View Full Version : Players who are a pleasant surprise
I realize it is very early in the season and I suspect we'll see each scholarship player show up big time in at least a few games this year.
My question is...
Which player/players are looking like the biggest pleasant surprises to you so far and what is it about their play that impresses you most?
markchal
11-18-2016, 08:53 PM
Tyrique Jones. I think he's been our best bench player. Great energy, great rebounding and great shot-blocking. He needs to do a little better finishing and catching passes, but has looked more ready than I thought he would.
Tyrique Jones. I think he's been our best bench player. Great energy, great rebounding and great shot-blocking. He needs to do a little better finishing and catching passes, but has looked more ready than I thought he would.
He's been one of the biggest surprises to me too. To think so many of us wondered (at least I was wondering) if he would see more than a few mintutes a game. He's playing much better than I'd ever expect at this early point in the season.
MHettel
11-18-2016, 09:18 PM
Agreed. Reminds me slightly of Erik hicks from UC about 15 years ago. Physically dominant. He will develop nicely, I'm sure.
Tyrique Jones. Very small sample size, but we were wondering if he could contribute this year, and he's already been our leading rebounder in a game and seems aggressive about protecting the rim. Now, if he can do that without fouling out before the next commercial break, that's a big plus. Offense will come with time.
Nigel Tufnel
11-18-2016, 09:58 PM
Jones. He doesn't look like a frosh at all. Watched the game today with a casual X fan. He didn't realize he wasn't Reynolds until half way through the game. That guy does not have a frosh body. He's a stud. When he gets an offensive set. Yeah. I like Tyrique.
I thought Tyrique was supposed to be a little under-sized at 6'-7'-6'8", but when I saw him tight up against Gaston (listed as 6'9") he actually looked a little taller, if anything. Maybe he is a legit 6'9". You never know with what they list, but all that counts is how big they play. If Sir Charles can lead the NBA in rebounding, there's more to it than height.
X-Men
11-18-2016, 10:21 PM
Loved what I've seen from Bernard. He's been a spark plug on both ends and a real playmaker on defense.
Loved what I've seen from Bernard. He's been a spark plug on both ends and a real playmaker on defense.
Very good point, I was thinking just of young guys. Bernard became much more important when we got thin, but he's proven to be very versatile, and we need exactly what he offers.
nasdadjr
11-18-2016, 10:45 PM
To me it is O'mara. When he gets the ball within 5 feet he has a variety of moves that get to the rim and make it a bucket every time. While this guy was longer than O'mara... he reminds me a lot of Anthony Miles. Miles didn't have much but he had wonderful feet and could do a number of moves to get to the rim. Sean has that footwork and savvy about him. He is my surprise especially since he was Mr. Concrete Feet just last year.
XMuskieFTW
11-19-2016, 12:36 AM
To me it is O'mara. When he gets the ball within 5 feet he has a variety of moves that get to the rim and make it a bucket every time. While this guy was longer than O'mara... he reminds me a lot of Anthony Miles. Miles didn't have much but he had wonderful feet and could do a number of moves to get to the rim. Sean has that footwork and savvy about him. He is my surprise especially since he was Mr. Concrete Feet just last year.
I'm really excited for what Sean could do offensively this year. Once the refs get past their first month call everything ever a foul and let the players play more, I think we're going to see stretches where Sean dominates in the paint and allows others to be more open. I really like his passing ability. He appears to pass very well out of the post as Stainbrook did for us. With his offensive skills and passing skills, we are either going to find Sean with one on ones for easy hoops or Sean passing out of a double team to find an open three for a teammate. Hopefully we only have to wait a few more games for the refs to swallow their whistles a bit so he can play more than 2 minutes at a time.
nasdadjr
11-19-2016, 01:19 AM
I'm really excited for what Sean could do offensively this year. Once the refs get past their first month call everything ever a foul and let the players play more, I think we're going to see stretches where Sean dominates in the paint and allows others to be more open. I really like his passing ability. He appears to pass very well out of the post as Stainbrook did for us. With his offensive skills and passing skills, we are either going to find Sean with one on ones for easy hoops or Sean passing out of a double team to find an open three for a teammate. Hopefully we only have to wait a few more games for the refs to swallow their whistles a bit so he can play more than 2 minutes at a time.
