More on Michael Harper; more from open gym
Michael Harper understands that he is in an “underdog” role when it comes to earning playing time for the Hawai’i basketball team this season.
Harper, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard, was basically unrecruited out of Trinity Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia. Based on his performances in the Hawai’i College Basketball Summer League and in preseason workouts with the Warriors, it seems remarkable that he had to ask NCAA programs across America for an invitation.
“I was going through the recruiting process and I sent out a lot of e-mails,” he said. “University of Hawai’i got back to me and it all went from there.”
In an effort to prove his worth, Harper arrived on the UH campus in July to attend summer school classes and participate in summer workouts. The left-hander has emerged as a long-range shooting threat, and was recently clocked as one of the fastest runners on the team during strength and conditioning drills.
“The Australian attitude – hard work, underdog, just a lot of effort on court and off the court, helping the teammates,” he said. “I come from a combo 1-2 guard background, but what ever the team needs.”
Harper said he is “loving it” in Hawaii so far, especially because of the weather. It is currently winter in Australia, with temperatures in the 50s.
Australia, like Hawaii, is known for its beaches and surf, but Harper said he prefers to stay in the gym.
“I’m a bit pasty,” he said with a laugh. “The sun’s not really my friend. Indoor sports, that’s the way to go.”
nice dayton…the nre kids in town looking good.
the returnees looking better.
Hope you’re enjoying it here in paradise Michael! Glad that you decided to play here.
The guys collectively continue to look great in open gym. Everyone appears to bring something to the table.
Michael Harper… Fastest, maybe Quickest,,,
Get to the basket fastest…
Control the ball bestest, point guard effectiveness …
Scholarship to follow-est…
Keep Pushing Michael!
To Quote Famous Fans..
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!,
Mighty Michael Harper just might prove to be the best UH MBB walkon in BB history. The young man walking on , family helping him go to school, sending out emails to stir up interests! Michael you are a winner, , and the X Factor for UH having a great season. Thank you for becoming a Warrior!!
To Aussie Mom: Thank you for raising a great son, student and athlete!
Mahalo!
Thankyou very much Dayton for this coverage.
It is Father’s day over here today and I can’t think of a better present for Michael’s dad.
To all the Warrior father’s “Happy Father’s Day” – it looks to me like all your sons are doing you proud!
To Michael we love you lots and miss you heaps!
To Dayton and sponsors – we can’t thank you enough for keeping us up to date.
GO WARRIORS
Love the accent and best looking guy on the team IMO 🙂
Hope he earns some playing time, the team looks great!
And Aussie Mom hope for better and bigger things for Michael. He has great team and coaches!!
WOW, Jessica ! And Aussie Mom !
TOP Lady Fans !
Michael ! ON ! Your Way !
Ladies Lighting he Way !
It doesn’t get much better than that ! Oi ! Oi ! Oi!
Happy Father’s Day !
Uhfanzonly1 – agree – I don’t think that he could be in a better place or with better people.
Hey gang: Is this the same team as last year? Looks totally different(in a super positive way!!). From 1 to 16. All players have some offense, mid range, drive and shoot, spot up, 3 link smooth stroke, some power rebound by Isaac and Posts. ,,Ozren put a shake and bake move on Isaac, wheeew, to the rim..great for a 6’8″ SF or SG…Shamburger really worked on shooting and going to the rim..
.Manroop getting ready to run point for real…starts offense, looks for enty pass, great court vision, on finding guys out on the break, ala AC Carter or Tom Henderson, as a whole, the entire team can pass and looks for open man, not one SUPERMA, jamming the ball an making like statue of LIberty, guys seating, training hard, enjoying the competition and bonding..
Heck if they all stick together and follow Coach Gib’s regimen for preseason and attitude on court and school,, lot of true freshman will play, , the skillset of true freshman from USA and abroad, is like a soph. from 20 years ago..really great atheticism and BBIQ, even, JMO, with 5 freshman in game due to foul trouble or injury, I think the frosh, could seal a close win..Just have to get bigger, stronger , faster, and thank
Dayton, each teaser of an open gym video pre first pracitce in October, the guys are getting into better shape, running more, defending more, rebounding more and staying healthy..
man the KEY thing don’t get seriously hurt..MBB excitement is back!! Wow cannot wait for Oct first pracitice and possible preseason exhibition with HPU, then first game with Maryland Eastern Shore..could be 15 guys eligible and in uniform and ready to go in sitting on bench before, introduction of Starting five , that would be awesome..!!
