Today's Poll: Theo John

[Gato78]

How would you grade Theo's play this past season?

[Phantom Warrior]

There were two factors that led to improved defense this year. One was Rowsey graduating. The other was Theo impact as our last line of defense.

Not only did he block a ton of shots - led BE in blocks despite playing basically 50% of minutes - but he also altered a slew of shots...too many to count. In fact, some coaches pretty much took the approach of not even driving to the hoop against MU.

Yes. Theo had some silly fouls, which maturity should help reduce next year. But he also got called for some really ticky-tacky fouls that should never have been called in the first place.

Theo is not a dominant rebounder, but I think he could be. He doesn't have the instincts yet that dominant rebounders possess. But he is a decent, respectable rebounder (1 rebound per 4.06 minutes).

On offense, I would give him a C+. His shooting percentage (60.2%) was solid, and he actually led the team in "scoring efficiency" with a score of 1.585. He did flash some nice moves at times, but unfortunately he was not utilized effectively. We did not run any plays to get the ball inside. Plus, we did not have anyone - especially our starting guards - capable of making good entry passes to the post.

There were at least a half dozen occasions during the season when Theo made a move, and I said, "Wow! That was a really nice move!" His footwork definitely improved over his freshman year, and so did his touch.

I would give Theo an A minus on defense, and a C on offense, which averages out to a solid B. I think he should be at a B+ next year and at an A minus his senior year as there is definitely room for growth/improvement.

[Nukem2]

Gave him a C-. Real mixed bag as to performance. Offensively, he has no go to moves. Needs to be more sure-handed in terms of rebounding, catching passes and grabbing loose balls. Defensively, he was great when he could stay out of foul trouble. Has to learn angles in terms of shot blocking and be consistent in staying vertical when defending. Finally, that glare needs to go. Don’t think that helps with the refs. Lots of stuff for Theo to work on this spring and summer.

[CaribouJim]

Gave him a C-. Real mixed bag as to performance. Offensively, he has no go to moves. Needs to be more sure-handed in terms of rebounding, catching passes and grabbing loose balls. Defensively, he was great when he could stay out of foul trouble. Has to learn angles in terms of shot blocking and be consistent in staying vertical when defending. Finally, that glare needs to go. Don’t think that helps with the refs. Lots of stuff for Theo to work on this spring and summer.

This

[MUfan12]

B. Foul trouble was an issue, but they would have been absolutely boned with out him protecting the rim.

As Phantom said... It's not just the shots he blocks, it's the ones he alters and the drives he redirects. Needs to be better rebounding the ball.

[Goose85]

One thing I try to keep in mind is that Theo is a soph, and was not highly ranked out of high school. With that in mind, we knew coming in that there would be a lot to work on for Theo.

Theo's shot blocking and ability to protect the rim was important for the team as mentioned, and he did a great job with blocking shots and providing some toughness inside. As with most players that are successful blocking shots, he needs to work on when to take a chance on a block, and when to stay at home on D / position for a rebound.

Better hands would sure help, but often on the pass my guess is he was thinking that Howard was for sure going to shoot and was not thinking a pass would be coming his way.

Theo will probably not become a good shooter, so with that in mind if I were he, I would spend the summer watching film of Happ. Happ has great footwork around the hoop, and improvement in that area would certainly make Theo a more valuable offensive player.