Washington! Washington! Washington! Washington!

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touchdownvikings said:
The reason I am excited about Isaiah is because he showed development that does not relate to the level of competition. So we can expect to see similar performances in the future, without regard to whom the competition is.

Last year, our concerns with Isaiah basically boiled down to two habits on the offensive end (setting aside defensive effort): (1) he had a propensity for dribbling "blindly" into the lane and then getting caught having to attempt an impossible finish or deliver an impossible pass; and (2) to jack up poor shots instead of moving the ball to get it in position for a high percentage shot.

Neither of those habits relate to the talent level of the competition. They relate to Isaiah, period.

What did we see against Omaha? He moved the ball into high-percentage situations. 11 assists! When he drove the lane, he did it in a way to move defenders - he looked some off - and then delivered the ball. (He also has big men who can catch a pass this year which obviously helps.) He did not jack up bad shots. In short, his game has matured. I understand that some nights his shot will be "on" and other nights it will be "off." Who cares? That's basketball. But what gets me excited is that his game has MATURED. And we can expect mature play night after night. And with mature play, given the talent surrounding him, we will see wins.

Isaiah's speed + handling + finishing ability + mature play = success. We KNOW he has the first three - he came to Minnesota with them. Now he has shown us the that he possesses maturity. Good times are ahead.
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Fantastic analysis. This encapsulates my observations perfectly.
 

Comment that most of his good play was in the second half seems odd, because both halves count the same. I realize this was Omaha who isn't great but he played well. He didn't schedule Omaha. He played them and dominated.
 

Pdiddy said:
He was beyond pathetic last year. I need to see some consistency to jump on this bandwagon. Let’s see him put up numbers against real completion
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You’re beyond pathetic for posting this


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Pdiddy said:
He was beyond pathetic last year. I need to see some consistency to jump on this bandwagon. Let’s see him put up numbers against real completion
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Just because you didn't watch the last 9 games of the season last year doesn't mean they didn't happen.
 

Kids gonna be good. Last year, basically, he played like a freshman at times. He will mature and be a stud.
 


Pitino chimes in on Washington:
Isaiah Washington - 0 for 3 with challenged shots was the only real negative. Tends to get a little casual out there with his jumper and when he is dribbling. Other than that, I thought Isaiah was terrific. Came to me before the season and asked what he needed to do to start. I told him to play compete and play harder, especially on the defensive end. He's starting to force me to make tough decisions. I'm proud of his growth.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Comment that most of his good play was in the second half seems odd, because both halves count the same. I realize this was Omaha who isn't great but he played well. He didn't schedule Omaha. He played them and dominated.
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There are liabilities with IW. Pitino has pointed them out. IW can become a solid point guard, but he isn't there yet.
When IW is on the court, his teammates will have to make defensive adjustments because the guy that IW is guarding will often be able to make passes over him at will. IW will need to play tighter on-ball defense to compensate and his teammates will need to be aware of passing lanes that occur because Washington can't defend the pass over the top. That's not fully IW's fault. It's just a reality.
Offensively, as long as IW stays under control and gets the rock moving within the set, he'll be fine. However, he's still impatient. You didn't see it against Omaha because they didn't slow us down, but teams that let the air out of the ball are going to make it hard for IW to stay in the game.
I do think Washington will be a very solid point guard as time passes. I'm not yet convinced that he is there. Let's see his body of work over this season.
 

He is 4’8. And he isn’t guarding guys who are 7’ tall. They can’t just throw it over him like an adult vs a young child. Your points are weird and based on nothing. Just a strange rant that we have to worry about guys just simply passing the ball over him.
 

What do suppose the over and under is, on this arguement:confused:
 



UpAndUnder43 said:
He is 4’8. And he isn’t guarding guys who are 7’ tall. They can’t just throw it over him like an adult vs a young child. Your points are weird and based on nothing. Just a strange rant that we have to worry about guys just simply passing the ball over him.
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Lol love it! I agree. I would think in watching a basketball no matter who's guarding who this happens in a game a hundred times lol
 

My perspective: The point guard runs the offense. Last year's offense was (became) awful. His teammates couldnt handle his passes, and our scoring options were dropping like flies. As the floor general, he tried to do too much but he did need to try to establish himself as a scoring threat. He failed in that situation, but few freshmen PG would have been able to show what they could do in that situation. His stats actually weren't bad. I think people expected him to be a self-absorbed ball hog, so thats what they saw. I saw a player struggling to find a game that would work, which is what anyone in his position would have had trouble with. 11 assists didnt surprise me. We saw this at times last year. This year we have players who can catch the damn ball!

