The surprising talent of Chase Audige

[eastbaycat99]

I’ve been surprised this year at the basic physical talent and ability of Chase Audige. He has a great wingspan, is quick and fluid, can jump, and has decent straight line speed. While that talent hasn’t translated to a complete basketball skill set (yet), he seems to me to performing at a much improved level compared to his prior years with the Cats. I have to think the improvement comes from being healthy and, with something I haven’t often seen in the Collins era, genuine player development. I have been down on Collins for years, but I think he and his assistants deserve a lot of credit for bringing Chase along.

In the last 50 years of NU basketball, there have been less than a handful of players that to me were able to dominate their opponent physically: Billy McKinney, Geno Carlisle and Evan Eschmeyer. I’m starting to think Audige might be the fourth.

By the way, I am not saying he is the fourth best player the Cats have had in that time. Off the top of my head, Rex Walters and John Shurna were clearly better players. I am only saying that if Audige continues his skill development, he could play for anybody at any level.

 

[GatoLouco]

Audige is, without a doubt in my mind, the most physically gifted athlete NU had this century. It was apparent the moment he first played for us he is the type of physical specimen we don’t see at NU.

 

[DaCat]

There has never been any question about Audige's physical talent, but more the frustration of his on-court decisions and inability to knock down shots on a consistent basis. Hopefully he is maturing and starting to make better decisions to fully utilize his physical gifts. The main thing that surprised me, I don't know why, is his humility and his support for his teammates. He just seems like a genuinely good guy. He can take us far this year.

 

[usopen30]

What's also good is that Audige is the flip side of Carlisle and Walters. Chase transferred in and developed, while Geno and Rex left NU for Cal and Kansas and became stars. Hopefully NU gets to the post-season and CC has something to offer the growing number of talented players in the portal. Otherwise our cupboard looks pretty bare after this season.

 

[NJCat]

Chase's mannerisms on the court echo shades of Kobe and Michael.....

 

[Catreporter]

Audige has really worked on his free throw shooting too. 10-for-10 yesterday. He wasn't nearly that good last year. BTW, Nance was 0-for-2 at the line today in UNC's 76-74 loss at Pitt. That was an achilles heel with him. Couldn't close out Maryland at the line and missed a crucial 1-and-1 in the final minute of a tie game with PSU that we ended up losing,

 

[Catreporter]

Looked it up. He's gone from 55 percent in 20-21 to 71 percent in 21-22 to 91 percent at the line this year.

 

[DaCat]

Looked it up. He's gone from 55 percent in 20-21 to 71 percent in 21-22 to 91 percent at the line this year.

Our FT shooting overall is much improved this year.

 

[eastbaycat99]

Chase's mannerisms on the court echo shades of Kobe and Michael.....

Living in the Bay Area, I think Audige could have a role in the NBA similar to the one Draymond Green has on the Warriors. Both are elite defenders, and have the tools to be exceptional in transition. While neither is a great player on offense, both can hit a 3 if not guarded closely and pass well if they are. Green’s strength is inside and Audige’s on the perimeter, but in many areas they have similar strengths. I do think he is the first NU player with clear NBA talent since Eschmeyer.

 

[phatcat]

There has never been any question about Audige's physical talent, but more the frustration of his on-court decisions and inability to knock down shots on a consistent basis. Hopefully he is maturing and starting to make better decisions to fully utilize his physical gifts. The main thing that surprised me, I don't know why, is his humility and his support for his teammates. He just seems like a genuinely good guy. He can take us far this year.

I don't blame him for shooting, although at some point, he needed to be a better shooter. He probably got tired of nobody wanting the ball for 2 seasons except for out-of-control Boo.

 

[GatoLouco]

Living in the Bay Area, I think Audige could have a role in the NBA similar to the one Draymond Green has on the Warriors. Both are elite defenders, and have the tools to be exceptional in transition. While neither is a great player on offense, both can hit a 3 if not guarded closely and pass well if they are. Green’s strength is inside and Audige’s on the perimeter, but in many areas they have similar strengths. I do think he is the first NU player with clear NBA talent since Eschmeyer.

