It's time to honestly recognize.....

[JC for 3]

....that Skal is more of a hinderance to this UK team's offense than he is an asset. Cal has said repeatedly that "this is all new to him". If that's the case, then investing in him as a starter with starter's minutes is a mistake you just can't make. I'll contend that the better option would be to just continue the effort to build his development in practice and work him into games intermittently at this point.

Marcus Lee has clearly proven to be the inside player that Skal simply is not right now. Lee should be our starter at center, IMO.

...and if we are truly "sold" on the 3-guard offense, there is going to have to be some kind of 'control' put in place as far as Briscoe goes. Driving/attacking the basket is great when it's available to do so. Going 1 on 3 in the paint is simply Briscoe being Archie 2.0.... and what good is it to drive and try to either score or get fouled when you're a less than 50% FT shooter???

These are just a couple of simple adjustments I hope to see Cal make.

 

[hoodro]

Umm, I may be wrong here (too lazy to look up the exact numbers), but isn't Lee getting more minutes than Skal anyways?

Not saying I disagree with you because I couldn't care less who starts, and actually think it would be cool for Lee, but does it really matter who's starting when most of the time Lee is the first big off the bench, sometimes checking into the game in a matter of minutes, and then logging more minutes than Skal throughout the game.

 

[irishcat1965]

Wash rinse repeat. Wash rinse repeat. Wash rinse repeat. I think we ought to move on to different subject like if the coach of the University of Alaska had Cal's players how many titles would he have.

 

[Blueaz]

almost 13,000 posts and only 68 likes....

 

[UK90]

Wash rinse repeat. Wash rinse repeat. Wash rinse repeat. .

THIS. I cracked up at the OP saying "it's time" to recognize Skal's shortcomings, as if he's the first to tell us something we didn't already know. My lord, this board's been packed with endless threads "recognizing" that fact for weeks now. But some of us are still holding out hope that he'll eventually get it and improve as the season progresses.

 

[anon_013cn8yrfncx2]

almost 13,000 posts and only 68 likes....

Not sure the like function has been around for all those posts. This is probably not your first dislike, I'm guessing


As for Skal, just guessing, but it appears he probably isn't the type who responds well to constant criticism. Some just don't. He's in a tough spot as is his coach.

 

[BBUK]

Honestly

 

[bucsrule8872]

Or maybe we as fans could be patient and let him develop and see where he is in March?

Or am I crazy?

 

[Blueaz]

Not sure the like function has been around for all those posts. This is probably not your first dislike, I'm guessing

There is a dislike button? Sweet.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

If fans were coaches we would never have a single championship. They do not know the first thing about how to handle players. Relegating Skal to the bench and basically giving up on him would destroy his chances of ever realizing his dreams, and wouldn't help our chances of winning it all this year either. We have no chance at a title without Skal improving.

 

[UK90]

Relegating Skal to the bench and basically giving up on him would destroy his chances of ever realizing his dreams.

EVER?

My lord, the over the top silliness posters come up with here. Yeah, Cal taking Skal out of the starting lineup would guarantee that he'd never ever get a shot at the NBA again, his life would officially be over because of a lineup change.

 

[Brando Mac]

Or maybe we as fans could be patient and let him develop and see where he is in March?

Or am I crazy?

I agree with that, but I also agree with what the OP said, let him do his development in practice and work him into games when possible, but don't force him in there. And stop forcing him into being a true post at least until he toughens up and can hold on to the ball, he's struggling to score down there even against scrub teams.

 

[.S&C.]

EVER?

My lord, the over the top horseshit posters come up with here. Yeah, Cal taking Skal out of the starting lineup would guarantee that he'd never ever get a shot at the NBA ever again, his life would officially be over because of a lineup change.

