Updates on Ibrahima Thomas

[bearcat_red]

Apparently we landing Ibrahim Thomas from OKlahoma State and Mick seems to think he will be a major addition to the program after the 1st semester (which is when he can play). Has anyone seen him play or have some insight as to what we are getting? I see nothing about him on the recruiting page.

[Bearcat Cafe]

Someone let him down easy. ;)

He has been a student at UC and on the team since January.

He is really athletic and looong. Gets in the air quick and runs the floor very well. The team just got a heck of a lot more athletic.

Quote today from Mick:

“He was a very big recruit,” Cronin said. “To replace (Williams) with somebody that’s taller and more athletic and can shoot it as well and is a more vocal player, I can’t tell you how excited I am for him to be on this team. He brings leadership qualities. Mike not having played for two years and being engaged with a child and knowing he was a one-year player and having an introverted personality, he gave us some production. But I think Thomas will step in and give us everything Mike gave us and he’ll give us stability, better defense, better rebounding and much more leadership. He’s a gatherer of people.”

[bearcatbret]

http://gobearcats.cstv.com/sports/blog/spec-rel/042209aaa.html

Mick is really high on him see about 3/4 down on the page. However, I sense a little bit of sarcasm in this thread. Are we so desperate for recruiting news that we are having to resort to threads about "just in.....Henry to Kansas" or golly gee wizz, Thomas to UC? I am sorry if you are serious about this but we have discussed Thomas at some length on the other threads.

[coach]

i think the bigger issue is cronin commenting in this fashion at this time of year on someone he locked up last fall. maybe he doesn't have any other high profile gets b/f 5/15.

[bearcat_red]

http://gobearcats.cstv.com/sports/blog/spec-rel/042209aaa.html

Mick is really high on him see about 3/4 down on the page. However, I sense a little bit of sarcasm in this thread. Are we so desperate for recruiting news that we are having to resort to threads about "just in.....Henry to Kansas" or golly gee wizz, Thomas to UC? I am sorry if you are serious about this but we have discussed Thomas at some length on the other threads.

Sorry, I rarely have time to check this forum anymore (did a lot several years ago) and generally go to the recruiting pages to see what is happening. I thought I'd ask the question since I honestly didn't know, but now I do...thanks

[mikep]

Quote:
“He was a very big recruit,” Cronin said. “To replace (Williams) with somebody that’s taller and more athletic and can shoot it as well and is a more vocal player, I can’t tell you how excited I am for him to be on this team. He brings leadership qualities. Mike not having played for two years and being engaged with a child and knowing he was a one-year player and having an introverted personality, he gave us some production. But I think Thomas will step in and give us everything Mike gave us and he’ll give us stability, better defense, better rebounding and much more leadership. He’s a gatherer of people.”


Cant Mick say good things about this kid without throwing Williams under the bus?

[catscratchfever]

Apparently we landing Ibrahim Thomas from OKlahoma State and Mick seems to think he will be a major addition to the program after the 1st semester (which is when he can play). Has anyone seen him play or have some insight as to what we are getting? I see nothing about him on the recruiting page.

Apparently, we have a new PG named Cashmere Wright who will be on the team this year!!!
I keed I keed :p

[bearcatbret]

Apparently, we have a new PG named Cashmere Wright who will be on the team this year!!!
I keed I keed :p

As my wife would say "knee slapper". There has been some pretty funny things to day but I would say that the stache comment was the cream of the crop. Oops, football forum.

[CincyBeerCo]

Quote:
“He was a very big recruit,” Cronin said. “To replace (Williams) with somebody that’s taller and more athletic and can shoot it as well and is a more vocal player, I can’t tell you how excited I am for him to be on this team. He brings leadership qualities. Mike not having played for two years and being engaged with a child and knowing he was a one-year player and having an introverted personality, he gave us some production. But I think Thomas will step in and give us everything Mike gave us and he’ll give us stability, better defense, better rebounding and much more leadership. He’s a gatherer of people.”


Cant Mick say good things about this kid without throwing Williams under the bus?

I semi-agree, but I think that Mick may have been pretty disappointed and let down by the way Mike handled the end of his career/season, in relation to his dedication to the team.

