Class of 2015 Thomas Bryant on ESPN Thurs. @ 9:30p

[Francis03]

Bryant just had a couple of nice back to back blocks but just picked up a couple of cheap fouls and looks to be a little frustrated after being called for a travel. The commentators just said that TB told them that he doesn't like cold weather lol. Yo Moustapha holla at us!

 

[Francis03]

apparently that OL you talked about is WVU bound... fitting.

Dude even has a bald spot lol.

 

[edowd26]

i just cant get over how god awful perkins is. pure garbage.

 

[Jack Hall]

In spots but I view him mainly as a 5 as well. Gotta see where he's at development wise this season. HS coach says he's knocking down jumpers n threes. So we'll see if that's true or just coach talk.

I hope he's not a 5, if he got over his coldophobia and came here he would have to compete at the 5 w his buddy Chinoso, which beside his coldophobia might keep him from ever coming here. He is a good passer and overall I am as impressed w him as Lyles.

 

[AWMKY]

i just cant get over how god awful perkins is. pure garbage.

Jeremie Tyler is lighting it up right now - like this kid's game.

 

[Francis03]

The guards for HP are turnover machines, especially the Lyle kid. "Travelin Man". Would like to see a few entry passes from them but I'm probably dreaming since the game's on ESPN.

HP guards are the worse collection of high-major guards that I have ever seen in a HS game. When a player heading to Ball St is a 100x better than the whole group then you then it's definitely not a good look.

 

[Jack Hall]

The guards for HP are turnover machines, especially the Lyle kid. "Travelin Man". Would like to see a few entry passes from them but I'm probably dreaming since the game's on ESPN.

Yeah Bryant is making all the entry passes. Can't pass to yourself. Some good coaching!

 

[Jack Hall]

Yeah Bryant is making all the entry passes. Can't pass to yourself. Some good coaching!

Just mentioned that the HP coach didn't call one TO during 20-1 run by other team. As I said,some good coaching!

 

[ORRange]

HP guards are the worse collection of high-major guards that I have ever seen in a HS game. When a player heading to Ball St is a 100x better than the whole group then you then it's definitely not a good look.

You've got wonder how many touches can TB get a game with these clowns at guard. It's hard to watch, they must have 20 TO's.

 

[Jack Hall]

Two v good defensive play on lyles right there. Impressive. He was high when he said he doesn't like the cold?

 

[Francis03]

I hope he's not a 5, if he got over his coldophobia and came here he would have to compete at the 5 w his buddy Chinoso, which beside his coldophobia might keep him from ever coming here. He is a good passer and overall I am as impressed w him as Lyles.

I was talking about Moustapha Diagne in the post you replied to.

 

[Jack Hall]

I was talking about Moustapha Diagne in the post you replied to.

My bad

 

[bornagainOrange]

Not really sure about all the misdirection talk that Mr Bryant keeps talking. If in fact he doesn't want to come here, no love lost. Like to have him as his length and hustle are undeniable, but he is alot slower I thought

 

[Francis03]

My bad

All good.

 

[AWMKY]

Biancardi and Dakich may resort to fisticuffs! INDIANA!

 

[Francis03]

HP since going into the full court pressure has made a nice little comeback to cut the lead to 3 with 2:47 left. Bryant unfortunately is on the bench.

 

[bornagainOrange]

Meanwhile, dakich and bianacardi keep arguing over shot clock c rap ...we have a game here analists

 

[Jack Hall]

Not really sure about all the misdirection talk that Mr Bryant keeps talking. If in fact he doesn't want to come here, no love lost. Like to have him as his length and hustle are undeniable, but he is alot slower I thought

He doesn't run so much as he shuffles when he moves.gotta couple yrs to work on footwork but I agree w you in quickness

 

[Francis03]

Not really sure about all the misdirection talk that Mr Bryant keeps talking. If in fact he doesn't want to come here, no love lost. Like to have him as his length and hustle are undeniable, but he is alot slower I thought

Whenever Bryant tried to guard on the perimeter or in space he looked like Scola in cement trying to guard LeBron last night.

 

[Jack Hall]

Whenever Bryant tried to guard on the perimeter or in space he looked like Scola in cement trying to guard LeBron last night.

Kids still growing into that body, you buy that?

 

[Francis03]

Kids still growing into that body, you buy that?

Oh yeah, he's still young and the awkwardness to certain parts of his game can be fixed. My question and biggest worry long-term will be the bigger and stronger he gets will his lateral movements get worse? Or as you mentioned above is it all about correcting footwork and attacking angles better? From what I saw today I'm not even confident that he'll be coached up correctly. I thought the coaching at BK wasn't great and Huntington looks to be even more of a downgrade.

 

[Orangezoo]

First time seeing Bryant tonight. You can see tons of potential but a very odd player to watch. Seems awkward and then he gets the ball and dribbles between his legs and makes a quick move. On d he does a decent job not over reacting on the pump fake but also slides around all over.

