beast of the east
Active member
Well, at 14-1 not a heck of a lot of negatives, but report cards are report cards, and can appear unduly harsh. As with most students, plenty of room for improvement all around,
Ponds A+ - Ponds has upped his game across the board, and his improvement has been almost radical. He can score in bunches but has shown better shot selection, better passing, lower turnovers, solid defense, and most of all winning. He looks to be the man in big situations, but also hasn't forced the issue and will distribute the ball, making his teammates better. May or may not be a first round pic, but is making a case as one of the best players in our history. He has missed a few key free throws over the first three games that could have made life easier, but it would be harsh to lower his grade on that basis.
Clark - A: He's done everything asked of him. Ok, he isn't a 10 rebound per game monster, but has filled in admirably at center against bigger opponents. Has made many big threes, including a huge one vs. Georgetown. He's at a tweener size and can handle the ball better than most forwards in college. He has easily taken on the role of the leader of this team with a maturity that is admirable. Solid citizen, and will long be remembered here as a kid who has overcome a ton. Bright future whatever he does after basketball.
Figueroa - A- definitely been the biggest surprise on this years roster. Comes up big in many game situations on both ends of the court. Spectacular leaper, tremendous athlete, can play way above the rim. So much room for improvement, it's hard to give him an A, but what he brings is plenty. Singlehandedly shut down Seton Hall in the closing moments with 4 great plays on 2 possessions (the block, the deflection, the fetch of the deflection while staying in bounds, and the tap to Heron). Expect great things from him, because his ceiling is pretty damned high. Could improve his shooting range and his ball handling, and definitely foul shooting, and those things could land him in the NBA. Cool under pressure.
Simon - low B+ - has been asked to play more as a forward than a guard, and has not disappointed. Solid defender, another spectacular leaper, and can burn you from 3 if he has time to square up. Runs the floor like a gazelle, and this team has become a pass first team that has guys filling the lanes on the break. An underthrown alley oop is no trouble for Simon who just keeps elevating after the catch. Arizona's loss is our game, and considering how prized a recruit he was, was the first big name transfer the has helped restore our program. Yes, needs to improve ball handling, free throw liability at this point, but definitely a gamer who can fill a scorecard with points, rebounds and assists.
Heron: B+ The expectations on Heron were so high, many of us thought he would be The Man on this team, supplanting Ponds. You'd give him a B, till you check his numbers. While he hasn't disappointed, and that would be vastly unfair to him. it's clear he is struggling to hit his stride. Solid defender, rebounder, scorer. By far has been our most efficient 3 point shooter at .488, and a 76% FT shooter. The best is yet to come despite his 15.8 points per game, and a deep dive in the post season will require him to be a little more consistent. Still a big asset.
Keita - Incomplete. Considered an important piece of the puzzle for this team to compete strongly the rest of the way. Some questioned his manhood, but he logged 25 minutes in game 2 back from knee surgery. Surgery was announced on November 14th, and was back on the court New Year's Day - right on schedule in my book. Has not embarrassed himself against some pretty good BE big men, and on this roster would take his big body banging down low over Owens hoisting threes from the corner. Renard sells cars may disagree, but i will side with our staff who calls him a beast. His first name is Sedee, so there will be a $300 fine to anyone here who calls him Abe, payable directly to Keita. (That's a joke, if the NCAA is reading)
Trimble - C. It's hard to give high grades to a guy who has taken 33 shots of which 32 are 3's, made only 10 (.313 shooting from 3) and gone to the charity stripe just twice in 15 games. Someone should tell him it isn't a three second violation to get caught inside the three point line, since he almost exclusively camps out beyond the arc. Ok, now the good stuff. He's been asked to guard forwards on a thin front line, has done reasonably well, utilizing his strength to neutralize taller opponents. Has only logged 1.4 rebounds per game in 220 minutes, and against Georgetown appeared overmatched on the boards. With Keita back, he may find he is losing minutes to Greg Williams unless his over production goes up.
Williams: non matriculated, but B. Limited minutes, spoon fed action by a patient staff, but steadily made the case that he was ready from prime time. You have to love the fact that as a freshman he doesn't appear overwhelmed, even against BE competition. Shown remarkable restraint given limited minutes and has made 12 of 18 2 point attempts, and 5 of 6 FTs. Poor shooting from 3 can be disregarded as too small a sample size. Appears he will not only have a lot to say before his career is over, but may prove to be a big time contributor this season.
Mikey Dixon - Withdrawal. Coming up to midterms, was becoming clear that there was diminishing future for him here this season, so packed his bags and dropped. Can't fault his decision, Keita came back and Greg Williams started to eat his minutes.
Josh Roberts - Incomplete. Very limited floor time, but done a few good things on defense to make some here think he has a future here. I will trust the staff to bring him along, as it appears they have done the right thing by WIlliams and others.
