Yakwe vs Nebraska

Credit where it’s due. He came really close a couple of times to not only grabbing an offensive board, but scoring on a put back. I think it will come for him. Last night was the first night I’ve seen him play with a fire since his freshman year.

He doesn’t have to have a post up game if he keeps crashing the glass the way he did last night. I think if he can give us 2-4 points, 4-5 boards and a block or two per game, we should be happy.

Yak also seemed better on defense it that he was not biting for every fake and leaving his feet and having his man dribble right by him.  And yes he did look more involved.

He looked like he was having fun out there.  Good for him!

Yakwe can be the difference between NCAA or NIT

Credit where it’s due. He came really close a couple of times to not only grabbing an offensive board, but scoring on a put back. I think it will come for him. Last night was the first night I’ve seen him play with a fire since his freshman year.

He doesn’t have to have a post up game if he keeps crashing the glass the way he did last night. I think if he can give us 2-4 points, 4-5 boards and a block or two per game, we should be happy.

Lol he didn't play with fire against Marquette in the Garden last year?

Marv in foul trouble last night was a blessing in disguise, it gave Kassoum the important minutes he needed to give himself such much needed confidence. He played well, very good D on Copeland.

Kassoum puts in the work, his free throw shooting was much improved after a Summer with Mullin last year. His body doesn't have a ounce of fat on it. What teeters with him is his confidence. He's a first class kid, humble to a fault. I'd run him out there for 30 minutes against Molloy, it could be exactly what he needs.

Quote from: Poison on November 17, 2017, 12:08:18 PM

Credit where it’s due. He came really close a couple of times to not only grabbing an offensive board, but scoring on a put back. I think it will come for him. Last night was the first night I’ve seen him play with a fire since his freshman year.

He doesn’t have to have a post up game if he keeps crashing the glass the way he did last night. I think if he can give us 2-4 points, 4-5 boards and a block or two per game, we should be happy.

Lol he didn't play with fire against Marquette in the Garden last year?

Marv in foul trouble last night was a blessing in disguise, it gave Kassoum the important minutes he needed to give himself such much needed confidence. He played well, very good D on Copeland.

Kassoum puts in the work, his free throw shooting was much improved after a Summer with Mullin last year. His body doesn't have a ounce of fat on it. What teeters with him is his confidence. He's a first class kid, humble to a fault. I'd run him out there for 30 minutes against Molloy, it could be exactly what he needs.

I see he had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks last year. That makes one time he played and well at the same time. Alibegovic scored in double figures more often. Yakwe does seem to have a confidence issue. He reacts like he's been robbed just about every time a call goes against him. But then again, his coach is modeling that behavior.

Still, the point of the thread is to talk about what kind of player Yakwe can be. I see his development as essential. Those that want him to leave are short sighted. St.John's needs to continue to help Kassoum find his fire. And for that to happen, he needs to play. Beating up on Molloy probably couldn't hurt. Let's see if he can carry his momentum over to Monday night.

I still think Owens and Yakwe should split the center minutes. So Yakwe should get all the minutes Owens can't get e.g. foul trouble or mismatch, and any additional minutes he earns from those minutes at the 4. Should be about 18-22 a game.

Yakwe was a focal point of the team his freshman yr. He had sets ran for him and the offense wasn't as guard centric. His role has changed and it looks like he is still trying to adjust. He seems tentative and is scared to make a mistake when he gets the ball. If he gets into a groove it would be a huge difference maker on this club. He should see a solid amount of minutes with Owens and Clark always in foul trouble.

Yakwe looked much better . We desperately need another post player who can contribute. I think Owens should be the primary Center, getting as many minutes as he can ,taking his fouls into consideration. I like the lineup of a Owens at the 5 and Clark at the 4. But they both foul too much. Yakwe played w a high motor and rebounded well.   Not great , but got the job done , as opposed to Amar. He is very important piece of the puzzle and if he can improve as the season progresses,I think we will be NCAA bound.                  Lovett,Ponds,Bash.Simon and Clark are very respectable BE players , but we need 1 more big to contribute. I agree that Yakwe should get plenty of PT against Molly . I also would give Trimble more time. Maybe the div 2 opponant.is good at this time. Affording somet of the starters some rest while allowing other player s to work on their game and gain confidence. We have a lot of games at the end of the week.

