What has surprised you so far this year?

brandon_cox

Jolly Good Fellow
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323
Tourneybound20 said:
Nothing surprises me anymore lol...but what I've observed makes me think this could be a really good team come March.Depth...we have a lot of it.When Terry gets back he'll add much needed stability,decision making and scoring to the mix.Our frontcourt, in its current incantation is intriguing up to this point as Ndongo,Sacko and Gafara all appear to be maturing gradually. Claude has been a disappointment imo thus far...thought he'd be able to finish at point blank range better but I like him adding frontcourt depth as the more talented younger guys get his minutes moving forward.I love what Dowuona brings to the table in his 15-20mpg a mobile athletic 6'11" guy who plays hard and smart.He gives us that depth I mentioned and we're always physically imposing out there regardless of the mix up front.I like that aspect of this team knowing the ceiling is far away with those 3 young bigs.Kelly is giving us some big moments but I see him even more dynamic as the season progresses.Deebo has been solid on both ends,kid plays hard and when he gets it going can take a game over with his shooting.I actually like his minutes where they are with so many personnel option CDS has.Kyle has been steady and I like the fact he's looking for his offense.If Terry can regain his form I think that becomes a luxury with less attention being paid to him.Obviously Abrams has been a disappointment but I saw a revelation a few games back.CDS played him off the ball and he looked fantastic. I think the kid can play,he definitely can shoot it...nice too have him available.Nait George will be a star...maybe by the end of THIS year.He's starting to hunt for his pull up and he's really starting to probe defenses in a Tony Parker like manner.Needs to simply mature and get the str/con popping!Kid plays with "old man" pace just needs to get a little stronger with the ball.The number of nice lobs he's thrown show he's got that elite feel for the game at such a young age.But the guy who has been the difference maker is Kowacie... NBA player...3 and D...bouncie as hell,fast twitch finisher.Super creative,elite body control with the ability to slow all that down and use footwork and touch to attack the rim and make plays.Up to this point he's been a consistent 3 PT marksman and an active defender in the passing lanes and on the boards.Nice to have an elite athlete,who plays hard an does the little things too.Throw it all in a blender and I think there's potential for a real fun run down the stretch.Comes down to how fast George,Ndongo and now Gafara can mature and get consistent cutting out things that cost you games vs.good teams.After actually MAKING FREE THROWS and WINNING vs.PSU I got off the couch,went to the closet and looked to see if I could find my gold dancing shoes...there still there...dusty but there.
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That's a very good post which I liked. Just as an fyi, they don't charge you more to put a few paragraph breaks in there
 
GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

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1,562
awbuzz said:
Reeves and Gapare have improved a lot too from what I saw in the first few games.
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Reeves was really good the first two games, and why I stayed here he would be our X factor this season. He’s really only played poorly twice — the UMass Lowell loss and the Miss State win.

I stan for Kowacie Reeves. He’s our best player and has been all season imo.
 
Bogey

Bogey

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Surprised to have so many different scorers step up a critical times to lead the team to victorys: Kelly, Reeves, Ndongo, George, Gapare, and last night Sturdy and Coleman. And another one on the bench who hasn't played yet in Terry.
 
Techster

Techster

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18,388
Jack said:
I disagree about your criticism of Claude. He has not been fancy but has been solid.
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He does a lot of the little things: Screens, boxing out, rebounding (he's one of our best rebounders), making it hard for the other teams posts to get down low, etc.

He doesn't have the upside of the other posts, but he knows his role, and he contributes. Every team needs guys like Claude.
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
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3,312
Techster said:
He does a lot of the little things: Screens, boxing out, rebounding (he's one of our best rebounders), making it hard for the other teams posts to get down low, etc.

He doesn't have the upside of the other posts, but he knows his role, and he contributes. Every team needs guys like Claude.
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CDS post game comments when asked about Claude. Said Claud was a little down but kept doing all the things CDS asked. Hee was very happy and proud for how well Claude played against UMASS!
 

GTRambler

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1,635
Lots of free-lance basketball. Few, if any, set offensive plays. Great amount of reliance on athleticism.

