The disappearance of Robbie Beran

[T_Levine]

It has been mentioned but I don’t think enough that he has all but vanished. Imagine how much better this team would be if he could deliver a 10/5 game and play strong defense.

Martinelli hustles but he is still a frosh and he’s been getting some of Betan’s minutes. Of course barnheizer is taking most of them.

I do often see beran set up in the corner every offensive possession. He’s basically filling the miller kopp role that kopp plays at IU.

I’m hoping for a beran Renaissance the next two weeks.

 

[NJCat]

Disappearance? This is his best season scoring:

'19-20. 5.0
20-21. 5.7
21-22. 6.4
22-23. 7.7

Also his best rebounding at 4.6, blocks and fewest fouls. Plays his role, just isn't the most talented player on the floor.

 

[T_Levine]

Last few games he has vanished along with his minutes.

 

[NJCat]

Last few games he has vanished along with his minutes.

True, but more due to the appearance of Barnhizer than the disappearance of Beran.......

 

[DaCat]

True, but more due to the appearance of Barnhizer than the disappearance of Beran.......

Chicken or the egg?

 

[Titanium999]

Not that quick

 

[1830sherman]

I was wondering if there was something wrong w/him...as in, injury or not feeling well. He made a nice stop in the key on one possession (w/Rutgers crying foul) and he seemed to drag after that, up to media timeout, when he was taken out.

He had a bad TO early in the game, but two nice defensive stops after that.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

Things I hope will happen before the end of the season in descending order of probability:

• TV shot of Doug Collins stressing out in the stands
• Boo Buie scores 30 in a win
• Chase Audige with a hot hand
• Robbie Beran excellence on both ends of the floor in the same game
• Ty Berry shooting the lights out
• TV shot of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Charlie Hall cheering in the stands
• Cutting down the nets at the UC
• Roy Dixon III and Blake Smith playing AND scoring
• Cutting down the nets at the regional finals
• Cutting down the nets at the Natty
• Matt Nicholson 3 pt attempt / Matt Nicholson made 3 pointer

 

[GatoLouco]

There's a moment in a coach's mind when they lose significant faith in a player. And that moment might have happened for RB. Tolerance decreases and it snowballs into playing 13 minutes (I think that's what he played against RU).

Robbie had 2 quite dumb, brain fart type of turnovers to start both halves against RU. I sense he's at the point he does that and CC is more disappointed by it than he was 2 months ago.

 

[SmellyCat]

I’m hoping for a beran Renaissance the next two weeks.

Come on "Beranaissance" was RIGHT THERE!

Beran had a great block at the end of the half against Rutgers, and if he weren't so busy celebrating, maybe Rutgers wouldn't have scored right then. I'd imagine that would piss Collins off as much as any turnover.

 

[JournCat]

Come on "Beranaissance" was RIGHT THERE!

Beran had a great block at the end of the half against Rutgers, and if he weren't so busy celebrating, maybe Rutgers wouldn't have scored right then. I'd imagine that would piss Collins off as much as any turnover.

He tries hard always on defense but also makes one or two killer mistakes a game. Another one that comes to mind is him unnecessarily grabbing a missed shot going out of bounds and then falling out out of bounds himself. I think against IU.

 

[Sec.112]

There's a moment in a coach's mind when they lose significant faith in a player. And that moment might have happened for RB. Tolerance decreases and it snowballs into playing 13 minutes (I think that's what he played against RU).

Robbie had 2 quite dumb, brain fart type of turnovers to start both halves against RU. I sense he's at the point he does that and CC is more disappointed by it than he was 2 months ago.

Several cheap thoughts and guesses on the Beran evolution.

1) He had 24 minutes against PSU, so I wonder if it was a matchup thing against Rutgers. Hopefully, we'll have a few games this weekend to find out.

2) RE: Injury. Am I the only one who has wondered if he's playing through something this year? He doesn't show anything in athletic spurts. but I swear he's "lumbering" up and down the court more than he has in the past.

3) He also lost his "spit" in the huddle during a timeout in the PSU game. I wonder if that may have been the icing on the cake.

