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Post by bballraider on Jul 27, 2008 14:12:06 GMT -5
Thad Burton didn't play center for WSU. He was our starting power forward. Steno Kos started at center. Thad most definitely played the 5. He and Steno rotated at times between the 4 and 5 (and a lot of times it's interchangable anyway) but Thad was the main center his senior season of 1997-98. He was a rebounding machine. That is what this team is going to lack in the middle this season. Also, Thad started every game that year. Steno started off and on. Thad did play the 5, at least at times (most of the time as a senior). Just remember Blitz, that Thad was not so great his junior year, similar to Ronnie, but Ronnie had a small excuse with his injuries. Hopefully Ronnie blossoms like Thad did his senior year.
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Post by rock70 on Jul 27, 2008 15:12:30 GMT -5
Just remember Blitz, that Thad was not so great his junior year, similar to Ronnie, but Ronnie had a small excuse with his injuries. Hopefully Ronnie blossoms like Thad did his senior year. Good point bballraider. Lets hope Ronnie doesn't wait until his senior year to blossom like Thad but rather he blossoms this year as a junior ;D I would be thrilled if Ronnie Thomas gave us 15-20 minutes per game and averaged 5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg and some solid post defense. I remember coach Brownell saying that Ronnie was one of the best passing big men he has seen. I also expect to see Kyle Pressley and even Cooper Land get some minutes at the center position. The current roster has both Kyle and Cooper listed at 225lbs. Out of the three Cooper would give us the most offense. I'm willing to take a wait and see approach to Ronnie since he was injured most of last year. I don't expect him to be a stud but I'll be happy if he is solid for us in the post.
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Post by bballraider on Jul 27, 2008 15:51:16 GMT -5
Just remember Blitz, that Thad was not so great his junior year, similar to Ronnie, but Ronnie had a small excuse with his injuries. Hopefully Ronnie blossoms like Thad did his senior year. Good point bballraider. Lets hope Ronnie doesn't wait until his senior year to blossom like Thad but rather he blossoms this year as a junior ;D I would be thrilled if Ronnie Thomas gave us 15-20 minutes per game and averaged 5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg and some solid post defense. I remember coach Brownell saying that Ronnie was one of the best passing big men he has seen. I guess your right Rock. I should expect more from Ronnie the next TWO years. I also think Gavin is going to be a much different (better) player this next year. His injuries really limited what coach said was his best asset, his athleticism. I think being his second (last) year in the program, he will be more at ease and more aggressive this year.
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Post by Big D on Jul 28, 2008 10:54:56 GMT -5
I was a fan of both Ronnie and Gavin going into last season and defended both of them most of the season because of their injuries. I had the benefit of seeing them in an open gym scrimmage last fall before either got hurt and I saw tape of them playing before they came to WSU. Some observations:
Ronnie was matched up against Jordan in the scrimmage and did more than just hold his own. He played great D against Jordan and used his height advantage to block a shot or 2. He also showed decent post moves against Jordan. I don't have the delusion that Ronnie is going to be one of the best center in WSU history, but I don't see any reason why he cannot be just as good as Jordan was for us if he is in shape and stays healthy next year. 2 big ifs.
Gavin was matched up against Scottie in the scrimmage and also looked good. His defense was lights out. He was every bit as quick as Scottie and he was able to score pretty consistently against Scottie both inside and outside. Our coaches raved about his athletic ability in practice, but we never got to see it because of his blister infection and sprained ankle. He is in the same boat as Ronnie to me. If he works his butt off in the weight room and can stay healthy, he can be a solid contributor for us.
If one or both of these guys show up as players this year, that only gives us another great weapon or 2 to use in our rotation. To me, that is the key. We cannot rely only on our guards to win games. We cannot be one dimensional and we need to play with a killer instinct. I don't want to go into every game knowing we are going to win or lose based on the last play of the game. We need to be multidimensional and blow our opponents away. Depth and balance are key to that.
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Post by Big D on Jul 28, 2008 13:05:12 GMT -5
I have one question , does WSU still have open gyms? The team usually scrimmages in the Pavillion and it is not open to the general public. I was with WSU's head trainer Tony Ortiz last year when I watched some of the scrimmage.
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