*** Official Boise St. Vs IOWA STATE Gameday Thread ***

[I-stateTheTruth]

Steve Prohm, post-game, from espnevents.com:
IOWA STATE Coach Steve Prohm – “First thing is we want to thank Myrtle Beach for the hospitality and ESPN for a great tournament and all of our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Puerto, Rico where this tournament was supposed to be.

“We beat a really good team tonight. Hopefully (Chandler) Hutchison is better and it’s nothing major where he can get back right away for them. I know he’s a big part of their team.

“I’m proud of these guys, I’m proud of the way Donovan (Jackson) was able to finish the game. Seniors make big plays and he made big plays. I’m proud of Nick (Weiler-Babb) but collectively I’m proud of the growth we’ve made this week. We came down facing a lot of adversity, a lot of questions, and we took a step. Now they have to understand we have to go home and we have to coach them harder and they have to do better in all areas for us to continue to grow. The good teams in college basketball continue to get better from November to March. So great win and happy for our team.

“To their credit they made shots in the second half. Defensively we weren’t as good. I think both teams were a little fatigued but the pace for us in the second half wasn’t as good the last 10, 12 minutes. But the great thing about the last two nights is when we faced a little adversity and things got tough, these guys made plays. That will help us going forward.”

 

[I-stateTheTruth]

From espnevents.com:

BOISE STATE Coach Leon Rice – “We had a choice. We could be victims and feel sorry for ourselves because we were down a soldier or we could step up and go compete and keep fighting them. We can make big runs and we knew we weren’t out of it if we wanted to fight. I knew they’d respond, they have character and toughness.

“They’re a good basketball team, explosive kind of like us. We were a little shell-shocked and trying to get our legs under us and figure things out when Chandler went down. That’s when they stretched things right away before we could regroup. We cut it to four and then it was anybody’s game. You’ve got to credit (Donovan) Jackson, he hit a big shot when they needed it most.

“They can score in bunches like us, I think we are kind of similar teams but you’ve got tocredit them, they answered when we had them a little on the ropes there.
“The team that I saw on film is not the team we saw tonight. Coach is doing a good job with them and they’re settled in and it takes time. Different teams take different amount of time to figure some stuff out and that’s what they had to do. They had some question marks of what they were going to do that and every team goes through that this time of year. Some teams are a little more advanced because they more guys back, more guys they know what they’re doing. Last year we had to do that a lot. We didn’t know who we were until January. I know they made a big step while they were down here.”

 

[Cyclonepride]

Rice is a really good coach. One of the offensive coaches in the vein of Fred Hoiberg. His teams seem to always have shooters and multidimensional guys, and are very skilled offensively. Beyond just the Cyclone luck, I had a feeling that they would be the type of team that could storm back with their perimeter shooting and they did.

 

[allfourcy]

It would be awful hard to keep up his absurd stats from the last 3 games but I don't think something like 12-5-5 would be too crazy. I actually think he has some upside on scoring in that line too as I feel he still gets a little passive at times at looking for his own shot.

I've always been a big Babb believer(though I'll admit I didn't think he'd be playing PG this year). Thought last year he looked the part and that it was a confidence issue and not one of him failing to be a Big 12 talent.



Technically, Babb is the last Hoiberg recruit. He transferred in the spring of 2015 before Fred left so he deserves some credit there.

Interestingly (at least what I heard), he was a Cornell Mann recruit. Just remembering how awkward of a time that was......CFH heart surgery recovering, only incoming recruit we had decommitted, Coach Matt left for St.John's, both Mann and TJ trying to position for the chance for the job, all the while we waited for the Bulls to get their crap together. Not a fun time for anyone. Main thing is, CFH recovered and is healthy, all coaches got jobs somewhere, and cyclone nation continues to sell out season tickets. Looking forward to the next 'steps' in the Prohm process that this inexperienced team can make.

