Yeah, I’ve only seen him play one game. But I’ve seen Iti play a lot and, if anything, he’s gotten worse. This guy is a waste of space and doesn’t even hustle to make up for his lack of ability. Fouling out in limited minutes against Pfeiffer is laughable.
Did anyone see him get schooled by Shaggy for Pfeiffer?? It was a horrible move but the bottom line is that a guy who can’t be more than 6’6" should NOT get a shot off against Iti. Embarassing. I HOPE QCB gets his stat line from last night.
[i]Originally posted by NinerAdvocate[/i]@Nov 3 2004, 09:50 AM
[b] It doesn't matter which starts: Until Iti gets in better shape, look forward to 25 minutes per night for Mr. Nance, IMO. [/b]
Iti could quite possibly be the biggest waste of a scholarship we've had since Matas or Neely.
If he can’t dominate a team like Pfiefer, he’ll be useless in C-USA.
He had some blocks but that was it. He needs to focus on rebounding and blocking shots. He won’t be a scorer for this team.
I almost puked when I saw Iti lose the opening tip to a guy that was 6’6".
After last years performance I thought he could only get better, but he showed me nothing last night except for getting outmuscled by a much smaller D2 team. Might as well keep Nance in there. I bet he kills Iti in practice everyday.
[i]Originally posted by bobblinlutz[/i]@Nov 3 2004, 10:43 AM
[b] Did anyone see him (Iti) get schooled by Shaggy for Pfeiffer?? [/b]
Yeah, that was terrible. What about the foul he commited on the guy that made the 3 pointer from the corner... he didn't even alter the shot and the commited the foul well after the ball had left the shooter's hand. Giving up 4 point plays can be a real momentum shift in a close game.
I’m gonna hold judgement on him until I see him play a few more games, but I didn’t particularly like what I saw tonight. I was really hoping that he would have put on some more muscle in the offseason too.
One point of note before he is written off after one exhibition game, it seems many big men in college have a harder time adjusting to smaller opponents than guys their own size. They are dealing with guys who A are quicker B whose hands are lower and can disrupt their dribble C who have a better center of gravity for box outs.
Now, by no means is this an excuse, but it does alter your game. You have to utilize the drop step in this scenerio to be effective. I am not sure Iti has mastered this. That said, nobody really expects him to be higher than our 5th or 6th leading scorer do they?
He had 3 Rebs (inexcusable) and 6 blocks (very respectable). He netted 3 pts., 1 assist, and 1 turnover. 5 fouls (though he should get 3 to 4 every night). I legitimately expect 8 pts., 10 boards, and 4 blocks per game from him. That is sufficient to help us win night in and night out with the other guys contributing their averages.
As long as I see progress in games that count, I cannot bash the kid. We are going to rely on his size alone against the likes of Bama, Indiana, Memphis, and Louisville to name a few.
I don’t disagree with the comments on Iti’s talents/faults at the moment, but you guys need to hold off on commenting what he will develop into. Those of you who saw Jermaine Parker play can relate to this. Parker was a clumsy player who rarely saw the court his first two years, and was having the same problems Iti is having now. His Junior year, he developed some, but still didn’t play a whole lot. His senior year, 1994-1995, he developed into an incredible shot blocker and helped facilitate our run to the Dance. Without his presence in the middle, I don’t know that we would have made it. Iti is still clumsy, but he’s only a sophomore. He’s playing against a lot quicker players than he played against in high school, and he’s obviously having trouble adjusting. He may not get any better, but I think it’s unfair to write him off just yet.
[i]Originally posted by X-49er[/i]@Nov 3 2004, 01:22 PM
[b] I don't disagree with the comments on Iti's talents/faults at the moment, but you guys need to hold off on commenting what he will develop into. Those of you who saw Jermaine Parker play can relate to this. Parker was a clumsy player who rarely saw the court his first two years, and was having the same problems Iti is having now. His Junior year, he developed some, but still didn't play a whole lot. His senior year, 1994-1995, he developed into an incredible shot blocker and helped facilitate our run to the Dance. Without his presence in the middle, I don't know that we would have made it. Iti is still clumsy, but he's only a sophomore. He's playing against a lot quicker players than he played against in high school, and he's obviously having trouble adjusting. He may not get any better, but I think it's unfair to write him off just yet. [/b]
The problem with that comparison is that Jermaine Parker came here under the radar, certainly not as a top-10 recruit. Even if leaving early would have been in fashion back then, Jermaine Parker would not have tested the waters after his Freshman year.
Now, you can say yeah but that’s all water under the bridge b/c Iti is here now and he’s been told that he’s not good enough to go pro. But I honestly think this is Iti’s FINAL YEAR at Charlotte. Call me crazy, but I think this guy just isn’t right and he’s shown no intention that he wants to graduate from college.
I think he declares at the end of the year, gets drafter in the second round or not at all, then goes overseas. If that’s the case, then we can’t wait for him to get any better. It has to happen this season. And judging by what I saw last night and what Lutz said about him in the paper (he’s not going to be a scorer, he hasn’t worked on getting any bigger, etc), I’m not convinced he cares about getting any better.
Iti worked out hard over the summer from what I heard. The coaches said he came in in good shape. He worked on getting quicker, leaner, more athletic over the summer. He didn’t try to bulk up like his freshman year. I think he’s still just learning the game and how to get all of his parts in the right places if you know what I mean. I truly think he wants to get better. Obviously, he needs 4 years.
while not suprised, that is a scary statement. Why can’t Iti jump? I bet he will be a pro next season regardless, if its nba or Australia league.
one thing he ads, an inside shot blocking presence which can help out alot on defense. especially if our defense elsewhere sucks as bad as it did last season.
Nance starting? I was impressed with him and all but I am not sure he’s ready to start. Hopefully Iti can stay out of foul trouble when it counts for a change this year.
[i]Originally posted by bobblinlutz[/i]@Nov 3 2004, 01:30 PM
[b] [/QUOTE]I think he declares at the end of the year, gets drafter in the second round or not at all, then goes overseas. If that's the case, then we can't wait for him to get any better. It has to happen this season. And judging by what I saw last night and what Lutz said about him in the paper (he's not going to be a scorer, he hasn't worked on getting any bigger, etc), I'm not convinced he cares about getting any better. [/QUOTE]
[/b]
I hear you, but the fact remains he is a member of our team this season. I think we need to simmer and see where he is after several D1 games before we commit to saying he shouldn’t start.
I also think a guy like Iti needs encouragement whereas a guy like, say, Curtis needs a kick in the butt (not saying Curtis deserves that at all though). You gotta treat different psyches differently.
Folks on these boards, me included, can get overly critical at times. Sometimes that is unfair. The mark of a good team is judged by progression during the season in D1, therefore, we should not be critical this early. If we repeat last season and peak early (see Louisville game) its gonna be downer sure, but I truly believe there are 3 guys in our starting rotation who can improve…Iti first and foremost, Mitchell, and even Eddie in regards to consistent point production.
Iti should start, we need him. He makes us much better on defense. He played hard and hustled down the court. As posted earlier, I think he needs a lot of positive guidance and can be a major contributor. A big man will have to gaurd him, which frees Withers to score.