SO I’ve been watching and playing BBall for decades (who cares how many?) BUT I swear this team looks SO WATCHABLE…it’s NOT just that the shots go in…they look so good in the process …
Dayton, Tell me if I’m wrong (please) but I’m guessing it’s not too bad editing these videos…
what YOU’re leaving for us to watch is like a “Clinic” of good offensive ball…
FUN!
That’s Why we’re seeing it, Right?
MAHALO, MAHALO, MAHALO!
ALL Ths Activity after 1030 at night?
Awesome! Aussie ! Aussie!
I am too old and disabled now to go to games at SSC …though our entire family are UH alumnus.
Good idead for Gib and staff to start going from Dorm to Dorm to invited sutdents to Midnight Ohana and games coming up thise season…That is what Dave Shoji did with WVB team, now several hundred students are coming to gmes, having fun and creating a grea college atmosphere..The same could be done for MBB Gib!!
Get the team out to the dorms, and on campus to drum up interest in upcoming season!!
Would be super cool to have 700 to 800 students cheering a BWC championship chasing MBB team.. a lot of excitementt..
Okay Gib and team get that promotion going, just going door to door, or UH multimedai doing promos, or UH athletics site, doing interviews with New and returning players, can guaranteed , the students will start to come, better than poing to movie, watching
TV or video game!!
Eagle, it is only 8.00 pm in Australia – so I have a few more hours to keep watching the video!! lol
Sorry on my bad grammar posted above, well you get the idad Gib, have to go proactive drum up support for your program from the student body by going to them in person, have promotions, two for one seats, atutograph sessions, before the season starts, get the players out into the community BEFORE the season starts, 700 or 800 or 900 students coming to game with good seats set aside for them will guarantee the kids will support and come to game at SSC, instead of going to mall, watching movie, playing video games etc..
Now interest IN MBB is growing like a mounting Tsunami…look out! look out! Their goes up the BWC tourney champioship banner before start of 2013-14 season..as a result of coach and team’s great success this year and the great core of MBB student fans..of course in you put on exciting team who wins a lot..they will come..
and your team has that POTENTIAL!!!!!
111
Mahalo Dayton for the terrific updates on the UH MBB team! Enjoy your interviews of the new & returning players and especially the Open Gym videos. Been a follower of UH MBB from Coach Red Rocha days (prior to the Fab Five), and this is definitely the deepest team yet (especially on offense – so many options!). Even Rozitis looks like he improved his offense and his jump – can dunk now! The key for success this year will be how well they play together as a team on offense and defense. Looks like Gib and staff did a fantastic job – not only in BB talent, but as to their character. All the players work very hard and IMO will result in victories in the close games this year.
Aloha to Aussie Mom and the Tonganator – great to see the parents of the players able to follow their sons’ BB journey in Hawaii!
hey, Dayton:
can’t say ’nuff how good ur on updates!
was nervy, now impatient ~ why no # 4 AV, yet ?
Mahalo !
hey, Jawato-Jefferson-Spearman-Tavita:
impressive improvements justified you to form a core-of-PG/SG-group to satisfy TEAM’s immediate need. with a super supporting aces of Clair-Enos-Harper-Pavlovic (alpha listing). as specific situation demanded. (>ever).
non-better teamwork, dedicated group b4/aft !
let’s go, you good chessmen !!!
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oi, Oi, Oi !
yeh, yeh, yeh ~
heard a lot of their success stories in the U.S. MBB spectra.
been wondering when Coach Fisher brings his impressive big to us from his homeland ?
drawn to the Aussie walk-on news, then the Summer League performances of Michael Harper has proven that his values not thru physical height for bigs but as a promising PG with weight, height advantages..
even among a fabulus
[ continuation ]
even among a fabulous group of other hopefuls, his personal fan-base also prospers just as well.
MBB Warriors 2012, NO KA OI !!!
Thankyou Dayton: growing excitement for UH MBB season and you providing us with insider coverage, Mahalo!
