Ballo.

[ZagsGoZags]

I am hoping to read some breakdowns of Ball's pros and cons at this point from some of the knowledgeable folks on the board.
I sure thought he would be farther along when the season started than he is.
I know Rui and Kelly O. did not blossom until their third years.
What is his ceiling?
Should he be getting more or fewer minutes?
Should we be expecting he can be a significant factor by March ? (revealing I do not think he is presently)

[HRZag]

I would really like to see Pavel sooner than later. Ballo looks pretty rough and my recollection of Pavel from last year was not so bad and I am sure he has improved. You have to trust the coaches, so, Ballo it is, but it is hard to understand. Ballo looks like he could be terrific down the road, but it will be a journey.

[former1dog]

Considering the opponents (all top 10 teams), Ballo is doing exceptionally well. He’s playing behind an All American and still getting quality minutes. Seems to be over his nervousness that showed vs Kansas. Solid footwork and understanding of the pick and roll on offense. He’s ok on defense, but got taken to school against Garza. If you’re disappointed that he got taken to school, please remember Garza is miles ahead as the player of the year for all of college basketball and he’s taking EVERYONE to school.

Ballo has a solid B grade, IMHO, so far and has a huge upside.

[Marcus]

I think Ballo will be a good backup by the tournament. He’s showed improvement every game, although it’s been small improvements. What I see is someone who is completely overthinking everything and it makes him look mechanical. He looks like he’s trying so hard to not screw up. Like he’s thinking about where to be and where to go on every play on offence and defence.

I also thought Pavel would get more playing time this year, he looked like he had some potential there. I don’t think he made the trip here though. Both him and Marty were not on the bench.

[zagfan08]

Ballo was unplayable in this matchup today and it was a little unfair to run him out for 9 minutes—although the fouls were involved with that. I don’t think he would have played in the 2nd half if Timme and Watson weren’t both in foul trouble.

He definitely needs some seasoning and starting with these four games didn’t exactly allow for that. I want him to dunk the ball just once. Hopefully lots of action in the WCC but I think they should get Pavel some run too because at this point I am not confident at all in Ballo minutes this March.

[JPtheBeasta]

Ballo showed good patience and footwork on one bucket, that I recall. It would have been really easy for him to rush it and miss it.

On defense, he looked out of position a few times in the first half and gave some easy angles for scores. In the second half, he did make Garza score on a reverse, which I saw as a small victory. I was surprised how little Garza was affected by Ballo’s size. Karnowski used to take people out of their game when they tried to body into him to make space and he didn’t budge. I’m guessing Ballo will be pretty effective in WCC play toward the end of the season.

[White lightning]

Karnowski was a junior and a 5yr senior when you speak of his abilities. As a freshman he was behind Ballo. The upside to Ballo is greater in my opinion.

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[WallaWallaZag]

I showed good patience and footwork on one bucket, that I recall. It would have been really easy for him to rush it and miss it.

On defense, he looked out of position a few times in the first half and gave some easy angles for scores. In the second half, he did make Garza score on a reverse, which I saw as a small victory. I was surprised how little Garza was affected by Ballo’s size. Karnowski used to take people out of their game when they tried to body into him to make space and he didn’t budge. I’m guessing Ballo will be pretty effective in WCC play toward the end of the season.

garza is currently bigger than ballo...senior national player of the year vs a freshman...ballo did fine considering what he's shown so far this year...baby steps for baby shaq, though i think we need to remove that nickname until he starts dunking everything around the rim. he took and made a short jumper which was impressive considering the circumstances and a good sign for the future.

[TheOtherGreatOne]

Ballo will be ok. The only thing he lacks is confidence. This will come, as he plays against lesser compitition when conference play starts.

[Mr Vulture]

I am hoping to read some breakdowns of Ball's pros and cons at this point from some of the knowledgeable folks on the board.
I sure thought he would be farther along when the season started than he is.
I know Rui and Kelly O. did not blossom until their third years.
What is his ceiling?
Should he be getting more or fewer minutes?
Should we be expecting he can be a significant factor by March ? (revealing I do not think he is presently)

He is a young player, much like Ayayi and Rui were. He’s playing as much as expected by those who knew about his development. The ones expecting big contributions this year were over hype types on the board.

He has improved since game one, he was just not ready to match up with a talent like Garza. He is going to be a big contributor before he’s done at Gonzaga.


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[NEC26]

Ballo has all kinds of potential but his hands are not good and his D is straight up terrible. Garza lit him up like a christmas tree every time he was out there. A lot of people seem to like criticising Watson but he is light years ahead of Ballo defensively. Hopefully he gets some minutes in league play to work on it. Right now he is a liability out there.

