Nate Britt

[babe7671]

Since the JP Tokoto thread got pretty popular I decided to start another thread about a UNC player that had an up and down year. I'm curious what you guys think the future holds for Britt. Seems like with Marcus being a senior and Berry almost assuredly getting more minutes next season, Britt's minutes may be scarce. But I feel like with Britt he's a fighter and will do everything possible to compete with Berry for minutes. It just seems like a rocky road and an uphill fight for Britt over the next couple years, which is tough because I love his work ethic and motor when he's on the court. How do you guys see it playing out? And what do you think Britt has to do this off season to make a push for minutes in the back court with Marcus, Berry, and JJ?

This post was edited on 3/31 8:28 AM by babe7671

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Question that will be very interesting is how much more can he improve from 3 after just switching hands? His PT is really going to depend quite a bit on how well he can knock down the 3 AND value the ball. We already know he's money from the line, get that 3 ball up in the 45% range and he can help us. Love having a guy who can come off the bench and knock down 3's...............................

 

[RP12]

My biggest concern about next year is how do we get the minutes for Berry, and to a lesser degree Pinson, that we need to take a big step forward from this year's results. The only easy answer to that question is for Britt to see his minutes cut in half, from about 15 down to 7 or so. I agree that he seems like a great kid and obviously has worked hard to improve some aspects of his game but not sure how else Berry gets to 25 minutes plus.

 

[gary-7]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
Question that will be very interesting is how much more can he improve from 3 after just switching hands? His PT is really going to depend quite a bit on how well he can knock down the 3 AND value the ball. We already know he's money from the line, get that 3 ball up in the 45% range and he can help us. Love having a guy who can come off the bench and knock down 3's...............................

Coming into this season, Nate had 3 big issues he needed to overcome from his Freshman season.

1. Mike, you touched on a big one: Shooting. And gladly, that's where he made his biggest strides. The hand switch paid off and Nate is now a credible threat as a shooter. Hopefully that will continue to improve with age.

2. Defense --- specifically, on-ball defense. While he has some success in ball-hawking scramble situations, it is straight-up, on-ball defense that is a major issue. The scouting "book" on him has now become "take him to the rack", and opposing Guards have done that with a purpose this season. Defense can be improved with effort of course, but that is big deficit in Nate's game as of now.

3. Instincts/Role --- and this one is vexing. In HS, Nate's superior quicks and handle enabled him to get by with some things a college PG cannot, especially a Carolina PG. He does not have an innate sense of spacing and floor balance and the ball "sticks to his hands" (too much aimless dribbling). This manifests itself in a couple of ways: He still takes the ball into what is often called PG "no-man's land" (betwixt and between without a plan and no good passing outlets), and he still does PG no-nos like turn his back on the defense with the ball in his hands (the big TO vs Wisky came from that one). Obviously Roy hoped these PG basics could be taught but thus far at least, it just hasn't taken. Now... that being said, here is the good news: His development as a shooter has made him at least a viable back-up at the 2, and he has had some good minutes there running with Berry at the 1. If he can work on the aforementioned defensive issues, playing the 2 (ironically) is where he can have a very nice impact for the team going forward.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

To me and my way of thinking he always stands to straight up on D Gary. Get low and MOVE YOUR DERN FEET I kept telling him. Think he got away for far to long by using his long arms and now he must learn to move those puppies too.

But yes, as a back up 2 or fill in on occasion at the point is where he can help us most.

 

[babe7671]

Really great points from everyone. I agree that Britt needs to improve his shooting, mainly the 3 ball, to be more impactful next year. He also does need to work on ball handling and some fundamentals as you guys mentioned (especially moving his feet on defense). For me, I just don't really see many minutes for him next year unless he astronomically improves his game in the off season. The emergence of Berry, along with the sure minutes of Paige, Tokoto, and Jackson doesn't bode well for Britt in my opinion. Then if you add any of Ingram, Brown, or Damion Lee (one can hope right?) that even further hurts Britt's minutes. The good news is that I think he will be better from it and will have a good attitude about it for his senior season in 2 years. It reminds me a little of Quinten Thomas years back. He never really shined his first 3 years, but stuck with the program and bought into Roy's philosophy and then by his senior year he started. He wasn't ever a superstar, but was a solid point guard. I could see Britt's future going somewhat along those lines.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

When Marcus leaves we will be thrilled we have Britt.

