Collins Post-Loyola Press Conference Notes

[wlcat]

Northwestern was singing the "Post-Olah Blues'' as Loyola (Md.) built a 14-point lead before eventually taking a 33-22 lead at the halftime break. But the Wildcats came out of their pity party in the second half to outscore the Greyhounds 52-26 to take a 74-59 win.

Their 12-1 start matches the Cats' best start since their 16-1 Big Ten title run in 1930-31.

According to Wildcats head coach Chris Collins, the coaching staff didn't find out center Alex Olah had suffered a (left) foot injury until he drove home to Indianapolis the day after the victory over Sacred Heart. Olah called the trainer the next morning and, given the three-day holiday break, there was little that could be done at the time other than to make sure he didn't have a broken bone and having him put the foot in a boot. He was checked out by the medical team upon returning to campus and it was determined he had a stress reaction and will be out for the lineup for an undetermined amount of time.

"We're hoping it will be sooner rather than later,'' Collins says. "With the need for big bodies in the Big Ten, we made the decision to take away Dererk Pardon's redshirt.''

Back to the game...

Sophomore guard Bryant McIntosh ignited the Wildcats' comeback in the second half by scoring 19 of his career-high 33 points. He also dished out eight assists.

"He was fantastic,'' Collins said of McIntosh. "I thought the holiday break was good for him. There had been a lot on his plate and he had been dealing with several bumps and bruises in addition to going through final exams. I just didn't think he had been showing the same spark and spunk during the last could of games, so I told him I didn't want him to go into the gym during those three days. I wanted him to come back mentally fresh and he was making plays all over the place tonight. He was the guy tonight when we started going to the pick and roll.''

McIntosh didn't exactly follow his coach's orders. "I did slip into the gym with my dad one day,'' he said. "I just wanted to work on my free throws and some shooting. It was getting back to basics, a light workout, and it paid off.''

Collins also had high praise for centers Joey van Zegeren, who was coming off his own four-game rest due to a foot injury, Pardon and forward Scottie Lindsey. Van Zegeren and Pardon combined for 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Lindsey scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half.

"I'm really proud of Joey and Dererk,'' Collins said. "Joey had played in over three weeks. To Dererk's credit, he has always been ready to play even though our plans were to redshirt him. We knew he was going to be an outstanding player for us.''

McIntosh
Re: Loss of Olah.
"We came out a little down because Alex is a leader and he means so much to us. This is his senior year and he has been giving it his all and battling through injuries. He leaves it all on the court. The next man up had to pick us up and I thought our centers did a good job tonight. They only had one rebound at halftime, so we challenged them to be more assertive around the rim. For not having played a single game, I thought Dererk had an exceptional game. To his credit, he has put the work in during practice and it paid off tonight.''

Pardon
Re: Dropping the redshirt.
"I was nervous. I always wanted to play, so I tried to stay relaxed and be ready. When we found out about Alex, I was called into the coach's office and was told the team needed me. It was my decision (to drop the redshirt) and I felt as though I would let my team down if I didn't play. I talked it over with my family and they backed me up.''

 

[mikewebb68]

Wow, Pardon was given the option of keeping his redshirt? Mind blown.

 

[PURPLECAT88]

Wow, Pardon was given the option of keeping his redshirt? Mind blown.

Well, sort of. He was told the team needed him. They put the final decision in his hands so he would buy in 100%, but once you're told that the team needs you, there's really no option. If he says "No", he loses the respect of his teammates and the coaches, and he's effectively done as a Wildcat.

 

[NJCat83588]

Well, sort of. He was told the team needed him. They put the final decision in his hands so he would buy in 100%, but once you're told that the team needs you, there's really no option. If he says "No", he loses the respect of his teammates and the coaches, and he's effectively done as a Wildcat.

The Pardon redshirt process has been mishandled. Either you decide to do it or not. The young man lost almost half a year of eligibility and games because they hoped they could sneak him through. He'll never get the 12 games back which he watched fro the bench.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

The Pardon redshirt process has been mishandled. Either you decide to do it or not. The young man lost almost half a year of eligibility and games because they hoped they could sneak him through. He'll never get the 12 games back which he watched fro the bench.

You can't predict injuries. And he's still going to play for a minimum 20 full games. Even if he wasn't redshirted earlier, there's a high possibility he would have seen very few minutes. Now he comes in knowing he's playing a huge role. I don't think it was mishandled at all. It certainly would have been nice to redshirt him considering we had both Olah and JVZ. Without Olah, now it's his time...

 

[PURPLECAT88]

The Pardon redshirt process has been mishandled. Either you decide to do it or not. The young man lost almost half a year of eligibility and games because they hoped they could sneak him through. He'll never get the 12 games back which he watched fro the bench.

