It wasn't too long ago when the name thon maker got us all extremely excited. Not so much anymore. That being said he's listed as a 5 star for 2015. My question is are we still recruiting him at all, and why does it seem he's been cooled on?
whats become of thon maker?
- Thread starter Wall2Boogie
- Start date
i wonder if this is one of those recruits where at first it was heavy and all about UK, then the UK stuff goes quiet and it looks like others are leading, then in the end, comes full circle and he ends up at UK.
I would not be the least surprised if he the is the center we get for this class IF Ayton doesn't reclassify .
stupid .............I'll take his and brothers baggage..he s a defensive dynamo....
If you haven't noticed by now, when Cal cools on a player it's for valid reason. There have been a lot of hindsight posts on players, back-tracking questions of "how did we lose so and so to THAT team???", then saying "oh thank God we didn't get so and so, dodged a major bullet there!!".
You think it's all luck? Nope.
He has a 5 star ranking because of his potential and not because of his production on the court (for now).
Extremely tall, extremely long, extremely thin and fragile. Needs to take in 10,000 calories a day. And get Into some weight training in the worst of ways.
His body right now cannot take a beating and the bigs I watched him against were pushing, shoving and beating on him all night and by the 2nd half he hardly ever went inside.
Extremely tall, extremely long, extremely thin and fragile. Needs to take in 10,000 calories a day. And get Into some weight training in the worst of ways.
His body right now cannot take a beating and the bigs I watched him against were pushing, shoving and beating on him all night and by the 2nd half he hardly ever went inside.
This is a pretty spot on assessment.
What are your thoughts on his recent play where they mentioned he has been pretty dominant? What was the competition he was playing against that garnered these assessments?
Also, he's a 7 footer who has very little post game/IQ and is a marginal defender in the post. In the all-star games he looked absolutely outclassed by the rest of the field.
He comes to Kentucky, he is awesome, has huge potential, Cal knows best, you can't teach 7 feet, etc. He goes elsewhere.....over-rated, no inside skills, etc. Seriously, the only game I saw him play was that one all-star game and he didn't look skilled at all. Just big.
The games I watche'd him in he was always competing in an actual game. Not AAU or all star games. These are some of the same games I watched Murray play in. Maker is a good player but right now as production goes he plays like a top 150 guy.
Just loves to play on the permitter way too much and shy's away from contact that is on a consistent basis. I've seen him down low and try to push back before which is a good sign that he wants it. One time he was battling this kid who looked every bit of 300 lbs and he shoved him to get a rebound but instead of the pudgy guy goig any where at on actually pushed himself into his own teammate backwards. And they both went down on the floor and the ref whistled the guy who did nothing wrong for a foul haha.
Thon actuall got a few good shots over the top of him using his length. I've seen him matched up against a 6'11" kid who was mobile and Thon totally disappeared. When it was rumored that he was coming out a yr early this past Feb I stated he needed another yr of HS ball to get stronger. And he made a good decision to stay in the 16 class.
If he had went to Arizona St the whole country would of seen the work he needs and his stock would of dropped a consinderable amount. Here he would of played behind even Willis. Potential is one thing but in college you need production.
I'd be all for signing him up if we could get a couple of years out of him. If it was just 1 yr....well their are just much better prospects out their who can provide numbers that would be better than Thon's.
Also don't get too caught up in AAU games. Some guys look like champs in that environment but just can't seem to bring it in HS play when the opposing coaches are devising game plans to stop them.
I like players who can do what they want on the court and if They see a weakness they attack it. Thats why I was so high on Murray for the last 1.5 yrs. if they put one man on him he would beat him off the dribble, slack off and he was draining shots. Double team him and he was hitting open guys on the court for assists.
Thought some of the numbers Thon was getting was due to having excellent teammates. That Canadien team had prob 6-8 guys on it who are going to play high Div 1 basketball. Murray was the truth on that team and all his teammates knew it and deferred to him even Thon. Heck Thon would be looking for him instantly if he got the ball and they needed points.
That's easy. They have shakes that are full of calories. Go to a fast food place and get a big burger with all the dazzle dazzle and ur looking at a 1000 calories right their. And don't forget this kid is 7'1. Burns prob 5k a day just at a practice and going to class. Maybe more. Back in the 90's we used to stuff guys like Riddick with Calories trying to get them to gain weight. It was a rediculous amount like I posted with Thon.
A woman on average needs 2k a day and a guy needs 2500k a day. Think of a 7'1 guy who has a metabolism rate that is through the roof and is playing basketball all day running around everywhere. Plus if he is trying to build muscle he's gonna have to pack the food in along with good supplements and lots of water.
It is easier for a guard to look good in AAU games because you need the ball in your hands to make an impression in that kind of a game. Bigs get overlooked unless they are blocking a lot of shots or getting a lot of offensive rebounds. It is true that Maker is thin. But Maker's wingspan and developing skills are potentially elite level. In recent years, we have had so many 1 and dones that some fans are losing their perspectives. When Calipari or Kryzewski looks at a high school player, he is projecting how the player will play a year or 2 into the future, with another level of training and conditioning. Young athletes improve from year to year. Maker will be an impact player in college, and it has not been a secret that Calipari is interested in him.
If UK has an outstanding year again he could be in the hunt for UK come spring. That is if Cal wants him.
