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Jon Rothstein Visits NU Practice

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BleedingPurple15

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Oct 3, 2017
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Jon Rothstein visited Northwestern's practice at Blomquist on Tuesday and tweeted his thoughts. For easy reading:

"Northwestern broke its all-time record in season ticket sales for 17-18, per Chris Collins. Wildcats will bring fans to Allstate Arena."

"Chris Collins not letting up on his team. The theme? Fwd thinking. Guy is living life through the windshield --- not the rear view mirror."

"Northwestern's biggest opponent this season may very well be human nature. Wildcats are the hunted for the first time in program history."

"Dererk Pardon looks like he's ready to take things to another level in 17-18. Has All-Big Ten written all over him. Taking and making 3's."

"Hoops Junkies: Remember the name Anthony Gaines. Underrated freshman will be a factor in Northwestern's rotation. 6-4 and sturdy. PG."

"The big different between Northwestern this season and last? The presence of Aaron Falzon. Stretch PF is a straight out sniper. Range."

"Early prediction on Northwestern's starting five: Bryant McIntosh, Scottie Lindsey, Vic Law, Aaron Falzon, Dererk Pardon."
 
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BleedingPurple15 said:
Jon Rothstein visited Northwestern's practice at Blomquist on Tuesday and tweeted his thoughts. For easy reading:

"Northwestern broke its all-time record in season ticket sales for 17-18, per Chris Collins. Wildcats will bring fans to Allstate Arena."

"Chris Collins not letting up on his team. The theme? Fwd thinking. Guy is living life through the windshield --- not the rear view mirror."

"Northwestern's biggest opponent this season may very well be human nature. Wildcats are the hunted for the first time in program history."

"Dererk Pardon looks like he's ready to take things to another level in 17-18. Has All-Big Ten written all over him. Taking and making 3's."

"Hoops Junkies: Remember the name Anthony Gaines. Underrated freshman will be a factor in Northwestern's rotation. 6-4 and sturdy. PG."

"The big different between Northwestern this season and last? The presence of Aaron Falzon. Stretch PF is a straight out sniper. Range."

"Early prediction on Northwestern's starting five: Bryant McIntosh, Scottie Lindsey, Vic Law, Aaron Falzon, Dererk Pardon."
Click to expand...
Oh man..... is it November yet??
 
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BleedingPurple15 said:
Jon Rothstein visited Northwestern's practice at Blomquist on Tuesday and tweeted his thoughts. For easy reading:

"Northwestern broke its all-time record in season ticket sales for 17-18, per Chris Collins. Wildcats will bring fans to Allstate Arena."

"Chris Collins not letting up on his team. The theme? Fwd thinking. Guy is living life through the windshield --- not the rear view mirror."

"Northwestern's biggest opponent this season may very well be human nature. Wildcats are the hunted for the first time in program history."

"Dererk Pardon looks like he's ready to take things to another level in 17-18. Has All-Big Ten written all over him. Taking and making 3's."

"Hoops Junkies: Remember the name Anthony Gaines. Underrated freshman will be a factor in Northwestern's rotation. 6-4 and sturdy. PG."

"The big different between Northwestern this season and last? The presence of Aaron Falzon. Stretch PF is a straight out sniper. Range."

"Early prediction on Northwestern's starting five: Bryant McIntosh, Scottie Lindsey, Vic Law, Aaron Falzon, Dererk Pardon."
Click to expand...
I had to take a cold shower after reading this.....

NU might need a bigger gym than WRA though.....

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Wow.

Two biggest nuggets: Pardon making 3s and Gaines showing lead guard capability. I didn't think either of those things were likely.
 
Unpopular opinion:

Versatility is a good thing. If Pardon can hit a 3, that's great.

But I'm not sure it's what we should be asking him to do. Mac, Lindsey, Law, Falzon, hopefully Gaines/Brown/Ash and even occasionally Skelly - they can all hit 3s. Pardon shouldn't be taking 3s instead of the other starters, and if he's out on the perimeter then he's not on the interior sucking up offensive boards for putbacks. Moreover, the offense seemed to run better and more efficiently after Olah, bless his heart, was no longer a big man on the outside taking 3s.