 

[ROYANDDEAN]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
When Marcus leaves we will be thrilled we have Britt.

hopefully the class of 2016 will make up for Marcus leaving

 

[gary-7]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
To me and my way of thinking he always stands to straight up on D Gary. Get low and MOVE YOUR DERN FEET I kept telling him. Think he got away for far to long by using his long arms and now he must learn to move those puppies too.

But yes, as a back up 2 or fill in on occasion at the point is where he can help us most.

That he does, Mikey. His old HS tendency to reach and play D with his hands is an something that might get you some steals but will more often get you fouls and/or get you burned. Heck, much of defense playing Guard on the ball is simply staying in front of your man, which ain't as easy as it looks. It starts, however, with moving your feet and "beating him to the spot", which is especially hard to do standing straight up.

 

[TarHeelMark]

FWIW, Nate was our best 3 point shooter. He hit 38.5%, while Marcus was 38.2% for the season. He took the third most on the team behind Marcus and Justin.

 

[BWill23]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
To me and my way of thinking he always stands to straight up on D Gary. Get low and MOVE YOUR DERN FEET I kept telling him. Think he got away for far to long by using his long arms and now he must learn to move those puppies too.

But yes, as a back up 2 or fill in on occasion at the point is where he can help us most.

Here's my question.

Why can the rat down the road ALWAYS recruit guys that can shoot from day one on his team? Why are we always stuck with guys that we HOPE can improve later in their careers?

To me, that is the #1 deficiency on this team. We don't have a great shooter all while not being able to defend the 3 if our lives depended on it.

I guess I'm just tired of not having a great shooter on our team. The rat has 3 right now that are deadly.

 

[RP12]

According to ESPN, Paige shot .395 while Britt shot .366, with Paige between them at .375. Berry finished at .354 and was obviously coming on strong to finish the year.

 

[TarHeelMark]

Originally posted by RP12:
According to ESPN, Paige shot .395 while Britt shot .366, with Paige between them at .375. Berry finished at .354 and was obviously coming on strong to finish the year.

ESPN is probably more up to date, but I got my stats from theacc.com website. I would hope they would have the latest, but who knows.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Originally posted by RP12:
According to ESPN, Paige shot .395 while Britt shot .366, with Paige between them at .375. Berry finished at .354 and was obviously coming on strong to finish the year.

Think you meant JP @ .375. Those stats go along with UNC Official site.

Conference only stats looked like this

Paige 41.5%
Britt 42.4%
Berry 41.2%
JP 23.1%

 

[gunslingerdick]

Originally posted by gary-7:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
Question that will be very interesting is how much more can he improve from 3 after just switching hands? His PT is really going to depend quite a bit on how well he can knock down the 3 AND value the ball. We already know he's money from the line, get that 3 ball up in the 45% range and he can help us. Love having a guy who can come off the bench and knock down 3's...............................

Coming into this season, Nate had 3 big issues he needed to overcome from his Freshman season.

1. Mike, you touched on a big one: Shooting. And gladly, that's where he made his biggest strides. The hand switch paid off and Nate is now a credible threat as a shooter. Hopefully that will continue to improve with age.

2. Defense --- specifically, on-ball defense. While he has some success in ball-hawking scramble situations, it is straight-up, on-ball defense that is a major issue. The scouting "book" on him has now become "take him to the rack", and opposing Guards have done that with a purpose this season. Defense can be improved with effort of course, but that is big deficit in Nate's game as of now.

3. Instincts/Role --- and this one is vexing. In HS, Nate's superior quicks and handle enabled him to get by with some things a college PG cannot, especially a Carolina PG. He does not have an innate sense of spacing and floor balance and the ball "sticks to his hands" (too much aimless dribbling). This manifests itself in a couple of ways: He still takes the ball into what is often called PG "no-man's land" (betwixt and between without a plan and no good passing outlets), and he still does PG no-nos like turn his back on the defense with the ball in his hands (the big TO vs Wisky came from that one). Obviously Roy hoped these PG basics could be taught but thus far at least, it just hasn't taken. Now... that being said, here is the good news: His development as a shooter has made him at least a viable back-up at the 2, and he has had some good minutes there running with Berry at the 1. If he can work on the aforementioned defensive issues, playing the 2 (ironically) is where he can have a very nice impact for the team going forward.

Good post. I agree with much of it.