I really wish I could find this remotely believable. It would be cool.

 

[eastbaycat99]

I really wish I could find this remotely believable. It would be cool.

I really should clarify that I think Audige could be similar in role, not a duplicate, of Green. I would see him as a Green light (some pun intended).

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I really wish I could find this remotely believable. It would be cool.

He is clearly the best player on this team. That’s cool with me.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I don't blame him for shooting, although at some point, he needed to be a better shooter. He probably got tired of nobody wanting the ball for 2 seasons except for out-of-control Boo.

Well, to be factual, Buie wanted the ball, Young wanted the ball, Nance wanted the ball and Audige really wanted the ball. To get the ball to Young, Chase would have had to throw it out of bounds, toward the bench, most of the time.

You should look at the comments from those two years. The praise being heaped on Audige this past month does not (unfortunately) go back and change the past. But his shooting form looks better, so there's hope when we start facing better teams.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Well, to be factual, Buie wanted the ball, Young wanted the ball, Nance wanted the ball and Audige really wanted the ball. To get the ball to Young, Chase would have had to throw it out of bounds, toward the bench, most of the time.

You should look at the comments from those two years. The praise being heaped on Audige this past month does not (unfortunately) go back and change the past. But his shooting form looks better, so there's hope when we start facing better teams.

Chase is the best player in thdd Ed team right now. Hard stop!

 

[cats_man_too]

Looked it up. He's gone from 55 percent in 20-21 to 71 percent in 21-22 to 91 percent at the line this year.

He's leading the Big 10 in FT%

 

[clarificationcat]

Audige is, without a doubt in my mind, the most physically gifted athlete NU had this century. It was apparent the moment he first played for us he is the type of physical specimen we don’t see at NU.

I think Law was more gifted physically. We used to put Law on the other team's quickest player because McIntosh couldn't guard him. And Law is 3 inches taller. Law could jump higher and was quicker. Law averaged a block a game and 6.5 rebounds his senior year at the 3. Audige is stronger and plays the passing lanes better.

 

[phatcat]

Well, to be factual, Buie wanted the ball, Young wanted the ball, Nance wanted the ball and Audige really wanted the ball. To get the ball to Young, Chase would have had to throw it out of bounds, toward the bench, most of the time.

You should look at the comments from those two years. The praise being heaped on Audige this past month does not (unfortunately) go back and change the past. But his shooting form looks better, so there's hope when we start facing better teams.

I laughed at "throw it out of bounds" re Young. I agree that Boo wanted the ball but was that any better of an option. Re Nance, I don't want to crap on the guy, but if I had a dollar for every time we rode him to victory down the stretch...

 

[Hungry Jack]

I remember seeing him live the first time a few years ago. His athleticism was jarring then. He’d be a helluva football player too.

 

[clarificationcat]

Living in the Bay Area, I think Audige could have a role in the NBA similar to the one Draymond Green has on the Warriors. Both are elite defenders, and have the tools to be exceptional in transition. While neither is a great player on offense, both can hit a 3 if not guarded closely and pass well if they are. Green’s strength is inside and Audige’s on the perimeter, but in many areas they have similar strengths. I do think he is the first NU player with clear NBA talent since Eschmeyer.

He's a good to potentially very college player and probably a below average NBA athlete. I am not seeing any pro potential. Green is a great passer (Audige is not) and can guard 1-4 if he has to because he's at least a couple of inches taller than Audige. Green averaged over 10 rebounds a game his senior year. Chase is an excellent perimeter defender, a mediocre shooter and not a particularly good finisher (he's shooting 43% from 2). He's averaging almost 3 turnovers a game. Hope he proves me wrong. I would be really happy if he made 3rd team All Big-Ten. If he played like this last year, we would have won a couple more conference games.

 

[GatoLouco]

I think Law was more gifted physically. We used to put Law on the other team's quickest player because McIntosh couldn't guard him. And Law is 3 inches taller. Law could jump higher and was quicker. Law averaged a block a game and 6.5 rebounds his senior year at the 3. Audige is stronger and plays the passing lanes better.

