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Post by bunnywailer on Feb 2, 2007 10:01:53 GMT -5
I know about the other members of this team and they all do a great job, when they are asked to, so do all the coaches in the MPSF. HOWEVER....It's still Patak's show, and every team knows it and they still can't stop him! How is that possible??? THIS IS D1 volleyball. No one man should be able to carry a team to wins like this with such fanfair. Yuval Katz couldn't. Sean Rooney couldn't. No one guy has had such a strong following when it comes to his ablity to just DOMINATE without some team controlling or at the very least containing him. This is one of the reason why I love this sport. In other sports you always have that ONE guy, Jordan, Montana, Gretzky...But in volleyball you always needed your teammates. Karch had Rick Amon, Sinjin Smith and a many others. Pat Powers had Tim Hovland, Steve Timmons and Dusty Dvorak (or was it Rudy?). The way people have made it sound Patak is basically a one man wrecking crew. I have had a chance to catch one game online when UCSB played Hawaii, and YES he is a beast. Yet, I still have to ask how does he do it and who will be able to stop him? At the begin of the year I did the little poll thing and names started popping up on who would be POY in the MPSF, at this rate it seems as if it is Patak's to lose... Here are Patak's season stats as of 2/2/07 1:30am EST.: TA: 410...next closest...Brunner with 178 Kills: 219..next closest...Brunner with 109 K/Pg: 5.92...next closest..Brunner with 2.95 Hit%: .388...only guys ahead of him with legitamit attemp numbers are, Kennedy (.525) and Brunner (.517) SA: 39...Richman is next with 10 Pnts: 274...next closest is Brunner again with 139 UCSB Team Stats as of 2/2/07 1:30am EST.: TA: 1097...(Patak takes a quater of the attemps) Kills: 591...(Patak has a third of the total) SA: 75...(Patak owns half the total) Pnts: 766.5...(Patak own a third of this as well) This is why I am asking. His number are gawdy!!! Yes the other members of this team contribute but not to the extent that Patak does. HOW in GOD'S name is he doing it??? That's all I ask. No one man has ever been this dominant. This way. Could he be the best ever (at OPP) Dam I love game!!! You are smoking crack. Patak isn't even in the Top 10 of all-time collegiate opposites. Katz, Billings, Brent Hilliard, Donny Harris, Gaby Amar, Ossie Antonetti, Dave Goss, He hits the ball hard. That's about it. He doesn't jump well, and the rest of the phases of his game are average at best. He's not even at the top of the statistical hitting charts this season. He couldn't even hold the jock strap of Yuval Katz. UH was the consensus #1 team in 1996 for the entire season. Although they faltered in the post-season, Katz routinely put up amazing numbers for two entire seasons against better competition. 42 kills in the 1996 NCAA championship match on 97 swings, oftentimes off of crappy transition sets and facing double and triple blocks. What has Patak done? He hasn't even logged a complete season yet. And UCSB hasn't done squat to prove they are the best team in the country. Best-ever Opposite. Yeah, good one.
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Post by cyberVBmidwest on Feb 2, 2007 10:41:06 GMT -5
Where is Yuval Katz now?
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Post by CityTechLegend on Feb 2, 2007 12:14:34 GMT -5
38 Skynyrd:
I'm not saying HE IS the best I'm just asking the question. But with the things you have listed about him, lack of a good vertical, sub-par all around game, the fact that he isn't in the top ten of any statistical category...how is no one has been able to stop him cold??? If he isn't that good, then he shouldn't be that difficult to stop. You're actually helping me prove the point MORE by saying the things he can't do well, yet he still gets these numbers...HOW???
If he isn't that good, HOW is he still able to do it???
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Post by prouddad on Feb 2, 2007 13:16:36 GMT -5
If he isn't that good, HOW is he still able to do it???[/quote]
I think he is that good with a tremendous beach career ahead of him. Don't know about the players mentioned from the past. Those discussions rarely accomplishment anything, though. Physically, though, Patek is built like a tight end in football.
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Post by ucivball on Feb 2, 2007 13:32:50 GMT -5
tight ends in football WISHES they are built like patak.
6'8 260!
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Post by cyberVBmidwest on Feb 2, 2007 17:26:26 GMT -5
How does he compare to George Roumain?