Hopefully I'm dead wrong, he takes the shots and hits them. But I think, prospectively for now, that I'd rather focus on strengthening strengths in this case.
 
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I know nothing about Gaines but I never thought for a moment he would be a rotation guy. Wow!!
 
Sec.112 said:
I know nothing about Gaines but I never thought for a moment he would be a rotation guy. Wow!!
Click to expand...

Why? He's got a college ready body and can take it to the hoop with authority. A fundamentally sound and strong defender. And a high hoops IQ. With the question marks Brown and Ash present, neither of whom are wings of any sort, who else is there to give Scottie and/or Vic a blow?

GOUNUII
 
rwhitney014 said:
Unpopular opinion:

Versatility is a good thing. If Pardon can hit a 3, that's great.

But I'm not sure it's what we should be asking him to do. Mac, Lindsey, Law, Falzon, hopefully Gaines/Brown/Ash and even occasionally Skelly - they can all hit 3s. Pardon shouldn't be taking 3s instead of the other starters, and if he's out on the perimeter then he's not on the interior sucking up offensive boards for putbacks. Moreover, the offense seemed to run better and more efficiently after Olah, bless his heart, was no longer a big man on the outside taking 3s.

Hopefully I'm dead wrong, he takes the shots and hits them. But I think, prospectively for now, that I'd rather focus on strengthening strengths in this case.
Click to expand...

You are spot on. Now a strong face up game from either elbow would add a bunch to Pardon's game. 3s? Not so much.

GOUNUII
 
rwhitney014 said:
Unpopular opinion:

Versatility is a good thing. If Pardon can hit a 3, that's great.

But I'm not sure it's what we should be asking him to do. Mac, Lindsey, Law, Falzon, hopefully Gaines/Brown/Ash and even occasionally Skelly - they can all hit 3s. Pardon shouldn't be taking 3s instead of the other starters, and if he's out on the perimeter then he's not on the interior sucking up offensive boards for putbacks. Moreover, the offense seemed to run better and more efficiently after Olah, bless his heart, was no longer a big man on the outside taking 3s.

Hopefully I'm dead wrong, he takes the shots and hits them. But I think, prospectively for now, that I'd rather focus on strengthening strengths in this case.
Click to expand...
Here is a longer story about DP:

https://www.fanragsports.com/rothstein-chris-collins-says-dererk-pardon-has-emerged/
 
rwhitney014 said:
Unpopular opinion:

Versatility is a good thing. If Pardon can hit a 3, that's great.

But I'm not sure it's what we should be asking him to do. Mac, Lindsey, Law, Falzon, hopefully Gaines/Brown/Ash and even occasionally Skelly - they can all hit 3s. Pardon shouldn't be taking 3s instead of the other starters, and if he's out on the perimeter then he's not on the interior sucking up offensive boards for putbacks. Moreover, the offense seemed to run better and more efficiently after Olah, bless his heart, was no longer a big man on the outside taking 3s.

Hopefully I'm dead wrong, he takes the shots and hits them. But I think, prospectively for now, that I'd rather focus on strengthening strengths in this case.
Click to expand...

Any time a big is a threat from the outside, it forces the opposing center to leave the paint and opens up the interior for other players to drive to basket and create oppurtunites (i.e, BMac, Law, Brow, etc). I think its a good thing if he can make a few 3's, though I don't want him to take alot of them. If they have to respect his 3 pt shot, that only means good things for the offense.
 
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TejasCat said:
Any time a big is a threat from the outside, it forces the opposing center to leave the paint and opens up the interior for other players to drive to basket and create oppurtunites (i.e, BMac, Law, Brow, etc). I think its a good thing if he can make a few 3's, though I don't want him to take alot of them. If they have to respect his 3 pt shot, that only means good things for the offense.
Click to expand...
Agree. But improving his shooting stroke is more important for making the 1's than the 3's. If he can get his FT % up to 71 or 72% NU will be in pretty good shape, cause he will draw a LOT of fouls if he has improved his post game.
 
My thinking is if Pardon makes a few threes in the meaningless early-season games, the better defenses will have to account for it later in the season, and then just the threat of the three is enough. He'll still hang around the paint most of the time, but they'll have to respect him a bit farther out, and that can't hurt.
 