Sure he'll never get those games back, but that happens in any situation when you're dealing with competing needs. Had Olah and JVZ stayed healthy, then having an extra year for Pardon would be good for him and for the program. You start the season with that goal. Once Olah got hurt, then the needs of this year's team took priority. You might say it was mishandled, but what would you rather have seen? Should CC have played Pardon 5 minutes or less a game potentially wasting a year of eligibility had Olah and JVZ stayed healthy? Or should CC have kept the redshirt on him despite the injury, sacrificing Demps' senior year on the altar of the 2018-19 season and a year of grad school for Dererk?
Circumstances change, and the good coach reacts to those changes.

 

[NJCat83588]

Sure he'll never get those games back, but that happens in any situation when you're dealing with competing needs. Had Olah and JVZ stayed healthy, then having an extra year for Pardon would be good for him and for the program. You start the season with that goal. Once Olah got hurt, then the needs of this year's team took priority. You might say it was mishandled, but what would you rather have seen? Should CC have played Pardon 5 minutes or less a game potentially wasting a year of eligibility had Olah and JVZ stayed healthy? Or should CC have kept the redshirt on him despite the injury, sacrificing Demps' senior year on the altar of the 2018-19 season and a year of grad school for Dererk?
Circumstances change, and the good coach reacts to those changes.

I would have played him from game 1. The relatively weak OOC schedule would have allowed him to get some experience (even if only 4 or 5 minutes per game), just as Ash has. Neither will be major contributors this season but just experiencing the speed of the game will give them a leg up on 2016-17.

 

[julescat]

I suspect that since the seal on Pardon has been broken he will be much more than a minor contributor for the remainder of the season. He looked pretty comfortable and good out there yesterday.

 

[Jeffrey Cat]

I would have played him from game 1. The relatively weak OOC schedule would have allowed him to get some experience (even if only 4 or 5 minutes per game), just as Ash has. Neither will be major contributors this season but just experiencing the speed of the game will give them a leg up on 2016-17.

NJ, I don't think you would have if you were at the open scrimmage in October. He was very raw and did not have a feel for the situation. He has made great strides in the two months since that night. He obviously practiced very hard during that period.

 

[hdhntr1]

I would have played him from game 1. The relatively weak OOC schedule would have allowed him to get some experience (even if only 4 or 5 minutes per game), just as Ash has. Neither will be major contributors this season but just experiencing the speed of the game will give them a leg up on 2016-17.

There would have been no minutes to play him. Olah was going to get 25-30 minutes and JVZ (a 5th year senior transfer) 10 with a few more for Skelly. No more minutes for the position. But when Olah went down, you divide up 30 more minutes per game for at least those 4 or more games. Got to figure he will get around 30 during that time. (more minutes than he likely would have gotten all year had Olah not gone down) When Olah comes back, I still see him getting about 10 mpg to help Olah recover and potentially get some of the minutes JVZ would have gotten. By the end of the year, I see Olah getting 25, Pardon 10 and JVZ 5.

 

[EvanstonCat]

There would have been no minutes to play him. Olah was going to get 25-30 minutes and JVZ (a 5th year senior transfer) 10 with a few more for Skelly. No more minutes for the position. But when Olah went down, you divide up 30 more minutes per game for at least those 4 or more games. Got to figure he will get around 30 during that time. (more minutes than he likely would have gotten all year had Olah not gone down) When Olah comes back, I still see him getting about 10 mpg to help Olah recover and potentially get some of the minutes JVZ would have gotten. By the end of the year, I see Olah getting 25, Pardon 10 and JVZ 5.

He is a far better option than Skelly at the 5, who along with some of the 4's (Tap and Falzon) will lose minutes to Pardon. With Pardon, you now have the luxury of playing JvZ together with Olah more, as you have some bench help to spell at the 5. No way JvZ is only getting 5 min a game or be passed by Pardon for that matter. Pardon is a really nice player, but he is a true frosh that will be going into the B1G season, JvZ is a man right now that has battled as a starter in the ACC and his rim protection will only put his minutes at a premium. JvZ is gonna get 15-20 a game now that we're in the B1G and have to bang with bigger players (again, some of that together with Olah now that Pardon is there to spell), Olah's minutes may also come down with his injury, though one might say both him and JvZ's minutes will be impacted by the condition of their feet. Pardon's availability is a boon, even after Olah's return.