Dangerous team if they can gel together well when March rolls around.
 
GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

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Jalon Moore entered the transfer portal on May 11. Ndongo decommitted from Rutgers on April 27 and committed to GT on May 19. My dig wasn’t about the timeline but more so the poster who I referenced incessant argument that we pushed out players who’d significantly contribute this year and took on players who wouldn’t. After seeing this year’s roster compared to last, I’m just glad we made the offseason we did. Ironically, Moore is probably the only player who we miss but him being here would stunt Ndongo’s development. Just like Meka would have with Gapare.
 

Root4GT

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3,312
GaTech4ever said:
Jalon Moore entered the transfer portal on May 11. Ndongo decommitted from Rutgers on April 27 and committed to GT on May 19. My dig wasn’t about the timeline but more so the poster who I referenced incessant argument that we pushed out players who’d significantly contribute this year and took on players who wouldn’t. After seeing this year’s roster compared to last, I’m just glad we made the offseason we did. Ironically, Moore is probably the only player who we miss but him being here would stunt Ndongo’s development. Just like Meka would have with Gapare.
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Meke wouldn't have gotten any playing time. His fairly limited skill set did mot fit CDS scheme at all. Moore is a much better fit ay Oklahoma than at what CDS runs. Nadongo and Gapare are good fits for CDS' scheme!
 
spdrama

spdrama

Ramblin' Wreck
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608
GaTech4ever said:
Jalon Moore entered the transfer portal on May 11. Ndongo decommitted from Rutgers on April 27 and committed to GT on May 19. My dig wasn’t about the timeline but more so the poster who I referenced incessant argument that we pushed out players who’d significantly contribute this year and took on players who wouldn’t. After seeing this year’s roster compared to last, I’m just glad we made the offseason we did. Ironically, Moore is probably the only player who we miss but him being here would stunt Ndongo’s development. Just like Meka would have with Gapare.
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Once Ndongo decommitted the rumors had him following Hobbs well before he announced. Was not a well kept secret. I think we were all trying to figure out what we were getting. And then an injury kept him hidden. Then suddenly he burst on the scene and has wowed us ever since. I guess Hobbs knows how to evaluate young players
 

lv20gt

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5,584
GaTech4ever said:
Thank god Jalon Moore transferred out or Ndongo might not have come here. Right @lv20gt ?
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You'd have a point if there was only room for one of them, or if Ndongo wasn't our only effective front court player despite us adding 6 of them in the offseason. Especially odd timing after our most current game. Lets look at how our other players did against Nevada

Tafara Gapare - 18 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebs.
Tyzhaun Claude - 14 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebs
Ibrahima Sacko - 3 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebs.
Ebenezer Dowuona - DNP
Ibrahim Souare - DNP

A combined 3 points and 7 rebs in 35 minutes of play. We surely couldn't have used another option who was more proven than any of them at the ACC level. And certainly we couldn't have found a use for a 6-7 225 pound athletic defender in potentially slowing down a mismatch the other team exploited throughout the game.

GaTech4ever said:
My dig wasn’t about the timeline but more so the poster who I referenced incessant argument that we pushed out players who’d significantly contribute this year and took on players who wouldn’t.
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Yeah, you really showed me that take was bad...
 

Root4GT

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lv20gt said:
You'd have a point if there was only room for one of them, or if Ndongo wasn't our only effective front court player despite us adding 6 of them in the offseason. Especially odd timing after our most current game. Lets look at how our other players did against Nevada

Tafara Gapare - 18 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebs.
Tyzhaun Claude - 14 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebs
Ibrahima Sacko - 3 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebs.
Ebenezer Dowuona - DNP
Ibrahim Souare - DNP

A combined 3 points and 7 rebs in 35 minutes of play. We surely couldn't have used another option who was more proven than any of them at the ACC level. And certainly we couldn't have found a use for a 6-7 225 pound athletic defender in potentially slowing down a mismatch the other team exploited throughout the game.



Yeah, you really showed me that take was bad...
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On the season Claude and Gapare average 34 minutes, 11 points and 9 rebounds. That’s pretty good for the #2 front court player.
 
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