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

[Jack Hall]

Jeeze sorry, meant this

Both can face up w decent handle for a big...

 

[Jack Hall]

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?

And I realize they are diff classes and may never play together, just saying IF they were on court together

 

[ClamOtto]

Didn't get a chance to read the comments last night so I had planned to logon this morning and say "am I crazy or is Bryant too slow to play anything but the 5? And maybe too slow even for that." Now that I've read the comments, I guess I'm not crazy. Agree with the Ricky Jackson comparisons - that dude had the longest arms I've ever seen.

Bryant moves like he weighs 350 but he doesn't look overweight. Could it be partly a conditioning issue that can be fixed by our strength and conditioning folks?

 

[cap2nine]

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.

I generally agree with your post but I'd like to point out a couple things that really stood out for me. Bryant was a fantastic communicator and director on the defensive end, constantly talking and calling out where the AT players were. Regardless of whether he plays the 4 or 5 with us, that kind of communication is extremely valuable in our zone and something that some of our current bigs (namely Rak and DC) often lack. I also like his rebounding thought process. When the ball was in the air, Bryant's first thought was to find a body to box out, even to a fault a couple of times where he backed himself out of rebounding position when looking for a man. Over time he'll fine tune that, it's just great to see that he takes defense and rebounding fundamentals so seriously. On the offensive end, when in the low and mid-post, he was calling for the ball a lot. He's probably used to working against weaker defenders than Lyles but I like the aggressiveness and confidence Bryant shows. Come 2015, he'll be ready to make an instant impact. He is a must get IMO!

 

[Jack Hall]

I generally agree with your post but I'd like to point out a couple things that really stood out for me. Bryant was a fantastic communicator and director on the defensive end, constantly talking and calling out where the AT players were. Regardless of whether he plays the 4 or 5 with us, that kind of communication is extremely valuable in our zone and something that some of our current bigs (namely Rak and DC) often lack. I also like his rebounding thought process. When the ball was in the air, Bryant's first thought was to find a body to box out, even to a fault a couple of times where he backed himself out of rebounding position when looking for a man. Over time he'll fine tune that, it's just great to see that he takes defense and rebounding fundamentals so seriously. On the offensive end, when in the low and mid-post, he was calling for the ball a lot. He's probably used to working against weaker defenders than Lyles but I like the aggressiveness and confidence Bryant shows. Come 2015, he'll be ready to make an instant impact. He is a must get IMO!

I thought similar, when I saw him getting a body on someone when the ball went up, I said why can't Cuse do this over the yrs? It's so simple

 

[Jack Hall]

Didn't get a chance to read the comments last night so I had planned to logon this morning and say "am I crazy or is Bryant too slow to play anything but the 5? And maybe too slow even for that." Now that I've read the comments, I guess I'm not crazy. Agree with the Ricky Jackson comparisons - that dude had the longest arms I've ever seen.

Bryant moves like he weighs 350 but he doesn't look overweight. Could it be partly a conditioning issue that can be fixed by our strength and conditioning folks?

I am probably way off base, but he looks like some young kids I coach who have a real sudden growth spurt. They suddenly go from agile to awkward and their legs aren't really underneath them. I have always assumed it's because their center of gravity has changed and they haven't figured out how to adjust yet. I hope that's what it is w TB because I want this kid,but who knows , he may just always be a shuffler, thats just how he will always run. I still want this guy at Cuse!

 

[CraigForth]

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?

I heard that McCollough was fast as hell, like a sprinter on the court. Is that not true? I haven't seen him play so I don't know.

 

[asj410]

I heard that McCollough was fast as hell, like a sprinter on the court. Is that not true? I haven't seen him play so I don't know.

Your post made me instantly think of this clip from earlier this year:

 

[Jack Hall]

Your post made me instantly think of this clip from earlier this year:

I think that video is from last season? I have seen it before and what I love about that video is not only the speed as you mention but the fact that he covers a sick amount of ground in just two dribbles. Aleady at an nba level imo...

 

[Jack Hall]

yes

I heard that McCollough was fast as hell, like a sprinter on the court. Is that not true? I haven't seen him play so I don't know.

I mentioned that in an earlier post, maybe on our non recruiting forum. I wish we could combine CMs natural athleticism w TBs intensity/competitiveness....so maybe I overdid it on the overlap thing but I think they would play similar roles here at SU on offense, ie face up bigs who are also very capable of posting up, altho on D in our zone they likely will play diff positions...

 

[asj410]

I think that video is from last season?

Yep. Sorry, I meant that the clip was posted in the forum earlier in 2013, not earlier this basketball season. Hell of a play though!

 

[Jack Hall]

Your post made me instantly think of this clip from earlier this year:

top of other key to dunk in two dribbles. Can your kid do that? I think I am going to see how many dribbles it takes me to pull that off lol just sick

 

[CU44SE]

I only caught a little bit of the game last night and agree with all the talk regarding the 5 position. With that said, I believe with the Strength and Conditioning program at Syracuse he could really change his body and explosiveness. I mean look at coleman or as someone else pointed out Fab Mello for examples. These players really changed their body and added some explosiveness to their games; I think Bryant could really benefit and become a real player with this training.

 

[ClamOtto]

Your post made me instantly think of this clip from earlier this year:

Reminded me of Wes Johnson there

 

[General20]

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?

