Armstead = Masoli?
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:43 pm
Has anyone noticed there are quite a few similarities between Armstead and Masoli?
- Both were full qualifiers out of high school that went the JC route due to not receiving the offers they were looking for.
- Both directed offenses for JC teams that were arguably the best in the country for their respective sports.
- Both signed with Oregon late in the signing period after spending one year at JC, giving them 3 years of eligibility at Oregon. The fact they signed late led some to question how good they really are.
- Both are relatively short, stocky guys that don't look like prototypical elite athletes when you see them walking around in everyday clothing.
These similarities obviously don't mean that Armstead and Masoli will automatically enjoy the same amount of success. Nonetheless, the striking similarities between the two are interesting.
Personally, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Armstead have an impact on the basketball program that is similar to that of Masoli on the football program. I obviously don't expect the basketball program to be as good (certainly not next season at least) as the football program could possibly be next season, but Armstead's impact on getting the basketball program headed back in the right direction could be just as profound. Like Masoli, Armstead is a proven winner. He showed that winning is the most important thing to him by sacrificing his personal statistics in order to distribute the ball to his talented teammates, when he easily could have forced more offense for himself. That is the exact type of selfless attitude the Ducks need from their floor leader. Reports indicate he is a willing, hard working defender and from watching his video I really like his quick, compact, accurate outside shooting stroke that he seems equally adept at hitting off a pass or off the dribble. If teams are forced to the respect that, it will really help open things up for the Oregon post players and will enable him to blow by defenders that are forced to crowd him due to fear of him getting off a quick jumper. Armstead looks pretty short on film and doesn't appear to have spectacular hops, so he will need to have some sort of a floater shot to turn to when he penetrates into the key and encounters Pac-10 sized big men. I don't know how developed that aspect of his game is, but any 6 foot or under player that averages over 30 points per game in high school has to have some craftiness when it comes to getting the ball in the hoop, so I'm not that worried about him figuring it out. I'm sure he will have some growing pains along the way, just like Masoli did. Let's not forget, it wasn't long ago that fans were booing Masoli and "Internet football experts" were calling for his head. However, I am very optimistic that Armstead will have a significantly positive impact on the basketball program over the next 3 years.
- Both were full qualifiers out of high school that went the JC route due to not receiving the offers they were looking for.
- Both directed offenses for JC teams that were arguably the best in the country for their respective sports.
- Both signed with Oregon late in the signing period after spending one year at JC, giving them 3 years of eligibility at Oregon. The fact they signed late led some to question how good they really are.
- Both are relatively short, stocky guys that don't look like prototypical elite athletes when you see them walking around in everyday clothing.
These similarities obviously don't mean that Armstead and Masoli will automatically enjoy the same amount of success. Nonetheless, the striking similarities between the two are interesting.
Personally, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Armstead have an impact on the basketball program that is similar to that of Masoli on the football program. I obviously don't expect the basketball program to be as good (certainly not next season at least) as the football program could possibly be next season, but Armstead's impact on getting the basketball program headed back in the right direction could be just as profound. Like Masoli, Armstead is a proven winner. He showed that winning is the most important thing to him by sacrificing his personal statistics in order to distribute the ball to his talented teammates, when he easily could have forced more offense for himself. That is the exact type of selfless attitude the Ducks need from their floor leader. Reports indicate he is a willing, hard working defender and from watching his video I really like his quick, compact, accurate outside shooting stroke that he seems equally adept at hitting off a pass or off the dribble. If teams are forced to the respect that, it will really help open things up for the Oregon post players and will enable him to blow by defenders that are forced to crowd him due to fear of him getting off a quick jumper. Armstead looks pretty short on film and doesn't appear to have spectacular hops, so he will need to have some sort of a floater shot to turn to when he penetrates into the key and encounters Pac-10 sized big men. I don't know how developed that aspect of his game is, but any 6 foot or under player that averages over 30 points per game in high school has to have some craftiness when it comes to getting the ball in the hoop, so I'm not that worried about him figuring it out. I'm sure he will have some growing pains along the way, just like Masoli did. Let's not forget, it wasn't long ago that fans were booing Masoli and "Internet football experts" were calling for his head. However, I am very optimistic that Armstead will have a significantly positive impact on the basketball program over the next 3 years.