Nate has become a reliable shooter. I used to cringe when he shot the ball but now I'm like, "yeah, good shot, Nate!" I know the commentary during games became nauseating because literally every game, the broadcast had to mention it. But it is remarkable that a guy can play his whole life with a dominant hand and then just flip the switch and start shooting with the other hand. And what makes it even more remarkable is that he's better after the switch. And what's even more remarkable than that is that he still shoots his FTs with his dominant hand. Remarkable...and very odd.

I completely agree with point #2 - his defense. He is good in the run and jump/trap situations. And his help defense is pretty good. He has active hands. But when it's mano-e-mano up top on the opponent's PG, he struggles. And he often compounds getting beaten by making a last ditch effort by reaching. He's got to learn to get lower and get lateral.

On the last point, I'm concerned. I agree that Berry needs to be the guy moving forward. And I agree that Pinson is going to need some minutes. And everyone knows I'm a big fan of JP. And Justin is the best scorer of the bunch. That leaves Britt as the Sunscreen guy - no burn. And I'm concerned that if Nate isn't playing, he becomes disconnected. And I think there's a ton of value in Britt as a leader and "rally-the-troops" type of guy. If he's disconnected, we might lose that. And if he's disconnected and then we have an injury in the backcourt next year (**knock on wood**) , will Britt be able to step in and provide what he's capable of providing. Moreover, and this hasn't been mentioned, but I feel like Britt has a horseshoe up his ass. He just seems like one of those players that makes the shot when we need it most. Now, of course someone can bring up the missed FT in Durham that would have essentially sealed the game. But more times than not, Britt has a knack for providing something big in a big moment. I don't want to lose that mojo and if he's relegated to 5 minutes per game, then that could disappear.

Maybe Roy can talk him into accepting a "closer" type of role. If he only gets 5 minutes per game, Roy can tell him that his 5 minutes will usually be at the end of halves or the end of games. I don't know but I know I like Nate Britt. And I know we're going to need him at some point.

 

[WoadBlue]

Originally posted by BWill23:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
To me and my way of thinking he always stands to straight up on D Gary. Get low and MOVE YOUR DERN FEET I kept telling him. Think he got away for far to long by using his long arms and now he must learn to move those puppies too.

But yes, as a back up 2 or fill in on occasion at the point is where he can help us most.

Here's my question.

Why can the rat down the road ALWAYS recruit guys that can shoot from day one on his team? Why are we always stuck with guys that we HOPE can improve later in their careers?

To me, that is the #1 deficiency on this team. We don't have a great shooter all while not being able to defend the 3 if our lives depended on it.

I guess I'm just tired of not having a great shooter on our team. The rat has 3 right now that are deadly.

Rat-face makes outside shooting, especially 3 point shooting, a major emphasis in recruiting and team preparations. Roy does not. Roy stresses running up and down the court the fastest to get off the most shots.

 

[RP12]

Originally posted by WoadBlue:

Originally posted by BWill23:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
To me and my way of thinking he always stands to straight up on D Gary. Get low and MOVE YOUR DERN FEET I kept telling him. Think he got away for far to long by using his long arms and now he must learn to move those puppies too.

But yes, as a back up 2 or fill in on occasion at the point is where he can help us most.

Here's my question.

Why can the rat down the road ALWAYS recruit guys that can shoot from day one on his team? Why are we always stuck with guys that we HOPE can improve later in their careers?

To me, that is the #1 deficiency on this team. We don't have a great shooter all while not being able to defend the 3 if our lives depended on it.

I guess I'm just tired of not having a great shooter on our team. The rat has 3 right now that are deadly.

Rat-face makes outside shooting, especially 3 point shooting, a major emphasis in recruiting and team preparations. Roy does not. Roy stresses running up and down the court the fastest to get off the most shots.

Hence the recruitment of Marcus Paige, known for being a speedster rather than a shooter/scorer.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Woad, did you even bother looking at this?

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa

Conference only stats looked like this

Paige 41.5%
Britt 42.4%
Berry 41.2%
JP 23.1%

3 guys at over 40% from 3, I'll take that every stinkin day and we will most likely have 4 next season.

 

[BWill23]

Originally posted by WoadBlue:

Originally posted by BWill23:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
To me and my way of thinking he always stands to straight up on D Gary. Get low and MOVE YOUR DERN FEET I kept telling him. Think he got away for far to long by using his long arms and now he must learn to move those puppies too.

