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Jim French Stepstool

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Everything posted by Jim French Stepstool

  1. Jim French Stepstool
    It'll be a real challenge but yeah, gettable. Their best win is probably a neutral-court game vs Oklahoma, and their closest thing to a roadie is K-State in Kansas City. They seem to play quite a bit better in Lincoln, more than your usual home-road team splits. I held the opinion for awhile that Hoiberg was a vastly overrated coach, but he seems to have them guarding pretty well the last couple seasons & they appear to have money to throw around (I almost throw up in my mouth a little every time I make reference to that when talking about the college game). Hoibergs' kid is a nice energy guy.
  2. Jim French Stepstool
    A few thought on todays' "Super Bowl"......... It's pretty obvious this isn't one of MUs' best squads, but I wasn't buying some of the comments out there about how bad they were (I haven't seen much of their games). I thought defensively in the 1st half their overplay & recover, foot movement & hedging was really good & kept UW in check until Blackwell started going off. I also thought some of their open looks from three were by design, especially when as the game unfolded it was obvious their best boat is to drive the ball. If they can knock down shots they can win their share of games. Hell, they were a couple of plays away from being 7-2 coming into today. But if they can't 'muck up' a game & make it an up & down affair that'll be a problem. Good & Bad from Gard today. I have no idea how you don't get Blackwell out of there late in the half w/the two fouls. OTOH, keeping him on the bench to start the 2nd half was a solid decision, and I thought UW treading water in the first 8 minutes if the half--even opening it up a little--with Blackwell sitting was maybe the closest thing to a key in the game. Andrew Rohde was absolutely terrific today in all aspects. POTG as far as I'm concerned. Coming out party for Bieliauskas? He can really be an X factor if he shows some semblance of what he did today from here on out. Bad half, then a pretty good one from Rapp. Let's hope he settles into a relief role cuz it looks like that's the plan moving forward.
  3. Jim French Stepstool
    Last month Mark Stewart of the MJS said it "appears" Zachman has the medical redshirt option if he chooses to use it. FWIW.
  4. Jim French Stepstool
    This whole NIL thing was handled like **** from the get go. It should've been structured as the athletes being allowed to go out & cut their own deals if they wish, with whatever businesses are interested. No school involvement. Hire representation if you wish to have someone handle it for you. And if you appear in an ad or commercial, leave the school uni at home---it's YOUR name, image & likeness, not the schools'. Wayyyy too late for any of this of course. And if it was by some miracle implemented, I'm sure some schools would illegally get involved in the proce$$. But trying to police something like that would be much better than the nonsense we're seeing now. With the genie out of the bottle, yeah, 2-year deals would certainly be an improvement.
  5. Jim French Stepstool
    The fortunate thing here is that your two best CFs (Mitchell & Perkins) have options remaining. It would suck if Mitchell had a fantastic spring, Perkins was out of options & you dealt him, and three weeks later Mitchell was back on the IL. So they can just bide their time for now & see how things look in Feb & March. As to the original question, I'd say yeah. It does seem to be sort of a make-or-break year for him AFA being able to stay on the field, whether it's here or in Nashville.
  6. Jim French Stepstool
    I imagine it'll stay a 9-man rotation, mostly. I liked what I saw of Hayden Jones right from the first time I saw him in the scrimmage, but barring injuries I imagine he'll remain behind Carrington & Janicki. And unless you run & press for most of the game, going 2 deep along the perimeter is usually as far as you need to go. Maybe if they have games where they go small as they did vs TCU...........? As you said, still fighting for consistency. I'm sure having the huge lead had something to do with it, but being outscored by eleven in the final twenty minutes should spearhead the teaching points going into Saturday.
  7. Jim French Stepstool
    Agreed. Rohde, Blackwell & Boyd all played really well on both ends & gave us a huge edge over the NW guards from the get-go. A couple late NW threes were the only damper on a magnificent defensive half. Seven steals for the game is quite a bit vs a team that usually plays pretty smart basketball.
  8. Jim French Stepstool
    Yeah, the 2nd half was tough to watch. Give credit to Singleton, Page & Martinelli for playing hard to the buzzer, especially Martinelli after tweaking the ankle. What bothered me in the 2nd half was the sloppiness---I think 7 TOs in the half, a couple of them really ugly---and not matching the NU energy on the boards, way too many 2nd & 3rd looks. But when things go south it's nice to have a guy like Boyd to take over & find a way to get to the lane & the FT line. Blackwell's performance speaks for itself. And I liked how Rapp did some positive things after coming off the bench. And continued baby steps for Janicki on the offensive end. Normal solid defensive & floor game from him, but it looks like the comfort level & confidence is starting to come on the offensive end. Shot looks a lot better.
