Do they have the underlying TALENT to be able to compete though? That is the question.
The freshmen
- Thread starter RUSCFORMERLYRULOU
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The story of the freshman won’t be tangible for probably another 12 months. We are dealing with two circumstances that have essentially never been in front of this program: 1. A pandemic that basically wiped out the off-season, camp, and non conference games; and 2. Legitimate roster depth.
All the freshman have demonstrated enough in my opinion to suggest they can hang in the big 10. Let’s give this time to play out.
All the freshman have demonstrated enough in my opinion to suggest they can hang in the big 10. Let’s give this time to play out.
Seems pretty obvious that a combination of lack of easy OOC games to get the Frosh experience, and a very deep bench, and the fact that these aren't blue chip kids that need to develop, means there is nothing to worry about. Not all of them will pan out. But some will.
Your next to last sentence is laughable. Not one of the trio of Rieber, Palmqusit or Mag has demonstrated anything to merit such a statement. The rest of your post at least makes some sense.
What are you expecting out of guys that are getting 4 minutes of run every 3 weeks? Palmquist hit a few 3’s. Reiber had a couple blocks and a steal against luka Garza. Mag was 5 of 9 from the floor before his injury.
We basically have a 7 man rotation (8 when Mathis not in the dog house). Since we are only playing conference games don’t see that as an issue. How many teams in the Big Ten consistently roll out 9 or more guys a night ( not including blowouts), Only way other freshman play is if the beat out any of our 8 players. At one point I thought someone may push Mathis for time. Did not happen and I am OK with that. Give them to to get used to the speed of the game
The question is which of the frosh develops to be the closest in ability to the weakest or not the best player in the rotation.
You don't need the frosh to start off as immediate starter material, but can they be as good as Mulcahy (if he is by stats, the least productive player in points per game). .....Or can that player be a better defender than Mulcahy in 1 on 1 scenarios.
Or he less likely to be a 50% FT shooter or someone that doesn't turn it over as much as Mathis.
Can Reiber become an additional big man at 6 to 8 minutes a game next year, then 14 to 16 minutes in 2 years to help Cliff...??
Not every recruiting target projects to be an immediate starter by their sophomore season. I am basing this on how most coaches play 8 to 9 kids the majority of the minutes.
Every team has quality starters or a good 6 players it's players 7 through 9 and how much of a dropoff is it from your 6th best player to your 9th best.
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Mulcahy. Another one I am starting to wonder about. Will he make the leap? He has talent and skill but I’d love to see him take over a game with his passing ability.