Javan Johnson at 4

[isucy86]

Why are you discounting Jackson? The one position that Prohm has shown to be able to coach is PG. Maybe Jackson will see a big jump next year.

1 - Jackson
2 - Bolton
3 - Johnson / Freshman
4 - Conditt / Foster
5 - Young

With another year of experience, I don't think this team would be a step back from what we had at the second half of the Big12 schedule this year. Obviously, that's not the bar we're all looking for. But any additions would give hope for at least a competitive team.

I hope you are right. As fans we focus a lot on recruiting to get ISU back to the NCAA tournament. But there is a 2nd path to the NCAA Tournament- Jackson, Bolton and Conditt make huge strides in the off-season. Additionally, Johnson turns out to be a 15ppg scorer and we get a couple of the 4 freshman to play 15+ mpg.

I will be curious to see how Tre Jackson develops. Based on his play last year, I'm not sure I saw our future starting PG or more of a combo guard in the Donovan Jackson mold.

 

[CascadeClone]

Bolton is a 2 who can drive or maybe a smallish 3. He's not a PG.

I hope Tre can play PG, but I didn't see a ton of great passing or handling skills this past year. In fairness he was just a freshman, and I do think he looks like he belongs on the court, just young and raw. I like the D-Jax comparison more than a pure PG though.

No matter what happens I am not super optimistic about a ton of new guys being not only Big12 caliber good out of the box, but also playing well together, and doing so right away. I just don't have any reason to believe it can or will happen. Unless Foster is Kevin Durant Junior, this is a 10 win team. I think i just threw up in my mouth.

 

[awd4cy]

Foster will be in the starting lineup next season.

If he is we are in trouble

 

[Cyclonepride]

Just my opinion but Bolton was a terrible point yet he still took the reigns after TH went down.

Have to at least give him credit for the lack of perimeter options around him at that point. Better shooters around him means less ability to double him on the drive.

 

[bustamoveisu]

If he is we are in trouble

I think we are in trouble no matter how you slice it.

 

[ForeverIowan]

People claiming we cant play Conditt and Foster or Young and Foster at the same time are crazy. Why? Is this some unwritten rule I dont know about? We have begged for YEARS for a frontcourt of this size and ability. Remember the 2014 Baylor team with 7'1" Isaiah Austin and 6'9" Cory Jefferson? Those dudes were an absolute nightmare to score on and keep off the boards. So much length. Or how about the 2016 Purdue squad with Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan. I still have nightmares about those dudes. Bill Self has figured out for years (including this year) to play two true post players at the same time (Azubuike and McCormick). Literally dominated our frontcourt. Adjust to your dang roster. Not very many teams in the country have two skilled 7 footers that can protect the rim like Conditt and Foster will be able to. Utilize it!

 

[Frak]

Just my opinion but Bolton was a terrible point yet he still took the reigns after TH went down.

Jackson wasn't a PG either. He doesn't have the handle and is better as a catch and shoot guy. After TH got hurt, the only PG on the roster was Nixon and he made a ton of mistakes. Kid played hard though.

To me, this looks again to be a mismatched roster. Bolton can penetrate and score and he will get hot from 3 at times. Jackson can shoot. Neither of them are PGs and both are way too small. Young is needed for post scoring, but he may be the worst pick and roll defender of all time...forcing us to play zone when he's in. Conditt needed to take a step forward, but seemed lost most of the season. We have no real PG, shaky outside shooting, no length, no real mismatches. And defensively, they were just awful. I had high hopes after the Bahamas and that SH game in Ames, but the team never again showed that toughness.

You add Johnson, who at least has some size on the wing or can possibly play small ball 4. Foster is probably a backup C who is going to play PF. He can shoot, but does he cause defensive problems there? Who knows what the other 3 FR can do? Seems like now, if they aren't playing right away, they are going to transfer. To me, it's hard to see things ending well unless they find a true PG and get another wing scorer.