[zagamatic]

I definitely see why he's getting the minutes he is. But I think that the biggest reason he's not getting more run is his defensive positioning and footwork on defense. It's really close to being right, but you can tell that up to this point he could make up for it with his length and size to bother people. Now he's going against guys of similar size and strength so he has to take the next step (literally) with his footwork and positioning. It's not a major a issue, definitely fixable, but he ends up being just a half step too slow. Keep in mind the level of competition that he has been thrown in against too. It's not like he's had a chance to get his confidence up after a year off the court by going against some cupcakes. No exhibition, no games against a sub 200 right team. Just 3 ranked teams and Auburn

[Reborn]

From watching the Zags play for years now, I have to say that the toughest of all positions to learn is the 5. I think the comparison to PK is good. Karnowski hardly played at all his freshman year. Ballo is ahead of him. Why is it so hard to learn? The footwork is very very difficult, at at this level of play it's the most important thing. It's just really tough for big guys to learn to dance. And when you think about the game comparing it to dancing, in regards to footwork, it is a good comparison. Ballo got 6 points today. I think that that is outstanding. When you consider the minutes he plays you have to give him a B or even a B+. He CAN score. And he's a good foul shooter which Karno never was.

Go Zags!

[zag67]

Reborn, great post. He just needs time. 4 games and 3 in the top 10. He is learning by fire. He has a long time to show us what he will be able to do.

[zag buddy]

I think these early games were of significance, because he can see what it takes to be among the best at his position. Time will treat him kindly.

[bdmiller7]

You also have to remember Ballo is 13 months younger than Suggs. If he grew up in the US he probably would be a high school senior right now. He didnt grow up playing basketball in the US. He is behind development wise. Hes still growing. Going to take time, but he will be a beast in a year or two.

[TexasZagFan]

Ballo has all kinds of potential but his hands are not good and his D is straight up terrible. Garza lit him up like a christmas tree every time he was out there. A lot of people seem to like criticising Watson but he is light years ahead of Ballo defensively. Hopefully he gets some minutes in league play to work on it. Right now he is a liability out there.

Shock of all shocks: the putative National Player of the Year lights up a redshirt freshman that's 3-4 years younger than him. Garza lit up the #1 team in the nation for a 30 point double double.

Oumar needs playing time, which he should get Monday night and in WCC play. Watson's coming around, too. I liked the way he scrapped against Garza, giving up 40-50 pounds.

All of the angst over Ballo and Watson mystifies me.

[JPtheBeasta]

garza is currently bigger than ballo...senior national player of the year vs a freshman...ballo did fine considering what he's shown so far this year...baby steps for baby shaq, though i think we need to remove that nickname until he starts dunking everything around the rim. he took and made a short jumper which was impressive considering the circumstances and a good sign for the future.

Good points and I appreciate the perspective. I actually hadn’t realized that Ballo was smaller than Garza.

[SorenTodd45]

Ballo will be ok. The only thing he lacks is confidence. This will come, as he plays against lesser competition when conference play starts.

Exactly. Look at the 4 teams we have played so far. All 4 could very well make the Dance. When we play a bottom feeder WCC team, I'm sure Oumar will get some minutes. And I'm loving his blond hair !!

[MDABE80]

Isidebwitht hose who thinkntime is the key. He’s got size skill but little experience. He’s a lot more raw than I thought. He’ll be a very very good player in two years if he does what the coaches train him to do. Time is key with him.

[Spink]

Exactly. Look at the 4 teams we have played so far. All 4 could very well make the Dance. When we play a bottom feeder WCC team, I'm sure Oumar will get some minutes. And I'm loving his blond hair !!

Hopefully he gets about 18 mins on Monday.

[StatsZag]

Good points and I appreciate the perspective. I actually hadn’t realized that Ballo was smaller than Garza.

Ballo has longer arms, is taller, and according to official rosters is 5lb lighter. At 265, I don't think that 5lbs is worth much.

[Zags11]

Ballo will be just fine. I believe he will impress in the wcc and have good minutes in march.

[Malastein]

I think it’s easy to nitpick such a big target, but I don’t think it is entirely fair some of the criticism he gets. He’s frequently out of position and his conditioning isn’t up to where it needs to be for the pace the Zags play at. I don’t think most big guys in the college game can play at the pace the Zags play at, so having Ballo a step slow up the court isn’t the end of the world. My biggest thing that I’d like to see if the half court offense start to mold itself into more cohesive plays. You take away all the transition offense this team generates(while simultaneously taking away the opponent’s transition offense), and you wind up with the Zags losing every game except Auburn this year. I think Ballo can be part of the solution to improving the half court offense as the guards learn how to play more effectively in the half court.

[MickMick]

I'm not seeing the incompetence.



I am thrilled that Ballo got ample time against Garza. I can't think of anything better for his development. The humbling is the start of getting his in the mind right place.