ibahawkeye
Well-Known Member
Matt is what Matt is so he needs to be a specialist... and that's a sharp shooter... he's missing the sharp this season.
Miller: Matt Gatens Unlikely Lightning Rod
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
SpecialKHawk
Well-Known Member
We cannot be playing a guy 35 minutes a night at the shooting guard position who is 9-39 shooting three's down the stretch. Especially when a fair number of those 39 looks were wide open.
Shorten his minutes and make his primary role shooting the three. If he hits, he plays. If he misses a couple he goes to the bench. It's that simple.
And yes I expect 50% shooting when the three's are open looks. When contested I expect 30-33%. He's hitting 32% for the season from 3 and hit 32% last year. Last year I could understand given the offense and the talent. This year there have been a number of great looks - no excuse.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Another thing Van Coleman reminded me of: Matt was asked to gain 25 pounds by Lick so he could play some four in Lick's system...he did that. Then McCaffery gets here, he asks him to take that weight off..he did that.
The kid gets hurt in mid October, a broken bone in his guide hand, and misses a few weeks.
These are not insignificant things. This kid doesn't deserve some of the garbage that's being flipped at him.
The kid gets hurt in mid October, a broken bone in his guide hand, and misses a few weeks.
These are not insignificant things. This kid doesn't deserve some of the garbage that's being flipped at him.
iowahawkeyes89
Well-Known Member
This team is bad, being the leading scoring isn't much to brag about.
And he's a junior, he should be a leading scorer on the team.
Just how good do you think Gatens is Jon?
Seriously, the way you defend the kid, whats your opinion of him?
I think most people are saying he's just average, nobody here is saying "Gatens sucks! He's worthless"
He's supposed to be one of the better players on a bad team, the criticism is going to come his way.
Sometimes you make me scratch my head Jon.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
This team is bad, being the leading scoring isn't much to brag about.
And he's a junior, he should be a leading scorer on the team.
Just how good do you think Gatens is Jon?
Seriously, the way you defend the kid, whats your opinion of him?
I think most people are saying he's just average, nobody here is saying "Gatens sucks! He's worthless"
He's supposed to be one of the better players on a bad team, the criticism is going to come his way.
Sometimes you make me scratch my head Jon.
Me, too.
DuffMan
Well-Known Member
Two thing's are completely overlooked by most people.
1) If you take out the games he was playing literally one handed he's been shooting well over 35% from the 3, and prior to last nights ofer he was closer to 40%.
This is the biggest IMO
2) He has been asked to play 3 completely different roles on 3 completely different teams. I'll say that again, 3 completely different teams. You can't overstate how difficult that is. Let's take a look at the top 5 scorers from the last three years....
2008-09
1) Kelly
2) Peterson
3) Gatens
4) Tucker
5) Tate
2009-10 (Technically Tucker was 2 here but he only played in 11 games)
1) Gatens
2) Fuller
3) May
4) Cole
5) Payne
2010-11
1) Gatens
2) Basabe
3) Cartwright
4) May
5) Cole
Think about that, it's absolutely insane.
PatrickAdamovicz
Well-Known Member
I have been critical of Matt's lack of being able to knock down wide open looks. I have probably been a little over critical on that front so I'm guilty as charged. I think most of my frustration comes from the losses piling up and that has manifested itself into my opinion of Gatens. Again, probably misguided on my part as he's just a small part of the team. It's unfortunate that he hasn't had the success of winning and good teams around him, so that a true Hawkeye like him could experience the NCAA tournament.
Jon's absolutely right, Matt is a 3rd option and unfortunately Iowa looks to him to be more than that. As the season has progressed I think Iowa's option's have changed as Cartwright and Basabe are 1 and 2. Matt started the year injured and that has probably had some reason as to why he has struggled. Hopefully he can experience more success next year.
Jon's absolutely right, Matt is a 3rd option and unfortunately Iowa looks to him to be more than that. As the season has progressed I think Iowa's option's have changed as Cartwright and Basabe are 1 and 2. Matt started the year injured and that has probably had some reason as to why he has struggled. Hopefully he can experience more success next year.
iowahawkeyes89
Well-Known Member
Gatens was put in a crappy situation, I wont deny that at all.
But I don't think people are unfair in some criticisms.