 

[Frak]

People claiming we cant play Conditt and Foster or Young and Foster at the same time are crazy. Why? Is this some unwritten rule I dont know about? We have begged for YEARS for a frontcourt of this size and ability. Remember the 2014 Baylor team with 7'1" Isaiah Austin and 6'9" Cory Jefferson? Those dudes were an absolute nightmare to score on and keep off the boards. So much length. Or how about the 2016 Purdue squad with Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan. I still have nightmares about those dudes. Bill Self has figured out for years (including this year) to play two true post players at the same time (Azubuike and McCormick). Literally dominated our frontcourt. Adjust to your dang roster. Not very many teams in the country have two skilled 7 footers that can protect the rim like Conditt and Foster will be able to. Utilize it!

The key is Foster at the 4 needs to be able to move his feet well enough to stay in front of guys. If he can't, then it's more negative than positive. Jacobson wasn't a big liability defending 4's, but he was on offense. He was effective in the post, not so much on the perimeter.

 

[Cyforce]

Jackson wasn't a PG either. He doesn't have the handle and is better as a catch and shoot guy. After TH got hurt, the only PG on the roster was Nixon and he made a ton of mistakes. Kid played hard though.

To me, this looks again to be a mismatched roster. Bolton can penetrate and score and he will get hot from 3 at times. Jackson can shoot. Neither of them are PGs and both are way too small. Young is needed for post scoring, but he may be the worst pick and roll defender of all time...forcing us to play zone when he's in. Conditt needed to take a step forward, but seemed lost most of the season. We have no real PG, shaky outside shooting, no length, no real mismatches. And defensively, they were just awful. I had high hopes after the Bahamas and that SH game in Ames, but the team never again showed that toughness.

You add Johnson, who at least has some size on the wing or can possibly play small ball 4. Foster is probably a backup C who is going to play PF. He can shoot, but does he cause defensive problems there? Who knows what the other 3 FR can do? Seems like now, if they aren't playing right away, they are going to transfer. To me, it's hard to see things ending well unless they find a true PG and get another wing scorer.

Prohm has to get a PG. Sounds like our chances with the Michigan kid are good. Anything else lessens our dependence on the incoming Freshmen. Hopefully we land an experienced wing with length that at minimum gives Blackwell and Dubar someone they have to pass to get extended minutes.

 

[SCyclone]

Is that where they play with the 28.5" ball?

They use a "kitten" softball. Not much dribbling, though.

 

[Halincandenza]

People claiming we cant play Conditt and Foster or Young and Foster at the same time are crazy. Why? Is this some unwritten rule I dont know about? We have begged for YEARS for a frontcourt of this size and ability. Remember the 2014 Baylor team with 7'1" Isaiah Austin and 6'9" Cory Jefferson? Those dudes were an absolute nightmare to score on and keep off the boards. So much length. Or how about the 2016 Purdue squad with Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan. I still have nightmares about those dudes. Bill Self has figured out for years (including this year) to play two true post players at the same time (Azubuike and McCormick). Literally dominated our frontcourt. Adjust to your dang roster. Not very many teams in the country have two skilled 7 footers that can protect the rim like Conditt and Foster will be able to. Utilize it!

KU switched to small ball once they were comfortable with their new guards because that was their best lineup.
You can play two bigs but the 4 guy has to be able to guard other teams small ball 4s and you have to be able to create space on offense otherwise it just jams things up. Young and Conditt aren't outside shooters and I don't think Foster is going to be a threat from the college line his Freshman year since he wasn't a good three point shooter at the HS line. Further, I don't trust that a Freshman Foster is going to be able to defend on the perimeter like you will need him to do.

Purdue was able to play that way because Swanigan could hit the three really well (over 40%). But they were very vulnerable on defense against small teams which is why ISU would have boatraced Purdue if they played Burton at the 5 the entire game.