  9. Jim French Stepstool
    I had to chuckle when I read that. I mean, that's SO spot-on. I think he'd be a nice fit considering the versatility. But I wouldn't give up Megill, and I don't know how inspired Detroit would be to deal him.
  10. Jim French Stepstool
    I liked the last few minutes of the half vs Da Frogs, and the last 5 minutes of the game. Definitely great intensity & effort in those stretches, and it coincided with their best defense of the entire game (surprise, surprise). It's why I'm watching & waiting for that end of the floor to show consistency and --I think I heard Mike Bruesewitz use the word 'connectivity'. That works. Fullcourt press looked pretty effective late, but of course you can't rely on that to bring energy. I too feel good about the intangibles re guys like Rohde & Boyd. Carrington has his head screwed on pretty tight too. In the past, IMO the deal was that Tonje competed well & all that, but really wasn't a rah rah type. The guy conducted himself as an adult, which is fine. Then there's Storr, who played for the name on the uniform for four months at a time until the next highest bidder came along. They made a terrific hire, but I'm not 100% sold on Iowa quite yet, especially going into EL. After getting their eyes opened a bit in San Diego I wonder how Florida will do in Cameron.
  11. Jim French Stepstool
    Yeah. And underline 'THINK'. Definitely not Pena.
  12. Jim French Stepstool
    I usually don't look at the computer stuff at this early point of the season. Many good early non-con matchups but a lot of buy games across the country as well. Somewhere in the 60s sounds about right to me too. Northwestern isn't one of those teams overloaded with talent, but they'll come well-prepared & will be a problem if we aren't. I'll be interested in seeing who guards Martinelli. UW's switching, communication & just overall consistency on defense HAS to get better. I'm not overly concerned about the scoring, although the obsession with playing faster & shooting threes has to be tempered with recognizing the importance of getting favorable matchups & taking the extra 5-10 seconds to make that happen if need be. Having trouble scoring vs TCU wasn't startling, but the TO rate was much too high. After setting screens, Winter & Rapp have to be a little more cognizant of rolling to the cup & less apt to just be happy floating around the perimeter.
  13. Jim French Stepstool
    Correct. AFA I know no one was expecting that. Circumstances put him in a very unenviable position.
  14. Jim French Stepstool
    The first point you make is an especially good one. From what I saw the OL improved once the offense settled into a vastly different way of doing things---world beaters, no. But more comfortable in an offense that had a little more of a 'traditional' look to it. It certainly would've helped to not take over two months to decide Heinzen was an interior guy & not a LT. Seriously bad decision coming out of camp. Agree with the other points as well. As for Carter Smith, it wouldn't surprise me if a couple years from now people will be railing about the QBs who played ahead of him in 2025. Those people would be wrong. Talented enough to furnish hope for the future, but nowhere near ready right now.
  15. Jim French Stepstool
    The former makes a lot of sense.
  16. Jim French Stepstool
    Their QB play was certainly better than ours from what I saw, and I assume was as good or better in the 2nd half as well. Where I'm coming from, I see UW going into the locker room up at least 7-3 if not for the poor 1st half from West, augmented by their guy putting two punts inside the ten IIRC. But from what I'm reading on this thread neither guy (did Simmons play in the 2nd half?) made plays. Given the conditions you definitely needed to run the ball something closer to what they turned in vs ILL. I'm sure that didn't get any better as the game wore on.
  17. Jim French Stepstool
    I don't know if the numbers bear it out or not but from '88 to '90 IMO one or two of those teams were worse offensively than this one, especially if you want to factor in this group being down to their 4th QB. From what I saw today (mostly just the 1st half), seems to me their punter having a great half while Sean West had a poor one might've been the single biggest factor on a day where field position meant almost everything.
  18. Jim French Stepstool
    The above was one of the big stories of the 1st half. During the course of the season you'll have games where you're being guarded well & struggle, especially when you're not on your home court. That's why it's so important to match defensive intensity, and for most of the 1st half UW didn't. Was getting sick of watching the curly-haired kid basically shoot set shots. The defensive fire returned late in the half; hopefully it's there to stay. After all that, down four at half while turning it over eight times. I almost feel like someone needs to post, to help alleviate the aggressive perimeter D if nothing else. Inverting things & posting up Blackwell or Boyd on occasion wouldn't be a bad idea either. Winter & Rapp having one of those halves, on the offensive end, where they might as well be 6'4". One way or another you have to find a way to stretch TCU out & make them pay for the overplay on the perimeter.
