Overlander.

I don't know why you guys are picking on this dude. I mean,sure, he forgot to say lunchpail but aside from that the checklist is complete. Let's see we've got...

"Not the athlete you all want to see"

"One of the smartest kids on the floor"

" 9/10 in the right position to make a play."

P.S. I'm really looking forward to putting him in when it's over.

Edited November 20, 2012 by emmitt01

He is 1-17 from the floor. It is not unreasonable for UNT fans to be concerned.

Bravo CBL.

It's clearly mental right now. The Cameron game, I felt like every time he put up a shot we would all breath in anticipation to go nuts for it to go down, only to have it clank off the rim. His body language showed he was frustrated, he was getting good-looks, but something is off in rhythm, timiming, stroke, etc.

Good news for Overlander, I think he has heart. Leading a team to a championship at any level demonstrates that. I think the best thing for him will be the 8-day break after today. Get away from the gym for a couple of days, then put in some serious work to find his shot again before the UTA game.

Welcome to the board.

Now that you're here, learn how to read.

Nobody has called for Clarke to transfer. Pretty much to a man, we all feel that he will EVENTUALLY develop into a good, C-USA level basketball player.

But your basketball IQ is lower than Clarke's shooting percentage if you've watched the first 5 games and have come to any other conclusion than that the game is just moving too fast for him and that the best thing for his long-term development would be to be brought along slowly.

It's not Clarke's fault. Walton's injury forced Benford's hand...but it shouldn't have forced him in when the Creighton game was still in shouting range, nor should it have forced his hand to play him late in the UAH debacle. That's coaching...

But...if you're going to be a D-1 contributor you also have to take advantage of your opportunities...and Clarke hasn't...most notably his 0-6 performance in what should've been a no pressure game against Cameron.

Obviously Clarke was a good shooter in high school and AAU...that's why he has a division 1 scholarship. Now that he has that scholarship though, no one gives two flips what he did in high school...this isn't an Argyle fan-board, it's a UNT fan-board...and UNT players and coaches are open to criticism. So it may not prove the best place for an overly-sensitive individual...especially not one with such close ties to the subject of criticism, don't ya think?

It is obvious that he is in an awful shooting slump, but how do you determine that the game is moving too fast for him. I certainly can't come to that conclusion based on the times I have seen him play. Maybe you have went to the away games and have a better view at this point, but based on what I have seen sans the last game, you could say that most of the team has played poor defense. Based on my admittedly small sample of home appearances, Overlander actually moves better than I anticipated. In the Cameron game you cited, his shoots were on target but just were not falling and I didn't notice any big defensive deficities.

I can't even fault Benford for playing him, when else but these early games can he evaluate players in a game atmosphere. He certainly didn't significantly bring down the level of play in either of the first two games and Cameron was a glorified exhibition.

As I assumed in an earlier post and the last game tended to verify it, unless it is a blow out or NT runs out of players, Overlander is not going to get a lot of playing time till he starts making his shoots. As you stated he could develop into a good player and IMO it could be this year. A very rocky start, but some of the posts, not yours, are outrageous. The only issue I have with the above, is I wonder how you can be confident that the game is too fast for him unless you have seen a lot more than I have.

It is obvious that he is in an awful shooting slump, but how do you determine that the game is moving too fast for him. I certainly can't come to that conclusion based on the times I have seen him play. Maybe you have went to the away games and have a better view at this point, but based on what I have seen sans the last game, you could say that most of the team has played poor defense. Based on my admittedly small sample of home appearances, Overlander actually moves better than I anticipated. In the Cameron game you cited, his shoots were on target but just were not falling and I didn't notice any big defensive deficities.

I can't even fault Benford for playing him, when else but these early games can he evaluate players in a game atmosphere. He certainly didn't significantly bring down the level of play in either of the first two games and Cameron was a glorified exhibition.

As I assumed in an earlier post and the last game tended to verify it, unless it is a blow out or NT runs out of players, Overlander is not going to get a lot of playing time till he starts making his shoots. As you stated he could develop into a good player and IMO it could be this year. A very rocky start, but some of the posts, not yours, are outrageous. The only issue I have with the above, is I wonder how you can be confident that the game is too fast for him unless you have seen a lot more than I have.

A shooter needs two things to get his shot off...time and space...and a third thing to get it to drop consistently...confidence. Give a shooter time and space and he'll give you a confident stroke.

A shooter's concept of what time and space means to him changes as he develops and progresses, however...in high school perhaps give Clarke an open second and a foot of space and he'll give you a confident stroke. The college game won't give him that much time and space though...say its a half-second and six inches of space at the next level...can Clarke still hit shots with that much time and space? Sure...but right now he's not confident that he can.

1 for 17 isn't a a bad-luck slump...it's a lack of confidence and that, IMO, stems from his being a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the game happening around him.

A shooter needs two things to get his shot off...time and space...and a third thing to get it to drop consistently...confidence. Give a shooter time and space and he'll give you a confident stroke.

A shooter's concept of what time and space means to him changes as he develops and progresses, however...in high school perhaps give Clarke an open second and a foot of space and he'll give you a confident stroke. The college game won't give him that much time and space though...say its a half-second and six inches of space at the next level...can Clarke still hit shots with that much time and space? Sure...but right now he's not confident that he can.

1 for 17 isn't a a bad-luck slump...it's a lack of confidence and that, IMO, stems from his being a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the game happening around him.

Great post and dead on. Confidence is EVERYTHING in basketball. Right now, Clarke doesn't have it. Patience. It will come.

A shooter needs two things to get his shot off...time and space...and a third thing to get it to drop consistently...confidence. Give a shooter time and space and he'll give you a confident stroke.

A shooter's concept of what time and space means to him changes as he develops and progresses, however...in high school perhaps give Clarke an open second and a foot of space and he'll give you a confident stroke. The college game won't give him that much time and space though...say its a half-second and six inches of space at the next level...can Clarke still hit shots with that much time and space? Sure...but right now he's not confident that he can.

1 for 17 isn't a a bad-luck slump...it's a lack of confidence and that, IMO, stems from his being a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the game happening around him.

I partially disagree. I think he is just too tight and forcing it. Most of his three point attempts against Lamar were WIDE open. I kind of wonder if he might not have been better served by shooting when his man was closer, so he must catch and shoot in rhythm. He might have had too much time and space to let him have too much happening in his head.

A shooter needs two things to get his shot off...time and space...and a third thing to get it to drop consistently...confidence. Give a shooter time and space and he'll give you a confident stroke.

A shooter's concept of what time and space means to him changes as he develops and progresses, however...in high school perhaps give Clarke an open second and a foot of space and he'll give you a confident stroke. The college game won't give him that much time and space though...say its a half-second and six inches of space at the next level...can Clarke still hit shots with that much time and space? Sure...but right now he's not confident that he can.

1 for 17 isn't a a bad-luck slump...it's a lack of confidence and that, IMO, stems from his being a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the game happening around him.

Appreciate your reply, but I haven't seen that. He is not rushing his shoots and on many he is wide open. I have not seem any form issues, the ball is just not falling. It is a confidence problem and the more someone presses the worse it gets.

Just drained a 3.