Hugley and Gueye

[Gunga_Galunga]

Too lazy to find the thread where someone was asking if anyone has seen Hugley and if he was in shape. This is from the Pitt BB twitter account. I know it's only a practice dunk, but he looks like he took care of himself during his time off. Gueye's got some hops.

 

[wbrpanther]

Too lazy to find the thread where someone was asking if anyone has seen Hugley and if he was in shape. This is from the Pitt BB twitter account. I know it's only a practice dunk, but he looks like he took care of himself during his time off. Gueye's got some hops.

View embedded media

One of the reasons I am more optimistic about this coming year is I believe we will have a much better inside presence this year. That has been a major shortcoming for a good while now. I am not talking about getting 20-30 points out of the 5 this year. More talking about rebounds, defense and shot blocking.

 

[Pitt2006]

We need aggressiveness offensively. Go for the jam and get fouled versus a dribble allowing defenders to close causing a rushed shot. I am cautiously optimistic. Not expecting a ton of production, but even near average stats would be welcome and likely result in all around team play.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Meanwhile......the tool used to measure AKC's vertical jump.

 

[CaPAPITT76]

Too lazy to find the thread where someone was asking if anyone has seen Hugley and if he was in shape. This is from the Pitt BB twitter account. I know it's only a practice dunk, but he looks like he took care of himself during his time off. Gueye's got some hops.

View embedded media

Now that looks like a big young man playing not a freshman any more

 

[CaptainMurphy]

One of the reasons I am more optimistic about this coming year is I believe we will have a much better inside presence this year. That has been a major shortcoming for a good while now. I am not talking about getting 20-30 points out of the 5 this year. More talking about rebounds, defense and shot blocking.

Yep. You've got to have strength all around to be good. Last year we had solid play from the wing, inconsistent play from our guards, and almost nothing from our bigs. Teams could exploit that and shut down our best player with extra attention. This year I expect solid guard play and inconsistency from the wing and bigs. But not having that black hole in the middle should go a long way to solving some issues.

 

[H2PisIT]

Yep. You've got to have strength all around to be good. Last year we had solid play from the wing, inconsistent play from our guards, and almost nothing from our bigs. This year I expect solid guard play and inconsistency from the wing and bigs. But not having that black hole in the middle should go a long way to solving some issues.

I agree. And I expect a big step forward from Collier. Especially at the 4 with Hugley/Mo G at the 5. Plenty of depth amongst the bigs in 2021

 

[PittMBA]

One of the reasons I am more optimistic about this coming year is I believe we will have a much better inside presence this year. That has been a major shortcoming for a good while now. I am not talking about getting 20-30 points out of the 5 this year. More talking about rebounds, defense and shot blocking.

I’m cautiously optimistic— cautious as Hugley is still very early in his development and its not obvious Guye will be a major upgrade over Brown/AKc. My sense is he will be - but certainly not a given.

I think we’ll have more capable defensive rebounders. At times last season it felt like Champagnie was the only willing rebounder we had. The transfer from Oakland, Payton, Guye, Hugley, Collier , Jeffress seem like a deeper group - at least on the glass - than our recent teams.

 

[H2PisIT]

The Oakland Zoo loves tough defense, rebounding, steals, and blocks. I see them being a fired up bunch of co-eds. Might help us get a couple of extra wins.

 

[thebadby2]

Hugs appears to be vertically challenged from that clip. Gueye not so much.

Given how much effort it appears to take the big fella to dunk uncontested off a running start, I’m sure Hugs’ standing 2 foot vertical would be telephone book material.

That doesn’t really matter as long as he knows how to use his size to create space.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Hugs appears to be vertically challenged from that clip. Gueye not so much.

Given how much effort it appears to take the big fella to dunk uncontested off a running start, I’m sure Hugs’ standing 2 foot vertical would be telephone book material.

That doesn’t really matter as long as he knows how to use his size to create space.

Hard to tell that from the angle provided and camera placement.

