With basketball season quickly approaching, I began to wonder if this was going to be the year that GU would avoid the big preseason injury that seems to occur on an annual basis. After news broke that Rob Sacre would miss 6-8 weeks with a foot fracture, I was not surprised or upset, but instead immediately began thinking about who would replace him in the rotation. While this injury is obviously not good news, there are two factors that keep me optimistic; the timing of the injury, and the opportunity that this presents other players.
Timing of the injury: While no one ever wants to see a player get injured, this is nowhere near the worst time of season to lose a player. Rob will likely miss 6-8 weeks, so if we look at the worst possible scenario, he will be back at the beginning of December. This means that he will likely be able available to play December 6 against Indiana. The only significant games that Sacre will be missing are the three games that will be played at the Old Spice Classic. Rob will be able to get back in the rotation by the Battle in Seattle on December 20th, and should be fully ready to go by WCC play. This is not similar to the Heytvelt situation last year, as he was never fully healthy, and therefore could never become a regular in the rotation.
Opportunity: The player that will benefit from this injury the most is Ira Brown. With Sacre out, Ira will be the primary "big" off the bench. I know that many people will question if Ira can play in the post since he is only 6'4. I could not be more confident in the fact that Ira can hold his own against nearly every post player in the country. Ira has the strength that he can move any 6'10 PF off of the block, and the athleticism that he can rebound when he is in with the bigs. Any height that Ira might give up to his opponent, he can surely make up for with his strength and athleticism.
When I look at the top opponents we play this season, the only team with a big man that I don't think Ira can matchup with is UConn. Jeff Adrien reminds me of a bigger version of Ira, which means that Ira's strength wont be as effective against Adrien.
Michigan St.- As I mentioned in my breakdown of Michigan St., I think Ira is a great matchup for Raymar Morgan, as he can use his strength to make Morgan uncomfortable near the basket.
Arizona- Has no real post presence besides Jordan Hill. Josh will certainly matchup with Hill, which means that Ira will likely guard a less talented PF.
Memphis- Neither Dozier or Taggart is a true banger, and neither has anywher near the strength to deal with Ira in the post.
Tennessee- The Vols have no reliance on a true post presence, as Coach Pearl loves to use the quick and athletic bigs. This is another game where Ira's athleticism could see him play a huge role.
The other player who will have a great opportunity because of the injury is Will Foster. At 7'4, Will is a matchup nightmare for any team and player across the country. Many fans have longed to see Will given an opportunity on a regular basis. If Will can dominate on the defensive end, which he is fully capable of, and be assertive on the offensive end, then he will see consistent minutes while Sacre is out. I don't think this injury will have any impact on the redshirt status of Andy Poling. Since Rob will be available for the majority of the season, it does not make sense to have Andy burn his redshirt status, as he needs a year to put on strength.
Showing posts with label Will Foster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will Foster. Show all posts
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
TKR Breakdowns: Will Foster
“You can’t teach height”. You hear it all the time in the basketball world. In football and baseball, upside has very little to do with your success in your sport. Those sports are based on what you can do now and if you can sustain that performance for a long period of time. In basketball, upside is huge. Teams take huge risks and spend lots of money based on what they think you will be able to do one day. Gonzaga is no different and has invested plenty of time and a scholarship in Will Foster. Will is every inch of 7’4’’ and 225 pounds soaking wet. Foster is now a junior for the Zags and has seen little action in his past two seasons. But as I said, you can’t teach height and that is a huge asset for Foster, we are just waiting for him to flip the switch and be a solid post presence for the Bulldogs. This appears to be his year to either make a leap or be a b
ench player for his tenure at Gonzaga. If that switch does get turned, Foster would provide many things for this version of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Strengths: When it comes to Foster, it is hard to ignore his height. He is 7’4’’ and in basketball that means a number of things. In the short spurts of time he has actually seen action, opponents have seen how hard it is to deal with someone that tall. He is able to alter shots just by standing in the lane. Especially in the WCC, where most of the centers and forwards are 6’8’’ to 6’10’’, Foster can really cause some difficulties. All of his strengths are obviously directly related to his stature. His best game of the year was Gonzaga’s biggest at home. He played only six minutes in the Bulldogs game against Washington State and was very efficient. In those six minutes he had three blocked shots. He has a relatively good feel for when to jump so that he avoids the foul but still blocks the shot and in the WSU game he really showed some outstanding ability to alter shots. He had two more blocks in his next action against Northern Colorado but the stint against WSU was outstanding and it was during a meaningful part of the game, something which Foster has not seen much of during his first two years here.
Room for Improvement: Most of Foster’s liabilities lay on the offensive side of the court. However, what afflicts Foster the most is his strength. If you have watched the last few years, you can tell that Foster has added some weight and muscle. However, this has not transitioned into basketball weight. He struggles getting position in the post and is easily moved from his spot because many post players in the WCC are shorter but very thick. This has hurt him on the offensive side of the game and is the reason why in his small amount of minutes, Foster has failed to average a point per game. One of the hardest parts of being that tall is dealing with your quickness and being comfortable in your own body. Foster struggles with lateral quickness and has not been effective getting to a spot and defending his man. This is the risk you take when you take a flyer on a project like Foster. Guys like him and Hasheem Thabeet go through growing pains on their way to the top. Foster’s offensive skill set has not developed the way the Zag community had hoped. He has yet to show really any sort of consistent post move to date. Each of his weaknesses is exactly what Mark Few and the staff knew they would have to deal with when they recruited Foster. Hopefully we see some strides as he enters his third year at Gonzaga.
