JackTalkThai
11-16-2006, 11:52 PM
I thought this article would be a nice primer for the game tomorrow. You think Neitzel will have a little extra incentive in Friday night's game so he can make Gary Williams eat his cock sucking words?
Damn straight he will;)
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Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Nailing the Neitzel Effect
It can now be told. Back in December when Michigan State was playing George Washington in the BB&T Classic, Maryland coach Gary Williams took a seat behind a couple of writers from Michigan on press row. Williams was there ostensibly to scout MSU for the long-anticipated championship game between the Spartans and Terps.
As the game unfolded, however, the Colonials, who obviously filled their Gatorade tank with Starbucks, were out-quicking MSU in every department. The Spartans were going to fall, and fall hard, and freshman Drew Neitzel was part of the reason. By missing both of his shots, committing five turnovers and dishing out only three assists, Neitzel caused Williams to verbalize his assessment: "That's what happens when you recruit a point guard who can't play. He looks like he's in junior high."
Williams' words have rattled around in my head like a handful of ball-bearings in an empty coffee can ever since. I didn't "out" them sooner for a couple reasons. It's not that I was worried about betraying a confidence. If you sit down in press row where members of the media are obviously lurking, anything is fair game. But, Williams and MSU coach Tom Izzo are good friends the two occasionally talk throughout the course of the season. Had I decided to use the quote, I would have felt obligated to get a response from Izzo. Seemed a bit smarmy to tattle Williams' remarks to Izzo. And what was Izzo going to say? "I'm going to kick Gary's butt, or at least loosen up his stiff neck, next time I see him?" Izzo's not that Neanderthal or immature. Besides, Williams got the smugness knocked out of him the next day by GW. Mostly, though, it was an premature cheap shot since the jury on Neitzel was still only in the voir dire stage of his trial by fire.
But now that Neitzel is making Williams eat his words, one serif at a time whether he realizes it or not, there's no reason to keep them hidden because they serve as a reference point. I ran the comments by Izzo last week and he just laughed. There will be no hard feelings. Fact is, back then Neitzel, certainly didn't look like the power-point savior a lot of people, especially on the west side of the state, predicted him to be.
After seeing him play in the state semifinal, even I projected him to be starting by the beginning of the Big Ten season. OK, I was only seven games off, but against GW, he was furiously treading water just to keep his notsrils from filling up during his 13 minutes and I wasn't feeling too confident about my talent as a soothsayer.
Neitzel's rough start shouldn't have been unexpected, though. Very few freshmen skip a transition process that can be very difficult, especially in a highly structured scheme. Magic Johnson did it, but he's to basketball what Einstein was to physics. Freshmen students aren't expected to start class with the last chapter of their 101 class books, so why should athletes?
Izzo wouldn't say it but I will. People are stupid to believe players coming right of high school should start producing at a high level, even if some recruiting service ranked them in the top five.
Inputting data and regurgitating it is a painstaking process that can make smart people seem dimwitted and fast players look slow. Izzo budgeted Neitzel's minutes early on because he didn't want him to endure so much failure it might have ruined his confidence beyond repair.
"There's a reason you're 18, 19, 20," Izzo said. "You're not as dumb at 19 as when you were 18, not as dumb at 20, and the beat goes on."
Let's be frank. Neitzel's in the starting lineup primarily because Chris Hill was in need of a jump start and the jumper cables are hooked up to the bench. But what Neitzel has proved to be is a fast learner. Information and instinct have finally found common ground in his mind.
In recent games, he has performed his role as a freshman point guard on a team made up solely of role players very well. I wonder what Williams' trained eyes would see now. He's not over-dribbling himself into trouble, like he did in the first Wisconsin game when he'd get himself trapped on the baseline. His only recourse, in those situations, was to have his shot blocked, as Izzo said, "by an armpit."
MSU's fast break is operating much better because Neitzel is so explosive with the ball, seemingly accelerating to top speed as soon as it touches his hands. He's making better decisions. Instead of trying to cover all the ground with the dribble, he's firing outlet passes that are so much more effective because they get to their intended spot a lot faster. And, the wings, such as Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager, are running the lanes with more authority because they know it's likely they'll be getting the ball in scoring position.
Neitzel has also been looking for his shot more, as if he's following a plan that has him getting comfortable with one area of his game before moving onto the next.
"I've been working on my shot a lot lately and it's paying off," Neitzel said. "There certain points in the game where I have to look for my shot more and I think I'm doing that. But usually, there are so many other great scorers out there I just feed them instead of taking shots that aren't there."
What's more, Neitzel is demonstrating a cold confidence. He said nerves aren't an issue with him and he looks forward to being in pressurized situations. He has tripped up Izzo a little because he's a better defender than expected and not as good a shooter, but Izzo realizes it's still very early in his career.
