porterBrown
Active member
I enjoyed all of this.
Friday night, let's punch them in the mouth.
Friday night, let's punch them in the mouth.
Zuby “Beast II”
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
Contrast Zuby and Prey perimeter defensive ability to Joel’s. Not knocking a guy who helped the program, but it was criminal to see him isolated on switches through the years and get abused by quick guards. This is quite an upgrade obviously.
I trust how Rick works in Vince based on situation and need for Vince yo get reps. If Rick ices Vince he can flee at season's end leaving us with Prey and Maker at center backup - neither imposing in the middle.
I believe there is a big upside to Vince and consider that many African players take to basketball late after a growth spurt. I believe Hakeem Olajuwon was a soccer goalie who found basketball at age 15 or 16. I distinctly remember one draft scouting report being very negative on his pro prospects, saying he had poor lateral movement (seriously !!!)
A different athlete than Zuby, but remember for most of soph season Zuby was a nightmare offensively in the post.
I'm gonna trust Rick on this one, not to mention that 15 fouls at center allows Zuby to play a little more aggressively than if we didn't have that flexibility.
IMO beast, prey is already much more imposing a defender than Vince. In fact imposing would be a word I would never use regarding Vince. It’s layup season when he’s in.
On ball yes. Rim protector, no, IMO
In conference play per 40 minutes, they are about exactly even in blocks.
Vince 3.6
Pret 3.5
But the huge difference is their ability to deter shots (better than a block IMO) and to play without fouling.
Vince 8.8 fouls per 40 in conference
Prey 3.9 fouls per 40 in conference
I fundamentally don't think Vince is capable of doing what Prey did in the Seton Hall game.
Vince is a good piece in the puzzle. He is not Zuby, but he can be serviceable. He's better defensively when he is not chasing a man in coverage. He is not a great fit with our switching defense. I'm happy to see him give Zuby some rest with our lead safe.
Is this sarcasm? Prey is exponentially better as a shot blocker. He's being played at the 4, so he's contending with wings. He gets his arms up on defense...all the time actually. He had two blocks a few games ago that he wasn't credited for.
When Prey blocks a shot, it's about timing and positioning. When Vince blocks one, it's a swat. Just my opinion.
Just remember last year at this time, I stood alone here praising the upside potential of Zuby when he was getting trashed. Rick can teach Vince to be a better player, he can't teach Reuben to be 7'1.
And I was among the first here to praise Reuben, who I love. Except he's got to develop an offfensive game.
Last year I wrote: "Zuby didn’t show flashes of being good…he flat out looked special for 2-3 minute spurts. It was actually ridiculous at times."
I also wrote that he would average double figures this year and we would have to save up to retain him. I think the consensus on this forum was that he would be really good.
Vince hasn't showed any flashes of being good...let alone "special."
MugCostanza
Well-known member
The growth in Zuby's game at this point in the season last year vs where he was in October was noticeably remarkable. By February last year there was a legitimate debate here on if he should be getting more playing time than Soriano.
Vince has shown absolutely no signs of progress since earlier in the season and his minutes reflect that. I'm sure Pitino would have loved Vince to steal a few minutes in the 2nd half last night to give Zuby a rest but he just couldn't trust Vince at all in that tight of a game.
no way were you alone. Zuby was showing pretty clear flashes of ability around this time last year, especially with Joel banged up, Zuby looked downright better at times
Can't help but think the fan response after the Baylor game was a key turning point in the season.
You could see the impact of the "zu-by" chants on the player and his teammates the following night. At that moment, it felt like this group could get on a special kind of roll,
You could see the impact of the "zu-by" chants on the player and his teammates the following night. At that moment, it felt like this group could get on a special kind of roll,
Despite losing, the vibes in the Bahamas and at Baha mar in particular were great. The team and fans really came together there
I thought he was a better option than Soriano by the end of last year. I can't remember the game, but when he got into foul trouble and Soriano had to come back it felt like the whole board let out a collective groan.
The only thing that surprises me about Zuby is the non-fouling. You never see that year of year. I thought we would need a backup 5 to play 15-20 minutes with Zuby in constant foul trouble. It doesn't make any sense how he can play on the perimeter so much and not foul as a 5.
On defense last year Zuby was light years ahead of Soriano. The plus minus difference was huge! Soriano had to stay down low.
He was not quick enough to cover at the top of the key. Soriano’s game did not mesh with Pitno’s game plans. Soriano worked really hard to get in the best shape of his life and for that alone he deserves credit.
To be fair, most of our posters were light years ahead of Soriano on defense too. He was better suited for a backup role for a very good Big East team. If we could get him back right now, I'd take him in a heartbeat for 5-7 solid minutes now that Zuby has blossomed.