I loved Mason, and yet he and IW didn't get in sync. Mason didnt really move to the 2 when IW was on the court. Dupree, who adjusted better, was out so much. This year, Coffey and Dupree will slide easily to 2 when he's on the court. Our offense is going to be able to flow regardless.
 

IW had a stinker of a game against Utah. More of a halfcourt game similar to big ten games.
Jacking up 3's without a single pass.
 

Great job, Isaiah! In the second half you drove the offense. That's all the team needs. When your shot starts dropping, so much the better. But it's not needed. Just keep doing what you did in the second half. Good things are ahead!
 




Great second half by IW tonight against the Huskies. That’s what good point guard play looks like. Wow, what a difference that makes for this team. The TV crew really noticed and gave him the props he deserved.


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Jelly had some nice moments last night. Very encouraging. The main thing he has is an amazing handle. The kid is a great ball handler. That's the building block all his other skills can be built on.

He still makes bad decisions, turns easy plays into hard ones and kills our offensive flow by jacking up contested shots early in the shot clock, but he's getting better & you can see the talent is there.

We just need to be patient with him as he learns how to play real basketball. Fingers crossed that he continues to figure it out this year & that by seasons end, he's grown into our lead guard. As much as I like Amir, I don't see us going far with him at the lead guard moving forward. To take that next step as a team, we need IW to figure it out and become dependable.
 

Bordergopher said:
Great second half by IW tonight against the Huskies. That’s what good point guard play looks like. Wow, what a difference that makes for this team. The TV crew really noticed and gave him the props he deserved.


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The kid just needs to take care of the ball and distribute. He gets into trouble when he tries to be "Jelly."
 

MennoSota said:
The kid just needs to take care of the ball and distribute. He gets into trouble when he tries to be "Jelly."
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He's getting so much better though, he probably had a free reign to do whatever he wanted on the basketball court most of his life, it just takes time.
 

jovs said:
He's getting so much better though, he probably had a free reign to do whatever he wanted on the basketball court most of his life, it just takes time.
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Agreed. Time will help. Sure would be nice if there was another point guard available while we wait, however.
 

Clem used to say when he got a Freshman PG, that he had to "tear them down, then build them back up" and that's what's going on with IW. Years of showtime basketball & no team defense, has to be unlearned.
 

If he's going to start and play significant minutes, he needs to play smart, develop a consistent jumper, and hold his own on the defensive end. Any ball handler needs to hit FTs or they cant be in the game in crunch time. I would hope that he had been working on his shooting mechanics all summer, haven't seen many results so far. We really need him to step up if this is going to be a tournament team.
 

I think his main obstacle is himself. He gets so down on himself when he makes a mistake. He had that great drive towards the end of the game and looked surprised how open he was near the bucket, then missed a pretty easy one. You could tell he was really down after that. He has to learn to forget it and get the next one.
 


This is the best half of basketball by a MN point guard I've seen in a long time! IF WASHINGTON CAN KEEP HIS HEAD ON THIS SPACE... WOW!!

He does not need to score personally that much... just do what you do, Isaiah!! There is no one like you! GO!! GO!! GO!!
 

touchdownvikings said:
This is the best half of basketball by a MN point guard I've seen in a long time! IF WASHINGTON CAN KEEP HIS HEAD ON THIS SPACE... WOW!!

He does not need to score personally that much... just do what you do, Isaiah!! There is no one like you! GO!! GO!! GO!!
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Seriously? Did you not witness some of the games Mason played in? Not taking away anything from Washington’s nice passes tonight but this is a North Florida team we’re talking about. Let’s not go overboard here. And please don’t go by Katz’s bs commentary.

And this team should be absolutely embarrassed by the score and their overall play thus far.
 

Way to go Jelly! Nice job. Played under control and hit shots. Very good job passing the ball.
 

Really happy for him and I hope this gets him going strong for the Big season. This team needs him to play consistently in the flow of the offense.
 

14 points, 13 assists. And that doesn't tell the whole story.

Isaiah, your time is coming. Don't focus on scoring - that will just happen. The way you moved the ball - you were Joe Montana. And as for those who would bring you down, please ignore them. You are above them. Play like that and act like that. God bless you, Isaiah.
 

If he can do 80% of what he did tonight on a regular basis, he has to start. The offense is so much more functional with a real PG.
 

howeda7 said:
If he can do 80% of what he did tonight on a regular basis, he has to start. The offense is so much more functional with a real PG.
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And Coffey for a lot of good looks running out and getting the ball. Huge part of his game
 

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