Babb Be Gone(Catch All)

[Hawg Red]

Isn't Jimmy Whitt just a better Nick Babb? I think we'll be fine.

Nick Babb was supposed to be a better Rickey Scott. But he wasn't. Never know what you have until these kids step on campus and it becomes real. I'm sure you know that and I'm not trying to insinuate that you don't. My point is that I think many around here are a little too sure and confident that Whitt is going to be a super-stud for the Hogs. He certainly has that potential, but you'd think a Razorback fan would have learned their lesson by now in that regard. We've had many not pan out.

I do agree that we'll be fine. Babb had serious potential, but what he did show us was that maybe he didn't have the confidence or hunger to live up to his potential. It's probably best he move on if that's the case. And there is a minutes crunch in the backcourt. Even still, with Babb moving on, minutes will be tough to get for the guards with 7 players looking to stick in the rotation.

[1hogfan]

Sorry to see you go Nick. Best of luck in the future.

[Inhogswetrust]

And had the best lateral quickness to play the passing lanes of anyone on the team. Would rather have one Babb than 2 Hannah's.

To me, it was one of MAs biggest mistakes of the year was not working him into the rotation. As the team gets younger MA has got to conquer his fear of playing freshmen.

So what if true? That's like saying Carl Lewis should have been a football HOF wide receiver since he was so fast....................ONE characteristic does not make a great player in and of itself.

[arkansasrazorback]

Is it a little odd that he said that? Yes. But Larry Brown says odd/idiotic things all the time. I think he was making a point about Arkansas' depth that we barely played a kid that he recruited.

You guys are making Nick Babb out to be some 5-star, can't-miss prospect. His offer list was not that impressive

Said what?  You guys are insane.  In the press conference he was talking about how good Arkansas as a team was.  He said we really like Nick Babb out of high school and he can't even get off the bench at Arkansas.  How in the heck could he get in trouble for saying something like that. 

You all are making it out that Brown said "Babb isn't even playing.  Nick you would play here if you came." 

[WaltonCollege]

He was skinny as a string bean, he probably got pushed around in practice a lot and got tired of it. Great 3 pt shooter but a liability everywhere else

[The_Iceman]

Babb didn't play in front of Durham because Babb's not a point guard. How hard is that to understand?

Durham wasn't much of one either. Babb could probably have done a better job at it if given the chance.

[The_Iceman]

So what if true? That's like saying Carl Lewis should have been a football HOF wide receiver since he was so fast....................ONE characteristic does not make a great player in and of itself.

What about that plus a smooth shooting stroke and ball handling abilities.

[The_Iceman]

He was skinny as a string bean, he probably got pushed around in practice a lot and got tired of it. Great 3 pt shooter but a liability everywhere else

So much wrong with this.

[RazorPiggie]

Durham wasn't much of one either. Babb could probably have done a better job at it if given the chance.

No doubt.

[The_Boot_stops_here]

Disappointed.  wouldve MUCH rather seen Miles or Durham leave

[k.c.hawg]

Anyone that thinks NB wasn't going to produce here, beginning next year is either blind or in denial. I wish the young man well, by all appearances he represented the team well, hopefully he is in good academic standing and does not have a negative impact on the APR. For some people the Dallas to Fayetteville transition could be a tough one. I cannot imagine any kid wanting to risk going to SMU, they are in the middle of an investigation that could land some very serious sanctions. If CMA thinks Brown tampered I would assume NB will not get a release to SMU or any SEC school. Other than that good luck Nick Babb, sure hate to him you go. I thought next year would be the beginning of a great 3 years of basketball growth.

[k.c.hawg]

With a brother having already experienced it I would not be surprised if Transfer U ISU isn't his destination. I cannot see SMU, they are looking at serious sanctions very soon.

[Big Nasty 34]

ISU is way farther away than fay...

[passinghog]

Better block a release to any SEC schools or SMU and ISU.

[sickboy]

Nick Babb was supposed to be a better Rickey Scott. But he wasn't. Never know what you have until these kids step on campus and it becomes real. I'm sure you know that and I'm not trying to insinuate that you don't. My point is that I think many around here are a little too sure and confident that Whitt is going to be a super-stud for the Hogs. He certainly has that potential, but you'd think a Razorback fan would have learned their lesson by now in that regard. We've had many not pan out.