4) I hope there's a better ending for him in the next couple weeks than the last couple weeks. He seems like a good guy from afar. But he's been given every opportunity in the world to get it together.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

It is really odd that the coach would lose confidence in a player after sticking with him in all sorts of situations over the previous 3 years, giving him opportunity after opportunity, despite the overall team results and recent success.

I'm going to choose to believe that Nick Martinelli is the 2nd coming of John Shurna and that we were incredibly lucky that Elon fired their coach, freeing up Martinelli to de-commit and transfer to NU, after we did not recruit him.

Somehow, after the injuries to Hunger and Roper, the unorthodox Martinelli went from being "they should redshirt him - he's not ready" to being a productive player in the rotation, with significant upside, taking minutes from one of Collins' "Big Three."

 

[ballerog711]

In the beginning of the year Nck got off the bench before Hunger. Things probably clicked for him midway through the season.

Beran is doing his role on the team. I expected more given the hype coming out of high school, but that is why you have to wait and see what happens.

Simmons and Beran were highly regarded, Boo they found when scouting another player and I'm sure people were not happy.

Now people don't want Boo to leave and wish Beran and Simmons the best of luck in the future.

MN gets better every day.

 

[TheC]

Robbie does what Robbie does. He's an ok role player. But man oh man.....

I think he gets so much critical attention, at least from me, because every once in a while, he shows these bursts of ability. And I find myself wondering.... why can't he do that all the time??

I think of that great play against Illinois at home where he aggressively drove the baseline and poster'd the Illini defender for the dunk and one. He also has hit some big threes including from way beyond the arc. He had anothr play either against Purdue or Indiana where he was coming down the court with the ball on the fast break full speed and he just stopped on a dime and pulled up from the elbow and nailed the jumper. Those plays make you salivate.

He has the body type, the athleticism and the shooting touch to be a high impact player, yet it never has come together completely. So, I find myself mystified. It just seems like he should be so much better than he is.

 

[SmellyCat]

There are role players on every team. That's just Beran. He won't be the star. Occasionally he'll make a good shot or make a good defensive play. He is what he is. He's been fine for what he is.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Several cheap thoughts and guesses on the Beran evolution.

1) He had 24 minutes against PSU, so I wonder if it was a matchup thing against Rutgers. Hopefully, we'll have a few games this weekend to find out.

2) RE: Injury. Am I the only one who has wondered if he's playing through something this year? He doesn't show anything in athletic spurts. but I swear he's "lumbering" up and down the court more than he has in the past.

3) He also lost his "spit" in the huddle during a timeout in the PSU game. I wonder if that may have been the icing on the cake.

4) I hope there's a better ending for him in the next couple weeks than the last couple weeks. He seems like a good guy from afar. But he's been given every opportunity in the world to get it together.

Can’t say I’m happy to read these thread comments on Beran. He has skills and attributes that help the team and he has contributed to a great season. Let’s not condemn him based on some assumptions and innuendo. I hope Robbie has a huge tournament season and puts a big exclamation point in his final games as a Cat.

 

[EagerFan]

Robbie does what Robbie does. He's an ok role player. But man oh man.....

I think he gets so much critical attention, at least from me, because every once in a while, he shows these bursts of ability. And I find myself wondering.... why can't he do that all the time??

I think of that great play against Illinois at home where he aggressively drove the baseline and poster'd the Illini defender for the dunk and one. He also has hit some big threes including from way beyond the arc. He had anothr play either against Purdue or Indiana where he was coming down the court with the ball on the fast break full speed and he just stopped on a dime and pulled up from the elbow and nailed the jumper. Those plays make you salivate.

He has the body type, the athleticism and the shooting touch to be a high impact player, yet it never has come together completely. So, I find myself mystified. It just seems like he should be so much better than he is.

Yes.

 

[DaCat]

There are role players on every team. That's just Beran. He won't be the star. Occasionally he'll make a good shot or make a good defensive play. He is what he is. He's been fine for what he is.

He actually has the complete package except one - he has length, athleticism, good ball skills, textbook shot, good understanding of the game - but he's held back by the mental part of the game. He's just another nice guy (like Pete Nance) that doesn't have the step-on-the-opponent's-throat ruthless killer instinct. Barnhizer seems to have that killer instinct and wants the ball in pressure cooker situations, while Beran doesn't. Down the stretch, Collins prefer Barnhizer over Beran, and I don't blame him. I've always expected big things from Beran, but .... oh well. I hope he has a few big explosions still left in him for the remaining games of this season.