 

[hdhntr1]

He is a far better option than Skelly at the 5, who along with some of the 4's (Tap and Falzon) will lose minutes to Pardon. With Pardon, you now have the luxury of playing JvZ together with Olah more, as you have some bench help to spell at the 5. No way JvZ is only getting 5 min a game or be passed by Pardon for that matter. Pardon is a really nice player, but he is a true frosh that will be going into the B1G season, JvZ is a man right now that has battled as a starter in the ACC and his rim protection will only put his minutes at a premium. JvZ is gonna get 15-20 a game now that we're in the B1G and have to bang with bigger players (again, some of that together with Olah now that Pardon is there to spell), Olah's minutes may also come down with his injury, though one might say both him and JvZ's minutes will be impacted by the condition of their feet. Pardon's availability is a boon, even after Olah's return.

I see Skelly as splitting the minutes at 4 with SL. Probably 25-30 Lumpkin and 10-15 Skelly. But between the 1 and 3 positions you have Tap, Demps, Falzone, Linsey and Ash. Gives Collins a lot of flexibility.

 

[CappyNU]

He is a far better option than Skelly at the 5, who along with some of the 4's (Tap and Falzon) will lose minutes to Pardon. With Pardon, you now have the luxury of playing JvZ together with Olah more, as you have some bench help to spell at the 5. No way JvZ is only getting 5 min a game or be passed by Pardon for that matter. Pardon is a really nice player, but he is a true frosh that will be going into the B1G season, JvZ is a man right now that has battled as a starter in the ACC and his rim protection will only put his minutes at a premium. JvZ is gonna get 15-20 a game now that we're in the B1G and have to bang with bigger players (again, some of that together with Olah now that Pardon is there to spell), Olah's minutes may also come down with his injury, though one might say both him and JvZ's minutes will be impacted by the condition of their feet. Pardon's availability is a boon, even after Olah's return.

Skelly is a 4, and a rather effective one at that. Pardon is a 5, and none of the 4's will be losing time to him. Pardon had a much better game than JvZ the other night, so we'll see how the first few B1G games turn out as to whether JvZ deserves to be playing more minutes than Pardon or not.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Skelly is a 4, and a rather effective one at that. Pardon is a 5, and none of the 4's will be losing time to him. Pardon had a much better game than JvZ the other night, so we'll see how the first few B1G games turn out as to whether JvZ deserves to be playing more minutes than Pardon or not.

Disagree. We aren't set in 1-5, and if we were why is someone saying Lumpkin is gonna play the 4?

What Pardon allows us to do is get JvZ AND Olah on the floor at the same time. At times. That means there are minutes taken away from the classical 4. Until now, we have had to rely on Skelly playing some minutes at the 5, especially when JvZ was out. That ain't gonna happen anymore, so Skelly's minutes are also gonna come at the expense at the more natural 4 spot.

It won't be our standard lineup, and will be used for certain situations only (if we are playing a larger and more physical team).

It's a zero sum game, and the minutes are gonna have to come from somewhere. I happen to believe it's more likely we see Pardon get some minutes at the expense of the 4's vs. JvZ and Olah who are seniors and who each bring something to the team that no one else can (unlike the 4's).

 

[CappyNU]

Disagree. We aren't set in 1-5, and if we were why is someone saying Lumpkin is gonna play the 4?

What Pardon allows us to do is get JvZ AND Olah on the floor at the same time. At times. That means there are minutes taken away from the classical 4. Until now, we have had to rely on Skelly playing some minutes at the 5, especially when JvZ was out. That ain't gonna happen anymore, so Skelly's minutes are also gonna come at the expense at the more natural 4 spot.

It won't be our standard lineup, and will be used for certain situations only (if we are playing a larger and more physical team).

It's a zero sum game, and the minutes are gonna have to come from somewhere. I happen to believe it's more likely we see Pardon get some minutes at the expense of the 4's vs. JvZ and Olah who are seniors and who each bring something to the team that no one else can (unlike the 4's).

None of this makes sense though. If you're going to tell me that JvZ is better than Pardon, then why would you suggest that we play JvZ at the 4, a position he has never played, with Olah, which would then necessitate more time for an inferior Pardon? Yes, we had to rely on Skelly, a natural 4, playing out of position at the 5 when JvZ is out, and we won't have to do that with Pardon playing, but there is absolutely zero evidence to suggest that the availability of Pardon means Collins will play Olah and JvZ together.

As for Lumpkin, he has already played plenty of minutes as a 4 this season playing alongside Mac, Demps and Lindsey, and even more minutes there depending on whether you believe Taphorn is a 3 or 4 when he is in the game alongside Lumpkin.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Skelly 9 minutes
Taphorn 1 minute

Pardon is going to get his minutes, and no I'm not gonna tell you that JvZ is better than Pardon. I do think that Pardon's additional minutes into the lineup aren't just going to come from Olah and JvZ. They will eat into the 4 minutes, whether JvZ or Pardon are playing at the 4, I believe we will see 2 out of the three on the floor at the same time more than you think moving forward, and especially as we get into the B1G where playing Lumpkin at the 4 is just stupid.