But yes, as a back up 2 or fill in on occasion at the point is where he can help us most.

Here's my question.

Why can the rat down the road ALWAYS recruit guys that can shoot from day one on his team? Why are we always stuck with guys that we HOPE can improve later in their careers?

To me, that is the #1 deficiency on this team. We don't have a great shooter all while not being able to defend the 3 if our lives depended on it.

I guess I'm just tired of not having a great shooter on our team. The rat has 3 right now that are deadly.

Rat-face makes outside shooting, especially 3 point shooting, a major emphasis in recruiting and team preparations. Roy does not. Roy stresses running up and down the court the fastest to get off the most shots.

Good point. The problem with that is we are putting up shots that don't have a great chance of going in.

I guess I'm just baffled as to what Roy is looking for on the recruiting trail. Tokoto is a great athlete, but not a great player. We don't have a great shooter on the team or any other great athletes. We have a lot of "good" on the team and very little "great". My feeling is that we don't have a player on the team that is great at anything. Maybe Brice?

I think Berry has potential, but then again why do we have to wait unitl year 2 or 3 to see it? Seems like other teams get freshmen that step in right away and make an impact.

 

[gary-7]

Originally posted by gunslingerdick:

Originally posted by gary-7:

On the last point, I'm concerned. I agree that Berry needs to be the guy moving forward. And I agree that Pinson is going to need some minutes. And everyone knows I'm a big fan of JP. And Justin is the best scorer of the bunch. That leaves Britt as the Sunscreen guy - no burn. And I'm concerned that if Nate isn't playing, he becomes disconnected. And I think there's a ton of value in Britt as a leader and "rally-the-troops" type of guy. If he's disconnected, we might lose that. And if he's disconnected and then we have an injury in the backcourt next year (**knock on wood**) , will Britt be able to step in and provide what he's capable of providing. Moreover, and this hasn't been mentioned, but I feel like Britt has a horseshoe up his ass. He just seems like one of those players that makes the shot when we need it most. Now, of course someone can bring up the missed FT in Durham that would have essentially sealed the game. But more times than not, Britt has a knack for providing something big in a big moment. I don't want to lose that mojo and if he's relegated to 5 minutes per game, then that could disappear.

Maybe Roy can talk him into accepting a "closer" type of role. If he only gets 5 minutes per game, Roy can tell him that his 5 minutes will usually be at the end of halves or the end of games. I don't know but I know I like Nate Britt. And I know we're going to need him at some point.

With Nate's FT shooting it's good to have him in down the stretch when were ahead, and he can be good in press situations when we're behind. All with the proviso that he not run Point in those situations on offense. Remember the first dook game, for example. Berry and Britt had played very well together with Marcus in foul trouble, all the while Berry running the offense. Inexplicably in crunch time when Roy went with 3 Guards, instead of keeping the ball in Joel's hands which had worked so well, he moved Britt to Point and the offense stalled. Same thing at the end of the Arky game until Paige just started coming up and taking the ball late in the shot clock.

 

[TarHeelMark]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
Woad, did you even bother looking at this?

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa

Conference only stats looked like this

Paige 41.5%
Britt 42.4%
Berry 41.2%
JP 23.1%

3 guys at over 40% from 3, I'll take that every stinkin day and we will most likely have 4 next season.

And during conference play to boot... usually playing the better teams then, and during the 2nd half of the season. We definitely saw better shooting from beyond the arc late in the season. I'd like to see those guys, plus Justin shoot more deep balls when they have good looks, and keep the D from sagging.

 

[DSouthr]

Yep, here I go picking on Nate again but isn't this like the perfect thread to do so? LOL

Look, admitted I am not nearly as high on Nate's potential as many others are, doesn't mean I think he is a buster, just means IMO he srtuggles with things that at this level you just have to be better at. I see 2 major issues with Nate, first being he just is a little dude and I am not just talking in height, he is just not a phycially strong guy no matter his height, he really struggles in physically being able to hold off his defender and really shows it with the ease ACC PGs have been able to completely abuse him. I honestly do not know if the kid is able or willing to put in the time in the weight room to significently improve this problem, I sure would love for him to.

