C-Mac love

koralakers

koralakers

Well-Known Member
It’s hard not to love EVERY player on this gritty, gutty team, but C-Mac, who has taken a beating from all of us, has really upped his game.

Doesn’t stuff the stat sheet a lot, but is a great passer, darn good ball handler, and floor general. And his grit is equal to Luka, and the rest of team. Oh yeah, he dug out 13 boards tonight!
 
koralakers said:
It’s hard not to love EVERY player on this gritty, gutty team, but C-Mac, who has taken a beating from all of us, has really upped his game.

Doesn’t stuff the stat sheet a lot, but is a great passer, darn good ball handler, and floor general. And his grit is equal to Luka, and the rest of team. Oh yeah, he dug out 13 boards tonight!
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He has upped his game; is a glue guy; he battles and would rather win than pad his stats.
 
He's shooting better from 3 and playing gritty D. Wish he get a call once in a while, but has been a solid player. Evelin has really been a pleasant surprise, he is running the offense better than Joe T right now and is gritty on D. Fran made a good move picking up this guy.
 
He’s also the vocal leader and coach on the floor. He holds his team mates accountable. We need guys like that. I think he has hard on for Kriener. If I had a nickel every time I’ve seen him lay onto Ryan this season I’d have at least a buck fifty. If you recall the last play of the 1st half when Simpson drove the lane and scored a runner, RK was out of position. Well before Fran let him have it, Connor had already said his piece on the floor
 
Also, this is why you don’t give up on a player after his freshman year. He just didn’t have very much of a role last year because we had better options. Maturity and development matters even for the coaches kid. Kid’s just a sophomore and he impacts the game in so many ways. Great passing, smart fouls, heads up plays, smart IQ, rebounding, moxie and just a tough tough player. That’s his role, a floor general. Let’s face it, he might be a better basketball player then he is at baseball. The people who have constantly speculated that he’d quit hoops for small ball and just hammered him for not being good enough are typically the same guys who have a problem with Fran, Barta and Iowa sports in general. It was never fair or objective
 
I’ve probably been as hard on CMac as anybody. But I’ll take a big bite outta that humble pie. I think he deserved most of that criticism but I have to admit he has improved across the board this season. Good to see it finally happen for the kid.
 
koralakers said:
It’s hard not to love EVERY player on this gritty, gutty team, but C-Mac, who has taken a beating from all of us, has really upped his game.

Doesn’t stuff the stat sheet a lot, but is a great passer, darn good ball handler, and floor general. And his grit is equal to Luka, and the rest of team. Oh yeah, he dug out 13 boards tonight!
Click to expand...
He gives us what we need that night. Whether it's rebounds, assists, defense, or heady play. He even nearly saved us with his shooting at Nebraska when no one else could hit anything.

Watch the little plays he makes, and the junctures at which he makes them. He contributes more by not scoring than Moss did by scoring 25.
 
I just wish he would have gotten that monster dunk to go last night. Would have been all over the Internet as his only 2 for the night. Instead I’m sure it will be a few chuckles in the film room. But he damn near had that thing and I’d love to see it bring down the building next time.
 
I was a little frustrated with him at one point last night felt like he made a few poor players when it felt like the game was slipping away. But then after the game you look at the stat sheet and see he had 13 boards and 5 assists, that’s just kind of who he is a grinder. It’s not always pretty (although his post feeds are a thing of beauty).

As I’ve said on a few occasions his value to this particular team can’t be understated. His versatility and toughness have been huge. When he’s playing the four he still has some of his PG skills from that spot which means we have another ball handler and heady passer. I was as hard on him as anyone so it’s great to see what he’s doing. When our big three plus Kriener are going we don’t need him to score much, and that allows him to do the dirty work like he did last night, and I think he relishes in that role. Dare I say the Nicolas Baer of this particular team?
 
