Why is Howard struggling?

[BelgradeBobcat]

Maybe struggling is the wrong term. Why is Howard not playing at the all conference pace he was last year?

My ephiphany for the day: We miss Brandon Johnson more than we thought we would. Johnson had a pretty nice year shooting the ball from outside last season. He was especially effective against the griz in both games. Johnson was a good enough outside shooter that the opposing team had to account for him. And that he was the starting center-often made the opposing center chase him all over the floor. Thus Howard had a lot more one on one matchups and more room operate.

Cody Anderson doesn't command the attention that Johnson did on the offensive side of the floor-thus things are a lot more clogged up for Howard. Same thing when Allou and Howard are on the floor.

Howard-whether he recogonizes this or not (I suspect he knows it all too well) feels like he has to take this team on his back and is pressing. This just exacerbates the problem.

What's the solution?

Maybe we caught a glimpse of it against the griz...Jeff Budnich. Budnich got hot and Qvale had to go out away from the basket to guard him. We came back and even took the lead. Unfortunately, Budnich is a freshman and he couldn't sustain it in the second half and things went back to the way they were. Also, Budnich is still a defensive liablility and foul prone. Still-the experience he gained against the griz could be huge down the stretch.

Huse indicated in today's presser that he was going to use Budnich more. We'll see if the big freshman can respond to the challenge. It will interesting to see if teams go out to guard Budnich if Howard's numbers trend upwards at the same time.

Heck as this point if I were Huse, I'd tinker with Budnich at the three spot. Play zone on defense if you have to. Let the big guy play facing the basket and see what happens. Let's go big with Howard, Rush, Allou (or Anderson), and Budnich out there at the same time (I like big lineups-but that's just me).

Maybe Piepoli needs to come off the bench? Let him go against the other team's sub or play against a more tired starter. He's not getting any production lately as a starter from a postion where points are expected. If you don't get 10 points or more from your starting 2 guard-especially when your point guard can't get you many points on most nights-well is it any wonder we're scoring in the 50's lately?

What say you armchair coaches? Can this team make a run? Is Huse too set in his ways? Is Howard too set in his ways? Or are we just plain bad and doomed to stagger to finish line?

[BozoneCat]

Belgrade, that's a really fantastic analysis of what the problem is, or at least a big part of it.

Now, what's the solution? That's the million-dollar question. I really just think this team is not very good, and they will struggle to end the season. We just flat out do not have Division I caliber players across the board on this team. We have no size, yet we really do not shoot the ball that well either. That's not a good combination. I guess that ultimately has to come down to recruiting, but I just don't know why MSU seems like such a difficult place to recruit basketball players? Good god, we have a lot more to offer than N. Colorado, but they have had tons more talent than we have had lately. And not just one or two players, it is the whole team. Just watching warmups, it looks like the JV team is getting ready to play varsity. Physically, we are badly mismatched against almost any team we play. And for whatever reason, our coaches haven't been able to get this team to do the things that actually give them some success (i.e., passing the ball, rebounding, playing as a team instead of as a group of individuals) on any consistent basis. There are some really big, deep problems within this program, and I don't have the foggiest idea about how to go about solving them. Hopefully somebody with some say can get it figured out.

All that said, I hope the Cats win out and make me eat my words!

[BelgradeBobcat]

Funny comment about warm ups. Sometimes you can get an indication about how the game is going to go just by how the shots are falling in warm ups. On Saturday the griz players were hitting everything and we were clanking most of our shots. Maybe it was just me and my negative attitude-but I thought we were doomed from the start just based on how we warmed up.

[GrizinWashington]

Very good write-up, Belgrade. I really like Budnich. He was the difference in the first half and the reason the Cats were able to battle back after getting down double digits. But I agree with you that it appears Howard may be trying to do a little too much, but admittedly I've only watched 3 or 4 Cat games, and two of those were against the Griz, and it's not uncommon for a Montanan to be overhyped for those games.

In my mind, however, Piepoli has been the guy that's struggling. Last year, it seems like he had to be a focus for defenses because he was shooting it so well. I'll be honest, it didn't really look as though the Griz were respecting him the way they did last year.

