Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Is Reeves Nelson the New Jon Brockman?

Last night I was watching the game at Pauley, I could not help but notice something positive in the sea of missed shots, missed assignments, and general disarray (no, not the South Park character). What was it? Reeves Nelson. Sure, there were times that he looked like a complete freshman out there, and not the way Kevin Love looked like a freshman. However, his hustle, rebounding, and energy made up for it. He played as well as anyone out on the court. Ok, no one played that well, but still. Throughout the first half I couldn't help but get the feeling that he could be the next Jon Brockman. I kept telling my friend Jeremy that he reminds me of Brockman with his nack for the ball off the boards, power play in the paint, and the passion for the game. Yes, I realize it has only been one game (officially) into the young season, but with the loss last night, I have to try and find optimism in something. At the bottom are the dimensions of each player in terms of height and weight. What jumps out at me from those numbers is the difference in weight. While Nelson has an inch over Brockman, he is outweighed by 27 pounds. However, that weight is the one Brockman was listed under during his final year at Washington (per their athletic website). Nelson has plenty of time to develop an even bigger and stronger body than the one he already has, so no need to worry there. The way he is already knocking bodies around on the floor after only one game as a freshman serve as good indication as to what the kid can do. I think that I can speak for all UCLA fans when I say that if Nelson develops into what Brockman became after his freshman year for the Huskies, we will all be very very happy.



Name
Height (ft)
Weight (lbs)


Reeves Nelson
6'8"
228

Jon Brockman
6'7"
255

1 comment:

  1. Besides height, weight, and playing style, you forgot to mention the biggest reason why you are making this comparison (although it may have been unconscious at the time). Race.

    Why does everyone always compare Brockman to Harangody to Hansbrough and now apparently to Reeves Nelson? It's odd...Hustle, energy, grit, passion...you rarely hear these terms associated with black players in college basketball (or any sport for that matter, but there is a greater percentage of black players and major D-I schools).

    I'm not saying that these guys aren't in any way analogous or that they don't possess any of the qualities you describe (I'm also not calling you a rascist in any way shape or form). Just pointing out that there are a ton of black players that have the same qualities and they never get mentioned. That's interesting to me. OK... End of rant.

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