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Post by shooting the J on Apr 19, 2012 9:39:36 GMT -6
Mark Miller is reporting (subscribers link) the Phoenix have added a huge project to their program for next year in Menomonee Falls big man Ryan Bross. Bross is 7'2" and is possibly still growing. Welcome to Green Bay Ryan!
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Post by phearthephoenix on Apr 19, 2012 9:58:22 GMT -6
Is it pretty safe to say he will redshirt this season like Dimakos did last year? Also Wishoops shows him playing in only 9 games last season. Is that because of an injury or is he just really raw?
Welcome to GB, Ryan!
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 19, 2012 9:59:43 GMT -6
I like this walk-on addition. This kid is huge, not just tall (7'2"), but also has a big, wide frame, and extremely long arms. I seen him play once last year, high effort kid who runs the floor hard and embraces the role of rebounder/defender. He just started playing basketball his junior after a growth spurt to 6'10". Was a football offensive lineman before that, he has a brother who plays college football as an offensive tackle. His brother is "only" 6'7", 305.
Ryan is very raw offensively, and a bit cumbersome, with size 21 shoes. He scored just 17 points this year. However, he doesn't need to score to have a major impact on the game. Defense and rebounding will be his ticket. Ryan's experience playing the o-line shoes in his willingness to bend his knees and play low in his stance defensively, which he looks surprisingly natural doing. despite his lack of experience, he has caught onto defensive fundamentals quickly.
He crashes the glass and rebounds well versus HS competition without even leaving his feet. However, he misses some rebounds because of slow reactions. That could improve with experience, and with simply growing into his body. He consistently contests shots inside, but isn't a major factor as a shot-blocker yet either because of his slow reactions. As we have seen with Alec Brown, this can improve immensely with experience, technique, and weight training to add explosiveness.
He won't make an immediate impact, as he was just a 6th man on his HS team, but he is a worthwhile project because of his size, effort, and intelligence.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Apr 19, 2012 10:20:45 GMT -6
As a player right now Ryan is miles away from making an impact. He is huge, he is smart off the court and he does try hard on the court. Right now he has to improve his hands, he walks into a lot of fouls and seems a little lost on the court. I have watched him play in person several times and I thought he was very raw.
I will agree that with work he might be able to see the court as a defensive player/rebounder. He could in time play a role similar to Pat Nelson, although Pat was a way better player than Ryan is.
I think his biggest contribution in the near future is that it gives Alec Brown a big (in every direction) body to practice against and work on getting better in all facets of his game since Alec rarely goes against anyone his height.
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 19, 2012 10:31:51 GMT -6
Is it pretty safe to say he will redshirt this season like Dimakos did last year? Also Wishoops shows him playing in only 9 games last season. Is that because of an injury or is he just really raw? Welcome to GB, Ryan! Wishoops has a glitch in their system that only counts games scored in as games played. Ryan played in all 24 games. Here is their stats.
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Post by thetulsawarrior on Apr 19, 2012 11:48:59 GMT -6
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 19, 2012 13:45:56 GMT -6
Welcome back. not only do the Phoenix add a big walk-on today, but to our forum returns an all-american. Hope all is well with you. Here is a very informative subscribers story Mark Miller wrote this past fall detailing the rise of Bross as a prospect and his expected growth. It would be great if Mark could unlock this archived story for everyone to now read.
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Post by thetulsawarrior on Apr 19, 2012 14:44:50 GMT -6
I don't know how good this source is (WiscoBadgers.com) but this is what was written last fall. "Wisconsin is also mildly recruiting 7-2 project Ryan Bross out of Menomonee Falls. He obviously has the height to play basketball as he projects to be anywhere between 7-6 and 7-10. However, he is very raw and with every player of that height, knees are a concern and if he will be able to take the physical pounding in a Division I program. Marquette, St. John's and Syracuse are all also recruiting the enormous prospect." wiscobadgers.com/articles/wisconsin-basketball-recruiting-2012-beyond
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 19, 2012 19:10:24 GMT -6
I don't know how good this source is (WiscoBadgers.com) but this is what was written last fall. "Wisconsin is also mildly recruiting 7-2 project Ryan Bross out of Menomonee Falls. He obviously has the height to play basketball as he projects to be anywhere between 7-6 and 7-10. However, he is very raw and with every player of that height, knees are a concern and if he will be able to take the physical pounding in a Division I program. Marquette, St. John's and Syracuse are all also recruiting the enormous prospect." wiscobadgers.com/articles/wisconsin-basketball-recruiting-2012-beyondYes, that expected growth is legit. Mark Miller wrote that last fall and Rob Demovsky just confirmed that in a tweet. He should have a story on Bross tomorrow. If Bross grows more, could he he become some version of Mark Eaton, Kenny George (before the staph infection and foot amputation), or George Muresan? Unlike George or Muresan, Bross doesn't have a condition forced his growth, he is just naturally huge. Or maybe Bross stays around 7'2", which might be better for his health. Staying healthy and on the floor is key for any late developing big man. A player he might compare well to is former Cleveland State center Joe Latos. Latos was a burly 6'11" walk-on who worked his way into CSU's rotation a year ago as a RS junior. Like Bross, he was extremely smart, and used that to graduate in 4 years. He then transfered as a grad student to Houston Baptist, where he started this past year. I'd consider Bross a success if he can work his way into the rotation by his RS junior year. I do expect him to RS.
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 20, 2012 7:08:43 GMT -6
Here's Rob Demovsky's story of the Bross commitment. It would be quite amazing if this young man went on another big growth spurt as doctors are expecting. Also, if you wanted to see Ryan in action, Time Warner Cable has one of his games archived on it's Wisconsin On-Demand channel 411. Look in the Sports32 section then under HS basketball. It is worth a watch, as Ryan was teammates with North Carolina recruit JP Tokoto.
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Post by thetulsawarrior on Apr 20, 2012 9:47:13 GMT -6
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 21, 2012 8:34:58 GMT -6
Interesting fact from the article: 20 - Brown will not turn 20 until late July, meaning all of the above accomplishments happened during his teenage years.Brown is so good we almost take him for granted around here. It will be great watching him play with a more experienced unit next year. Hope he does well in the weight room this offseason.
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Post by gbbrl97 on Apr 22, 2012 11:15:16 GMT -6
Hopefully AB will play at 235-240 pounds next season.....
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 26, 2012 7:07:54 GMT -6
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Post by phearthephoenix on Apr 26, 2012 11:04:47 GMT -6
"The University of Wyoming even offered him a full ride"
That couldn't have been easy to turn down a D1 scholarship to walk on at another school. Hopefully he hits the gym hard this summer
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