As for UNC, let's see how they do after this year. Yes, they have amazing talent currently. But 4 out of their 5 starters have started over 100 games, and the 5th has started over 80. I don't care who you are, with that much experience you're going to be good. Let's see next year after losing 4 guys who have started for 4 years if they can sustain the excellence. My hunch is that you'll see a significant drop-off, at least for a few years.

[ilovethecats]

i wanted to really think about this before i wrote as i don't want to piss anyone off. seems as though anytime i've been overly critical of bobby someone pm's me that i'm just jealous or i never liked bobby. that couldn't be more untrue. i think bobby is a cool guy, and we know his family quite well so i would never bash on the kid just for fun.

the way i see it is bobby just isn't d1 material. i have been saying this almost immediately after he signed. for a while it looked like he was going to prove me wrong as he had some very good games and was pretty much the reason we won some games. but i think he was awarded an opportunity to play a ton mainly because since huse has been here we have had very little talent. i really am not trying to bash these guys too much but we have a division one team filled with a bunch of d2 and naia players. aside from rush, i have a hard time finding a guy who has proved that he truly is good enough to play at this level.

as for bobby...i honestly feel he should be nothing more than a role guy on this team...but we lack so much talent that he is forced to play a bigger role than he is capable of. sometimes he'll have good games but more times than not he'll look out of his league. i honestly believe that he is just as talented, maybe even less talented in areas as guys like carson durr and danny faaborg. he just appeared better early on because we were forced to let him play.

the bottom line is bobby is a tweener. he doesn't have the size to get it done around the basket, yet he tries and tries and tries. most times it results in his shot getting sent back into his face. this is not entirely his fault either. we have few options right now which is unfortunate. had we been able to bring in a talented big man, it would have allowed bobby the freedom to work around the perimeter and knock down shots. i think he's far from a pure shooter too, however had we had the guys in place to let him work on that part of his game i think he'd be having a much more successful year. but he doesn't have the moves and the league has figured him out.

i actually feel bad for bobby and the rest of the guys. we just don't have the talent for these guys to rely on. each guy feels like they have to be the guy because we lack trust in the others, and rightfully so. i think the players are the least of our problems right now. after the season, assuming huse stays on board, we need to take a good hard look at our assistants and our ability to recruit. we are basically getting lapped on the recruiting front and it needs to get fixed asap or we'll look forward to more seasons just like this one, and the ones in the past.

one thing i know for a fact is that bobby and the rest of the guys are competitors. they won't just lay down and die. for that reason alone i'll continue my support because you just don't know what direction for sure this team will head. i'm still waiting and hoping to be surprised but so far the season is going exactly how i expected.

GO CATS!!!!!

[Hawks86]

I guess Howard making 1st team All-Big Sky team last year was some sort of sympathy award?

[ilovethecats]

I guess Howard making 1st team All-Big Sky team last year was some sort of sympathy award?

not likely. i doubt they really dole out awards that way. he had some very good games like i said. he's had many more poor games than good in my opinion. you can't take that award from him but unfortunately for him, he doesn't have the supporting cast this season that he had last year, and he doesn't have the talent to be a go-to scorer.

i will say i am still happy with his constant effort, and his rebounding has been amazing. he's just pushing too hard.

but no....no sympathy award i don't think....

[Hawks86]

I just found it fascinating that a player you consider not to be D1 material made the first team for a D1 conference.

[ilovethecats]

I just found it fascinating that a player you consider not to be D1 material made the first team for a D1 conference.

why? that happens quite a bit at all levels but at the d1 level it happens in conferences like the big sky too. there are a lot of guys that are right there on the cusp of d1 talent and that is where bobby is. right on the cusp. capable of having some decent games from time to time but not capable of taking a game over. he showed how good he could be when he has a great man in the back court...and a great player in the front court. he really excelled in that role.

do you also find it fascinating that a player can be first team all conference one year and a liability the next? is it fascinating that a player can go from first team all conference and struggle enough the next that an entire thread is dedicated to why he's struggling?

it happens. guys have good seasons as well as bad. i don't think he's as bad as he's played this year and i didn't think he was as good as he played last year. if that makes me a bad person so be it.

for what it's worth...i think we have several players that i don't think are good, consistent division one players either.