It's a total over-the top way of thinking. Skal starting at this point is insane, and Cal won't continue to do it after a few more games. Guys backing Skal are going to have to understand, he's not what was projected. He's not going to turn into anything else. He's soft, has no defense, is razor thin, and isn't that good actually. I was told repeatedly by coaches in M town, they couldn't believe cal recruited him. People we're shocked. So by the logic of some posters, are these "fans" better at evaluating ban Cal? Of course not.

We need to let Skal be what he is and not force a way on him. Right now he's a developing big. That's it. We can't play OAD "U" on every projected lottery through the door. Some aren't what was projected.

We've got fans (pumps) who are going to have to deal with this eventually.

 

[JC for 3]

"almost 13,000 posts and only 68 likes...." ....never thought this was a popularity contest. Some guys here just love to shoot the messenger.

• Skal has already lost his confidence...his play clearly shows that. Can he get that back by continuing to play 'back to the basket' style that is "all new to him"? I have my doubts.
• This problem isn't just in point production, either... think about how it has impacted rebounding. The time spent waiting for him to have an impact on that aspect of the game simply takes time away from bigger, more physical guys on the bench.
• There just seems to be a heavy investment in being 'right' about Skal and the reputation he came to campus with. He's just not there yet. With options available, how much longer can you afford to wait and let him struggle like this?

 

[brianpoe]

"almost 13,000 posts and only 68 likes...." ....never thought this was a popularity contest. Some guys here just love to shoot the messenger.

• Skal has already lost his confidence...his play clearly shows that. Can he get that back by continuing to play 'back to the basket' style that is "all new to him"? I have my doubts.
• This problem isn't just in point production, either... think about how it has impacted rebounding. The time spent waiting for him to have an impact on that aspect of the game simply takes time away from bigger, more physical guys on the bench.
• There just seems to be a heavy investment in being 'right' about Skal and the reputation he came to campus with. He's just not there yet. With options available, how much longer can you afford to wait and let him struggle like this?

I think the key word is investment. Skal is key to us winning a title. The investment is playing time. We do not have high caliber options, Willis nor Hump are taking us there.

Short term gain over long term success is how I am reading Cal's actions.

Practice is not the same as game experience.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

EVER?

My lord, the over the top horseshit posters come up with here. Yeah, Cal taking Skal out of the starting lineup would guarantee that he'd never ever get a shot at the NBA ever again, his life would officially be over because of a lineup change.

I said "and giving up on him", meaning relegating him to bench for good. I guess I could have made it clearer, but regardless your immediate reaction to insult is constant isn't it?

 

[JeffGoodmansVestigialTwin]

If fans were coaches we would never have a single championship. They do not know the first thing about how to handle players. Relegating Skal to the bench and basically giving up on him would destroy his chances of ever realizing his dreams, and wouldn't help our chances of winning it all this year either. We have no chance at a title without Skal improving.

A thousand thumbs up good sir!

 

[Cawood86]

Evidently some of these posters have forgotten the four years previous to Cal coming here. I don't know if its a lack of intelligence or just plain ignorance

 

[JC for 3]

...Never said I was breaking a story, here. I just think after Saturday's game, the patience I had left in watching Skal struggle ran out.

The other observation I originally mentioned is still out there....if we have to keep playing a 3 guard offense, what does Cal do to stop the out of control driving into the paint and throwing it up? In the Arizona State game, the guards were running a weave that created a lot of good shots in the 2nd half. Saturday's game....never saw that at all.

 

[Mike-D]

Let's just bench Skal for the rest of the season, and settle on being a Sweet-16 team at best. At least we will win more games for now!

These same people bitching about Skal will be back on here after we lose in the round of 32 while Skal rotted away on the bench all year. I'd rather try all season for Skal to "get it" knowing if he does we go from mediocre to good. Poythress and Lee won't cut it come March, I can tell you that much. Where does our offense come from? Are we just gonna put-back dunk our way to another Final-4?

 

[Aike]

My fear, and I fear this for Skal and not for our team's sake, is that Skal is more Darko than AD.

Obviously this guy has some other worldly skills when seen in a gym in a workout setting. So far, it doesn't translate.