Favor: could you get a few minute interview on Manroop Clair(memory not too could, maybe you did ?)what he is working on, as PG, his weight, his height, vertical, his shot looks really good..just his overall take on how he is progressing as PG. If his weight is around 180+ and man’s up strong to any guard on UH, whether Michael , Aaron, Keith, Jace,The Brandon’s , he is going to really be a key factor at point and 2…
although it appears. 3 or 4 guys can be combo guards, handele, run sets, start the breaks, I think all the guards have good nose for ball, loose ball rebounds, get defensive rebound of the glass and start break..it is a good thing that Manroop always, keeps his head up, at first head kind of down,,,Manroop can learn from Keith, Keith his head is always up…looking where to make pass, the open man or run sets, when to shoot, and when to hit the seam and drive.
.although guys are ()appear, though they are working up a good sweat in steamy practice gym, have to make sure to wipe up wet spots, otherwis, ankle or knee or achilles or ham injuries could occur)going maybe 80% to make sure don’t get injured(JMO)..wait until OCT first practice, it will be intense petal to the metal, and Gib having 15 guys available who can play, that is A GOOD THANG!! Whoooo!!
yeah, a Manroop interview would be choice and much appreciated.
As Well As A Coach Gib SKILL Assessment of Point Guards, their current Skill Levels and Progress; Expectation, Readiness, Weaknesses (If Any)…
[Actually All Positions, but Esp. PGs…]
Numero for Valdes ?
(Not Yet Available/Chosen? i guess NOT a Big Deal for some players)
Thanks Again !
^^^^^ Yeah it’s been awhile and you’d think he has a # chosen and they’d post it to make him feel that much more with the team. But of course they may see it as not a problem(Valdes/coach/staff) and are waiting for the webmaster of some sorts to make the changes.
Hopefully they all come back from the long vacation to update the roster.
Some of you should make an effort to go up and watch the “open gym” games rather than drawing conclusions and getting all excited just from watching highlight videos made by Dayton. Believe me, watching the guys in person might leave at least some of you with a significantly different impression of some individual players and the team as a whole.
Of course, Gib may want it this way, as it has become increasingly difficult to watch so-called “open gym” play because at least lately, the doors to the gym have been closed and locked while the team is playing.
This guy is a future star!
He looks fantastic in Open Gym, and i agree that he’s the best looking guy on the team haha
Aussie Mum should be proud
Best Walk-On ever???
when you get a chan, ring me bacc 😉
One way to get the students out is to have free hot dogs and soda for first 200 students showing up at the game. Come on Warrior BB Booster club ,let’s do it for the students!! Marketing Dept. Get moving ,this needs to happen ,if we can spend 200k for another admin.job upper campus surely our students deserve a treat of hot dogs and soda, Come on Rock , get the Jabronies moving on marketing to students. Seriously all students at our community colleges should also be able to get in free provided we have a system wide student fee, they are all part of the UH system, and deserve to be at the games also. Ohana time.
Oahuan?? What’s wrong you seem like a negative and sad individual.
People should be free to have as much enthusiasm as they want. Debbie Downers are no fun!!
And want to add I am sure most of us would love to watch open gym, but not all of us live on the island. And I am sure Gib is locking the gym doors to keep negative and perhaps bitter? trolls like Oahuan away.
Jessica, You Go Girl!! Gib and other UH coaches have closed practices to general public. Get guys to concentrate. Warriorinsider is a blessing, Dayton has a great relationship with Gib and players. As for Oahuan, you live in Hawaii, a very great place to be. Sure things are getting tougher here as well as globally, economy, hard times, some craziness, . I guess that is why Aussie Mom,Tonganator, Memphis, Zagreb crew and UH fans,(elderly and hadicapped like me )cannot be free to sneak a peak at summer league or open gym.
Dayton is providing a great service to those who want to keep up with all things UH MBB ! He is doing a great job, Kudos and mahalos to Tony Schmidt Ohana and soon more private donor and sponsorships..We are just grateful UH MBB fans. I am sure those that post here as well as the other UH sports forum site, try as much as possible to be realistic, objective, and most importantly POSITIVE…brother or sister if you carry a lot of negativity, life is sad, and your friends and family are sad with you too. Wish you the best my brother or sister, enjoy life, UH MBB is a equal opportunity fanbase supported program. Best aloha my friend.!!
