BroadwayVik
Active member
The coach can recruit pretty well. But can he coach winners? My bet is that he cannot. Observe how he's wasted Cataldo's talent rather than developing him.
What a waste-case.
What a waste-case.
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Ready for another mediocre season under Geving?
- Thread starter BroadwayVik
- Start date
Timmydeedo
Member
Be careful when you use the word talent. Tall don't equate to talent. Offensively I have seen a little improvement. But the Big Cat cannot move or jump, a major liability on defense. I see Spickerman & Cason getting the bulk of those minutes this year.
BroadwayVik
Active member
From the Vanguard, May 18, 2010
Brandon Cataldo
Center, 6’10″ 270
Rainer High School
Rated the 12th-best center on ESPN.com, Cataldo is considered by many to be one of the elite center prospects on the west coast. Single-handedly elevating the Vikings recruiting class to the top of the Big Sky, Geving and company will be expecting him to do much of the same come time for conference play. With a massive wingspan to go with his immense size, Cataldo has Division-I size coming out of high school and should be a factor immediately.
Pros: A combination of skill and feel for the game that makes him a true threat in the paint.
Cons: Up to this point, he hasn’t played against much top talent.
Brandon Cataldo
Center, 6’10″ 270
Rainer High School
Rated the 12th-best center on ESPN.com, Cataldo is considered by many to be one of the elite center prospects on the west coast. Single-handedly elevating the Vikings recruiting class to the top of the Big Sky, Geving and company will be expecting him to do much of the same come time for conference play. With a massive wingspan to go with his immense size, Cataldo has Division-I size coming out of high school and should be a factor immediately.
Pros: A combination of skill and feel for the game that makes him a true threat in the paint.
Cons: Up to this point, he hasn’t played against much top talent.
Regarding the Big Cat... Very true that height doesn't equal talent.
Regarding his development. For one, he got off to a bit of a rocky start when he broke his leg his senior year in high school. It seemed to put him behind the eight ball a bit when he missed all that time on the court. His footwork was terrible his freshman year, and didn't really improve all that much into his sophomore year. I was a bit more impressed with him last year and if his progression path stays about the same we're probably looking at 13-15 minutes per game with maybe a 6-7 points & 5-6 rebounds per game. If he limits turnover and gets a couple blocks a game, I'm good with these numbers. Nothing special, but solid.
Could he have been developed into a better player? Maybe so. Maybe not.
Regarding his development. For one, he got off to a bit of a rocky start when he broke his leg his senior year in high school. It seemed to put him behind the eight ball a bit when he missed all that time on the court. His footwork was terrible his freshman year, and didn't really improve all that much into his sophomore year. I was a bit more impressed with him last year and if his progression path stays about the same we're probably looking at 13-15 minutes per game with maybe a 6-7 points & 5-6 rebounds per game. If he limits turnover and gets a couple blocks a game, I'm good with these numbers. Nothing special, but solid.
Could he have been developed into a better player? Maybe so. Maybe not.
BroadwayVik
Active member
Under the right kind of quality tutelage, highly likely. Did you fail to notice the word "elite"?
The very first thing you teach a center is footwork. Terrible footwork is indicative of the coaching staff in spite of the broken leg. Broken bones heal. Did they teach him visualization during his recuperation? Doubtful.
Too many PSU basketball (and football) head coaches appear to have emotional self-talk that says, when they pay me more, then I'll give forth my best effort. But until then, I'm not going to extend myself to the fullest.
What do they need? A baseball bat to the brisket to get them moving? Geez, what a disgraceful, slovenly buncha bums.
The very first thing you teach a center is footwork. Terrible footwork is indicative of the coaching staff in spite of the broken leg. Broken bones heal. Did they teach him visualization during his recuperation? Doubtful.
Too many PSU basketball (and football) head coaches appear to have emotional self-talk that says, when they pay me more, then I'll give forth my best effort. But until then, I'm not going to extend myself to the fullest.