[BozoneCat]

I gotta side with ilovethecats on this one. Well, I guess I wouldn't say that Bobby is not a D-I caliber player, because I think he is. But I think he would fit much better into a role where he was the 3rd or 4th option on offense, or maybe the 6th man. It would also help if he was on a team that had the size to allow him to play the position his own size and athletic ability is suited for. His problem, as was alluded to, is that he is a tweener. He isn't really athletic enough to keep up with the good 3's at the D-I level, and he doesn't have the size or strength to hang with the 4's. It really isn't his fault, he hasn't been put in a position that allows him the best chance for success, and at the end of the day that is on our coaching staff.

[ilovethecats]

I gotta side with ilovethecats on this one. Well, I guess I wouldn't say that Bobby is not a D-I caliber player, because I think he is. But I think he would fit much better into a role where he was the 3rd or 4th option on offense, or maybe the 6th man. It would also help if he was on a team that had the size to allow him to play the position his own size and athletic ability is suited for. His problem, as was alluded to, is that he is a tweener. He isn't really athletic enough to keep up with the good 3's at the D-I level, and he doesn't have the size or strength to hang with the 4's. It really isn't his fault, he hasn't been put in a position that allows him the best chance for success, and at the end of the day that is on our coaching staff.

ya, and i guess it's all relative. he's playing d1 hoops so i guess he's d1 caliber. and there are obviously different levels of d1 play so i guess he's right where he belongs. and i guess every other player on our roster is d1 caliber as well because they are all playing d1. but just like i think teams miss out on guys who could have an impact at this level...i also think teams can take a shot at a guy who might be better suited playing d2 or naia.

i will say that if we are satisfied with the level of talent we are currently getting, and we all believe that every guy on our roster is truly where he belongs....we might be in for some more rough seasons.

[bpcats]

Loaded question. Main thing I think is that Bobby is pressing but at least he is going 100 miles an hour all the time. Unfortunately that has led to some silly turnovers and some missed shots. Whole team thing not just Bobby.

As far as the team goes and the problems that we are seeing I look at women's team and how they are constructed and playing and how the pieces fit and I just don't see the answers currently on the men's side.

Katey Bussey - pure scorer that can break down defenses and is the energizer bunny. One of the fastest players in the conference. She may not carry the load all the time but the threat of her keeps opposing teams honest. On the men's side the equivalent would be Eric Rush.

Sarah Balian (Strand) - Probably Binford's key recruit of her program. A forward that can run the floor, shoot the three, play defense like nobody's business, can mix it up down low. One of the best all around post players in the conference.. Men's side...Nothing.

Semansky - Power forward that can run the floor and bang with the best down low that has a tremendous work ethic, good defensive player. Men's side- maybe Tre Johnson in the future but not right now.

On top of that you know the Lady Cats are going to run and run and run with a balanced scoring attack. This year they have turned up their defensive pressure which has been the difference. At the start of the year they would have had 5 players all around 6' running floor and playing defense. A relatively tall running team. The ladies team play together. The men's team not so much.

On the men's side they have no offensive identity and they are not playing very good team defense.

I think that there is some good pieces in place with Budinich, Johnson, and Reid for the future. Just have to build around them and teach them to play defense.

[Billings Cat]

I just found it fascinating that a player you consider not to be D1 material made the first team for a D1 conference.

why? that happens quite a bit at all levels but at the d1 level it happens in conferences like the big sky too. there are a lot of guys that are right there on the cusp of d1 talent and that is where bobby is. right on the cusp. capable of having some decent games from time to time but not capable of taking a game over. he showed how good he could be when he has a great man in the back court...and a great player in the front court. he really excelled in that role.

do you also find it fascinating that a player can be first team all conference one year and a liability the next? is it fascinating that a player can go from first team all conference and struggle enough the next that an entire thread is dedicated to why he's struggling?

it happens. guys have good seasons as well as bad. i don't think he's as bad as he's played this year and i didn't think he was as good as he played last year. if that makes me a bad person so be it.

for what it's worth...i think we have several players that i don't think are good, consistent division one players either.