 

[CappyNU]

Skelly 9 minutes
Taphorn 1 minute

Pardon is going to get his minutes, and no I'm not gonna tell you that JvZ is better than Pardon. I do think that Pardon's additional minutes into the lineup aren't just going to come from Olah and JvZ. They will eat into the 4 minutes, whether JvZ or Pardon are playing at the 4, I believe we will see 2 out of the three on the floor at the same time more than you think moving forward, and especially as we get into the B1G where playing Lumpkin at the 4 is just stupid.

And I believe you are completely wrong, as Olah, JvZ and Pardon all play the 5. Skelly was recruited as a 4, but played the 5 last year when he was needed to do so. Pardon was always recruited as a 5. At this point, if Pardon is truly the real deal, and boy did he look it yesterday, JvZ is going to be the one who has to look up Wally Pipp, not Olah. Falzon is averaging 20 minutes per game at the 4 right now, with Lumpkin and Skelly picking up the balance. Taphorn would play there too, but he can't play defense, so he doesn't see the floor now. When Olah returns, we will see Olah for 20-25 minutes, Pardon for 10-15 and JvZ for 5-10 at the 5, depending on matchups and how each is playing.

 

[IGNORE2]

And I believe you are completely wrong, as Olah, JvZ and Pardon all play the 5. Skelly was recruited as a 4, but played the 5 last year when he was needed to do so. Pardon was always recruited as a 5. At this point, if Pardon is truly the real deal, and boy did he look it yesterday, JvZ is going to be the one who has to look up Wally Pipp, not Olah. Falzon is averaging 20 minutes per game at the 4 right now, with Lumpkin and Skelly picking up the balance. Taphorn would play there too, but he can't play defense, so he doesn't see the floor now. When Olah returns, we will see Olah for 20-25 minutes, Pardon for 10-15 and JvZ for 5-10 at the 5, depending on matchups and how each is playing.

Maybe time for another 200 prediction for B!G play, after Olah returns. Obviously, another injury could impact these:

Starting:
Mac -- 30 - out of necessity, not desire
Demps -- 30 - out of necessity, not desire
Lump -- 25, starts and often ends, but Tap and Falzon spend time at the three
Falzon -- 25, as long as he continues to improve then he has to be on the floor
Olah -- 18, he starts, but Pardon ends and CCC smartly uses him lightly to keep fresh and ready for March

Off the Bench:
Pardon -- 17, sometimes he play more than Olah, sometimes less, averages just a bit below him
Lindsey -- 20, eats most of the G backup
JvZ -- 12, gets some 4 time and some 5 time
Tap -- 8, Tap and Lump are now on the wing whenever they are on the floor
Skelly -- 5, spot duty to spell winded or foul troubled guys in spurts
Ash -- 5, rest of G time
Hall

Since Tap, JvZ and Olah have all battled foot problems and are in positions of depth, CCC keeps them light unless they are on fire in a game. All three are battle tested and need health more than experience. If Pardon continues to impress, then we could stir up some excitement come B!G tourney time.

 

[NJCat83588]

Maybe time for another 200 prediction for B!G play, after Olah returns. Obviously, another injury could impact these:

Starting:
Mac -- 30 - out of necessity, not desire
Demps -- 30 - out of necessity, not desire
Lump -- 25, starts and often ends, but Tap and Falzon spend time at the three
Falzon -- 25, as long as he continues to improve then he has to be on the floor
Olah -- 18, he starts, but Pardon ends and CCC smartly uses him lightly to keep fresh and ready for March

Off the Bench:
Pardon -- 17, sometimes he play more than Olah, sometimes less, averages just a bit below him
Lindsey -- 20, eats most of the G backup
JvZ -- 12, gets some 4 time and some 5 time
Tap -- 8, Tap and Lump are now on the wing whenever they are on the floor
Skelly -- 5, spot duty to spell winded or foul troubled guys in spurts
Ash -- 5, rest of G time
Hall

Since Tap, JvZ and Olah have all battled foot problems and are in positions of depth, CCC keeps them light unless they are on fire in a game. All three are battle tested and need health more than experience. If Pardon continues to impress, then we could stir up some excitement come B!G tourney time.

Olah will be the Center at the end of the game. Excellent FT shooter for a big and significantly better than either Dolly Pardon or Joey.