Games 4/5: Detroit Mercy
Dec 20, 2020 11:14:48 GMT -5
Post by Big D on Dec 20, 2020 11:14:48 GMT -5
Alex is going to be a good one for us. He has a good basketball IQ and one hell of a 3 point stroke. That being said, there isn't a chance in hell Nagy is going to play him in front of Hall this year. A constant theme under the Nagy tenure has been you have to play high effort defense if you want to see the court. He recruits guys that know how to score and tries to turn them into elite defenders too. Hall is by fare our best defender. He is going to see major minutes for that reason alone. Alex has a great work ethic and his defense is improving day to day in practice. That is why he is playing so much already and why I think he is going to be a good one for us in the future. It isn't anywhere near good enough for him to replace Hall in the rotation for what Nagy wants in a player right now.
Count me in the group that just cannot figure out the issue(s) with Manns. I've read where he is/gets lost on defense - and I see that at times. To my unqualified eye, he just looks like a guy who needs more time on the floor to figure it out. Disclaimer: I clearly see and acknowledge that Nagy has forgotten more about BBall than I will ever know...so I don't get too worked up about it.
Manns can score. He is arguably one of our better scorers on the team and he isn't part of our main rotation. I just explained why Hall is never going to be removed from the rotation and why I think Alex is going to continue to carve out more playing time in the rotation. That is why Manns doesn't play. He is a FOURTH year junior and plays worse defense than a true freshman and he isn't earning playing time based on his effort and contribution at practice. I really wish Manns made that jump as a player this past off season. I like the young man. He is a really personable guy and very likeable. I also think we need his depth in the rotation if we are going to win the HL this year. That being said, I don't see the lightbulb going on for him after the lack of evidence of that happening over the last 4 years.
I kind of feel bad for Harris. He is really busting his butt out there but looks to be trying too hard to impress. I hope he can settle down and remember that Nagy recruited him for a reason. Maybe he gets some run today with Finke being out.
Harris isn't playing for 2 reasons. 1. Like Manns, he just isn't developing as a defender. He is a second year freshman and was passed over by a true freshman in the rotation already. 2. His effort at practice and even in the games he has played in has been lacking. If you saw the end of the Bowling Green game, Andre got his ass ripped into for walking to the huddle when a timeout was called. Andre is behind several really good players on the depth chart. If he wants to get into the rotation, he really needs to start busting his ass in practice and start earning playing time.
Welage had a GREAT pass to Neff in garbage time. He looks unafraid and a little thin. I find it interesting how much he brings up the ball in his thus-far limited minutes.
Welage was recruited knowing he was going to need to red-shirt and get into the weight room. With the pandemic and this year not counting towards anyone's eligibility Welage is going to get the chance to get some game experience in mop up minutes. He is a talented kid and one of the best 3 point shooters on this team. He really just needs to put on 10-15# of muscle this offseason and learn how to play more physical defense. He is taking his lumps working against Finke, Holden, and Hall at practice but he is going to become a solid player in the future for it if he keeps developing.
