Although a few posters have in other threads, CyJack is not throwing him under the bus. He is doing the opposite. The anything is possible rebuttal is not being patient and does Thomas few favors. It takes games in which simple basketball plays are not screwed up and extrapolates them into outlier improvement, "being farther along" than forner all-conference guys, and even NBA talk. Imo, those saying be patient are the ones with outlandish expectations.
Apology to Matt Thomas.
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Although a few posters have in other threads, CyJack is not throwing him under the bus. He is doing the opposite. The anything is possible rebuttal is not being patient and does Thomas few favors. It takes games in which simple basketball plays are not screwed up and extrapolates them into outlier improvement, "being farther along" than forner all-conference guys, and even NBA talk. Imo, those saying be patient are the ones with outlandish expectations.
Nobody on here that I have seen has said Matt is going to make the NBA. That was only even mentioned because of something an NBA scout told Chris Williams. Seriously, there was no real NBA talk regarding Matt. It was just to show that everyone thinks Matt has potential and some educated basketball minds even say NBA potential. He's not an NBA player right now and likely won't be one, but he has potential to do stuff like he did today, where he's scoring 15+ points and making good plays. The NBA scout thing was just brought up to show the Thomas haters that even NBA scouts had their eye on Matt.
Matt has always had confidence issues. You could see him smiling and happy for once. I really hope this game was what he needed to boost his confidence and change his game. There is a lot of potential in this kid but so far outside of a few games he hasn't lived up to expectations. Let's see how he performs the rest of the season, but this should give him enough confidence to make it easier for him.
He's a sophomore for goodness sakes. Plenty of players make strides later in their college careers and to not be positive towards players who have confidence issues hurts then just as much. Was this game an outlier for what we've seen from Matt? Yes, but does that fact mean he can't produce like this on a nightly basis with more experience. No- get off his case.... and to your previous post calling matt a "sufficient 8th man," look at teams around the big 12 (and other power conferences for that matter) and honestly tell me that other teams wouldn't DIE to have him as their 8th man. We are a deep team and it's a complete blessing to have thomas be the 8th man on the team.
If you think I am on his case, you have Thomas issues. I am sorry he hasn't yet lived up to your lofty expectations, but give the kid a chance to shape his game to Big 12 competition before you start to lower the bar. Thomas as just a sophomore being a sufficient 8th man on a good team is not insulting to Thomas. And yes, many, if not most, NCAA level teams have 8th men as productive and have first guards off the bench equal to sophomore Thomas. Junior and senior Thomas? Hopefully not.
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Hmmm maybe I misread your original posts and you misread mine because you're completely agreeing with what I was (or my intent was) posting.
I havent read all the replies to this thread. But for awhile I was kind of concerned that Matt would be the next guy to transfer out. Good enough player, just never could quite find his place on the team or in the rotation. Not quite the Tyrus Mcgee to come off the bench and hit a fadeaway three, not quite as good on defense as a Chris Babb..kind of that middle of the road guy that just needs to find his role. I hope this game helps him to just relax and trust that he doesnt have to do spectacular things to get time..he just has to play to his strengths. And in the end isnt that what Fred is good at? Playing to each players strengths?
What's great about Fred is that we aren't depending on Thomas to get better. Burton and Williams will both take some wing minutes next year, Cooke will take a lot of minutes, it wouldn't surprise me at all if we brought in an immediately eligible combo guard who can back up Monte or the staff feels that Custer deserves more minutes next year. If Thomas continues to improve and keeps his spot, great. If he doesn't, well we now have better options. You produce for Fred or you lose your spot. The competition is great and really forces guys to get better.
Great game by Thomas yesterday! Kudos to him.
Hopefully we see more like it in the future, however, one game is just one game.
Matt needs to be able to ignore all the negativity he receives. He is one guy that seems to really let comments about him bother him. If I were him, I would stay away from any message boards completely. It doesn't do him any good.