I haven't had a chance to watch McCullough yet this year.

When I saw him last year my impression was that he's a pro athlete who needs some fine tuning. I expect him to do some good things for us, but I also expect to see a lot of his growing pains, while the finished product unfortunately comes after he leaves for the NBA.

The area I expect him to help us in the most is transition offense. Right now we don't have that Watiers/Joseph type athlete who can release on a rebound and beat most opposing players down the court and finish over the rest. McCoullough seems like that kind of guy to me.

 

[CraigForth]

Your post made me instantly think of this clip from earlier this year:

Sick. I have only seen highlight reels of him and I think its hard to judge someones game by watching those. Its nice in a way that it gives you an idea of what the player is capable of but you never know if CM dropping threes in the highlight reel are the only times in his career that he has done so or if that's a legit part of his game. This clip shows me so much more than a highlight reel. IMO

 

[Jack Hall]

I haven't had a chance to watch McCullough yet this year.

When I saw him last year my impression was that he's a pro athlete who needs some fine tuning. I expect him to do some good things for us, but I also expect to see a lot of his growing pains, while the finished product unfortunately comes after he leaves for the NBA.

The area I expect him to help us in the most is transition offense. Right now we don't have that Watiers/Joseph type athlete who can release on a rebound and beat most opposing players down the court and finish over the rest. McCoullough seems like that kind of guy to me.

I agree, my guess is he will be a much better pro than DanteG. But those of us who expect him to come in here, be handed a starting spot, consistently dominate and play a ton of mins could be disappointed. Just hope he can be a difference maker by next March!

 

[Jack Hall]

I haven't had a chance to watch McCullough yet this year.

When I saw him last year my impression was that he's a pro athlete who needs some fine tuning. I expect him to do some good things for us, but I also expect to see a lot of his growing pains, while the finished product unfortunately comes after he leaves for the NBA.

The area I expect him to help us in the most is transition offense. Right now we don't have that Watiers/Joseph type athlete who can release on a rebound and beat most opposing players down the court and finish over the rest. McCoullough seems like that kind of guy to me.

And I will also say there is no reason Grant can't be a Wes or McCullough type of finisher in transition. CJ too. Would like to see that develop a little once acc starts...

 

[statsgrad]

Not to be a debbie downer but I think lateral agility/quickness is extremely important, especially defensively, to JB. As talked about repeatedly, our centers have to cover a lot of ground in the zone. Xmas and Dajuan are both guys who had all the tools coming out of high school except for quickness and have underachieved relative to expectations thus far. Baye on the other hand has almost no tools except for good quickness for a big and has played above the expectations most people had for him. Foot speed is not something that can be improved upon all that much or Dajuan would be getting a lot more PT right now. I think that Bryant is a tremendous talent but I think Diagne might be a better fit for Syracuse.

 

[General20]

Not to be a debbie downer but I think lateral agility/quickness is extremely important, especially defensively, to JB. As talked about repeatedly, our centers have to cover a lot of ground in the zone. Xmas and Dajuan are both guys who had all the tools coming out of high school except for quickness and have underachieved relative to expectations thus far. Baye on the other hand has almost no tools except for good quickness for a big and has played above the expectations most people had for him. Foot speed is not something that can be improved upon all that much or Dajuan would be getting a lot more PT right now. I think that Bryant is a tremendous talent but I think Diagne might be a better fit for Syracuse.

I don't think its unreasonable to want Diagne over Bryant, but don't discount what a year of strength and conditioning at Syracuse can do.

Our last two defensive players of the year (Melo and Jackson) might have been the two slowest players we have recently taken coming out of high school.

 

[SoBeCuse]

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:

It's that shuffling as you said that seemed really strange to me. Well said. It was like he was ice skating on a gym floor. No way he could be a 4. In time maybe he could be a good C here. Who knows. Can you re-teach a kid how to run? Maybe maybe not.

 

[Jack Hall]

It's that shuffling as you said that seemed really strange to me. Well said. It was like he was ice skating on a gym floor. No way he could be a 4. In time maybe he could be a good C here. Who knows. Can you re-teach a kid how to run? Maybe maybe not.

It's a strength thing. He needs to hit the weights with his lower body. All IMHO

 

[Jack Hall]

It's a strength thing. He needs to hit the weights with his lower body. All IMHO

And the other thing I'll say, is when I first saw he and try lyles last night next to ea other they were the same height to me and they looked the same size, ie their upper bodies looked similar. But then I saw trey is listed as twenty to thirty lbs heavier. Bryant must have some skinny legs is my guess

 

[orangefan13]

Bryant reminds me alittle of Fab Melo.
Thankfully hes not a exchange student. He will hustle clap his hands alot has a decent jumper but not sure he will be allowed to use it yet, he tried to take a charge during the game Fabesque, and he looks like alittle bit of a project at times.

He runs the floor real well without the ball great to see from a big. He played post up back to the basket center yesterday instead of PF big difference, for a guy who is offensive minded it didn't show all that well for him.
I really liked his ball handling but his passing and court awareness was off and he caught himself in some positions where he did some goofy things.

 

[Francis03]

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.

Good stuff as usual. Nah that wasn't me on the Rick Jackson comparison. When I saw TB last season, he was much quicker defensively and handling the rock like a guard that at his size he reminded me of a young Lamar Odom.