 

[SmellyCat]

He actually has the complete package except one - he has length, athleticism, good ball skills, textbook shot, good understanding of the game - but he's held back by the mental part of the game. He's just another nice guy (like Pete Nance) that doesn't have the step-on-the-opponent's-throat ruthless killer instinct. Barnhizer seems to have that killer instinct and wants the ball in pressure cooker situations, while Beran doesn't. Down the stretch, Collins prefer Barnhizer over Beran, and I don't blame him. I've always expected big things from Beran, but .... oh well. I hope he has a few big explosions still left in him for the remaining games of this season.

And to me...that makes him a role player. A guy who can do a lot of little things well, but not quite enough to want him out there in crunch time. Nothing against him - he's fine, and he contributes to the team winning.

 

[Hungry Jack]

He actually has the complete package except one - he has length, athleticism, good ball skills, textbook shot, good understanding of the game - but he's held back by the mental part of the game. He's just another nice guy (like Pete Nance) that doesn't have the step-on-the-opponent's-throat ruthless killer instinct. Barnhizer seems to have that killer instinct and wants the ball in pressure cooker situations, while Beran doesn't. Down the stretch, Collins prefer Barnhizer over Beran, and I don't blame him. I've always expected big things from Beran, but .... oh well. I hope he has a few big explosions still left in him for the remaining games of this season.

This is a good sounding narrative (and humans love narratives that simplify a complex world), but unless you coach him, you don’t really know this.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

This is a good sounding narrative (and humans love narratives that simplify a complex world), but unless you coach him, you don’t really know this.

I said this about Boo last year, but Beran gets way too much grief on this board than he should. Yes, Barney has supplanted him in terms of importance, but there is just no way Martinelli ( at this stage of his development) should take away minutes from Beran. The fact that Martinelli was out there for the majority of minutes in the second half against Rutgers was puzzling to me.

 

[T_Levine]

Can’t say I’m happy to read these thread comments on Beran. He has skills and attributes that help the team and he has contributed to a great season. Let’s not condemn him based on some assumptions and innuendo. I hope Robbie has a huge tournament season and puts a big exclamation point in his final games as a Cat.

I think people are saying we want more from Robbie because we think he can.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I think people are saying we want more from Robbie because we think he can.

Pretty much can say that about any player not named Boo.

 

[GatoLouco]

I think people are saying we want more from Robbie because we think he can.

My $0.02 is that what you wrote is precisely the problem: the expectations.

I have been critical of RB going back to last year. Not because I don't think he's valuable, he is, but because I think he is overrated by so many. Coaching staff, announcers... and this board.

It's not his fault, he did not ask for it. And, like someone eloquently said on this board recently, it is probably because he looks the part.

He is what he is, he contributes and is a valuable member of the team. But expecting him to do more is, at this point, unrealistic.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I think people are saying we want more from Robbie because we think he can.

By saying he's mentally soft? When the other pieces of the underperforming athlete are on the table, and one is missing, the "soft" argument seems to be the default.

True wisdom is knowing what you don't know.

 

[DaCat]

By saying he's mentally soft? When the other pieces of the underperforming athlete are on the table, and one is missing, the "soft" argument seems to be the default.

True wisdom is knowing what you don't know.

Come on, Hungry, chill out man. This is an internet message board for fans who want MOAR. You know, where opinions are expressed and discussed/argued. Most people here don't know what the hell is going on in the inner circles of the team, that's a given. Watching Beran for four years, though, there's not a doubt the guy is a talented D1 player - he has size, he dunks, he blocks shots, he scores three pointers, he can move well - it's obvious he has all the tools. So the big question is why has he been getting diminished minutes, when many expected him to be a leader (he still might be) and someone who is important at crunch time. Don't misconstrue it as unrealistic expectations and criticism from fans, I am reading a lot of comments hoping and rooting for Beran to have a strong post-season, including me. Discuss!

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

By saying he's mentally soft? When the other pieces of the underperforming athlete are on the table, and one is missing, the "soft" argument seems to be the default.