And thank you Aussie Mom and Jessica for keeping us MBB fans(kane) on a happy note, I can just sense the SMILES in your posts! Aloha, and MIchael Harper and UH MBB team and Gib, go out have fun and win that BWC tourney championship…it will be an exciting POSITIVE year!! You have support from Zagreb Croatia, to Australia, New Zealand to Kapalama Heights Kamehameha School, and all around the Global. Warriorinsider you have united the UH MBB fanbase.. thank you Dayton!!
Not sure exactly how what Oahuan said constitutes him being a ‘negative and sad individual’ or a troll for that matter.. I think some people need to get their heads out of the clouds and not believe that everything they see off of a few highlight reels is the complete picture. Oahuan’s opinion, based on what he has apparently seen from open gym, is that some posters here are a little too optimistic.. I can undoubtedly buy into that argument..
There are a vast majority, admittedly me included, that have not seen open gym and can only attest to what’s shown on Dayton et al’s highlight reels. While I am hopeful that we’re going to be an exciting and winning team, I’m certainly not under some false pretense that a particular individual is the ‘best walk-on ever’ or that we’re going to be the best team in so many decades.. That’s sipping a little too much vodka-infused kool-aid..
I think the reality is that we’re a young team, we’re going to have growing pains, we still don’t truly know who our point guard is, yet we have good, young freshmen + walk-ons and 20 wins and an entrance into the Riley Wallace tournament might not be an unrealistic set of goals for this year’s team..
Aloha Lono, true , what you say, we know that Gib and MBB team and expectaions are not for perfection, I don’t think anyone on this site(though it would be fantastic!!)Iis thinking that MBB team will go undefeated and win national tittle. If Gib won 18 games and invite to the C.I.T. tourney, greaaattt!! Anythingmore gravy. You notice Gib on his video indterview updates about his young freshman laden team. Great Potential however will be bumps in the road, and not everything will be going smoothly, however he loves the Character of team. Great students, athletes, and younng men. I UH MBB fans are united, we want the best for the young guys, Gib and the program Terrific!
Just saying, and Dayton echoes it, we know that minors below 17 view these posts, ..how would you like your kids to perceive what you say? Negative, pessimistic, downer supreme, or happy and optimistic..he just Happy to live in Hawaii. ..and be alive and have a little measure of health. Our keiki would appreciate that more than, Hey , what you all been drinknig!
Dayton has a fan, family and friend of UH MBB forum site. He has moderators which is great…When Gib ran into a little bump last year or two, a lot of us wondered? Hmmm..Now, he has got it in the right direction..check out the views for MBB posts on other site, in the thousands, even though fully into Men’s Football season..so Gib has set out to what he said he would do..relentless, though now he knows, he needs HIGH CHARACTER athletes, The right fits, and even without the AD that hired him here..he has done it, got great kids, and fantastic walkons..16 very good student athletes to join UH MBB this year: He must be drinking passion orange juice with extra vitamin C.!! Be happy my friend..
You should Post chat with Tonganato, Aussie Mom, Zagreb Crew, and Memphis, those are POSITIVE fans of UH MBB and team. I think they are drinking the good vibes of UH MBB on the rise..Hey no problem with that.
And, I am realist, the team has to work their butts off, and they will to have success, and Gib will make sure the best 8 or 9 or 10 guys play the best to win for UH and Hawaii and its fans without question. I hope and pray they have a good season. and they will, if…….they work hard, smart(academics) and together(no egomaniacs)
Thank you Dayton. UH MBB and your video updates, puts a ray of sunshine in the good fanbase and growing of UH MBB. Mahalo Plenty!
I’ve watched harper play back here, he’s just an animal whether it be BB or whatever he does. Never seen a guy work as hard as him!
Make sure you get around him, he loves to party too!
Glad to see everyone enjoying him up there, no doubt he’ll be a great walk on.
Aussie Baller, thank you for your post! Michael proving to be a winner off and on the court , great athlete , person and student!!
See that’s what we’re talking bout Oahuan and Lono, onew willing to post time zones away, thousands of ocean miles away with POSITIVE VIBES….gotta love that ALOHA!!
Oahuan:
Seemingly, highlights are what they are — just highlights — but when individual players repeatedly show what they’re capable of doing, it is very encouraging for us fans.
