JackofVirginia
Active member
Wow! Just makes you appreciate having a big man at center. Congratulations to Louisville and Dieng; seven blocks against a tall Michigan State team. Two Big East teams advance so far, come on Cincinnati and Marquette.
What a Difference a Dieng Makes
- Thread starter JackofVirginia
- Start date
Dieng is much bigger than Obekpa.
Obekpa would be the best shotblocker we've had here in decades, but I'm not sure he contributes anything else for a few years, which would undoubtedly piss off a lot of fans on the board.
Between Harkless and Sampson he would have been a great catch, but positioned between Sampson and Garrett we need a little more punch from the center position.
Plus like MJ said, twittergate has soured me on him. Bring on Chandler, who'll score more and grab more rebounds initially, though he'll block only a third of the shots.
If you look at the top ten blocks list for regular season Division I NCAA players Four players appear on that list whose team made the tournament and are still playing in the sweet sixteen
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1) Anthony Davis- Kentucky
7) Jeff Withey- Kansas
8) 8)Gorgui Dieng- Louisville
10) John Henson- North Carolina
Of all the different top ten individual statistical categories this is the only category that has multiple players still playing in the tournament. The correlation with a dominant shot blocker and success at this level is more than mere coincidence. This is why I believe Obekpa would have been such an important addition to our team. Having a top shot blocker allows you to do so many other things defensively. You can press, overplay, double team and gamble all over the court and still have an eraser at the back end of your defense. Additionally the intimidation factor of a shot blocker changes many shots and diminishes shooting percentage greatly. Louisville was able to dismantle Michigan State's offense largely because of Dieng's presence.
Of the many things he brings to the table it is Anthony Davis' shot blocking ability that elevates his game above anyone else in college today. If Obekpa is not coming, then hopefully as Lavin continues to build our program he will ultimately bring in a defensive force who can help bring us to an elite level.
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1) Anthony Davis- Kentucky
7) Jeff Withey- Kansas
8) 8)Gorgui Dieng- Louisville
10) John Henson- North Carolina
Of all the different top ten individual statistical categories this is the only category that has multiple players still playing in the tournament. The correlation with a dominant shot blocker and success at this level is more than mere coincidence. This is why I believe Obekpa would have been such an important addition to our team. Having a top shot blocker allows you to do so many other things defensively. You can press, overplay, double team and gamble all over the court and still have an eraser at the back end of your defense. Additionally the intimidation factor of a shot blocker changes many shots and diminishes shooting percentage greatly. Louisville was able to dismantle Michigan State's offense largely because of Dieng's presence.
Of the many things he brings to the table it is Anthony Davis' shot blocking ability that elevates his game above anyone else in college today. If Obekpa is not coming, then hopefully as Lavin continues to build our program he will ultimately bring in a defensive force who can help bring us to an elite level.
I know I'm in the minority, but shot blocking is overrated. Sure it can be intimidating, work on a psychological level and brings fans to their feet, but overall it doesn't do much.
1. Unlike a steal, a block is not an automatic turnover. These days the shot-blocker does it more for effect (and ESPN), and spikes the ball so hard that it lands out of bounds or becomes a loose ball that has a good chance going back to the opposing team.
2. If you miss a block, there's a real good chance that the opponent is going to get the offensive board because you're completely out of rebounding position. And a follow-up dunk can be just as intimidating as a block.
3. How many times do we see a clean block get called as a foul?
I would take a bull who muscles his opponents out of the paint any day over a tall lean dude looking to play volleyball.
A shot blocker changes attitudes. You could see it in Michigan State's eyes after another block. I remember Ken Johnson doing that to the Johnnie's in the Final Eight game years ago. The Craft kid did it to Cincinnati yesterday by stealing the ball over and over with his ultra quick hands. Cashmere Wright then tried to out fancy dribble the kid and constantly make poor decisions and turned the ball over. You could see he was resorting to street ball. Craft got in his head, just like Ken Johnson got in Artest's head in that Final Eight game. Someone who can alter the game and get in your opponent's head is very valuable in the Tournament
JackofVirginia
Active member
Just look how intimidating Fab Melo and Drummond were against us. We shied away from shots inside.
Completely agree. Chris O would be nice, and it sounds like we're still involved since he's visiting. But I think people overestimate him: offensive game is very raw, and he's not Deng/Henson/Davis. He's a great shot blocker, but he doesn't have the size those guys do.
He's a great shot-blocker.... for his size. At the Big East level I don't think he'll be able to change the game like a Deng.
Chandler on the other hand would be our best center since Zendon. And would contribute on the offensive end as well. And if this season taught us anything, it's that we need as many offensive weapons as we can get on the court because we are not a great shooting team.
Speaking of shot blocking-see Withey of Kansas block 6 shots in first 10 minutes vs NC ST and end up with 10. It's as if nobody told this kid he is caucasian (just kidding-you know white men can't jump and actually can't think of too many capable of blocking this many shots in a long time).