Anyone ever seen a guy like Julysses Nobles?

[Biggus Piggus]

Entering this season, his career 2-point field goal percentage was 38%.

This year, it's 35%.

Now that his 3-point shooting has gone to crap too (career was 40%, making about 1 out of 4 now), the inability to make layups and short jumpers really hurts.

What explains his problems? Does anybody see anything in his approach or mechanics? I don't understand why a guy his height with his hops and quickness shoots layups about like I do.

[labb]

Here is what I think and some may not understand what I mean...For the really good players the game is in slow motion. They see the game in slow motion and the moves are in slow motion. For Nobles and most players like him the game is in fast forward and never slows down. They play at a speed that puts them always a little bit out of control.I forget which old coach said it but it is "Be quick, but don't hurry".  It is not a physical thing, it is a mental thing. The one player we have that I think sees the game in slow motion is Madden. With Young he is so fast that it does not matter..Any of this make sense?

[HF#1]

There is a difference in being an athlete and having talent.  He's a hell of an athlete with average basketball talent imo.  Sanchez is the same way.  Good athlete, not great basketball talent. 

Just my opinion though.

[chiefhawg]

Here is what I think and some may not understand what I mean...For the really good players the game is in slow motion. They see the game in slow motion and the moves are in slow motion. For Nobles and most players like him the game is in fast forward and never slows down. They play at a speed that puts them always a little bit out of control.I forget which old coach said it but it is "Be quick, but don't hurry".  It is not a physical thing, it is a mental thing. The one player we have that I think sees the game in slow motion is Madden. With Young he is so fast that it does not matter..Any of this make sense?

John Wooden is the coach.  Great observation concerning Nobles.  He seems to be pressing and not comfortable during the games.

[Danny J]

He looks depressed to me. He doesn't look the same while on the court and on the bench. His body language is not good. I am not sure what is going on. Maybe more pressure on him to play well in the starting lineup because BJ usually replaces him off the bench. Then again...CMA called him out and he has not performed well after that. Just don't know. I just hope he figures it out whatever "it" is. We need him.

[PoormansRobbyHampton]

I actually have been impressed by Ju's defense so far this year and he was never a particularly adept offensive player.

Don't get me wrong, in a game to 21, he'd probably shut me out, I just mean in terms of other talented SEC players, Nobles could be guarded.

[The Boar War]

Then again...CMA called him out and he has not performed well after that. Just don't know. I just hope he figures it out whatever "it" is. We need him.

Mike's "calling out" was in reference to his shooting problems not the cause of them.

Really other than his poor shooting and an ill advised pass/turn over per game he's been okay.

[Spider-Pig]

There is a difference in being an athlete and having talent.  He's a hell of an athlete with average basketball talent imo.  Sanchez is the same way.  Good athlete, not great basketball talent. 

Just my opinion though.

Sanchez, an athlete?

Nobles has played well defensive,  he just isn't a good offense player, never has been

[HogInThaGrove]

He has a double pump/hitch in his shot and shoots a low & hard ball. Unless that changes dramatically, he won't really improve as a shooter. Needs to watch film and go to work changing. Surely he can see somethings not right. Shooters rolls are foreign to Nobles.

Love his defense though. Good kid. Hustles hard. Just needs to be coachable and willing to change.

[pigfeet]

Not sure exactly whats up with him, but I just think he trying too hard to get his offensive game going. He'll have a breakout game and should be able to turn it around.

[Hogifianakis]

Nobles was a very good 3 point shooter until recently.  Hope he gets it going again and doesn't look back.

[Hog Fan...DOH!]

Could just be in a funk? 

[Break & Run]

Could just be in a funk? 

A quite long funk...he hasn't really shot the ball well since the first couple games of the season.  I think he is pressing too hard because of the freshman talent we have.

[RazorPiggie]

Over our last 8 games he is 9-49 that's 18% and he is fixing to start playing better competition. That's not a good thing.

[Lieutenant Dan]

Probably between the ears.  Hoping he doesn't miss the short shots instead of expecting to make them.  Kind of like the yips in golf or the Chuck Knoblauch phenomenon.

[The Hogfather]

Nobles was a very good 3 point shooter until recently.  Hope he gets it going again and doesn't look back.

That's why I can't stand these people who chime in with nothing but, "He is not D1 material." or "Nothing is wrong, he's always been this bad."

He is much better and has been much better for us than he has been recently.  I still think it is mental.  I think he's trying to "keep up" with the new guys, causing him to push a little too much.

[Niels Boar]

He has a double pump/hitch in his shot and shoots a low & hard ball.

I've noticed when the ball hits the rim on his shot it seems to be about 50% heavier than for everybody else on the court.  What sort of spin does he have on the ball?  I thought I noticed it being almost sideways once but haven't paid close attention.

[Razorod]

Maybe he's not as comfortable in Anderson's system as he was in Pelphrey's? I do hope he starts playing better real quickly.

