Matt Thomas vs. Grand Valley State
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MT came to ISU with many thinking he was kinda the next Fred. Looked sorta similar...same build..same height..shooter..etc.. Honestly I think Fred leaving might end up being a blessing in disguise for MT. I think there was undo pressure on him to live up to those expectations. WTS...MT played a great game really...passed well..took good shots..made shots..hit the boards..and played decent defense. Pretty much what u want your 6th man to do. I think some expect very shot to go in for MT cause he has such a great shooting form. If MT can provide 8-10 pts a game and 3-4 rebounds and play solid D off the bench that will be a deal for this team.
You can tell that Matt has really worked at being a better all around player since he has been at Iowa State. His improvement (defense, rebounding, and ball handling) has been significant. He isn't a one trick pony anymore, quit judging him like one. I hope Matt has a huge year.
Georges didn't shoot well from three last night and no one is ripping him, me included. I agree that Matt's all around game has improved.
I was impressed with Georges' rebounding last night, which we are going to need, and Matt's passing. I wonder if Matt might be a better option to back up point.
I was impressed with Georges' rebounding last night, which we are going to need, and Matt's passing. I wonder if Matt might be a better option to back up point.
See I don't think he ever was a 1 trick pony, it honestly seemed like because of how hot he got from 3 during his AAU run that he was pegged as a pure shooter coming out of HS. When he got here, he got shoved in to that role to try to replace Tyrus McGee, he was set up to fail. In reality, he's not a great 3 point shooter, he's solid but not a Jake Sullivan, Scotty, Tyrus, even Naz type of shooter from that distance. What got lost in all of that was that, he has a much better all around game than people gave him credit for coming in. He's been solid on defense and the glass since about 1/2 way through his frosh year. I think a new coaching staff with fresh eyes on him can do wonders for his game.
Everyone else made 3 pointers last night - even Nader. MT missed some. He missed a lot last year. We didn't play Duke last night, there will be tighter coverage and higher pressure in the rest of our games. Did MT shoot as well as Naz or Hallice? No, but he did a great job on passing, rebounding, and defense. Not sure how that can be disputed, but then again, I am really dumb.
I think he would be too. What makes Naz such a assassin from outside also makes him a poor decision maker at the point. He always goes for the killer play when instead you need to be a steady presence out there.
Right now I'd say that MT has a better all around game than Naz yet alot of posters rather focus on just one aspect of his game and judge him on every missed shot instead of assessing his whole game.
That's what I love about 3sus - keep in mind his first sport was kick boxing & he does have a tendency to get caught up in one-on-one match ups but for 3sus that a good thing. That kid from GVS elbowed 3sus in the mouth & was jaw jacking with him. Obviously, a big mistake since 3sus reigned down a display of shock n awe 3's - once again showing if you poke the bear you will pay a price.
This is SO spot on, people fall in love with just the shooting/scoring side and everything else is missed....it's like the guys who are saying Hallice should be our 6th man after last night...yes he shot well, but Prohm has called out where he needs to focus is guarding his man and rebounding....Matt did everything well last night...scored from outside, got in the lae and got fouled and hit 4-5 free throws, played solid D, rebounded, had a couple blocks, and would have had 10 assists if Ernst and Carter were offensively aware....but becuase he missed a couple more shots.....geez....
Matt Thomas is a solid basketball player, if he gets confidence watch out! I predicted a 10 & 5 type season for him and people think I'm crazy- we will see.
I'm just not sure how many guys can average double digits and I think all of our starters will be above 10 PPG. I'll go with 7/4 for Matt.
I felt like there was a lot of improvement from his Fr to So year. If he can continue to improve at that pace, he will be a very fine player for us this year and next. He never had the talent of a one and done player, but through hard work will contribute big time for this program.
