "talent", as though the 5 skills can be easily taught. But truly excellent basketball players have been working on their skills since they were little kids.

I'd have to say #1 would be the purest definition to me (I think Tim Duncan is a good example), so I think we're in agreement. The elite of the elite have both #1 and #2 (Lebron, MJ, Kobe etc.). You can have #1 and #2, but, if you lack drive, people with less talent and athleticism may be better players.

 

[sufandu]

there is a great cure for his "lack of motor" and intensity, it is getting the prime seat on the bench next to Boeheim. These kinds of kids in high school know they will play anyway so the intensity is not consistently there.

JB only does that if he thinks there is someone that will be at least as productive as the guy he's sitting. You've never seen him pull a Pitino or a coach K and pull all five starter at once to send a message.

 

[IthacaMatt]

that's crazy talk. Grant has one of the worst shooting forms to ever grace the hill. You really want him shooting 3's ?

He hit a fair amount of his midrange jumpers, too. His elbows are out a bit too much sometimes, but he hits a pretty nice percentage of his shots, and he shot 67% from the line. Those are hardly the numbers of a guy with "one of the worst shooting forms" ever to play for SU.

 

[IthacaMatt]

2 things stick out to me especially with a lot of the crazy negativity about this kid. A) it wouldnt be a stretch to think his game stagnated because he's just not had the competition to improve it. When he's consistantly up against 6-9, 6-10 D1 kids in practice maybe that'll elevate his game.

2) he fell to '29th' ... is that a joke. Not 79th but 29th. What Syracuse kids have been rated in the top 30 over the past 15 years?

First point - he's been in a couple of the top prep schools who play against very good competition. But even if "lower comp" is making him "bored" / uninspired, you'd like to see a kid who enjoys dominating lesser competition.

Take, for instance, the kid from Rochester who we are still chasing, Thomas Bryant. When he was at Bishop Kearny in Rochester, he looked a bit bored, and played on the perimeter while Chino Obokoh did the "man's work" on the boards. Since Bryant got invited to the US tryouts last summer, he has turned up his motivation and plays much more in "beast mode". I want a kid who works his butt off and wants to dominate the opposition.

As to your 2nd point, we've had tons of Top 30 kids. I mean, everyone we're getting is 4 or 5 stars. It's not like we're getting the #1 prospect here.

 

[PhatOrange]

As to your 2nd point, we've had tons of Top 30 kids. I mean, everyone we're getting is 4 or 5 stars. It's not like we're getting the #1 prospect here.

Would I prefer a kid who can push himself - sure. But many kids need motivation and need to be pushed.

This is just not true. There are ton of 4/5 star propects. There's only 30 kids in the top 30.

According to rvls - McCollough is rated 16th

Kaleb Joseph - #56
Tyler Ennis - #22
BJ Johnson - #15
Chinso - no ranking
Ron Patterson - no ranking
Tyler Roberson - #39
DuJuan Coleman - #26
Jeremi Grant - #64
MCW - #29
Rak - #27
Cooney - no ranking
Fab Melo - #16
CJ Fair - #94
Baye - no ranking
Dion Waiters - #29
Triche - #142
DaShonte Riley - #123
James Southerland - no ranking
Mookie Jones - #35
Kris Joseph - #113
John Flynn - #22
Donte Greene - #9
Rick Jackson - #103
Scoop - #53
Kristoff - no ranking
Sean Williams - no ranking
McBride - no raking
Paul Harris - #12
Mike Jones - #40
Devendorf - #46
Arinze - no ranking
Dayshawn Wright - #51
Josh Wright - #40
McCroskey - #67
Nichols - #30
Roberts - #47
Watkins - #24

 

[sufandu]

What Syracuse kids have been rated in the top 30 over the past 15 years?

You're on this board, so I assume your a Syracuse fan. Is this a serious question? Off the top of my head, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Harris, Jonny Flynn, Donte Greene, Eric Devendorf, Christmas, DC2. Without looking it up, I'm sure there's more. I think Edelin and McNamara were close, maybe more like top 40. I think Roberson was close to top 30 too, so we've had a few.

