Brown/Ash

[Kelly_32]

One of those two guys needs to figure it out. I love watching McIntosh and I hate when he comes out but he can't play 40 minutes a game all season. Collins has to be able to trust the bench and they need to earn that trust. Brown is never going to be a point guard. He doesn't handle the ball well enough and he doesn't have the mentality it takes to run an offense. Ash should be the guy to give backup minutes. He needs to get it going.

 

[catcrazy]

Ash needs to hit some shots otherwise no one will guard him and we will be playing 4 on 5

 

[freewillie07]

It's unfortunate that Brown seems to have regressed, or at least hasn't made much of a leap. I figured he'd be striving to take over the lead guard role next year, but guess we're putting all of our eggs in the Jordan Lathon basket.

BMac is a star and he's stronger than ever but he will wear out eventually.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Bmac played like a superstar! We have a real good team and we will figure it out long term. I was surprised Benson played so well. He played better than Pardon. Brown needs redshirt. I think Sobeluski was better. Ash is going to help us. But I am getting tired of having to keep saying it. I'm like a broken record saying we need Ash on defense. Scottie was off big time tonight. On the other hand, I thought Gaines looked pretty dam good for a frosh. We need his length. Overall, I thought we played fantastic near end of first half and second half. Mac needs a rest, but again, I don't think Mac was able to play any better. Looked like an Alll Big Ten guard. Credit goes to their team, which shot around 60% in second half.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Bmac played like a superstar! We have a real good team and we will figure it out long term. I was surprised Benson played so well. He played better than Pardon. Brown needs redshirt. I think Sobeluski was better. Ash is going to help us. But I am getting tired of having to keep saying it. I'm like a broken record saying we need Ash on defense. Scottie was off big time tonight. On the other hand, I thought Gaines looked pretty dam good for a frosh. We need his length. Overall, I thought we played fantastic near end of first half and second half. Mac needs a rest, but again, I don't think Mac was able to play any better. Looked like an Alll Big Ten guard. Credit goes to their team, which shot around 60% in second half.

Forgot, Law looked like an AA! Best game I ever saw him play. Without Law, we lose by 15!

 

[GOUNUII]

One of those two guys needs to figure it out. I love watching McIntosh and I hate when he comes out but he can't play 40 minutes a game all season. Collins has to be able to trust the bench and they need to earn that trust. Brown is never going to be a point guard. He doesn't handle the ball well enough and he doesn't have the mentality it takes to run an offense. Ash should be the guy to give backup minutes. He needs to get it going.

Ash is giving the team everything he has.

GOUNUII

 

[vmloza34]

It's unfortunate that Brown seems to have regressed, or at least hasn't made much of a leap. I figured he'd be striving to take over the lead guard role next year, but guess we're putting all of our eggs in the Jordan Lathon basket.

I always felt Brown is maxed out his potential athletically and can only become more consistent learn the PG spot. And it is proving to be difficult for him to find any kind of rhythm in a limited role. In high school he was allowed to always have the ball/ take an exorbitant amount of shots. Its a hole different mentality to have only 5 opportunities to make an impact in a game and deliver.

 

[Jonny2TheP]

One of those two guys needs to figure it out. I love watching McIntosh and I hate when he comes out but he can't play 40 minutes a game all season. Collins has to be able to trust the bench and they need to earn that trust. Brown is never going to be a point guard. He doesn't handle the ball well enough and he doesn't have the mentality it takes to run an offense. Ash should be the guy to give backup minutes. He needs to get it going.

People make the common mistake of looking at a guy’s size and using that to determine his position. As you pointed out, Brown is not a PG. Sure, he’s the size of a PG, but his skills are that of a SG. And at this point at least, his skill is not enough to overcome his lack of size consistently.

I see nothing that tells me that Brown won’t be an off the bench guy throughout his career. I expect him to be a good spark at times because he can fill it up when he gets going, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a player we can count on to give quality minutes every game.

I’d be shocked if Lathon isn’t our PG right off the bat next year.

