He stole that hair style from me. You should see it on a 65 year old white man. Women love it. Well maybe not love it but like it. Well maybe not like it but put up with it.
THIS ….. will Coach White continue to do this going forward. He got really good bench production last year at West Virginia….and stubbornly settled back in to his “rotation comfort zone”. Kinda on a wait and see. Yesterday was more….necessity …… than decision/ Coach’s choice. Hope to see the expanded rotation continue. Once a player hits 25 mins in a game…. I’m thinking he’s maxed out.
What a great quote. I like him even more after reading this. Not many kids have this maturity. And he really sounds like a smart, articulate kid. Can’t wait to see his progression.
The kid clearly is very diplomatic. Reality, however, is that it was not some lightbulb that went off with him after game 13 that changed him from a player who did not deserve any meaningful playing time to a player who deserved to start. Reeves should have been in the rotation from game one. White should have been putting him in a couple of times in the first half, and if he played well the same in the second half. If not, he sits in the second half. That is exactly what is going on in Illinois with Omar Payne. Payne gets into every single game after about 4 minutes of the first half. He then either earns or does not earn more playing. He had been stripped down and is learning how to play basketball at the college level. Brad Underwood is a great developer of big men. Payne might never get there, but he made the right decision by transferring to Illinois.
Keep it up young man! lol I saw this photo of him on twitter or somewhere that was cropped and I thought - "damn he don't look like a kid" ...
Omar Payne gets less minutes there than when he was here, will be getting less moving forward, and has the exact same issues there that he had here. Clear you don't like Mike White, but using the amazing development of Omar Payne to tout Brad Underwood as a Great Developer of Young Men is comical. He was slow on the trigger with Reeves and has been with every freshman I can think of, and it might have been desperation with shooter Myreon Jones going 14-60 (22%) that forced him to make the move. But Reeves has responded nicely and with the season on the brink we needed somebody to step up. Glad the young fella has stepped up and been consistent. Still looks like a party favor, though. Although if he keeps scoring 15 with distance shooting and defense I may suggest that the entire team get the Kowacie...
Point me to where I said something about the amazing development of Omar Payne. Now if you want to talk about the Jitoboh-sized kid named Kofi Cockburn who showed up a few years ago and has become a monster, I would agree that that is an amazing development. I didn’t expect it after having seen him play in high school. As I have pointed out several times, Payne is in the rotation at Illinois and has a specific role. He is not being asked to score at all. On offense, he is setting screens all over the place and is moving the ball when he gets it. On defense, he is doing a good job of on-ball defense and switching when required. When he screws up or gets into foul trouble too quickly, he sits. He is learning the fundamentals of the game of basketball, which is the opposite of his situation at UF.
I don’t see why it is so hard to understand what you are saying. Give the young players a chance to develop on the court and make them feel they are involved/part of the team, instead of burying them on the bench. Work them into the rotation and give them a chance to earn more playing time, especially if your starters are struggling. We have lost more than a few young players through transfers, and replaced them with 1-2 year transfer portal rentals. Players don’t transfer in to sit on the bench, they transfer in because they expect major playing time. Likewise, players transfer out when they feel they are being buried on the bench and not getting enough minutes/being developed. I am not a fan of building a team through the transfer portal. Using it to fill a specific roster hole is one thing, but I don’t believe it is a viable method for building a championship team.
Reeves did play in the early games and looked way out sorts. Kennedy looked much better in the early games.
It was fun watching the Roberson/Walsh Gator teams try to outscore opponents, but the 04 guys mostly won with great defense and achieved a lot more.
As far as college he's a natural 2 or 3. If he can put on good weight off season, he could be our 4th guard/nominal 4- as the trend continues to smaller/position-less basketball
Its become a crutch for programs who are unable to attract enough elite talent. It's not a way to win a championship. Of course, the point could be made that the teams doing it that way can't compete with UK, Duke, Kansas, UNC, etc for the best to begin with. Doing it properly can keep you competitive, making the tourney and avoiding falling into the abyss.
The first thing I noticed about the 04s was their fluid ball movement and selfless play. They played a preseason tournament against Syracuse and I came away so impressed. Little did I know what was to come. Of course they played great defense but I really miss seeing that kind of offense.
Yes. That was a part of the ball movement I came away with. Knew his role. Didn't force things. Facilitator. Hit the open shot when it was there. Hit his free throws.