 

[WeaverIsComing]

Hard to tell that from the angle provided and camera placement.

Hes playing so far below the rim that hes afraid of the ball hitting his face

 

[Jeffburgh]

Yeah, Hugs isnt Charles Barkley.

But, can be effective with good ball skills and feel.

Hopefully he stays healthy and we have a chance to see how he progresses.

 

[thebadby2]

Hard to tell that from the angle provided and camera placement.

Not really. Watch him then watch Gueye.

Like I said, with Hugs size and physique, as long as he knows how to use his body to create space, his vertical is not important.

he’s just not gonna make many SportsCenter PODs.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Hugs appears to be vertically challenged from that clip. Gueye not so much.

Given how much effort it appears to take the big fella to dunk uncontested off a running start, I’m sure Hugs’ standing 2 foot vertical would be telephone book material.

That doesn’t really matter as long as he knows how to use his size to create space.

well we have a center who can actually dunk, unlike last year. So that's nice..

 

[thebadby2]

well we have a center who can actually dunk, unlike last year. So that's nice..

How often does your center get a running start at the rim in a live game?

I don’t think he’ll be a big upgrade athletically. I do expect him to be a big upgrade as a basketball player. He comes with a much better pedigree than the others.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Not really. Watch him then watch Gueye.

Like I said, with Hugs size and physique, as long as he knows how to use his body to create space, his vertical is not important.

he’s just not gonna make many SportsCenter PODs.

I mean, he's coming from the other side of the basket where as we get a side view from Gueye. Not trying to argue, just saying I wouldn't take that as a 1:1 comparison as you can't really tell where he took off from.

 

[Hailpitt]

Funny stuff! You guys analyzing the video like it’s the Zapruder film.

 

[thebadby2]

Funny stuff! You guys analyzing the video like it’s the Zapruder film.

LOL. I simply looked at the clip and my immediate impression was that Hugs can barely get off the floor. For reasons I can't fathom, Murph then got all forensic with it to try to say otherwise.

The guy has lead legs. He's a below the rim player. That's very obvious from the clip. That also is not any reflection on his abilities as a basketball player, but it is certainly a reflection as to his athleticism. This is not a Dejuan Blair type big man athletically.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I know this doesn't say much but Hugley will be Pitt's Best Center since Gary McGhee (not including 1 year of Adams and Zanna/Young playing out of position)

 

[thebadby2]

I know this doesn't say much but Hugley will be Pitt's Best Center since Gary McGhee (not including 1 year of Adams and Zanna/Young playing out of position)

I sure hope so. He has the best credentials of any big man we’ve had in a long time. He is really just getting started so he might not be very impactful this season but he has plenty of time to develop into an impact post man.

 

[pittchagg]

I know this doesn't say much but Hugley will be Pitt's Best Center since Gary McGhee (not including 1 year of Adams and Zanna/Young playing out of position)

Your continued Talib Zanna disrespect is mystifying. Zanna was the perfect ACC five, and the production backed that up - he wasn't remotely playing out of position.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I sure hope so. He has the best credentials of any big man we’ve had in a long time. He is really just getting started so he might not be very impactful this season but he has plenty of time to develop into an impact post man.

I've said it before... I think he's a slightly shorter version of Kerry Blackshear. I think he'll develop a similar type of game. If he can produce like Blackshear then we'll al be very happy.

 

[thebadby2]

Your continued Talib Zanna disrespect is mystifying. Zanna was the perfect ACC five, and the production backed that up - he wasn't remotely playing out of position.

I always felt he was more of a 4 playing out of position at the 5 out of necessity after Adams split. He was a good player for sure but a little soft in the post. He (and the team) would have benefited enormously from having Adams around one more season. That would have been one hell of a frontcourt--add Birch who should have been there too, and it would have been the best in the country especially defensively and with rebounding. Adams leaving after a year and Birch bailing mid-season as a promising freshman may have had a lot to do with the demise of Pitt basketball and what could have been.