If you go on the scout.com boards, other fans that have seen an open gym or two (dunknbow and ayywhole) and have expressed their positive feedback as well. Also, many of the actual players themselves, from these video interviews, are impressed with the talent level already on the team.
You can already see the improvements that Hauns and Garrett have made in the summer league and from these videos. As for our new recruits, there’s enough scouting reports, ratings, or literature on the web that include evaluations from ACTUAL scouts. Some of them have D1 backgrounds like jucorecruiting.com or are affiliated with ESPN. The open gym highlights just confirm what we believe these guys are capable of doing.
Will this team mesh? I think it’s a little too early to tell. Still, a 18-20 win season is a reasonable benchmark to shoot for. After all, Gib won 19 in his first year with only 4 players with D1 experience.
G’day 808 from New York!…well said Jessica..We always have the Negative Nancy’s out there wether its football or B ball…Character Guys…Team Chemistry…Senior Leadership..Now thas what im talking about!..they have the time to develop together and shine together…im excited and looking forward to a positive season…Go Warriors!
Oahuan, seems like you watched some open gym. Care to share your thoughts on the team here?
It’d be much appreciated because as with any highlite video, they edit out the bad and only show the good.
This team will have a deep deep bench and has the making of a good team. From 1 to 16 they are all capable of stepping in and contributing—especially on the road where fatigue is always a factor. If one guy doesn’t have it on any given night no use leaving him in. We can do it with this year’s team—find the guys that have legs for the game. And during a long road trip we can rotate players so that no one player hit’s the wall after the first game and is lackluster thereafter.
Don’t think Gib will redshirt anyone, especially this year. All can contribute plus it is Gib’s 3rd year and he needs a good showing to calm down the naysayers. In this era of basketball most college coaches need to be a good recruiter and Gib definitely fits that bill. He is a good coach also but recruiting is his forte and is what separates him from other coaches. You gotta admire the life of a super recruiter—a road warrior, watching game after game, alone in the stands, searching for that diamond, on a cold day, in a remote town, doing what it takes—with relentless passion.
The fruits are starting to show and I do believe that it is only the beginning of something great happening in Hawaii with UH MBB.
Well Said — All
As a few have noted, good contributors here,
Good Support All Around
Other than Hurt & Disappointment (so Discern & Decide),
Nothing Really Wrong with Speaking from the Heart, and Aiming High
Keep Your Feet on the Ground (Except Slammin’ & Jammin’ ?)
And Reach for the Stars
(That’s NOT Really even Challenging: We ARE Star-Stuff…)…
Oahuan, Et. Al…
We’ve seen Most of the Players — (Summer League, previous D-1 games) — with the Exception of the three latest on-court arrivals — (‘Roop, Oz & Aaron) who all have very apparent basketball skills and/or physicality…
Don’t Think Any One is deluded into believing that Any of the 16 Players is a Complete “Ready-to-Roll All-Star Impact Player” (although some may argue for Vander, etc.), No Olympic Championship Starters, or McDonald’s All-Americans.
GLAD We have these videos — Thanks, Dayton! — Most of Us HAVE watched UH Teams over the years and Most Teams would have difficulty putting together “that many” good-looking highlights, in a week, much less any given day…
We rarely have a team where every player on the floor can shoot…
That Every Player appears to have good character and Can at least “Talk Team” (i think most players nowadays know enough to at least fake it)… but they also seem mostly humble and genuine despite their inner self-confidence;
i DON’T See Them Scowling @ Each Other — So Far, they mostly seem to like & respect one another; and maybe that says more about how much they respect themselves: Integrity & Doing What You Said You were gonna do; Is something Gib Tests throughout the Long Recruiting Courtship; It Breeds Self-Confidence, Trust and Teamwork…
Based on their Skill Levels, their Improvement, their apparent work ethic, they do also seem to be Hard Workers (Another Thing Gib recruits and retains for) and a Coach can definitely work with that…
The skills & attitudes, plus the numbers, gives them a chance to be a better than average defensive team (or there appears to be enough depth to Have them Sit and still be functionally good)…
The Skills also give them a chance to be a better than average shooting selection and shooting percentage team, No Pressure or Reliance on one or two gunners forcing bad shots;
There is some visible evidence that they also may be an average-plus passing team; the attitudes, attention to scheme, details, discipline, techniques & learnable skills give them a better than average chance…
YES, Every Offensive Highlight Was a Potential Defensive Break-Down and you can read on their faces that they already hope for and expect more of themselves — but even that is a potential good thing…
As pointed out by coach and fans, There’s A LOT of Youth … so expect set-backs and some inconsistency….and some of the players may not be ready to contribute to “Wins” for a while…
But There IS also A Lot of D-1 (UH, Dayton, Nebraska, Utah, SJSU) and International/AAU experience so there is a chance for some consistency at a decent level of play and positive improvement ….
