Welcome Greg Calixte

[gmutom]

I don’t see the skill set yet that would leave me to believe he could be in the Jai/Will ballpark...

This is definitely the part that I am most cautious about. There was one play in the last game when Greg caught the ball in the post about six feet from the basket, and there was literally nobody behind his man. One quick pivot would have led to an easy layup. but his first instinct was to hold the ball and look for somebody to pass to on the wing rather than to go strong to the basket.

Some of that is skills/fundamentals, but it's also just as much about confidence. Jai and Will both had the skills to thrive in the low post, but they also had the confidence and swagger to go with it. Greg seems to develop a little more confidence each game, so hopefully that trajectory continues as his career progresses.

 

[FreeGunston12]

This is definitely the part that I am most cautious about. There was one play in the last game when Greg caught the ball in the post about six feet from the basket, and there was literally nobody behind his man. One quick pivot would have let to an easy layup. but his first instinct was to hold the ball and look for somebody to pass to on the wing rather than to go strong to the basket.

Some of that is skills/fundamentals, but it's also just as much about confidence. Jai and Will both had the skills to thrive in the low post, but they also had the confidence and swagger to go with it. Greg seems to develop a little more confidence each game, so hopefully that trajectory continues as his career progresses.

Noticed this play too. Greg definitely has to continue to improve his footwork in the offensive post. Not only did he stumble with the ball in his hands, but he did not set himself up in a threatening position prior to catching the ball. Kind of an awkward play, so I’m not going to fault him too much because I’ve seen him catch and finish from that spot.

Excited about his potential, but he’s got a way to go. I want to know the story behind his free throw form. He seemed to change it after the first couple of games, and it reminds me a little bit of when Mike Mo changed to his dart-throwing form.

 

[Five Two]

There will never be another Will Thomas or Jai Lewis at Mason, but I will happily take a poor man's Will Thomas or Jai Lewis any day of the week.

I will take a poor man's George Evans as well....

 

[MasonSAE4]

He’s gonna be fine. Assuming his last few games are the norm for this year (6-8) points a game, a typical freshman to sophomore year jump will see him grab somewhere in the area of 10 a game, and presumably another rebound or two. I’ll gladly take that.

 

[GSII]

The fighting between Tom and Dr G must stop!! No place here for your negativety.

 

[dr. gunnie]

No fighting - just actual basketball talk... it’s kind of nice to have some legit basketball talk on here for a change.

 

[GMUgemini]

He's a prototypical Will Thomas type center who is a lot less polished, but runs the floor a bit better.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Announcers just commented on a basket Calixte made saying "really great footwork by the freshman big man Calixte".

 

[FreeGunston12]

Announcers just commented on a basket Calixte made saying "really great footwork by the freshman big man Calixte".

Yeah - he’s proving my comment above wrong this game. . . now if I could just jinx him into developing a 12 foot jump shot. . .

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Another great footwork score by Calixte. He's definitely working on it or just getting more comfortable playing.

 

[dr. gunnie]

He doesn’t have that quick first step yet right when he gets the ball, but wow, I’ve never seen a player grow and improve game by game like he has the last few weeks.

 

[JPgmuswim]

He doesn’t have that quick first step yep right when he gets the ball, but wow, I’ve never seen a player grow and improve game by game like he has the last few weeks.

Probably has something to do with the coaching and player development. I agree, he’s looking better and more comfortable every game.

 

[GSII]

Probably has something to do with the coaching and player development. I agree, he’s looking better and more comfortable every game.

Or is it Reuter putting Greg thru the gauntlet?

 

[Patriot8]

Or is it Reuter putting Greg thru the gauntlet?

Probably a combo of everything

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Or is it Reuter putting Greg thru the gauntlet?

Yes, that's much more likely than coaching.

 

[Herndon]

Not sure why you took "some production now and then" as a shot at him. He's averaging 26 min a game and gets us somewhere between 3 to 4 baskets during those 26 min. To me, that's giving us some production every now and then. I'm very happy with his progress... he's improved a lot.... you don't have to get so defensive!

Also, my guess is if you took the best 5 games from those same A-10 big men last year, they would be better than 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds... a little skewed to take his best 5 and compare them with the average of everyone else.

He'll be just fine.

I didn't take it as a shot at him at all. I was just building on what you had said.

And of course, five games doesn't a whole season make, but when it's his last five games and he's a freshman and just getting consistent minutes, I think it's a little bit different than just cherry picking 5 random best games.

Anyhow, we are all on the same page here, that I think we're all a little bit pleasantly surprised, and we all want him to do really well.

So after today he's got good stats in his last six games. In a couple weeks let's hope we're talking about how good his stats have been in his last 15 games.

 

[FreeGunston12]

This game against SLU was the best of Calixte’s young career so far. I don’t care much for stats, but the eye test says he was a big difference between a W and an L today. Keep it up young fella.

 

[ephoops]

DP's ability to develop big men is an underrated and under-appreciated facet of coaching capabilities.

I have watched his teams for over 20 years; there are several examples of big men who have significantly improved under his tutelage.

 

[smccart5]

I don’t get to see many games, so today was a treat because i could watch the game and we won. Must say I was happy with what GC showed today. Made some post moves, including a little lefty hook, that looked really solid. Also he hit the one free throw when we really needed it to get a 2 possession lead. The last time I saw him live was the first few games of the season, and it looks like a different player out there now.

 

[Cedric Dempsey]

Probably a combo of everything

Once again. This kid has a motor and is banging daily against an ACC caliber player. We are enjoying JR’s leadership and presence already. Greg is a winner.