I have no clue how much Cal can get out of him this season. Cal wants it to work badly for Skal, for the team, and for Cal's own ego as a coach.

Honestly, I feel for the kid at this point. I think Cal does too. He is handling him with kid gloves for a reason.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

It's a total over-the top way of thinking. Skal starting at this point is insane, and Cal won't continue to do it after a few more games. Guys backing Skal are going to have to understand, he's not what was projected. He's not going to turn into anything else. He's soft, has no defense, is razor thin, and isn't that good actually. I was told repeatedly by coaches in M town, they couldn't believe cal recruited him. People we're shocked. So by the logic of some posters, are these "fans" better at evaluating ban Cal? Of course not.

We need to let Skal be what he is and not force a way on him. Right now he's a developing big. That's it. We can't play OAD "U" on every projected lottery through the door. Some aren't what was projected.

We've got fans (pumps) who are going to have to deal with this eventually.

So, on one hand you are saying he's not what was projected (meaning a lot of other people besides Cal thought he was a top player as well), and then you say coaches in the Memphis area were "shocked" Cal recruited him. They were shocked he would recruit a guy who was one of the top-ranked players by every scouting service? Curious. He is soft, lacking in defense and razor thin as well. That applies to other top freshmen as well. Skal isn't making the transition as well as they are though. Until the last 5 games, he was doing fine. He's had 26, 17, 16, 13 and 10 pt games. Stunned that you then say he "isn't that good actually".

There have been many good players go through similar slumps. It's mental. He has a good hook, and a good jumper. He's lacking in other areas, but nobody thought he was LeBron at this stage of his career. I also don't understand the fascination with starting. Makes almost no difference whether he starts or comes off the bench in the grand scheme of things unless losing his starting spot drains him of whatever confidence he has left. If that's the case, I have no problem with him continuing to start.

 

[JC for 3]

" I also don't understand the fascination with starting." ....I think what is meant by that is he's getting 'starter's minutes' rather than reserve minutes.

 

[ganner918]

It's a total over-the top way of thinking. Skal starting at this point is insane, and Cal won't continue to do it after a few more games. Guys backing Skal are going to have to understand, he's not what was projected. He's not going to turn into anything else. He's soft, has no defense, is razor thin, and isn't that good actually. I was told repeatedly by coaches in M town, they couldn't believe cal recruited him. People we're shocked. So by the logic of some posters, are these "fans" better at evaluating ban Cal? Of course not.

We need to let Skal be what he is and not force a way on him. Right now he's a developing big. That's it. We can't play OAD "U" on every projected lottery through the door. Some aren't what was projected.

We've got fans (pumps) who are going to have to deal with this eventually.

So what's your advice, then? Play Lee and Poythress 40 minutes a game each? Or hope that one of our two 17 year old Freshmen will turn out good enough to give us a consistent 20 minutes per game? Somebody out of Skal-Humphries-Wynyard needs to be a consistent contributor and right now Cal still thinks Skal is our best shot. It's easy to criticize, it's harder to come up with a better solution.

 

[qwesley]

If he was offensive rebounding better (13 on the year, Lee has 36) or protecting the rim better you could still play him 20 mpg or so. But we are not good enough to live with that much nonproduction. Should be 12-14 mpg until he can bring something.

 

[ganner918]

If he was offensive rebounding better (13 on the year, Lee has 36) or protecting the rim better you could still play him 20 mpg or so. But we are not good enough to live with that much nonproduction. Should be 12-14 mpg until he can bring something.

He only got 21 minutes this past game because both Lee and Poythress were in foul trouble.

 

[qwesley]

He only got 21 minutes this past game because both Lee and Poythress were in foul trouble.

I know that, more related to the overall allocation moving forward and how people want major minutes for him to hit his potential.

 

[ganner918]

To some degree we have to play him (or someone else) significant minutes to try to develop. If we fail to develop another big man, we're toast in March.

