Mark Alstork transfers to Illinois
Just rewatched the first half of Wright St games vs. Kentucky in 2015
Some takeaways from Alstork
-Reminded me a lot of Aaron Jordan with his shooting form and body type (broad shoulders,long)
-Very good at getting to the rim
-Stayed infront and contested Murray's shots very well
-Made some really good post feeds in the half court and dump offs in transition
-Got lost a few times guarding off the ball, seemed to be above the ball a lot
-Hardly any off the ball movement on offense, but had to do more with Wright St. offense
-Wasn't afraid to let it go when he was open
-Overall was impressed with his on ball defense, his ball handling is a whole lot better than what we are accustomed to seeing from KN and JCL. However; I don't think he's a guy that will step in and be able to score 20+ on any given night in the Big ten, seemed to disappear at times when things weren't going his teams way.
Some takeaways from Alstork
-Reminded me a lot of Aaron Jordan with his shooting form and body type (broad shoulders,long)
-Very good at getting to the rim
-Stayed infront and contested Murray's shots very well
-Made some really good post feeds in the half court and dump offs in transition
-Got lost a few times guarding off the ball, seemed to be above the ball a lot
-Hardly any off the ball movement on offense, but had to do more with Wright St. offense
-Wasn't afraid to let it go when he was open
-Overall was impressed with his on ball defense, his ball handling is a whole lot better than what we are accustomed to seeing from KN and JCL. However; I don't think he's a guy that will step in and be able to score 20+ on any given night in the Big ten, seemed to disappear at times when things weren't going his teams way.
Good, thanks.
Welcome Mark Alstork. Get ready to run and gun.
afpharmdawg
- Colorado Springs
thrilled absolutely thrilled
afpharmdawg
- Colorado Springs
[imghttps://media.giphy.com/media/3oKIPle2UFvQ19BIas/giphy.gif[/img]
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Great news! My only questions is, why is he not getting to campus until late July? Summer workouts start in June.
Deleted member 4333
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Won't graduate from Wright State until then.
Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
Big, big get. Smith and Alstork make for a very big guard combo. You still have to find a big man, but it helps to have big guards who can grab some boards. It's going to be very interesting to see how the starting lineup and playing time works themselves out.
Find a way to convince McIntosh and Agau that the PT is there waiting for them and we're looking pretty good for next year.
Find a way to convince McIntosh and Agau that the PT is there waiting for them and we're looking pretty good for next year.
Whitmans Sampler
- Eastern Iowa
Excellent comparison :thumb:
Plus BU has emphasized several times that he likes to post up guards. These two guys could each be a big matchup problem for other teams in that respect as well as rebounding the ball. Many teams won't be able to match up in the post when both Smith and Alstork are in together. Here's hoping BU can teach these guys a post up game fairly quickly.
Both Marks can already effectively post smaller guards.
Great, great pick-up.
Not sure how JCL will take this, in the sense that he's going to have to compete with a high motor guy. Great players aren't afraid of competition of course, but when you're brought in under a player's coach like Groce, it's usually a rough adjustment. A 'find out what you're made of' kind of adjustment.
Anyway, this is will accelerate the culture change. It can be hard to change a culture from losing to winning, and this is the kind of pick up that moves the needle. In addition to a good skill set, he's a guy who want to lead, and won't give up when things get tough. You need guys who set the bar for excellence high.
Not sure how JCL will take this, in the sense that he's going to have to compete with a high motor guy. Great players aren't afraid of competition of course, but when you're brought in under a player's coach like Groce, it's usually a rough adjustment. A 'find out what you're made of' kind of adjustment.
Anyway, this is will accelerate the culture change. It can be hard to change a culture from losing to winning, and this is the kind of pick up that moves the needle. In addition to a good skill set, he's a guy who want to lead, and won't give up when things get tough. You need guys who set the bar for excellence high.
Definitely think having bigger guards could make up for a few rebounds lost with our lack of a true post throughout the game.
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Great point.
Now just send us another high motor big to work in with Black, Kipper and Finke!
It's not just emphasizing that he likes to post up guards. It is literally a staple/requirement of the offense. The second cutter cuts from the weakside wing directly into a post up. That is actually why I wanted Alstork so bad. When his highlight tape explicitly showed his willingness and ability to post up, as well as his perimeter ability, my mind was going crazy with the possibilities of him in this offense. He can literally be put anywhere. Matchup nightmare for Spread. Can pretty much ditto what I said about Alstork for Smith, except he will have more time to perfect those abilities.
Deleted member 8213
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Have seen some making comparisons between Alstork's game and Rayvonte Rice. Not sure how accurate that is, but if he does nothing for us all year other than end the Braggin' Rights game like this...
http://dailyillini.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/31424_554ae45411a9dimageo.jpg
...then I'll be happy and he will have earned his scholarship. :thumb:
http://dailyillini.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/31424_554ae45411a9dimageo.jpg
...then I'll be happy and he will have earned his scholarship. :thumb:
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Deleted member 186590
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I don't understand this line of thinking. JCL is not competing with Alstork for playing time. The last time I checked the rules we are allowed to have five guys on the court at all times. JCL and Alstork are our two best scorers. They will be on the court together the majority of the minutes.
JCL's playing time is not at risk because of any transfers, there are not better players blocking him - it will be completely up to JCL in terms of how he buys in to the new system and develops his game. His table is set and its there for the taking
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
TJL has got some catching up to do!!
Could be wrong, but my reaction was based on this:
If we don't add a big, you have who at the 5? Finke/Black? Maybe Kipper in a pinch? If you further assume we'll have a primary ball handler covered by TJL/Trent, then you've got 2-4 for the following guys:
Alstork
Smith
Kipper
JCL
DMW
AJ
IMHO, Kipper and Alstork are high motor guys who fit the system and will both get a lot of minutes. I also think Smith will push himself into the lineup, probably early. DMW is a question mark given he's coming off an injury, as is AJ because he's never really cracked the rotation. If the above reasoning is correct, you have no injuries, and no one's added, JCL's probably in good shape, but may be a sixth man/rotational player. If we manage to get another 5th year, that tightens things up, either directly, or indirectly by freeing up Black.
Lotta assumptions, but I think our roster looks more capable of executing Underwood's system with Alstork, and we're on the verge of having competition among our likeliest guys for PT.
Deleted member 8213
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It doesn't matter which one you call "point guard", Lucas has great court vision, is a great passer, and plus defender. Hard to believe you actually watched him much and came to those conclusions. He will improve the team on both ends of the floor and he will only get better coming off his freshman season. He's going to get his minutes.