Try not to be condescending, I'm not retarded, I know about player development, but not everyone can be developed into a stud.
A bad choice of words. I can be a bear of very little brain sometimes 
, so I try to pick my spots when I call people dumb. This was not one of those times, so sorry if it came across that way. The frustration with the thought of giving up on someone (Booker) who can turn into a pretty good player showed.
How am I giving the newcomers way too much credit?
Which players do you think will average 10+ minutes per game next year? Iâm assuming newcomers, especially for non-guards.
You said he's trying to parlay his trip here into transfering to another possible school and get a scholarship there. That's far fetched and I said you're giving him too much credit to do that, let alone play enough mins to get those kind of offers from other schools. I think the guy comes in and gets clean up time... I'm giving him NO credit.
Iâm assuming Carlos leaves. In that scenario, itâs not impossible to believe that Harris could play about as many minutes as Booker last year while waiting for Gerrity. That might be enough for another school to accept him as a transfer. Iâll be the first to admit that itâs far-fetched.
We didn't give him a scholarship, if he can earn one here great for him, but I doubt he tries to get one somewhere else since he's already used up one year.
Thereâs been hints that we may offer him a scholarship. You join everyone else thinking that he never leaves Charlotte and plays 3 years (Iâm thinking that too, but I offered an alternative theory). What do you mean by âalready used up one yearâ? Iâm thinking of what Gerrity did - played for 1.5 years at Pepperdine, sits out a year, and plays 2.5 years at Charlotte. In my scenario, he plays 1 year juco, .5 years Charlotte - accepts a scholarship somewhere else - practice team one year (Would transfer rules apply for a walk-on?), 2.5 years of playing time. Thatâs almost like a 3.5 year scholarship with the âredshirtâ transfer year.
Either you mis-read what I wrote or didn't comprehend what I was saying. Thinking this guy is going to come in and even be the primary back-up is a stretch, if not a joke, he'll probably be lucky to see the court. If he does get PT good, great, grand, but people on this board are getting way too hyped about him, let him play... hell let him practice some first before you expect him to come in and be a bonafide star (you're not saying this, altho that scenario could suggest so, but some are).
No bonafide star. Iâm thinking Lee is our point guard and Harris splits time with Lewis. Could Harris play more? I suspect heâll be given a more-than-typical opportunity to prove himself - since I think the coaches want Lee to play as much SG as possible and Lewis is not seen as an answer an PG. I echo your thoughts on his PT, since I donât know what kind of player he is.
As it was mentioned, Eddie was a fine HS player before coming here and was recruited by some good programs. This guy was Pfieffer's prized recruit practically... there's a difference.
AhâŚnow I see what the problem is. I was talking about David Booker, not Pfiefferâs prized recruit. Booker was a fine HS player, too.
Hereâs the frustration part: (SOAPBOX TIME! :biggrin: ) How many times have we all heard from college basketball announcers about âthe great equalizerâ of kids leaving early whenever a mid-major knocks off a BCS team? A college team with players that have all developed together over a span of a couple years might sometimes find themselves with an edge over teams with McDonalds All-Americans that will bolt after their freshman years. Charlotteâs in the middle. We donât recruit at a mid-major level and a freshman bolting for the NBA is not a common occurance.
I think there IS something to the idea that player development is a weakness here. Itâs like when I hear Lefty talking about the need for âsmarterâ players. To me, that means that the coaches want to jump into more advanced 300-400 level classes of changing defenses or whatever and theyâre used to kids that already know âCollege Basketball 101â from somewhere else (transfers from Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Juco players, etc). Just to echo what a few others have been saying - itâs rare that we have this type: out-of-high-school teenager who plays for 4 years. I think weâve had more college players who are in their 20s, are married, and have a young kid. Is this a sign that our coaching staff looks for mature players since they lack the patience to teach the young-uns? I hope not.
Then thereâs some fans: The ones that bitch about Jucos who need 1.5 years to contribute and want 4 year players. Then a 4 year player like Booker comes in, and everyone says âHey! Thatâs not the kind of freshman Iâm used to seeing in the ACC! Dump him!â Well, what the hell do you expect? What, every college freshman that is one year removed from wearing goofy goggles in science class with Zack, Screech, and Mr. Belding - the ones used to playing against 5â7" 15 year old basketball players - they are all gonna set the world on fire the moment they set foot on the basketball court? That the transition period we see from Jucos wonât occur for freshman for some reason?
Booker looked - exactly how I expected him to look. He looked like a freshman: hesitant, confused - in other words, incredibly normal. Iâd be more worried if he didnât look that way (I think Ian may be an alien). But he also looked like he had some skill. What do you do with a player like that? You make them an understudy to someone like EJ and let them take their lumps. You watch them take the abuse from the other team, you watch them have absolutely miserable nights and you watch how they respond. You tutor them, you make them practice until theyâre sick of it. You watch them get knocked to the ground.
And then - hereâs the fun part - You watch them get up.
Thatâs the part I havenât seen yet, and Iâll feel cheated if I donât get to see it with Booker. Come on - Can anyone tell me that itâs not fun to watch that occur? Like when I kept holding on to the belief that Phaler was getting better in practice and that he would one day show it. Then the moment I stopped believing it and gave up on him, he lit the place up. Thatâs fun!
Defensively, I think Booker needs a lot of work (same with Ian), but thereâs something there offensively (same with Ian). Once he decides to dish-out the abuse instead of taking-it, heâll be fine.
Do I think Phil, Gaby, Barnett, Wilderness will all look like seasoned upperclassmen when they arrive? Of course not. Iâm expecting some brutal performances. Iâm sure itâll be fascinating to reflect on this year when they are all seniors.
A good example of what Iâm talking about (Iâm sure a couple of you think Iâm crazy right now, especially those who grew up watching the ACC) is Stephane Lasme. He shows up as a skinny 180lb power foward and struggles to score his entire freshman year. I think he had, like, 10 games where he didnât score a single point. Fast foward a couple years, and heâs racking up triple-doubles. The point is, you canât be quick to give up on somebody and then put a lot of stock into expecting another freshman to step in and contribute right away. [/soapbox]
Now, just as I say that ⌠watch Booker transfer.