What exactly are my expectstions? I’m not predicting a top 3 finish or a sweet sixteen.

This discussion concerns whether Holt is capable of being a serviceable backup for 10 minutes at the 4/5 spots.

I hope that TC & staff are busy teaching all these young players how to set LEGAL screens for the shooters, and how the shooters should use the screens to get open for a shot. I don’t see any opponent just standing around watching these guys jack up 3’s–shots will be contested. Last year’s team excelled at setting moving screens, but couldn’t do a legal one very well or very often.

Didn’t you also predict that the Edsel would become Ford’s all time best seller, that Anna Nicole would marry for money and that LeBron would stay in Miami? jk

Whenever HMP gets on the floor in MS Valley State game, it probably won’t take 5 minutes to gauge the length of the leash TC has on him. He has let several players “play through lapses” in previous years…

Your numbers = 90 if you include the 5 Troy spends at the 3. 85 if those minutes are included in his 30. I tend to think that when the B1G season begins, we will see a more traditional PG-SG-SF-PF-PF lineup on the court for major minutes. IF TF relies upon 3 guards, Troy and somebody else for a majority of minutes, I believe the magazines will have accurately placed us. We have too much inexperience and only 6 guys with any D1-level game. Temper your expectations…

The 2003 Marquette team (Final Four) started 2 players 6’10”, 1 at 6’7″, 1 at 6″5 and 1 at 6’1″…this a “small team”??

Maybe as a ruler for fans. I would guess coaches and scouts are much better versed at gauging how a kid will perform and fit in with the system. I understand the two are inter-connected, but I think way too much is invested in a number.

On another note, how does the poor kid find long-sleeve shirts that fit?! ; ]

I’m certainly impressed. No question about that. AAU or not a finalist for NY Mr. Basketball isn’t completely overlooked. Usually, in these situations, you hear that there was a late growth spurt.

See above quote per Rick Bozich – he’s unbiased and actually seen Holt in person. Not just basing an opinion off rankings.

More evidence (crazy pills?) per Rick Bozich (Alex’s father) among his 5 takeaways from watching practice yesterday.

“4. Emmitt Holt was a solid late pick-up – Crean did not finish his 2014 recruiting class until August, when IU added Holt, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Webster, N. Y.

Don’t expect Holt to deliver big numbers this season. But he should be able to provide 8-to-12 minutes per game as a back-up to Devin Davis and Williams at forward.

His shot and ball-handling need work, but Holt has the shoulders and resolve to try to score through contact. He also has the wingspan to rebound.”

I read nothing in Mr. Popp’s statement that indicates EH will be a serviceable post player in the B1G his freshman year. Just that BCS schools would have been involved after a year of prep. Also, I wouldn’t consider Popp the most objective source, considering he is talking about a kid he had expected to coach.
Yes, I understand the Emmitt Smith theory is silly. It was tongue and cheek. It’s just that the expectations on this board for EH make no sense whatsoever. The truth is April, Priller, and Holt were never part of our recruiting plan. They were each last available grabs to fill out our roster, which was severly depleted due to Crean’s misses on several other recruits and the mass exodus that occurred last year.
My guess is that like most other unheralded Freshman, EH plays spot minutes this year and next, and then potentially develops into a player in year 3 or 4, OR he is not B1G caliber and transfers to a low major.

Yeah, I think “the freedom to make mistakes” is crucial, as you say. HannerTime Hoosier also recently said something about that, allowing him to play through his “lapses”.

But what we do know is that he performed against elite high school talent in the EYBL tourney and performed admirably. That, to me, is the biggest sign that he is capable of contributing for 10 mpg. Re-read the quote from the prep school coach who expected to have him:

“He was a hidden gem,” Popp explained. “He didn’t play on the EYBL with City Rocks until after he graduated high school. If he would have been at Vermont (Academy), he certainly would have had some other BCS schools involved, there’s no doubt.”

Is he taking crazy pills too?

Btw, your Emmitt theory is just laughable. I never once compared his impact to Vonleh either – no need to put words in my mouth. Once again, the word I used is “serviceable.” Big difference from being the B1G leading rebounder and future lottery pick vs. a minor role player.

The gist of it is that his YouTube highlight reels, the collective hype around The Movement, bad luck (9 game suspension), immaturity (DWI) and more bad luck (Canada passport) have all contributed to HMP’s inability to meet the expectations I had for him. And yes, @disqus_g9Yt6nqHCa:disqus, his HS ranking certainly played a role as well.

Court awareness, or lack thereof, is probably my biggest issue. He has all the physical tools of course, but it hasn’t translated with the exception of his performance against OSU last year. But maybe that’s just it – maybe he just needs to know no one is looking over his shoulder, that he has the freedom to make mistakes. Part of that is coaching as well. If you know you have a short leash, that added pressure makes you think too much as opposed to playing on instinct. I think the game will slow down for him immensely this season.

And if you check out the Forum, Jordan Littman has some great observations from teammates after attending practice. Believe Alex will have some input as well after attending practice yesterday.

The ranking are not always accurate, but they are probably the best indicator we have of whether a kid will be successful on this level. They are not perfect, but they absolutely have a significant correlation as to how a kid will perform in college.

We don’t know what assumptions other high majors were under regarding Holt. What we do know is the only offers he received were from low, low majors. I just think it is a little unrealistic to think that a kid that was only offered by schools like Fairfield and Towson is going to come in as a B1G ready post player. Again, am I taking crazy pills? We have had kids that were much more highly ranked that had no business on the Court their freshman year.
I have a theory that because his name is Emmitt (like one of the greatest athletes to ever live), our fans are looking past all the other indicators suggesting he will have to be developed over time, and just assuming we found a Noah Vonleh that every other major in the country failed to offer.

Perea was highly overrated coming out and guys like oladipo weren’t even on the radar. An arbitrary number next to a teenager’s name holds very little bearing as to how they will perform against real competition in college.

Yea to add on more to what they’re saying that rankings don’t matter much, there are a lot of things you can’t measure or acutely display in a highlight reel that often get left out of rankings. Things such as leadership, intelligence, coordination, hustle, confidence and much more. I think Holt possesses lots of these qualities with a college ready body. At the end of the day all we need from him is to do some dirty work and I think he is the kind of player who can thrive in that role.