Right now I'm wondering how much scoring will come from these three players, Gunn, Banks and Newton, and if one or more of them can be part of the answer to finding more scoring next season?
Gunn: He was a big (and fearless ) scorer in high school. In his first season at IU he showed he is not afraid to take a good (or a bad ) shot. However, he did not shoot very effectively or efficiently. Will his shooting improve after a full off season and pre-Big 10 season, to learn and become comfortable in IU's version of a modern offense? Can he slash and finish through contact? Does he have the handles and court vision to create for others when he is slashing? A positive is that, at times, he can play some defense.
Banks: To me, Banks has always seemed like he has the body and skills that CMW wants in his players. How hard will it be for him to unlearn the old style of offense and adapt to the new style? He seems to have a lot of energy and at times has shown a hint of being able to score from the arc. He also seems to be willing to work hard on defense. Does he have the ball-handling and passing skills to play this style of offense? How well can he finish?
Newton: I think he may be one of the answers to providing more scoring. Prior to being injured in his senior year, he was known as a three level scorer. Although he did play a few games at the end of his senior year, he was mostly forgotten by the experts (and by many of us) who do the player rankings.
He should be at full strength when he arrives in Bloomington and he will benefit from the conditioning and strength programs. Unlike Gunn and Banks, he will also benefit from not having to "unlearn" the old style of offense and he can immediately concentrate on learning the new style. Does he fully recover from his injury? Can he quickly make the jump from being a freshman to playing like a sophmore?
Can one or more of these break into the 8 man rotation? Can any of them make the starting 5 next season?
Gunn: He was a big (and fearless ) scorer in high school. In his first season at IU he showed he is not afraid to take a good (or a bad ) shot. However, he did not shoot very effectively or efficiently. Will his shooting improve after a full off season and pre-Big 10 season, to learn and become comfortable in IU's version of a modern offense? Can he slash and finish through contact? Does he have the handles and court vision to create for others when he is slashing? A positive is that, at times, he can play some defense.
Banks: To me, Banks has always seemed like he has the body and skills that CMW wants in his players. How hard will it be for him to unlearn the old style of offense and adapt to the new style? He seems to have a lot of energy and at times has shown a hint of being able to score from the arc. He also seems to be willing to work hard on defense. Does he have the ball-handling and passing skills to play this style of offense? How well can he finish?
Newton: I think he may be one of the answers to providing more scoring. Prior to being injured in his senior year, he was known as a three level scorer. Although he did play a few games at the end of his senior year, he was mostly forgotten by the experts (and by many of us) who do the player rankings.
He should be at full strength when he arrives in Bloomington and he will benefit from the conditioning and strength programs. Unlike Gunn and Banks, he will also benefit from not having to "unlearn" the old style of offense and he can immediately concentrate on learning the new style. Does he fully recover from his injury? Can he quickly make the jump from being a freshman to playing like a sophmore?
Can one or more of these break into the 8 man rotation? Can any of them make the starting 5 next season?
