First off I think this class will ensure the genius of Self’s recruiting prowess. We always knew that he was a great recruiter, he proved (like Doc maybe?) that he was also a more than capable in game coach, to say the least. But in the past, his skill at recruiting could be seen largely as the ability to recruit top flight recruits who were labeled as such (think Brandon Rush, Darrel Arthur or Mario Chalmers). However, this year I think we will remember him for the skill that brought Illinois and Oral Roberts to the national scene (think Deron Williams). And now for my take:
Tyshaun Taylor
To my eye Tyshaun was the most impressive performer on Day One, he showed an excellent ability to lead the fast break and finish hard at the rim. Over the course of the evening he put down two ally oops and handed out a few others. It was hard to evaluate his Defense because of the nature of the game, but he showed excellent quickness and quick hands. My guess is that Ty will be the first off the bench to run the point behind Sherron. For the game he plays Tyshuan has excellent size, he’ll need to improve his strength, but scoring at least all of his field goals on dunks and at the line shows that he knows how to play a physical game, and 6 of his 11 off dunks is a showcase of his athleticism. He needs to work on his outside shooting but has a silky smooth free throw. Comparisons: Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo.
Travis Releford
Releford is a very interesting player, he has great size and plays hard inside on the defensive glass. The combination of these two abilities will make him an instantaneous asset to KU and he will certainly give many teams severe matchup problems. He does not seem to have the superior athleticism that would make him an elite prospect, but don’t be surprised if he overcomes that negative through size and skill. The best comparison that comes to mind is a small Tayshuan Prince, and Travis will be a great defensive presence. He needs to work on his shooting both at the line (he looked terrible here) and from the field, although this could have been the result of an off night.
Mario Little
This guy has superstar potential but will struggle to fit into a structured offense with teammates of similar caliber to himself. He has elite athleticism and on one play, Tyshuan tossed up an ally-oop on the fast break and Mario and Ronnie Brewer (!!!) went up and both grabbed the ball to finish. If this guy can get up with Ronnie Brewer he has some special calves. He also showed great range and was comfortable behind the three point line. There will be some concerns about his Defense and selfishness on the ball. But in the end this could be exactly what we need next year as a young team. I watched him and thought of him as a Bill Walker type player, a guy with who plays bigger than his size and has great strength.
I’ll have more complete previews as the summer league continues…
5 comments:
Were you disappointed in the fact that Mario Little was like only 6'2" or 6'3"? He wasnt exactly shy about shooting either. I walked away from last night really unimpressed with him.
Tyshaun Taylor can clearly play. This kid is going to see major minutes and could start along side Sherron.
I find it hard to believe that you dont think Relford has "elite athleticism" The kid threw down some thunderous jams in warmups and hit the glass hard. He manhandled Tyrel Reed in the early going. At a legit 6'5" I like that he will post up smaller players like Reed. I think he sees the floor sooner and more often than Little.
@anony-
I think people are underrating Little's size, he had a good two inches on Chauncey who is considered a big guard at 6'3, regardless of absolute msmnts this is a relative indication of his size. I wouldn't say I was unimpressed but I do think he has the most potential for great failure or great success next year.
As for Releford I need to define elite athleticism: this indicates to me athleticism above that of most NBA players the same size. Ronnie Brewer has this, Paul Pierce does not (I think PP and CDR are both good comparisons for Releford). This is not to say that Ronnie Brewer is the better of the two players. I love dude on Defense ('hit the boards hard') and agree that he has amazing potential, especially if he plays at the 2 where he will dominate most matchups.
If you didn't catch it, I was ranking the three players by the order I wrote about them, and I think people are being over critical of Little.
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What is your take on the development (or lack thereof) of Tyrel Reed? I was really rooting for this kid coming out of high school, albeit primarily because he is white. As of right now, Taylor can already run circles around Reed and he hasnt even been coached by the KU staff yet. Ive yet to see Appleton play, (Im not expecting much)but if he is solid, Reed will ride the pine another year.
Ive seen Reed play in AAU twice, limited KU action and in the KC Pro-am. He seems court savvy and has a decent jumper, but thats seems to be where it ends for him. Maybe he transfers after this year and opens up a scholly for the loaded '09 class. :)
@J-
I think T Reed has some talent but I think it'll be tough for him to break into the regular rotation. It does depend alot on how good appleton is, but even otherwise your'e looking at 4 guards (Collins, Releford, Taylor and Little) and 4 bigs (Aldrich, Thomas, and the Morris Bros) which matches our rotation of last year.
If nothing else I think he'll see early playing time and then, best case, Rodrick Stewart minutes. Right now as a point behind Collins and Taylor I don't really see what Reed brings to the table, I don't see him as a sharpshooter.
Two things on Little:
1) He was on what many considered the deepest JUCO team in the country. He played alongside more D1 prospects than anyone else in JUCO or high school last year. He's always been a team-first guy since his high school days. He was their leading scorer, but Chipola was very balanced. Much like KU (no one averaged more than 20 points). He hasn't been playing much recently because of school, but now that he's in Kansas he should get back into form.
2) Little is at least 6'5" and significantly taller than Taylor. I've watched him play in person, and he's definitely got the height advantage over most guards. No 6'2 or 6'3 guys are going to be able to post up. That's something Little is known for doing well.
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