I do agree that we'll be fine. Babb had serious potential, but what he did show us was that maybe he didn't have the confidence or hunger to live up to his potential. It's probably best he move on if that's the case. And there is a minutes crunch in the backcourt. Even still, with Babb moving on, minutes will be tough to get for the guards with 7 players looking to stick in the rotation.

Yeah -- I see the Ricky Scott comparison. If you look at Whitt's hilights vs Babb's outta high school... they look like very similar players. Whitt is just better at creating his own shot and overall, much more creative on the court.

Now... if that can translate to Whitt being on par with Babb's production... which shouldn't be hard, we'll be good at that spot moving forward.

[HawgnCorona]

%^&#

That's all I have to say.

Well said...

[Thepigdoctor]

I don't see a lot of comparison in Whitt and Babb, for my money, if I'm comparing Whitt to someone, especially Hog...its this all day.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oGk0tCE2QSc

[WorfHog]

Best of luck to him at SMU.

[Dr. Starcs]

Let him go to Smu. Chances are brown wont be there when he's eligible anyway.

[Thepigdoctor]

As for Babb, I'd openly wondered if we would seek a transfer to a school with a bigger role for him. I think in his case here, he probably felt a bit lost in the shuffle, knew it wasn't going to clear up anytime soon, and if he wanted a chance to play more as a SO (even though he'll have to sit somewhere a year most likely) it was not at Arkansas.

I was never as high on him as some, but really felt like he could have matured into a great player for us. I didn't see the physical transformation over the course of the season as I expected from him either. He's got great size and a frame to really work with, but when compared to the progress Bobby and Moses made over the course of their freshman year, Babb just really fell short. Even Beard this year, looked to have filled out from when he arrived on campus.  Regardless, with some hard work and the right situation, I think Babb has a future playing basketball.

Have to wonder if he just felt out of place, maybe homesick, or a combination of things. Wish him nothing but the best.

[pick_DA_EAGLES]

Does this mean hannahs is a much better player than many here give him credit from and babb is concerned about playing time?

I hate to see the kid go......good luck to you Mr babb

Dusty is the best shooter the HOGS have. He to can dribble the ball and create his own shot. Not to mention he will force defensess to pick him up when he crosses half court, he has Al Dillard range. I know he has worked on his defensive skills and in the past he was a relentless worker. I have watched him play for the last 6-7 year's (of course I didn't see him play this year) and he has seemed to make improvements each year. I think he will keep bell coming off the bench.

As for Babb, all I know about him is what we saw this season.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Mistake IMO. If Qualls goes pro he would be starting

[Breems]

I don't understand how the general consensus that Babb is a solid player with a ton of potential came about. He played so few minutes in such a small role that I was unable to draw any conclusions about his play.

I learned as much about him as I did Trey Thompson this season. Virtually nothing.

[bigdaddyhawg]

It was hard to understand why he could not be worked into the lineup more, especially considering what we got from others. Next season, though, you'd have Madden gone, and Madden definitely got minutes that Babb otherwise would have.

He could have been, no question.

Poor player handling by MA and his staff.  Babb had as much potential as anyone on this team, period.

This is a FAIL by our coaching staff.

[ricepig]

He could have been, no question.

Poor player handling by MA and his staff.  Babb had as much potential as anyone on this team, period.

This is a FAIL by our coaching staff.

Fire em, fire them all I say!

[husker71]

and you observed how many practices???

[rzrbk4life]

Hate to see the kid go. Wish him the best of luck

[Hawgzinbowlz]

Good luck Nick, in your future endeavors.

" GO HOGS "

[-Blu]

I don't see a lot of comparison in Whitt and Babb, for my money, if I'm comparing Whitt to someone, especially Hog...its this all day.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oGk0tCE2QSc

Think Pat Beverely is a good comparison for Whitt.

[Randy Johnson]

"As I said, not surprised.  Kinda expected it, after that conversation.  But I didn't want to report any of this, lest a whirlwind of rumor pop up around the kid.  Better to just let it play out."


?

[pfrg999]

Thought he was gonna a good player for us...

[The Boar War]

Babb looked okay in his limited role.  I saw some potential for the future but nothing to warrant extensive minutes as a freshman.  I wish the best of luck to him but hope he's not making a rash decision.

[popcornhog]

I have sat on this for several weeks, but now will report that I and a few other DFW fans went over to the BBQ place Nick's dad runs (just west of downtown Dallas) for a game in Feb.  It was a Saturday early afternoon game and the place wasn't very crowded (I believe they do more business at night on weekends, when they host jazz music), so his father sat down and watched the game with us.

