Busch Should Not Be Playing This Much

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Honyocker

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Busch works hard on the court, but the kid is just not athletic enough to get serious minutes. Let's hope one of the new guys who is much more athletic will start to understand and execute Tubby ball so Busch can get the minutes that fit his talent level.
 

Honyocker, while I respect your opinion, why don't we let Tubby call who plays and when. He knows a lot more about each and every one of these guys than you, me, or anyone else does. Please lay off Busch or any of the other players. Thanks.
 

Busch is a great team player but I agree with Honyocker that we will be a much tougher team to beat once our more talented players can figure out Tubby's system. I just don't see too many Travis Busch type players seeing meaningful minutes on top tier teams.
 

I disagree, Busch should be playing this much until someone takes those minutes from him. He brings a toughness to the court, especially in regards to rebounding, that this team needs. We gave up way too many offensive boards tonight, and Busch is one of the few guys on the team who really boxes out.
 

Busch is giving us precious minutes in the post. Williams is not playing and Carter is out. So we need his versatility to help out down low and give Iverson and Johnson a breather. Sampson is had a very poor game. Besides, Travis is not playing that badly. When Williams and Carter are 100% the situation will be different.
 


Dr.Don said:
Honyocker, while I respect your opinion, why don't we let Tubby call who plays and when. He knows a lot more about each and every one of these guys than you, me, or anyone else does. Please lay off Busch or any of the other players. Thanks.
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We get it. Any disagreement is bad. We can't second guess anyone. We should only praise Tubby. Pointing out the obvious is a heinous act (except when you do it), etc.
 

What did he have like 6 points in 10 minutes? Holy crap, that's pretty good production.
 

Two very ugly turnovers though. If he could be mistake free and not shoot anything other than layups no one would care how much he plays. I'd like to see the +/- when he was in the game.
 

Busch is doing great with his small amounts of minutes, impresses me more and more with every game with his hustle.
 



I think Busch is looking pretty good. Better than I was expecting this year. Is it just me, or does Ralph have kind of a sleepy/tired look to him?
 

I think it's kind of funny how folks get down on Busch ... especially when he does a lot of the "little things" (e.g. moving without the ball, blocking out, scrambling after the loose balls, etc) pretty well.

That said, I'd agree that his PT is higher than it would otherwise be if Paul Carter was healthy. And I suspect that next year Travis's PT declines with the anticipated additions to the squad (and assuming current players return and are healthy). But I think it's pretty clear that Tubby has a lot of confidence in him ... of course Tubby is easily swayed by a pretty face and can't really evaluate a player ;)
 

From the Barn said:
Two very ugly turnovers though. If he could be mistake free and not shoot anything other than layups no one would care how much he plays. I'd like to see the +/- when he was in the game.
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Westbrook and Nolen had a few ugly turnovers last night too I saw.
 

Busch plays within himself and provides the extra's that often goes unnoticed. He takes good shots and knows his limits. JAS knows he has to score to stay on the floor and lets it fly.

There are times when I would rather see Busch out there versus Hoff. We often live and die with Hoff's 3's and there were moments of each last night. He gave us a spurt and then took a couple quick 3's that missed and Virginia got back in the game. Busch's D and rebounding is better than Hoff.

Was Hoff guarding Tucker?
 



I'm sure Busch earns his limited minutes with hard-nosed practices. It's not like he's embarrassing himself as Payton does when he gets a rare chance to play.
 

Tubby knows that he needs a deep bench and you don't get one without giving those players some minutes. He's thinking about postseason not just preseason.
 

Busch adds one of Tubby's.......

favorite ingrediants.....sheer toughness!! He has rasied hi level of play, and can surely add a bit of energy when the team needs it.

People have trouble seeing a 6-4 white guy playing the 4 at this level, but the kid does have tremendous heart.
 

Solid fundamentals, tough, physical player, that is not a bad shooter. He just does not have the size or quickness for this level. How much smaller than Sir Charles is he anyway. Let his production determine his playing time.
 

