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PG Aaron Craft (B1G 6th MOY '11, Def POY '12, Acad AA, Dolomiti En. TR - Italy)

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ScriptOhio;1771285; said:
My advise to Mr. Craft....

When the NCAA asks you a question just tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

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Well since he's on our team now any future inquires about tOSU matters he needs to say "Speake no English". That or keep referencing this when they ask about Ohio State. :biggrin:

Thats said all this team needs from Aaron is pretty simple: great on ball defense, a reliable jumper (to keep his man from sagging), handles to defeat full court pressure and traps and the occasional drive to the cup. Sounds like a lot I know but if he can do those simple things are team will be in great shape.
 
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OSU_Buckguy;1807063; said:
so, who from this thread still believes that craft isn't a true point guard?
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I am a believer...I know what I posted last season after seeing him live in high school...

I still want to see him against guys that are stronger and faster, but tonight he looked like a guy that will be a very good PG here. The 3's surprised me, the defense didn't, and the hustle didn't. but 8/0 assts/to ration is good even if you are playing in the rec league! Not in your first game against a college team in front of fans.
 
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crazybuckfan40;1807065; said:
I am a believer...I know what I posted last season after seeing him live in high school...

I still want to see him against guys that are stronger and faster, but tonight he looked like a guy that will be a very good PG here. The 3's surprised me, the defense didn't, and the hustle didn't. but 8/0 assts/to ration is good even if you are playing in the rec league! Not in your first game against a college team in front of fans.
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as i stated elsewhere, i know that today's competition was just a good division 2 team. nonetheless, one should still be able to see craft's tremendous promise. he will have bad games, but his valleys will be shallower than most players'. craft is the model of consistency, though i do worry that he'll have some very poor shooting games. that being stated, aaron is smart enough to understand that he can benefit the team in multiple other ways when his shot is off. we saw those "other ways" in spades today.

this thread has been fun to reread. i am by no means a professional evaluator of high school basketball talent, but i was confident of my opinions of craft. perhaps some just hadn't seen enough of craft. i don't know. what i did know, however, was that the point guard position is craft's home.
 
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My buddy said that Aaron simply commands respect from teammates with how he practices. Balls to the wall at all times. I know we hate Chris Kramer here but I think his intensity is comparable to Chris Kramer's. Good shooter too. Can't wait to see him develop over the years.
 
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He had a good debut, great for a backup PG. The thing that a true PG does that he didn't is provide the element of dribble penetration & kick out/finish within the halfcourt offense. He reversed the ball really well and made a lot of good passes, but off the dribble he didn't do much - that's where Smith potentially could be an asset (if he gets healthy and up to speed), as he's more of a guy who can create off the bounce and get in the lane & make plays. Craft's got a lot of skills, but I still don't/won't consider him a true PG until I see him do more with dribble penetration. He did make a lot of hustle plays, which if he keeps it up certainly will help him become a fan favorite.
 
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if you watch craft and don't see a true point guard, then that means one of two things (or even both):

1. you are a poor evaluator of a player's production in terms of his role

2. you have an agenda.


seriously, if craft were to continue playing just as he did today and one won't admit that craft is a true point guard, then i question any input that such a person has in regards to ohio state basketball. anybody without bias but with solid basketball knowledge recognizes that what we saw today was the performance of player fulfilling the role of a true point guard. if the role of a point guard is so narrowly defined as a dribble penetrator who sets things up for others, then your understanding of the role is terribly limited.
 
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When Craft committed to Ohio State, his weakness was said to be his outside shooting. He made four of five shots from the field, including two of three three-point attempts, against Walsh.

"You can tell he?s shot a ton of shots," Matta said. "He and Jon Diebler are attached at the hip, coming in early, staying late, getting shots up."

- Matta said last week that he wasn't as worried about the point guard position as everyone else seems to be. William Buford was on the point today when Craft wasn't, but Craft played 26 minutes. David Lighty handled the position briefly late.

"I think it can be a committee-type deal. But we?ve got to continue (to improve)," Matta said.

"We were laughing the other day after practice, there were days at this time last year where Evan (Turner) didn?t look real good there. So I think it?s something that the more we go, the more reps we get, the better we?ll be at it."
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http://blog.dispatch.com/hoopsscoops/2010/11/postgame_smith_could_play_frid_1.shtml
 
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DZ83CK;1807122; said:
The thing that a true PG does that he didn't is provide the element of dribble penetration & kick out/finish within the halfcourt offense.
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Since when is this the definition of a "true" PG? That's as ridiculous as saying that a true point guard needs to have a great outside shot. Do those skills make a PG better? No question. Are they required at the PG position? No, not at all. They're more descriptive of what one wants to see at 2 guard.

What I want out of a true PG is a secure handle bringing the ball up the floor, the ability to advance the ball quickly and cleanly in transition, excellent floor awareness, accurate passing, strong on-ball defense and statistically a high assist-turnover ratio. That's a minimum standard. If you have those things in a player, you have a point guard. Now, if he can shoot the lights out of the gym, penetrate and kick, rebound, and grab every loose ball that bounces across the floor, you have a truly great point guard. Those are bonus aspects, however.

The point guard has to be able to do things consistently, and doesn't need to do things other players can do. As far as "penetrate and kick", I see at least three players on this squad who will do that anywhere from well to outstanding -- Buford, Lightly and possibly Thomas. If Craft develops that skill then great! It'll be another aspect to his game, like his improved shooting. What I want to see from him (or someone) are sound PG fundamentals, as I described above.
 
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DZ83CK;1807122; said:
He had a good debut, great for a backup PG. The thing that a true PG does that he didn't is provide the element of dribble penetration & kick out/finish within the halfcourt offense. He reversed the ball really well and made a lot of good passes, but off the dribble he didn't do much - that's where Smith potentially could be an asset (if he gets healthy and up to speed), as he's more of a guy who can create off the bounce and get in the lane & make plays. Craft's got a lot of skills, but I still don't/won't consider him a true PG until I see him do more with dribble penetration. He did make a lot of hustle plays, which if he keeps it up certainly will help him become a fan favorite.
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I know that this was only a scrimmage but my question is whether or not you have ever been wrong in your life when it comes to evaluating basketball talent. Take your evaluation knowledge back to BN and see what your followers over there think. Admit you're wrong when you're wrong:shake:
 
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