 

[pittchagg]

I always felt he was more of a 4 playing out of position at the 5 out of necessity after Adams split. He was a good player for sure but a little soft in the post. He (and the team) would have benefited enormously from having Adams around one more season. That would have been one hell of a frontcourt--add Birch who should have been there too, and it would have been the best in the country especially defensively and with rebounding. Adams leaving after a year and Birch bailing mid-season as a promising freshman may have had a lot to do with the demise of Pitt basketball and what could have been.

I don't think he was soft at all, at least not as an upperclassman. He was one of the best overall defenders and rebounders in the ACC as a redshirt senior, despite not being an elite shot blocker. Add the defensive ability with him being one of the most efficient scorers Pitt has had since joining the ACC. He might have been more of a 4 in the Big East, but he was a very high level ACC 5.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I know this doesn't say much but Hugley will be Pitt's Best Center since Gary McGhee (not including 1 year of Adams and Zanna/Young playing out of position)

Translation: If we exclude everyone who was better than Hugley, Hugley is the best!

 

[thebadby2]

I've said it before... I think he's a slightly shorter version of Kerry Blackshear. I think he'll develop a similar type of game. If he can produce like Blackshear then we'll al be very happy.

I haven’t seen enough of Hugs to have much of an idea of what his skill set and overall game looks like. Maybe you have-what’s the basis for your comparison to Blackshear beyond physical similarity? I’d take a Blackshear-esque post man in a second.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

So hughely is still a freshman eligibility wise, right? Still has 4 years at pitt (hopefully)?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Your continued Talib Zanna disrespect is mystifying. Zanna was the perfect ACC five, and the production backed that up - he wasn't remotely playing out of position.

Zanna was an above average ACC 5 but he only played there because he had to. He was a 4.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

So hughely is still a freshman eligibility wise, right? Still has 4 years at pitt (hopefully)?

Covid year so yes, still 4 years left

 

[joeydavid]

Your continued Talib Zanna disrespect is mystifying. Zanna was the perfect ACC five, and the production backed that up - he wasn't remotely playing out of position.

I found pictures are more effective with SMF...

 

[joeydavid]

Your continued Talib Zanna disrespect is mystifying. Zanna was the perfect ACC five, and the production backed that up - he wasn't remotely playing out of position.

I found pictures are more effective with SMF...

 

[joeydavid]

I haven’t seen enough of Hugs to have much of an idea of what his skill set and overall game looks like. Maybe you have-what’s the basis for your comparison to Blackshear beyond physical similarity? I’d take a Blackshear-esque post man in a second.

He will likely be a 9 and 7 type of big next season which will be a big improvement for that position.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

He will likely be a 9 and 7 type of big next season which will be a big improvement for that position.

If he gets us 9 and 7 then everyone should be ecstatic with him.

Not pleased or happy, ecstatic.

 

[thebadby2]

If he gets us 9 and 7 then everyone should be ecstatic with him.

Not pleased or happy, ecstatic.

9 and 7 in his first full year? Hell yeah I’ll take that.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I haven’t seen enough of Hugs to have much of an idea of what his skill set and overall game looks like. Maybe you have-what’s the basis for your comparison to Blackshear beyond physical similarity? I’d take a Blackshear-esque post man in a second.

Physical similarity and style of game. Just from what I've seen so far in the minimal Pitt time and his HS highlights. First guy I thought of while watching him. Not overly athletic, but uses body well to get position. Good hands, can catch and pass. Can extend his game away from the basket. Not overly physical, but willing to bang.

 

[Chescat]

If he gets us 9 and 7 then everyone should be ecstatic with him.

Not pleased or happy, ecstatic.

9 and 7 would be incredible
given where we were last yr.
Here's an example; against
Miami in the ACC tourney
our bigs were useless.
Coulibaly played 22 minutes
and was O'fer....0 pts, and
0 rebounds. Brown in 11 min.
had 0 pts. and 3 rebounds.
Let those stats remain in
your head for awhile! LOL
We only lost 79-73. Miami
outscored us by 4 in the
1st half and by 2 in the 2nd.
Sibande and Odukale both
went over the 20 mark.
Those #'rs by our bigs defy
reason.

