Alondes Williams

[CoachTalk]

I think he takes a big step this year. We all know the transition from Juco to high D1 is hard for most.

He’s a great athlete. Can shot it well enough for the respect and can create his own better than average.

[tweet] https://twitter.com/movementhoops/status/1284549736712810496?s=21[/tweet]

 

[tmeyer3307]

He's a freak!!

 

[Eielson]

We've been hearing about Gray and Everett for the past 15 years. It will be interesting if Williams will be the guy that keeps posters on here talking about JUCOs until 2035.

 

[AdaSooner]

He could do it. Jucos typically make that big jump from their junior to their senior season.

 

[Soonerinkc]

We've been hearing about Gray and Everett for the past 15 years. It will be interesting if Williams will be the guy that keeps posters on here talking about JUCOs until 2035.

Taj's dad coaches at my step-son's soon to be HS here in KC. They needed a FR coach...wife threw my name in the hat...gave it to a friend of the HC but he may have schedule issues (not a teacher and I'm a retired teacher/coach).

Not sure the KC connection...need to look.

*Taj is now in KC...originally from Wichita East..(which I didn't know...I'm from Wichita as well)

 

[Stikboy]

Anyone know if all the players made it in yesterday or whenever they reported?

I wanna start hearing info like, Trey Phipps dunked on Kur in their game of one on one before practices...

 

[BanjoCharley]

Hope Kur hasn’t regressed that much.

 

[CoachTalk]

Anyone know if all the players made it in yesterday or whenever they reported?

I wanna start hearing info like, Trey Phipps dunked on Kur in their game of one on one before practices...

Several have been here for the whole
Summer.

Phipps is there.

 

[thebigabd]

We've been hearing about Gray and Everett for the past 15 years. It will be interesting if Williams will be the guy that keeps posters on here talking about JUCOs until 2035.

I know I will be, if im not dead by 2035.

 

[TINY]

That is nba athleticism. If the light turns on he could be an NBA guy.

 

[cowboysooner]

Alondes is a modern version of Angelo Hamilton. All world athlete and super skill set. Will he go to his ceiling. That is the question. Showed flashes last year, but then disappeared at times.

You just never know with kids. Does he have the drive, keep his head on strait, etc.

One of the questions for us this year is whether he comes back and is just another decent piece of the puzzle or elevates to something near what he is capable of being. if it is the latter, our team's ceiling goes way up.

Whoever said it was right, commonly juco kids need a year to figure it out and then, if they are going to be good, it will be in the second year. Again, we will have to wait to see what happens with Alondes.

 

[WichitaSooner]

I think these threads often blur the line between athleticism and skill. He absolutely has great athleticism. But there are plenty of guys in the NBA with world-class athletic ability. Most of them also have at least one elite skill. I’m not sure we have seen enough out of Alondes to say that about him. Is he an elite shooter? Passer? Handler? Defender? Sometimes, I think it is almost unfair to guys with great athleticism, because people assume that if they don’t become a great player or make the NBA, it’s because they lack some level of dedication or toughness or focus. Some guys just don’t have the basketball skills to get to that level. If athletic ability alone was enough, Bo Jackson would have been one heck of a basketball player, but by his own admission, it was one sport he was absolutely awful at.

 

[lexusooner]

It is always the most ignorant and obtuse posters who are overly concerned with which route a basketball player takes to D-1. The truly small minded and simple focus on such things rather than important things.
I don’t care if a player arrives via JUCO, home school, transfer, prep school, high school, walk on, or if Scottie beamed him up, all I care about is if he is a good kid and if he can play basketball.

 

[Eielson]

I don’t care if a player arrives via JUCO, home school, transfer, prep school, high school, walk on, or if Scottie beamed him up, all I care about is if he is a good kid and if he can play basketball.

You can have your walk-ons, ABD can have his JUCOs, and I'll take the team of scholarship basketball players out of HS. My team will win.

 

[Eielson]

I think these threads often blur the line between athleticism and skill. He absolutely has great athleticism. But there are plenty of guys in the NBA with world-class athletic ability. Most of them also have at least one elite skill. I’m not sure we have seen enough out of Alondes to say that about him. Is he an elite shooter? Passer? Handler? Defender? Sometimes, I think it is almost unfair to guys with great athleticism, because people assume that if they don’t become a great player or make the NBA, it’s because they lack some level of dedication or toughness or focus. Some guys just don’t have the basketball skills to get to that level. If athletic ability alone was enough, Bo Jackson would have been one heck of a basketball player, but by his own admission, it was one sport he was absolutely awful at.

Skills can be developed to a much greater extent than athleticism. We all liked Buddy as a freshman, but I don't think any of us expected him to set the world on fire as a shooter. Sure, the progression from poor 3 point shooter as a freshman to comparable to Curry as a senior is very rare, but similar comparisons for athleticism simply don't exist. The Steve Nash and JJ Redick's of the world will never develop into Greak Freaks and Russell Westbrooks. Heck, Jason Kidd developed a deadly jump shot in his mid-30s.

While Bo Jackson may be one of the greatest athletes of all-time from an all-around perspective, he's nowhere near the greatest athlete from a basketball standpoint. He's not even in the same ballpark of physical giftedness as Giannis or Lebron. I'm not even sure he's better built for basketball physically than Trevor Ariza. If he devoted himself completely to basketball, though, I do feel he could have easily had D1 career, and possibly a shot at the NBA. Ryan Spangler was never realistically going to have a shot at contributing in the NBA.

 

[MsProudSooner]

You can have your walk-ons, ABD can have his JUCOs, and I'll take the team of scholarship basketball players out of HS. My team will win.

He didn't say he wanted an entire team made up of walk-ons or JC players.

 

[Eielson]

He didn't say he wanted an entire team made up of walk-ons or JC players.

He doesn't want a team full of walk-ons? Why would that be? Is it because walk-ons, in general, are not comparable to scholarship athletes?