No One ought to be criticized for “withholding judgement” ’til they get a few Notable Wins under their belts; this year’s schedule provides Limited Opportunities so they would need to develop pretty early or miss a few…
… Personally, i think they “Can Meet or Exceed” their performance levels of he last couple of years … and as others posted that is or should be a reasonable stepping of point …we wouldn’t want and i’m not sure the coaching staff would even survive much less …
but i would also guess that might not be the general discussion this year: first two go-arounds, one good, one disappointing; this may be the best starting hand, yet…
Good post, Eagle..
Lono: Agree with what Eagle says too. Basically all poster want UH MBB to do well. We haven’t seen consistent years of wins in perhaps a decade of so. If Gib is headed in that direction, and he has adjusted his recruiting scheme, I think he can get job done. Hey, we all have aloha for MBB, hope the best for Gib and Laura for 2012-13 season. And Aussie Mom, Tonganator, Memphis, Zagreb Crew, Cali families, Chicago Spearman family, all apprecaite what their young guys are doing!
Mahalo Dayton , for moderating our comments and letting us share our FWIW opinions!!
Thank you!!
Servante:
Good objective, realistic post. Always appreciate your comments. Really everyone who wants to see the Warriors do well. I know, and the whole state of Hawaii knows YEAR 3 for Gib, a big one, he has the student athletes he wanted. …now he has to coach them well, have them bond, get into great shape, buy into DEFENSE, and be a good shooting FT team from 1 to 15 in the crunch..outlook good..would be within reason for a 18 -20 game win season.
Mahalo for posts, and ayywhole and dunknbownut on other site: Mahalo all!!
DK,
Mahalo for insightful comments ! Yes, the returnees bought into improving from Vander to Davis, Hauns, Christian, Jawato. Jefferson, they have a lot of pride, and want to prove to UH fans and the State of Hawaii and the BWC that they want to be winners. And the new guys, are working it, whether freshmen or preferred walkons! Through the past over 40 years, I have never seen a team this dedicated to getting it done from offseason into Fall practice and conditioning. They continue working hard, will translate to success. Once again that benchmark 18 to 20+ wins would be fantastic. for Gib, 2 out of first 3 years winning ones and hopefully 2 out of first 3 post season bound!
Mahalo for post DK!!
Oahuan’s player evaluations should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Apparently to him Vander was another Doug Kurtz lol and not D1 and Last year he said Hauns was not a D1 Player as well lol
I wonder how good Hauns Can Perform This Year…
To me, last year it felt like he was fighting against or struggling in the system…
This year I’d expect more of the game to come to him And that he’ll be ready before it does…
——
This year, it also looks like Vander is actually looking for the pass, even while he’s moving with the ball…
——
“small things”… But good for team Effectiveness And Chemistry
——
RE: “Doug Kurtz”
I’m also looking for more good plays from (ADD: USC to D-1 List)
Junior Davis Rozitis…On the Court BEAST Time?
Eagle:
Can see Vander in open gym with old and new guys, a more mature Vander, he will kick out ball to shooters or cutter to the basket, working more TEAM mold which bodes well for team this year.
You are right. I think Davis, has to be stronger this year, he within 2 or 3 feet from the win, flush that ball, 2 points and one. He , if you noticed in last open gym video has 3 ball range. He could IMO play stretch 4, ..he is agile, saw him get into scrum, stole ball,and dribbled down and dunked. Davis has big year this year, with Fotu , Dressler,
FWIW JMO, I think Gib, as echoed by other posters, on both sites, need ALL Bigs..Christian, Fotu, Dressler, Vander, and Davis in the mix, just in case injury, or aforementioned Jr. does not step up big time…I hope Davis will, has to have POWER in Power Forward, the guy has euro skillset, yet experience in D1 ball at USC and UH.
