He didn't even look like the same player tonight. He was pretty darn good around the basket. Shot free throws like a guard. I was impressed with him tonight.
Clifford
- Thread starter Rich Lewis
- Start date
I did not get to see the game. But ,as i said earlier,it takes the big guys longer to get in playing shape. I am sue that he will continue to improve as his conditioning improves, His timing will also come back.
Hawkinson was held out because of a groin injury. The cougs need everyone healthy for Gonzaga.Last year when many posters were moaning about having to play a two for one with 2 straight games at Gonzaga.i said that this was a perfect setup.I believe that the cougs have a legitimate chance to upset the zags in Pullman.I knew that last year s team could not beat the Zags. This year they have a 50/50 chance.
Cliford can score as advertised he and Izundu are different players that I think complement each other nicely. Cliford still is slow of foot and was getting blown by consistently by D-2 forwards but his offense took a huge step last night and thats a giant step in the right direction for the kid and the Cougs, they will need him against the Zags.
Thought he had a solid game and it was good to get him some extended minutes. He doesn't get much lift and will have to learn how to use his size to get shots off against better competition. Obviously drawing fouls would work as well. He really needs to get in better shape and he's going to be a defensive liability. It won't hurt that he's a smart kid though.
It's easy to see he's not in shape yet. Beyond that, one of the TV game announcers referred to him as "Clifford, the big red Coug." I caught the allusion (the kids loved those books). The TV quipster also commented that Hawkinson, dressed in tie and sports coat, looked like the "team manager," but it's true. He just has that kind of baby face.
I saw Hawkinson in SFO on his laptop before the season and thought he was just some 'wsu kid' until he stood up. He looks like he should be just starting high school.
You knew Clifford was going to need time to adjust to the Pac 12 but he has really good hands. He showed he's a really good passer as well. Really glad we have Izundu.
Clifford when he gets in shape should be fairly solid defensively as he has good footwork. He does not have to "sky" to play solid position defense and block out on rebounds. There is a lot more to playing good defense than blocking shots.
I guess my question would be why is he not in shape? He has been in Pullman since at least mid sumer working out with all the guys. He was practicing up until right before the first practice game at full speed and by all accounts looking very well. He didn't have surgery and sit out for 6 months, he hurt his knee and had limited workouts for less than 2 weeks. What your seeing on defense is the result of poor foot work and playing against smaller quicker guys. He will be better suited to play against the GU bigs ( Karnowski isn't going around anybody). It really doesn't surprise me to see this, as posts take longer to adjust to the speed of the game because often they were able to compensate for poor fundamentals with pure size. His offensive foot work is very good so I don't think it will take coach Kent long to get him up to speed.
The only way to get into "game shape" is to play. One 's timing and ability to see the court and to anticipate are shaped by game conditions. As he plays himself into shape the game will slow down and he will react instinctively instead of having to think before he reacts. Game shape is a lot different than just being in shape.
Because his body needs to be remade. For him to remake his body into a Pac 12 body is not going to be a 4-5 month deal. Big men often take much longer because they don't run like smaller guys. They cannot lift like smaller guys because their arms and legs are so long.
I am guessing his leg is safe to play, but is not entire healed as well.
He will do fine this year against the PAC 12 teams. We shall see how the team,especially the PGs perform against a top team this week.
The Gonzaga game will be fun. Hopefully, the team can put it together for a full game. Is the last game of the series for now?
One wonders if kent and Clifford will get on the same page. I hope that Clifford comes around and starts playing hard and listening to what Kent tells him. He has talent but is he coach able?He can be a big difference maker if his head is on right.
It'll be interesting to see how he fares against Karnowski. It's a much better match up for him.
It will be interesting to see how he looks against Karnowski. As big as Clifford is Karnowski is actually bigger but it looks like he has worked on his body from watching some of the games they had in the Bahamas tournament.
Also interested to see how Hawkinson does against Witljer.
They need to clean up some things, shoot better, play better defense, and stay out of foul trouble. It didn't look like the Zag players were exactly excited to play the UW last week. They probably are looking ahead to bigger games than WSU. We definitely have the opportunity to upset them but are going to have to play a lot better than we have against suspect competition.
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