It seemed like not that long ago that North Dakota was the team that couldn't win a road game. Well, they have put that idea to bed.
Despite trailing by double digits early in the second half, UND stormed back to beat Montana State 82-73 in Bozeman on Thursday night. Simply put, UND looked like the more athletic team in this game, constantly attacking the basket late in the second half to put the Bobcats away.
To nobody's surprise, Troy Huff led the way with a game high 25 points. He also chipped in five rebounds, four steals, and three assists in this game. If you want to argue that nobody in the conference is playing as well as Huff is right now, I will not disagree. He has been utterly fantastic.
He had help in this game. Aaron Anderson finished with 17 points, including a nail-in-the-coffin and-one late in the game. Shane Benton had a surprising 13 points off the bench, and Jamal Webb chipped in 12 points, six assists, three steals, and only two turnovers.
The key for Montana State was their turnovers, as they had 17 of them. Avoiding turnovers is vital to their success, and they have a tough time winning when they are this sloppy with the ball. Xavier Blount led them with 19 and 7, while Blake Brumwell had a career day with 14 points and give rebounds.
North Dakota is now 3-3 on the road in conference play, and moves to 7-6 overall. Montana State drops to 7-6, and they are currently tied for fourth in the Big Sky.
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Showing posts with label Jamal Webb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jamal Webb. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Monday, December 17, 2012
Southern Utah Beats North Dakota in Battle of Newcomers
It was the first Big Sky game for both Southern Utah and North Dakota, with the Thunderbirds starting off conference play on the right foot. SUU rode 12 blocks on their way to a 79-67 over North Dakota on Monday night.
The Thunderbirds led early and never gave it up, though North Dakota did have the deficit as low as 62-59 late in the second half. However, SUU just wouldn't let them get easy shots, and they hit just enough big ones themselves to get the victory.
Jackson Stevenett led the way with 21 points in 37 minutes, shooting 9/19 from the floor. He also had 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, showing that he is one of the best and most complete players in the conference when he is on his game. Wade Collie had a career high 18 as well, and showcased a pretty good offensive game.
The Thunderbirds have been average blocking shots all year, but 12 of them in this game was obviously huge. Big man Jayson Cheesman could be in the running for defensive player of the year in the conference... he came into the game with a 14.0 Block Rate (12th in the country), and had three more tonight. He is a stout defender and rebounder (22.7 DR%), and he really was a great recruiting get for head coach Nick Robinson.
For North Dakota, they simply weren't getting many looks. The guard play was supposed to be the strength of the team, but they miss Troy Huff a lot. In particular, Jamal Webb continues to give them poor play. He was 2/9 from the court, finishing with four points and five turnovers. His ORtg was already a dismal 74.1, and it could go down after this game. He has been a turnover machine, which I don't have to tell you is not a great trait for your starting PG.
Southern Utah is 1-0 in conference play, while North Dakota is 0-1. UND is now 2-20 on the road over the past two years.
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The Thunderbirds led early and never gave it up, though North Dakota did have the deficit as low as 62-59 late in the second half. However, SUU just wouldn't let them get easy shots, and they hit just enough big ones themselves to get the victory.
Jackson Stevenett led the way with 21 points in 37 minutes, shooting 9/19 from the floor. He also had 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, showing that he is one of the best and most complete players in the conference when he is on his game. Wade Collie had a career high 18 as well, and showcased a pretty good offensive game.
The Thunderbirds have been average blocking shots all year, but 12 of them in this game was obviously huge. Big man Jayson Cheesman could be in the running for defensive player of the year in the conference... he came into the game with a 14.0 Block Rate (12th in the country), and had three more tonight. He is a stout defender and rebounder (22.7 DR%), and he really was a great recruiting get for head coach Nick Robinson.
For North Dakota, they simply weren't getting many looks. The guard play was supposed to be the strength of the team, but they miss Troy Huff a lot. In particular, Jamal Webb continues to give them poor play. He was 2/9 from the court, finishing with four points and five turnovers. His ORtg was already a dismal 74.1, and it could go down after this game. He has been a turnover machine, which I don't have to tell you is not a great trait for your starting PG.