Last year’s first half against NMSU’s solid Bigs, was the most inspired I ever saw Davis play…as you say HE WAS A BEAST or DA BEAST on court..heck even if he got, might be a NCAA D1 record, 5 fouls and fouled out in the first half..at least he gave Vander a chance to effect winning in second half, since Van was in foul trouble..
As upperclassmen Bigs, returning, if they lead , Vander and Davis by example..UH going to cause a lot of problems for BWC Bigs..UH has older plus younger Bigs with skill offensively..if can D up big too..Wow,,,should be good season..Backcourt, by committee, and Bigs beasting..whole TEAM in unity, UH can have good season!!FWIW and JMO.!!!
Oahuan does have a point that these are highlights and they don’t show the actual flow of the game, breakdowns, etc. The best way to see the players is to go to open-gym or summer league… unfortunately for many of us, this isn’t possible. I go to all the home games but I’m unable to go to open gym due to work. I’m very grateful to Dayton and WI for posting the videos, etc. It’s just amazing how this site has come along over the past few years.
Our roster is a mix of experience and youth but I’m excited about the potential for this group. Sure this team has a lot to prove and some of the freshmen will have to step up as starters or key reserves off the bench. We have depth and it will be up to the coaching staff to get everyone working to improve as a team.
One thing that I’m really excited about this team is that you can see why each of the players was recruited. For some of RW’s and BN’s teams, there would be a few players that were on the team that you would seriously ask yourself…. what did the coaching staff see in this player?
Pocho –
For you I will tell you some of what I saw that does not exactly jive with all the “great stuff” being gleaned from Dayton’s highlight reels. I will not “evaluate” any particular players (negatively or positively) because Uhfanonly1 believes too many tenderhearted people read sites like this so one cannot shouldn’t way anything that isn’t glowingly positive about a player because the poor dear or someone in his family may be scarred by it – also, because Josh loves to misstate any opinions I have ever expressed –
What I will say is that I went up to see “open gym” 4 times last week and was only able to see about a 30 to 45 minutes of open gym play on one day. The first day I went up, it sounded like a full team practice was being conducted behind closed doors to which even Brian McInnis was not allowed access (in August?). The next day I was able to see some play, as I said, but the next two days, the doors were again locked, although it did seem that play was going on (although I obviously can’t verify that fact). Why, I don’t know.
As to what I saw – generally speaking – precious little intensity compared to what one usually sees for at least the first 45 minutes of play. Except for an occasional 10 – 15 second flurry, there was virtually no defense being played. Whether the guys get along so well that they are taking it easy on one another, or are under instruction not to go after one another to avoid injury, or were just plain dead tired, I do not know. However, in the many, many years I have watched these open gym pickup games, I have never seen play that is quite so lackadaical and “un-competitive.” Pedrag Savovic and Carl English just used to go to war in open gym, and even Bobby Nash and Julian Sensley would really go at each other, as if to prove something to themselves or to each other. If you wanted to get some respect, you had to “man up” in open gym, and prove you deserved it. I saw little or no competitive rivalries among players on this team. Is that good or not good? You can make up your own mind. As for me, I think that when open gym is really competitive, you are more likely to find out not only who really has “game” but who has heart.
Despite the lack of intensity, I have to guess that Dayton had to shoot and then edit a lot of video to give you guys the highlights he posted here. In the short time that I was watched, the shooting was not good, notwithstanding the fact that practically 75% of all shots ended up being uncontested. Although everybody is putting it up from all over the place, you can still tell who are the decent, reliable shooters and who are the pretenders. A lot of guys shoot it right now, but I don’t think too many will get the green light from Gib.
I said I wouldn’t mention names, but there was one disturbing incident. Vander got into it with another player about something, I don’t know what, and just walked out of the gym. That happens, but the look of utter disdain on his face as he left was not a pretty sight.
seems like everyone is getting too ahead of themselves…we dont even know the stat line in these open gyms….there are no offensive/defensive sets run and no refs or pressure
Could it be that there’s a different intensity when Dayton’s cameras are rolling?