[Columbus_Bearcat13]

“He was a very big recruit,” Cronin said. “To replace (Williams) with somebody that’s taller and more athletic and can shoot it as well and is a more vocal player, I can’t tell you how excited I am for him to be on this team. He brings leadership qualities. Mike not having played for two years and being engaged with a child and knowing he was a one-year player and having an introverted personality, he gave us some production. But I think Thomas will step in and give us everything Mike gave us and he’ll give us stability, better defense, better rebounding and much more leadership. He’s a gatherer of people.”

What a ridiculous cheap shot by Mick. I have been a huge supporter of Mick the entire time he has been at UC. I believe he will have us in a great position to succeed next year and appreciate the job he has done to completely rebuild the program. But this so uncalled for. I understand the criticism of the players during the season in his post game interviews because it can provide them some motivation to improve. But Williams is gone. He/UC has nothing to gain from Mick's "constructive criticism". Criticizing someone who isn't here anymore really makes it sound like he's making excuses and he sounds pathetic. Be a man and take some responsibility for once. It's pretty annoying.

[Lobot]

Quote:
“He was a very big recruit,” Cronin said. “To replace (Williams) with somebody that’s taller and more athletic and can shoot it as well and is a more vocal player, I can’t tell you how excited I am for him to be on this team. He brings leadership qualities. Mike not having played for two years and being engaged with a child and knowing he was a one-year player and having an introverted personality, he gave us some production. But I think Thomas will step in and give us everything Mike gave us and he’ll give us stability, better defense, better rebounding and much more leadership. He’s a gatherer of people.”


Cant Mick say good things about this kid without throwing Williams under the bus?

Business and Politics rule #1: Always blame the person who left most recently.

[the_one_32]

i think Mick is diappointed because Mike never showed the leadership and fire Mick was expecting... I dont blame Mick for his comments, it was Mike Williams' job to be the senior leader and be tough but he showed he didnt want to do that... He sat out games with ticky tac injuries that he prolly could have played with and sometimes seems uninterested in playing college basketball

[CincyBeerCo]

i think Mick is diappointed because Mike never showed the leadership and fire Mick was expecting... I dont blame Mick for his comments, it was Mike Williams' job to be the senior leader and be tough but he showed he didnt want to do that... He sat out games with ticky tac injuries that he prolly could have played with and sometimes seems uninterested in playing college basketball

Agreed....I think Mike kinda quit on Mick and the team. He hung up his sneakers before the WVU game.

[long suffering UC fan]

Business and Politics rule #1: Always blame the person who left most recently.

At least I am learning about business while I waste time at work.

[London 'Cat]

i think Mick is diappointed because Mike never showed the leadership and fire Mick was expecting... I dont blame Mick for his comments, it was Mike Williams' job to be the senior leader and be tough but he showed he didnt want to do that... He sat out games with ticky tac injuries that he prolly could have played with and sometimes seems uninterested in playing college basketball

I thought Cronin's comments were a tactful way of saying that he was disappointed in Williams' leadership this past season, while also citing the legitimate reasons why Williams may have fallen short in that area. At the same time, he was talking up Thomas as replacing what is lost by Williams' departure and adding those leadership skills that Williams lacked. I am not offended at all by Cronin's comments and don't feel he threw Williams under the bus at all.

[bearcatbret]

I think another thread got hijacked.

[the_one_32]

recently watched tape of Ibrahima Thomas and reminds me of a raw and more vocal poor man's version of Kevin Durant... he doesnt have the quite the 3 point stroke but he is a better rebounder and ALOT tougher

[Not Guilty]

recently watched tape of Ibrahima Thomas and reminds me of a tougher and more vocal/tougher poor man's version of Kevin Durant... he doesnt have the quite the 3 point stroke but he is a better rebounder and ALOT tougher

Durant was a really, really good rebounder in college.

[catscratchfever]

With regards to Mick and Mike Williams, I know that I was pretty po'd with the way Williams seemed to quit the last few weeks of the season, and i'm pretty sure most of the members on this forum expressed their displeasure as well. I don't really blame Mick, as he seemed to be voicing some of the same frustrations we had with Williams.

[the_one_32]

i dont blame Mick for his team quiting this past season... coaches dont play the games the players do and if they dont wanna play 100% they need to sit their *** on the bench... its a shame really good coaches get fired cuz their players are punks or are lazy on the court

[bearcatbret]

I believe Rivals had Thomas as a 5 star. That should make all sorts of people here happy. Of course, Scouts had him as a 3 star.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=50018&Sport=2

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/oklahoma-state/ibrahima-thomas

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=2622933

[Not Guilty]

That link has rivals ranking Thomas as a 3 star. I still think he is a big addition though.

