Shout out to SVI!
Did anyone else notice Svi in part of the game where he really lifted his defense? I believe it was in the second half, and the camera was isolated on him. That was some tremendous defensive footwork from Svi. Really... hats off for his effort!
I hope he keeps that up. We really need him to play solid defense.
He has really turned into a good all around player. Has good value to the team even when his shot isn't falling.
@drgnslayr I did see that! He has really put in a lot of work over the summer. The last couple years, I thought he was a little slow laterally. Now, its hard for guys to get around him. I really liked our defensive effort the last 7 minutes.
When this team really WANTS to defend, they do a pretty good job. We may only see it in spurts all year, given the effort it requires when playing small.
@drgnslayr Yeah, I saw that. He was just Sticky! there for a while. Sticky!
@drgnslayr Absolutely...........he played defense by moving his feet............he was very effective!
I think Trump winning may have made him think that maybe, just maybe, there won't have to be a war over Ukraine.
Either way, on helluva an improvement.
He also hit some 3s which seem like we are shooting from half court looking at our percentage
seems like old news that some were freaking out about Svi after this summer he spent abroad. He is much improved in all parts of his game. Keep on playing well Svi, we need you
I have to admit, that thought had never entered my mind. But now you bring it up... I wonder what races through Svi's mind about a lot of things. He has a very interesting life when considering where he is from and where he is today. I'm very curious where he will land AFTER his years in Lawrence.
@drgnslayr Wherever he does land, it appears that he will have earned a touch of luxury. At age 18 his game now shows polish and lots of professional promise.
A 3rd year NCAA player, Svi is still younger than many high school recruits and college freshmen. Including his teammate Josh Jackson.
I thought Svi was one of our brighter stars last night.
He seems to be doing a better job of setting up for his shot and then being more selective on when to take his shot. He has outstanding potential on the offensive side of the ball... and he has worked hard to become a total player by improving his defense considerably.
Look at his stat line from last night: 15 pts, 5 rebs, 1 assist. Pretty good for 23 minutes of play. He stayed involved in the game when he was on the court. He also is starting to block out better on the boards, something we need desperately from more of our players.
Last night was definitely one of his better games.... let's see if he can maintain that level of play now. We haven't really experienced Svi bumping up his play in noticeable amounts until now. Maybe he is enjoying a "growth spurt (execution)?"
Svi is a very well rounded player. I think we are starting to see him put all of the parts of his game together. Sometimes guys that are more well rounded struggle earlier in their careers because they don't specialize.
Take a great shooter, for example. They know that their role is to knock down perimeter shots. Because they have that elite skill, they don't have to search for ways to contribute. Yes, it helps to round out their game, but they will get court time because of their elite shooting ability. Their path to success is very straight forward.
For a guy like Svi, that's not the case. He's a good shooter, but not elite. He can drive the ball. He's a better defender than you realize. He can rebound. He has some post up game. He can run the point in a pinch.
Now walk up to 17 year old Svi as a freshman and tell him to contribute to the team. How? Is he a shooter? A distributor? Should he take on the toughest defensive assignment? What should he do?
Ultimately, Svi is a bit of a Swiss Army knife. He's so skilled that he can help out in a ton of different ways, but its only now that he is actually able to connect his ability with his productivity.
Really impressed with Svi's ability to move his feet on defense. I think that has been the one area he's improved the most to my eye. He's not using his hands as much to stop a defender which he used to get called routinely for. The improved rebounding and taking better shots has made him an all around better player as others above mentioned.
Keep it up young man