 

[ISUChippewa]

Rice is a really good coach. One of the offensive coaches in the vein of Fred Hoiberg. His teams seem to always have shooters and multidimensional guys, and are very skilled offensively. Beyond just the Cyclone luck, I had a feeling that they would be the type of team that could storm back with their perimeter shooting and they did.

I'm pretty sure Rice's name was at least mentioned as a potential replacement for CFH when that search began.

 

[bozclone]

I really enjoyed these last three games. Huge improvement. We are still very raw, but I really liked the attacking, aggressive style of play we showed in Myrtle Beach. We played a bunch of guys and we really saw some significant growth. This team will no doubt have some bad nights, but I am really looking forward to seeing the growth of the individuals and of the team.

 

[Cyclonepride]

I really enjoyed these last three games. Huge improvement. We are still very raw, but I really liked the attacking, aggressive style of play we showed in Myrtle Beach. We played a bunch of guys and we really saw some significant growth. This team will no doubt have some bad nights, but I am really looking forward to seeing the growth of the individuals and of the team.

I was really impressed with how we attacked the zones this weekend. They may not be Baylor-like by any stretch, but we didn't get complacent and did work the ball inside it and over the top of it consistently. Good experience for the zone teams we will play.

 

[CTTB78]

Why not this lineup?....
Babb
Lindell
Jackson
Young
Lard

I hope CSP gets to this lineup sooner than later. How Beverly starts ahead of Lard is a head scratcher, but Prohm knows what he is doing.

 

[Rural]

I hope CSP gets to this lineup sooner than later. How Beverly starts ahead of Lard is a head scratcher, but Prohm knows what he is doing.

Development, the guy knows what he's doing.

 

[FinalFourCy]

I hope CSP gets to this lineup sooner than later. How Beverly starts ahead of Lard is a head scratcher, but Prohm knows what he is doing.

This year’s Holden.

I’m guessing he’s trying to eat up some minutes to start the half, particularly with Brase’s knees and Lard/Young being the target of overzealous whistles. But 21 and 16 minutes seems excessive, particularly when the opposition is pulling the forwards out of the paint. Talley would be equally productive and worth the development minutes.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I figured they'd want some length out there to lob it in at least to get in bounds, and perhaps for defense if there was a turnover or miss.

I'm not sure what kind of hands Lard has for that situation.

Agreed. I don't really know that Lard is gonna be a better free throw shooter in that instance either. Solo is probably not the ideal person on the free throw line, but I like how he doesn't just concede an easy bucket during a tight game. It drives me nuts to see an ole defense during a tight game. He always seems to have his head in the game.

4 straight gameday threads. I need a week off.

NWB - tourney MVP
Rulzzz - CF weekend MVP

 

[Cyclonepride]

Agreed. I don't really know that Lard is gonna be a better free throw shooter in that instance either. Solo is probably not the ideal person on the free throw line, but I like how he doesn't just concede an easy bucket during a tight game. It drives me nuts to see an ole defense during a tight game. He always seems to have his head in the game.



NWB - tourney MVP
Rulzzz - CF weekend MVP

Not sure what Solomon's stats were last year at the FT line, but he's a great option for making sure that you at least get free throws.

A theory I have on Solomon's late foul of the screener- since we had a lot of fouls to give, and they set continuous moving screens, I get the feeling that he was told to go right through a moving screen and see if they could force a call on it. He certainly went right through it lol.

 

[madguy30]

Great wins and taking home some hardware. Love watching the game slow down for Wigginton. Babb has an interesting way of playing the point almost like a point forward the way he finds people. NIT hope remains.

For all the talk of not having a mismatch on this team, I think Babb may be it.

 

[madguy30]

Agreed. I don't really know that Lard is gonna be a better free throw shooter in that instance either. Solo is probably not the ideal person on the free throw line, but I like how he doesn't just concede an easy bucket during a tight game. It drives me nuts to see an ole defense during a tight game. He always seems to have his head in the game.

Solo had a couple of takes yesterday that showed he has the footwork to be more effective around the basket. Still needs some space but I wish we could see more of it.

