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Askia Booker 2013-2014 Preview

RealMatSmith

Member
Here's someone's somewhat apt piece on Askia Booker for the upcoming season. He's obviously right though, if Ski can become more efficient with his shot selection then we should begin to see improvements. However the real key for Ski is getting him on the same page with Spencer. If that doesn't happen, Ski may not play as big of a role as he is capable of this year.

http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-bask...ffaloes-askia-booker-for-the-upcoming-season/
 
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do you guys think its set in stone that Askia starts at the 2 again this year? I think everyone can agree he definitely regressed from his freshman year where he came off the bench. Is the notion of bringing him off the bench that far off?
 
I'll gladly come to Ski's defense here. Yes, his shot/offense wasn't there in Pac-12 play last season. However, I believe he has a unique skill set that can make the team really hard to defend. When he's on he can be devastating from the perimeter and a constant threat to get to the rack despite his diminutive size.

He stated that he now understands the role his mentality plays in his success. If his head is in the right place when things start to go wrong on the offensive end the cold spells won't last so long.

It's hard to imaging any of the freshmen wings taking his starting spot from him, especially at the beginning of the season.
 
Black&Yella said:
do you guys think its set in stone that Askia starts at the 2 again this year? I think everyone can agree he definitely regressed from his freshman year where he came off the bench. Is the notion of bringing him off the bench that far off?
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I think he deserves to be the starter, at the beginning of the season. If he's struggling though, I think there are other options off the bench.
 
You know I thought there was no way Tad would let someone start over him, but he did let XJ start over Chen later in the season. So it would not be unprecedented.
 
I am a Ski fan. Some may even say I'm a Ski apologist. But the guy does some things on a basketball court that are simply special. Something really underrated is his passing. He makes some sick dishes in traffic.

I'm looking forward to him getting his FG% over 40 this year, getting to the line more, hitting a high FT%, and making a big step up in his assist numbers. He's going to have it all come together this season and give the Buffs the best backcourt in the Pac-12.
 
rolandftw said:
I think he deserves to be the starter, at the beginning of the season. If he's struggling though, I think there are other options off the bench.
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I tend to agree with this line of thinking. However, if this happens, it'll be interesting to see if Ski can regain that "sparkplug" mojo he showed in his frosh year.
 
Well Tad has spoken: in a great interview with College Hoops Journal (that I encourage everybody to read), he dropped this.

CHJ: Who were some guys who really stood out as leaders during the sessions this year?
TB: “Our two most experienced players are Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker. They’ve got to lead this team. They’re our starting backcourt
 
Ski is a really good player who needs to play within himself. Also, having more weapons around him will help as well. I really look forward to watching him grow this year.
 
Ski, is a difference maker. When he is on, he is one of the top SG's in the nation IMO. He can pass extremely well and can score in bunches. Its a matter of him staying within himself and within the team. He showed a lot of "Me" mentality last year.
 
Shldr2Shldr said:
Ski, is a difference maker. When he is on, he is one of the top SG's in the nation IMO. He can pass extremely well and can score in bunches. Its a matter of him staying within himself and within the team. He showed a lot of "Me" mentality last year.
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I think he had to. Our team didn't not have many scoring options last year. If he takes better shots this year, he can have a huge impact for us. We just need the perimeter threat because there is hardly anyone that can stick with him when he drives.
 
I've never been a fan of his but I do agree he is essentially the X factor this year. We need him to step up and hit clutch FTs and buckets at the end of games. I've been down on his PG ability but I will gladly eat crow if he turns it up in that department.

Either way, last year's Nuggets team was the most fun I've ever had watching basketball. I think CU has something special and could top it this season. CAN'T WAIT -Bart Scott
 
tante said:
I think he had to. Our team didn't not have many scoring options last year. If he takes better shots this year, he can have a huge impact for us. We just need the perimeter threat because there is hardly anyone that can stick with him when he drives.
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Yeah when him, Simba, Talton, and whomever else not named Scott or Dinwiddie is in there who else was going to score? It had to be Ski.


Sent from a red light
 
'Tini said:
Yeah when him, Simba, Talton, and whomever else not named Scott or Dinwiddie is in there who else was going to score? It had to be Ski.


Sent from a red light
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Let's be honest. When it was him, Spencer, Scott, Chen and Dre, there still were only 3 options. And he was one of them.
 
tante said:
Let's be honest. When it was him, Spencer, Scott, Chen and Dre, there still were only 3 options. And he was one of them.
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Yup, and a lot of times that lead to him having to chuck up 3 pointers at the end of the shot clock


Sent from a red light
 
'Tini said:
Yup, and a lot of times that lead to him having to chuck up 3 pointers at the end of the shot clock


Sent from a red light
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I don't know if it was a lot of times but probably once per game. The shot I hated was the drive and pull up or step back jumper right inside the arc right after we crossed midcourt.

It was a bad shot and it did not let our team rest to play defense.
 
tante said:
I don't know if it was a lot of times but probably once per game. The shot I hated was the drive and pull up or step back jumper right inside the arc right after we crossed midcourt.

It was a bad shot and it did not let our team rest to play defense.
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Yeah a lot of times may be a exaggeration (well ok it is :lol:) but even at once a game that's way too much.

The problem with his pull-up is that was his bread and butter his freshman year so I'm not really sure what to do about that.


Sent from a red light
 
'Tini said:
Yeah a lot of times may be a exaggeration (well ok it is :lol:) but even at once a game that's way too much.

The problem with his pull-up is that was his bread and butter his freshman year so I'm not really sure what to do about that.


Sent from a red light
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I think jg posted some stats that showed he drove to the hoop a lot more his freshman year.
 
'Tini said:
Could be, it wouldn't surprise me. I just remember seeing him do his pull up a whole lot.


Sent from a red light
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Last year or freshman year? If you mean last year, that is exactly his problem. He needs to drive and finish or drive, suck in the defense and kick it out. Use you ridiculous speed to make the other team pay not some wide open 21 foot jumper where he breaks some guys ankle by stopping on a dime and then missing with our entire offense out of position.

Now that I think of it, if he spent 30 minutes with jg he would be a much better player. He would get an education on his best shots to take.
 
Here is that thread - the numbers referenced in there are much better than how he ended the season. He continued to take more mid-range jumpers in lieu of taking the ball to the rack. That also had a huge effect on how often he got to the line compared to his freshman year. Honestly, I'm less interested in how well he shoots this year and much more interested in where he shoots from. If he takes the ball to the rack good things will happen.
 
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