9 and 7 by Hugley plus
whatever Gueye gives us
obviously would make
our inside game drantically
better.

 

[joeydavid]

9 and 7 would be incredible
given where we were last yr.
Here's an example; against
Miami in the ACC tourney
our bigs were useless.
Coulibaly played 22 minutes
and was O'fer....0 pts, and
0 rebounds. Brown in 11 min.
had 0 pts. and 3 rebounds.
Let those stats remain in
your head for awhile! LOL
We only lost 79-73. Miami
outscored us by 4 in the
1st half and by 2 in the 2nd.
Sibande and Odukale both
went over the 20 mark.
Those #'rs by our bigs defy
reason.

9 and 7 by Hugley plus
whatever Gueye gives us
obviously would make
our inside game drantically
better.

Hugley was at 5 and 4 in just under 15 minutes. His suspension was a pretty big deal last year as he seemed to be getting more comfortable in ACC play. In his last game verses Louisville he went 7 and 7 while playing 24 minutes. I would expect him to average around 24 minutes. Hopefully a full year later, his conditioning will allow that to happen.

 

[Chescat]

Hugley was at 5 and 4 in just under 15 minutes. His suspension was a pretty big deal last year as he seemed to be getting more comfortable in ACC play. In his last game verses Louisville he went 7 and 7 while playing 24 minutes. I would expect him to average around 24 minutes. Hopefully a full year later, his conditioning will allow that to happen.

I hope you're right. We
were so bad inside, that
almost anything would be
an improvement.

What I hope Hugley does
is play with a chip on his
shoulder, while showing
his off court violation was
not who he is. Hopefully
he's working his ass off
in this off season. He has
a great second chance
opportunity that most
people in life do not get.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Hugley was at 5 and 4 in just under 15 minutes. His suspension was a pretty big deal last year as he seemed to be getting more comfortable in ACC play. In his last game verses Louisville he went 7 and 7 while playing 24 minutes. I would expect him to average around 24 minutes. Hopefully a full year later, his conditioning will allow that to happen.

There are clearly things to be optimistic about with him.

Big John's OR rebound percentage and DR rebound percentage were 12.6 and 19.9. Those are decent numbers for a freshmen with a limited sample size rebounding on both ends. Again, the sample size is small, but he did play against 3 Power 6 teams plus an NCAA Tournament team in Drexel. He is a far better rebounder than AKC and Brown and that will improve next year.

Another thing with Big John is, he was shooting 56% in the interior last year which is a strong number for a freshmen big. Now if you look at his overall shooting percentage, it was 39% for the year. The reason that is so low, is because John's midrange and 3 point shooting was a horrific 7.5%. Now in high school and the EYBL Big John was a pretty strong 3 point shooter and steady free throw shooter. That didn't transfer over last year as a freshmen playing limited games, but I think it is very safe to assume that John is going to shoot way better than 7% from the midrange and from 3 for an entire season next year. He was pushing almost 40% from 3 in high school. His finishing in the interior at a strong shooting percentage is a great sign for future production there.

Lastly, John was a terrific passer coming out of high school. We saw none of that last year, both because he played in limited games, and because Xavier Johnson dominated the basketball and the usage. Next year, I fully expect John to be used way more in the offense and I think it would be wise to get him some low post isolation and let him make a play or pass to an open man.

Looking as John's full season advanced stats are also skewed. He played a really, really bad game against St. Francis in his first game of the season where he was 3-10 shooting with 4 turnovers. The next 6 games he played, he had 4 total turnovers combined. So his full season numbers are looking really bad because of the first game. I think the odds would have been strong that, given the chance, Big John's numbers would have looked a lot better as the season progressed just like Femi's got better as the season progressed. I think he is going to be the 2nd biggest breakout player next year behind Femi and will be one of the top acc breakout players next year.