 

[ForeverIowan]

KU switched to small ball once they were comfortable with their new guards because that was their best lineup.
You can play two bigs but the 4 guy has to be able to guard other teams small ball 4s and you have to be able to create space on offense otherwise it just jams things up. Young and Conditt aren't outside shooters and I don't think Foster is going to be a threat from the college line his Freshman year since he wasn't a good three point shooter at the HS line. Further, I don't trust that a Freshman Foster is going to be able to defend on the perimeter like you will need him to do.

Purdue was able to play that way because Swanigan could hit the three really well (over 40%). But they were very vulnerable on defense against small teams which is why ISU would have boatraced Purdue if they played Burton at the 5 the entire game.

As of right now, our strength next year is our frontcourt. If you want to play a small ball lineup you better have 5-6 high level guards. We do not. Not even close. So you are recommending we sit our highest regarded recruit and 7 foot forward on the bench behind Yound and Conditt?

Purdue was a 4 seed that year. They obviously figured out how to win A LOT of games. How many teams in the country have an NBA 6'4" linebacker who can dribble, pass and shoot with a 40 inch vertical (Deonte Burton) and make you pay for playing big?

Xavier Foster has one of the best strokes for a big man I have ever seen at the highschool level. He will be able to stretch the defense.

 

[Halincandenza]

As of right now, our strength next year is our frontcourt. If you want to play a small ball lineup you better have 5-6 high level guards. We do not. Not even close. So you are recommending we sit our highest regarded recruit and 7 foot forward on the bench behind Yound and Conditt?

Purdue was a 4 seed that year. They obviously figured out how to win A LOT of games. How many teams in the country have an NBA 6'4" linebacker who can dribble, pass and shoot with a 40 inch vertical (Deonte Burton) and make you pay for playing big?

Xavier Foster has one of the best strokes for a big man I have ever seen at the highschool level. He will be able to stretch the defense.

If Foster is better than either Young or Conditt play him. And I wouldn't really call it a strength. You have two guys who have never sniffed an all conference team and played on one of the worst teams in recent memory.

Like I said, Swanigan shot over 40% from 3 and I am pretty sure it was around 45%. IF Foster can do that then it may outweigh struggles on defense. But he shot 32% from the HS line against players much smaller and less athletic than him. The odds are he does not shoot better the farther out he shoots and the higher the competition.
And Kansas killed Purdue by 32 the very next game but doing the same thing ISU did too late. The spread Purdue out. made the bigs come out and guard away from the basket and drove the ball to the rim for easy baskets. The key wasn't that ISU had Burton the key was the way they played. Get the slow bigs away from the basket and exploit. It doesn't have to be someone like Burton. To be a good team and play with two bigs your other big has to be a freak who can either drain threes all game or is athletic enough to defend the perimeter. Foster is neither of those things right now. And remember, the biggest problem ISU had last year was defense and playing Foster at the 4 does nothing to help that. He would be worse than Jacobson. I think some people's expectations for Foster are way too high.

 

[Cyforce]

As of right now, our strength next year is our frontcourt. If you want to play a small ball lineup you better have 5-6 high level guards. We do not. Not even close. So you are recommending we sit our highest regarded recruit and 7 foot forward on the bench behind Yound and Conditt?

Purdue was a 4 seed that year. They obviously figured out how to win A LOT of games. How many teams in the country have an NBA 6'4" linebacker who can dribble, pass and shoot with a 40 inch vertical (Deonte Burton) and make you pay for playing big?

Xavier Foster has one of the best strokes for a big man I have ever seen at the highschool level. He will be able to stretch the defense.

We only have 3 bigs, getting more than 60 minutes out of them is unlikely. Personally I don't see Young/Conditt on the floor together as a positive.How many minutes do you see Foster being ready for?

 

[ForeverIowan]

If Foster is better than either Young or Conditt play him. And I wouldn't really call it a strength. You have two guys who have never sniffed an all conference team and played on one of the worst teams in recent memory.