He has to go into games thinking.... "I'm a top 100 basketball player in the country. I'm a deadly shooter that can't miss. I want the ball in my hands because I'm a difference maker.".
But sometimes I get the feeling that he's saying to himself..... "Now don't miss this next shot or you'll be hearing about it all week.".
It doesn't surprise me one bit that he had a breakout game on the road. When your own fans are kind of down on you, sometimes you play your best away from home. That is a sad comment on our fans, but I think there's some truth to it. And I'm to blame as much as anyone, I understand that. That's why it's best if guys like Thomas stay as far away from these boards as possible.
Hopefully we see more like it in the future, however, one game is just one game.
Matt needs to be able to ignore all the negativity he receives. He is one guy that seems to really let comments about him bother him. If I were him, I would stay away from any message boards completely. It doesn't do him any good.
He has to go into games thinking.... "I'm a top 100 basketball player in the country. I'm a deadly shooter that can't miss. I want the ball in my hands because I'm a difference maker.".
But sometimes I get the feeling that he's saying to himself..... "Now don't miss this next shot or you'll be hearing about it all week.".
It doesn't surprise me one bit that he had a breakout game on the road. When your own fans are kind of down on you, sometimes you play your best away from home. That is a sad comment on our fans, but I think there's some truth to it. And I'm to blame as much as anyone, I understand that. That's why it's best if guys like Thomas stay as far away from these boards as possible.
i don't see Fred bringing a combo guard in. Hallice is a combo guard and we are pretty log jammed at guard next year with Monte, Naz, Matt, Deonte, and Custer ( and Hallice as mentioned, plus we know Monte is going to play 35 minutes a gm)... with 2 open scholarships, we desperately need front court depth , especially looking into 2016 where we lose everyone...I would expect at least one transfer f/C who may sit out next year and be eligible in 2016. Maybe 2 if we don't get Diallo
The magic of Fred..I just dont know how far he can go. I mean, at some point, the minutes dry up, and you can only keep so many players happy. But I do realize Fred is a hot hand guy. If Matt doesnt hit his first shot, he doesnt stay in the game long. But as long as he is shooting well, he stays in. Makes sense. I am not sure how many good players will sit on the bench and wait for someone to go cold. But its working for now, and I am happy..
Yeah, my thoughts exactly Spelhome. Here's my take on all ISU athletes. I have no "expectations," either "lofty" or "low" for any of them actually. I simply want them to appreciate the opportunity to put on the Cyclone uniform by working as hard as they can, to get as good as personally can get. Whatever that in the end means, then I accept that. It will be what it will be. What's the point of getting angry or irritated by that? If MT keeps pushing and working and growing, and becomes significantly better, then I am thrilled for the kid. If MT keeps pushing and working and growing, but he stays about the same and has what is being deemed "outlier performances," then I'm alright with that too.
Our athletes are young adults who a Cyclone coach thought had the potential to become a valuable member of a team we cheer for. Sometimes it works out more favorably than others. Who am I to say halfway into a college career where that ceiling may be? I honestly believe that many Cyclone fans feel exactly the same way. Most want to support and hope for the best, and trust in the coaches that there is potential there. How is that "doing MT no favors?" It seems to me that those who say that have already made up their minds about his "ceiling."
Who knows? Pretty much everyone knows. MT and FH don't belong in the same sentence. Just coming in from HS, Fred was a much better all-around player. Better ball handler, better defender, better passer. No shame in that, FH was an all-time great. MT is 8th in the rotation. The last few games, he's moved from a weak link in the rotation to more than carrying his weight. That's awesome, but let's not start comparing him to an all-time ISU great.
I'll just be happy if he's a threat going forward. That makes the team so much tougher to defend. It was getting to the point where teams could consider sagging off him to hang in the lane.
To be fair, Fred was a lanky white kid from the Midwest who could knock down threes. Just like McKay got compared to Kenneth Faried because they were both black men with long hair, so could Thomas get compared to Hoiberg.