Perspective, please, on ADV
Fans who get wrapped up in recruiting seem to be really excited about the commitment of Amedeo Della Valle. Some -- even me, in The Dispatch on Sunday -- have mentioned him in the same breath with Jon Diebler because the Buckeyes recruited Della Valle, above all else, for his ability to make three-point shots.
It's important here, though, to take a breath and not compare Della Valle the freshman to the Diebler we remember -- the senior.
Remember Diebler the freshman? He shot 28.9 percent from behind the three-point arc and 30.4 percent overall.
He improved vastly as a sophomore -- 41.6 percent from three, 42.1 overall -- and was marginally better as a junior. He made a big jump again as a senior -- 50.2 from three and 50.7 overall -- when he was able to play on the same side of the floor as Jared Sullinger and make defenses pick their poison.
What I remember of Diebler his first couple of years was him having to adjust to the speed and athleticism of the game at the highest level of college basketball and learn how to find his shot in a half-court game. It took him a long time to learn how to release a good shot, with good foot positioning, quickly enough to beat the defense closing out on him. I can still hear coach Thad Matta talking about the importance of a player being in proper position to catch and shoot. It's a learned technique that is the product of endless repetition.
I'm expecting Della Valle to have to make the same adjustment Diebler did. And he'll probably have to have patience to make it happen. Diebler had that. Leaving early for the NBA never was his mindset. Della Valle would do well to take the same approach. With him, however, there is always the chance an Italian professional team offers him a lot of money and he jumps if he is not progressing at the rate he imagined he would.
"You never know how these guys are going to adjust," ESPNU recruiting analyst Reggie Rankin said. "That's the unknown. But his skill level, his ability to make shots, makes him attractive. They recruited that guy because he could make shots.
cont...