But the other aspect that bothers me even more is basketball IQ, just the mindset or the extra ordinary feel for the game and the guys on the floor. For example kendal was slow, he was not quick, was defintily not a good shooter as a freshman, and if you just looked at kendal in the way many folks access talent you just would not be impressed at all. BUt kendal had this CRAZY extra-ordinary feel for the game, what I call basketball IQ off the charts, it was amazing to watch hiim see things that just were not there to the human eye but Kendal not only saw them but knew exactly how to exploit them. Basketball IQ wise I would put Kendal around a 8 (I am a tuff one) but Nate, I just don't see it, for sure not as a PG, actually his instincts seem to be more that of a 2 guard but he for sure is not in a 2 guards body. He is quicker than Berry but Berrys gets in to the lane & finishes where Nate pulls up and is rarely able to get in to the lane. Nate seems way casuall out there and Berry doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word casual, note the easy steals off those casual passes as proof. In now 2 full seasons of watching Nate, I have been looking for some aggression to show up, I wil let ya know when I see it, some sence of urgency, some sense of attacking emotion, heck I would take alpha puppy, I don;t even need to see alpha dog in him, crap I would take alpha ameba at this point.

I don't know where this is going to go with nate but tell ya what I do know, first Joel Berry is our starting PG for every game he is heallthy in next season, I highly suspect if Joel is not at the point that Marcus wil lbe (or maybe that is JP defacto). I know Dennis Smith and the kid out of Clint's back yard are both HIGHLY interested in us and I personally think dennis likes us much more than most realize. FYI, Dennis Smith is a John Wall level PG and thou he may be a tad concerned with Berry and his PT, I can gurantee ya that Dennis Smith does not see nate as a guy he would lose any PT to. My point is this past season nate got every imaginable op to take on the PG role and was not able to claim it & keep it. His best chance at that has passed, in order for him to reclaim the lost PT nate is going to have to have a MONSTER off season and the results are going to have to show early next season and that means it is going to be MUCH harder for him to get in to games than it has been, carpe deim or don't...

 

[ChiShankCity]

He has almost 0 ability, from what we've seen, to take the ball to the basket and draw help defense. I honestly think that is more essential to his development other than shooting. He's never going to be a 45%, high volume shooter. But if your PG can't play effectively in pick-and-roll situations and can't get into the lane.... They're probably going to be limited and always backup PG level.

 

[gary-7]

Originally posted by DSouthr:

I don't know where this is going to go with nate but tell ya what I do know, first Joel Berry is our starting PG for every game he is heallthy in next season, I highly suspect if Joel is not at the point that Marcus wil lbe (or maybe that is JP defacto). I know Dennis Smith and the kid out of Clint's back yard are both HIGHLY interested in us and I personally think dennis likes us much more than most realize. FYI, Dennis Smith is a John Wall level PG and thou he may be a tad concerned with Berry and his PT, I can gurantee ya that Dennis Smith does not see nate as a guy he would lose any PT to. My point is this past season nate got every imaginable op to take on the PG role and was not able to claim it & keep it. His best chance at that has passed, in order for him to reclaim the lost PT nate is going to have to have a MONSTER off season and the results are going to have to show early next season and that means it is going to be MUCH harder for him to get in to games than it has been, carpe deim or don't...

Another reason I think Nate's best minutes could come next season at the 2:
A healthy Stilman White may be a factor as well. Truth be told, White is our second best pure PG at running the show and may well push for PT backing up Berry. Nate needs to take a big leap forward in his PG acumen or those minutes could by sparser.

Now, there is always a possibility Roy could bring in a grad transfer to help at the 2, but leaving that possibility aside, Paige's optimum role for the team next season could be pretty much our starting 2, with Nate looking for most of his minutes backing up there.
This post was edited on 3/31 7:57 PM by gary-7

 

[BillyL]

I wouldn't be so sure that Berry takes over the PG spot and pushes Paige to the SG spot. Paige, Tokoto or Pinson or even someone not yet known may have something to do with who is starting next season. Joel Berry may not make enough improvements in his game this summer that he forces Tokoto to the SF position or to the bench. Something else to consider, is that Roy may very well want to have a bigger 2 guard in the line-up for defensive purposes and not be so intent on starting 2 6'1" guards in the backcourt.