Or that the majority of players have been participating in open gym (plus summer league and workouts) since early July — compared with late August — in past seasons?
Remember, it’s much different now than with previous times.
Plus, the coaches are working with the team in full practices (?) once a week per a new NCAA rule. According to ucsbgauchos.com, D1 teams can now practice two hours a week.
Also, there’s the early morning beach conditioning on Saturdays according to Twitter accounts underway.
I think that Dayton’s highlights are a great way to observe potential and what the guys are capable of. Obviously, we won’t see any weaknesses, but after all, they’re called highlights for a reason.
IF Intensity is not present in any game, that would likely be problem for consistency sake and a loss against better teams. (I think THAT is One of the things football coach Norm Chow is trying to build into His Team that was lacking on last year’s under-achieving “slackadaisical” football team).
1) I “believe” intensity is available in Vander and Christian,
and likely can be fostered to become a regular (baseline) trait in Spearman, Jefferson, Brereton and Fotu…
2) Players who found their way here out of “losing” programs need to channel their past frustrations into higher performance and intensity, similar to what Bill Amis needed to do;
3) The Young Guys — Fully Half the Team —
We Knew they would have to learn what D-1 Intensity is about and
How to do that for ALL the minutes they’re on-court;
4) Teaching/Learning How to Play/Perform with D-1 Level Intensity is the shared responsibility of the Upperclassmen Leaders and Coaches — the ONLY ones who know what D-1 is…defensively and offensively…
I guess you never know until they get into game situations, but they look good on the highlights.
They Do…
( I think that’s why Dayton keeps pumping out new highlights…)
We’ve had teams that couldn’t make some of those shots on multiple tries…
Some Really Look like kids …
ALL REALLY ARE…
maybe taller than some other kids, maybe a bit more developed or advanced
But they still are….
They’ll all learn D-1 Intensity on different ‘learning curves’ and @ their own rates…
“Ideally” Faster through good team mates and good coaching…
For Some,
between Trainers, Coaches, Beach-Hawai’i, Fans, Teammates, etc.
MAYBE a little better or a little farther than they would have elsewhere…
Because this team has so many “elsewheres” it’s likely to be true for some…
Hopefully in 2 to 5 years, Most feel that way…
congrates Michael Harper:
you’ve established a record high of 55 posts under your review ~
your international popularity gaining momentum !
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi !!!
`
Trolls! Jessica you just made my morning! Just win warriors! Leave no doubt! Posters like Oahuan and Lee are needed to fuel your fire. Never seen guys so negative all the time. Dayton thanks for all the videos and your time!
FUEL THE FIRE!
BURN THE NETS THIS SEASON
RAIN FIRE OF THREES N’ SLAMS!
WINS & MORE WINS… GOOD TIMES
then we can nitpick all night…
Hey everyone….don’t mind Oahuan…….
He is a debbie-downer if I ever heard of one. He is so negative, many on WSN have called him out on his talk.
As much as Oahuan seems tell people that the highlight reel shoudln’t get people too optimistic, I think Oahuan tends to forget that our boys are on the off-season………….let them play the damn game. Not much defense? So what? They aren’t playing like Carl English or Pedrag? Who cares?
You live too much in the past and rarely give credit that this team has the makings to be something special. This is probably just the 2nd time I’m posting on this forum and from my observations…………I didn’t read anyone say something remotely delusional about the expectations of this team. They are optimistic and they should be. The team is talented and deep enough to make one hell of a run.
You are so negative, this is not the only forum that has called you out on your negativity.
Got to agree with Tunnel — those ‘special’ posts Draw out more Posters…
Good to hear ‘fresh’ viewpoints like Soljah, Jessica, even Oahuan
Lets some of us know there are more fans than might otherwise be obvious…
Highlights, for me, are better than lowlights, and fit how i want to use may time; i’ve seen enough losing, even average basketball; i like the skills i see and think more fans are gonna enjoy and decide that this team is Worth Watching…
LATER when the coaches are pressing the players on their intensity and working defensive schemes, i expect that will (in its own way) also be good watching — although defensive highlights are valuable and some can be spectacular, i think most fans like offensive highlights … scoring is the Primary Stat that earns W’s — GOT TO Score more than the opposition to earn the W…
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