-
Hi Guest,
We've updated the site to combine all the forums that were part of the Big Sky Fans Network into one location. This will make it easier to navigate and participate in all the discussions for each school without having to have multiple accounts, etc. We are still working out some tweaks but please let us know if you notice anything.
With the migration, in some circumstances, your username could have been merged with one of your other usernames from the other forums. If this is the case, you can request to change your username in your account details page of your profile. -
Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!
-
Guest, do want an ad free experience on BigSkyFans.com among other benefits? Upgrade your account today!
Simply click your profile name > account upgrades > BigSky Club > choose between the year long subscription (two free months) or month to month
Thanks for the continued support. Cheers!
Novak Topalovic Transferring
- Thread starter SLCBengal
- Start date
At least the backup "bigs" got lots of playing time and an opportunity to develop. Oh wait......
Can I make a request to votb? Please don't bring up Novak during EVERY coaches show and EVERY pre- and post-game show next season. Please don't ask what coulda, woulda, shoulda been had Novak stayed.
Can I make a request to votb? Please don't bring up Novak during EVERY coaches show and EVERY pre- and post-game show next season. Please don't ask what coulda, woulda, shoulda been had Novak stayed.
I do not wish him ill, but I also do not wish him well.. ISU was pretty much the only school that offered him and developed him into what he is now. He had good feet and potential when he showed up, and that’s about it. Some of these kids and their lack of loyalty make me laugh. The same with the soccer player from American Falls.
Novak is a great young man and he worked hard for this opportunity. When you think about where he was when he joined the program— this was a kid who barely averaged a point and five minutes a game as a senior in high school. He worked hard to develop his game and he worked hard to graduate. Maybe he’ll be as lucky as Carson Shanks, who left North Dakota last year and wound in the Final Four with Loyola.
Having said all that, I don’t think losing Novak is fatal. The Bengals have plenty of firepower returning, but they obviously need to go out and find a JUCO big man who can contribute immediately. I’m not willing to give up on McCord, Kimberly or Truman, either, assuming they all return. I’ve seen a lot of examples of kids who were late bloomers and needed a full year to adjust from JUCO. And Kimberly never really had a chance after sitting out half the season with foot injury. I would have preferred to see Novak finish his career at ISU but I still think the Bengals can be competitive again next year.
Having said all that, I don’t think losing Novak is fatal. The Bengals have plenty of firepower returning, but they obviously need to go out and find a JUCO big man who can contribute immediately. I’m not willing to give up on McCord, Kimberly or Truman, either, assuming they all return. I’ve seen a lot of examples of kids who were late bloomers and needed a full year to adjust from JUCO. And Kimberly never really had a chance after sitting out half the season with foot injury. I would have preferred to see Novak finish his career at ISU but I still think the Bengals can be competitive again next year.
Sad to see Novak go, he worked really hard to make himself better. If he hadn't worked so hard to get better and instead sat on the bench a lot, he could have been asked to leave as he wasn't good enough to be a D 1 player. Kind of a double edge sword. I wish Novak great success in whatever he does
This surprises me a little. I've thought most of his development came over the summer when he played international ball. Hasn't he come back each fall several weeks after the semester has already started because of this? That might be hard to do at a new school. Only one year to fit into a new system isn't easy. Double team him or throw a few body checks and he gets way too emotional, takes himself out of ball games. I wish he'd have stayed, but I agree with Skippy, I don't think it's the difference between a make or break season.
I don`t think losing Topalovic is a bad thing it gives Evans a chance to change from a dismal 60 point a game to a more fun and productive high end offense with a big that can run with the great shooting ability of our current soph. class. This might get some fans and donors back. Defensive basketball is okay if your winning 70 percent of the time but when you only win 32 percent of the time it kills fan and donor participation. GO BENGALS
We`ve had these types before like RobertJones, McCord and the kid from New Mexico but they don`t want to stay. Maybe look at a J.C. forward if you can`t find a mobile center that can rebound and make bunnies and foul shots. Maybe the freshman from Preston if he can run and rebound he would not have to score a lot. GO BENGALS
Ltbasketball
Member
Wish the kid well in his future endeavors, but one of you got it correct when it comes to production. Watching big sky basketball religiously, and seeing a few ISU games, Novak got a lot of touches, too many touches. Evans wanted to slow the game down, by throwing the ball in like we went back in time. That would not have been a problem, if Novak was a good passer, he is not, that would not have happened if Novak was a good finisher, he is not. He slowed the game down, struggled to pass out of double teams, and was liable on defense.