These end of the season, what will our starting 5 be next season threads are all fun and great, but, Coach Williams isn't on the message board to give us his thoughts on the matter. I distinctly remember a few folks on this board last summer proclaiming Joel berry to be our starting PG on day one of this season . . . and that never happened. There may have been some that thought he was trending that way in mid-season, but, that too never happened. Blame the injury to JB iffn you want to, but, that too was just pure speculation by some. Sure, JB gained some minutes the last 10 games (minus the Arkansas game, Britt w/ 23 and Berry w/ 11) . . . but he never started a game.

I'll agree, I do think that Joel is a better PG than Nate, but, it will take some fantastic summer leaps in improvement to push anyone out of the starting 5 that Roy had almost all year long minus a game or 2 in which he sent a message to certain player(s).

Roy may start a Berry/Paige backcourt next year . . . but, IMO, it's going to take a lot to push someone out of their spot.

Some of you peeps need to remember that Ol' Roy doesn't think like you all folks do, and that more often than not, he values experience and upperclassmen whenever he has to make a choice.

jmhho

.











This post was edited on 3/31 8:06 PM by BillyL

 

[mikeirbyusa]

I'm hoping Berry makes a tremendous jump this summer. I thought he would be starting by ACC play, but that did get hampered. Still think with him at the point we can do our best. We shall see.

But Britt ain't as bad as some make him out to be. LOVE to see him add some muscle to that skinny frame. He looks like a kid among men out there.

 

[gary-7]

Well, Billy. You are correct in that there is no guarantee that Berry starts, which is why I and others have included words like "should" and "could" and "likely" in our posts above.
This post was edited on 3/31 9:15 PM by gary-7

 

[BillyL]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:

I'm hoping Berry makes a tremendous jump this summer. I thought he would be starting by ACC play, but that did get hampered. Still think with him at the point we can do our best. We shall see.

But Britt ain't as bad as some make him out to be. LOVE to see him add some muscle to that skinny frame. He looks like a kid among men out there.

You are so right about Nate not being as bad as some would have you think.

Like you, I hope all 3 of our frosh make some major jumps, along with everyone else . .

 

[gary-7]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
I'm hoping Berry makes a tremendous jump this summer. I thought he would be starting by ACC play, but that did get hampered. Still think with him at the point we can do our best. We shall see.

But Britt ain't as bad as some make him out to be. LOVE to see him add some muscle to that skinny frame. He looks like a kid among men out there.

Mike, I think you are (and were) right that JB was on his way into the starting lineup pre-injury/illness.
I'll go a step further. Obviously everyone needs to improve, but Berry doesn't have to make a tremendous jump to be our best PG. He is, and was, already that.

 

[imajericho]

Britt is going to be a solid back up. That's all I ask for him and I know he can provide it.

He, however, needs to be left out in games in which he is too much of a liability on defense.

 

[BillyL]

Originally posted by gary-7:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
I'm hoping Berry makes a tremendous jump this summer. I thought he would be starting by ACC play, but that did get hampered. Still think with him at the point we can do our best. We shall see.

But Britt ain't as bad as some make him out to be. LOVE to see him add some muscle to that skinny frame. He looks like a kid among men out there.

Mike, I think you are (and were) right that JB was on his way into the starting lineup pre-injury/illness.
I'll go a step further. Obviously everyone needs to improve, but Berry doesn't have to make a tremendous jump to be our best PG. He is, and was, already that.

I'd agree he is our very best 4 star point guard right now . .

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Originally posted by imajericho:
Britt is going to be a solid back up. That's all I ask for him and I know he can provide it.

He, however, needs to be left out in games in which he is too much of a liability on defense.

NO! .................................. He needs to step up to the plate and hustle his butt off to learn to play D!

 

[gary-7]

Originally posted by BillyL:

Originally posted by gary-7:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:
I'm hoping Berry makes a tremendous jump this summer. I thought he would be starting by ACC play, but that did get hampered. Still think with him at the point we can do our best. We shall see.

But Britt ain't as bad as some make him out to be. LOVE to see him add some muscle to that skinny frame. He looks like a kid among men out there.

Mike, I think you are (and were) right that JB was on his way into the starting lineup pre-injury/illness.
I'll go a step further. Obviously everyone needs to improve, but Berry doesn't have to make a tremendous jump to be our best PG. He is, and was, already that.

I'd agree he is our very best 4 star point guard right now . .

 

[BWill23]

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:

Originally posted by imajericho:
Britt is going to be a solid back up. That's all I ask for him and I know he can provide it.