  19. Jim French Stepstool
    He isn't as 'game ready' as the other three but I'd include Garlock in the comment re post defense. He has the size & bulk, and as long as he doesn't get caught out in space on switches a lot he'll contribute. Certainly behind the other post guys at this point but when you think of the term 'freshman big' he appears physical enough to transcend that stereotype. They don't really need scoring from him right now; hopefully that'll come. Rapp might be a key today. He had a horrible game vs BYU & followed it up with a great performance, not only scoring the ball but on the boards & defensively. UW needs the second one to show up on a more regular basis. Looking forward to this one. Running their offense & getting good shots will be much tougher vs TCU than it was vs the Friars.
  20. Jim French Stepstool
    I noticed that, too. Vs a group that tries to go too fast like I think Providence was sometimes guilty of, Boyd & Blackwell can wreak havoc, as can Janicki & Carrington. Also only 6 Badger TOs. Tomorrows' game looked like a real challenge Whether it was TCU or Florida. Since a squeaker over New Orleans in their opener the Frogs have been pretty good, beating FLA & losing to Michigan by four. Not a lot of imposing height, but some girth. Winter missed one shot from inside the arc all day vs Providence. Whether it's screen & roll or posting, would like to see the ball in his hands in the post. Brock Harding (late of Iowa) starts at guard for them.
  21. Jim French Stepstool
    I also only saw the game in between visiting w/family & expanding the ole' waistline. From what I ascertained the pregame stuff I heard was accurate---Providence has some talent & can score, but isn't exactly Bob Knight-like on the defensive end. Nick Boyd isn't bashful (25 shots) but if he's going to shoot 60% from the floor, ummmmm, OK. Looking at the box score I see Rapp had a nice bounceback game, and Janicki shot the ball really well.
  22. Jim French Stepstool
    Passion & physicality. I'm very surprised how things have turned around the last month. It's gotten to the point re recruiting where you have to take everything with a little bit of skepticism until the LOI is actually signed. I've often wondered how nerve wracking it would be to be recruiting as a college coach, relying on the whims of teenagers & knowing that as positive as your visit went, he's visiting someone else in a week or two & can be swayed just as easily in another direction. Throw in the fact that cheating is now legal, and I don't blame guys like Tony Bennett one bit for pulling the plug. Karma. Let's give a big shoutout to whoever convinced Fickell to s***can the vest.
  23. Jim French Stepstool
    It would be very, very gratifying to see Wilkin settle into a 5-600 PA season, without the injury drama. In that vein, sort of the 3B version of Garrett Mitchell.
  24. Jim French Stepstool
    I guess they list him as a LB in the 2-5, but I consider Peterson a DE. And I would say his performance tonite was the best by a UW DL since a night around fourteen years ago when this guy who used to deliver pizzas with my nephew couldn't be blocked by Ohio State. Really good pressure from a lot of sources. I have to credit the offensive game plan, using the legs of Smith, Kekahuna & others to offset the thin TB situation. And the OL is obviously better. After a disastrous start to the season at LT Heinzen seems to have found a home at C. Don't know what kind of thrower he'll develop into, but Carter Smith is very slick & unpredictable with his ball handling. I can see where he can give a front seven just enough uncertainty to cause a crease for himself or a RB. Nice weapon. I'll probably miss him for his cover skills when he's gone, but sometimes Rico Hallman drives me nuts. He seems to be one of these CBs who covers pretty well most of the time, puts himself into position.........and then doesn't finish the final one-tenth of the play by getting a hand on the ball or stripping the catch. Did it again tonight on the IL FG possession. But tonight that's a nit-pick. Happy for the SRs, really everyone on the squad who dug down deep in the last month.
  25. Jim French Stepstool
    All true. I was a little annoyed by the announcers reaction when Dybantsa left w/the four fouls, as if they were going through some immense test while he sat. That's a pretty damn good team even w/o him. It's just disappointing how the starters played and like Gard said, how they responded to BYU. It certainly was a huge step up in competition from the first four games. But besides the wars Winter & Blackwell have been through Rohde spent two years in the ACC & Boyd started 37 games for a team that made a FF run. Austin Rapp had a terrible day yesterday, almost to the point of me wanting to question his toughness vs better competition. But taking a closer look at his previous yr he had a 9pt, 9 rebound game at Oregon and averaged 10 & 5 in his four games vs St Marys & Gonzaga. So yes, certainly some talent. And it takes time to get everyone on the same page defensively. Hopefully this is nothing more than a very ugly mulligan.
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