Shevon Thompson

[psyclone]

Nice "get" Pablo!

 

[Pablo]

Nice write-up on Shevon, but an interesting comment by Hewitt at the end - see http://www.gomason.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25200&ATCLID=209816491:

Thompson’s importance increases with the departure of senior center Erik Copes from the team for personal reasons and forward Julian Royal out currently after hand surgery.

“Yeah,” Hewitt said, “but we’ve played without Erik before. We played without him in Puerto Rico for three games and played well except for West Virginia.”

 

[Walter]

I have to agree with Hewitt. I thought he looked like a project in the video I saw of him from last year. He took a huge leap this year. Some credit surely must go to the coaches.

 

[Pablo]

I have to agree with Hewitt. I thought he looked like a project in the video I saw of him from last year. He took a huge leep this year. Some credit surely must go to the coaches.

And, some of the credit should likely go to Strength & Conditioning Coach Robert "Handy" Handerahan.

 

[psyclone]

I have to agree with Hewitt. I thought he looked like a project in the video I saw of him from last year. He took a huge leap this year. Some credit surely must go to the coaches.

And from what Hewitt is saying, some credit is due to Shevon's work ethic.

 

[Pablo]

For games through 12/20/14, Shevon is 1st in D-I in offensive rebounds per game (5.2) & 6th in rebounds per game (11.0).

 

[psyclone]

Thanks Pablo--keep us up-to-date on this!

Now does anyone have suggestions on getting Shevon to be more effective in scoring in traffic when he gets those offensive rebounds? He'd be averaging another 4-8 pts a game if he improves that part of the game (although it might actually cost him a few offensive rebounds a game!).

 

[Washingtonian]

Multiple people have already corrected him:

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein
Under-the-radar Atlantic 10 freshman --- George Mason's Shevon Thompson. 6-11 C is averaging 22.0 PPG + 13.0 RPG over his last three games.

EDITED TO THIS:
Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 3m3 minutes ago
Under-the-radar Atlantic 10 newcomer --- George Mason's Shevon Thompson. 6-11 big man is averaging 22.0 PPG + 13.0 RPG in his last 3 games.

 

[GMUgemini]

Thanks Pablo--keep us up-to-date on this!

Now does anyone have suggestions on getting Shevon to be more effective in scoring in traffic when he gets those offensive rebounds? He'd be averaging another 4-8 pts a game if he improves that part of the game (although it might actually cost him a few offensive rebounds a game!).

It would be helpful is the refs started calling fouls on the players hanging on his arms as he's trying to go back up for the putback.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Unnoticed stat - Shevon had 4 fouls against No. Iowa, otherwise no more than 3 in any other game this season. By not being baited into leaving his feet to block shots and instead relying on his height, he seems to avoid a lot of the cheap fouls that Copes always picked up. At 6'11" and nearly 30 minutes a game I'd have expected more than .9 blocks a game (4th on the team), but if it keeps him in the game grabbing boards and scoring baskets I'll take it.

I remember crunching some numbers a couple years back on Mike Morrison and the difference in production was staggering if he picked up 2 fouls in the first half or not and had to ride the bench.

Arledge in the CIT is another good example. He'd been killing it averaging 16.4 pts & 6.8 boards except for the 2nd game against Santa Clara where he picked up 4 quick fouls, was limited to 10 minutes and finished with 4 pts. & 2 boards which were his lowest totals in 3 months.

 

[MasonFanatic]

There have been multiple times in recent memory where Thompson had a clean block on a shot, but someone else (Jenkins, for example) was called for a foul on the play, so the blocked shot didn't count.

 

[Pablo]

In the 70-62 victory over LaSalle last night, Shevon got his first assist as a Patriot (a 3-pointer by Vaughn Gray). Shevon has been the Patriots' leading rebounder in every game this season.

 

[psyclone]

In the 70-62 victory over LaSalle last night, Shevon got his first assist as a Patriot (a 3-pointer by Vaughn Gray). Shevon has been the Patriots' leading rebounder in every game this season.

After a rough start in the first half, Shevon became more of a force. La Salle had a couple of guys with size (Zack and Wright, with the latter named preseason A10 second team) so Shevon couldn't dominate like he did against Wright State. But at least in the second half, he held his own. Still missing shots underneath in the first half, but not as bad as he was against Oklahoma in that regard.

 

[NewPatriot]

Shevon's story reminds me of Akeem Olajuwon. Former "big man" soccer player who becomes a great center. The pivot is all about footwork in the paint. He probably already has this due to Futbol. Is Mason beginning to run their offense through Shevon? If so, Mason's finishes in the top of five of the A-10 this year.

 

[gmutom]

In the 70-62 victory over LaSalle last night, Shevon got his first assist as a Patriot (a 3-pointer by Vaughn Gray).

This pretty much underscores how a**-backwards our offense can be. Every possession should start with looking to get the ball to Thompson in the post. If he gets the ball and draws a double-team, he should immediately pass it back out for a wide-open shot.

Will Thomas and Jai Lewis were masters at playing inside-out, but our coaching staff and system don't stress finding the open man. With as much attention as Thompson draws once he catches the ball, there is no reason he shouldn't have at least one or two assists a game.

 

[Harry]

Will Thomas and Jai Lewis were masters at playing inside-out, but our coaching staff and system don't stress finding the open man. With as much attention as Thompson draws once he catches the ball, there is no reason he shouldn't have at least one or two assists a game.

Will and Jai also were masters of the jump hook, Will from the left and Jai from the right. Although Shevon may not need a jump hook against most opponents, it would be a good weapon for his arsenal.

 

[Old Man]

Will and Jai also were masters of the jump hook, Will from the left and Jai from the right. Although Shevon may not need a jump hook against most opponents, it would be a good weapon for his arsenal.

How about if Shevon just developed a shot from <5 feet out that put the ball in the hole consistently? I don't care if it's a jump hook, jump shot, or off the glass! Consistently made baskets, however they occur, are the best weapon! In other words, I don't want him spending time working on a new shot when he needs to work on the ones he already has.

 

[Pablo]

Shevon is currently 4th in D-I in rebounds per game & 3rd in offensive rebounds per game:

NCAA® Men's Basketball
Division I
Rebounds Per Game
Through Games 01/08/2015

Rank Name, Team Cl Ht Pos G REB RPG
1 Jameel Warney, Stony Brook Jr .6-8 F 16 197 12.3
2 Alan Williams, UC Santa Barbara Sr. 6-7 C 14 166 11.9
3 Desharick Guidry, McNeese St. Sr .6-5 F 13 150 11.5
4 Shevon Thompson, George Mason Jr .6-11 C 14 159 11.4
5 Youssou Ndoye, St. Bonaventure Sr. 7-0 C 12 136 11.3


NCAA® Men's Basketball
Division I
Offensive Rebounds Per Game
Through Games 01/08/2015

Rank Name, Team Cl Ht Pos G ORebs RPG
1 AJ West, Nevada Jr. 6-9 F 13 69 5.31
2 Rico Gathers, Baylor Jr. 6-8 F 14 73 5.21
3 Shevon Thompson, George Mason Jr. 6-11 C 14 71 5.07
4 Desharick Guidry, McNeese St. Sr. 6-5 F 13 63 4.85
5 Jameel Warney, Stony Brook Jr. 6-8 F 16 75 4.69

 

[Dawgs99]

How about Shevon with the 15ft jumper last night? That shot would really make him tough to guard.

 

[MASONscott]

I no next to nothing about NBA scouting. Serious question.

Will Shevon hit the scouting radar with his size, numbers and seemingly coming out of nowhere?