What do they need? A baseball bat to the brisket to get them moving? Geez, what a disgraceful, slovenly buncha bums.
BroadwayVik said:
I noticed the word, it's just that when I hear the word "elite" with regards to ncaa men's basketball recruiting, I think of Duke, Kansas, UCLA, and Kentucky knocking on the door. Not Big Sky schools and maybe a lone Pac 12 or Mountain West program.
Now I am far from a Geving apologist, but saying that he wasted Cataldo's talent is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. Yes, bones heal, but Cataldo's weight was an issue with during his first two seasons on the park blocks. I wouldn't be surprised if that may have been a result of the time off after the injury and rehab. His conditioning was an issue his freshman and sophomore seasons, and I think that was probably a detriment to his development.
So if we have a different (i.e. better) coaching staff while Cataldo was being developed here at PSU, is he a better player today? Like I said earlier, maybe yes, maybe no.
If he doesn't break his leg in his senior year of high school, would he be a better player today? I honestly think yes.
Regardless of all that, I'm looking forward to him making some strides from last year and having a great senior year.
DustRunner
Active member
I seem to recall something about weight gain and issues with rehabbing the injury. Besides, that sticks in your mind, because you don't want to get injured again, and that can slow one down. Pros can get away with that, but can high school kids? I don't know.
All things considered, at least he's doing better than a few years ago.
All things considered, at least he's doing better than a few years ago.
BroadwayVik said:
So you believe ESPN's rating while he seemed to slip to this level; did PSU go into a happy dance for getting this guy away from Arizona and UCLA (and maybe Oregon)? I don't recall such a thing. So, gosh, a big media outlet overrated a kid, not for the first time, and not for the last time.
BroadwayVik
Active member
A center ranked 12th best by ESPN must be a pretty exceptional recruit for any university. I wonder what they, ESPN, would have to say about his development under Geving. They tend to have excellent analysts and I very much doubt that they would misappraise his potential at all or even by much. Lotta folks betting on outcomes and adjusting their bets based on new information from them.
Who has more player rating credibility? ESPN writers or this defense of Geving? I gotta go with the experts and let go of this sentimental provincialism.
I wonder if they would be interested to write on this subject.
Who has more player rating credibility? ESPN writers or this defense of Geving? I gotta go with the experts and let go of this sentimental provincialism.
I wonder if they would be interested to write on this subject.
Timmydeedo
Member
The high school ratings are a crap shot at best. ESPN under west coast scout Joel Francisco is a joke. He rate most kids site unseen, he takes top travel team & high school coaches with clout and rate there kids up. For example if I pay to play on a certain elite team, I'm promised a high ranking. High ranking …… college scholarship! Majority of bounce back kids, overrated coming out of high school. The business is shady.
Jamie Jones
Julius Thomas
Chehales Tapscott
Renado Parker
Kyle Richardson (yes, only one year, but he languished at LBstate...at PSU, he struggled at first, but developed into a dominating center in Big Sky play)
All Geving big man recruits, I believe (as head or asst head)...seems like he has a pretty good idea how to find and develop BIG talent. Regarding Cataldo, I am sure he has been given every opportunity to grow. With his physical attributes (which I am sure is what the ESPN folks noticed), he could dominate in the Big Sky. But elite athletes also have a mental edge that elevates them above the rest. Does Cataldo? Perhaps this is why all the major programs passed on him. Not everyone with the physical skills has what it takes mentally to realize their potential (Phil Nelson was projected to be a pro while still in high school...we all know how that worked out...but it was sure fun watching him when he was on). I hope Cataldo has a breakout season this year, but I, for one, am encouraged to see that Geving has a couple of insurance policies in place in case he doesn't.
