Jeff Pollard - 6'9" PF

[ceCoug]

Great news for E Kent and the Cougs.

 

[gazooks2]

This guy works hard on his defense. He also runs the court very well and is the consummate team player. He has great feet and works hard on ball denial. There is always room for a 6'.9 player like this on every team.

 

[7ICoug]

Yeah big guys like Hawkinson are always welcome but it is interesting to note how the "new coach" seems to get a lot of slack.

 

[gazooks2]

This guy is fast and quick and will be a good player for the cougs.Hawkinson is not fast and does not have quick feet.Pollard is quick and fast enough to play the three or four slot. Hawkinson is probably only able to play the number 5 position. There is really no sense in comparing the two players.

 

[gazooks2]

I was wondering why Kent had offered Pollard, after looking at his modest stats. I watched a couple of his games on video and i saw why. When opponents were on fast breaks, he ran with their guards and worked very hard on defense and did not seem to be concerned with his offensive production. He prides himself on his defense and it shows in his approach to the game. In this day and age,it is hard to find players whose defense is more important to them than their offensive production. He plays defense with his feet constantly moving to be in the right position. He is a smart player and anticipates well. As I have said before,defense is played with one's feet and blocking shots is not the only way to be effective on defense.He needs to build up his upper body strength and work on putting the ball on the floor. But he is capable offensively and can use both hands around the basket. He is worthy of the offer tended to him by Kent and staff.

 

[jourdand]

It seemed a little early to offer this kid but he must have shown the coaches quite a lot at elite camp. If thats the case I'm glad we got a hold of him early. I really don't understand some posters dislike of our present players, it probably comes from the extreme hatred some felt for coach Bone. We have Ernie Kent now and I'm sure some will end up hating him to, it just goes with the job. As far as the players go, I say let them work in practice and earn or lose playing time based on their own merit not based on who recruited them. In the case of Hawkinson he basically did what I expected out of a freshmen post player, he wasn't outstanding by any means but he had his moments. I was very impressed with his hands and my understanding is he is a weight room junkie. He was a very young freshman last year and reportedly has grown another inch. So he could easily be 6-10 or 6-11 250 to 255 this year. I still don't expect him to be all PAC 12 or anything like that but I think he will be a very competent back up this year a compete for a starting job as a JR and SR.

 

[ceCoug]

Re: Jeff Pollard - 6'9" PF......I think

It has to do with EK's known past accomplishments - way above those of KB. However, KB did take Portland State to the NCAA tournament. Just could not seem to get the Cougs headed in that direction?

I feel much more optimistic about EK as a "Phoenix." I really liked his work on the P12 Network.

 

[gazooks2]

I am quite sure that Kent is not going to read our comments and plan his rotations on what we all think. Everyone will have an equal chance to earn playing time. The better the competition,the better the team will be.

 

[ElComanche]

All the old timers should remember James Donaldson. He literally made himself into an NBA player who had a long career. Stuart House who was 10 time more talented never really made it in the NBA, So perhaps there is hope for Hawkinson if he works his behind off.

 

[SaveFerris]

I think Hawkinson can turn into a solid player. He missed a lot of shots but I think that's more a function of being young rather than capable. Good hands like you say and if he's still growing then all the better. I think he has the work-ethic to improve every year and his intelligence only helps.

 

[7ICoug]

Re: Jeff Pollard - 6'9" PF......I think

Yeah well this 2015 commit is very much in the last five year tradition and certainly not a 4-5 Star recruit like EK was getting when he was a Duck.

Its just amusing to watch some on this board who were so anti with the last coach applaud the same type of recruits with this Coach. Me I think Hawkinson and this young man are just fine or could be just fine, but see little difference in the type of player(s) that we are getting.

 

[ElComanche]

I am amused that some people think that Hawkinson was D1 material when he was recruited. I watched his tapes and was astounded that he was given a scholarship.Now that he is a coug ,i hope that his supporters are right and that he develops to help the team win games.. It is almost like he was given the offer because of politics at the local level?. Perhaps the coach wanted to hold on to his job?However,Pollard has talent , great feet,and good speed for a big man He is the kind of player one would want in trying to build a team His main attributes are his defensive abilities.. I expect that he will have some other D 1 offers during his senior season.Kent saw him and obviously liked what he saw.The recruiting process is just underway but Kent wanted to get his verbal now. Kent and staff know what it takes to build a winner and a team capable of going to the Elite 8.It is not like he is third option player at the end of the recruiting process. Kent is after some more highly rated players now. The "pruf is in da pudding" and we will see if Kent has miserable and non productive season s like the last coach.I expect that his teams will be fun and exciting to watch while winning games.