Just reading the boards and looking at the general attitudes toward some of our players can be fun and frustrating all at the same time. I wanted to post some actual numbers and thoughts on Cory Johnson, coming off a career game against B-C that means something/nothing/all of the above depending on who you ask.
For those of you who want stars and players recruited by big name schools, his list included Marquette, Miami (FL), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Illinois, and Boston College.
He was a candidate for Minnesota player of the year in 2006, and compared to his fellow candidates he is stacking up fairly well.
Cory is averaging 3.4 points, .3 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game.
His competition:
Bryce Webster committed to the U of M but is playing at a JUCO with the intent to go to Utah State.
Four-star Isaiah Dahlman of Michigan State, who we were recruiting pretty hard is 6-6, 175! After hearing that, I wasn't surprised to learn that he has dealt with injuries. Last season he averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in 15.5 minutes. This year that has slipped to 1.6 points, .4 rebounds and no assists per game in 4.4 minutes.
Cameron Rundles is playing solidly for Montana, with 8.6 points, 4 assists and 2.5 rebounds a game. His biggest games this year have come against some of their weaker competition. He was a three star recruit.
Ryan Wittman is playing for Cornell and looking good, with 15.3 ppg, .7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. He was a 1 star recruit. I would expect that Cory would have similar numbers if playing in the Ivy League, but who can say for sure.
From a recent historical perspective, Johnson compares decently to players from the past. Keep in mind that he is only a sophmore and averages fewer minutes than these players did in each of these season. I expect him to continue to improve as he ages and matures.
Damion Staple:
Junior year: 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds
Senior year: 5.8 points, 4.6 rebounds
Shawn Taggart:
Freshman year: 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds
Jessan Gray:
Junior year: 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds
Senior year: 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds
Jiri Hubalek:
Sophmore year: 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds
Junior year: 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds
I am not trying to tell everyone that Cory Johnson is the second coming of Marcus Fizer, but it's also not accurate to write him off as a lost cause. He has done as much per minute as most of the post players in the recent history of Iowa State as well as his peers from Minnesota at this stage of his career.
For those of you who want stars and players recruited by big name schools, his list included Marquette, Miami (FL), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Illinois, and Boston College.
He was a candidate for Minnesota player of the year in 2006, and compared to his fellow candidates he is stacking up fairly well.
Cory is averaging 3.4 points, .3 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game.
His competition:
Bryce Webster committed to the U of M but is playing at a JUCO with the intent to go to Utah State.
Four-star Isaiah Dahlman of Michigan State, who we were recruiting pretty hard is 6-6, 175! After hearing that, I wasn't surprised to learn that he has dealt with injuries. Last season he averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in 15.5 minutes. This year that has slipped to 1.6 points, .4 rebounds and no assists per game in 4.4 minutes.
Cameron Rundles is playing solidly for Montana, with 8.6 points, 4 assists and 2.5 rebounds a game. His biggest games this year have come against some of their weaker competition. He was a three star recruit.
Ryan Wittman is playing for Cornell and looking good, with 15.3 ppg, .7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. He was a 1 star recruit. I would expect that Cory would have similar numbers if playing in the Ivy League, but who can say for sure.
From a recent historical perspective, Johnson compares decently to players from the past. Keep in mind that he is only a sophmore and averages fewer minutes than these players did in each of these season. I expect him to continue to improve as he ages and matures.
Damion Staple:
Junior year: 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds
Senior year: 5.8 points, 4.6 rebounds
Shawn Taggart:
Freshman year: 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds
Jessan Gray:
Junior year: 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds
Senior year: 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds
Jiri Hubalek:
Sophmore year: 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds
Junior year: 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds
I am not trying to tell everyone that Cory Johnson is the second coming of Marcus Fizer, but it's also not accurate to write him off as a lost cause. He has done as much per minute as most of the post players in the recent history of Iowa State as well as his peers from Minnesota at this stage of his career.