He was friendly, but I got the vibe then that Nick might well transfer after the season.  According to the Dad, Nick was always hearing that he was their best defender and was doing very well in practices, only to sit on the bench all game (well, he frequently got in very, very late in games that were decided) while others played.  I even asked if he (the Dad) thought Nick might transfer after the season, and his response was "that's up to him".

Another issue that came up was that Nick and Jabril Durham had played against each other a few times in their HS years, since both are from the DFW area.  It was clear that Mr. Babb couldn't understand why Jabril was playing so much more than Chris.   I am not going to pretend that I know who should or should not have been playing, but I can only guess that it had to do with JD's 2 years of Juco ball in comparison to it being Nick's first year of adjustment to college basketball.  Anyway, that seemed to be one of the burrs under the saddle.

If I had ever known, I forgot that Nick's older brother Chris played recently at Iowa State.  Coincidentally, the Cyclones were playing a game at the same time the Arkansas game was on, and it was on a screen at the restaurant as well.  It was clear that Mr. Babb has great respect for their coach and program.  He seemed ambivalent about Mike (Anderson).  Also, the older son started out at Penn State, then transferred to Iowa State.  So Nick has seen this scenario play out before, and work well for his brother.

As I said, not surprised.  Kinda expected it, after that conversation.  But I didn't want to report any of this, lest a whirlwind of rumor pop up around the kid.  Better to just let it play out.

I will say I'm also disappointed, because I think now that he's dipped his toe into some games, and would have a full year of D1 practices under his belt, there is a good chance he would have emerged into a really nice player for us next season.  Guess we'll never find out.

I wish the young man well, and hope he finds what he's looking for at his next stop.

NM

Here's a link.

http://5newsonline.com/2015/04/02/arkansas-guard-nick-babb-transferring/

[Big Nasty 34]

Thurman, some one who is at practices, mentioned he thought he was the 3rd most talented player on the team on a broadcast.

[Iwastherein1969]

Durham wasn't much of one either. Babb could probably have done a better job at it if given the chance.

agree 100%....Babb was smooth with a nice stroke from the perimeter and if given a some substantial game experience the kid could have really been a big contributor....this is the only bone I have to pick with Mike, he gets one rotation on the brain and he totally forgets about the two or three who he doesn't rotate in...Nolan did this also...I was really looking forward to watching this kid shoot it next year and have said so in the past.  Good luck, Nick, you deserved better

[Scott7703]

Durham wasn't much of one either. Babb could probably have done a better job at it if given the chance.

My thoughts exactly.

[Scott7703]

Disappointed.  wouldve MUCH rather seen Miles or Durham leave

I agree. Saw a lot of upside in Babb. Can't exactly say the same for the others you mentioned.

[Letsroll1200]

This is a big loss to the program. Nick Babb is better than Manny Watkins any day of the week! Nick did not play and Manny played a lot of ball. I really believed Nick would be a big producer next season. I hate that he is no longer a hog.

[Hogimus Prime]

Can't blame Babb for leaving. 

[-Blu]

Babb didn't play in front of Durham because Babb's not a point guard. How hard is that to understand?

Babb played PG in high school, and even said in an interview they recruited him to be a combo guard and play some point.  If Ricky Scott could be a PG in this system, Nick Babb definitely could have been, he has all the attributes, really wish he would have stuck around I really felt he would have had a breakout year next year.  And as some had said, it wasn't a big difference in production from him to Durham.

Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlKDqutcjho

[Nipsey Mussle]

I'm not even sure Babb's father is as big on his game as some of you. He may have potential, I'm not really sure, but he sat on the bench because he wasn't as ready as some of the others ahead of him (and that's kind of sad, really). This doesn't really bother me at all. One of the seemingly ten thousand transfers that will occur in college bball this time of year.

I'm still sticking with Babb/Miles as the two who transfer out of here.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Can't blame Babb for leaving. 

He plays the wing positions and we may lose both our starters at those positions. Qualls didn't play whole lot his Freshman year. Madden barely played his fresh and Soph seasons. But they stayed and got better.

But whatever It doesn't really matter at this point as he is already gone.

[bigred223]

He should have played more without question. He is a good defender and overall just a better athlete than our other guards. Sucks, but thank goodness Whitt is coming in next year.

[pick_DA_EAGLES]

With all this talent a lot of people on here saw from him, I guess Coach just didn't want to play him, cause he was obviously an all American by reading some of these posts. Lol

[bigdaddyhawg]

Fire em, fire them all I say!