Southern Utah is 1-0 in conference play, while North Dakota is 0-1. UND is now 2-20 on the road over the past two years.
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Friday, December 14, 2012
North Dakota Wins; Idaho State Needs Offensive Answers
There were two Big Sky games on Thursday night, and the losing teams of the two games combined to score 85 points.
First, North Dakota took down Presentation College by the score of 74-32. Just a few stats, since gaudy numbers are to be expected in a game like this.
At the half, the score was 28-10, as Presentation was just 4/18 from the field. UND shot 55% from the floor for the game, led by Alonzo Traylor scoring 17 points on 8/8 shooting. Amazingly, there were only 13 fouls called in the game, and Presentation was 0/2 from the stripe. From that standpoint, that was about as clean of a game as you could get.
One area of concern for UND continues to be the turnovers of Jamal Webb. He committed six of them in this game, and the starting guard now averages 4.6 giveaways per game.
Now, the important thing.... who is Presentation College? Their nickname is the Saints, and they are now 4-6 on the year with losses to teams like Minnesota-Morris, Trinity Bible College, Valley City State, and Oglala Lakota College. It appears they compete in the D3 ranks. In other words, this probably won't do wonders for UND's RPI, but it is a win.
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In the other game of the night, Idaho State went to play Cal State Fullerton and lost by a score of 66-53. The loss drops them to 1-7 on the year.
As has been the case all year, their struggles were mostly with putting the ball in the basket. They shot 38%, including 4/14 from downtown. Tomas Sanchez was their only real threat, as he scored 17 points on 6/10 shooting. He also had five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Apart from Sanchez and Andre Hatchett, the rest of the team shot 7/27 from the floor. Starting PG Melvin Morgan was 1/9 from the floor, with one assist to three turnovers. Guard Chris Hansen was supposed to provide long-range shooting, but he is just 16/44 from downtown this year. The team as a whole is shooting 27% from three-pointers on the young season. If they are going to be more than a bottom Big Sky team, that number has to improve.
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First, North Dakota took down Presentation College by the score of 74-32. Just a few stats, since gaudy numbers are to be expected in a game like this.
At the half, the score was 28-10, as Presentation was just 4/18 from the field. UND shot 55% from the floor for the game, led by Alonzo Traylor scoring 17 points on 8/8 shooting. Amazingly, there were only 13 fouls called in the game, and Presentation was 0/2 from the stripe. From that standpoint, that was about as clean of a game as you could get.
One area of concern for UND continues to be the turnovers of Jamal Webb. He committed six of them in this game, and the starting guard now averages 4.6 giveaways per game.
Now, the important thing.... who is Presentation College? Their nickname is the Saints, and they are now 4-6 on the year with losses to teams like Minnesota-Morris, Trinity Bible College, Valley City State, and Oglala Lakota College. It appears they compete in the D3 ranks. In other words, this probably won't do wonders for UND's RPI, but it is a win.
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In the other game of the night, Idaho State went to play Cal State Fullerton and lost by a score of 66-53. The loss drops them to 1-7 on the year.
As has been the case all year, their struggles were mostly with putting the ball in the basket. They shot 38%, including 4/14 from downtown. Tomas Sanchez was their only real threat, as he scored 17 points on 6/10 shooting. He also had five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Apart from Sanchez and Andre Hatchett, the rest of the team shot 7/27 from the floor. Starting PG Melvin Morgan was 1/9 from the floor, with one assist to three turnovers. Guard Chris Hansen was supposed to provide long-range shooting, but he is just 16/44 from downtown this year. The team as a whole is shooting 27% from three-pointers on the young season. If they are going to be more than a bottom Big Sky team, that number has to improve.
