Biggest improvement from one season to the next
- Thread starter chroix
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So far so good. Waiting optimistically to see Richards do it against other teams and throughout the season.
Me too and I think he will.Partly due to who is around him and partly due to his improvement.
In WCS first year he struggled but showed flashes. Had gone year 1 on the job training.
In WCS 2nd season, he was pretty good in the non-conference, dominated smaller teams at times. I'd have to check the actually stats but his play seemed to fade off down the stretch and the team struggled. Then finally the injury.
By the 3rd year he was fairly consistent and a factor almost game in/game out.
Still so early, and we have an insane schedule, but nick seems to be ahead of WCS at the same period in time.
In WCS 2nd season, he was pretty good in the non-conference, dominated smaller teams at times. I'd have to check the actually stats but his play seemed to fade off down the stretch and the team struggled. Then finally the injury.
By the 3rd year he was fairly consistent and a factor almost game in/game out.
Still so early, and we have an insane schedule, but nick seems to be ahead of WCS at the same period in time.
Richards has gone from looking like a liability most of the time to maybe our most important player this season (because of his show blocking ability and size) on a team that's preseason #1. I can't think of any player who went through such a transformation from one year to the next.
The only thing to wait and see before naming him as "the most improved from one season to the next" is to wait and see if he keeps up this level of production.
The only thing to wait and see before naming him as "the most improved from one season to the next" is to wait and see if he keeps up this level of production.
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I don't say this lightly, but if Nick Richards gives us this all year we're winning a national championship.
Agreed on Nick Richards.
P.J. has really transformed his body (which will help him a great deal), but I think he really started making strides basketball-wise towards the end of last season. It's definitely carried over well.
But Nick looks like a different player. The Nick that I watched in the Bahamas and at the BW game looked like the Nick I expected all along, the same Nick that was a top 20 recruit coming out of HS. He's bulked up, added polish to his offensive game, plays with more confidence and physicality, and his timing on defense has improved twenty-fold. He is bound for defensive stardom from what I've seen so far. Here's the thing, it's not just his scoring and rebounding. You could argue that a part of it was simply the "competition" if those were the only noticeable differences. But that's not the case at all, it's his entire demeanor on the court. His basketball "aura" if you will. He just carries himself differently. I just hope he can maintain it. He has potential to be special.
It's really kinda simple though if you think about it. I think we all get impatient with these kids and are quick to dismiss them to some capacity. But consider that Nick hasn't been playing organized basketball very long and it makes it easier understand and comprehend the rapid improvement. Not to mention he is a center, which takes even longer to acclimate into at the college level.
P.J. has really transformed his body (which will help him a great deal), but I think he really started making strides basketball-wise towards the end of last season. It's definitely carried over well.
But Nick looks like a different player. The Nick that I watched in the Bahamas and at the BW game looked like the Nick I expected all along, the same Nick that was a top 20 recruit coming out of HS. He's bulked up, added polish to his offensive game, plays with more confidence and physicality, and his timing on defense has improved twenty-fold. He is bound for defensive stardom from what I've seen so far. Here's the thing, it's not just his scoring and rebounding. You could argue that a part of it was simply the "competition" if those were the only noticeable differences. But that's not the case at all, it's his entire demeanor on the court. His basketball "aura" if you will. He just carries himself differently. I just hope he can maintain it. He has potential to be special.
It's really kinda simple though if you think about it. I think we all get impatient with these kids and are quick to dismiss them to some capacity. But consider that Nick hasn't been playing organized basketball very long and it makes it easier understand and comprehend the rapid improvement. Not to mention he is a center, which takes even longer to acclimate into at the college level.
The less pressure on Nick the better he will be for a while.He will need to grow into that role.If he does you are right. I think if he can give us 12 and 8 we will be a tough out,if he continues anywhere near his current pace we will be scary.
Agree completely. I hope Cal keeps starting him, tells him we just need him to win the tip, give us good energy, and if he's struggling we can go to the bullpen. If that's his role and mindset, he'll flourish.
He's also fortunate to be on a really good passing team. If he can catch lobs this year, he'll get double figures without taking a jumper.
Andy Kennedy was right last night, & I've said it before, that players make their biggest jump (improvement) going from FR to SOPH.
Also, yes Richards had some issues last year, primarily holding on to the ball and consistency and not rotating defensively. BUT, he really wasn't bad. As I've pointed out numerous times on this board, his per30min stats last year were solid. Below is a comparison of Richards FR per30min stats and WCS FR per30min stats:
10.4 pts, 9.0 reb, 1.8 blks, 61.6% FG%, & 71.8% FT% (Richards)
10.6 pts, 7.9 reb, 2.6 blks, 62.1% FG%, 37.2% FT% (WCS)
