Latest on Larry from Chad Ford of ESPN

VRam · Mar 17, 2010

Somebody will come off the bench and hit a couple of wide open shots or a lucky three and they'll be proclaimed our savior, but one of the most productive players we've ever had (and he's only a junior) constantly gets trashed.

People are disappointed if Larry doesn't play like Superman or make "a Larry play" every trip down the floor (getting just about every important rebound down the stretch of games simply isn't enough). It's just so unrealistic. It doesn't happen. Where are all these other guys in the country who are so much more productive? And remember, there are 350 teams out there.

Rambunctious · Mar 17, 2010

Worse thing that has happened in Larry's career is him going to those invitation only camps last summer - - gave him a big head and some attitude issues this year. Now he's more focused on offense and less focused on rebounding and D. Glad to have him on our team, but if he goes to the NBA early he's gonna get SMOKED.

JeffC · Mar 17, 2010

VCU Finance 2008 said:
then get drafted by the Thunder?

Well he did tell Eric the other day he was coming out to OK.... 8-)

VRam · Mar 17, 2010

Rambunctious said:
Worse thing that has happened in Larry's career is him going to those invitation only camps last summer - - gave him a big head and some attitude issues this year.

Yeah, it was really bad. He proved he could play with the best and It solidified him as a number one draft pick and guaranteed money of at least $1.5 million per year. Yeah, it was the worst. :lol:

jflip · Mar 17, 2010

Not to be a downer guys, but Larry has Hasheem Thabeet (left after Junior year to go to the NBA, #3 pick) written all over him.

From Wikipedia:

As a junior at UConn, Thabeet emerged on the national scene, averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds... He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was co-Big East Player of the Year... Thabeet surpassed the 1,000-point mark against Purdue on March 26, 2009.

If Larry wants to even make a splash in the NBA, he should no doubt be annihilating the CAA. Thabeet was putting up those numbers against Big East competition.

I love Larry and think he's a great individual, but you have to admit that he's getting looks from scouts just because of his genetics (long arms & height) and athleticism which equals his "NBA potential". His offensive skills are hardly enough to single handedly take over a CAA game.

Putting that aside, I hope he works very, very hard to surpass expectations to one day become a solid NBA player.

Ramball · Mar 17, 2010

Yeah, it was really bad. He proved he could play with the best and It solidified him as a number one draft pick and guaranteed money of at least $1.5 million per year. Yeah, it was the worst.

It's amazing what get's said on these boards. :lol:

VCU MJ · Mar 17, 2010

jflip said:
Not to be a downer guys, but Larry has Hasheem Thabeet (left after Junior year to go to the NBA, #3 pick) written all over him.

I'm sorry but this statement is just wrong. Completely.

ramramthankyoumaam · Mar 17, 2010

Is VCU the best place for Larry Sanders' development to the next level? No offense to Daniel Roose or the VCU coaching staff but I'm pretty sure NBA teams have some top quality trainers and access to big men development programming at a higher level than exists in the CAA. My guess is that the D league talent is probably better than that in the CAA on a nightly basis, and more of it. So if Larry finishes his degree it may actually be better for him to go...especially with the money that goes with it...provided he's going to get guaranteed money. Who here can guarantee Larry gets better prepared for the NBA at the CAA level versus the NBA level?

D-Hoesevelt · Mar 17, 2010

Larry can play when he wants too. It's disheartening to watch him at times because he looks so uninterested in the game (like last night). His attitude is really starting to show.

Wolfpack Ram · Mar 17, 2010

D-Hoesevelt said:
Larry can play when he wants too. It's disheartening to watch him at times because he looks so uninterested in the game (like last night). His attitude is really starting to show.

I agree completely. Larry's problem right now is not physical ability. It's his mental attitude and lack of interest in the game he is playing in for VCU. He is more focused on the NBA than VCU. The only way I want Larry back for his senior year is if his heart is totally in to winning at VCU. Otherwise, he will be a huge distraction to this team next year and this team does not need that. I don't want to go through another year flipping a coin before each game to see if Larry is going to show up mentally for that game or not. We have a great incoming freshman class and solid returning players. It's time to move on.

Rambunctious · Mar 17, 2010

VRam said:
Rambunctious said:

Worse thing that has happened in Larry's career is him going to those invitation only camps last summer - - gave him a big head and some attitude issues this year.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it was really bad. He proved he could play with the best and It solidified him as a number one draft pick and guaranteed money of at least $1.5 million per year. Yeah, it was the worst.

You know what I meant. As his head swelled, he started worrying about shooting and scoring he has not progressed on defense or rebounding. As his scoring stats go up his overall impact on the game goes down - - bad for the program this year (maybe "career" was the wrong choice). We need him being a beast on the boards and on D and scoring when he can, but instead he's the main scoring option now and his rebounding and blocks are flat. 8-9 rpg game in the CAA when you have the longest reach in NCAA and NBA basketball is not exceptional. I think he can be a much more effective player for us than he has been, but he needs to shift his focus back to D and rebounding.

Wolfpack Ram · Mar 17, 2010

To state it even more simply - Larry needs to focus on VCU while he is still attending VCU vs. the NBA. That would take care of most of his problems.

VRam · Mar 17, 2010

Wolfpack Ram said:
To state it even more simply - Larry needs to focus on VCU while he is still attending VCU vs. the NBA. That would take care of most of his problems.

That's not the way it works anymore. It's starts at the top. When your coach is out chasing other jobs as soon as the final horn (or before the final horn) to the season sounds, what can you expect? In addition, we're just not used to guys being in NBA demand. He certainly wasn't the only underclassman at the camps.

4RunningRam · Mar 17, 2010

Wolfpack Ram said:
D-Hoesevelt said:

Larry can play when he wants too. It's disheartening to watch him at times because he looks so uninterested in the game (like last night). His attitude is really starting to show.

Click to expand...

I agree completely. Larry's problem right now is not physical ability. It's his mental attitude and lack of interest in the game he is playing in for VCU. He is more focused on the NBA than VCU. The only way I want Larry back for his senior year is if his heart is totally in to winning at VCU. Otherwise, he will be a huge distraction to this team next year and this team does not need that. I don't want to go through another year flipping a coin before each game to see if Larry is going to show up mentally for that game or not. We have a great incoming freshman class and solid returning players. It's time to move on.

The inconistent ways in which he's been used this year havent helped either...

He started the year with the green light to be Mark Price from the perimeter. Then he caught heck and was told to get back in the paint. But all the while he was still used in defensive schemes that placed him up at the top of the key on the perimter far too often, whereas last year, it was Larry on the blocks... all day every day.