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Post by fingrbustr on Feb 2, 2007 18:58:09 GMT -5
Physically a notch down, doesn't quite jump as high. Attacking technique (actually, he just bashes the ball...not much technique from what I've seen) is not as strategic. Katz was a great one, no doubt...but Hilliard gets my vote over him. Unlike Katz, Hilliard took it to the international competition JUST like he took it to the college boys. I've never seen someone so instinctual on attack...armswing sped up or slowed down depending on the block, vision, etc. Speaking of Katz, I think him and Alon Grinberg (Pepperding OH) have got to bet the best Israeli lefties to ever play stateside
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Post by bunnywailer on Feb 2, 2007 19:45:49 GMT -5
Physically a notch down, doesn't quite jump as high. Attacking technique (actually, he just bashes the ball...not much technique from what I've seen) is not as strategic. Katz was a great one, no doubt...but Hilliard gets my vote over him. Unlike Katz, Hilliard took it to the international competition JUST like he took it to the college boys. I've never seen someone so instinctual on attack...armswing sped up or slowed down depending on the block, vision, etc. Speaking of Katz, I think him and Alon Grinberg (Pepperding OH) have got to bet the best Israeli lefties to ever play stateside Let's not get carried away here. Hilliard had one great match internationally - in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics against Italy in pool play - when Fred Sturm substituted freely and the backups (including Hilliard) beat the heavily favored Italians. It was a meaningless match in the pool - since both the USA and Italy were guaranteed to make it into the crossover round. Hilliard was tremendous in that match - he put every ball he got set away. However, too many swings over his career and the fact that Hilliard, at best, was not overly physical or durable shortened his career. He basically swung his shoulder off. Katz' greatest strengths were his hitting vision and the repetoire of attacks he had in his arsenal. His two-step approach was unique, and it contributed to his ability to attack even the marginal sets exceptionally well. He had a very good career internationally playing pro ball in Europe after leaving UH. He wasn't able to showcase his talents in FIVB international competitions because Israel's national team doesn't usually fare well in the European zone against the traditionally more powerful European teams. As far as Patak goes, he's a big beefy guy - kinda reminds me of Rob Steinkeuler from Quincy about 5-6 years ago. Hits the ball hard, no doubt. He's successful because, like Roumain before him, he can overpower alot of blocks by hitting through them if they aren't formed well. Even at the MPSF level, blocks are rarely formed well if the pass and the set are on-time and the hitter has time for a good approach. Plus he has the confidence of knowing he is UCSB's primary offensive weapon, so he knows he's going to get set alot no matter what.
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Post by strobe on Feb 3, 2007 1:08:45 GMT -5
I'm not sure what stats people are looking at for Patak. He is 4th nationally in Points and Hitting as well as 2nd in aces. The 1st place guy has only played 11 games, so his stats are a little deceptive. As for his vert, he touches 11'10' which does not equate to "no vertical." He also does have a two step approach when it is needed, which is quite effective.
His shots are not just power blasts through the block, he hits line, he hits crosscourt, he dumps, its not all the same by any means. He seldom sees single blocks. And when he gets blocked he adjusts and is seldom blocked consecutively.
Last year was a non year for him. He had a bicycle crash on his mountain bike that took out his possibly of playing for the national team that summer after he had showed well for them early that summer. Recovery was slow and he never did get his game back during the season. The academic thing was the final killer for him.
This year he was able to get himself in great shape during the summer and was ready to make this UCSB's best season in quite some time. That is what you are seeing now. He is no prima donna, he works his butt off.
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Post by CityTechLegend on Feb 3, 2007 18:35:10 GMT -5
I'm not sure what stats people are looking at for Patak. He is 4th nationally in Points and Hitting as well as 2nd in aces. The 1st place guy has only played 11 games, so his stats are a little deceptive. As for his vert, he touches 11'10' which does not equate to "no vertical." He also does have a two step approach when it is needed, which is quite effective. His shots are not just power blasts through the block, he hits line, he hits crosscourt, he dumps, its not all the same by any means. He seldom sees single blocks. And when he gets blocked he adjusts and is seldom blocked consecutively. Last year was a non year for him. He had a bicycle crash on his mountain bike that took out his possibly of playing for the national team that summer after he had showed well for them early that summer. Recovery was slow and he never did get his game back during the season. The academic thing was the final killer for him. This year he was able to get himself in great shape during the summer and was ready to make this UCSB's best season in quite some time. That is what you are seeing now. He is no prima donna, he works his butt off. The stats I have on my post are from the UCSB stat page up to the day and time that I had posted. Which was the other night. 2-2-07 at 1:30am EST...
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