Noah Locke is putting up a smooth 16 a game for the Cards through the first four games of the season with no assists.
Wow I had to double-check this but he literally has zero assists through 4 games, that’s actually hard to do. 8 turnovers though. Glad he’s scoring the ball well but I really hope he didn’t actually base his decision on handling the ball more
Not a PG, and between BM and MJ we got it covered and defense to go with it.. Hope he does well though.
Everyone wanting to play point guard is a real phenomenon. As a true point guard, very few things infuriate me more in a game then when a guy thinks because he has a somewhat decent handle that he should bring the ball up the court. They don’t have the knowledge or skills to play the position. First things first, you must analyze every possession as soon as you get the ball. Is there an opportunity to run the ball? Are there any immediate mismatches to exploit? Is someone already open down court? Guys who don’t know the position either want the ball so they can shoot their own shot (which is the worst thing a point guard can do), or they can do something that they predetermined without analyzing the current possession. Too often, the guy just wants the ball in their hand to slowly walk it up court and then start thinking *after* they pass the half court line. So much thought and action should have taken place before that. The only time you should just casually walk up the ball is if you recognize that your team is tired and they need a break for one possession, or if you need to settle them down. Sorry for the rant, but it’s a pet peeve of mine.
I have watched part of a few Louisville games. Noah has played pretty well. In addition to being the leading scorer on the team, he is defending well, and he actually is handling and passing the ball pretty well. Noah does not have any assists, but he is moving the ball quickly when he is out on top. He is one of the least selfish players on the team.
I felt like ball handling was a huge issue last year (last couple years really). Nembhard was the only rock solid assist/turnover guy. Mann obviously had more scoring pop but was a bit loose with the ball, but our 2 and 3 guards seemed to really struggle with giveaways. This years team seems much stronger with the ball overall.
My take is that Noah is best being a spot-up shooter and not a driver to the basket. The speed which we played last year was out of his comfort level. If it is better this year for him then good for him. I still don't think he is capable of making it in the pros as a PG.
It didn't bother me. Especially when I saw what kind of guys White was bringing in. I wouldn't take Locke over any of our transfers. I even like the true freshman Kennedy's game better.
Locke wanted a couple assurances. . . the opportunity to play some pg, and the ability to be the top offensive option. I haven't watched UL this season, but maybe he is, at least getting the latter. He was a good kid who played hard. I will root for him. But we upgraded his position, and perhaps he too found what he was looking for . . .or at least a portion of it. I wish him the best!