If Pardon can show consistency with his shot facing the basket from 7 to 10 feet out NU becomes incredibly difficult to defend. He wasn't reliable offensively out of the paint last year. Yes to the free throws New Jersey Cat.

Super excited to see Falzon kill it. Gaines and Lathon next year add physicality at the guard spot that's been rare at NU.

If I think about the job Collins has done with the roster it reminds me of Wisconsin. Not the five stars of MSU, OSU and Maryland, but extremely competent Big Ten players from which a star or three will emerge.
 
Medill90 said:
If I think about the job Collins has done with the roster it reminds me of Wisconsin. Not the five stars of MSU, OSU and Maryland, but extremely competent Big Ten players from which a star or three will emerge.
Click to expand...
Wisconsin would be a perfect model for NU. Collins has said his is a development program. The WI model of having grown men as the core of the starters, a la the 2017-18 Cats, is a proven model for success in the Big 10. MSU has been in that mode as well, along with PU. I seriously doubt NU will ever get a 5* and I don't think they need to to be successful.
 
If Pardon can hit the three then that opens up the high screen game where now you can't just double BMac on the switch. You have to account for the picker by either switching into a mismatch or rotating someone else over leaving Vic, Scotty or Falzon open.
 
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TheC said:
If Pardon can hit the three then that opens up the high screen game where now you can't just double BMac on the switch. You have to account for the picker by either switching into a mismatch or rotating someone else over leaving Vic, Scotty or Falzon open.
Click to expand...
My guess is you will continue to see BMac and DP play the pick-and-roll game with Law, Scottie and Calzone available for kick-out 3's. I don't think DP will be much of a factor taking 3's although the option for him to occasionally take one is nice to have.
 
haywood jahblowme said:
Gaines is not a PG/lead guard
Click to expand...

I didn't think so, either.

TheC said:
If Pardon can hit the three then that opens up the high screen game where now you can't just double BMac on the switch. You have to account for the picker by either switching into a mismatch or rotating someone else over leaving Vic, Scotty or Falzon open.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Pardon doesn't need to be firing 3s all game, he just needs to have the threat of doing so. Make a few in the noncon, and other teams are going to have to respect it. It's amazing how much difference that can make in opening up the offense.
 
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rwhitney014 said:
Unpopular opinion:

Versatility is a good thing. If Pardon can hit a 3, that's great.

But I'm not sure it's what we should be asking him to do. Mac, Lindsey, Law, Falzon, hopefully Gaines/Brown/Ash and even occasionally Skelly - they can all hit 3s. Pardon shouldn't be taking 3s instead of the other starters, and if he's out on the perimeter then he's not on the interior sucking up offensive boards for putbacks. Moreover, the offense seemed to run better and more efficiently after Olah, bless his heart, was no longer a big man on the outside taking 3s.

Hopefully I'm dead wrong, he takes the shots and hits them. But I think, prospectively for now, that I'd rather focus on strengthening strengths in this case.
Click to expand...

If he can hit them, it'll be another weapon and a big one. He can lure opposing bigs out of the paint and open things up for our wings to take it to the rack. They have to come out on him, and he can pick high. It's not like he has to come out to the key on every or even most plays. It gives defences a lot more to think about.

Ever watch Karl Anthony-Towns play? There's a reason he was #1 pick over Okafor and NBA ROY.
 
TheC said:
If Pardon can hit the three then that opens up the high screen game where now you can't just double BMac on the switch. You have to account for the picker by either switching into a mismatch or rotating someone else over leaving Vic, Scotty or Falzon open.
Click to expand...
That he can hit the three is good but we are likely talking something in the 20-25% range. While nice to see the added range, don't see him as a big threat from there. If it improves his mid range and free throws and makes him a threat from there, huge difference
 
None of us have seen Gaines play in a college game, but I think Brian Hamilton of the Athletic may be closer on Gaines. He predicted Gaines would get front court minutes instead of at guard.
 