 

[truebluewildcat]

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath...

we're going to be a very good team that makes a run...just won't be as pretty as last year...

also need to come to grips with the type of team we have...we have elite guards...and that will be our strength...

our weakness will be the lack of a dominant post presence...instead of WCS and KAT dominating and playing at an elite level...our front court is going to be by committee...lee, willis, AP, Skal, Hump...all very good...none truly game changing or dominant...

the games that are open court run fests we'll be fine...the games that turn in to half court slug fests are going to be more challenging...especially if shots aren't falling and/or murray has an off night...

won't be a lot of teams that can out athlete us or beat us with pure skill...we have that...but physical teams that crash the boards and are aggressive in the post will be able to challenge us...

I said in another thread that Cal may want to consider 2 guards and 3 bigs...maybe not permanently, but for certain games that will require some brawling down low...

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

I'd love to see our offensive and defensive efficiency numbers when Skal is and isn't in the game. I don't think it would look good. We can only get where we want to be with Skal being a major contributor, but he clearly isn't ready and opponents have learned how to play him. I too think working him into more minutes strategically would be better for Skal and the team.....but we have to have him.

 

[killaCk]

Why not try to utilize him to his strengths. The big man for UCLA killed us with the pick and pop mid range jumper. I feel like he just didnt miss. Utilize him there. Let Skal face up and have a shot mid range. God knows the kid can shoot, he has show his shot to be excellent. Maybe that creates more opportunity for openings? Hell, im not a coach but i have seen Skal's shot string the nets plenty of times. Posting up, he just simply isnt strong enough. God forbid he tries to do that against Jones from Vandy or Simmons from LSU. We face UNC in the tourny, Meeks will eat Skals lunch if he tries to post him up.

 

[qwesley]

he clearly isn't ready and opponents have learned how to play him

Yes and ironically they have learned how to play Briscoe too and that has made the lane more congested for Skal.

 

[.S&C.]

So what's your advice, then? Play Lee and Poythress 40 minutes a game each? Or hope that one of our two 17 year old Freshmen will turn out good enough to give us a consistent 20 minutes per game? Somebody out of Skal-Humphries-Wynyard needs to be a consistent contributor and right now Cal still thinks Skal is our best shot. It's easy to criticize, it's harder to come up with a better solution.

I just wouldn't start him. i know how cal operates, but he's never had a kid this far away from where he needs to be actually getting 30 minutes a game. I don't think some realize this. Skal is not a top 10 recruit. At this point, he's closer to the top 50. I'm cool with playing him and letting him learn (not work through), but that's not how we recruit. Cal missed and we need to slightly adjust.

That's my opinion it's worthless but there why we're here.

 

[.S&C.]

So, on one hand you are saying he's not what was projected (meaning a lot of other people besides Cal thought he was a top player as well), and then you say coaches in the Memphis area were "shocked" Cal recruited him. They were shocked he would recruit a guy who was one of the top-ranked players by every scouting service? Curious. He is soft, lacking in defense and razor thin as well. That applies to other top freshmen as well. Skal isn't making the transition as well as they are though. Until the last 5 games, he was doing fine. He's had 26, 17, 16, 13 and 10 pt games. Stunned that you then say he "isn't that good actually".

There have been many good players go through similar slumps. It's mental. He has a good hook, and a good jumper. He's lacking in other areas, but nobody thought he was LeBron at this stage of his career. I also don't understand the fascination with starting. Makes almost no difference whether he starts or comes off the bench in the grand scheme of things unless losing his starting spot drains him of whatever confidence he has left. If that's the case, I have no problem with him continuing to start.

Man right now you think Skal is good? I figured I was stating the obvious.

When we recruited Skal lots of the Memphis scene felt he wasn't good enough to play here. I watched him and thought they were just pissed we were on him, and to an extent, they probably were. But Memphis high school top 25 kids are usually overrated IMO. When cal was at Memphis he avoided them except for Thaddeus Young but he ended up at Georgia Tech.