As I'm sitting here thinking about Connor I just thought about this comparison..... Draymond Green

There's obviously some differences in Green being taller and more physical but they are they type of players that can be great when surrounded by scorers. They love to defend, compete, rebound, pass and score enough but in an efficient way and not having to press.

Take away Steph and Clay, Draymond has to change his game.
Take away CJ or Joe and Connor isn't the same either.
 
Don't share the CMAC love. That doesn't mean hate. Sooner or later the lack of point production will slow down the assists. He has always been good about that.

About the rebounds, my son played on a high level HS team against players you know on other teams. There was a guard on his team who wouldn't/ couldn't play D and wouldn't block out. Guess who got the lions share of the rebounds. Once the local team with a current NBA player on it got upset early in the tourney, my son's team had a clear shot to state. Until they played a team that had a complete well rounded team coached by a former Big Asst Coach.

To restate, not a hater. Just think it's a problem that needs to be addressed.
 
Connor is what he is, and that is an important role player. He doesn't care about taking shots, he doesn't care about touches, he will do whatever is required to win. He knows his limitations and because of that plays to his strengths pretty well.

The thing that I like when thinking about Connor is hoping that Patrick is as self aware. Patrick has much more of an offensive game, and if he has the BB IQ that Connor does, he could be really good before he is done here.
 
CMac is vastly improved over last year, like every aspect of his game is miles ahead of where he was last year. He’s even showing greater maturity with the calls that go against him. Having said that, he earned the criticism he rec’d last year given the minutes he was playing, as well as the timing of the minutes (late game) Fran was giving him.
 
HawkGold said:
Don't share the CMAC love. That doesn't mean hate. Sooner or later the lack of point production will slow down the assists. He has always been good about that.

About the rebounds, my son played on a high level HS team against players you know on other teams. There was a guard on his team who wouldn't/ couldn't play D and wouldn't block out. Guess who got the lions share of the rebounds. Once the local team with a current NBA player on it got upset early in the tourney, my son's team had a clear shot to state. Until they played a team that had a complete well rounded team coached by a former Big Asst Coach.

To restate, not a hater. Just think it's a problem that needs to be addressed.
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I'm shocked that you are taking the contrary opinion : P
 
HawkGold said:
Don't share the CMAC love. That doesn't mean hate. Sooner or later the lack of point production will slow down the assists. He has always been good about that.

About the rebounds, my son played on a high level HS team against players you know on other teams. There was a guard on his team who wouldn't/ couldn't play D and wouldn't block out. Guess who got the lions share of the rebounds. Once the local team with a current NBA player on it got upset early in the tourney, my son's team had a clear shot to state. Until they played a team that had a complete well rounded team coached by a former Big Asst Coach.

To restate, not a hater. Just think it's a problem that needs to be addressed.
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Connor will figure out what needs to be done on a given night and find a way to do it. If he is needed to score more, I have a feeling he will find a way to do it. It didn't quite work at Nebraska but it will be the difference on another night.

He may so many heady plays out there he doesn't need to score to make an impact. If he doesn't foul the Northwestern player to stop the breakaway dunk that's a six point game and the crowd is back in it. His overall intelligence negates any offensive disadvantages he may bring. Look at these games we've been winning. It's not blind luck.
 
We put up 90 points last night. We didn't need him to score. He goes with the flow and gives the team what it needs every night. Nothing less.
 
deanvogs said:
Connor is what he is, and that is an important role player. He doesn't care about taking shots, he doesn't care about touches, he will do whatever is required to win. He knows his limitations and because of that plays to his strengths pretty well.

The thing that I like when thinking about Connor is hoping that Patrick is as self aware. Patrick has much more of an offensive game, and if he has the BB IQ that Connor does, he could be really good before he is done here.
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Connor doesn't need to score to be valuable.

I would bet a lot of money that opponents don't like trying to match up against him.

He is a leader, fundamentally sound, a competitor and unselfish. You can't have too many of those on a team.
 
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