Like I said, Swanigan shot over 40% from 3 and I am pretty sure it was around 45%. IF Foster can do that then it may outweigh struggles on defense. But he shot 32% from the HS line against players much smaller and less athletic than him. The odds are he does not shoot better the farther out he shoots and the higher the competition.
And Kansas killed Purdue by 32 the very next game but doing the same thing ISU did too late. The spread Purdue out. made the bigs come out and guard away from the basket and drove the ball to the rim for easy baskets. The key wasn't that ISU had Burton the key was the way they played. Get the slow bigs away from the basket and exploit. It doesn't have to be someone like Burton. To be a good team and play with two bigs your other big has to be a freak who can either drain threes all game or is athletic enough to defend the perimeter. Foster is neither of those things right now. And remember, the biggest problem ISU had last year was defense and playing Foster at the 4 does nothing to help that. He would be worse than Jacobson. I think some people's expectations for Foster are way too high.

I mean you make it sound as though every single time a small ball lineup matches up with a lineup with two traditional posts small ball prevails. That's not the case. There is more than one way to skin a cat and certainly more than one way to build a roster. Ideal scenario you have the personnel to play both ways.

Purdue would have played both Haas and Swanigan regardless of Swanigans ability to shoot the three. They brutalized and absolutely dominated opponents in the paint. Swanigans ability to shoot the three was absolutely an added benefit.

 

[WhoISthis]

If Foster is better than either Young or Conditt play him. And I wouldn't really call it a strength. You have two guys who have never sniffed an all conference team and played on one of the worst teams in recent memory.

Like I said, Swanigan shot over 40% from 3 and I am pretty sure it was around 45%. IF Foster can do that then it may outweigh struggles on defense. But he shot 32% from the HS line against players much smaller and less athletic than him. The odds are he does not shoot better the farther out he shoots and the higher the competition.

Well said!

If Conditt, Young, and Foster are our strength, we’re ******. Those three at one position, defending the 5, gives us a strong position. Two of them on the court at once just marginalizes them as players.

Foster has yet to prove he’s a JVB shooting big. He likely won’t have advantageous ball-skills, and defending in the perimeter will have a significant learning curve. Frankly, if we get Jacobson play out of him as a freshman, he’ll get many freshman accolades, and we’ll still be structurally flawed

 

[Cydkar]

If he is we are in trouble

LIKE
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[WhoISthis]

I mean you make it sound as though every single time a small ball lineup matches up with a lineup with two traditional posts small ball prevails. That's not the case. There is more than one way to skin a cat and certainly more than one way to build a roster. Ideal scenario you have the personnel to play both ways.

Two big lineups can work, but not two big lineups of Conditt, Foster, and Young under this staff.

Imo this staff isn’t good at dictating matchups and need to have a roster in which both options are available.

 

[ForeverIowan]

Well said!

If Conditt, Young, and Foster are our strength, we’re ******. Those three at one position, defending the 5, gives us a strong position. Two of them on the court at once just marginalizes them as players.

Foster has yet to prove he’s a JVB shooting big. He likely won’t have advantageous ball-skills, and defending in the perimeter will have a significant learning curve. Frankly, if we get Jacobson play out of him as a freshman, he’ll get many freshman accolades, and we’ll still be structurally flawed

If we try to play small were ******! Monte Morris, Matt Thomas, Naz Long and a freak of a four in Deonte Burton arent walking through that door. Not to mention pretty dang good bench players in Donovan Jackson and Nick Babb.

Solomon Young is arguably our best and most experienced returning player. If this team has any chance George Conditt needs to become the best player on our roster. Foster is our most heralded recruit by far and has a pretty unique skill set. If you have two of those three sitting on the bench 100% of the time you're screwed. The personnel just isnt there (currently) to think differently.

 

[awd4cy]

LIKE
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MATTERS

In trouble or danger of winning less than 10 games I should have said.