PonyFans.com

Is he strictly a shot blocker with no offensive skill? What can we expect?

No, he can shoot a little, and he's a better runner than I anticipated when we signed him. He'll even go inside and grab some boards (although at 7-1 or 7-2, you'd think he could reach over everyone from mid-court and get some boards). He's better than I thought he'd be.

his lateral movement and foot quickness is very good. That has been obvious since he played that Espn game against Derrick Caracter last February. I hear he has decent hands and a decent shot, but I have not witnessed it yet. Mostly, I think he will be a pretty effective defensive presence if we can surround him with a guy that can bang with people...ala Brian Morris. Shot blocking/altering is a dimension we have not had in a long time.

And our perimeter guys will be able to go after the ball harder outside, because they know there will be a big-time shot blocker waiting back there. Having Fall inside should help the defense in the paint and on the perimeter.

I guess the heading could be taken two ways, but I am speaking about the stress fracture in his back.

Noone would be happier than I if there are no problems, and if he would be the presence that would help us to have success this year. Coupled with Bhop's return that is a possibility.

I remember that when he first gave us an oral commitment that there were those who felt we should red-shirt him right away for this year,
beef and muscle him up some, and teach him some offense. I am just
raising the question - Why activate him now after he has already missed
8 games and he may still further aggravate his back. Would it not be better to rest him this year and get him totally well (if his back still has
a problem) and put some weight and strength on that big frame?

Or - is he good enough to help us win several games that we might not
win without him?

It would be a shame to waste one year of eligibility if he hurts his back again or if we don't win those hypothetical games mentioned above.
I am prepared to trust Tubbs on this one - so his newspaper quotes seem to be saying that Bamba will play in the Harvard game and for the rest of the season. If any of you have any more information that would impact
the main question, please comment. XTC, Stampede, or Hoops Fan- do you have the gospel?

Any truth to the rumor that he might play against Harvard?

one thing you have to realize is that not many guys actually redshirt their freshman year.. and you must remember that he went to Oak Hill Academy... I am not sure of his age, but most guys that go there go there as a 5th yr sr... so if we redshirted him, he might be a junior (age wise) again i do not know his age, but this is a strong possibility due to the normalcy at Oak Hill Academy..

DallasDiehard wrote:Any truth to the rumor that he might play against Harvard?

Yes. Just watching him in the game for the first time, and our guards pressed and dared Harvard to go into the middle. Two nice blocks in his first 5 minutes, looks huge and coordinated. Very promising. ONly 5 minutes, and against a small, bad team, but promising.

the haters will say 'so what, it was Harvard'. But if you dont think Bamba brings something to the floor now and has bigger potential, youre crazy. He showed good movement, even better than I expected from seeing him on tv last year. He also looks to set picks constantly and is good at it. When you have a big man who is instinctively active and can move, that is half the battle. He has good hands but his is slow getting his shot up and away. That is probably due to lack of upper body strength. But did anybody else see Morris bang with his man and Bamba come from the weak side to block and/or alter several shots? That is what Bamba can do all day long when you pair him with a guy who can body people down low and hold them off for a second. Bamba and Morris have alot of potential as a frontcourt.

Who cares what the haters say -- he was impressive. EXTREMELY raw on the offensive end, but impressive. He had three blocks, one goaltending (I like the aggressiveness) and altered a ton of shots. Even if he doesn't score a single point, he changes the flow on the defensive end. Long way to go, but a lot to be encouraged about. A lot.

When he first came into the game and almost turned the ball over the first time he touched the ball on offense I was concerned, but he erased that concern very quickly. Blocked shots are like dunks, big crowd pleasers and we haven't had many on our side in a long time. I like his attitude. He plays with calm aggression and confidence ulike the Rack who tends to flail around and miss easy layups by not playing a little more in control. Another big plus was watching him make 3 of 4 free throws. I also concur with Hoop Fan regarding Brian Morris. He is improving every game and he also plays very calm and strong. If he gets the ball under the basket he makes the layup.

In fairness to Harvard, they started the season 5-0 before their 7' center Brian Cusworth broke his hand and has missed their last 6 games. They are still a better team than several of the cupcakes we have played this year, so there is reason for optimisim about last nights performance.