Follow Zags in FIBA

[Bogozags]

There seem to be a bunch of comments online talking about how Ballo is a very very bad jumper who isn't much of an NBA prospect.

Does that seem like nonsense? I'm not much of an NBA fan or a Ballo observer so far...

I have not read about Ballo on line or comments from "professionals" but from my view point, he has the potential to be the best Zag center to date...whether the NBA "game" revolves back to strong, intimidating post players again is another issue all together BUT his potential is just uncanny...

I remember watching Shaq as a freshman at 18 and he didn't have the foot speed that Ballo has as a 16 year old kid. He has three-four years to develop physically and improve upon the skill set that he possesses now!

At present he appears to have the motivation to improve upon his natural talents so the sky is the limit on how much better he will become and I will enjoy watching him "grow" over the next couple of years...

One more thought, as a 16 year old he still has tremendous room to develop his mental process - to grow his mental prowess and learn the nuances of the game of basketball and apply them to his position. Having to learn how to properly play on defence will be a key to his success this coming season and will determine how much PT he will receive...

Again, this is all possible as long as he doesn't encounter any injuries that limit his ability to get on the court/weight room...

I am just so excited for him, GU and us fans...

[Razorzag99]

Joel Ayayi doing his best Corey Kispert at the 5:30 mark in the 3rd. Having a red shirt year and a full season at Gonzaga is sure showing in his play this FIBA tournament.

Now that he is a 19yo he's getting stronger and it shows. Last regular season he seemed to play a little to fast probably trying to hard. This season I feel the game will come to him and we'll see him really contribute.

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In fairness to Ayayi, it can be hard, especially for younger players, to settle down and find rhythm when playing time is spare and limited to garbage minutes with the bench mob. Coming into the 2020 season, he's going to have much more experience and maturity and I have no doubt we are going to see a lot of positive growth from him.

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[DZ]

Mali leading France at the half 39-33, Ballo with 16/5, Joel with 5 points, 2 assists

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19...e#tab=boxscore

Whoa.

[Mantua]

Can someone who watched the game describe Mali’s defense? Joel seemed to struggle with his shot today, but I get the feeling that Mali is the hungriest team in the tournament.

[OntZags]

Serbia lost to Russia today in a consolation game in a very disappointing tourney for the Serbs. For some reason Filip only played 21 minutes and had 13/8.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19...a#tab=boxscore

Puerto Rico crushed Canada 98-81 in another big surprise. Julian had 21/8 but on 21 shots.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19...a#tab=boxscore

I wouldn't put too much stock in those games. A lot of times teams with medal expectations kind of just go through the motions once these 'classification' aka consolation games start.

[Goshzagit]

Ayayi with his one and only stinker.

He was the top performer, across the statistical board, of the entire tourney til today.

His assist #'s were solid, yet 3/15 FG w/8 pts wasn't remotely close to his 21 ppg average coming into today's match.

Did not have a good game yet Mali has terrific length and quickness throughout their roster.

[bballbeachbum]

Ayayi with his one and only stinker.

He was the top performer, across the statistical board, of the entire tourney til today.

His assist #'s were solid, yet 3/15 FG w/8 pts wasn't remotely close to his 21 ppg average coming into today's match.

Did not have a good game yet Mali has terrific length and quickness throughout their roster.

one team with great rim protection, one team with none in this one. Mali defended M2M and extended, fought over the top of screens and didn't switch, forced the dribble and the tough 2, then boarded and ran with abandon and attacked the rim at will. With Ballo the anchor it was effective. Mali with the text book D execution of a concept similar to when Karno was a Zag in many games.

[Zagdawg]

Mali star Ballo promises: This is not the end, this is just the beginning

https://www.fiba.basketball/world/u1...-the-beginning

[MDABE80]

Ballo is going to be a terrorist in a good way. I wonder if the guys knew. Strongest team underneath in the country.
If Ayayi delivers us his potential, and with The new faces out front we should be a top 5 team with a elite 8 in site. I hope Few can put a TEAM together. That’s the only issue I can see.

[tummydoc]

Gallo is going to be a terrorist in a good way.

Ernest or Julio Gallo? ;-)

[zagsfanforlife]

Thank you for posting that. I hope everyone watches the embedded highlight reel tweet of him in today’s game against France. I am convinced that any one that keeps saying that he is “raw” has not watched him play at all. He is not raw at all.

Yup. Watched it again. Actually watched the entire game. Still think he is raw and has a lot of skill to develop. Jump shot, multiple post moves, attacking off the catch, defensive positioning.. he is still learning the game = raw. Not sure what else to tell you, but the 15 MPG wager is still out there.

[MDABE80]

Woops!

Ernest or Julio Gallo? ;-)

[zagfan1970]

Julian Strawther with 40pts 10 boards in his final game vs Russia.

[Goshzagit]

Julian Strawther with 40pts 10 boards in his final game vs Russia.

dominant at times.

his ability to find the open space on the court is terrific. Like finding a soft spot in a zone as a WR.

Has a knack for knowing when to isolate his defender and find a weakness.

Not overly athletic, yet has great body control, length, and good feel for the game. Versatile player, could probably play & defend 3 positions, yet likely a taller wing. Can pass as well, with nifty moves in the lane, and around the hoop.