Good god man...are you drunk? Bobby Howard is averaging 14.7 points and 7.5 rebounds through 21 games this season. To average those numbers is certainly not just having a few "decent games"!

And how many teams have players who are truly "capable of taking a game over"? Actually let me answer that for you, most don't at every level from high school to the NBA because of the parity of talent that exists. I don't think Bobby Howard should have to apologize for not being the Kobe Bryant of the Bobcats because those guys are the exception, not the rule.

This guy has given a lot to the program and while I'm sure he's not satisfied with his consistency at times this year, your whole premise is utterly and totally ridiculous.

And btw, if this is how you treat a guy you supposedly like and are friendly with, I'd be quite interested in seeing how you treat those you don't like...

[4everacatfan]

I just found it fascinating that a player you consider not to be D1 material made the first team for a D1 conference.

why? that happens quite a bit at all levels but at the d1 level it happens in conferences like the big sky too. there are a lot of guys that are right there on the cusp of d1 talent and that is where bobby is. right on the cusp. capable of having some decent games from time to time but not capable of taking a game over. he showed how good he could be when he has a great man in the back court...and a great player in the front court. he really excelled in that role.

do you also find it fascinating that a player can be first team all conference one year and a liability the next? is it fascinating that a player can go from first team all conference and struggle enough the next that an entire thread is dedicated to why he's struggling?

it happens. guys have good seasons as well as bad. i don't think he's as bad as he's played this year and i didn't think he was as good as he played last year. if that makes me a bad person so be it.

for what it's worth...i think we have several players that i don't think are good, consistent division one players either.

Good god man...are you drunk? Bobby Howard is averaging 14.7 points and 7.5 rebounds through 21 games this season. To average those numbers is certainly not just having a few "decent games"!

And how many teams have players who are truly "capable of taking a game over"? Actually let me answer that for you, most don't at every level from high school to the NBA because of the parity of talent that exists. I don't think Bobby Howard should have to apologize for not being the Kobe Bryant of the Bobcats because those guys are the exception, not the rule.

This guy has given a lot to the program and while I'm sure he's not satisfied with his consistency at times this year, your whole premise is utterly and totally ridiculous.

And btw, if this is how you treat a guy you supposedly like and are friendly with, I'd be quite interested in seeing how you treat those you don't like...

Excellent post Billings Cat!

ilovethecats you know the Howards? Wow you must not know them well because I know Bob and Kathleen are the hardest on Bobby and Kathleen would probably punch in the mouth for those remarks and I would cheer her on. It is amazing how you can say the things you say and think people are to take you seriously. I am amazed everytime when I read how you think you all have him figured out. Do you think you know him simply because he is from Montana and it is okay to bash the local guy, the only reason he is on the team is he is the token Montanan. My question to you why is it that he had D1 offers from out of state schools if he is not a D1 player? After listening to some of you he should have gone out of state but one thing I have discovered about this young man is he is very proud to be a Bobcat and wanted to be somewhere close so his family could be at his games. I went to the game Saturday night and to me he took pride in being a Cat which I do not think some of our other players do.
He is a competitor and he would probably be the first to admit he is struggling but to make the big shots you have to have the ball and of late we have had some very selfish play by our guards. Singelton and Rush. Yes Rush we used to run that pick to perfection with Erik and Bobby where Erik comes off and Erik will find him on the baseline for a layup or in the corner or Bobby kicks it back to Erik for a dunk. Now Erik has been all about himself going up 1 on 3 in the key. That is fine when it goes in, and when Pepoli only gets two shots
last game that is the point guard not doing his job setting up his shooters. When has Rod at 5'8" been successful against a 7 footer. NEVER. Right now we don't run an offense it is a lot of one on one and Howard's rebound average has gone up because of it.

Belgrade i do not always agree with you but I thought your anaylsis is fair. He cannot do it alone and he knows it . I have to say I have talked with Huse and he has commented and I agree that he has worked hard this year to get his teammates more involved in the game.

ilovethecats I guess him winning the Finny Award was also just because he is a local guy. God help you if someone passes your remarks and name on to the Howards because I would put my money on Kathleen she would kick your ass.