Ponds A+ - Ponds has upped his game across the board, and his improvement has been almost radical. He can score in bunches but has shown better shot selection, better passing, lower turnovers, solid defense, and most of all winning. He looks to be the man in big situations, but also hasn't forced the issue and will distribute the ball, making his teammates better. May or may not be a first round pic, but is making a case as one of the best players in our history. He has missed a few key free throws over the first three games that could have made life easier, but it would be harsh to lower his grade on that basis.
Clark - A: He's done everything asked of him. Ok, he isn't a 10 rebound per game monster, but has filled in admirably at center against bigger opponents. Has made many big threes, including a huge one vs. Georgetown. He's at a tweener size and can handle the ball better than most forwards in college. He has easily taken on the role of the leader of this team with a maturity that is admirable. Solid citizen, and will long be remembered here as a kid who has overcome a ton. Bright future whatever he does after basketball.
Figueroa - A- definitely been the biggest surprise on this years roster. Comes up big in many game situations on both ends of the court. Spectacular leaper, tremendous athlete, can play way above the rim. So much room for improvement, it's hard to give him an A, but what he brings is plenty. Singlehandedly shut down Seton Hall in the closing moments with 4 great plays on 2 possessions (the block, the deflection, the fetch of the deflection while staying in bounds, and the tap to Heron). Expect great things from him, because his ceiling is pretty damned high. Could improve his shooting range and his ball handling, and definitely foul shooting, and those things could land him in the NBA. Cool under pressure.
Simon - low B+ - has been asked to play more as a forward than a guard, and has not disappointed. Solid defender, another spectacular leaper, and can burn you from 3 if he has time to square up. Runs the floor like a gazelle, and this team has become a pass first team that has guys filling the lanes on the break. An underthrown alley oop is no trouble for Simon who just keeps elevating after the catch. Arizona's loss is our game, and considering how prized a recruit he was, was the first big name transfer the has helped restore our program. Yes, needs to improve ball handling, free throw liability at this point, but definitely a gamer who can fill a scorecard with points, rebounds and assists.
Heron: B+ The expectations on Heron were so high, many of us thought he would be The Man on this team, supplanting Ponds. You'd give him a B, till you check his numbers. While he hasn't disappointed, and that would be vastly unfair to him. it's clear he is struggling to hit his stride. Solid defender, rebounder, scorer. By far has been our most efficient 3 point shooter at .488, and a 76% FT shooter. The best is yet to come despite his 15.8 points per game, and a deep dive in the post season will require him to be a little more consistent. Still a big asset.
Keita - Incomplete. Considered an important piece of the puzzle for this team to compete strongly the rest of the way. Some questioned his manhood, but he logged 25 minutes in game 2 back from knee surgery. Surgery was announced on November 14th, and was back on the court New Year's Day - right on schedule in my book. Has not embarrassed himself against some pretty good BE big men, and on this roster would take his big body banging down low over Owens hoisting threes from the corner. Renard sells cars may disagree, but i will side with our staff who calls him a beast. His first name is Sedee, so there will be a $300 fine to anyone here who calls him Abe, payable directly to Keita. (That's a joke, if the NCAA is reading)
Trimble - C. It's hard to give high grades to a guy who has taken 33 shots of which 32 are 3's, made only 10 (.313 shooting from 3) and gone to the charity stripe just twice in 15 games. Someone should tell him it isn't a three second violation to get caught inside the three point line, since he almost exclusively camps out beyond the arc. Ok, now the good stuff. He's been asked to guard forwards on a thin front line, has done reasonably well, utilizing his strength to neutralize taller opponents. Has only logged 1.4 rebounds per game in 220 minutes, and against Georgetown appeared overmatched on the boards. With Keita back, he may find he is losing minutes to Greg Williams unless his over production goes up.
Williams: non matriculated, but B. Limited minutes, spoon fed action by a patient staff, but steadily made the case that he was ready from prime time. You have to love the fact that as a freshman he doesn't appear overwhelmed, even against BE competition. Shown remarkable restraint given limited minutes and has made 12 of 18 2 point attempts, and 5 of 6 FTs. Poor shooting from 3 can be disregarded as too small a sample size. Appears he will not only have a lot to say before his career is over, but may prove to be a big time contributor this season.
Mikey Dixon - Withdrawal. Coming up to midterms, was becoming clear that there was diminishing future for him here this season, so packed his bags and dropped. Can't fault his decision, Keita came back and Greg Williams started to eat his minutes.
Josh Roberts - Incomplete. Very limited floor time, but done a few good things on defense to make some here think he has a future here. I will trust the staff to bring him along, as it appears they have done the right thing by WIlliams and others.