He, however, needs to be left out in games in which he is too much of a liability on defense.

NO! .................................. He needs to step up to the plate and hustle his butt off to learn to play D!

I will ask the question again. Why are we recruiting guys that can't play defense? You can't learn to play defense in year 3 of your college career. You either can or you can't by that point. You either do or you don't have the quickness to do it by that point.

We all can see that our team just flat out refuses to guard the perimeter, mostly the 3 point line and it has killed us repeatedly. We lose far too many games making team look like a bunch of 5 star shooters. The last thing we need is a defensive liability like Nate Britt out there while also being a question mark on offense.

Give me more Berry any day of the week. The kid has a chance to be a star and is the only player on the team with toughness and an edge to him.

We've seen the Nate Britt movie enough and we know what we are getting.............or not going to get. He's not a top level D1 player.

 

[BillyL]

Marcus Paige is not a player with any toughness . . . ?

For being 6'1" and 175, he may be the toughest kid we've had on our team the past 3 years . . in many of our televised games, even those pitiful announcers could and did recognize him for his toughness.

 

[gunslingerdick]

Originally posted by BWill23:

Originally posted by mikeirbyusa:

Originally posted by imajericho:
Britt is going to be a solid back up. That's all I ask for him and I know he can provide it.

He, however, needs to be left out in games in which he is too much of a liability on defense.

NO! .................................. He needs to step up to the plate and hustle his butt off to learn to play D!

I will ask the question again. Why are we recruiting guys that can't play defense? You can't learn to play defense in year 3 of your college career. You either can or you can't by that point. You either do or you don't have the quickness to do it by that point.

We all can see that our team just flat out refuses to guard the perimeter, mostly the 3 point line and it has killed us repeatedly. We lose far too many games making team look like a bunch of 5 star shooters. The last thing we need is a defensive liability like Nate Britt out there while also being a question mark on offense.

Give me more Berry any day of the week. The kid has a chance to be a star and is the only player on the team with toughness and an edge to him.

We've seen the Nate Britt movie enough and we know what we are getting.............or not going to get. He's not a top level D1 player.

Roy has stated many times that he feels it's easier to make a 2 point shot at the basket than it is a 3 point shot from deep. So his style of defense is geared to stopping the inside buckets and rolling the dice on the outside shooters. That's just the way it is. You can disagree with that philosophy all you want but if Roy's anything, he's a stubborn, stubborn man. I'm shocked people still question this as if there's not ample evidence confirming his preference. I apologize if you've been living under a rock for the past 12 years.

I do agree that we need more Berry. But even then, Roy's going to double the post with the idea that the defender is going to recover to the shooter. So next year we're going to be complaining that Joel too often can't get back to his man on the perimeter in time. It's just Roy.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Originally posted by BWill23:
I will ask the question again. Why are we recruiting guys that
can't play defense?

Do you remember a kid named Vince?

 

[plm]

^^i dont think we necessary recruit kids that cant play D as much as we recruit younger kids that are highly ranked and they don't quite develop as planned. both Nate and JP were 5 star top 10-20 recruits early in their high school careers and maybe they were just overrated or didnt continue to develop. by that time Roy had developed relationships with both them and the families and had made offers. i don't see Roy as the type that backs off of kids once he has made a relationship with the family--as it should be.

 

[BWill23]

Originally posted by BillyL:
Marcus Paige is not a player with any toughness . . . ?

For being 6'1" and 175, he may be the toughest kid we've had on our team the past 3 years . . in many of our televised games, even those pitiful announcers could and did recognize him for his toughness.

Good point. Yes, Paige is tough.

My point is that Berry plays with an edge and an attitude that he clearly lets show while he is on the court. We need more guys like that. Less softness and more of what Berry bring. Paige is tough. I should have said it differently.

 

[BWill23]

Originally posted by plm:
^^i dont think we necessary recruit kids that cant play D as much as we recruit younger kids that are highly ranked and they don't quite develop as planned. both Nate and JP were 5 star top 10-20 recruits early in their high school careers and maybe they were just overrated or didnt continue to develop. by that time Roy had developed relationships with both them and the families and had made offers. i don't see Roy as the type that backs off of kids once he has made a relationship with the family--as it should be.

If a kid isn't developing and is actually falling in the ranking, you want Roy to stick with them because he has a relationship with them?

Sorry, but I don't agree.