Projected Role: This has to be the year where Will Foster makes significant strides. He seems to do well in the summer and during practice but has not been able to translate that to success on the court. With Kuso gone and Andy Poling expected to red shirt, Foster should be forced into a backup role. He will definitely be behind Heytvelt and Sacre in the rotation and if Ira and Austin have some time at power forward, Will may see very few minutes again. If Few decides to play Pargo and Matt at guard and Austin at the small forward, Foster will be in the rotation with Josh, Robert, and Ira. This means that he will likely see plenty of action. If Gonzaga is at their full potential, they need Foster to perform. Assuming Sacre develops, he would be joined by Josh at his natural position of power forward and we could have Jeremy and Matt at the guards and Austin on the wing. With Steven, Micah, Ira, and Will backing them up, this team would be formidable and very deep, and I haven’t even mentioned the freshmen yet.
Summer Assignment: Will Foster will never be 260 pounds during his time at Gonzaga; it’s hard to force a young man’s metabolism to work in reverse. He seems destined to remain at that 225-240 range. Weight room improvement is very important for Foster but with this being his third year, he needs to spend his time working out on the court. He needs to find a comfort level on the court before his time runs out. No longer can he be regarded as the player that everyone cheers for just because he gets in. He was recruited and given a scholarship by Mark Few and has got to start getting some consistent court time. For him to do this he needs to improve his quickness and develop some post moves. For all intents and purposes, it is put up or shut up time for Mr. Foster.
ench player for his tenure at Gonzaga. If that switch does get turned, Foster would provide many things for this version of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.Strengths: When it comes to Foster, it is hard to ignore his height. He is 7’4’’ and in basketball that means a number of things. In the short spurts of time he has actually seen action, opponents have seen how hard it is to deal with someone that tall. He is able to alter shots just by standing in the lane. Especially in the WCC, where most of the centers and forwards are 6’8’’ to 6’10’’, Foster can really cause some difficulties. All of his strengths are obviously directly related to his stature. His best game of the year was Gonzaga’s biggest at home. He played only six minutes in the Bulldogs game against Washington State and was very efficient. In those six minutes he had three blocked shots. He has a relatively good feel for when to jump so that he avoids the foul but still blocks the shot and in the WSU game he really showed some outstanding ability to alter shots. He had two more blocks in his next action against Northern Colorado but the stint against WSU was outstanding and it was during a meaningful part of the game, something which Foster has not seen much of during his first two years here.
Room for Improvement: Most of Foster’s liabilities lay on the offensive side of the court. However, what afflicts Foster the most is his strength. If you have watched the last few years, you can tell that Foster has added some weight and muscle. However, this has not transitioned into basketball weight. He struggles getting position in the post and is easily moved from his spot because many post players in the WCC are shorter but very thick. This has hurt him on the offensive side of the game and is the reason why in his small amount of minutes, Foster has failed to average a point per game. One of the hardest parts of being that tall is dealing with your quickness and being comfortable in your own body. Foster struggles with lateral quickness and has not been effective getting to a spot and defending his man. This is the risk you take when you take a flyer on a project like Foster. Guys like him and Hasheem Thabeet go through growing pains on their way to the top. Foster’s offensive skill set has not developed the way the Zag community had hoped. He has yet to show really any sort of consistent post move to date. Each of his weaknesses is exactly what Mark Few and the staff knew they would have to deal with when they recruited Foster. Hopefully we see some strides as he enters his third year at Gonzaga.
Projected Role: This has to be the year where Will Foster makes significant strides. He seems to do well in the summer and during practice but has not been able to translate that to success on the court. With Kuso gone and Andy Poling expected to red shirt, Foster should be forced into a backup role. He will definitely be behind Heytvelt and Sacre in the rotation and if Ira and Austin have some time at power forward, Will may see very few minutes again. If Few decides to play Pargo and Matt at guard and Austin at the small forward, Foster will be in the rotation with Josh, Robert, and Ira. This means that he will likely see plenty of action. If Gonzaga is at their full potential, they need Foster to perform. Assuming Sacre develops, he would be joined by Josh at his natural position of power forward and we could have Jeremy and Matt at the guards and Austin on the wing. With Steven, Micah, Ira, and Will backing them up, this team would be formidable and very deep, and I haven’t even mentioned the freshmen yet.
Summer Assignment: Will Foster will never be 260 pounds during his time at Gonzaga; it’s hard to force a young man’s metabolism to work in reverse. He seems destined to remain at that 225-240 range. Weight room improvement is very important for Foster but with this being his third year, he needs to spend his time working out on the court. He needs to find a comfort level on the court before his time runs out. No longer can he be regarded as the player that everyone cheers for just because he gets in. He was recruited and given a scholarship by Mark Few and has got to start getting some consistent court time. For him to do this he needs to improve his quickness and develop some post moves. For all intents and purposes, it is put up or shut up time for Mr. Foster.
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