Our very own Nik Stauskas comes in at #10, as the lowest ranked recruit on that list with respect to espn's recruiting rankings. Nice to see him greatly out-peforming his recruiting rankings thus far.
They also mention he is on pace to break the freshman 3pt % record.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/70539/freshmen...
I am a fan of Stauskus, but I
You make some good points but
You make some good points but I think he'll be fine going into the big ten season just because he's not really going to be expected to be a lock down defender (which has rapidly improved since the beginning of the year and if he continues to convert contested threes he'll be in really good shape. He's also shooting pretty well from the line. I think he's going to be more of a taller, more athletic version of Diebler this year and then should grow into more of a complete player in the coming years.
He just needs to knock down
He just needs to knock down the wide open 3's. I'm sure that is bothering the hell out of him.
exactly
Anything else is a bonus.
Well of course...but what
Well of course...but what exactly are you expecting of him? The player you describe, one who is a historically elite freshman offensive player (which stauskas has been in a fairly well-rounded way thus far) and one who is an exceptional defender is a bonafide NBA lottery pick. I mean his defense will be fine, sure it will be a relative weakness, but look at a player like jordan hulls...he is a "senior" and plays horribly on the defensive end (worse than stauskas, imo) and still gets significant playing time for an elite team like Indiana. The fact is as long as his 3point shooting doesn't regress tremedously I will be fine with his defense as long as he is trying and displaying understanding of our scheme. Also, I also don't think he is particularily vulnerable to contact and that he has shown the ability to drive and play against teams that aren't particularily soft (kstate, pitt, ncstate).
In summary, I think your expectations of him are absurd.
I'm not saying he has to be
I'm not saying he has to be an exceptional/elite defender. I'm saying he could stand to give exceptional effort. I watched a few of the more recent games multiple times, and his defensive effort is somewhat lacking.
Beilein made a comment in his presser recently, speaking of the freshman, saying more or less the same thing: "I've talked to a couple guys about things they showed," he said. "They may not be hitting the wall, and lazy is not the right word, but maybe they're not as prepared in a stance, doing things you have to do..."
I agree with you there. He
I agree with you there. He also needs to be a little less reckless when attacking the basket. The last couple of games its seemed like he has been stuck in an inbetween spot where he ends up forcing the ball into the post on a drive. That being said he had some sick three balls tonight! Its like he doesn't even see the defender thats bearing down on him...
I think Levert will shine in
I think Levert will shine in Big Ten play. Especially at the top of the 1-3-1, can't teach that length.
Really?
I keep seeing these ads that say there's an easy trick for getting more length...
DON'T DO IT
It's a scam, all you get is more depth
Isn't that the point of more
Isn't that the point of more length - do you can get more depth?
I just wish they gave him
I just wish they gave him more props than just being a 3-point shooter. His all-around game has been a pleasant surprise.
I am a fan of Stauskus, but I think his transition to B1G play will be a little tougher than expected. I think the Big Ten will wear him down in two areas (which, if he can improve, will make him a top-tier player): (1) needs to have a lot more defensive intensity, and (2) needs to be physically tougher on offense (i.e. playing through "incidental" contact) cause he's definitely gonna get roughed up more in B1G play than he has to this point.