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Monday, December 10, 2012
North Dakota Falls to Rival NDSU
This game happened last night, but wanted to talk a little about it since it is such a big rivalry game. North Dakota and North Dakota State are constantly comparing themselves to each other, and it's a great rivalry (now we just need to see it again in football)!
North Dakota went down to Fargo on Sunday night and lost 72-52 to the Bison. Things were already going to be tough without Troy Huff, who is still out with an injury. They were made even tougher by the loss of Brandon Brekke, who suffered a concussion three minutes into the game. Without him, UND's already thin frontcourt struggled on the glass, as NDSU had 18 offensive rebounds.
The biggest reason for the loss, it seems, was North Dakota's inability to hang onto the ball. They turned it over 19 times (compared to 6 for NDSU) compared to just six assists. Starting guards Aaron Anderson and Jamal Webb combined to cough it up 8 times. UND gave it away in six of their first eleven second half possessions, pushing a 30-24 deficit into double digits, a lead that stayed in double digits the rest of the way.
Jamal Webb in particular has struggled this year, with a 31.8 TO Rate, which is really, really high for anyone, let alone a PG. This is nothing new, as he posted 30.0 and 28.9 TO Rates in his first two seasons. So far this year he has a whopping 4.3 turnovers per game. That is going to be tough for any team to overcome.
The loss drops UND to 1-6 on the young season.
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North Dakota went down to Fargo on Sunday night and lost 72-52 to the Bison. Things were already going to be tough without Troy Huff, who is still out with an injury. They were made even tougher by the loss of Brandon Brekke, who suffered a concussion three minutes into the game. Without him, UND's already thin frontcourt struggled on the glass, as NDSU had 18 offensive rebounds.
The biggest reason for the loss, it seems, was North Dakota's inability to hang onto the ball. They turned it over 19 times (compared to 6 for NDSU) compared to just six assists. Starting guards Aaron Anderson and Jamal Webb combined to cough it up 8 times. UND gave it away in six of their first eleven second half possessions, pushing a 30-24 deficit into double digits, a lead that stayed in double digits the rest of the way.
Jamal Webb in particular has struggled this year, with a 31.8 TO Rate, which is really, really high for anyone, let alone a PG. This is nothing new, as he posted 30.0 and 28.9 TO Rates in his first two seasons. So far this year he has a whopping 4.3 turnovers per game. That is going to be tough for any team to overcome.
The loss drops UND to 1-6 on the young season.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
South Dakota State Wins On Chad White's Buzzer Beater
Any North Dakota fan will tell you that over the past couple of years, winning on the road has been a huge weakness. On Wednesday night, they almost won a big one.
Playing again without star Troy Huff, UND was thisclose to beating South Dakota State, losing 71-70 on a last-second, difficult three-pointer from the Jackrabbits Chad White.
SDSU got off to a 10-0 run to begin the game, but it was tight after that. UND eventually built a 70-66 lead with 1:57 to play, but they couldn't score the rest of the way. With 12 seconds left, Jamal Webb got a steal and was fouled, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. That led to this:
Such ended the heartbreaker for UND, but they do have plenty to feel good about. For one, SDSU is a darn good team. They won the Summit League last year (if I recall), and return a guy in Nate Wolters that is one of the best Mid-Major players in college basketball. For UND to have them on the ropes is a great sign, especially without Huff.
It was a balanced effort for UND, with four guys in double figures, led by 13 from Josh Schuler.They shot 51% from the field, while holding the Jackrabbits to 38.5%. The two keys were that UND put SDSU on the foul line 30 times (compared to 16 for them), and turned it over 15 times.
The Big Sky has been put on notice, because there are not a lot of teams from the conference that could go into Frost Arena and play like this.
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Playing again without star Troy Huff, UND was thisclose to beating South Dakota State, losing 71-70 on a last-second, difficult three-pointer from the Jackrabbits Chad White.
