Anyone think Sam Miller would play 30 minutes tonight?

UD93 Steve · #1 02-12-2016, 10:13 PM

And do a nice job on defense with only 2 fouls. I think we were fortunate that they really didn't have a strong presence in the paint, but what a nice job. Glad he can play some ball. We needed him tonight!

TommyGola · #2 02-12-2016, 10:19 PM

I thought Sam played well on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, he still gets caught up at the line or even the circle with his hedge, opening the door for the cut to the lane.

ClaytonFlyerFan · #3 02-12-2016, 10:22 PM

From some of the posts and comments I read on this board back in November and December, I did not think Sam would play 30 minutes total during the entire conference schedule.

Great to see his improvement on both ends of the floor.

Gazoo · #4 02-12-2016, 10:26 PM

Gonna be a heck of a weapon when he matures, shooting from outside and scoring inside. Just needs strength and maturity. He'll be a matchup nightmare.

jack72 · #5 02-12-2016, 10:49 PM

I thought before the season started that the two top true frosh would be Crosby and Sam. Those two are head and shoulders above the rest, and Sam may have passed John.

marco red eagle · #6 02-12-2016, 10:50 PM

I love how he forces the big man out to guard him at the 3 line ... opening the paint .. you got to love it!

FlyerGuyer · #7 02-12-2016, 10:52 PM

Had to think Archie would have the frosh playing better as the season progressed. I remember after the Eggs-avier game I kept thinking: Just wait 'til March, wait 'til March...

San Diego Flyer · #8 02-12-2016, 10:52 PM

Sam is clearly playing like a Sophomore now. Not perfect, but much stronger, much more active---filling up the stat sheet. Now looks like a promising player.

maddog07 · #9 02-12-2016, 11:10 PM

He made three buckets. Nice. But 2 boards in 30 mins , 3 to's and some very questionable d. Not terrible.
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tirebiter · #10 02-12-2016, 11:16 PM

Give him another year and he may have some Waleskowski in him yet.

udx2 · #11 02-12-2016, 11:19 PM

Watching Sam as a senior at Gonzaga, you would have to have high expectations for him here at UD. He now he is starting to show what he can do.

I am a Sam fan, I admit, but we should recognize that he is now showing why UD wanted him. I do have a strong belief that he will be a big part of UD in the next 3 years.

Angry John · #12 02-12-2016, 11:48 PM

I get a joy in watching players improve. I can see it in Crosby and Miller. We just need to be patient with the X-Man and Mikesell.

Flyer2 · #13 02-12-2016, 11:49 PM

On Archie's radio show he said that the coaches spent 80% of the time developing the freshmen...and we can see the results!

Sam has lost 30 lbs. since coming to UD and it shows. His confidence is up and it shows. Crosby is the one who has been a great surprise and I really like his game.

John C. · #14 02-12-2016, 11:54 PM

You can see that the freshmen are making the same kind of improvements that the current juniors did. Remember, Pollard didn't show much until the tourney.

You have to like the way Miller just reloads.

CJ43 · #15 02-13-2016, 12:53 AM

Would like to see Sam score down low with a little better efficiency but I'm very happy with wheres he at now. He can work on the low post in the offseason. Hes going to be a force in a couple of years.

Buster Goode · #16 02-13-2016, 01:03 AM

Sam Miller has improved more than any of our freshmen over the course of the year.
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T-Bone 84 · #17 02-13-2016, 01:28 AM

Originally Posted by marco red eagle

I love how he forces the big man out to guard him at the 3 line ... opening the paint .. you got to love it!

That'll come in handy next year, when we have Pollard & Cunnngham at the 4. Those guys are bangers & slashers. Assuming Sam can keep nailing the deep ball, the middle will open-up while he's on the floor.

Ah, to have multi-dimensional players!

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ruechalgrin · #18 02-13-2016, 01:31 AM

Originally Posted by Buster Goode

Sam Miller has improved more than any of our freshmen over the course of the year.
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My vote for most improved would be Crosby.

Ready Action · #19 02-13-2016, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer

Sam is clearly playing like a Sophomore now. Not perfect, but much stronger, much more active---filling up the stat sheet. Now looks like a promising player.

Like the saying goes this deep into the season and conference play the freshmen are no longer freshmen. I believe you need to get some game action in order to truly get out of the freshmen mold. Crosby and Miller are way ahead of the other freshmen.

Gazoo · #20 02-13-2016, 08:03 AM

At the beginning of the season Crosby ran around like his feet were on fire and the only way to get water was to get rid of the ball. Like SS when he was a freshman, I now feel comfortable that Crosby will do something reasonable with the ball while he's in there.

TommyGola · #21 02-13-2016, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by Gazoo

At the beginning of the season Crosby ran around like his feet were on fire and the only way to get water was to get rid of the ball. Like SS when he was a freshman, I now feel comfortable that Crosby will do something reasonable with the ball while he's in there.