 

[Psiclone]

I hope CSP gets to this lineup sooner than later. How Beverly starts ahead of Lard is a head scratcher, but Prohm knows what he is doing.

It's also nice to have some fire power come off the bench to maintain the level of play when substituting. It's also nice to have someone without any fouls come in when someone else is in foul trouble. Luckily, both Hans and Cameron can come in for Solo if needed. Just need to figure out who comes in for the shorter players. Hopefully, Long will continue to be productive with his shooting and the light will come on for Lewis. At this point, Talley is a liability on offense because no one has to guard him on the perimeter due to his lack of shooting ability.

Beverly, Lard, and Brase all got about 17 minutes last night. Of the three, I think Lard and Brase have more room for improvement so Beverly's minutes are likely to diminish as the season progresses.

 

[bosco]

Poor Beverly, seems to be this year's CF whipping boy.

 

[isufbcurt]

Poor Beverly, seems to be this year's CF whipping boy.

And the thing is, I have really liked what he has done so far. He knows his role and has been doing it.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

My impressions so far:

Babb - Really proving me wrong and I'm loving it. He takes care of the ball well, distributes well, drives strong, finishes above the rim and has greatly improved his shot and confidence
Jackson - I thought he was gonna be our PG, but he plays so much better off the ball. Plays with passion, but is the person I want to see with the ball in his hands at the end of the game or when we need a big shot
Wigginton - game is starting to slow down and he's showing the talent we thought we had. Has outstanding body control and big hops. Defense is a work in progress, but seems committed to improving. He strikes me as that guy on the other team that pisses me off that we can't keep out of the lane.
Solo - Sprints everywhere and always working. Has offensive talent, but needs more looks. He still gets great position on the blocks but doesn't get fed the ball. Can run through screens like I run through a swarm of gnats.
Beverly - Plays bigger than he is when going after rebounds. Offensively capable of getting to double digits, but probably will hover around 5-6 on average. Defensive work in progress, but (I have no real basis for this next statement) he seems very coachable.
Brase - Smart, but still obviously very tentative. He gets caught reacting defensively too much right now and doesn't have the recovery speed to do that. His positioning is good on both ends, but I think he needs to trust his knee to be as effective as he can be. I want to see him closer to 100%.
Lard - Fun to watch for me. Has a fire that is needed. It will likely result in some dumb fouls, but it'll also result in some rebounds we would not have otherwise gotten. I hope someone can coach him offensively in terms of footwork. He has a really high ceiling if he can get some post moves along with being a rim runner.
Talley - I was expecting a more polished offensive player, but I'm altering my expectations for him. I think he'll have moments where he'll go off, but he's gonna have to get used to Prohm's system to garner a lot of playing time. He's out of position a lot and needs more discipline. Not a 3 point shooter. Hope he focuses on slashing more and using his height and length to his advantage.
Lewis - He seems to need the most adjustment period right now and that's fine. He looks like a very smooth player that is still adjusting to the speed of the college game. He'll need to bulk up a bit to body up on defense or he'll get exposed by Big XII guards/wings. I had unfairly high hopes for him making an early impact, but I've backed up my timetable a bit.
Long - I still don't know what to expect. He clearly has the size and is capable of getting hot shooting, but maybe lacks the consistency right now? I didn't follow him defensively enough to know how he did. I'd be interested for other point of views.

 

[srjclone]

Poor Beverly, seems to be this year's CF whipping boy.

And the thing is, I have really liked what he has done so far. He knows his role and has been doing it.

I agree, and think he deserves some more credit. But there are definitely times throughout each game where I can see him going into his old mold of having to be "the guy" and just gets tunnel vision when the ball hits his hands. But he brings far more effort and toughness to outweigh the few possessions he wastes.

 

[Cyclonepride]

For all the talk of not having a mismatch on this team, I think Babb may be it.

Wigginton appears to be as well, particularly when he learns to recognize it. Opposing teams will have fun trying to figure out if they want to match his strength or his quickness, as they won't always have something to guard him that has both.