JMHO

[ilovethecats]

wow. well, like i said, this reaction is not all that surprising. for some reason bobby is the one guy that you can't criticize on this team. and as always, i noticed i already have a pm i need to check. can't wait.

i never said i was great friends with the howards. i have known the family since their days in conrad and i have had the privilege to learn some stuff from bob over the years. no one is harder on bobby than them so i highly doubt that kathleen would punch me in the face.

i never questioned his heart. i never said that he isn't a true bobcat. in fact, i have been on record saying that having montana kids on your roster such as bobby is a great thing because they know what it means to be a bobcat.

it is interesting to me that guys are piling on me here, calling me drunk, or insulting my post when i'm not the one who started the post. a question was was asked, "why is bobby struggling?". now if you don't think he's struggling that is fine. some apparently do. i am one of those people. i don't think it is lack of effort. i don't think it's cause he's a bad guy. i think it is because we don't have the talent on our team.

it has been brought up several times by posters other than myself that our team seems to lack serious talent. is that ok to say unless we dare call out the one player from montana? give me a break.

you guys don't have to agree with me. i don't know any of you and i really could care less. if you think bobby is having a great season, that he is an amazing d1player, and that the cats are having a good year because of it more power to you. i don't see it that way.

i don't put much stock into his ppg because on this team he's going to get his 15 shots a game because he and rush are the only ones capable. i said the same thing about carlos taylor when someone was saying he was one of the best cats of all time because he led the conference in scoring! weird no one jumped all over me then when i criticized the stats of an out-of-stater. bobby has improved his rebounding a ton. he's getting decent point totals but come on...

4-14 against weber this year.
5-14 against sac
4-12 against unc
6-13 against psu
4-11 against ewu
3-13 against the griz
3-18 against isu
7-16 against the griz

that is 17 of 58 in the last 4 games!

he did have a great game against nau early this year and some of the games i listed above he did well in other areas. i never bashed the kid personally. i just believe that if we continue to get talent like we have on this team right now....we won't be a good team. this doesn't mean i hate the guys. doesn't mean i'm talking trash. but you guys are kidding yourselves if you believe that every person that we have ever had on this team belonged at this level. and if you just look at ppg. without looking at shooting percentage, free throw percentage, assists, and turnovers....he's serviceable.

sorry my opinions offended so many of you. i'll try to keep my opinions to the out-of-state kids to avoid this backlash. i have said about five times that cody anderson shouldn't be on a d1 roster either....and for some reason people weren't all upset?

i take it all back guys. bobby is amazing. one of the best from the state of montana to ever wear the blue and gold. his game is basically without fault, and the 4-5 shots he gets blocked in his face every game are nothing more than lousy refs not calling fouls. he definitely isn't struggling as the OP suggested, and there is no chance whatsoever that he shouldn't be considered the elite of the the conference.

sorry again.

[4everacatfan]

wow. well, like i said, this reaction is not all that surprising. for some reason bobby is the one guy that you can't criticize on this team. and as always, i noticed i already have a pm i need to check. can't wait.

i never said i was great friends with the howards. i have known the family since their days in conrad and i have had the privilege to learn some stuff from bob over the years. no one is harder on bobby than them so i highly doubt that kathleen would punch me in the face.

i never questioned his heart. i never said that he isn't a true bobcat. in fact, i have been on record saying that having montana kids on your roster such as bobby is a great thing because they know what it means to be a bobcat.

it is interesting to me that guys are piling on me here, calling me drunk, or insulting my post when i'm not the one who started the post. a question was was asked, "why is bobby struggling?". now if you don't think he's struggling that is fine. some apparently do. i am one of those people. i don't think it is lack of effort. i don't think it's cause he's a bad guy. i think it is because we don't have the talent on our team.

it has been brought up several times by posters other than myself that our team seems to lack serious talent. is that ok to say unless we dare call out the one player from montana? give me a break.

you guys don't have to agree with me. i don't know any of you and i really could care less. if you think bobby is having a great season, that he is an amazing d1player, and that the cats are having a good year because of it more power to you. i don't see it that way.

i don't put much stock into his ppg because on this team he's going to get his 15 shots a game because he and rush are the only ones capable. i said the same thing about carlos taylor when someone was saying he was one of the best cats of all time because he led the conference in scoring! weird no one jumped all over me then when i criticized the stats of an out-of-stater. bobby has improved his rebounding a ton. he's getting decent point totals but come on...

