mike needs to become a threat to knock down
- Thread starter hawkinarkansas
- Start date
tm3308
Well-Known Member
And all of those shots were 15-foot jumpers, I'm sure.
If you've watched Gesell play for the last three years, it shouldn't take any convincing to make you understand he's absolutely a threat to knock down the 15-footer. His mid-range pull up game has been his bread and butter for 3+ years now. The overwhelming majority of his misses during this rough stretch have come on drives to the basket where he hasn't finished.
If I'm scouting Mike Gesell to know his strengths and weaknesses. I would say his 15 foot jumper is his best attribute in regards to scoring. Not a great 3 point shooter. Better to defend him to the basket and let big guys help. Mostly a set up man for other scorers. Runs the break great as a floor general and making good decisions. Typically not looking to score, but will try to catch you off guard by going to the rim.
Every player should be reading what the defense is giving to determine jump shots or drives. I agree Mike will need to have some good games for Iowa to make a deep run, but that is true of almost everyone of the starting 5 and some bench players if we get deep.
Every player should be reading what the defense is giving to determine jump shots or drives. I agree Mike will need to have some good games for Iowa to make a deep run, but that is true of almost everyone of the starting 5 and some bench players if we get deep.
ibahawkeye
Well-Known Member
Plain and simple.... Mike's not playing his best ball right now.
He was playing pretty well earlier this year. Maybe it's the hamstring that he's battling?/ Maybe it's a small mental slump.
Hopefully he can come out of the slump in the next month and be able to get things going for March.
He was playing pretty well earlier this year. Maybe it's the hamstring that he's battling?/ Maybe it's a small mental slump.
Hopefully he can come out of the slump in the next month and be able to get things going for March.
bcl20
Well-Known Member
There's a difference between being a great mid range shooter and being a threat to hit it. Mike is a threat to hit it. Defenses account for it and all that good stuff. I'm not sure how him attempting a couple more mid range shots a game really equates to more wins, especially when him not taking that shot means a potential open three from Jok or Uthoff or a layup from countless other good players. Ultimately its beating a dead horse. We know what Mike is and the teams a projected one seed the piling on (ie 80 threads about gesells flaws) is a tad monotanous.
Bigtenchamp
Well-Known Member
Mike has never been a great outside shooter... and he has struggled shooting/scoring lately.
However he is still (unless too injured) capable of being a threat.
Hopefully he gets his offense back because obviously more threats to score increases the opportunities for everyone else.
But yeah it does seem like a deadish horse.
However he is still (unless too injured) capable of being a threat.
Hopefully he gets his offense back because obviously more threats to score increases the opportunities for everyone else.
But yeah it does seem like a deadish horse.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Luckily, Iowa has multiple players that can provide 8 pts to lift others up. To me, Mike needs to continue to take care of the ball and find shooters with assists. He can penetrate but is not always consistent. Clemmons can penetrate is needed.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Please provide the assists and steals stats. Luckily, one guy doesn't break this team.
....and the point you want to make is that Iowa is...................6-1 over that time frame. I get it!
NEIChawk
Well-Known Member
I like having Mike on the floor, he does more than attempt shots. His dribbling around and around kind of drives me crazy, but he's the floor general, he needs to get things moving....Now, his shots are off a little but that happens to everyone. A 15' shot is nothing more than a free throw, sounds easy, but it's not when you're making a move on someone. I like his aggressiveness (at times). It's one thing if he shot over 80% from the line, but he's not, he's shooting 70%, but he's 42% from the floor, and averages 8.4 pts/gm. I think he's doing just fine...Mike has always been that way, one game he'll get 15 pts, the next maybe 5....
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
You know the team's having a good year when we have to work this hard to find something negative to talk about. We're actually suggesting Gesell is somehow having a negative impact on this team.
Maryland has great individual talent. But they don't have chemistry. The sum of their parts is less than their individual talent IMO. Iowa is the polar opposite. The sum of our parts exceeds the individual talent. Don't misunderstand. We have individual talent. But all 9 of the guys working together toward a common goal (Winning) is why we're a top 5 team.
