Drissa

paultzman

paultzman

Well-known member
2023 $upporter 2022 $upporter
When SJU recruited Drissa years ago I was skeptical. My good friend JPM114, who knew Drissa well, disagreed. John noted that he was confident Drissa would be an outstanding teammate, hard worker, excellent student and, if coached & utilized correctly, a shooting threat, good high/low passer and impact some games off the bench with his hustle and smarts.

JPM is smart & known in metro hoops as an excellent talent evaluator, me not so much.
 
Last edited:
paultzman said:
When SJU recruited Drissa years ago I was skeptical. My good friend JPM114, who knew Drissa well, disagreed. John noted that he was confident Drissa would be an outstanding teammate, hard worker, excellent student and, if coached & utilized correctly, a shooting threat, good high/low passer and impact some games off the bench with his hustle and smarts.

JPM is smart & known in metro hoops as an excellent talent evaluator, me not so much.
Click to expand...
JPM knew that, Rick Pitino realized that quickly, and our former coach made him ride the bench behind the great Nywie all year long.
 
I don’t think he should be playing meaningful minutes at this level, but that’s not his fault.

He’s doing everything he can with his opportunity. That’s all you can ask.

He is at a talent deficit on the court but he has + skill on the perimeter for his position, and he used that as a weapon last night. Those entry passes were not easy and he made them look effortless. He also makes his outside shots at an impressive clip.

I hope he can keep this up, but I suspect it will be exponentially more difficult against the UConns and Marquettes of the conference.
 
Marillac2 said:
I don’t think he should be playing meaningful minutes at this level, but that’s not his fault.

He’s doing everything he can with his opportunity. That’s all you can ask.

He is at a talent deficit on the court but he has + skill on the perimeter for his position, and he used that as a weapon last night. Those entry passes were not easy and he made them look effortless. He also makes his outside shots at an impressive clip.

I hope he can keep this up, but I suspect it will be exponentially more difficult against the UConns and Marquettes of the conference.
Click to expand...
And CRP will never have to tell him to dive for loose balls!
 
billthetruth said:
JPM knew that, Rick Pitino realized that quickly, and our former coach made him ride the bench behind the great Nywie all year long.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t we assume Rick would be getting more out of Nywie as well? Appreciate Drissa and thought he played well last night and for most part all year when given the chance. I certainly wasn’t arguing on his behalf last year to get more minutes.
 
Amaseinyourface said:
Couldn’t we assume Rick would be getting more out of Nywie as well? Appreciate Drissa and thought he played well last night and for most part all year when given the chance. I certainly wasn’t arguing on his behalf last year to get more minutes.
Click to expand...
Nywie seemed lost on both ends of the court. He would spend way too much time on the perimeter on offense and as much time trying to defend on the perimeter while playing defense. So many times he would get cooked by the guy he tried to cover. That blame goes on the prior coach for continually putting him in that position. Would have preferred to give the younger Driss the experience instead of the graduating Nywie.
 
Amaseinyourface said:
Couldn’t we assume Rick would be getting more out of Nywie as well? Appreciate Drissa and thought he played well last night and for most part all year when given the chance. I certainly wasn’t arguing on his behalf last year to get more minutes.
Click to expand...
Zuby has better size, strength than Drissa and merits investment. He would not be as easy to post up as Drissa. On offense he does not have great hands, but they really got him to bang on interior, rebounding, defending. With our thin interior we may need both guys in different roles, but I did expect Zuby to get more PT by now. Long season though.
 
Amaseinyourface said:
Couldn’t we assume Rick would be getting more out of Nywie as well? Appreciate Drissa and thought he played well last night and for most part all year when given the chance. I certainly wasn’t arguing on his behalf last year to get more minutes.
Click to expand...
CRP could get more out of anything. He is the GOAT

Drissa wasn't even given an opportunity by the former staff in some games that we were out of it by half time. He also rewarded guys that disobeyed him in public (i.e., Curbelo). Poor job all around by CMA and reason why Father Shanley walked out of a practice last year when such behavior was clearly on display.
 
Amaseinyourface said:
Couldn’t we assume Rick would be getting more out of Nywie as well? Appreciate Drissa and thought he played well last night and for most part all year when given the chance. I certainly wasn’t arguing on his behalf last year to get more minutes.
Click to expand...
No offense, but whether you were arguing or not for him to get more minutes last year is irrelevant.

Mike Anderson was getting paid millions to develop and recognize what guys should be rewarded for putting in the effort in practice. Luca Doncic and Jimmy Butler weren't ahead of him on the depth chart to merit him riding the pine all season long. That is how you create a toxic culture where the inmates are running the asylum.