SDSU got off to a 10-0 run to begin the game, but it was tight after that. UND eventually built a 70-66 lead with 1:57 to play, but they couldn't score the rest of the way. With 12 seconds left, Jamal Webb got a steal and was fouled, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. That led to this:
Such ended the heartbreaker for UND, but they do have plenty to feel good about. For one, SDSU is a darn good team. They won the Summit League last year (if I recall), and return a guy in Nate Wolters that is one of the best Mid-Major players in college basketball. For UND to have them on the ropes is a great sign, especially without Huff.
It was a balanced effort for UND, with four guys in double figures, led by 13 from Josh Schuler.They shot 51% from the field, while holding the Jackrabbits to 38.5%. The two keys were that UND put SDSU on the foul line 30 times (compared to 16 for them), and turned it over 15 times.
The Big Sky has been put on notice, because there are not a lot of teams from the conference that could go into Frost Arena and play like this.
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Saturday, March 10, 2012
North Dakota Stays Alive in the Great West
Last season, North Dakota won the Great West title game in double overtime over South Dakota, propelling them to a birth in the CBI Tournament. This year, it looked like UND's goal of winning the tournament for the second straight year was going to be in serious jeopardy.
After taking a 23-17 over Texas-Pan American in the first half, UTPA went on a 20-0 run going into the half, leading 37-23. Their lead swelled to as much as 16 points, but that is when North Dakota made their move. They went on a 25-5 run over a 12 minute span, which sparked them onto victory, 63-59.
UND was led by Jamal Webb with 19 points and six rebounds. Troy Huff (17) and Aaron Anderson (12) were also in double figures.
North Dakota will take on New Jersey Institute of Technology today in the Great West title game, looking to capture their second straight conference title. They split the regular season series with them. It would again be a good momentum builder heading into next season, when they will enter the Big Sky.
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After taking a 23-17 over Texas-Pan American in the first half, UTPA went on a 20-0 run going into the half, leading 37-23. Their lead swelled to as much as 16 points, but that is when North Dakota made their move. They went on a 25-5 run over a 12 minute span, which sparked them onto victory, 63-59.
UND was led by Jamal Webb with 19 points and six rebounds. Troy Huff (17) and Aaron Anderson (12) were also in double figures.
North Dakota will take on New Jersey Institute of Technology today in the Great West title game, looking to capture their second straight conference title. They split the regular season series with them. It would again be a good momentum builder heading into next season, when they will enter the Big Sky.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Future Big Sky Member Beats Current Big Sky Member
Idaho State traveled to Grand Forks to take on the University of North Dakota on Tuesday night, and the future Big Sky member had their way with the current Big Sky member. The Fighting Sioux won 63-47 in a defensive battle.
Aaron Anderson led the Sioux with 17 points, including getting to the line for 9 FT attempts. Jamal Webb, a guy I believe has the potential to be one of the best mid-major PGs in America, contribued 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. It was a night when UND's most talented player, Troy Huff, contributed just 8 points, but the rest of the team was more than able to pick up the slack.
For the Bengals, it was an ugly performance. They shot 36% from the field, 14/27 from the foul line, and made just three 3-pointers. For the second straight game Melvin Morgan did not play well, this time going scoreless in 11 minutes. Jakub Kusmieruk was their best player when he was on the floor (as he should have been - UND does not have a strong or deep front line), but he only played 23 minutes.
For Joe O'Brien and the Bengals, the near upset of Oklahoma suddenly seems very far away.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
A Look at North Dakota
FightingSioux.com had a good little preview article on the men's hoops team, so let's take a look at it. The Fighting Sioux will be in their final season in the Great West Conference, and will be joining the Big Sky next year (if you did not already know).
They should be fun to watch play this year, and perhaps the best team that UND has seen in quite some time.
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Head coach Brian Jones has all five starters back from his 2011 Great West Conference Tournament championship team. The squad posted a 19-15 record and earned an automatic berth to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The sixth-year head coach only lost 9.4 percent of his team's scoring as senior captains Derek Benter (4.0 ppg) and Chris Clausen (3.1 ppg) were the only departures.This is why everyone around the program is excited about this team now and in the future. They have an excellent five-man class that will all be sophomores, which means that they should have a two solid years together in the Big Sky. If they can improve this year, they will be very interesting entering the Big Sky and ready to possibly compete right away.