4-14 against weber this year.
5-14 against sac
4-12 against unc
6-13 against psu
4-11 against ewu
3-13 against the griz
3-18 against isu
7-16 against the griz

that is 17 of 58 in the last 4 games!

he did have a great game against nau early this year and some of the games i listed above he did well in other areas. i never bashed the kid personally. i just believe that if we continue to get talent like we have on this team right now....we won't be a good team. this doesn't mean i hate the guys. doesn't mean i'm talking trash. but you guys are kidding yourselves if you believe that every person that we have ever had on this team belonged at this level. and if you just look at ppg. without looking at shooting percentage, free throw percentage, assists, and turnovers....he's serviceable.

sorry my opinions offended so many of you. i'll try to keep my opinions to the out-of-state kids to avoid this backlash. i have said about five times that cody anderson shouldn't be on a d1 roster either....and for some reason people weren't all upset?

i take it all back guys. bobby is amazing. one of the best from the state of montana to ever wear the blue and gold. his game is basically without fault, and the 4-5 shots he gets blocked in his face every game are nothing more than lousy refs not calling fouls. he definitely isn't struggling as the OP suggested, and there is no chance whatsoever that he shouldn't be considered the elite of the the conference.

sorry again.

OMG get over yourself. People have a problem with you because you are attacking and saying he does not belong playing D1basketball. (What's a matter did Bobby embarace you on the playground up there in Conrad when he was 7 and you were 17?) Belgrade started a good post and he made valid points Bobby is pressing and he probably does miss BJ alot this year it is a no brainer BJ is 10 times the player Cody is and Bobby and BJ had played together for 3 years.

I have a problem when you start out with "I know The Howards" so you then think you have a liscene to rip him. To say no one rips him is a lie too. lots of people do and most of it is deserved he is a kid that probably gave his dad and huse fits with some of his decisions on the court and shot selections. IS his shooting percentage bad yes but everytime he makes a move he is attracting at least one if not two extra defenders not to make excuses but if he and Rush do not score we do not have a prayer. So back to you get over your Bobby envy be critical like all of us but seriously he belongs on the D-1 court playing .

[CelticCat]

Bobby is a solid 4, who is forced to do more than he wants/can. If we had a guy like Mbunga, I can guarantee Bobby wouldn't be struggling. He is just in a bad situation, because we have no inside offensive presence offensively right now on offense.

To say Bobby isn't D1 material though is exaggerating, IMO. He has a very good low post game against guys his size (and even a bit bigger), is a very good rebounder, and can knock down outside shots (though a big inconsistent). I can agree that he may be a bit of a tweener, but he shouldn't have to be the main focal point of our offense. Unfortunately no one else has stepped up to that task, so Bobby is trying his damndest.

[ilovethecats]

get over myself? and no, i didn't get "schooled" by bobby on the playground. think i played him a time or to in a tourney but that is the extent of it. as for my, "i know the howards" comment, that was said to get across to people that i'm not some random dude bashing on the kid for the sake of bashing on a kid. apparently that didn't come across. oh well.

as for me bashing a kid? i guess i don't see it that way. i answered a question with my opinion. my opinion is that bobby is a borderline d1 player....as is most of our teams. this is why the biggest knock on huse is his recruiting. i'm curious though...why is it ok for you to call out players like rush and singleton and say they are selfish but you're telling me that i'm bashing bobby?

do you know that the very selfish rush has taken 30 less shots than bobby this season? and the next closest guy is singleton and he has taken almost 140 shots less than bobby. he also is among the tops in the league in assists....although i agree that he needs to look to distribute the ball even more. but it is laughable that you take so much offense to my criticism of bobby, but you have no problem calling others on the team selfish. players that probably couldn't equal bobby's shots attempted is they shot 20 a game from here on out.