By doing so, the game slowed down and actually prevented ISU, whom I believed had one of the more potentially stronger offenses, with their array of shooters /scorers from ultimately reaching their potential. Games where ISU shot less than 50 shots per game. This stuff is outdated, so was the ridiculous substitutions, or lack there off in some cases. Last but not least - being 7 foot and averaging 6 rebounds game?
I don’t mean to be critical, from the likes of it, I understand he’s improved throughout the years— maybe he has, but the eye does not lie. Let’s Face it, this is basketball now.
With Novak gone, I expect a more mobile big who can rebound and cover more ground on defense; scoring isn’t needed- with Chivichyan, Boyd, Stutzman coming back- they will be just fine in that department. ISU NEEDS to use the talent they have on the court, they are not cut out for slow ball, frankly NOBODY is anymore . So I expect major adjustments by the coaching staff.
With that said- Go Nova
By doing so, the game slowed down and actually prevented ISU, whom I believed had one of the more potentially stronger offenses, with their array of shooters /scorers from ultimately reaching their potential. Games where ISU shot less than 50 shots per game. This stuff is outdated, so was the ridiculous substitutions, or lack there off in some cases. Last but not least - being 7 foot and averaging 6 rebounds game?
I don’t mean to be critical, from the likes of it, I understand he’s improved throughout the years— maybe he has, but the eye does not lie. Let’s Face it, this is basketball now.
With Novak gone, I expect a more mobile big who can rebound and cover more ground on defense; scoring isn’t needed- with Chivichyan, Boyd, Stutzman coming back- they will be just fine in that department. ISU NEEDS to use the talent they have on the court, they are not cut out for slow ball, frankly NOBODY is anymore . So I expect major adjustments by the coaching staff.
With that said- Go Nova
Ltbasketball said:
Interesting observations, LT, and BTW, welcome to the Den. I see this is your second post. So I'm ambivalent. On the one hand, I recognize the weaknesses in Novak's game and the things I would have liked to see from his game -- better "quick twitch" response that would have allowed him to block more shots, grab more rebounds, and pass better out of double teams, for example. On the other hand, I look at what he's taking with him -- his 21 percent defensive rebound percentage, which was 148th in the nation, for example -- and I wonder who on the current roster is going to replace that? Throw in the fact that Geno Luzcando, ISU's second best rebounder (4.7 per game) is also leaving, and you wonder who is going to get those boards?
I will say there is a misconception that Novak somehow slowed down the ISU attack. According to Ken.Pom.com, ISU had an adjusted tempo of 68.1, which ranked 181st in the country -- three spots quicker than conference champion Montana, and a whopping 122 spots faster than second-place Idaho, who ranked 303 in the nation in pace. ISU's adjusted tempo was sixth fastest in the Big Sky. (Not surprisingly, Portland State played to the fastest pace in the conference -- the 7th fastest in the nation).
I might add here that fast pace doesn't necessarily equate to a successful, efficient offense. Loyola of Chicago, everybody's Final Four darling and the current prime example of "small ball" (only one starter over 6-6) actually plays at one of the slowest paces in the country -- ranked 315 by Ken.Pom. What raises the Ramblers performance is great ball movement and tremendous shooting -- 58 percent effective field goal percentage, which ranks fifth in the country.
I know one thing that won't show up in the stats -- Novak greatly facilitated ISU's excellent three point shooters because when he got the ball, double-teams came. Sure, he struggled to get the ball out, but when he did, guys were open. And that doesn't just apply to three-point shooters-- those wide open paths to the basket that Brandon Boyd exploited so adeptly developed many times as a result of the double teams Novak faced.
And then you have to ask yourself who will fill the essential roles that Novak and Geno played -- guarding the other team's post players and protecting the rim from drivers, and getting defensive rebounds? Right now, you've got Callum Kimberly, Blake Truman and Brayden Parker as post players. Kimberly looks athletic, but injuries limited him to just 18 minutes last season, during which he had a total of 1 rebound. Truman looked more like a 3-man, with his propensity to spot up for three-pointers, than a true post and averaged just 2 rebounds a game in his ten minutes per game of action. Parker will be a freshman who, by all accounts, is going to take a year or two to get into competitive shape and adjust to Division-1 basketball.
