I told you he would start playing better. Big Smooth is ready to rock and roll.
EJ has woke up
- Thread starter smooth as butter
- Start date
EJ's upside is crazy. Excited to see Cal finally able to get something out of a skilled big besides jump hooks and post ups.
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anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y
Guest
Not Cal's fault EJ couldn't make a shot to save his life until recently. He's finally finishing through contact and making his jumpers. He got plenty of chances to score last year just missed alot of shots.
I could be wrong but for a lot of dudes it seems like the issue has been confidence. I still believe Skal was completely mismanaged here. He was completely shook. By the time Cal decided to back off and let him play to his strengths it was too late.
He's playing well, but when the competition gets better and more physical is he going to fight and still compete, or will he revert back?
To be fair, he should be dominating these little sister of the poor teams. I’ll believe he has woken up when he does it against a team worth a damn.
@smooth as butter
You remind me of a guy I know that everyone hates. Is your name Matt? Thanks.
You remind me of a guy I know that everyone hates. Is your name Matt? Thanks.
If he could actually learn to hit his jumpers at a consistent clip, wed see him shine more. It opens up hos interior game play which always seems to involve shots that go up and rim out due to being a half step behind the defense. Being a threat to actually nail a shot will force the defense to adjust and give him the advantage to take easier shots inside that he can finish. Hes capable of being a 15ppg guy. He just has to go out and give the same energy he did Saturday. That was the first time I've seen him give 100% consistently and it paid off.
I think he is getting more settled in. Last year he had the freshmen jitters I think. Hope he continues to play the way he did the last game and I think he will.
Lol! Matt Jones?? I can see him doing that. I always hoped @smooth as butter was always @HerrosHeroes after day drinking. Or coming off of Fentanyl. Either way, they are good!
Skal may have been misused but that’s because he is a shooting guard in a 6’11 body. He’s a trans-shooting guard you might say in today’s terminology
Which is why he should have played away from the basket. His jumper is a thing of beauty but we had him in the post shooting jump hooks. I think Cal even admitted himself that he coached him wrong.
It’s hard to have a 6’11 guy on the floor who can’t guard his man or get a defensive rebound. He hurt us when he was on the floor on more than just offense.
I feel like it's the coach's responsibility to get the most out of his players. There are ways to mask player weaknesses (i.e. zone) but Cal prefers to sit guys. Same thing happened with Kyle. He was significantly better at Gonzaga because Mark Few found a defensive scheme that hid his poor defense some.
The biggest thing I see with him now is running the floor. He's in or ahead of the action now instead of being behind it.
This is true, however the coach is not going to do that and stunt the growth of the rest of his players though. Cal recruits man to man defensive players (athletes) for the most part, so i don't know that it would be smart to play zone just because you have one guy that gets abused.
Skal is UK's pioneer of "intersectionality" on the court.
I totally agree when you have the personnel to make this happen. The Wiltjer/Goodwin and Ulis/Murray/Skal teams did not have that. I get that Cal is a defense first coach but when you don't have the talent to be that you have to adjust.
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anon_013cn8yrfncx2
Guest
Fentanyl is a hell of a drug!
[laughing]
You need none of those...
I was certainly skeptical of him early in the season. But, he's proved he's here and ready. Was really fun watching him go off in the last game. He was playing with complete confidence.
Agreed. I was just messin around. Gave up the partying scene several years ago. About five years ago to be more precise. The wife has kept me on the straight and narrow the last several years.
I really didn't think there was a woman on earth that would ever manage to keep me in line. I used to be wild enough to shoot at, but she's mellowed me out big time. Damn good woman, and pretty easy on the eyes to boot.
Edit: Anyway, I believe EJ has turned that corner and we are seeing what he's really capable of doing. I don't look for him to revert back, whatsoever. He adds a crucial element to the team. I always thought he was the key to this season.