Hawkeye Prime Time League Highlights, Observations from 7-9-17

R

RobHowe

Guest
HN's Rob Howe brings you his observations, statistics and video highlights from Sunday's PTL action:

LINK
 


Went to West Liberty yesterday, sat in a camp chair near the half court line with Jimmy. Got there an hour and a half early, set the chairs down and went to the Bluebird Cafe for lunch. Good place to eat. Got back in the gym just before the game started.....

First of all, I was really impressed with Ryan Kriener. He has no hesitation at all and will be a factor on offense and defense this season. I don't know how they will keep him out of the starting lineup. He is very active on Offense, and as a last resort will nail a three, almost every time. He has many moves in the paint and will be very difficult to stop. Watch out for him flying down the court for a slam. He and Tyler will provide thrills all season. Ryan reminds me a bit of Aaron White, especially his on court awareness. He is always around the ball, and quite versatile in the paint.....

Jordan played very well, despite being covered by UNI's McCloud. Bohannon brought the ball downcourt quickly and usually found Kriener. Jordan's stats are a little low because he is working on a soft shot in the paint. Might be better to use the square behind the rim. He ran the team efficiently all day. To end the game Dom nailed a gunslinger low three, followed by JBo racing downcourt to launch a game-ending three. Visions of things to come, perhaps.....

Tyler was unstoppable whenever he decided to take it to the rim, making changes in midair to make the shot, one way or another. Seemed to be working on a jump shot as well......

Dom looked good, rebounding and also looked more comfortable on offense, seemed to be getting back in the groove. We will need his experience. Not certain how many minutes he will get with a loaded lineup, but he will get some necessary time on the floor.....

Isaiah looked good. His style of play makes him look a bit slow, but he paces himself, always in position, picking up speed when needed. Casual efficient style. He should be starting......

Nicholas was Nicholas, as good as ever, working on a game in the paint, playing D, getting rebounds and all around excellent play. Nicolas should be starting, but I personally like him coming off the bench. He is very efficient and makes his presence felt immediately. I believe he analyses the game on the bench and knows exactly how to help, bolstered by his natural ability and basketball savvy......

Dailey looked good, looking more relaxed handling the ball. He is taller than I thought and will provide assistance throughout the season. Not certain how many minutes he will get but he will be on the floor.....

Didn't watch the game in the other gym, but Jimmy stopped to look in the doorway, and liked what he saw with Nunge scoring inside. Said he reminded him of Zeller and Kevin McHale.....

Jimmy knows his basketball and is a walking encyclopedia, so I take his observations to heart.....

Ton of fun and a good way to spend a July Sunday......

Ryan really impressed me......

Cat is very savvy. He and JBo work together nicely. Jordan's savvy is unquestioned......

Good things coming, Lads.....

:cool:
 
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thedukeofearl said:
Went to West Liberty yesterday, sat in a camp chair near the half court line with Jimmy. Got there an hour and a half early, set the chairs down and went to the Bluebird Cafe for lunch. Good place to eat. Got back in the gym just before the game started.....

First of all, I was really impressed with Ryan Kriener. He has no hesitation at all and will be a factor on offense and defense this season. I don't know how they will keep him out of the starting lineup. He is very active on Offense, and as a last resort will nail a three, almost every time. He has many moves in the paint and will be very difficult to stop. Watch out for him flying down the court for a slam. He and Tyler will provide thrills all season. Ryan reminds me a bit of Aaron White, especially his on court awareness. He is always around the ball, and quite versatile in the paint.....

Jordan played very well, despite being covered by UNI's McCloud. Bohannon brought the ball downcourt quickly and usually found Kriener. Jordan's stats are a little low because he is working on a soft shot in the paint. Might be better to use the square behind the rim. He ran the team efficiently all day. To end the game Dom nailed a gunslinger low three, followed by JBo racing downcourt to launch a game-ending three. Visions of things to come, perhaps.....

Tyler was unstoppable whenever he decided to take it to the rim, making changes in midair to make the shot, one way or another. Seemed to be working on a jump shot as well......

Dom looked good, rebounding and also looked more comfortable on offense, seemed to be getting back in the groove. We will need his experience. Not certain how many minutes he will get with a loaded lineup, but he will get some necessary time on the floor.....

Isaiah looked good. His style of play makes him look a bit slow, but he paces himself, always in position, picking up speed when needed. Casual efficient style. He should be starting......

Nicholas was Nicholas, as good as ever, working on a game in the paint, playing D, getting rebounds and all around excellent play. Nicolas should be starting, but I personally like him coming off the bench. He is very efficient and makes his presence felt immediately. I believe he analyses the game on the bench and knows exactly how to help, bolstered by his natural ability and basketball savvy......

