H.P. Monday 6/28

akgopher

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I got an opportunity to check out the action last night and was glad I did.

-Nolen and Maverick weren't in the gym.

-Austin Hollins was the star of the night. He doesn't look spectacular physically or in warmups, and even started off slow, but as the game progressed people were taking note of his play and appreciated what he can do. He showed a nice outside shot, and the ability to handle the ball. What really stood out to me was how often he was in the right spot and does the little things, which led to some put-backs. Reminded me of a young Quincy Lewis. The only question I have is why he isn't further along physically considering the resources he likely had access to as the son of an NBA coach. He will have a tough time handling the strength of the Big Ten until he gets bigger. He's no bigger than 6'3 and thin.

-Iverson looks even bigger and stronger. Approaching John Thomas big. He also moves a lot better than he did as a frosh and early last year.

Elliott Eliason- Tall. Has a ways to go. Hopefully there's enough depth to redshirt him.

Rodney Williams- I read last week someone disappointed that he didn't look stronger. It looked to me that he's much stronger in his core and he's obviously working on developing a smoother shooting form.
 

Thanks ak. Hollins and Iverson have been getting good reviews from everyone, which is nice to hear. Good that Rodney's getting stronger. I wish Mav would have been there so you could have got a look at him. I understand what you're saying about Hollins, but lifting probably was put on the back burner. (Not the most fun thing to do for a kid)
 

The season only ended just a hair over 3 months ago, Rodney's not going to gain 10lbs in that amount of time. He may be a touch stronger, hard to say.

I'm was worried about Hollins weight until I saw him go to work yesterday, he uses his slender frame quite effectively. He grabbed a few offensive rebounding and using his back side to push away defenders and go back up and in. And if anyone one was there to see him drive to the rim and go for the two hand dunk over 3 much larger defenders... wow! that got everyone excited, this kid can play.

http://communityhoops.blogspot.com/ - Gopher recruit Austin Hollins had his biggest performance of the season, scoring 22 points.

Also I have to admit, Dawson played pretty well last night vs. Colt & EE.
 

Thanks for the update. I agree on Hollins. He was the only recruit I've seen at Pulley who looked ready to contribute in the near future. Great to hear about Colt. I have high hopes for our big men this year. They'll need to carry the team.
 

Defense and the physical nature of play at Pulley and the Big Ten are two different experiences, ask Devron Bostick. I think it'll be tough going for Hollins in conference play as a frosh, but in the end, I see him becoming a fan favorite. I hope people won't get too caught up in comparing him to Jacob Thomas if he qualifies at LBSU. Thomas could become a Troy Bell and be "the guy" for Monson. Hollins and Thomas have similar size a the same position, but Hollins looks to have the potential to be a complete player who might not lead our team in scoring.

I don't think comparing Rodney to the end of the season is fair, I'm sure he lifted during the season. I look at where he was last year to now. I see a lot of maturation and there's the potential that he might have a Big Ten frame by conference play, or be well on his way.
 


Defense and the physical nature of play at Pulley and the Big Ten are two different experiences, ask Devron Bostick.

I agree Big Ten is a completely different level, but he's not very far behind Devoe's build and much more athletic.

I don't see them as comparable players;
Bostick was a juco and had to relearn the game completely, he probably had never played real team defense in his life. The free movement of Pulley league suited him well. Austin understands & plays hard defense and has been said to have a very high basketball IQ.
 

Defense and the physical nature of play at Pulley and the Big Ten are two different experiences, ask Devron Bostick. I think it'll be tough going for Hollins in conference play as a frosh, but in the end, I see him becoming a fan favorite. I hope people won't get too caught up in comparing him to Jacob Thomas if he qualifies at LBSU. Thomas could become a Troy Bell and be "the guy" for Monson. Hollins and Thomas have similar size a the same position, but Hollins looks to have the potential to be a complete player who might not lead our team in scoring.

I don't think comparing Rodney to the end of the season is fair, I'm sure he lifted during the season. I look at where he was last year to now. I see a lot of maturation and there's the potential that he might have a Big Ten frame by conference play, or be well on his way.

As for lifting, in-season weight lifting is only to retain strength; whereas, off-season is for adding strength. He should show a new level of strength this season.
 




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