Waddell makes Shaq look like Rick Barry........

Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:24 pm

He can't be in at the end of the game. His free throws are never in danger of going in. Why no Dermody today? I thought we played ok without getting anything out of Ogirri. Afam is really struggling with his offense right now. We need him to step up.

Well, Wednesday at CSU will be a big one. We could put ourselves in a real strong 6th and bury csu in the play in game. Weather will be good. Everyone please come down. They drew only 2200 for utah last week. Should be tons of available tickets.

Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:21 pm

We are really way below par when it comes to our big men this season. Tyson Johnson is a decent player, but he isn't a true center. He just doesn't have the height. Linskens doesn't really belong in Div 1 basketball. He just isn't cutting it and probably never will. Waddell plays with a lot of energy and he seems to hustle all of the time. However, I just don't think his talent level is high enough to be our starting big man if we want to contend for a top half finish in the MWC. He would be a PERFECT fit to come off of the bench and give the team a shot in the arm when they need one. I really believe, from what I've seen in the few practices I've been to, that Sylla is a better overall center than Waddell. By no means is Sylla a massive offensive threat, but he does look to be a better defender and rebounder than Waddell, not to mention that he is 7'1. I see Sylla slowly taking minutes away from Waddell at the beginning of next season and taking over the starting job by the time conference play roles around. That being said, I don't Sylla is the caliber of big man we need to win a conference championship. Hopefully Schroyer is recruiting a high caliber center for our next recruiting class.

Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:40 am

Totally agree with your assessment of our current situation. The last 4 games will be interesting. We could win all 4 or lose all 4. It's not easy recruiting big men. The good ones are few and far between. That's why Josh Davis and Justin Williams stand out so much in our recent history. We haven't had many good ones.

Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:00 am

Waddell is pretty young still though...remember Leckner? He was a skinny frail wussy his first couple years. Then something changed...he got focused more on hoops than chasing ass...and became one of UW's all time best big men.

Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:45 am

Lechner had some real skills. He had some post up skills and could rebound. Once he bulked up, he was a force. Waddell doesn't seem to have any offensive skills. He can't play with his back to the basket. He can't make a move without dribbling. He has bad hands. This is his second year in the system. I really question whether he will improve much or not. Is he getting adequate coaching? Brandenburg was a genius at developing big men. I'm not seeing much of that in recent years.

Tue Feb 24, 2009 3:49 pm

bladerunnr wrote:Lechner had some real skills. He had some post up skills and could rebound. Once he bulked up, he was a force. Waddell doesn't seem to have any offensive skills. He can't play with his back to the basket. He can't make a move without dribbling. He has bad hands. This is his second year in the system. I really question whether he will improve much or not. Is he getting adequate coaching? Brandenburg was a genius at developing big men. I'm not seeing much of that in recent years.

You are right about his hands...at least right now. He needs to be tossing a medicine ball around. I hope that things change for him...