True wisdom is knowing what you don't know.

Well, he's not a good rebounder for a guy his size and athleticism. I think its fair to say he's mainly a "finesse player" or "perimeter-oriented."

Whether he's soft mentally - he graduated in 3 years, so he's certainly intelligent and dedicated, but it was pretty common to hear Collins yelling "Robbie!" at him in the games where we had 1000 people in WR in recent years and it was just very quiet. Always mental lapses, not effort or anything like that.

He was definitely better until recently. He had been playing in crunch time until the Illinois loss, where he sat for the last 9 minutes, then didn't play well against Maryland (almost nobody did), sat for the last 11 minutes of the loss to Penn State and sat for 17 minutes in the 2nd half of the win at Rutgers.

Hopefully he's saved the best for last, but he's only averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds a game in his last 10.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Come on, Hungry, chill out man. This is an internet message board for fans who want MOAR. You know, where opinions are expressed and discussed/argued. Most people here don't know what the hell is going on in the inner circles of the team, that's a given. Watching Beran for four years, though, there's not a doubt the guy is a talented D1 player - he has size, he dunks, he blocks shots, he scores three pointers, he can move well - it's obvious he has all the tools. So the big question is why has he been getting diminished minutes, when many expected him to be a leader (he still might be) and someone who is important at crunch time. Don't misconstrue it as unrealistic expectations and criticism from fans, I am reading a lot of comments hoping and rooting for Beran to have a strong post-season, including me. Discuss!

DONTTELLMETOCHILLOUTYOUSUMBEECH!!!!

His minutes started to noticeably decline after the ugly road loss to Iowa on January 31. He has not had 27 minutes since Minny on Jan 28.

Martinelli's minutes have increased since then, with a few exceptions where he mostly sat vs. Michigan (2/2), Illinois (2/23), and PSU (3/1). He had a season high 18 minutes vs. RU, and did not score, but had 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

My guess is that Beran is fatigued / injured, and this has impacted his ability to defend. His 3pt shooting has fallen off since January. I know he had the dumb play vs. RU and perhaps he has a shorter leash, but I think he has some physical issues that are impacting his play.

 

[DaCat]

CHILLOUTYOUSUMBEECH!!!!

Pure speculation about his physical condition. Carry on!

 

[Hungry Jack]

CHILLOUTYOUSUMBEECH!!!!

Pure speculation about his physical condition. Carry on!

TAPEDON'TLIEGOSUCKIT!!!!!

 

[GatoLouco]

CHILLOUTYOUSUMBEECH!!!!

☝️ Potential of becoming a thing around here 👆

 

[DaCat]

 

[Hungry Jack]

SCREWYOUANDTHEWALLBYYOURODEINON!!!

 

[TheC]

SCREWYOUANDTHEWALLBYYOURODEINON!!!

Screw the wall??!! What kind of a place do you think we're running here?

 

[clarificationcat]

He actually has the complete package except one - he has length, athleticism, good ball skills, textbook shot, good understanding of the game - but he's held back by the mental part of the game. He's just another nice guy (like Pete Nance) that doesn't have the step-on-the-opponent's-throat ruthless killer instinct. Barnhizer seems to have that killer instinct and wants the ball in pressure cooker situations, while Beran doesn't. Down the stretch, Collins prefer Barnhizer over Beran, and I don't blame him. I've always expected big things from Beran, but .... oh well. I hope he has a few big explosions still left in him for the remaining games of this season.

He's not the complete package. He's never developed any post game or mid-range game. He gets half of his shots blocked when he goes hard to the rim. When you consistently get your shot blocked, it will discourage you from trying again. So he's limited to taking 3-point shots. Barnhizer is one of the few guys on the team that can create his own shot and he's our best post scorer (not saying a lot). So he's pretty valuable on an offensively challenged team.

I don't think Beran is soft at all on defense. He blocks and contests shots, double teams aggressively in the post (and is effective with his length) and gets his chest square when he is guarding on the perimeter. He could definitely be a better rebounder but I don't think he gets pushed around under the boards either.

 

[CappyNU]

This...got weird. I feel like we're getting away from GOOD VIBES ONLY! while in this unique situation of not playing until the 3rd day of the BTT. Let's all do better today.