You create a winning culture by rewarding the guys who are busting their asses when the cameras are off. What the fans don't see on a daily basis. Conway starting against Fordham was a prime example and a message sent by a great coach (play defense in this instance) in a subtle way.
 
Last edited:
Marillac2 said:
I don’t think he should be playing meaningful minutes at this level, but that’s not his fault.

He’s doing everything he can with his opportunity. That’s all you can ask.

He is at a talent deficit on the court but he has + skill on the perimeter for his position, and he used that as a weapon last night. Those entry passes were not easy and he made them look effortless. He also makes his outside shots at an impressive clip.

I hope he can keep this up, but I suspect it will be exponentially more difficult against the UConns and Marquettes of the conference.
Click to expand...
I think he’s a kid right now who can have access against the right matchups but will struggle against other squads, like the two you pointed out. Still, based on what you read about the young man, work ethic, as a teammate, etc, there is always a spot on a 13 or 14 man roster for that type of kid if they are willing to accept the role.
 
I always liked Drissa and felt he would be a contributor. My concern was that he needed more of a mean streak on the court.
 
billthetruth said:
No offense, but whether you were arguing or not for him to get more minutes last year is irrelevant.

Mike Anderson was getting paid millions to develop and recognize what guys should be rewarded for putting in the effort in practice. Luca Doncic and Jimmy Butler weren't ahead of him on the depth chart to merit him riding the pine all season long. That is how you create a toxic culture where the inmates are running the asylum.

You create a winning culture by rewarding the guys who are busting their asses when the cameras are off. What the fans don't see on a daily basis. Conway starting against Fordham was a prime example and a message sent by a great coach (play defense in this instance) in a subtle way.
Click to expand...
None taken and I didn’t mean it as if I would know better. Just that nobody was calling for drissa to get minutes and I think pointing to Nwiye as undeserving compared to him now is a little bit of Monday morning quarter backing. CMA is the one who felt drissa was worthy of a scholarship when many believed he wasn’t.
 
billthetruth said:
You create a winning culture by rewarding the guys who are busting their asses when the cameras are off. What the fans don't see on a daily basis. Conway starting against Fordham was a prime example and a message sent by a great coach (play defense in this instance) in a subtle way.
Click to expand...
This really has nothing to do with this thread (although Traore fits the narrative) but this is nail hitting head here. With Anderson, there was no fear or repercussion to not hustling, not boxing out, not playing defense, really, just playing common sense ball. A winning culture, using your words, is impossible when the team is not set up to have these types of expectations. You don’t even need to be Rick Pitino to realize that. That’s what drove me nuts about Anderson. A guy who certainly did not practice what he preached.
 
espken said:
Nywie seemed lost on both ends of the court. He would spend way too much time on the perimeter on offense and as much time trying to defend on the perimeter while playing defense. So many times he would get cooked by the guy he tried to cover. That blame goes on the prior coach for continually putting him in that position. Would have preferred to give the younger Driss the experience instead of the graduating Nywie.
Click to expand...
Totally agree.
 
Rick kept Drissa because he is a great person with obviously great character. That what you need to build a winning culture and I am sure he is busting his butt in practice and Rick can trust him in limited minutes even though as Marillac said he is at a talent disadvantage at times. That doesn't mean he doesn't have skills to help us like he did last night. If you saw who played yesterday it was our most experienced players. Guys like Conway and Drissa aren't perfect but at times they can help us. A lot of good teams have guys like that. Overall I think Rick is starting to get more and more out of the guys he trusts. There may be a point this where Witcher or Zuby helps win a game and they have the talent to do it but have to earn trust. And on an unrelated note RJ please come back soon.
 
What both Zuby and Drissa have done is make their presence known in a positive way with limited minutes. A putback or 3 from Drissa. A hard fought offensive rebound or blocked shot by Zuby. While you want skilled players at every position, you also need hard workers who do not sulk and who know their limitations. Too many me first guys last season. That doesn't fly under CRP.
 
paultzman said:
Zuby has better size, strength than Drissa and merits investment. He would not be as easy to post up as Drissa. On offense he does not have great hands, but they really got him to bang on interior, rebounding, defending. With our thin interior we may need both guys in different roles, but I did expect Zuby to get more PT by now. Long season though.
Click to expand...
I would think Zuby could play some at the 4, but haven't noticed him playing that position. Re. Drissa his 3 pt shot has exceeded my expectations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top