Huff earned second team All-Great West honors after leading the team with a 13.3 ppg average. His 452 points also broke the UND freshman scoring record held by Scott Guldseth (418, 1989-90). He finished the season with five 20-plus scoring efforts, including a career high 31-point outing in a road win at Houston Baptist.Huff is the potential player of the year in the Great West, and will be one of the most talented guys in the Conference the minute UND enters the Big Sky. A lot of the Sioux's hopes rest with Huff, who will need to be a star for UND to take the next step.
Huff, Schuler and Webb teamed with fellow freshmen Brandon Brekke and Aaron Anderson to be the highest-producing rookie class in Division I basketball last season. The freshmen quintet accounted for 65.4 percent of UND's scoring a season ago (1,517 points). The freshmen at Memphis finished second, scoring 63.9 percent (1,615 of 2,524 points) of the Tigers' buckets and the rookies at Kentucky were third, producing 60.5 percent (1,721 of 2,845 points) of the Wildcats' scores.See above. The hopes of the program rest with these five guys.
Juniors Spencer Goodman and Mitch Wilmer will return to the playing rotation after having their seasons prematurely cut short with injuries. Goodman started all 11 games he appeared in before suffering an injury in the opening minute of play at UMKC (Dec. 18). Wilmer appeared in nine games off the bench, but was lost for the season after suffering an injury in the second half of the North Dakota State tilt (Dec. 11).The biggest weakness for UND is their size and depth up front, and hopefully the return of these guys will help. They have a lot of talent in the backcourt, but they were often undersized last year. If this can be helped by players such as Goodman and Wilmer, and stressed in recruiting, that will help immensely.\
They should be fun to watch play this year, and perhaps the best team that UND has seen in quite some time.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Jamal Webb - PG For North Dakota
If you make a list of the best mid-major point guards next year or in 2 years, there is a good chance that Jamal Webb will be on that list.
He had an impressive freshman season for the surprising Fighting Sioux. His best attribute is his playmaking ability, as he had a 29.7 ARate (5.4 APG), 88th in the country and an excellent mark for a freshman. He can make plays for other guys and looks for them, and that is obviously an important trait for a PG.
He is also a good looking shooter from outside. He shot 40% on 3s, which is certainly a respectable enough and definitely enough to keep defenses honest. Curiously, he only shot 55% (44/80) from the FT line, a number that will have to go up. He is an efficient shooter overall though, as he also shot a solid 48% from 2s. Not bad marks for a freshman.
He can be dangerous defensively as well with his quick hands. His 2.9 Steal% was best on the team, and resulted in an average of about 1.5 steals per game. He has the potential and athletic ability to be a lockdown defender.
Of course, his game is not without holes, and the biggest is his propensity to turn the ball over. He had a whopping 30.0% TO Rate, which is bad. He turned it over nearly 4 times per game, and if he is going to take the next step as a PG, he needs to cut down on the turnovers. If he does that, he can be a great college PG, because all of the other tools are there.
Jamal Webb is a guy not a lot of people (outside of North Dakota fans) have heard about, but he is a guy that Big Sky fans will want to get to know, because he could be very good by the time North Dakota enters the conference. He is a great distributor, solid outside shooter, and potentially excellent defender. If he can cut down on the turnovers and improve his outside shot a bit, he will be one of the best mid-major point guard in all the land.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
North Dakota Player Previews
I have written before about Future Big Sky Conference member North Dakota's Five Man Class of 2014, and now Fetch from Sioux Blog has some solid write-ups on individual players.
Check out his previews of Troy Huff, Patrick Mitchell, Jamal Webb, Aaron Anderson, Josh Schuler, and Brandon Brekke.
The Sioux will have a chance to contend in the Big Sky right from the get go, so fans should get to know them. They will also be playing a few games this year against Big Sky opponents.