So what are the alternatives? Well, the Bengals are going to have plenty of guards and wings next year, and I definitely expect to see them playing a LOT of small ball. But you still have to have somebody who can rebound and guard the post. I know ISU was heavily recruiting a forward from CSI and felt like they were in good position, but then the Eagles went and made a run to the JUCO championship game, and the kid's recruiting is now exploding. So ISU's coaching staff is going to have to look far and wide for a JUCO or a graduate transfer who can give them 20 to 25 minutes a game of solid defensive rebounding and post defense. A little offense would be a bonus.
As for Novak, I know all the things he WASN'T, but I also know a lot of things he was that are going to be missed. The Bengals will have to adjust to his absence and I'm sure their style of play will have to adjust with it. But you've still got to have players.
Ltbasketball
Member
Fair enough on the comments above skippy,
Personally, I do not think Blake is a “3” spot player, he is (at least from what I have seen” way to slow of a player to play in that position; he does step out to shoot, but what were his percentages— at the least he may give a solid 10 minutes a game ( that’s the sort of player he is) let’s face it. Haven’t seen much of Kimberly so I cannot judge realistically.
Loyola Chicago runs a very fluid motion on offense, and they prioritize making more than a few passes before shooting the ball, this “slows” them down, but it’s for a certain purpose. I haven’t seen that sort of fluidity in ISU offense, especially when the ball was FORCED into the middle (which I assume , seemed like a “strategy”)
Your statement about the shooters opening up because of Novak can be hit and miss. The idea is is to play inside-outside. Often times , he would have the ball, and hold the ball- , no inside - out tactic approach. Passing the ball out as you agree was a problem for him, this would severely delay the possession, and when he did decide to pass it out, the shooters were closed down, and it would be tough for him to reposition himself to look to score. What I do agree on , is that he was over seven foot, and he was able to, at times, find the open shooter, but passing is absolutely not his forte, and didn’t seem to really like passing the ball out.
Sometimes stats and KENPOM can be ridiculous. In the end of the day, I see a 7 footer, one of the tallest players in the BSC, playing 30+ minutes and averaging 6 rpg, I expect more in that sense.
Again adjustments are crucial, if the right person is found, ISU- can realistically run a similar motion to that of the late Rick Majerus, now Posner, and other fluid motions we see in and out of conference. One big and the guards we mentioned should fit the mold of what today’s basketball is, whether we like it or not.
I don’t mean to be critical, I am not trying to bash The kid, as much as it seems- but as a basketball fan, since it’s long and gone, I am trying to pinpoint some of the positives that can come out of this for ISU.
Personally, I do not think Blake is a “3” spot player, he is (at least from what I have seen” way to slow of a player to play in that position; he does step out to shoot, but what were his percentages— at the least he may give a solid 10 minutes a game ( that’s the sort of player he is) let’s face it. Haven’t seen much of Kimberly so I cannot judge realistically.
Loyola Chicago runs a very fluid motion on offense, and they prioritize making more than a few passes before shooting the ball, this “slows” them down, but it’s for a certain purpose. I haven’t seen that sort of fluidity in ISU offense, especially when the ball was FORCED into the middle (which I assume , seemed like a “strategy”)
Your statement about the shooters opening up because of Novak can be hit and miss. The idea is is to play inside-outside. Often times , he would have the ball, and hold the ball- , no inside - out tactic approach. Passing the ball out as you agree was a problem for him, this would severely delay the possession, and when he did decide to pass it out, the shooters were closed down, and it would be tough for him to reposition himself to look to score. What I do agree on , is that he was over seven foot, and he was able to, at times, find the open shooter, but passing is absolutely not his forte, and didn’t seem to really like passing the ball out.
Sometimes stats and KENPOM can be ridiculous. In the end of the day, I see a 7 footer, one of the tallest players in the BSC, playing 30+ minutes and averaging 6 rpg, I expect more in that sense.
Again adjustments are crucial, if the right person is found, ISU- can realistically run a similar motion to that of the late Rick Majerus, now Posner, and other fluid motions we see in and out of conference. One big and the guards we mentioned should fit the mold of what today’s basketball is, whether we like it or not.
I don’t mean to be critical, I am not trying to bash The kid, as much as it seems- but as a basketball fan, since it’s long and gone, I am trying to pinpoint some of the positives that can come out of this for ISU.
It’s crazy to believe that losing Topalovic will make us better. The kid is PAC 12 bound. He won’t be an impact player, but at least he has the guts to compete at a higher level. He had already performed at a high level with the BSC. Can’t blame him for wanting to see if he can compete in a power 5 conference. I’m more courious why a player wouldn’t want to give it a try.