Not sure I need to see DP attempting many 3 pointers but this may be an indication
that CC has designs on pairing Barrett and DP together at times?
 
hdhntr1 said:
That he can hit the three is good but we are likely talking something in the 20-25% range. While nice to see the added range, don't see him as a big threat from there. If it improves his mid range and free throws and makes him a threat from there, huge difference
Click to expand...
I agree... if we're talking 20-25% range, then its not much of a threat. But, its October and we're still undefeated and we're all getting a little crazy with our expectations. Why the heck not! When has that ever hurt us before?
 
Medill90 said:
If Pardon can show consistency with his shot facing the basket from 7 to 10 feet out NU becomes incredibly difficult to defend. He wasn't reliable offensively out of the paint last year. Yes to the free throws New Jersey Cat.

Super excited to see Falzon kill it. Gaines and Lathon next year add physicality at the guard spot that's been rare at NU.

If I think about the job Collins has done with the roster it reminds me of Wisconsin. Not the five stars of MSU, OSU and Maryland, but extremely competent Big Ten players from which a star or three will emerge.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Collins himself said he wanted to mirror Wisconsin and Virginia's programs
 
The most promising thing to me about Pardon making some 3s in practice is that he might make more free throws in games. 75%+ at the line should give him another 3-4 points per game by itself. His midrange game was pretty bad last year too. A good % on 10 footers would be great as well. Anyway, this is soooo upbeat! My Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook is on its way as I write this. I (even more) can't wait.
 
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I have never seen AGaines play, but my buddy told me he resembles THT in style and body type. I'm not sure if this is true. My buddy exaggerates sometimes. I just thought I share the analogy.
 
mickbula said:
I have never seen AGaines play, but my buddy told me he resembles THT in style and body type. I'm not sure if this is true. My buddy exaggerates sometimes. I just thought I share the analogy.
Click to expand...

Style, maybe. Body type, no.
 
I saw Pardon working on his 3-pointer at a practice late last season and he was making a good share of them.
 
spartcat said:
The most promising thing to me about Pardon making some 3s in practice is that he might make more free throws in games. 75%+ at the line should give him another 3-4 points per game by itself. His midrange game was pretty bad last year too. A good % on 10 footers would be great as well. Anyway, this is soooo upbeat! My Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook is on its way as I write this. I (even more) can't wait.
Click to expand...

Look, Vic Law didn't even shoot 75% from the line last season. Pardon shot 54%. I would be thrilled if Pardon winds up shooting 65% from the line this coming season--that would be a significant improvement and not bad for a center. Skelly, on the other hand, did shoot over 75% from the line last season. I expect Collins will continue with Skelly/Pardon substitutions when we have the lead in end of game fouling situations.

I believe Pardon will be improved overall and expand his game. But let's not get carried away with comparisons to NBA greats and calculations of increased scoring based on a 20+% improvement from the line just because he reportedly knocked down a couple threes in practice.
 
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backdoorpass said:
Look, Vic Law didn't even shoot 75% from the line last season. Pardon shot 54%. I would be thrilled if Pardon winds up shooting 65% from the line this coming season--that would be a significant improvement and not bad for a center. Skelly, on the other hand, did shoot over 75% from the line last season. I expect Collins will continue with Skelly/Pardon substitutions when we have the lead in end of game fouling situations.

I believe Pardon will be improved overall and expand his game. But let's not get carried away with comparisons to NBA greats and calculations of increased scoring based on a 20+% improvement from the line just because he reportedly knocked down a couple threes in practice.
Click to expand...

So what you're telling me is Vic should work on his free throw shooting.
 
backdoorpass said:
Look, Vic Law didn't even shoot 75% from the line last season. Pardon shot 54%. I would be thrilled if Pardon winds up shooting 65% from the line this coming season--that would be a significant improvement and not bad for a center. Skelly, on the other hand, did shoot over 75% from the line last season. I expect Collins will continue with Skelly/Pardon substitutions when we have the lead in end of game fouling situations.

I believe Pardon will be improved overall and expand his game. But let's not get carried away with comparisons to NBA greats and calculations of increased scoring based on a 20+% improvement from the line just because he reportedly knocked down a couple threes in practice.
Click to expand...

I seem to have taken a wrong turn and gotten myself lost. Can someone please direct me to the Northwestern University basketball forum?
 
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