[dp3113]

I think we should all keep in mind not to inflate a transfers worth through what they do in practice. It seems like UC players, while they sit out their transfer year, get hyped up incredibly by the coaches and people around the program. James White was the best player on the team in practice and an All-American by all accounts the year he sat out...Mike Williams was the best player on the team while he sat out....White had a very good career at UC, Williams had a solid year- but I think people inflate their value based on what is seen in practice....I am glad that Thomas has not received as much hype yet as the preceding two have. However, I think we should all manage our expectations of just how good he will be until we see him in game action.

[Lobot]

I think another thread got hijacked.

Good point. More about Thomas, less about Williams.

[levydl]

What a ridiculous cheap shot by Mick. I have been a huge supporter of Mick the entire time he has been at UC. I believe he will have us in a great position to succeed next year and appreciate the job he has done to completely rebuild the program. But this so uncalled for. I understand the criticism of the players during the season in his post game interviews because it can provide them some motivation to improve. But Williams is gone. He/UC has nothing to gain from Mick's "constructive criticism". Criticizing someone who isn't here anymore really makes it sound like he's making excuses and he sounds pathetic. Be a man and take some responsibility for once. It's pretty annoying.

I agree. To criticize Williams now is wrong. The kid transferred to UC when we basically didn't have a team. He's gone, no reason to highlight his deficiencies. If Cronin is privately disappointed in him, that's no excuse for airing it publicly.

[Bearcat Jeff]

My there are some sensitive people on here that take any and every opportunity to tear this coach down. The man said absolutely nothing derogatory about Williams. He was comparing the two players since Thomas was filling the role Williams used to fill. All the man was saying was that Mike had other irons in the fire that prevented him from fully embracing a leadership role on the team. I have always said, if you get drunk on praise you will drown when criticized. Do we now live in a society that is so thin skinned that the truth can't be spoken? He said Mike gave them production, but Thomas would do some of the things Mike didn't, not because he wasn't capable, but because he was pulled in different directions. What's the problem with that?

[CincyBearcat95]

I know this is hijacking, but come on. If Mick says it like it is - then he's taking a cheap shot. If Mick makes an excuse like experience he's avoiding stating what the issue is. I think he was just being honest. Calling someone introverted is not an insult. It is his personality.

We have been saying all year that this team does not show any fire. Guess what, maybe, just maybe Mick said the same thing and then Ibrahim came a long and he said - Kids a 3 star, but he's a leader. Vaughn and Mike are not leading so I'm going to bring this guy in for next year. I don't think he took a cheap shot at Mike. Was it a little blunt, yah, but I bet he has a good relationship with Mike.

I realize that people saying the cheap shot maybe aren't the same ones as saying he's making excuses, but the old saying you can please some of the people all of the time and please all some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time comes to mind here...

[bearcatbbllfn]

[CincyBearcat95]I think he was just being honest.


I agree with that. Mick never hyped up Williams like he is Thomas either. Mick is calling it like he sees it. I imagine he has nothing bad to say about Williams and is in gratitude to him. Hopefully Thomas does have the qualities that Mick claims to see in him. Our team next year is looking pretty dag on impressive. I am getting excited again!

[Globe Trotting Cat Fan]

Just an FYI, even though this is off topic and I posted on another thread, Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com is reporting Lance Stephenson "most likely"to St. Johns as of today.

[Lobot]

Dumb question. In the thread title, have we actually spelled the man's name right? If not let me know so I can change the thread title. Makes us all look stupid when we can't spell his name.

[Not Guilty]

Dumb question. In the thread title, have we actually spelled the man's name right? If not let me know so I can change the thread title. Makes us all look stupid when we can't spell his name.

I'm pretty sure its Ibrahima.

[Lobot]

I'm pretty sure its Ibrahima.

That's what I thought!!

[Doss]

Perhaps he should have called out Williams, face to face, not knife in the back style. Since Mick was supposed to have been so familar with Williams, did he not know about his lack of leadership qualities?

I cannot ever remember a coach publicly stabbing a guy in the back after he is gone.

Quote:
“He was a very big recruit,” Cronin said. “To replace (Williams) with somebody that’s taller and more athletic and can shoot it as well and is a more vocal player, I can’t tell you how excited I am for him to be on this team. He brings leadership qualities. Mike not having played for two years and being engaged with a child and knowing he was a one-year player and having an introverted personality, he gave us some production. But I think Thomas will step in and give us everything Mike gave us and he’ll give us stability, better defense, better rebounding and much more leadership. He’s a gatherer of people.”


