WindyCityGoldenEagle
01-14-2013, 10:41 AM
I can remember wanting to bang my head on the wall multiple times a game over the last two years because of his inability to convert layups, poor shooting percentage and careless turnovers. I will admit that my frustrations were often times a bit on the emotional side of things (maybe due to the hype of being one of the highest rated recruits in MU history) as opposed to realizing that despite the hype and overwhelming amount of talent he was just a freshman/sophomore.
I realize we are only midway through the season but I think it's pretty obvious that Vander has turned a corner in a major way. The kid looks completely under control and the game has slowed down for him significantly. He is converting on his takes to the cup, his shooting % has been very respectable (45% fg, 35% 3pt, 74% ft) and his turnovers are reasonable given his attacking/play making nature. His defense has always been there and he has only become better in this aspect as well.
With the great balance on this team it is often tough to identify who our leader truly is but in my opinion he has really become our leader on the floor (I know many would say Junior and that's quite possible as well). I'm looking forward to another 1.5 years of him in an MU uniform and definitely see him as an All Conference pick as a senior (if he doesn't make one of the teams this year).
Full disclosure: I just thought this post was necessary as there hasn't been a lot of talk about his play this year and he was certainly the "whipping boy" of many (including me) over the past two years. Keep up the great work Vander!
I realize we are only midway through the season but I think it's pretty obvious that Vander has turned a corner in a major way. The kid looks completely under control and the game has slowed down for him significantly. He is converting on his takes to the cup, his shooting % has been very respectable (45% fg, 35% 3pt, 74% ft) and his turnovers are reasonable given his attacking/play making nature. His defense has always been there and he has only become better in this aspect as well.
With the great balance on this team it is often tough to identify who our leader truly is but in my opinion he has really become our leader on the floor (I know many would say Junior and that's quite possible as well). I'm looking forward to another 1.5 years of him in an MU uniform and definitely see him as an All Conference pick as a senior (if he doesn't make one of the teams this year).
Full disclosure: I just thought this post was necessary as there hasn't been a lot of talk about his play this year and he was certainly the "whipping boy" of many (including me) over the past two years. Keep up the great work Vander!