100% agree
XU-PA
11-19-2016, 06:24 AM
Loved what I've seen from Bernard. He's been a spark plug on both ends and a real playmaker on defense.
Agreed, his defense very strong, started to show some of his offense taking the ball to the rim in the Clemson game.
American X
11-19-2016, 07:36 AM
Tim Stainbrook leading the nation in three-point shooting percentage.
ron meXico
11-19-2016, 09:18 AM
Agreed, his defense very strong, started to show some of his offense taking the ball to the rim in the Clemson game.
My man Saint Bernard is a very pleasant surprise... Blocking Phillips at the end of the game and hitting two big buckets to pull away from Clemson. Guy has been a great addition for my money.
XUMIOH12
11-19-2016, 11:05 AM
Bernard has been a pleasant surprise. I was expecting him to be solid, but he's been better than I expected on both offense and defense.
XUMIOH12
11-19-2016, 11:06 AM
Jones, too. I wasn't really expecting much at all from him, but he's come in and played very aggressively and has grabbed some nice rebounds and had some good blocks. He just needs time to adjust his game to pick up less fouls.
His expectations were already high, but I'm going with JP Macura. He's emerged as an emotional leader, which we were lacking, and has added 10 pts to his average ppg so far. We'd be missing Myles a lot more if it weren't for him.
bleedXblue
11-19-2016, 12:15 PM
Lots of options here. Biggest surprise for me......I have to go with JP being the leading scorer through 4 games. I would have certainly had Ed and Blueitt ahead of him.
xukeith
11-19-2016, 01:07 PM
BERNARD is a solid surprise:
100% agree. He is similar as a role player to CJ Anderson but he is more athletic and longer. I love his senior knowledge and suprisingly good scoring ability as needed (defense is good too).
bobbiemcgee
11-19-2016, 01:22 PM
Jones playing the way we need him to play. Big surprise for a frosh. Bernard has contributed with some big plays when we needed them. He plays like he's been in the League all year. I'd have to go with JP after yesterdays game. Really put this team on his back and did everything except sell beer. Clemson's game plan was to stop Tre and Ed, and as Clemson's coach said JP "made us pay" for that.
Blue Blooded-05
11-19-2016, 06:34 PM
Bernard has been more patient than I expected him to be. He put up over 10 shots per game at a 40% success rate at FAMU. I know they were bad, but I was worried he wouldn't gel with some of the more efficient scorers we have. Glad to say I was worried over nothing. Shooting 55% from the floor so far and hasn't forced much.
D-West & PO-Z
11-19-2016, 09:49 PM
I vote Bernard as well. Been very pleased with what he has brought so far.
XfansinKy
11-20-2016, 07:39 AM
Tyrique definitely looks like a big time 4star recruit. After his 11rebound game if I didn't know better, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to hear he was a 5star recruit that every program was after. Just goes to show stars can be misleading. He's got a bit of a Winston Bennett build to him too. He had a pretty good college n NBA career. No slight to Q though. By year's end, he along with Ed will make up one of, if not the most athletic backcourt in college.
Masterofreality
11-20-2016, 09:59 AM
Loved what I've seen from Bernard. He's been a spark plug on both ends and a real playmaker on defense.
So far from what I've seen, Malcolm is glue..... What Remy Abel was last year, although better offensively but not quite as good on defense.
bleedXblue
11-20-2016, 10:05 AM
Tyrique definitely looks like a big time 4star recruit. After his 11rebound game if I didn't know better, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to hear he was a 5star recruit that every program was after. Just goes to show stars can be misleading. He's got a bit of a Winston Bennett build to him too. He had a pretty good college n NBA career. No slight to Q though. By year's end, he along with Ed will make up one of, if not the most athletic backcourt in college.
Jones is challenged offensively. It will take him some time to develop into a threat. I like his shot blocking and rebounding that's he's brought immediately.
AviatorX
11-20-2016, 10:08 AM
Jones is challenged offensively. It will take him some time to develop into a threat. I like his shot blocking and rebounding that's he's brought immediately.
True, but anyone with his build and instincts who had a polished and effective offensive game would be in Lexington or Durham for a year before heading to the NBA.
XUMIOH12
11-20-2016, 10:54 AM
True, but anyone with his build and instincts who had a polished and effective offensive game would be in Lexington or Durham for a year before heading to the NBA.
uh yeah no shit that anyone with that size/athleticism who has a polished and effective offensive game will be headed to the NBA, because it's pretty rare.