[Big Nasty 34]

I've noticed when the ball hits the rim on his shot it seems to be about 50% heavier than for everybody else on the court.  What sort of spin does he have on the ball?  I thought I noticed it being almost sideways once but haven't paid close attention.

I feel like he sort of "flicks" the ball instead of extending and shooting. Almost rushes it in my opinion.. He's definitely not on the same page as the other guys I feel. Hope he gets back on track.

[rude1]

I think it is mental with him at this point. He seems to have lost his confidence, he is not the type of player who can come down miss 2 straight, yet still have the confidence to come down without hesitation and pull the trigger on the third shot if he is open. So you see him hesitant to take the open look, and instead many times puts it on the floor out of control and goes to the rim and throws up a prayer. The best part of his offensive game is his spot up shooting and not his drives to the hole. He needs to just relax, find the holes in the defense, spot up, go up on balance and let the shots go.

[Danny J]

That's why I can't stand these people who chime in with nothing but, "He is not D1 material." or "Nothing is wrong, he's always been this bad."

He is much better and has been much better for us than he has been recently.  I still think it is mental.  I think he's trying to "keep up" with the new guys, causing him to push a little too much.

I think this is exactly what is going on. I mentioned earlier that he looked depressed and by depressed I meant that he looks like he is disappointed by the slump he is in. I think it may be starting to snowball a bit in his mind. He needs to take a step back and try to enjoy the game and let it come to him. I think right now his confidence is shot and the calling out by CMA probably exacerbated it some. You just don't know how a person is going to react but you hope it is positive. So far it has not worked out. I don't blame CMA for doing it as you don't know how a player is going to react until after the matter.

I just hope he figures it out soon....we need him in a bad way starting saturday.

[Catfish John]

All this "don't bash the players" stuff, while good in principle, has gone too far.  It's much like political correctness run amok.  Nobles has been stinking it up this year.  Plain and simple.  You can say it.

[cashmoneyman_04]

That's why I can't stand these people who chime in with nothing but, "He is not D1 material." or "Nothing is wrong, he's always been this bad."

He is much better and has been much better for us than he has been recently.  I still think it is mental.  I think he's trying to "keep up" with the new guys, causing him to push a little too much.

sorry but he is low level D1 material...not SEC material...it is just the obvious truth...from day 1 of him being here to now.  Maybe sun belt

[Catfish John]

sorry but he is low level D1 material...not SEC material...it is just the obvious truth...from day 1 of him being here to now.  Maybe sun belt

^^This.  +1

[The Hogfather]

sorry but he is low level D1 material...not SEC material...it is just the obvious truth...from day 1 of him being here to now.  Maybe sun belt

You're a [CENSORED] idiot.  Just the obvious truth.

Again, this is about a difference in HIS play from where it has been, against SEC competition, in the past.  He was shooting 40% from 3 up until this season.  In the last 8 games, he is shooting 1/2 as well as he had, up until that point, shot at Arkansas in the past.

You [CENSORED] idiots can't realize that nobody is trying to say he was an All-SEC caliber guard or he was the next John Wall previously.  However, he had been a mid-level SEC guard over the past 2 seasons and he's fallen off the map over the past 7 or 8 games.  Something is wrong and he is playing uncharacteristically FOR HIM.

[Dogtown Donkey]

All this "don't bash the players" stuff, while good in principle, has gone too far.  It's much like political correctness run amok.  Nobles has been stinking it up this year.  Plain and simple.  You can say it.

There's a distinct difference between saying someone has not played well this season, and saying that person was "never any good in the first place" when that is obviously not true. No one is saying the guy is an All-American or even All-SEC guard. No one is even saying he should be a starter on this team ideally. But to sit here and act like he has never played well for the Arkansas Razorbacks is just beyond ridiculous. He's had big scoring games and played very good defense for the Razorbacks, especially last season.

There's no doubt he's probably playing the worst basketball of anyone on the team right now, but that wasn't the case last year. We would have definitely lost against Seton Hall and Auburn last season if not for his efforts. I can understand what you're saying about taking the notion of not criticizing players too far, but I think the criticism has been taken too far on Nobles. I wish I had the time to dig up all of the posts from last season praising him from people in this forum. I guess it's a "what have you done for me lately?" situation, though.

[Dogtown Donkey]

sorry but he is low level D1 material...not SEC material...it is just the obvious truth...from day 1 of him being here to now.  Maybe sun belt

He most definitely is worthy of playing the SEC. He's not even in the bottom third of current SEC players. I'm sure he would have more success at the Sun Belt level, but there are varying degrees of SEC "material" and I have seen MUCH WORSE players than Nobles in the SEC this season, last season, and every other season. He isn't that bad. He's a role player forced to be a starter. That doesn't make him not worthy of playing in the SEC. He was recruited to Florida State and Baylor as well. I'd say he's a lower level SEC/ACC/Big 12/BSC conference talent, but not a lower level D1 athlete. That's over the top, IMO.