That said, I am excited about the possibilities in 2014. We know about the 5, but 1-4 look solid:
Winston (has improved every year)
Douglas (maturity at the point a major plus)
Wiggins (what a breakout stud last year)
Gengler and Sweeney can help when needed
White (a great get for the Vikes...the minutes he is going to get might be one reason why Hall left)
Bamba (he is a beast...when healthy, also perhaps why Hall jettisoned)
Suarez and Tucker will fight for backup minutes
Cataldo (time will tell)
Spickerman (another solid Viking center)
Cason (injured still but think he can play, and should be back in time for conference)
Coming off a great season, Geving and staff have set the table to finish in the top half of a competitive league. Being the optimist that I am, this squad has the makings to get back to the Dance...why not?
Go Vikes!
Julius Thomas
Chehales Tapscott
Renado Parker
Kyle Richardson (yes, only one year, but he languished at LBstate...at PSU, he struggled at first, but developed into a dominating center in Big Sky play)
All Geving big man recruits, I believe (as head or asst head)...seems like he has a pretty good idea how to find and develop BIG talent. Regarding Cataldo, I am sure he has been given every opportunity to grow. With his physical attributes (which I am sure is what the ESPN folks noticed), he could dominate in the Big Sky. But elite athletes also have a mental edge that elevates them above the rest. Does Cataldo? Perhaps this is why all the major programs passed on him. Not everyone with the physical skills has what it takes mentally to realize their potential (Phil Nelson was projected to be a pro while still in high school...we all know how that worked out...but it was sure fun watching him when he was on). I hope Cataldo has a breakout season this year, but I, for one, am encouraged to see that Geving has a couple of insurance policies in place in case he doesn't.
That said, I am excited about the possibilities in 2014. We know about the 5, but 1-4 look solid:
Winston (has improved every year)
Douglas (maturity at the point a major plus)
Wiggins (what a breakout stud last year)
Gengler and Sweeney can help when needed
White (a great get for the Vikes...the minutes he is going to get might be one reason why Hall left)
Bamba (he is a beast...when healthy, also perhaps why Hall jettisoned)
Suarez and Tucker will fight for backup minutes
Cataldo (time will tell)
Spickerman (another solid Viking center)
Cason (injured still but think he can play, and should be back in time for conference)
Coming off a great season, Geving and staff have set the table to finish in the top half of a competitive league. Being the optimist that I am, this squad has the makings to get back to the Dance...why not?
Go Vikes!
BroadwayVik
Active member
Is a 17-15 record (11-9 in conference) a [great] season or a [mediocre] season, the upside of .500? That's a record I would expect a team like Central Washington to have playing our last season's schedule.
davema said:
Barring injury(s), I think it comes down to the question that BroadwayVik asked to start this thread.
Can Geving coach winners?
I think we're too talented not to compete for a good seed in the BSC tourney. Hell, if we had Hall like we thought we would, I'd say that we should compete for an NCAA tourney spot by taking the BSC. Perhaps I'm just being a bit of an optimist as well. Who knows though with the BSC. There's two teams returning five starters, one returning four, and we get Idaho back in the BSC. Time will tell.
It was a great season...losing arguably their best player (Moore) at the start of conference play and not having Bamba as they expected meant they played without a true 4 for the conference season. The team developed over the season and peaked at the end.
Result:
* 11-9 in a very balanced and competitive league...a couple of mistakes away from 13-7
* Make it to the semi's of the conf tourney, upsetting Montana on the way (I love beating those guys!)
* Earn a spot in post season play...no, not the NCAA but post season nonetheless
Sure, they could have done better, but this is a huge leap from the previous season and a great foundation to build on for the upcoming year...can't wait!
Result:
* 11-9 in a very balanced and competitive league...a couple of mistakes away from 13-7
* Make it to the semi's of the conf tourney, upsetting Montana on the way (I love beating those guys!)
* Earn a spot in post season play...no, not the NCAA but post season nonetheless
Sure, they could have done better, but this is a huge leap from the previous season and a great foundation to build on for the upcoming year...can't wait!