Cant Mick say good things about this kid without throwing Williams under the bus?

[CincyBearcat95]

Perhaps he should have called out Williams, face to face, not knife in the back style. Since Mick was supposed to have been so familar with Williams, did he not know about his lack of leadership qualities?

I cannot ever remember a coach publicly stabbing a guy in the back after he is gone.

I don't see how this is knife in the back. He said it publicly and again, nothing was derogatory in what he said.

[JasonS]

I don't see how this is knife in the back. He said it publicly and again, nothing was derogatory in what he said.

I agree. I don't have a problem with what Mick said.

[Mick's Da Man]

Perhaps he should have called out Williams, face to face, not knife in the back style. Since Mick was supposed to have been so familar with Williams, did he not know about his lack of leadership qualities?

I cannot ever remember a coach publicly stabbing a guy in the back after he is gone.

I can remember Huggs stabbing players in the back repeatedly with insulting comments while they were here and gone. Happens all the time.

I don't think Mick said anything wrong.

Thomas is taller. He has to be more athletic because I was disappointed in Mike's lack of athleticism. Mike was not a leader and he was introverted. I really can't fault Mick for anything he said.

Sounds pretty much right now that the lineup will be......

PG 6'-0" Cashmere Wright
SG 6'-0" Deonta Vaughn
SF 6'-11" Ibrahima Thomas
PF 6'-9" Yancy Gates
C 7'-2" John Reik

On paper alone, could be very intimidating for opposing teams. Especially OOC mid-major type teams.

[Bearcat Jeff]

I don't see Thomas starting at SF. His 3 pt. shot isn't good enough and I doubt his ball skills are where they need to be for a wing. His value will be mid-range shooting. Look for a rotaion of Riek and Toyloy at center and Gates Ibrahim at pf. There may be times 3 big men are on the floor but I doubt the starting line up will include that. I look for the line up to be:

Cash/recruit (or Vaughn/Dixon if a point isn't signed)
Vaughn/Dixon/Davis
Bishop/Kilpatrick/Ibrahima
Gates/Ibrahima/Toyloy
Riek/Toyloy/Gates

I'm basing this on what is known. I threw the pg recruit in because I believe Mick will sign one. I do not believe he will fill the 3rd scholly because I don't think there is an impact guy out there for it. Even as we stand, on paper at least, this should be a better line up. Especially defensively.

[Bearcat Cafe]

Jeff is correct. Thomas is not a SF.

[bearcatbbllfn]

[QUOTE=Doss;78008]Perhaps he should have called out Williams, face to face, not knife in the back style. Since Mick was supposed to have been so familar with Williams, did he not know about his lack of leadership qualities?


Mick is entitled like everyone else on this board, to think that one player possesses more athleticism and potential than a current or past player? Coaches do this all the time when they are asked about recruits. I just cant see this as stabbing someone in the back. All of us on here make comparisons regularly and voice our opinion. Mick is allowed to do so too.

[Bearcat Cafe]

Not for some. Any excuse to complain.

[CincyBeerCo]

Perhaps he should have called out Williams, face to face, not knife in the back style. Since Mick was supposed to have been so familar with Williams, did he not know about his lack of leadership qualities?

I cannot ever remember a coach publicly stabbing a guy in the back after he is gone.

My guess is that Mick expressed these sentiments to "Mike's face" multiple times.

I cannot ever remember a "fan" so publicly slamming a coach, time after time, just for the sake of slamming him. :mad:

[capcbk]

1) Nothing, and I mean nothing, should be as high of a priority for any of us than our children, whether they are newborn or teenagers!

2) Had basketball been a higher priority for Mike than his family, I would think worse of him!

3) Mick stating this is not a cut on Mike...it is a compliment!

4) Remember, we are here because we love our Basketball Cats...but there are actually higher priorities in life!

5) Mike's a good man and I am glad he came to UC...I am sorry his career was cut short by a severe injury!

[CincyBearcat95]

[QUOTE=capcbk;78041]1) Nothing, and I mean nothing, should be as high of a priority for any of us than our children, whether they are newborn or teenagers!


Couldn't agree more with this post! Mike unlike a lot of players is "grown up" and knows where his priorities are! That and the fact that he is introverted are not insults!