I don’t agree but see you point. Especially the 3 inches of difference.

I think, regardless of Law guarding the quickest player, that Chase is significantly faster. Law’s first step was much much slower. His explosiveness was, in my view, not comparable to Audige’s.

 

[SDakaGordie]

And then there’s Pat Spencer….just sheer great athleticism.

 

[clarificationcat]

I don’t agree but see you point. Especially the 3 inches of difference.

I think, regardless of Law guarding the quickest player, that Chase is significantly faster. Law’s first step was much much slower. His explosiveness was, in my view, not comparable to Audige’s.

I don't think Chase is particularly fast baseline to baseline. He's crafty and has pretty good footwork but he rarely just beats someone off the dribble and explodes to the rim. I am pretty sure that Law would beat Audige baseline to baseline but I guess we can wait to see if/when Audige gets tested for the NBA. Law has average/below average NBA speed and quickness, which is well above average at the collegiate level. Chase is a hell of a lot stronger than Vic was at the collegiate level, which is certainly a factor in measuring athleticism.

 

[RhabdoWildcat]

And then there’s Pat Spencer….just sheer great athleticism.

I love pat spencer… that is all

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I laughed at "throw it out of bounds" re Young. I agree that Boo wanted the ball but was that any better of an option. Re Nance, I don't want to crap on the guy, but if I had a dollar for every time we rode him to victory down the stretch...

Buie was definitely a better offensive player than Audige last year.

But this year, so far, against generally inferior opposition, Audige is marginally outplaying Buie on offense. Buie's shooting numbers are down somewhat and Audige's numbers are up. From 3 point range, Audige would have to miss 36 straight to exactly match his totals from last year.

I read somewhere that improved free throw percentage is a reliable indication of better shooting in general, so thats a good sign for Audige.

 

[1830sherman]

But this year, so far, against generally inferior opposition, Audige is marginally outplaying Buie on offense.

Audige is outplaying Buie by a mile on offense. I'm not interested in what they did last year, except as a point of comparison to now. And as of now, Audige has improved significantly. Buie has not.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Audige is outplaying Buie by a mile on offense. I'm not interested in what they did last year, except as a point of comparison to now. And as of now, Audige has improved significantly. Buie has not.

Buie handles the ball better than Audige, I'll assume you agree with that.
I don't know how one would quantify "outplaying someone by a mile on offense."

Here are their numbers so far this year. To me, most of the games don't count because the opponent is significantly inferior to what we will face in the Big Ten.

Player	Mins	FG	FGA	3FG	3FGA	Assts	TOs
Audige	31.9	5.2	12.7	2.3	6.0	3.3	2.9
Buie	33.0	4.9	13.6	2.0	6.6	4.3	2.8

Buie's numbers are down. Last year his numbers were

Buie 21-22

29.6

4.8

12.0

2.0

5.9

4.3

1.9

Hopefully Buie gets it together and at least matches his performance from last year. If Audige can keep making 37% of his 3's that would be awesome (and unexpected).

 

[1830sherman]

Here's some more numbers, in totals:

3 pt FG: CA 37%, BB 30%
Steals: CA 31, BB 13

But of course numbers don't tell the whole story. Audige has been the story for NU's success so far this year, if you give any credence to the on-air analysts. Yeah, the competition has been subpar. But both guys are playing against the same teams.

BB is still trying to find his stride. I hope he does, because this team desperately needs a competent PG.

Happy New Year.

 

[Titanium999]

I’ve been surprised this year at the basic physical talent and ability of Chase Audige. He has a great wingspan, is quick and fluid, can jump, and has decent straight line speed. While that talent hasn’t translated to a complete basketball skill set (yet), he seems to me to performing at a much improved level compared to his prior years with the Cats. I have to think the improvement comes from being healthy and, with something I haven’t often seen in the Collins era, genuine player development. I have been down on Collins for years, but I think he and his assistants deserve a lot of credit for bringing Chase along.

