Size of a three but can’t seem to shoot a lick and doesn’t want to drive on guys. Missed all his mid range and free throws. Defense seems lacking too, not sure with our other pieces how we utilize him to get the most of his strengths.
How do we use Whitney?
- Thread starter Lempface
- Start date
He and Brooks should both be college 4s but Calipari insists to play them at 3.
I think he'll be our defensive stopper for wings is how Cal will groom him.
Yeah Cal said he was worried about him until he had a really good practice recently. Seems more athlete than skilled b-ball player. But have to be able to leverage his strengths.
Catch lobs, backdoor, transition, defense. Those are all things he could and should excel at here.
I’m not sure he’s gonna have a lot plays drawn up for him but I think he will bring a lot of energy. Like a more confident Diallo.
I’m not sure he’s gonna have a lot plays drawn up for him but I think he will bring a lot of energy. Like a more confident Diallo.
I'm afraid he was overranked in high school.
Scouts were so dazzled by his athleticism that they missed just how raw his ball skills are.
Scouts were so dazzled by his athleticism that they missed just how raw his ball skills are.
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It's be a grand total of one exhibition game. Let's not get too up or down on anyone.
I think the Hami comparison is pretty accurate.
I thought the same thing when I saw him in the blue white game, but don’t want to drag the guy too bad. Begs the question though, if a guy can’t shoot, pass or dribble (and he’s not Dennis Rodman) then what do you do with him?
Brooks is a pure college 4 and we will play a ton there ( more then at the 3 IMO ) Whitney is a combo like Fletcher in the 2020 class but whitney will be amazing in some games and be completely non existant in others . As he is the kinda kid who is still developing ( yet will be a very high draft pick due to ability) Brooks is a much more finished product . Whitney will be used much like Diallo was though Whitney is a much better prospect .
Hate it for the kid but this place will eat the dragon up- he can run jump and dunk
Very little basketball skill unfortunately
Very little basketball skill unfortunately
It's early so I'm not going to panic yet, but even before the season started I wondered about him and his shooting. Today he couldn't buy one and some were at point-blank. I'm starting to worry because he looks so uncomfortable shooting, even close in. Everything was offline. Plus missed both FTs. I think he is going to have to focus on being a lockdown defender, rebounder and look to find teammates and play above the rim or go hard at the basket. I really hope he doesn't force shots and lets the offense come to him over time.
I knew he was a poor shooter, that part was expected, but I am surprised by the lack of dribbling,
When your wing looks like he's afraid to put the ball on the floor against NAIA players . ....well, that's not a good sign.
When your wing looks like he's afraid to put the ball on the floor against NAIA players . ....well, that's not a good sign.
Hard for Whitney to be a 4 at 6'5". He isn't Chuck Hayes either. He is more like MKG with his athleticism. He just has to be a strong defender and rebounder. However, he also MUST be able to finish at the rim.
I know he's not as big as Poythress, but that's who he reminds me of.
Well, that's who I was hoping and expecting him to be like based on the descriptions I'd heard.
But the difference is, even though he was bad shooter, MKG was a damn good dribbler with a tight handle and drove to the rim with tenacious fury. And he showed it from Day 1. Whereas so far Whitney looks like he's afraid to put the ball on the floor.
I sure hope that changes.
Listed 6’6” with a 7’ wingspan. Plenty big enough to play the 4 in the smallball era.
Probably needs to play as an undersized 4.
Especially with Richards out. We will be small. Rotate Brooks and Whitney at the 4 and Montgomery and Sestina at the 5. Hagans, Maxey, and Quickley at the 1-3 with Juzang in reserve.
Especially with Richards out. We will be small. Rotate Brooks and Whitney at the 4 and Montgomery and Sestina at the 5. Hagans, Maxey, and Quickley at the 1-3 with Juzang in reserve.
Been saying that for months. Including the lack of tight dribble that shouldn’t be a shock to anyone who has been paying attention.
Freshman year Poythress level production out of Whitney would be outstanding.
Play him the way we should've played Poythress, as a strong athletic albeit undersized 4 who runs the baseline and wears down opposing 4s who try and keep up with him and feed him lobs. No shots outside of 12 feet unless it's a wide open 3.
I'm not going to judge him yet since I haven't had much time seeing him play. I do question why we keep recruiting guys that are athletes but don't seem to be really good basketball players. By that I mean being able to shoot the ball, pass, dribble, block out, etc. Things you should have to be good at to play the actual sport.
Being a great athlete makes it easier to outperform lesser players at the high school level. Much harder to do that in college. I'd take guys like Herro that are rated a little lower but are better basketball players over a guy that can just run and dunk. Coach Cal has been pretty successful doing what he does though and it is hard to complain about most of the results.
Being a great athlete makes it easier to outperform lesser players at the high school level. Much harder to do that in college. I'd take guys like Herro that are rated a little lower but are better basketball players over a guy that can just run and dunk. Coach Cal has been pretty successful doing what he does though and it is hard to complain about most of the results.
I'm not trying to dog the kid and I want the best for him. I just don't remember being this unimpressed with a recruit after a couple scrimmages. Sure the sample size is small but generally you get a glimpse of what a guy will be later in the season.
Liggins was an excellent passer and excellent ball-handler. Whitney is neither.
I used to get so frustrated with the way Cal used Poythress. Poy always looked so much better at the 4 spot, but for way too long Cal kept stubbornly trying to play him at the 3 anyways.
Cal's preference for big lineups has led some of his more questionable decisions over the years. Stop worrying about always being bigger than the other guy and just play your five best players ...and at the spots where they perform best.
At least that's how I see it. And it also seems to be the approach of the teams winning national titles in recent years.
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I always thought he was overrated in high school. This will be two years in a row Cal has brought in a top 10 player who was pretty overrated. Throw in Nick and it’s 3 years. Cal’s way of building teams can’t afford busts.
Cal goes for the highest rated he can get, basketball ability be damned.
Whitney will be fine as long as he shuts down his social media till after the season because that can be a confidence killer. A lot of our own fans are writing him off after one game.Then stay in the gym and work on his ball handling and shooting on his own. If these kids really want to make it then they have work for it.
Not aggressive and doesn’t dribble. Alex could shoot some. Whitney can’t. It looked like the only way he could score is if he was catching a lob. Missed every FT I saw him take. Truthfully he was just out there taking up space.
Wish Cal would figure out how to recruit better. He’s killing us with bringing in bad players ;-)
For the record, I’m not a fan of wings who can’t shoot. But, I can’t complain much about Cal’s recruiting.
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