Yakwe was a focal point of the team his freshman yr. He had sets ran for him and the offense wasn't as guard centric. His role has changed and it looks like he is still trying to adjust. He seems tentative and is scared to make a mistake when he gets the ball. If he gets into a groove it would be a huge difference maker on this club. He should see a solid amount of minutes with Owens and Clark always in foul trouble.

What I see is a guy who doesn't practice enough. He will get more comfortable with the ball if he plays more basketball.

I still think Owens and Yakwe should split the center minutes. So Yakwe should get all the minutes Owens can't get e.g. foul trouble or mismatch, and any additional minutes he earns from those minutes at the 4. Should be about 18-22 a game.

Clark.

Quote from: Amaseinyourface2 on November 17, 2017, 02:34:35 PM

I still think Owens and Yakwe should split the center minutes. So Yakwe should get all the minutes Owens can't get e.g. foul trouble or mismatch, and any additional minutes he earns from those minutes at the 4. Should be about 18-22 a game.

Clark.

I think you play clark a few minutes at the 5 but for most part should rotate our 5 best players between 1-4.

I had a kid like Yakwe and It was really frustrating. The problem as mentioned by Posion was Confidence. The kid practice like a star and in the game he was just awful. I tried every approach and eventually he was able to turn it around and have a decent H S career. Remember so much of any game is mental. Hopefully Yawke will be able to turn it around. Also they need to get him a tennis ball to play catch with to improve hand coordination

maybe get him some couch time with a sport psychologist too   (Villanova's team has had one for a long time)

I had a kid like Yakwe and It was really frustrating. The problem as mentioned by Posion was Confidence. The kid practice like a star and in the game he was just awful. I tried every approach and eventually he was able to turn it around and have a decent H S career. Remember so much of any game is mental. Hopefully Yawke will be able to turn it around. Also they need to get him a tennis ball to play catch with to improve hand coordination

He has terrible hands. Start there before worrying about psychology. He also abandoned attacking the rim which he did very well as a frosh....perhaps due to his horrible foul shooting.

In today's game every position has to be a competent shooter.    Very few guys can earn minutes just playing defense and rebounding.    You need to be exceptionally good at those two aspects to make up for a lack of offense.    And Yakwe doesn't. 

In today's game every position has to be a competent shooter.    Very few guys can earn minutes just playing defense and rebounding.    You need to be exceptionally good at those two aspects to make up for a lack of offense.    And Yakwe doesn't. 

Disagree. On this team, if yakwe plays solid defense and reboundsfor 20 minutes a night we are in excellent shape.

Quote from: desco80 on November 17, 2017, 08:42:58 PM

In today's game every position has to be a competent shooter.    Very few guys can earn minutes just playing defense and rebounding.    You need to be exceptionally good at those two aspects to make up for a lack of offense.    And Yakwe doesn't. 

Disagree. On this team, if yakwe plays solid defense and reboundsfor 20 minutes a night we are in excellent shape.

We have no depth Tony, so I agree with you ... if he rebounds and plays D .. that's better than nothing. 
But posters are rightfully complaining about his hands and how he's not going to the rim aggressively anymore with the ball.    And that's because he doesn't have an offensive game.    And there's little room for players who are an offensive lie ility.   That's too big a part of the game now.   

Quote from: TONYD3 on November 17, 2017, 08:56:57 PM

Quote from: desco80 on November 17, 2017, 08:42:58 PM

In today's game every position has to be a competent shooter.    Very few guys can earn minutes just playing defense and rebounding.    You need to be exceptionally good at those two aspects to make up for a lack of offense.    And Yakwe doesn't. 

Disagree. On this team, if yakwe plays solid defense and reboundsfor 20 minutes a night we are in excellent shape.

We have no depth Tony, so I agree with you ... if he rebounds and plays D .. that's better than nothing. 
But posters are rightfully complaining about his hands and how he's not going to the rim aggressively anymore with the ball.    And that's because he doesn't have an offensive game.    And there's little room for players who are an offensive lie ility.   That's too big a part of the game now.   

I am well aware he can’t catch a basketball. I was never a Chris opekpa fan. Besides the non sense I thought he had a productive last season at St. John’s. I think yakwe can do that.

We have 6 really good players. I would love to see Yakwe have a better offensive game. But the way I see it. If he could give us 15 minutes a game, play D and rebound, I’ll take it.