Ben Lammers

Techster

Techster

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GTHomer said:
Tough getting PT when grad students are ahead of you and the coach is trying to keep his job.
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I said a few years ago that CBG "band aid recruiting" with grad transfers would eventually hurt us in recruiting. That's pretty much what happened. I think recruits saw that older guys were coming in, and pretty much being promised major playing time (otherwise, why else are they coming) and saw other schools as being more attractive. Whether not it was intended, it looked like HS signees were being recruited over by grad transfers. Add to it that CBG is notoriously bad about giving young guys minutes, and our playing style under CBG, and recruiting was always going to be an uphill battle for him once he prioritized grad transfers.

I remember bringing up the grad transfer point and a couple of "inside" guys on here thought it wasn't such a big deal. Well...
 
GTpdm

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Techster said:
I said a few years ago that CBG "band aid recruiting" with grad transfers would eventually hurt us in recruiting. That's pretty much what happened. I think recruits saw that older guys were coming in, and pretty much being promised major playing time (otherwise, why else are they coming) and saw other schools as being more attractive. Whether not it was intended, it looked like HS signees were being recruited over by grad transfers. Add to it that CBG is notoriously bad about giving young guys minutes, and our playing style under CBG, and recruiting was always going to be an uphill battle for him once he prioritized grad transfers.

I remember bringing up the grad transfer point and a couple of "inside" guys on here thought it wasn't such a big deal. Well...
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As much a I liked CBG the person, I hated his propensity for bringing in 1-year grad transfers to populate our team . I didn't even think of it terms of the bad recruiting karma it generated. I just hated that we were always a bunch of players with no long-term chemistry as a team (with notable exceptions such as DM and MGH, who were GT team members from the get-go).

My wife and I were season ticket holders for the first two seasons at McCamish. We gave them up because we felt like the team had become mostly a bunch of strangers, rather than "our guys".
 
GTpdm

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GTpdm said:
As much a I liked CBG the person, I hated his propensity for bringing in 1-year grad transfers to populate our team . I didn't even think of it terms of the bad recruiting karma it generated. I just hated that we were always a bunch of players with no long-term chemistry as a team (with notable exceptions such as DM and MGH, who were GT team members from the get-go).

My wife and I were season ticket holders for the first two seasons at McCamish. We gave them up because we felt like the team had become mostly a bunch of strangers, rather than "our guys".
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I need to add: perhaps it's time to start getting season tickets, again.
 
CuseJacket

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Let's agree that Ben Lam improved during the offseason. Still, Ben Lam should have played more minutes last year, period. Those who were watching the program hashed this one out plenty of times in game chats.

I think the most convincing counterargument last year was he couldn't move his feet quickly enough and needed a little more strength. There's some truth there. To what degree I'm not sure as game experience sometimes alleviates weaknesses.

The argument last year that one of the guys in front of him was getting a double-double and therefore couldn't be replaced seems kind of silly now though, especially considering everything else Laminator brings to the table.
 
GTHomer

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In hindsight, given the big man rotation we had last season, one could make the argument that we should have redshirted Lammers last season. The reality is that we did not and I'm extremely pleased with the contributions and growth we've seen from him this season. If we can give him more help next season, he will continue to progress.
 
Peacone36

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As the season went on last year he could have stole some of Chucks minutes when he became a turnover machine. But chuck was also the heart of that team.
 
99jacket

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GTHomer said:
In hindsight, given the big man rotation we had last season, one could make the argument that we should have redshirted Lammers last season. The reality is that we did not and I'm extremely pleased with the contributions and growth we've seen from him this season. If we can give him more help next season, he will continue to progress.
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YlJacket

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CuseJacket said:
Let's agree that Ben Lam improved during the offseason. Still, Ben Lam should have played more minutes last year, period. Those who were watching the program hashed this one out plenty of times in game chats.

I think the most convincing counterargument last year was he couldn't move his feet quickly enough and needed a little more strength. There's some truth there. To what degree I'm not sure as game experience sometimes alleviates weaknesses.

The argument last year that one of the guys in front of him was getting a double-double and therefore couldn't be replaced seems kind of silly now though, especially considering everything else Laminator brings to the table.
Click to expand...

If you gave him more minutes last year it would have been for him to get the ball on the block in CBG's offense - and then try to muscle the ball into the hoop against a250 lb post player. It wasn't going to work last year. CBG wasn't going to put Lammers on the high post and run back door cuts off of it.

FWIW Lammers couldn't make 6'5" Colson pay for guarding him on the post today.

To give Lammers more minutes last year and have him be successful in those minutes you would have had to change the system. At least until he gets to 240 lbs

2nd FWIW - it really doesn't matter for this year.
 
CuseJacket

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YlJacket said:
If you gave him more minutes last year it would have been for him to get the ball on the block in CBG's offense - and then try to muscle the ball into the hoop against a250 lb post player. It wasn't going to work last year. CBG wasn't going to put Lammers on the high post and run back door cuts off of it.

FWIW Lammers couldn't make 6'5" Colson pay for guarding him on the post today.

To give Lammers more minutes last year and have him be successful in those minutes you would have had to change the system. At least until he gets to 240 lbs

2nd FWIW - it really doesn't matter for this year.
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I disagree. There was no recognizable offensive system last year.

And then there was the other end of the court... I'll leave it there without tearing down former S-A's.
 
GTNavyNuke

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Here's what the BC coach said about Lammers yesterday:

"On Georgia Tech deploying a smaller lineup in the second half:
“If 44 [Ben Lammers] is out there, that’s not very small. I’m not sure there’s another player in the league that can dictate the terms of the game on both sides of the floor. He takes away everything at the front of the rim. We did a really poor job of jumping into his body in the first half. We tried to avoid him and go around him and that’s where they won the game. There’s a lot of great players in this league but he really does an unbelievable job on both sides. I think it’s underrated what he’s done at both sides of the floor. They run stuff through him on offense but it’s not the offense [that makes him so good]. There’s a lot of guys who score but he really does an unbelievable job taking away the rim and he makes up for all of the mistakes around the basket. You have to be able to finish that. That’s why they’re winning.”"
 
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