If the freshman can keep improving, UND will be dangerous.
Check out his previews of Troy Huff, Patrick Mitchell, Jamal Webb, Aaron Anderson, Josh Schuler, and Brandon Brekke.
The Sioux will have a chance to contend in the Big Sky right from the get go, so fans should get to know them. They will also be playing a few games this year against Big Sky opponents.
If the freshman can keep improving, UND will be dangerous.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
North Dakota's Five Member Class of 2014
In the Mid-2000's, then North Dakota State University coach Tim Miles (current Colorado St. coach) recruited a class that included Ben Woodside (who would go on to become the school's all-time leading scorer and score 60 points in a game during his collegiate career), Mike Nelson, Lucas Moorman, and Brett Winkleman. All 4 players redshirted their freshman year, meaning they would be eligible to make the NCAA Tournament their freshman year (NDSU was transitioning from D2 to D1). All the hopes of the program rested on that class, and they delivered with a NCAA Tourney berth their senior year, the first year they were eligible.
Though the circumstances aren't exactly the same, North Dakota's class of 2014 (they were freshman last year - 2 of them redshirts) feels similar in that everyone in counting on this class of five to be the one that leads them to an NCAA Tournament when they are eligible, starting next season in the Big Sky. This excitement only increased when they finished strong last season, surging to win the Great West Tournament before bowing out to Air Force in the CBI. Of the 10 youngest teams in America last year, UND was one of two (along with Memphis) to have a winning record.
All of which begs the question - who are these guys and are they really that good?
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The best of the bunch (after one season of work) is Troy Huff, who at 6'4'' is the most athletic member of the team, and probably the best player in the fledgling Great West Conference. He led the team in scoring at 13.1 PPG, but he came on especially strong at the end of the year, scoring in double figures in the last 14 games of the season (including 20 against Air Force). In his second career game he scored 21 points against Wisconsin, so clearly he has the talent to contribute and be the star for UND.
He is a solid rebounder (which is nice for a team without a lot of size) as he snagged 13.2% of defensive rebounds and 7.5% of offensive rebounds. He needs to improve his shot selection a bit and his FT shooting (your star guard has to shoot more than 62% from the line), but he has the talent to be one of the best players in the Big Sky when he joins the conference.
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Jamal Webb played the most minutes on the team, and it is right to be excited about his potential as a 6'1'' PG. He shot a respectable 48% from 2PT and a solid 40% from beyond the arc, giving him a solid EFG%. He also had an excellent 29.7 Assist rate, one of the 100 best in the country (and would have been top 5 in the Big Sky). Also, for his size he was an excellent rebounder - pulling down 5.4 RPG including 16.6 DR%. He combined all of this with the best steal rate on the team, giving him a poor man's Jason Kidd-like line: 9.3 PPG / 5.4 RPG / 4.0 APG / 1.6 SPG. That is making a lot of things happen as a freshman.
However, there are two things he will need to improve to take the next step. First is FT shooting... like Troy Huff, he was mediocre there, shooting 44/80 from the line (55%). He needs to get to the line more and needs to shoot a better percentage, and he could become a dangerous scorer at around 12-15 PPG. He also needs to cut down on his turnovers, where he had a 30.0 TORate, worst on the team. He coughed it up 3.4 times per game, which is tough to handle for a team when that is your primary ballhandler. He needs to work on that.
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Aaron Anderson is the smallest member of the class at 5'9'', but he does a lot of things very well. He was great at getting to the free throw line, as he drew 5.8 fouls ever 40 minutes, giving him 145 attempts for the year, most on the team (impressive given his smaller usage rate compared to other guys). And unlike Huff and Webb, he was diligent on those attempts, making 80% of them. He is also a solid passer and defender for his size.