 

[OttoMets]

The lack of a motor worries me too. Some coaches seem to be really good at getting everyone to play hard. I've never thought that was one of JB's strong points.

One needs self-motivation to be a good player at SU.

I can't remember the last kid with a "bad motor" rep who came in and played great.

 

[OttoMets]

there is a great cure for his "lack of motor" and intensity, it is getting the prime seat on the bench next to Boeheim. These kinds of kids in high school know they will play anyway so the intensity is not consistently there.

The same could be said for a number of star forwards at Syracuse.

 

[RF2044]

One needs self-motivation to be a good player at SU.

I can't remember the last kid with a "bad motor" rep who came in and played great.

Personally speaking, having seen McCullough--I think that the "bad motor" rep is a crap description [not specifically directed at you, OttoMets]. I agree with IthacaMatt above--he floats at times and sometimes appeared bored with the level of competition. That's a bit different than he has a bad motor, doesn't work hard, is soft, or 90% of the attributions being made in various posts throughout this thread.

Also, I want to qualify this by pointing out that I saw McCullough before his most recent transfer. By all accounts, it sounds like he's playing more consistently these days, so maybe the issue at Brewster was a wake up call.

 

[OttoMets]

Personally speaking, having seen McCullough--I think that the "bad motor" rep is a crap description [not specifically directed at you, OttoMets]. I agree with IthacaMatt above--he floats at times and appears bored. That's a bit different than he has a bad motor, doesn't work hard, is soft, or 90% of the attributions being made in various posts throughout this thread.

Also, I want to qualify this by pointing out that I saw McCullough before his most recent transfer. By all accounts, it sounds like he's playing more consistently these days, so maybe the issue at Brewster was a wake up call.

That's cool; to be fair, I haven't seen him play - just repeating the popular assessment here. I just hope the staff handles him well and we can enjoy his development.

 

[Digger]

Would I prefer a kid who can push himself - sure. But many kids need motivation and need to be pushed.

This is just not true. There are ton of 4/5 star propects. There's only 30 kids in the top 30.

According to rvls - McCollough is rated 16th


BJ Johnson - #15

That has to be a mistake. Johnson was nowhere near #15 on any recruiting site.

 

[LennX6]

I'm not sure he was an NBA player regardless of where he went, but no doubt he was a bad system fit here.

Harris in a Pitt system as a 3 may have been scary good, even at 6'4". I wouldn't want him to guard me "Pitt style"
He was always the one guy I kept rooting for to get REAL good.

 

[LennX6]

Would I prefer a kid who can push himself - sure. But many kids need motivation and need to be pushed.

This is just not true. There are ton of 4/5 star propects. There's only 30 kids in the top 30.

According to rvls - McCollough is rated 16th

Kaleb Joseph - #56
Tyler Ennis - #22
BJ Johnson - #15
Chinso - no ranking
Ron Patterson - no ranking
Tyler Roberson - #39
DuJuan Coleman - #26
Jeremi Grant - #64
MCW - #29
Rak - #27
Cooney - no ranking
Fab Melo - #16
CJ Fair - #94
Baye - no ranking
Dion Waiters - #29
Triche - #142
DaShonte Riley - #123
James Southerland - no ranking
Mookie Jones - #35
Kris Joseph - #113
John Flynn - #22
Donte Greene - #9
Rick Jackson - #103
Scoop - #53
Kristoff - no ranking
Sean Williams - no ranking
McBride - no raking
Paul Harris - #12
Mike Jones - #40
Devendorf - #46
Arinze - no ranking
Dayshawn Wright - #51
Josh Wright - #40
McCroskey - #67
Nichols - #30
Roberts - #47
Watkins - #24

I apologize in advance because I don't pay attention to rankings. If they are accurate, Duke should have 15 titles by now, and Kentucky would be trying to win their 5th in a row.
But how was Devo a McD-AA at 46 when Mookie Jones was 35? Josh Wright 40?
Something seems odd.

 

[ORANGEsPHK]

I'm going to withhold my judgment until he plays

This is far as I'm gonna go with this thread. Just saying. Very difficult to predict how a HS player pans out, for better or worse. It will be what it is. I'll just be optimistically cautious ... how's that for being non-committal on McC?