Daily looked good, looking more relaxed handling the ball. He is taller than I thought and will provide assistance throughout the season. Not certain how many minutes he will get but he will be on the floor.....

Didn't watch the game in the other gym, but Jimmy stopped to look in the doorway, and liked what he saw with Nunge scoring inside. Said he reminded him of Zeller and Kevin McHale.....

Jimmy knows his basketball and is a walking encyclopedia, so I take his observations to heart.....

Ton of fun and a good way to spend a July Sunday......

Ryan really impressed me......

Cat is very savvy. He and JBo work together nicely. Jordan's savvy is unquestioned......

Good things coming, Lads.....

:cool:
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Thanks for taking the time to write this up.
 








thedukeofearl said:
I couldn't keep it to myself any longer.....

:cool:
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Taking note "Do not tell any national security information to the DUKE." :D

Thanks for the insight. Of course we know from past years that points racked up during these summer games often don't pan out in the B1G........... but we can hope and dream though.
 


I've been all over the place trying to predict a starting frontcourt but I think you may be on to something with your statement on the difficulty of keeping Kriener out of the starting lineup. I think the team would benefit the most with Cook playing mostly at the 4 and IMO Kriener is our best option at handling the bulk of the minutes at the 5. Wagner will be a solid contributor but the height isn't there, Garza needs a year or so to adjust, and Pemsl, like Cook, should primarily be a 4. This all may be due to PTL hysteria but I love what I've been seeing from Ryan.
 


Given how good everyone looks on offense, I would think that defensive proficiency will go a long way determining minutes.
 


QChawkness said:
I've been all over the place trying to predict a starting frontcourt but I think you may be on to something with your statement on the difficulty of keeping Kriener out of the starting lineup. I think the team would benefit the most with Cook playing mostly at the 4 and IMO Kriener is our best option at handling the bulk of the minutes at the 5. Wagner will be a solid contributor but the height isn't there, Garza needs a year or so to adjust, and Pemsl, like Cook, should primarily be a 4. This all may be due to PTL hysteria but I love what I've been seeing from Ryan.
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I think the one thing we could be overlooking is it was likely defense that kept Kriener off the floor last year. He's going to need to improve on that end if he's going to be our primary 5. I think this team has plenty of capable scorers.
 


NikeHawk21 said:
I think the one thing we could be overlooking is it was likely defense that kept Kriener off the floor last year. He's going to need to improve on that end if he's going to be our primary 5. I think this team has plenty of capable scorers.
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Perhaps the entire team other than Baer, Moss and Williams need to improve on D.....

:cool:
 


BigD said:
Taking note "Do not tell any national security information to the DUKE." :D

Thanks for the insight. Of course we know from past years that points racked up during these summer games often don't pan out in the B1G........... but we can hope and dream though.
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:cool:
 


QChawkness said:
I've been all over the place trying to predict a starting frontcourt but I think you may be on to something with your statement on the difficulty of keeping Kriener out of the starting lineup. I think the team would benefit the most with Cook playing mostly at the 4 and IMO Kriener is our best option at handling the bulk of the minutes at the 5. Wagner will be a solid contributor but the height isn't there, Garza needs a year or so to adjust, and Pemsl, like Cook, should primarily be a 4. This all may be due to PTL hysteria but I love what I've been seeing from Ryan.
Click to expand...

Ryan certainly impressed me with his interior moves sometimes with his back to the basket, faking one way, then the next, then turning with a soft fadeaway hook. One of many moves I noticed. His fadeaway jump shot seems to be quite difficult to stop, especially with his ability to jump, former high jumper and all......

I am aware of PTL accolades, but Ryan seems to have the skills which should manifest themselves on the floor during the season.....

I pray to the Gods that I am correct with my analysis.....

:cool:
 
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thedukeofearl said:
Perhaps the entire team other than Baer, Moss and Williams need to improve on D.....

:cool:
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I'd throw Wagner and Uhl on there as well. Those are our "plus" defenders. Even those guys can improve some. Moss certainly could improve some of his positioning IMO.

I guess my point is this. Last year Fran felt most comfortable putting Wagner out there for D, and letting Cook guard the other teams 5, which he clearly wasn't best suited for. In essence he chose one "plus" defender (Wagner) and one "plus" offensive player (Cook) as opposed to two "plus" offensive players (Cook/ Pemsl or Cook/Kriener).

So if Kriener can't improve enough on D, it may be tough for him to get the nod alongside Cook. Now Cook could improve on D as well and a potential Baer in the starting lineup certainly helps with defense.
 