As mentioned already the coaching for HP is awful. Did not see many set plays and the guards never feed the post. When Bryant went out it was all 1 on 1.

Biggest thing with TB I see is he looks like he could have a handle and a nice jumper and is a fine passer. Not sure this coach is going to do anything for his development. Also have to admit even though its only one game I am not as high on Bryant as I was seeing just the highlights. Im sure thats just over reacting from a small sample size.

 

[DoctorBombay]

I liked that he was active and vocal on defense, but overall, honestly...I was underwhelmed.
As others have said he seems to shuffle rather than run, and other than his obvious height, I really couldn't see what all the fuss is about.
Again, great motor & all, & with that length he'd be great in the middle of the zone- but nothing stood out to me. He's young and has time/room for improvement but seriously...am I missing something with this kid? :noidea:

 

[General20]

Figured I'd throw in my two cents on Bryant since this was the first time I have seen him play in a year (which is an eternity for a developing player that age).

Strengths -

Length - He might have the longest arms I have ever seen.

Rebounding

Interior scoring - With his ability to score and shoot free throws he will put up points for whoever gets him

Shooting/Free Throw Shooting

Passing


Weaknesses -

Mobility - He is going to have to get faster if he is going to be able to run up and down the court at the pace SU will need him to.

Lateral quickness - Looks like a 5 all the way in this regard.

Jumping


Overall -

My impression is Bryant looks slower and more lumbering than I remember him from last year, but also stronger and more of a presence inside. I think it was Francis who compared him to "Rick Jackson with a jump shot" a while back and that is pretty spot on as Francis always tends to be. I remember somebody once saying about Jackson in a scouting report that "he can't jump over a credit card" and Bryant is the same way. Even with no ups, Jackson lead the Big East in rebounding, blocked a ton of shots, and became Big East defensive player of the year. Bryant will be able to rebound like crazy and block a ton of shots despite not jumping just like Jackson could.

Bryant is a strong player who rebounds with a mean streak that reminds me of Derrick Coleman. His long arms make him play much bigger than he is, and he has the look/feel of a seven footer.

He is going to be able to score in the post in college, and is going to really hard to stop because he is going to be able to hit his free throws too.

Right now he can't run the court fast enough to play major minutes for Syracuse (remember Fab Melo as a freshman?). That is his one glaring weakness. He is still only a Jr. which is incredibly early on the developmental curve for a big guy. By his sophomore year in college he might look completely different.

Seems to me, Bryant is a center all the way, and I am rethinking my original desire to get both Bryant and Diagne. Maybe we end up with Jones after all.

 

[Jack Hall]

Figured I'd throw in my two cents on Bryant since this was the first time I have seen him play in a year (which is an eternity for a developing player that age).

Strengths -

Length - He might have the longest arms I have ever seen.

Rebounding

Interior scoring - With his ability to score and shoot free throws he will put up points for whoever gets him

Shooting/Free Throw Shooting

Passing


Weaknesses -

Mobility - He is going to have to get faster if he is going to be able to run up and down the court at the pace SU will need him to.

Lateral quickness - Looks like a 5 all the way in this regard.

Jumping


Overall -

My impression is Bryant looks slower and more lumbering than I remember him from last year, but also stronger and more of a presence inside. I think it was Francis who compared him to "Rick Jackson with a jump shot" a while back and that is pretty spot on as Francis always tends to be. I remember somebody once saying about Jackson in a scouting report that "he can't jump over a credit card" and Bryant is the same way. Even with no ups, Jackson lead the Big East in rebounding, blocked a ton of shots, and became Big East defensive player of the year. Bryant will be able to rebound like crazy and block a ton of shots despite not jumping just like Jackson could.

Bryant is a strong player who rebounds with a mean streak that reminds me of Derrick Coleman. His long arms make him play much bigger than he is, and he has the look/feel of a seven footer.

He is going to be able to score in the post in college, and is going to really hard to stop because he is going to be able to hit his free throws too.

Right now he can't run the court fast enough to play major minutes for Syracuse (remember Fab Melo as a freshman?). That is his one glaring weakness. He is still only a Jr. which is incredibly early on the developmental curve for a big guy. By his sophomore year in college he might look completely different.

Seems to me, Bryant is a center all the way, and I am rethinking my original desire to get both Bryant and Diagne. Maybe we end up with Jones after all.

Great post as usual. Would love to get this young man. I watched MCCullough play against his old team the other night and to try a crude comparison I would say CM has more natural ability than TB but I might have been more impressed w TB due to his effort and competitiveness. And I actually think they are similar type players in that they would have a lot of overlap in their roles and strengths out in the court, ie can both face up w decent handle for bug guys. Altho CM can clearly handle the 4 in our zone and not convinced TB can because of lat quickness. Have you watched CM this season? any impressions?