Hunter mickelson
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Seriously what was the point of him transferring here and then never getting to play ? He would have been much better off going to Wichita st.
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@5541-james He doesn’t want to go to WSU - going to WSU causes DUIs…
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well I’m surprised he hasn’t got one in Lawrence yet
he was here all last year learning the system and is a proven shot blocker which we are desperate for and still can’t get on the floor. I just don’t get it he hasn’t looked bad when he’s played.
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Pretty sure I saw an interview with him where he said he never even stepped foot on KU campus or met coach Self before transferring. He inquired about the transfer possibility and took the scholarship when it was offered. I’m guessing an assistant coach might have met with him, but I thought that it was a pretty bold leap of faith for both sides.
I don’t see him practice, but–when he’s seen the court in games–he seems like a pretty savvy player. It sure seems like he could be a contributor.
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Hunter never touched the ball on offense today that I recall. In the post-game interview, Bill Self complained about the 5th man not contributing, but they don’t bring the ball up the court. Perry missed Landen for a couple easy cuts when he was double teamed in the second half. And Frank was in a pissing match with UT’s Taylor and didn’t dish the entire game. Can’t put all the blame on the big guys.
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What I can’t get is that our assistant coaches are all about recruiting… And so Kansas (one of the big blue bloods) ends up scraping for talent. I’m not saying Hunter isn’t good talent… just strange how we got him.
I’ve just been in a grumpy mood today.
At least we won, and it was nice seeing ISU blow it in purple land.
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I thought Hunter did some good things today. Blocked a couple of shots, hedged up top and then recovered to go down low…he is pretty quick. He just doesn’t seem to be much of an offensive threat (dating back to previous appearances). Although I agree he didn’t have a chance to do anything offensively today.
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Mickleson has been a declining player since he was a frosh, unfortunately. He came in with a lot of promise, but he was a feather weight, 6’10" and maybe 215 after a big meal. That left him pretty effective defensively, agile enough to close out on quicker defenders, but long enough and skilled enough to bother big guys. But he was also terribly foul prone. He was also always a poor offensive player, able to pick and pop ok, but no back to the basket play, no footwork, not ambidextrous, etc.
The biggest thing is, when Mike Anderson came in, Mickleson wanted to transfer but couldn’t get a release and Anderson wanted him to bulk out. Mickleson gained 25 - 30lbs, and he’s never been the same (I do watch Arkansas games when I can cause my father teaches there. It’s also usually easy to get good seats when I go and visit). I had hoped, based on comments after he transferred, that Hudy would get him back down to 215 - 220. But that hasn’t happened. @jaybate-2.0 has speculated that he may be injured. I can’t disagree that he moves a bit like a corpse these days, but I seem to remember him being that way as a sophomore at UArk, so who knows for sure. Either way, I hope he can grad transfer in part because he really can’t contribute much here, and in part because I think that he deserves better than to rot on our bench when he could really shine at a mid-major. And, of course, that would probably help us land another big, hopefully Thon or Cheick, but I’d take Zimmerman or Rabb too.
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Hunter seems every bit as qualified and talented as Lucas and Jam Tray but he doesn’t get the minutes.
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Hunter did step up today. To count on a guy who only gets a few mop up minutes in a big game is huge.
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@5541-james Hunter playing in the place of Cliff for the next however many games will give other teams a chance to see what he is made of and he will bail after he graduates. Ala Graduate Transfer
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Hunter moved pretty well during this second TEXAS game. And he has seemed to move without suggestion of injury the last few times he has made brief appearances. If I recall correctly the last time he seemed to show any stiffness in bending down to pick up a loose ball suggesting possible limited range of motion was back in December. If he had any significant injury, it seems to have resolved now. Rock Chalk!
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I wish the best for Hunter. I lay in the sack for twenty minutes after waking yesterday morning, speculating about Hunter and Svi. Was happy to see each of them get time on the court. Gotta be extremely frustrating for each of them, iced to the pine as they have long been. If Self is able to bring in a Top 20 center, I hope that Hunter is able to graduate and move on to a program where he earns minutes and esteem. However, if we lose Cliff, and if no sterling tall recruit opts for our program, Hunter should be a big help his third year of Self Ball and Hudyization.
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@konkeyDong Thanks for the info, I had no clue how he was at Arkansas other than he was a great shot blocker. I assumed he would come in and be at the least a little bit like Jeff whithey.
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If I had to make a guess as to why Hunter could come to KU, or better yet, stay at KU without much playing time it would be that Hunter understands the reality of his talent and skill level.
If he is going to have a career in basketball it will probably involve coaching somewhere, or playing overseas, or both. If he decides to get into coaching, why worry about maximum playing time? KU has many advantages for guys like that. He gets to see the inner workings of the best basketball program in the country. He gets to play with high profile players and gets to witness how coaches effectively interact with them. He gets to see all aspects of conditioning and skills practice. KU is a complete program. If he stayed at Arkansas, he would be an expert at the “Fastest 40 min of Hell Basketball”, or whatever it’s called, but not know much else.
If he wants to play overseas, he’s a big man and KU is known for making big men better than what they are. KU also has a reputation for guys playing overseas at a high level.
So, IMO, he was very smart to come here. Contribute where you can, work hard, be ready when your number is called, and rejoice in the fact that you are getting the best basketball program education in the world, for free!
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@konkeyDong The Mori, TRob, Withey and Tar were early foul machines too. Shoot, TRob could be called for a foul walking on the court. But PT helped all of them.
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I also wish the. Best for anyone on the bench be it Hunter, Lucas, Svi. I wish the all get decent playing time most games.
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I thought Hunter played fine in the few minutes he got Saturday. Assuming cliff has played his last game here we will need spot minutes from him. If Lucas or Traylor get themselves in foul trouble we certainly could use Mickelson’s rim protecting ability.