AviatorX
11-20-2016, 11:19 AM
uh yeah no shit that anyone with that size/athleticism who has a polished and effective offensive game will be headed to the NBA, because it's pretty rare.
Thanks for pointing that out. Not what I intended with my post at all.
TUclutch
11-20-2016, 01:45 PM
Tyrique definitely looks like a big time 4star recruit. After his 11rebound game if I didn't know better, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to hear he was a 5star recruit that every program was after. Just goes to show stars can be misleading. He's got a bit of a Winston Bennett build to him too. He had a pretty good college n NBA career. No slight to Q though. By year's end, he along with Ed will make up one of, if not the most athletic backcourt in college.
You don't think Q is gonna play more than he is now at the end of the season do you? I took this quote to mean you think he could be starting. His PT is only going to go down with the return of Gates and Davis.
I love that we have multiple options that are all reasonable choices. That's a very good thing.
XfansinKy
11-20-2016, 05:48 PM
You don't think Q is gonna play more than he is now at the end of the season do you? I took this quote to mean you think he could be starting. His PT is only going to go down with the return of Gates and Davis.
No I think that whenever Q and Ed are in the backcourt together it will be one of the more athletic in the country, whether it's 5 or 10 min.
Xuperman
11-20-2016, 11:26 PM
The most pleasant surprise for all of X nation is that both of our frosh come in Big East READY from a physical standpoint. No redshirt to bulk up needed as in the past. Congrats CM . Q and Ty are ready made for the Jan/Feb grind!
XfansinKy
11-21-2016, 06:54 AM
I believe in a couple years UK and Louisville(especially Louisville) will wonder how and why they missed Q. He was widely known in KY as a big time athletic guard, and it's not like he had one good camp and suddenly popped up on the recruiting scene. As far as Tyrique goes, every time he gets in I'm just waiting on a big dunk, blocked shot, or a couple big back to back rebounds. He looks closer to 6'7 than 6'9 but I don't care. In a couple years him and Q will make up an awesome, athletic, and successful high-low combination.
The most pleasant surprise for all of X nation is that both of our frosh come in Big East READY from a physical standpoint. No redshirt to bulk up needed as in the past. Congrats CM . Q and Ty are ready made for the Jan/Feb grind!
We should really appreciate how rare it is for a freshman big man, in any league, let alone the Big East, to come in this ready. Very rare and very vital for this team that Tyrique stepped up.
Masterofreality
11-21-2016, 08:18 AM
We should really appreciate how rare it is for a freshman big man, in any league, let alone the Big East, to come in this ready. Very rare and very vital for this team that Tyrique stepped up.
The way he broke up that ally oop vs Clemson was awesome. Too bad the Ref Show had to blow an unwarranted whistle.
BTW. The officiating in Orlando was freaking horrific. If this continues, all Big East games will last 4 hours and they'll end with a 1 on 1 between walk- ons.
xufan2434
11-21-2016, 09:21 AM
That was a big time tournament for all of the guys that are getting mentioned. Q is starting to come out of his shell and show what he can do. I mean that dunk last night was ridiculous, but the steal and coast to coast lay up was a thing of beauty. That was more like the videos I saw of him in high school and I think what Mack was wanting to see. The more comfortable he gets and the more he figures out the college game, he's gonna be one bad dude. I thought all of the newcomers really improved and starting finding themselves over the 3 games. Gaston is starting to really get more active rebounding which is good to see.
Really feel for my boy Sean. He has all the pieces and just keeps getting stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Refs are really confusing him on what they're calling. But real excited when he can get past that. I just hope they start feeding him more. It's only going to open things up for everyone else if he's a constant threat on the block
xuwin
11-21-2016, 09:36 AM
That was a big time tournament for all of the guys that are getting mentioned. Q is starting to come out of his shell and show what he can do. I mean that dunk last night was ridiculous, but the steal and coast to coast lay up was a thing of beauty. That was more like the videos I saw of him in high school and I think what Mack was wanting to see. The more comfortable he gets and the more he figures out the college game, he's gonna be one bad dude. I thought all of the newcomers really improved and starting finding themselves over the 3 games. Gaston is starting to really get more active rebounding which is good to see.