Maker might end up at another school, but not because we have too many bigs. We won't. Labissiere will be a lottery pick next spring. Willis, Killeya-Jones, Wynyard, Humphries will be here. Probably Lee too, unless his offensive skills advance light years this season. Willis, Lee, and Killeya-Jones are true forwards. Wynyard can play some minutes at 5 but is better as a 4. At worst, Maker is a great fit there, a true 5 who can score and block shots in the lane. At best, he could give us another star in the post. You need 2 true 5s when both are inexperienced, because you need 10 fouls to give. That's why Calipari is bringing Humphries to back up Labissiere. Humphries and Maker have different skills, and would work well together on our roster. Unless Calipari signs Giles, there will be room for Maker.
Maker would be a nice addition.
Right now we have Humphries, Wynyard, and Killeya-Jones looking like pretty much locks to be here. One more big makes us two deep with reliable big men inside, so the 4 and 5 would be covered.
I think Maker has become less of a priority recently. With the trio of bigs we have (Wynyard, Humphries, and Killeya-Jones), Cal now has the luxury of being selective with his last big man recruit.
Right now we have Humphries, Wynyard, and Killeya-Jones looking like pretty much locks to be here. One more big makes us two deep with reliable big men inside, so the 4 and 5 would be covered.
I think Maker has become less of a priority recently. With the trio of bigs we have (Wynyard, Humphries, and Killeya-Jones), Cal now has the luxury of being selective with his last big man recruit.
There is no reason to say and no way to know Maker is less of a priority. Maybe he isn't. It is known that Calipari was in touch with him this summer. I like Humphries but he is an unproven reclassifying player. Wynyard also unproven. If you want another FF contender, you must have a lot of faith in Humphries if you believe we are covered at 4 and 5 with Humphries, Wynyard, Killeya-Jones. I still don't know what to expect from Willis and Lee. I hope both continue to improve and contribute. Suppose Lee does improve, and he leaves in next spring's draft. If Humphries has a long learning curve, or gets into foul trouble in an important game, will you be satisfied with a baseline of Willis, Wynyard, Killeya-Jones? That's what we are talking about here. Add Maker to that roster and we are a different team that can win in any situation.
I think we can afford to wait and see what the ramaining bigs do because we have at least three solid guys inside. As I said, we need another big, but Cal can afford to be very selective and wait for the one he wants (Giles?) to decide before making a big push for Maker or any other big.
I'm just guessing, maybe Maker is his top target or one of them.
Based on reports, Cal has told Maker to call him if he wants to be recruited. I don't know if he has contacted Cal or not.
Our team's goal is to compete in the FF for national championships every year. That means we need excellent starters and effective depth at every position. Not just a few solid starters. In 2012-13, we had 3 solid bigs and then we lost to Robert Morris in the NIT 1st round. How do you know that we have 3 solid guys inside in 2016-17? Labissiere will be gone. Killeya-Jones is a thin hybrid forward who won't play any 5. Humphries is skipping his senior season of high school. Wynyard is probably a 4, and never played basketball at a US high school. I am optimistic for both, but their presence does not preclude recruiting a higher upside 5. The reports you mentioned are internet rumors. Calipari recruits the top players. Maker's coach said Kentucky has recruited Maker and was in touch with him as recently as late June. I don't have a link handy, but he was widely quoted. If Calipari talked to Maker yesterday, how would we know? Looking at 2016 bigs, Giles is in a category by himself but Maker has as much skill and upside as any other big in the class. If Giles surprises everyone and picks Kentucky, do you believe Calipari will take him? Because if your answer is yes, then you admit Calipari can use one more high upside big. To me, that is true whether it is Giles or Maker. If we want to go back to the FF, Calipari can't assume Humphries and Wynyard will carry us there.
We are both just guessing here, so I really don't understand why you keep questioning me. I don't know anymore than you do. I am just speculating.
I think Cal is pretty happy having three guys inside already in the fold. Now he is most likely going to sign another. I think we agreed on that point, but you kind of keep acting like we don't see eye to eye. Are you thinking we will add two or three more guys inside? Not sure what you are trying to say.
I'm not sure if Maker is at the top of the list or not. He shouldn't be above Giles or Adebayo, IMHO. I am sure Cal would take him if he committed, but I am not sure he wants him to commit before he gets the likes of Giles and Adebayo on campus.
I must not be making myself clear, because we seem to be on the same page, but you keep acting like we are arguing. I am sure it's probably my fault, I can ramble at times. My apologies.
Yes, I think we will add another high quality big. I don't know which one it will be. Cal is patient and I think he will continue to be patient waiting to see if he can get the big he really wants. Whether Maker is that guy, I am not sure.
By the way, I really enjoy your posts, though you sometimes come off as a little too argumentative sometimes. I think you make some good points, though.
LOL! I have not questioned you, and I'm not sure what your gripe is. I generally enjoy your posts. You responded to me, and I responded to you. People sometimes get argumentative here, but I am careful to address topics and not criticize people personally. So I don't care if you think my posts are argumentative but that isn't my intention. First you said we already have enough bigs. You said that a couple of times, so I figured you meant it. I explained why I don't think so. Now you say we will add another big. I have been saying that from the beginning. Moving ahead now, and won't try to engage you again.
No worries.
Thanks for clarifying why you were questioning me.
Maybe I misspoke or you misunderstood.
Either way, it's cool.
Like you said, time to move ahead.
Peace.
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