 

[scru]

People make the common mistake of looking at a guy’s size and using that to determine his position. As you pointed out, Brown is not a PG. Sure, he’s the size of a PG, but his skills are that of a SG. And at this point at least, his skill is not enough to overcome his lack of size consistently.

I see nothing that tells me that Brown won’t be an off the bench guy throughout his career. I expect him to be a good spark at times because he can fill it up when he gets going, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a player we can count on to give quality minutes every game.

I’d be shocked if Lathon isn’t our PG right off the bat next year.

That's fine, but I hope that Brown can develop into a Demps type role where he can take LG minutes and generate some offense. No way Lathon plays 38+ minutes a game like BMac is doing now.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Gaines has been a real surprise and can be frosh All Big Ten! I was really surprised how slow Scottie looked. He didn't provide too much except for a late three! Gotta give Law and Mac A plus for their outstanding efforts. Even Benson played solid. What is up with Pardon? Way too many turnovers. Ash's only weakness, is he is a tad off on his shooting, which he can fix. We need his speed and size out there as he is the best we have on defense. I was shocked we put Brown out there in the first half and we got smoked and were down by 15 or more. I am really excited about this team. We look a lot better than last year! We looked great in the second half when we put a premium on defense. Lots of positives in my opinion. We need 9 guys to play in BT, as this run and gun stuff will wear teams out. Scottie was broke last night. Punch drunk. We needed more production from him. Still see us as final four material. Stay positive. Brown doesn't do anything for much for us. Especially now that we have Gaines who can also play defense. It will all work itself out.

 

[willycat]

Ash is giving the team everything he has.

GOUNUII

I think that's a problem.

 

[Medill90]

I think that's a problem.

willy, I hear what you're saying, but I saw him do things in high school that he hasn't shown in college.

at some point, as Kelly said, you've got to show it

He is an above average defender, as is Gaines.But neither is a threat from outside. Gaines can take it to the hoop, but hasn't yet shown he can finish.

Let's not forget Brown's contribution last year. He kept the Cats alive in a lot of games last year. He'll be back.

 

[willycat]

willy, I hear what you're saying, but I saw him do things in high school that he hasn't shown in college.

at some point, as Kelly said, you've got to show it

He is an above average defender, as is Gaines.But neither is a threat from outside. Gaines can take it to the hoop, but hasn't yet shown he can finish.

Let's not forget Brown's contribution last year. He kept the Cats alive in a lot of games last year. He'll be back.

OK but he and others need to start showing it. With so little production off the bench, I'm left to wonder is Rap a worse option or is it something else.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

One of those two guys needs to figure it out. I love watching McIntosh and I hate when he comes out but he can't play 40 minutes a game all season. Collins has to be able to trust the bench and they need to earn that trust. Brown is never going to be a point guard. He doesn't handle the ball well enough and he doesn't have the mentality it takes to run an offense. Ash should be the guy to give backup minutes. He needs to get it going.

I am not sure why Collins put Brown in there in first half, but we got down by 15-17 points with him in there. Maybe he is worried about him transferring. The thing about Ash is he is our best defender and in great shape. He is our sixth man, at least in my opinion. Right now, I would play Ash, Skelly, Law, Mac and Lindsey as my starting five,with Gaines first off the bench. You always need a big man, so I would give Pardon some minutes

 

[JournCat]

willy, I hear what you're saying, but I saw him do things in high school that he hasn't shown in college.

at some point, as Kelly said, you've got to show it

He is an above average defender, as is Gaines.But neither is a threat from outside. Gaines can take it to the hoop, but hasn't yet shown he can finish.

Let's not forget Brown's contribution last year. He kept the Cats alive in a lot of games last year. He'll be back.

Three games in, but Brown appears very tentative, and isn't driving to the hoop or seeking his own shot outside. It surprises me that Gaines is playing over Ash. I think AG can become a great player, but he's not offering much on either end right now. One problem from the first two games was we didn't get big enough leads to let them work out mistakes in game time.

 

[NJCat]

Three games in, but Brown appears very tentative, and isn't driving to the hoop or seeking his own shot outside. It surprises me that Gaines is playing over Ash. I think AG can become a great player, but he's not offering much on either end right now. One problem from the first two games was we didn't get big enough leads to let them work out mistakes in game time.