[HawgAdvocate]

There's no doubt he's probably playing the worst basketball of anyone on the team right now..

Oh there's definitely some doubt. Nobles has had a rough season thus far, but he's still doing a lot better on the floor than Sanchez is this year.

Check out the "true" shooting %, the TO %, the offensive rating, and their +/-, even total rebounds, amongst other stats compared.

Both guys would probably love to hit the reset button on their seasons though.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?p2=michael-sanchez&p1=julysses-nobles

[Dogtown Donkey]

Oh there's definitely some doubt. Nobles has had a rough season thus far, but he's still doing a lot better on the floor than Sanchez is this year.

Check out the "true" shooting %, the TO %, the offensive rating, and their +/-, even total rebounds, amongst other stats compared.

Both guys would probably love to hit the reset button on their seasons though.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?p2=michael-sanchez&p1=julysses-nobles

I've seen and heard the same things said about Sanchez. Not SEC material, no talent, etc.

I went ahead and put Sanchez over Nobles since no one seems to be complaining about his play and Nobles has become the whipping boy.

[HawgAdvocate]

I've seen and heard the same things said about Sanchez. Not SEC material, no talent, etc.

I went ahead and put Sanchez over Nobles since no one seems to be complaining about his play and Nobles has become the whipping boy.

I certainly agree that both players deserve to play in the SEC. I still laugh at those who, just a few weeks back, were trying to say that Nobles, Waithe, and perhaps even Sanchez were "borderline D-I players."

I'm sure the same people couldn't name half of the 33 conferences that are out there.

[Biggus Piggus]

Sanchez is shooting 21-56, 37.5%, from 2-point range. He has even less of an excuse than Nobles has. Sanchez is tall and always around the basket. Sanchez shows a combination of poor skill and unwise shot selection. Having to play someone who cannot shoot close to 50% in the paint is a major liability.

Mickelson is inching up from his bad start, now 44%. Abron is at 41%. Waithe, at 54%, is the one who has started finding and making baskets in the paint. The killer thing is that Powell made 15 of 19 2-point shots while he was playing. This team is one good low post player away from being pretty alright.

[PoormansRobbyHampton]

The thing I like best about Nobles is that it seems like he knows that he's physically limited, undersized or whatever, but does a few things well and sticks to those.

He doesn't shoot a ton of threes, he actually cares about playing defense and he likes trying to get shots for his teammates, so he's more of a true point guard than BJ or Ky Madden.

[cashmoneyman_04]

You're a [CENSORED] idiot.  Just the obvious truth.

Again, this is about a difference in HIS play from where it has been, against SEC competition, in the past.  He was shooting 40% from 3 up until this season.  In the last 8 games, he is shooting 1/2 as well as he had, up until that point, shot at Arkansas in the past.

You [CENSORED] idiots can't realize that nobody is trying to say he was an All-SEC caliber guard or he was the next John Wall previously.  However, he had been a mid-level SEC guard over the past 2 seasons and he's fallen off the map over the past 7 or 8 games.  Something is wrong and he is playing uncharacteristically FOR HIM.

wow way to take the high road dude....im not going to call you names i will give my opinion like an adult and not a 13 year old on facebook...FOR HIM he is playing normal...He has never been a great guard...on his best day he is average.  That's it.. you can tell scott and wade have great potential and will get better.  same for young and madden...nobles not so much...i'm not bashing him either...might be a great kid and probably gives it his all for the razorbacks.  I am just telling you how I see it

[Biggus Piggus]

Saturday's outstanding performance by Nobles leaves me even more mystified by his performance in all the games prior to that one. Perhaps he felt comfortable competing against an opponent he was so familiar with. Who knows - but it makes me believe even more strongly that Nobles's primary problem is confidence not skill.

[The_Iceman]

Saturday's outstanding performance by Nobles leaves me even more mystified by his performance in all the games prior to that one. Perhaps he felt comfortable competing against an opponent he was so familiar with. Who knows - but it makes me believe even more strongly that Nobles's primary problem is confidence not skill.

This. He looked like a D-2 guard for about a month, then shows up and puts up 24 points.

[The Hogfather]

Saturday's outstanding performance by Nobles leaves me even more mystified by his performance in all the games prior to that one. Perhaps he felt comfortable competing against an opponent he was so familiar with. Who knows - but it makes me believe even more strongly that Nobles's primary problem is confidence not skill.

100% agree.  I'm very confused as to why he was struggling so bad during the 8 or so games before Saturday.  That's why I kept asking what was wrong.  Hopefully, he'll be able to continue playing like this now that he should have some of his confidence back.

[Dogtown Donkey]

Surely he'll have friends and family in the stands tomorrow night. Hope we can get a repeat performance from him.