"He will be the player we all expected him to be," Izzo said.
One thing seems certain -- MSU wouldn't be the team it is now without him.
Damn straight he will;)
----------------------------------
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Nailing the Neitzel Effect
It can now be told. Back in December when Michigan State was playing George Washington in the BB&T Classic, Maryland coach Gary Williams took a seat behind a couple of writers from Michigan on press row. Williams was there ostensibly to scout MSU for the long-anticipated championship game between the Spartans and Terps.
As the game unfolded, however, the Colonials, who obviously filled their Gatorade tank with Starbucks, were out-quicking MSU in every department. The Spartans were going to fall, and fall hard, and freshman Drew Neitzel was part of the reason. By missing both of his shots, committing five turnovers and dishing out only three assists, Neitzel caused Williams to verbalize his assessment: "That's what happens when you recruit a point guard who can't play. He looks like he's in junior high."
Williams' words have rattled around in my head like a handful of ball-bearings in an empty coffee can ever since. I didn't "out" them sooner for a couple reasons. It's not that I was worried about betraying a confidence. If you sit down in press row where members of the media are obviously lurking, anything is fair game. But, Williams and MSU coach Tom Izzo are good friends the two occasionally talk throughout the course of the season. Had I decided to use the quote, I would have felt obligated to get a response from Izzo. Seemed a bit smarmy to tattle Williams' remarks to Izzo. And what was Izzo going to say? "I'm going to kick Gary's butt, or at least loosen up his stiff neck, next time I see him?" Izzo's not that Neanderthal or immature. Besides, Williams got the smugness knocked out of him the next day by GW. Mostly, though, it was an premature cheap shot since the jury on Neitzel was still only in the voir dire stage of his trial by fire.
But now that Neitzel is making Williams eat his words, one serif at a time whether he realizes it or not, there's no reason to keep them hidden because they serve as a reference point. I ran the comments by Izzo last week and he just laughed. There will be no hard feelings. Fact is, back then Neitzel, certainly didn't look like the power-point savior a lot of people, especially on the west side of the state, predicted him to be.
After seeing him play in the state semifinal, even I projected him to be starting by the beginning of the Big Ten season. OK, I was only seven games off, but against GW, he was furiously treading water just to keep his notsrils from filling up during his 13 minutes and I wasn't feeling too confident about my talent as a soothsayer.
Neitzel's rough start shouldn't have been unexpected, though. Very few freshmen skip a transition process that can be very difficult, especially in a highly structured scheme. Magic Johnson did it, but he's to basketball what Einstein was to physics. Freshmen students aren't expected to start class with the last chapter of their 101 class books, so why should athletes?
Izzo wouldn't say it but I will. People are stupid to believe players coming right of high school should start producing at a high level, even if some recruiting service ranked them in the top five.
Inputting data and regurgitating it is a painstaking process that can make smart people seem dimwitted and fast players look slow. Izzo budgeted Neitzel's minutes early on because he didn't want him to endure so much failure it might have ruined his confidence beyond repair.
"There's a reason you're 18, 19, 20," Izzo said. "You're not as dumb at 19 as when you were 18, not as dumb at 20, and the beat goes on."
Let's be frank. Neitzel's in the starting lineup primarily because Chris Hill was in need of a jump start and the jumper cables are hooked up to the bench. But what Neitzel has proved to be is a fast learner. Information and instinct have finally found common ground in his mind.
In recent games, he has performed his role as a freshman point guard on a team made up solely of role players very well. I wonder what Williams' trained eyes would see now. He's not over-dribbling himself into trouble, like he did in the first Wisconsin game when he'd get himself trapped on the baseline. His only recourse, in those situations, was to have his shot blocked, as Izzo said, "by an armpit."
MSU's fast break is operating much better because Neitzel is so explosive with the ball, seemingly accelerating to top speed as soon as it touches his hands. He's making better decisions. Instead of trying to cover all the ground with the dribble, he's firing outlet passes that are so much more effective because they get to their intended spot a lot faster. And, the wings, such as Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager, are running the lanes with more authority because they know it's likely they'll be getting the ball in scoring position.
Neitzel has also been looking for his shot more, as if he's following a plan that has him getting comfortable with one area of his game before moving onto the next.
"I've been working on my shot a lot lately and it's paying off," Neitzel said. "There certain points in the game where I have to look for my shot more and I think I'm doing that. But usually, there are so many other great scorers out there I just feed them instead of taking shots that aren't there."
What's more, Neitzel is demonstrating a cold confidence. He said nerves aren't an issue with him and he looks forward to being in pressurized situations. He has tripped up Izzo a little because he's a better defender than expected and not as good a shooter, but Izzo realizes it's still very early in his career.
"He will be the player we all expected him to be," Izzo said.
One thing seems certain -- MSU wouldn't be the team it is now without him.