But I don't think people are unfair in some criticisms.
blkngoldUofI
Well-Known Member
I don't like bagging on players but Matt has had a lot of open looks lately and hasn't hit most of them. The kind of open looks he is getting is what Chris Kingbury still dreams about and could probably knock down. I like that Matt has improved his dribble drive game and plays decent defense. The only knock I have on Matt is the open looks which as a shooter he should be able to knock down on a more consistent basis.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Matt's no longer "Mr. Automatic" at the charity stripe, either. Still very good but has had some surprising misses, which makes me wonder if his mind is messing with his shooting right now.
hawkeyescott
Well-Known Member
I agree with Jon, does the 3rd best player on other teams catch this much flack?
Tell me where I was wrong?
Is Matt a good athlete, defender, rebounder or shooter?
He has bulked up then thinned out, which is a credit to him, but doesn't make him any better at basketball.
DuffMan
Well-Known Member
Dude, this year he's shooting 86.4% from the free throw line.
Career he's EXACTLY an 84.6% FT shooter.
Arizona2424
Member
Gatens is so far overrated it is just unbelieveable. He is not a leader, he is not a shooting guard, can't dribble period let alone have a shot off the dribble, he is not tall enough or athletic enough to be a forward so what gives. It is not his fault that someone thought he had the talent and ability to play at this level. At best he is probably D-11. Fran will move on next season and I believe Matt will be the 6th or 7th man off the bench next season.
twinlaker
Well-Known Member
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think it's appropriate for a member of a local TV sports team to offer an opinion like this on twitter. I generally like Chris Hassel and Channel 13, but in this case, I'm not crazy about him putting that out there.
I think I have to agree with CoachWade on this Jon. Chris is a sports reporter, no? ... rather than a sports columnist. It seems that to editorialize in this way, takes away any objectivity a sports reporter is supposed to maintain.
I am old school on sports journalism, and it is sad to see the blatent "opinionization" of sports reporters on the six and ten o'clock news.
I realize this was tweeted, but it's hard to see him report on a story and not think his biases play a part in his stories.
I think I have to agree with CoachWade on this Jon. Chris is a sports reporter, no? ... rather than a sports columnist. It seems that to editorialize in this way, takes away any objectivity a sports reporter is supposed to maintain.
I am old school on sports journalism, and it is sad to see the blatent "opinionization" of sports reporters on the six and ten o'clock news.
I realize this was tweeted, but it's hard to see him report on a story and not think his biases play a part in his stories.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
This team is bad, being the leading scoring isn't much to brag about.
And he's a junior, he should be a leading scorer on the team.
Just how good do you think Gatens is Jon?
Seriously, the way you defend the kid, whats your opinion of him?
I think most people are saying he's just average, nobody here is saying "Gatens sucks! He's worthless"
He's supposed to be one of the better players on a bad team, the criticism is going to come his way.
Sometimes you make me scratch my head Jon.
This. He's an average overall player. It's hardly wrong to say so when it's true. You can't be considered a good/great shooter when you miss as many open looks as he's gotten this year (easily as many, if not more than what he got in his first two years combined). He's hardly an awful player, and he's not playing in the role that he should be. But that doesn't mean that some of the criticism isn't warranted.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
Thanks Jon, well said!
Hometown kid suppose to be the hero. Unfortunately, there will be no fairy-tale ending here, however, significant progress will be made next year.
The treatment of Gatens is similar to Troy Skinner, remember he air-balled his first college three. Matt is a much better player than Troy, but Troy had a solid career in the end.
No matter how much playing time Matt got as a freshman, but he performed too, just as he did last season. It isn't like he is a worse player today than he was a freshman.
Matt is trying to do different things the last half of the season and it will benefit the team moving forward, he is in a slump, it happens, but let's be real, there is NOBODY to turn too and if you think there is really, think about it.
If Matt gets to 10th on the scoring list after playing two years with Bryce and Basabe, then he is a better player than people want to believe. A savior he is not, a quality player he is.
Hometown kid suppose to be the hero. Unfortunately, there will be no fairy-tale ending here, however, significant progress will be made next year.
The treatment of Gatens is similar to Troy Skinner, remember he air-balled his first college three. Matt is a much better player than Troy, but Troy had a solid career in the end.
No matter how much playing time Matt got as a freshman, but he performed too, just as he did last season. It isn't like he is a worse player today than he was a freshman.
Matt is trying to do different things the last half of the season and it will benefit the team moving forward, he is in a slump, it happens, but let's be real, there is NOBODY to turn too and if you think there is really, think about it.
If Matt gets to 10th on the scoring list after playing two years with Bryce and Basabe, then he is a better player than people want to believe. A savior he is not, a quality player he is.
DuffMan
Well-Known Member
This is stick you wang in the mashed potatoes stupid.
Don't be shy, tell us what you really think.
