Zoubek

[ehdg]

I must concur Z is really showing some good improvment from earlier in the sason. He also set a nice pick on Paulus's drive for a layup in the second half. He sealed off two defenders so Paulus could get to the basket. He's showing some good hustle also on loose balls and not afraid to dive on the floor for the ball. I think he's going to be good once he gets stronger specially in his lower body.

[unwrinkled ear]

I actually thought Zoubek was a huge bonus last nite. Along with Henderson when we were down, he seemed like one of the only people on the court who moved on offense like he thought we would actually score on each possession. He grabbed an important rebound, he made both of his foul shots the second time he was fouled and I thought he played good D when he was in.
I was dissapointed to see him benched frankly, because from my perspective he was playing with more positivity and energy than Josh.

Henderson obviously was the best thing on the court for us during the second half. He wasn't only making plays; he was inspiring them - Paulus' dribble drive, etc.

My concern about the way we played last night is that it seemed like we only had one offensive player alive for each possession. Either it was Greg or Demarcus or GH or Scheyer - but TEAM movement seemed to be lacking - we didn't have even TWO guys moving crisply on a possession.

[Zeke]

I really wish Z had gotten more experience earlier in the year. The double dribbles should have been addressed in Oct - not Feb. and timing issues would have disapeared by now. I really like the Z and McRoberts combination.

[dball]

Brian if I'm not mistaken is 18.

Bowers and Ibekwe are 21 and Osby nearly so.

Sometimes it helps to think about ages and not just class. For example, Hansbrough is 21 when the season starts compared to Josh's 19.

With big guys particularly, I think age is significant. While there is the occasional phenom like Lebron who has a "man's" body at 18, most guys work into it. Usually, the bigger the guy, the longer it takes to develop and my feeling is Z is coming along in a terrific manner.

[grossbus]

"he made both of his foul shots the second time he was fouled"

no he didn't. he missed the 2nd. he was 1-3 from the foul line.

[MarcStarnes]

It is easy to see the cup as half empty, but Zoubek is contributing more and more, and he will be important to the team next year.

We are fortunate to have him on our team.

[Clipsfan]

I agree with the posters who think that Z will get better with time, and especially with those who think that he adds some good things now. It's true that he has been called for many travels in other games, but I've always thought that his feet move because he gets shoved/can't hold position. I think we need him out there.

As for some of your assertions, such as FT shooting, I think you're obviously just trying to be overly negative. He shoots the same percentage as Josh, and a much better one than guys like David or Markie. He's not bad for a big guy, and actually has a nice stroke. I'd rather see him at the line than much of the team (which gets to one of our problems, this team does NOT shoot FTs well).

[siestadogz]

I also thought Zoubek helped defensively. With Zoubek and Henderson in the game, Duke erased an eleven point lead. When they were removed, Maryland resumed its charge to the basket.

[Dukefan4Life]

I think Z will be ok, he looks a little clumsy out there sometimes but overall i think he will be good for us. we just need to get him the ball in the post a bit more and he needs to work on his footwork and catching the ball inside

[duke86]

Actually, Z did a few good things throughout the game. He had some key rebounds, when it seemed like rebounding was becoming a pain for the team. He scored three points in 11 minutes of playing time...three points is three points. I think it is unfair to single him out for turnovers for the MD game when there were a lot of problems on the O and D for this team. Jon missed some baskets, didn't get back on D sometimes. The one thing that I can tell about Z, since I have had the honor to watch him in high school when I was out visiting family in South Jersey, is that he is a fighter, team player, and he hustles! He runs up and down that court no matter what. Z is always playing with spirit and passion, which is GREAT, and which is why the fans LOVE him! I think, Dickie V was right when he said he needs to just work on those legs and he'll be great!

There are a lot of things to pick apart from this game, but I really think attacking every single person is just a bad call. It was a TEAM loss. Z didn't lose the game for us.

9-7 Baby!!! GO DUKE BEAT CAROLINA!!!!

[arnie]

I also agree that the original poster was too harsh - but, I think overall most of our posters are overly optimistic. Maybe that is the nature of these boards. If Zoubek was going to be a strong player for us in the future, I think we would see more signs of that by now. Yes, he will likely be serviceable, possibly similar to Shav. The potential for this group of players (for this year and the next several years) is high, but not likely Final 4 potential. The speed, ball-handling and overall point guard abilities are not that strong. In fact, we sort of play without a true point guard since Paulus has developed more as a shooting guard.