After the St. Peter's game Collins said Brown was still trying to get his game back after being hampered for 3.5 weeks with that thigh injury he sustained during camp. Give him time to get back up to speed.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Ash needs to start hitting some from deep. He's a stout defender and pretty athletic. If he can get a respectable 3 ball to start falling we will see him spelling Bmac. Brown needs to work on the mental aspect of the game. He needs to work on when to pass and when to use his offense if skill. When to take over and when to play in the system. I have faith both of these things can be corrected in practice. Unless brown develops vision for passing and running the O I don't see him being our point but he still could be a very deadly spark off the bench or 2 guard at his size. Last year he showed an uncanny ability to get to the free throw line. Off the bench you can see the potential Benson has but man he has to play smarter he cost us Some points defensively when pardon went out with 4 fouls. I'm glad these are all mental or shooting problems and not athleticism problems because I believe our staff can correct them. We saw how dominant we can be during stretches but foul trouble will be out Achilles heel. Have faith this is a good team.

 

[Jonny2TheP]

Three games in, but Brown appears very tentative, and isn't driving to the hoop or seeking his own shot outside. It surprises me that Gaines is playing over Ash. I think AG can become a great player, but he's not offering much on either end right now. One problem from the first two games was we didn't get big enough leads to let them work out mistakes in game time.

Agreed that Gaines is going to be a really good player for us. He's only three games into his career and is playing along side a bunch of seasoned veterans, which I think makes him look more "lost" than he really is. But he's already got the body to play at this level and has a lot of natural athletic ability. I except him to be a big contributor for us this year as one of the first guys off the bench. He's already a pretty good defender, and that offensive game will come as he gets more comfortable with playing at this level and in our offense. Despite the lack of on paper contributions so far, I really like what I see in him.

 

[Medill90]

Gaines has to take thousands upon thousands of practice threes.

The way that Gaines and Ash miss their threes instills little confidence for future success. They miss left....they miss right. They miss long...they miss short. They miss a combination of two.

Falzon's return, as we're seeing, will be a help.

 

[freewillie07]

I think Ash just needs to get more playing time. Which makes it all the more disappointing that NU couldn't just blow out their first two opponents.

It's not just rumors about Ash making strides. If you listened to Gavin Skelly on the podcast I posted, Jordan was the guy he said made the biggest leap in the offseason.

He could be a steady hand on offense when BMac is out, and could provide tenacious D for a few minutes at a time.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

I am not sure why Collins put Brown in there in first half, but we got down by 15-17 points with him in there. Maybe he is worried about him transferring. The thing about Ash is he is our best defender and in great shape. He is our sixth man, at least in my opinion. Right now, I would play Ash, Skelly, Law, Mac and Lindsey as my starting five,with Gaines first off the bench. You always need a big man, so I would give Pardon some minutes

Pardon subs Skelly

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

I think Ash just needs to get more playing time. Which makes it all the more disappointing that NU couldn't just blow out their first two opponents.

It's not just rumors about Ash making strides. If you listened to Gavin Skelly on the podcast I posted, Jordan was the guy he said made the biggest leap in the offseason.

He could be a steady hand on offense when BMac is out, and could provide tenacious D for a few minutes at a time.

Ash can play offense also! Writing on wall for Brown \Ash causes a turnover almost every time he is out there \just like football \defense wins championship

 

[willycat]

I think Ash just needs to get more playing time. Which makes it all the more disappointing that NU couldn't just blow out their first two opponents.

It's not just rumors about Ash making strides. If you listened to Gavin Skelly on the podcast I posted, Jordan was the guy he said made the biggest leap in the offseason.

He could be a steady hand on offense when BMac is out, and could provide tenacious D for a few minutes at a time.

Sorry but I don't think that Ash will ever be a scoring threat, let alone from the 3. Gaines seems to have the body as more of a slasher then a long range shooter, although seasoning can change that. Guess Skelly shouldn't consider a career in coaching, you think?

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

With Ash, I'm thinking 6-10 points. I was much more impressed with Gaines! Kid looked right at home.