say what you want about me. call me a jealous playground player. tell me i'm drunk. tell me that kathleen howard is going to beat me up. call others on the team selfish. i may have been critical of bobby, but i did so without name calling, and i think i have been consistent. i have admitted that the problem goes far beyond bobby and the rest of the players. i have conceded that it is difficult on bobby because this team lacks options. yet all you decided to read was that i'm just picking on bobby and his mom is going to beat me up.

in reality, none of this matters. it doesn't effect one thing one way or the other. i simply shared my opinion on a question asked. you disagree and that is fine by me. how about i try again and see what you think of my post this time....

bobby is in a very difficult position this year. we have no where near the talent of his past few years which makes his job that much harder. this team lacks leadership, and it's clear they have little trust in each other. plainly....they're not very good. because of that, teams know that to beat the cats you shut down rush first, bobby second, and no one third. this again puts bobby in a difficult spot. when he is free to roam around the perimeter he can be very effective. when he is asked to score in multiple ways like he is this season...he's in trouble. he lacks the size to score around the basket, and more times than not he turns the ball over via blocked shot or misses. sometimes he draws contact and goes to the line, but as we know that is far from ideal. he is making about 57% of his free throws which is rough considering he has shot over 100 of them. this isn't me picking on him...it's happened time and time again and many posters have said as much. because bobby knows this he still tries to play his game from the outside in, and relies heavily on the three. i have no problem with this because he is definitely better on the perimeter than he is in the lane. but even there, he has shot more than 100 of them and only hit for about 33%. not horrible but definitely not a pure shooter. so his real problem is that he's a tweener. not real capable of being very good at any particular spot.

he is an underrated defender in my opinion which i think often goes unnoticed. he has improved his rebounding tremendously. there is no doubt in my mind that he is a bobcat through and through and he has a lot of pride. i have never said otherwise. in my personal opinion, he is no better than carson durr was. he's simply on a team that needs him to shoot a lot because of it's not him or rush...who is it? if durr was playing today and shot 14-18 times a game he would have similar numbers as well. i also feel like durr would have been better suited playing somewhere else, speaking only about basketball. getting school paid for to play d1 is something that no one would turn down. but i won't be convinced that every player we've ever had on this team belongs at this level.

it's not a bobby howard thing....it's a "huse needs to up his recruiting" thing....

[ilovethecats]

Bobby is a solid 4, who is forced to do more than he wants/can. If we had a guy like Mbunga, I can guarantee Bobby wouldn't be struggling. He is just in a bad situation, because we have no inside offensive presence offensively right now on offense.

To say Bobby isn't D1 material though is exaggerating, IMO. He has a very good low post game against guys his size (and even a bit bigger), is a very good rebounder, and can knock down outside shots (though a big inconsistent). I can agree that he may be a bit of a tweener, but he shouldn't have to be the main focal point of our offense. Unfortunately no one else has stepped up to that task, so Bobby is trying his damndest.

and i agree with all of this too and said the same thing. i never questioned his attitude, or work ethic. i agree he is doing all he can to his ability on a pretty weak team. apparently peoples biggest problems with what i said is that i said i don't know if bobby is a d1 player. well i don't. sorry. but he's not alone. i could probably come up with ten guys in the last 7-8 years that probably weren't really d1 material but got an opportunity for one reason or another. and bobby is as good or better than most i can think of. it was nothing personal guys....just an opinion.

[Billings Cat]

ilovethecats,

First of all, I never called you a drunk, but I did question your sobriety when making some of the statements you made. Believe me, I know the difference...

Second, you seem to think that just because you never come right out and call someone a name that you can nonetheless denigrate every aspect of their game as a player and people won't believe it's personal. Sorry, but nobody who's got enough sense to come out of the rain will believe that. That said, if you're around Bobby Howard's age you still qualify as a kid for me...and I can always forgive a kid...hehe

Finally, let me offer some advice--regardless of what someone says afterwards, don't believe a single thing if they first start off by saying: (1) This isn't personal; (2) This isn't about the money; (3) I hate to say I told you so; (4) I'm happy for her or him; and, (5) You can trust me.

You see, if it wasn't personal or about the money or it really pained them to say it or they were really happy for an ex or they could be trusted, they wouldn't have to start by saying those things in the first place...