I'm not interested in looking at what each individual can or can't do. This guy can't shoot. This guy can't jump. This guy should play more. This guy should play less. I want to see 9 guys working together; playing unselfish basketball; and doing what it takes to win.
We need to enjoy this. It doesn't happen every year. We've even overcome an injury to a key player in the rotation. Jones was the 6th man when he went down. I know we're programmed to wait for the other shoe to drop. But there are only 8 regular season games left. We should win the regular season conference championship. We're deep enough and talented enough to win 3 games in 3 days in Indianapolis. And we can play with any team in college basketball. So who knows what the NCAA Tournament will bring...Des Moines...Chicago...Houston?
Maryland has great individual talent. But they don't have chemistry. The sum of their parts is less than their individual talent IMO. Iowa is the polar opposite. The sum of our parts exceeds the individual talent. Don't misunderstand. We have individual talent. But all 9 of the guys working together toward a common goal (Winning) is why we're a top 5 team.
I'm not interested in looking at what each individual can or can't do. This guy can't shoot. This guy can't jump. This guy should play more. This guy should play less. I want to see 9 guys working together; playing unselfish basketball; and doing what it takes to win.
We need to enjoy this. It doesn't happen every year. We've even overcome an injury to a key player in the rotation. Jones was the 6th man when he went down. I know we're programmed to wait for the other shoe to drop. But there are only 8 regular season games left. We should win the regular season conference championship. We're deep enough and talented enough to win 3 games in 3 days in Indianapolis. And we can play with any team in college basketball. So who knows what the NCAA Tournament will bring...Des Moines...Chicago...Houston?
Being a good basketball player is more than just scoring. See Mike & Woody for two excellent examples of this.
If we had trouble scoring points, then MAYBE I could understand some of where the "MG needs to score" hand wringing comes from. But we DON'T have trouble scoring points - we've got Uthoff and Jok filling it up on a consistent basis, and then any number of guys who rotate in off the bench to fill in the gaps.
If we had trouble scoring points, then MAYBE I could understand some of where the "MG needs to score" hand wringing comes from. But we DON'T have trouble scoring points - we've got Uthoff and Jok filling it up on a consistent basis, and then any number of guys who rotate in off the bench to fill in the gaps.
ibahawkeye
Well-Known Member
Maybe it stems from the hamstring injury but Mike's not playing at as high of a level as of late as he was earlier in the year, at least offensively speaking.
Prime example, last night Mike airballed a wide open mid range pull up jump shot. That's his game. I'm not trying to read too much into one shot but earlier in the year it seemed like he and Woody had a great pick and roll game going. Seems now Mike has forced some drives to basket which end up being blocked and has made 1 3 pointer in the last 7 games.
So I'm not sure what's going on with Mike now and maybe it's the injury and sometimes being dinged up can result in lack of confidence and who knows maybe this is just a small slump, those happen too.
Now that's not me trying to pile on him or go over the top like another poster that started the threat that he may not be starting. Either way... the team is continuing to win and that's what's important but I think some of the conversations as of late have come up because the dip in play.
Prime example, last night Mike airballed a wide open mid range pull up jump shot. That's his game. I'm not trying to read too much into one shot but earlier in the year it seemed like he and Woody had a great pick and roll game going. Seems now Mike has forced some drives to basket which end up being blocked and has made 1 3 pointer in the last 7 games.
So I'm not sure what's going on with Mike now and maybe it's the injury and sometimes being dinged up can result in lack of confidence and who knows maybe this is just a small slump, those happen too.
Now that's not me trying to pile on him or go over the top like another poster that started the threat that he may not be starting. Either way... the team is continuing to win and that's what's important but I think some of the conversations as of late have come up because the dip in play.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
No crap. I heard on the raaaadio yesterday in pregame that Gessel was only 12 points, a few steals and assists away from joining elite Iowa company. He will surpass all those and more this year to be in the same group as BJ Armstrong, Dean Oliver and Jeff Horner. He's fine.
atomicblue224
Well-Known Member
True. He is hardest working point guard.
MWS604
Well-Known Member
^^^ This probably pressing a little bit and will be fine after he gets to 1k career points
biasedHAWKEYE
Well-Known Member
He'll be fine once he's actually healthy. He hasn't been for a few weeks.