In the last 50 years of NU basketball, there have been less than a handful of players that to me were able to dominate their opponent physically: Billy McKinney, Geno Carlisle and Evan Eschmeyer. I’m starting to think Audige might be the fourth.

By the way, I am not saying he is the fourth best player the Cats have had in that time. Off the top of my head, Rex Walters and John Shurna were clearly better players. I am only saying that if Audige continues his skill development, he could play for anybody at any level.

He was hurt last year! I definitely see him playing pro ball 🏀 as his defense is LOCK DOWN!

 

[clarificationcat]

Here's some more numbers, in totals:

3 pt FG: CA 37%, BB 30%
Steals: CA 31, BB 13

But of course numbers don't tell the whole story. Audige has been the story for NU's success so far this year, if you give any credence to the on-air analysts. Yeah, the competition has been subpar. But both guys are playing against the same teams.

BB is still trying to find his stride. I hope he does, because this team desperately needs a competent PG.

Happy New Year.

Buie's had 9 assists and 1 turnover in the past 2 games. He shot poorly from 3 against Brown but he scored 7 straight points in the 2nd half to help us pull away and then fed Nicholson for a dunk when they cut the lead back down. He's definitely competent. We need him to be very good in most games if we are going to win more than 5 or 6 games in the conference.

We have 2 guys capable of consistently scoring and creating for other players. And neither guy is great offensively. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on them. I hope Barnhizer or Roper can start to contribute more consistently and Nicholson can grab a few more offensive rebounds and get some put backs. Beran is still hit or miss offensively and at this point that's who he is. The tournament team had 3 guys capable of putting up 20 plus points in a game and Pardon was usually good for around 10 points a game. That's a big difference.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Buie's had 9 assists and 1 turnover in the past 2 games. He shot poorly from 3 against Brown but he scored 7 straight points in the 2nd half to help us pull away and then fed Nicholson for a dunk when they cut the lead back down. He's definitely competent. We need him to be very good in most games if we are going to win more than 5 or 6 games in the conference.

We have 2 guys capable of consistently scoring and creating for other players. And neither guy is great offensively. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on them. I hope Barnhizer or Roper can start to contribute more consistently and Nicholson can grab a few more offensive rebounds and get some put backs. Beran is still hit or miss offensively and at this point that's who he is. The tournament team had 3 guys capable of putting up 20 plus points in a game and Pardon was usually good for around 10 points a game. That's a big difference.

The offense runs a whole lot better with Buie on the floor as well. He’s able to penetrate and create like no one else on the team. He’s the best passer as well. Audige is a more willing passer than he was last season but he isn’t as good a passer as Buie is. Buie is also active more defensively than the board gives him credit for. He gets his hands in the passing lanes and is at least serviceable on ball.

 

[MC_Cat]

Too many bad games from Audige. One mark of a great player is consistency and he's not there yet. Capable yes but not there yet, still too many forced shots.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Sensabaugh has been very impressive for the Bucks. Like how NU has played in the 2nd half to somewhat close the gap and make it interesting.

 

[EagerFan]

That was an eminently winnable game. Cats missing just all the shots cost a home win against an unimpressive osu team.

 

[cats_man_too]

That was an eminently winnable game. Cats missing just all the shots cost a home win against an unimpressive osu team.

OSU looked better than unimpressive, even on a cold shooting night for the Cats.

 

[Styre]

That game was over from the jump.

 

[EagerFan]

OSU looked better than unimpressive, even on a cold shooting night for the Cats.

They looked, and were, beatable. If they're an impressive team then they also had a terrible night.

 

[DaCat]

Audige with a great effort against Illannoys on both ends of the court. I hope his body holds up this season, he's giving 100% every game.

 

[DaCat]

Chase broke some ankles against the Hoosiers!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnKwkbQKSxA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

[NJCat]

Chase broke some ankles against the Hoosiers!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnKwkbQKSxA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Wow. Flashback of Sanjay back in the day.