When a team has so few assists (I believe no player had more than 2 last night) it is difficult to beat the strong, quick teams. Maryland has become one of those teams. Hopefully, we can add a Patrick Patterson inside (a true beast!) and find speed at the point guard position - these are the assets we need in the next 1-2 years to climb back to our expected pinnacle. In the next few weeks it's not so bad "pulling" for a team in which the expectations are not that high. We might suprise some teams and for those of us that remember the early to mid 70's, at least we are part of the program.

[RepoMan]

Goodness.

Zoubek is light years ahead of what I expected. In relation to a typical Duke recruit, he was not highly touted coming out of high school. He is a young big guy with modest athleticism at best. Guys like that always take time to develop. He has improved enough during the season to earn over ten minutes of PT in a big game against a rival in the home stretch of the season.

Frankly, he has substantially exceeded expectations this season and is on-course to have a very productive career.

[dukelion]

In case anyone didn't notice but it was when Z was in the game that we made our second half comeback from being down 12 points.

Yes he had a costly turnover but he played great on defense. He altered at least three shots did well on the boards.

Offensively at least he is an aption to score. This teams biggest problem is scoring points (and transition defense) so having McClure split time with Thomas really hurts them.

McClure and Thomas combined for 2 points last night while Z had three in oly 11 minutes. He also drew a number of fouls because he's just so darn big and active under the basket.

At least he actualy posts up and looks for the ball while McClure and Thomas look to pass before they even receive the ball.

Especially with Josh prefering to play the point forward position it only makes sense for Z to get more minutes along side of him.

I love McClure but Z offers more offensive potential and at times Z does a better job altering shots of penetrating guards.

I really hope Z continues to get a legitimate 10 mins a game.

[Channing]

In case anyone didn't notice but it was when Z was in the game that we made our second half comeback from being down 12 points.

Yes he had a costly turnover but he played great on defense. He altered at least three shots did well on the boards.

Offensively at least he is an aption to score. This teams biggest problem is scoring points (and transition defense) so having McClure split time with Thomas really hurts them.

McClure and Thomas combined for 2 points last night while Z had three in oly 11 minutes. He also drew a number of fouls because he's just so darn big and active under the basket.

At least he actualy posts up and looks for the ball while McClure and Thomas look to pass before they even receive the ball.

Especially with Josh prefering to play the point forward position it only makes sense for Z to get more minutes along side of him.

I love McClure but Z offers more offensive potential and at times Z does a better job altering shots of penetrating guards.

I really hope Z continues to get a legitimate 10 mins a game.

Great Post. I agree, Zoubek played well, and with just a little more confidence on offense i think he will be very valuable.

[DukieUGA]

i too have wondered why people have ripped on Z so much, i thought he played well, at least better than other games recently. The one point some people ripped on him for (and some have come to his defense) was when he lost the ball in the 2nd half. A) no one moved or gave him options for passing which forced him to hold onto the ball B) the ball was not stripped cleanly but rather got part of Z, now when the hand is on the ball they are one and the same, but it looked like Vasquez(?) got part of Z's arm on that play. Z's about a half-second away from being quite a beast, in that if he could make a move to the rim (withe intention of scoring or not) a half-second quicker he would a) not allow the defender to push him further away b) prevent double-teams c) prevent people from taking the ball away d) give the refs 1/2 second less time to call a travel on him (which they seem to LOVE to do) e) pick up some fouls on the defenders and f) force the D to react to him rather than vice-versa. I don't see Z as a "lost cause" or a "waste of a recruit", i see him as a Fr. 7-footer who needs some time to develop. He shows more touch around the rim than McRoberts does but also less experience and less quickness. With some more strength and 1 or 2 solid post moves, Z could be a very good center as a Jr. and Sr.

[Bob Green]

Zoubek played a solid 11 minutes. I agree that he should continue to see 10 plus minutes a game as he is gaining invaluable experience. I am optimistic that he will improve over the summer and be a much better player next year. Hopefully, he gains strength and confidence. By his Junior year, watch out, he has the potential to be a beast in the low post. IMO, Zoubek could become the center piece of a dominant basketball team over the next two, three years. The current roster combined with the incoming class has all the pieces and a strong 7'1" low post presence is a nice piece to have.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[Zeke]

If you look at Z's stats per minute played they are darn good. The one exception being the TO problem. I would love to see him get the ball low turn and shoot - just a couple times. I hate it when either he or Josh get the ball low, hold it, dribble a few times and get swarmed on.

[imagepro]

after the game to Coach Dawkins on the call in show. you are so right in the observation that Zou was a big factor in our comeback from 12 down. He made one mistake, was benched and Maryland immediately POUNDED us inside. PLAY Josh and ZOU together!