NikeHawk21 said:
I'd throw Wagner and Uhl on there as well. Those are our "plus" defenders. Even those guys can improve some. Moss certainly could improve some of his positioning IMO.

I guess my point is this. Last year Fran felt most comfortable putting Wagner out there for D, and letting Cook guard the other teams 5, which he clearly wasn't best suited for. In essence he chose one "plus" defender (Wagner) and one "plus" offensive player (Cook) as opposed to two "plus" offensive players (Cook/ Pemsl or Cook/Kriener).

So if Kriener can't improve enough on D, it may be tough for him to get the nod alongside Cook. Now Cook could improve on D as well and a potential Baer in the starting lineup certainly helps with defense.
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I certainly should have included Wagner and Uhl. They both play good D, and helped out last season. Will be necessary this season.....

Individual and team D must improve for a successful season, I do believe.....

:cool:
 


NikeHawk21 said:
I'd throw Wagner and Uhl on there as well. Those are our "plus" defenders. Even those guys can improve some. Moss certainly could improve some of his positioning IMO.

I guess my point is this. Last year Fran felt most comfortable putting Wagner out there for D, and letting Cook guard the other teams 5, which he clearly wasn't best suited for. In essence he chose one "plus" defender (Wagner) and one "plus" offensive player (Cook) as opposed to two "plus" offensive players (Cook/ Pemsl or Cook/Kriener).

So if Kriener can't improve enough on D, it may be tough for him to get the nod alongside Cook. Now Cook could improve on D as well and a potential Baer in the starting lineup certainly helps with defense.
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As far as D is concerned, Garza and Nunge will certainly help on D in a Big way. Both are quick and active in the middle and around the basket. The experience gained preconference should prepare them for the Big. They both have attitude and will fit very well with the returning team.....

The team attitude last season was really fun to watch. Jordan oozes attitude, and can really get into the opponents' heads. Saw it over and over again in the conference season. The Lads grew up quickly after the opening loss at Purdue, a bitter learning experience. In fact, they played Purdue even the second half. Remember Bo snatching the ball from the hands of their freshman point guard who destroyed us in the first half.....

For some reason, last season was one of my favorites. The way this inexperienced team came together was exhilarating to me, and don't forget it took a Terrible Call at Minny to keep us from the Dance.....

Uhl and Wagner will be big factors next season. Not certain how many minutes they will have but they will be necessary to provide hard experience to settle things down when things get rough. Ahmad Wagner is one tough hombre and will certainly help home and especially away in the Big.....

Dom will give us necessary experience on the floor throughout the season. He was essential at times last season bringing the ball across half court when things became difficult. His rebounding and D will help settle things down. Will be a huge bonus if he regains his touch nailing threes.....

HomeBoy thoughts running through an idle mind.....

Nothing else.....

:cool:
 
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I thought the only thing Ryan was missing this year was strength. He has all of the skills and the basketball IQ...IMO. I think he's going to have an outstanding career at Iowa.

I don't think stats are going to be super flashy for a lot of the front court guys. There is so much talent. And there are so many guys deserving of minutes. I won't be at all surprised if multiple players end the season averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds a game and had outstanding seasons.
 


NikeHawk21 said:
I think the one thing we could be overlooking is it was likely defense that kept Kriener off the floor last year. He's going to need to improve on that end if he's going to be our primary 5. I think this team has plenty of capable scorers.
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I thought it was stated some time last year that Kriener was ill early in the season and fell behind others. And with Pemsl playing as well has he did early, Kriener wasn't afforded much of an opportunity until later.
 


This idea that Nunge/Garza will step in right away and play is foolish. We don't know what their learning curve will be like at all. They could get it from day one or they may never get it. We need to see them get real minutes, in real games before we assess.
 


trj said:
This idea that Nunge/Garza will step in right away and play is foolish. We don't know what their learning curve will be like at all. They could get it from day one or they may never get it. We need to see them get real minutes, in real games before we assess.
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Some guys come in ready to play. Cook did last year. Why is it hard to believe that Nunge and Nunge can't play right away too?

I know its prime time league but I'm starting to get pretty excited for next year.

I have no idea how it will all work out but I just think this is the overall most talented roster Fran has had here at Iowa by far and I think that's a great sign with the addition of these 2 guys plus I think Kriener has really improved and Dailey too. I've heard Cook and Wagner's shots are both better and Baer continues to work on being a more complete offensive player.

Now we have to trust Fran to figure out the rotations and to get the best out of each guy no matter what role it is they end up playing.
 


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