Brothers and Sisters...you all are wasting way too much time on whether JT commits or why he hasn't committed yet...In all frankness JT is good but I do not see him fitting into Underwood's system at all...as Coach Antigua explained they are looking for athletic big men who can put the ball on the floor and have mobility...JT is not that type of player...he may be a rim protector but plays with his back to the basket and seems more suited for a more methodical half court offense...yes he is tall but not extremely quick and needs to hit the weights...I was very surprised when I saw smaller opponents push him off the block...could he develop into a better than just good player...absolutely...but at this point he is not a game changer...AND his heart is not orange and blue...time to move on and let the coaching staff do its thing
Guess I'm gonna have to do this again. He is athletic enough that Kansas and UNC were interested in him. Those fast paced systems require a rim running big man who can put pressure on the rim in transition. If Roy/Self think he can do it for them, I'm pretty sure he can play a similar role in transition for us.
In the halfcourt, Tilmon would be asked to do the following things:
1) Set screens for cutters. I'm 100% sure he can do that.
2) Play pick/handoff and roll. Since he was originally recruited for a pick and roll system, I'm pretty sure he can do that, not to mention being a pick and roll player as a big man is required in any offense, so he's gonna do it anyway, no matter where he goes.
3) Post up after the pick/handoff and roll. He's a back to the basket guy right? If he's not open on the initial post, when the ball is reversed one spot to the slot, repost for a high-low look. If he plays with his back to the basket as you say, he will have multiple opportunities per ball reversal to do this. BU wants 3-4 reversals per possession, which gives him 6-8 post up opportunities per possession from the flow of the continuity.
4) Shoot the elbow J. Can he do it? Maybe not as effectively as desired right now, but he can develop it.
5) Make a game move (pump fake, jab, sikma) and score off one dribble from the high post. Another aspect of his game he could develop over time.
He would never really need to play the perimeter spots because we have a plethora of guards. But I'm sure that part of his game will develop under BU anyway, because he wants versatile guys.
Is he the most ideal fit in the world right now? No. But I really don't know that any big man comes out of HS with the ability to do all 5 of those things at the D1 level immediately. Does he fit at the base level, provide us with a 6"10 guy, give us somebody on the back end of a pressure defense who can alter/block shots? Yes. Would we take him? Yes. End of story? Yes.
He fits.