Kinda reminds me of Cam Johnson from UNC, yet not quite the shooter, yet same look/build/style on the court. Like Cam, not going to wow you with athleticism, just smart, saavy, controlled, and can score in a variety of ways.

Julian has a bit of a Tillie type flow, where he looks/plays otherworldly certain games/times, yet can seem disinterested the next game/time. Consistency will be key for him, but all in all, a great looking prospect who will be a 3-4 yr player imo.

Then again, Cam Johnson surprised everyone this year being drafted so high, yet his shooting developed to elite level, but a nice comparison for him. Johnson used to score inside more than this past season, yet their presence on the floor is similar.

[GonzagasaurusFlex]

I cannot wait to see how Ballo does against USA

From interview linked above, question posed to Ballo

What do you expect from the Final?
We have to play a really good game. We are really going to give a hard time to USA. We are not here to joke. We are here to show them and the world that we can play ball.

[scrooner]

Arlauskas has gotten a lot of minutes this tournament, despite putting up fairly low numbers. Has anyone watched him play more closely? I'm curious what he's doing that doesn't appear in the box score to earn so much pt.

[Fonebone]

Any TV coverage of today’s game ?


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[katman50]

Any TV coverage of today’s game ?


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It's on ESPN+. Which costs $4.95 a month. Cancel at anytime.

[kitzbuel]

Serbia is crushing Canada by 20 with three minutes left for the seventh place game. Filip is on fire with 25 points and eight rebounds, shooting 100% from the field!

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19...a#tab=boxscore

He was slacking on his free throws. He missed one.

[Mantua]

Joel Ayayi with game high 33 points as France wins 3rd place over Lithuania.

[bdmiller7]

Arlauskas has gotten a lot of minutes this tournament, despite putting up fairly low numbers. Has anyone watched him play more closely? I'm curious what he's doing that doesn't appear in the box score to earn so much pt.

Havent been able to see games but I read somewhere he has been a really good perimeter defender, does all the little things, shot is still coming back after the injury.

[LTownZag]

dominant at times.

his ability to find the open space on the court is terrific. Like finding a soft spot in a zone as a WR.

Has a knack for knowing when to isolate his defender and find a weakness.

Not overly athletic, yet has great body control, length, and good feel for the game. Versatile player, could probably play & defend 3 positions, yet likely a taller wing. Can pass as well, with nifty moves in the lane, and around the hoop.

Kinda reminds me of Cam Johnson from UNC, yet not quite the shooter, yet same look/build/style on the court. Like Cam, not going to wow you with athleticism, just smart, saavy, controlled, and can score in a variety of ways.

Julian has a bit of a Tillie type flow, where he looks/plays otherworldly certain games/times, yet can seem disinterested the next game/time. Consistency will be key for him, but all in all, a great looking prospect who will be a 3-4 yr player imo.

Then again, Cam Johnson surprised everyone this year being drafted so high, yet his shooting developed to elite level, but a nice comparison for him. Johnson used to score inside more than this past season, yet their presence on the floor is similar.

This is an odd player comparison.

Johnson's strength is his set jump shot, especially from deep, especially with a quick release without putting it on the floor. That is Strawther's most glaring weakness.

Strawther's strength is his ability to slash to the basket and score at or near the rim, creating off the tribble and through traffic. That's Johnson's most obvious weakness.

[Mantua]

In fairness to Ayayi, it can be hard, especially for younger players, to settle down and find rhythm when playing time is spare and limited to garbage minutes with the bench mob. Coming into the 2020 season, he's going to have much more experience and maturity and I have no doubt we are going to see a lot of positive growth from him.

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Yeah, I just watched that entire clip and his court vision is much better than I thought it was. Many players are confidence based, i.e. when they fell confident, they play well and when things are down, it translates on the court, that may be the case with Joel.

one team with great rim protection, one team with none in this one. Mali defended M2M and extended, fought over the top of screens and didn't switch, forced the dribble and the tough 2, then boarded and ran with abandon and attacked the rim at will. With Ballo the anchor it was effective. Mali with the text book D execution of a concept similar to when Karno was a Zag in many games.

I have thought Ayayi had a confidence problem all last season.

It’s hard to gauge potential when a player is playing only with the end of the bench.

I watched the Mali-France highlights. Mali,long, fast, physical, smart and opportunistic, was playing on another level. They had a great game plan and the athletic personnel to execute it. Mali protected the passing lanes as well as the rim.

I can see Joel contributing a lot next season if he is put in with the right combination of players who can open some space.

[cggonzaga]

Ballo has a long ways to go. Needs to get in shape. Very strong and has good form on shot. Oozes potential. Don’t see him playing much this year though unless there are injuries.

[DZ]

Ballo has a long ways to go. Needs to get in shape. Very strong and has good form on shot. Oozes potential. Don’t see him playing much this year though unless there are injuries.

Given that he'll be entering campus as a young 17 year old - very young - it would seem almost impossible for him to not have a ways to go, even just maturity-wise, never mind basketball. I know for a fact that I was nowhere near mature enough to really absorb and contribute to the kind of pressurized endeavor that D-1 basketball puts on a person when I entered campus as someone about to turn 18.

I like the Rui comparisons. I suspect he'll be slightly ahead of Rui based upon language alone, but perhaps not all that much. Which of course doesn't mean the kid won't be a super star.