Pretty typical jump ball response.

It's fair to give credit where credit us due, and criticism where it is due.

Losing Babb is a blow, in several different ways.  The staff should be criticized for their mishandling of a very talented young guard with tons of potential.

Now they will scramble to replace him with some JC reach who will contribute maybe one year as a second teamer, and won't ever bring to the table half what Babb did.

But go ahead and act as if it's no big deal.

[sadhogfan]

I thought by his Junior year he would be averaging double figures in points, easy. He has the shot, the ball handling, and ability to get into the lane and get to the free throw line. His defense would have given him many fast break opportunities.

Big loss for the program. Watkins and Durham never showed the flashes late in the year they did early. Babb has superior talent and athleticism over them. I wish he would have been groomed to be ready for SEC play.

This is not meant to be a snarky or sarcastic question, but rather, a genuine one: how common is it for a player to score 19 points in his entire freshman season and then go on to be a real impact player?

Frank Kaminsky averaged 1.8 ppg as a freshman, and that is talked about a lot, because his development has been truly remarkable; it is in no way common.

I liked Babb a lot in the flashes I saw him play, but at the same time I wonder how good he'll actually turn out to be.

Best of luck to him.

[WarPig88]

agree 100%....Babb was smooth with a nice stroke from the perimeter and if given a some substantial game experience the kid could have really been a big contributor....this is the only bone I have to pick with Mike, he gets one rotation on the brain and he totally forgets about the two or three who he doesn't rotate in...Nolan did this also...I was really looking forward to watching this kid shoot it next year and have said so in the past.  Good luck, Nick, you deserved better

All coaches do that. Most only use 7 guys when they do it though so Babb had a better shot of making the rotation here as a frosh than he would have at most other schools.

[JIHawg]

I think the coaching staff just forgot about Babb as the season progressed.  He got inserted into a game late in the season and, considering he was probably rusty from lack of playing time, performed very well.  That was it.  He didn't get in the rest of the season.

Why?  He played a very good game when he was given the chance, but nothing came of it.

Anderson made it out to be that he was leaving because he is homesick.  I think that is coveryourrearend coach speak.  He is leaving because it wasn't made clear to him by the coaches where he fit in.  We will regret this someday.

[-Blu]

This is not meant to be a snarky or sarcastic question, but rather, a genuine one: how common is it for a player to score 19 points in his entire freshman season and then go on to be a real impact player?

Frank Kaminsky averaged 1.8 ppg as a freshman, and that is talked about a lot, because his development has been truly remarkable; it is in no way common.

I liked Babb a lot in the flashes I saw him play, but at the same time I wonder how good he'll actually turn out to be.

Best of luck to him.

Qualls 4.6 PPG Freshman year.  Junior year 15.9 PPG, second team all SEC, potential draft pick

Madden 4.2 PPG Sophomore Year.  Lead team in scoring with 12.9 PPG Junior year.

And that's just from our team, I'm sure there's many more cases of people improving and being impact players after not playing much their freshman year or the year before.  And if you look at our team and CMA's teams not a lot of freshman play, but usually have breakout seasons their sophomore and junior years.  Bell, Williams, and Watkins are good examples, all these guys probably played less than Babb their freshman year, and all are key contributors for us now.

And I don't think anybody saying Babb was going to be an All-American.  But with his attributes you can't deny he's a pretty good talent.  I agree with Iceman, I thought he was a guy around the time of his junior year would be a key contributor for us.  This is not the end of the world, and I haven't heard anyone say that, but I know some, including myself would have like to see him stick it out, his time would have come.

[72756Hog]

I think the coaching staff just forgot about Babb as the season progressed.  He got inserted into a game late in the season and, considering he was probably rusty from lack of playing time, performed very well.  That was it.  He didn't get in the rest of the season.

Why?  He played a very good game when he was given the chance, but nothing came of it.

Anderson made it out to be that he was leaving because he is homesick.  I think that is coveryourrearend coach speak.  He is leaving because it wasn't made clear to him by the coaches where he fit in.  We will regret this someday.

Did we lose Nick Babb or Michael Jordan? He had some decent performances but he also looked terrified to shoot the ball or try and make a play more often than not. Maybe we miss him, maybe not but we have a deep guard rotation with Beard, Whitt, Bell, Durham, Hannahs, and Qualls(?).