Really feel for my boy Sean. He has all the pieces and just keeps getting stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Refs are really confusing him on what they're calling. But real excited when he can get past that. I just hope they start feeding him more. It's only going to open things up for everyone else if he's a constant threat on the block
I'm very impressed with the skills that the 2 freshmen have shown so far, but, I still don't know whether either one of them can shoot outside of 5 ft. Teams will start packing it in on them until they show some shooting skills away from the basket.
Masterofreality
11-21-2016, 09:44 AM
I'm very impressed with the skills that the 2 freshmen have shown so far, but, I still don't know whether either one of them can shoot outside of 5 ft. Teams will start packing it in on them until they show some shooting skills away from the basket.
MOST big guys can't shoot outside 5 feet...unless it's Jalen nailing a three pointer---once.
If they can, they're already in the NBA. Big guys shooting outside of 5 feet is also something that CMack DOES NOT want to see either. Need them by the basket rebounding.
xuwin
11-21-2016, 10:03 AM
MOST big guys can't shoot outside 5 feet...unless it's Jalen nailing a three pointer---once.
If they can, they're already in the NBA. Big guys shooting outside of 5 feet is also something that CMack DOES NOT want to see either. Need them by the basket rebounding.
I'm not looking for jump shots. I'm just looking for something besides dunks. I would like to see if Goodin can shoot a 3 pointer though.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not in any way disappointed in what I've seen so far. I just haven't seen a total package yet.
xufan2434
11-21-2016, 10:12 AM
I'm very impressed with the skills that the 2 freshmen have shown so far, but, I still don't know whether either one of them can shoot outside of 5 ft. Teams will start packing it in on them until they show some shooting skills away from the basket.
Yeah that has always been the scouting report on both of those guys coming in. For Tyrique, I'm not too worried about that. We just need him to rebound and finish any dump offs he gets close to the basket. Edmond drives so hard off pick and rolls that the only way he's getting a pass any way is if he's heading to the hoop. Q is 1-5 from 3 so far this year and teams will definitely start giving him that shot. But honestly with all the weapons we have on the outside, it won't matter for this year. He just needs to do what he does best by running the offense and driving the ball. He'll have plenty of opportunities to kick it if he draws too many guys to him
xuwin
11-21-2016, 10:21 AM
Yeah that has always been the scouting report on both of those guys coming in. For Tyrique, I'm not too worried about that. We just need him to rebound and finish any dump offs he gets close to the basket. Edmond drives so hard off pick and rolls that the only way he's getting a pass any way is if he's heading to the hoop. Q is 1-5 from 3 so far this year and teams will definitely start giving him that shot. But honestly with all the weapons we have on the outside, it won't matter for this year. He just needs to do what he does best by running the offense and driving the ball. He'll have plenty of opportunities to kick it if he draws too many guys to him
Our outside shooting has been very inconsistant so far. Hopefully that improves significantly. I would also like to see one of our bigs develop into a more consistant scoring threat.
The way he broke up that ally oop vs Clemson was awesome. Too bad the Ref Show had to blow an unwarranted whistle.
BTW. The officiating in Orlando was freaking horrific. If this continues, all Big East games will last 4 hours and they'll end with a 1 on 1 between walk- ons.
I had no problems with the refs in the championship game. Otherwise, it was pathetic.
SC in DC
11-21-2016, 10:40 AM
Bigs are 31-56. Not terrible, but I think we need to feed the beast more. More opportunities more scoring! Just for comparison TB and JP together are 18-63 from 3. So on 7 fewer shots the bigs have scored 8 more points.
xufan2434
11-21-2016, 11:35 AM
Our outside shooting has been very inconsistant so far. Hopefully that improves significantly. I would also like to see one of our bigs develop into a more consistant scoring threat.
Tre went 4-23 in 3 games, Ed went 0-9 the entire tournament, and if you take away the Clemson game JP went 3-12. Haha that is not good. And honestly, I think a lot of those were just bad shots. I'm not sure if it's because those 3 feel like they have to do more this year (they do) and are forcing it or what. But I do think especially when Myles' influence comes back, the offense will run differently. It's funny cause it's the worst shot in basketball, but Tre is absolute money 1 foot in from the 3 line. Kaiser and Myles will help with percentages and I think the ball movement will improve to get back to what it was last year. Myles' passing is so important
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