Like everyone else, there are some areas to work on. He turns it over more than he gets assists, which is always a problem for a PG (only one person on the team posted a better assist rate than TO rate, and we will get to him in a second). Also, Anderson needs to improve shot selection, or shot efficiency. He shot an ugly 36.8% from inside the arc last year (compared to 35% from beyond the arc)... A lot of that was offset by the fact that he is such a good FT shooter and so adept at getting to the line, but if he had shot 45% he is that much better and really would become an extremely dangerous offensive weapon as the 6th man.
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Josh Schuler was a little under the radar when compared to guys like Huff and Webb, but he is a huge part of the future for UND. At 6'2'' he was the team's 4th leading scorer, but one of the team's most efficient players. He shot just 43% inside the arc, but 35& outside of it, as well 78% free throws. He also took care of the ball, as he was the only member of the team to post a higher assist rate (15.4%) than TO rate (13.2%), which is huge to maximize scoring opportunities.
As always, his game is not perfect. On a team that lacks ideal size, everyone needs to chip in and rebound, and Schuler was the worst rebounder on the team. He needs to get in there and get better (and granted, he is the third smallest guy on the team). He also could definitely become a more efficient scorer, as 43% shooting on 2s is not a very good mark still, would like to see that closer to 50%.
(Photo from Kody Wallen of FightingSioux.com)
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Last is Brandon Brekke, who is the closest thing to a post presence the Sioux have in this class, though he is just 6'6''. He had a fine freshman season, though he played only 15.8 minutes per game, that was one of the most for post players in UND's guard heavy lineup. He was a very efficient scorer, shooting over 61% from the field (for 5.8 PPG). He was one of the best rebounders on the team (and the best offensive rebounders - with a very solid 11.2% OR rate). Again, he is only 6'6'' so he could struggle against big low post scorers, but those are the players he will be called on to defend. The Sioux had no regular over 6'7'' last season, and that fact probably won't change much this season.
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All in all, UND was one of the better stories of the season, being so young and so reliant on freshman, and they really put things together after a 5-9 start to the year, finishing with 19 wins. Brian Jones will be looking to take the next step this year, winning over 20 games and the Great West Conference again in their final season before moving to the Big Sky. It is all about getting ready to be a competitor in the Big Sky, and they should have the talent to do that.
What do you think of these five and about North Dakota as a whole? How will they stack up against the rest of the Big Sky? With games at least against Montana, Sacramento St, and Idaho St. this year (they haven't released their full schedule), they will get a little taste of how things will go and how hard they are going to have to work.
Though the circumstances aren't exactly the same, North Dakota's class of 2014 (they were freshman last year - 2 of them redshirts) feels similar in that everyone in counting on this class of five to be the one that leads them to an NCAA Tournament when they are eligible, starting next season in the Big Sky. This excitement only increased when they finished strong last season, surging to win the Great West Tournament before bowing out to Air Force in the CBI. Of the 10 youngest teams in America last year, UND was one of two (along with Memphis) to have a winning record.
All of which begs the question - who are these guys and are they really that good?
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He is a solid rebounder (which is nice for a team without a lot of size) as he snagged 13.2% of defensive rebounds and 7.5% of offensive rebounds. He needs to improve his shot selection a bit and his FT shooting (your star guard has to shoot more than 62% from the line), but he has the talent to be one of the best players in the Big Sky when he joins the conference.
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Jamal Webb played the most minutes on the team, and it is right to be excited about his potential as a 6'1'' PG. He shot a respectable 48% from 2PT and a solid 40% from beyond the arc, giving him a solid EFG%. He also had an excellent 29.7 Assist rate, one of the 100 best in the country (and would have been top 5 in the Big Sky). Also, for his size he was an excellent rebounder - pulling down 5.4 RPG including 16.6 DR%. He combined all of this with the best steal rate on the team, giving him a poor man's Jason Kidd-like line: 9.3 PPG / 5.4 RPG / 4.0 APG / 1.6 SPG. That is making a lot of things happen as a freshman.