Busch is maybe our grittiest player, and while i don't think he will fill up a box score he'll do the dirty work that'll allow freaks like paul carter and Damien Johnson to wow with their athleticism.
 

what's funny is I would agree w/ the original post if I hadn't seen any of our games yet, and merely looked at box scores....BUT that being said, I think Busch has done a fine job coming off the bench and providing instant action and scrap; he maintains the flow of the game nicely. he is by no means the player I look forward to the least coming in for the 2nd string...I'd rather have Busch in that some other players.
 

Busch is that valued utility player. He plays where and how Tubby wants him to. He is rewarded for his play and also kept sharp by his minutes. I can still see him trying to front and then blockout the brute center from Indiana last year. That was a classic!
 

I actually think we all underestimate Travis' athleticism. We see a 6-5 white dude and think he's scrappy and tough. He is. But, he's also athletic. He's the 2nd fastest player on the team. He runs the floor extremely well. He can jump out of the gym, too. He isn't that quick, but he has other athletic attributes.
 

Busch has earned his PT

Everything I've seen indicates Busch is earning his minutes. He's an intangible guy. I have no problem with him getting significant playing time. Sometimes we can get too hung up on how highly recruited a guy was. Once you hit the practice floor, that stuff doesn't matter. These coaches are paid big bucks to win. They'll play the guys they think give them the best chance to win, even if it's a former walk-on over a highly touted juco or freshman. It's pretty simple, really.
 

tjgopher said:
I actually think we all underestimate Travis' athleticism. We see a 6-5 white dude and think he's scrappy and tough. He is. But, he's also athletic. He's the 2nd fastest player on the team. He runs the floor extremely well. He can jump out of the gym, too. He isn't that quick, but he has other athletic attributes.
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I've seen the kid "one handed" dunk over taller players several times.

The kid can play. If someone deserves more minutes Tubby will see to it that that player gets more minutes. So far Busch has showed he deserves those minutes.
 

Nolen and Devoe would smoke him in a race, and I'm still waiting to see him dunk or really get off the floor at all post-high school.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Everything I've seen indicates Busch is earning his minutes. He's an intangible guy. I have no problem with him getting significant playing time. Sometimes we can get too hung up on how highly recruited a guy was. Once you hit the practice floor, that stuff doesn't matter. These coaches are paid big bucks to win. They'll play the guys they think give them the best chance to win, even if it's a former walk-on over a highly touted juco or freshman. It's pretty simple, really.
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Giving PT to the guy who shows the effort and intangibles also sends a message to those highly recruited guys who are not getting the PT. Its a learning experience early in their college career that may pay big dividends later.
 

I'm usually pleasantly surprised everytime Busch takes the floor. He's definitely showing his value coming off the bench.
 

From the Barn said:
Nolen and Devoe would smoke him in a race
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Probably ... but last time I looked, it's a combination of reaction time, placement and speed that matters. Busch has pretty good reaction time, is usually placed correctly and has decent (but not blazing) speed.
I'm still waiting to see him dunk or really get off the floor at all post-high school.
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Does a basket still count for 2 points if it's a lay-up or is there extra-credit for elevating above the rim for a dunk? Am I unaware of a rule-change? ;)
 

Apparently it does, with bonus points for dunking on people taller. Also, bonus points awarded based on one's 40 times as they approach the basket.
 

Anyone who thinks Busch is playing to much...

...has either not watched any of the games or has limited basketball IQ. It's obvious what he brings to the team, his contributions have been accurately described in several of the posts above. Bottom line, there is no one else on the team like him and we would definitely be worse off without him.

4 more years!
 

From the Barn said:
Apparently it does, with bonus points for dunking on people taller. Also, bonus points awarded based on one's 40 times as they approach the basket.
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Who said that? I simply responded to posters who claimed Busch was not a good athlete. He is. He's a white guy, so many people fall into the stereotype that he must be unathletic yet scrappy. Nevermind the facts that he can run and jump about as well as anyone on the team. He can shoot it, too. Now, does that mean he should be starting or playing 32 minutes a night? Of course not. But, the 13 minutes per game he's getting is fine.

Basically, I'm trying to come to the defense of a guy who has been wrongly stereotyped, IMO.
 

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