John Crosby has had some nice minutes. He is a strong kid and that is paying off on the defensive end of the court. He goes to the hoop with abandon on the offensive side. Archie gives his freshmen the green light, no doubt.

Buster Goode · #22 02-13-2016, 09:04 AM

Crosby has improved but in my opinion Miller has contributed more to success and has moved the needle more compared to the start of the season. Back in early December, I thought there was no way Sam was returning here for his sophomore year. Now, he's put together a string of some very nice games and he was a difference in that Duquesne game.
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moville · #23 02-13-2016, 10:37 AM

Hail Gonzaga!

ud69 · #24 02-13-2016, 10:53 AM

How refreshing to be able to talk about player improvement - not just season to season - but game to game. Wasn't always the case.

Jeff · #25 02-13-2016, 11:03 AM

Crosby has come the furthest. Better D, improved ball handling (less TO's), and willing to create. Miller has improved his D, and that's why he's getting more floor time. Also, likely the reason X has not. All of them have a ton of upside...

San Diego Flyer · #26 02-13-2016, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by John C.

You can see that the freshmen are making the same kind of improvements that the current juniors did. Remember, Pollard didn't show much until the tourney.

You have to like the way Miller just reloads.

For sure. This MB has had some nervousness about what life will be like after this Junior class graduates. Little by little we can see Archie's plan developing. Crosby and Sam are the obvious example, but Mikesell has shown what he could be with a year or two in the weight room. And Xeyrius as well. Then add Cunningham, a more developed Steve, and Trey Landers, et al. and this ship is on course to be consistently good when their time comes.

You can't help but sense there is ANOTHER good transfer in Archie's plan. As the saying goes, "It's what he does".

TommyGola · #27 02-13-2016, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer

For sure. This MB has had some nervousness about what life will be like after this Junior class graduates. Little by little we can see Archie's plan developing. Crosby and Sam are the obvious example, but Mikesell has shown what he could be with a year or two in the weight room. And Xeyrius as well. Then add Cunningham, a more developed Steve, and Trey Landers, et al. and this ship is on course to be consistently good when their time comes.

You can't help but sense there is ANOTHER good transfer in Archie's plan. As the saying goes, "It's what he does".

Another point is this - Archie has managed to elevate the program to a national power. That's where we are - top tier team with continuous trips to the NCAA. When this occurs, we become a national recruiting destination, both for transfers and newcomers. Prospective players see how our players are developing and we will become a magnet for talented prospects. This is another reason to thank Archie! At that point, why should he leave...he is the national power at that point!

tirebiter · #28 02-13-2016, 11:43 AM

Upward Spiral!

marco red eagle · #29 02-13-2016, 01:12 PM

Has AM played the freshman this much because he HAS TO or they are playing because he WANTS TO (improve their freshman skills)? Or is this just another normal year when you have 4 new freshman + NCAA qualifier Steve?

For example he could have played Pollard last night ... but saved him .. yes I get we don't understand how injured Pollard is AND Pollard could have injured himself.

IMO he is preparing guys for the long term ... and not for the win for this season. I heard AM say preseason he was going to play the freshman ... for his "improving" personnel goals... he was going to play the freshman. Archie promised and got the UD job saying he was going to improve his players.

EDIT ... I remember AM saying preseason ... he knew he was going to get burnt by playing freshman but that was his plan. He was prepared to "live by the sword or die by the sword".

UDDoug · #30 02-13-2016, 01:13 PM

In terms of what it means to the team, I think Crosby has come further. You can now put him out on the floor for 10 to 15 minutes and have reasonable confidence the offense will continue to run reasonably effectively and he will make decent decisions with the ball.

That is critical because it gives Scoochie the opportunity to play 25 to 30 minutes, and not 40. At the pace the offense needs to run that's essential.

If Crosby were still the Crosby of the beginning of the season, we would have to be looking at DD for backup point guard minutes. And that hasn't been pretty.

Miller has come a long way though. There are just other options

frisco flyer · #31 02-13-2016, 01:30 PM

Early in the year, the freshmen got meaningful minutes. Archie played them in close games and put them in when games were on the line. This is especially true with Crosby. There was an awful lot of complaining on this board about him and even about Archie giving him so many minutes. It has paid off. I think Archie knew his players better than most, and knew that in order for us to reach our potential as a team they will have to progress and contribute. Not only is Crosby making excellent contributions, but I also reckon that Scoochie would not be nearly as effective without him.

Things couldn't have come together much better than this. Not only does the fan base believe we have a shot at the Final Four, but the national media seem to believe it too. If Archie had it in his mind that he needs to go to a P5 school to get to the next level, I think the success of this team could help convince him otherwise, and make him want to stay here for the long haul.