However, there are two things he will need to improve to take the next step. First is FT shooting... like Troy Huff, he was mediocre there, shooting 44/80 from the line (55%). He needs to get to the line more and needs to shoot a better percentage, and he could become a dangerous scorer at around 12-15 PPG. He also needs to cut down on his turnovers, where he had a 30.0 TORate, worst on the team. He coughed it up 3.4 times per game, which is tough to handle for a team when that is your primary ballhandler. He needs to work on that.
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Aaron Anderson is the smallest member of the class at 5'9'', but he does a lot of things very well. He was great at getting to the free throw line, as he drew 5.8 fouls ever 40 minutes, giving him 145 attempts for the year, most on the team (impressive given his smaller usage rate compared to other guys). And unlike Huff and Webb, he was diligent on those attempts, making 80% of them. He is also a solid passer and defender for his size.
Like everyone else, there are some areas to work on. He turns it over more than he gets assists, which is always a problem for a PG (only one person on the team posted a better assist rate than TO rate, and we will get to him in a second). Also, Anderson needs to improve shot selection, or shot efficiency. He shot an ugly 36.8% from inside the arc last year (compared to 35% from beyond the arc)... A lot of that was offset by the fact that he is such a good FT shooter and so adept at getting to the line, but if he had shot 45% he is that much better and really would become an extremely dangerous offensive weapon as the 6th man.
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As always, his game is not perfect. On a team that lacks ideal size, everyone needs to chip in and rebound, and Schuler was the worst rebounder on the team. He needs to get in there and get better (and granted, he is the third smallest guy on the team). He also could definitely become a more efficient scorer, as 43% shooting on 2s is not a very good mark still, would like to see that closer to 50%.
(Photo from Kody Wallen of FightingSioux.com)
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Last is Brandon Brekke, who is the closest thing to a post presence the Sioux have in this class, though he is just 6'6''. He had a fine freshman season, though he played only 15.8 minutes per game, that was one of the most for post players in UND's guard heavy lineup. He was a very efficient scorer, shooting over 61% from the field (for 5.8 PPG). He was one of the best rebounders on the team (and the best offensive rebounders - with a very solid 11.2% OR rate). Again, he is only 6'6'' so he could struggle against big low post scorers, but those are the players he will be called on to defend. The Sioux had no regular over 6'7'' last season, and that fact probably won't change much this season.
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All in all, UND was one of the better stories of the season, being so young and so reliant on freshman, and they really put things together after a 5-9 start to the year, finishing with 19 wins. Brian Jones will be looking to take the next step this year, winning over 20 games and the Great West Conference again in their final season before moving to the Big Sky. It is all about getting ready to be a competitor in the Big Sky, and they should have the talent to do that.
What do you think of these five and about North Dakota as a whole? How will they stack up against the rest of the Big Sky? With games at least against Montana, Sacramento St, and Idaho St. this year (they haven't released their full schedule), they will get a little taste of how things will go and how hard they are going to have to work.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Three Ways for North Dakota To Improve In 2011-2012
Check out an excellent post from Mr. Fetch over at Sioux Blog.
North Dakota was the 5th youngest team in college basketball last season (fast fun fact: of the 10 youngest teams in America last season, only North Dakota and Memphis had winning records), but finished 19-15, including winning the Great West Tournament (which was something very positive to build on for a program that hasn't had a ton of positives over the past decade).
With a sophomore class-to-be featuring Troy Huff, Jamal Webb, Aaron Anderson, Josh Schuler, and Brandon Brekke, the Fighting Sioux (or whatever they will be called by that time) could be a factor in the Big Sky.
North Dakota was the 5th youngest team in college basketball last season (fast fun fact: of the 10 youngest teams in America last season, only North Dakota and Memphis had winning records), but finished 19-15, including winning the Great West Tournament (which was something very positive to build on for a program that hasn't had a ton of positives over the past decade).
With a sophomore class-to-be featuring Troy Huff, Jamal Webb, Aaron Anderson, Josh Schuler, and Brandon Brekke, the Fighting Sioux (or whatever they will be called by that time) could be a factor in the Big Sky.
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