I disagree about it being all mental. Skal is 7 foot and has a decent touch on the offensive end. There's literally nothing else in his game at this point. He's not Anthony Davis. He has not had good coaching. It's not what we need and Cal didn't recruit him to play instructor for 4 years, he recruited him because he's supposed to be ready to be a major contributor year one. I don't see that coming with Skal. We are coming up on being half way through the season, don't forget.

As far as starting, you're right, it's pretty pointless with Cal teams as long as the players understand it. I'm a coach and was an athlete and I know how players respond. If this group feels favoritism, it could be lethal. Honestly, I trust cal to weigh that option the right way. But my opinion is he shouldn't start at this point, if for nothing more than symbolism and maybe a method to tap into Skals "beast" if it's there.

Skal has lots of upside and will get better. There's no doubt about it. I was just offering an opinion.

 

[rickscot]

....that Skal is more of a hinderance to this UK team's offense than he is an asset. Cal has said repeatedly that "this is all new to him". If that's the case, then investing in him as a starter with starter's minutes is a mistake you just can't make. I'll contend that the better option would be to just continue the effort to build his development in practice and work him into games intermittently at this point.

Marcus Lee has clearly proven to be the inside player that Skal simply is not right now. Lee should be our starter at center, IMO.

...and if we are truly "sold" on the 3-guard offense, there is going to have to be some kind of 'control' put in place as far as Briscoe goes. Driving/attacking the basket is great when it's available to do so. Going 1 on 3 in the paint is simply Briscoe being Archie 2.0.... and what good is it to drive and try to either score or get fouled when you're a less than 50% FT shooter???

These are just a couple of simple adjustments I hope to see Cal make.

I posted in another thread that the season is not long enough to get Skal ready for March.

 

[rickscot]

So what's your advice, then? Play Lee and Poythress 40 minutes a game each? Or hope that one of our two 17 year old Freshmen will turn out good enough to give us a consistent 20 minutes per game? Somebody out of Skal-Humphries-Wynyard needs to be a consistent contributor and right now Cal still thinks Skal is our best shot. It's easy to criticize, it's harder to come up with a better solution.

My advice would be to invest in Wynyard and Humphries and get them ready for March. Skal is talented, but light weight and afraid of mature SEC competition.

 

[.S&C.]

My advice would be to invest in Wynyard and Humphries and get them ready for March. Skal is talented, but light weight and afraid of mature SEC competition.

This board, and those that believe Skal will be a major contributor next week, are in for a rude awakening when we get the sec "officials" treatment on the road this year. It could be brutal on him.

 

[ganner918]

This board, and those that believe Skal will be a major contributor next week, are in for a rude awakening when we get the sec "officials" treatment on the road this year. It could be brutal on him.

I don't at all think Skal is a "next week" major contributor. But we've got to develop ONE of our freshmen big men by March. And going all in on whoever seems like the best shot is a decent strategy.

 

[.S&C.]

I don't at all think Skal is a "next week" major contributor. But we've got to develop ONE of our freshmen big men by March. And going all in on whoever seems like the best shot is a decent strategy.

Absolutely. But for those that think it's all mental and he's around the corner, the sec road games are going to shock them.

 

[UK90]

There have been many good players go through similar slumps. It's mental.

Sorry, but what's going on with Skal can NOT be called a "slump." A slump is when a normally good player goes through a bad spell. But, unfortunately, Skal has NEVER yet established the "normally good" part (sorry, stats amassed against NJIT don't count). Truth is he's never ever had a good game against good competition. And if you've never had a good game against good competiton then you're certainly not in a "slump", instead you're just a bad player.

That said, I am NOT giving up on him. I still believe the talent is there, and am still very much hoping he eventually gets it and emerges. But characterizing this as a "slump" is inaccurate, if not flat out dishonest. You have to first establish yourself before you can go into a slump, Skal has never done that yet.