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Post by wang pu on Mar 10, 2014 18:37:33 GMT -5
During the USC/Stanford match Kevin Barnett mentioned that Micah Christensen might be the best setter in the US, Collegiate and Professional. They also talked about him and Shaw having the Olympic potential. My question is, where does Kawika Shoji fall into the equation?
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Post by hunter on Mar 10, 2014 19:29:02 GMT -5
IMO, thats just a lazy comment based on biases. there are many setters in the NCAA that just dont get the recognition because of where they play or their pedigree. there is no doubt that these guys are great athletes but the best in the NCAA? if hes the best why is usc continuously low in the rankings? i watched match last night and stanford fed usc their lunch, it was a spanking!! best setter in the NCAA shouldve been a little closer, IMO!
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Post by kokyu on Mar 10, 2014 20:22:14 GMT -5
Setting skills Christenson's first, Shaw's second, and Shoji's third.
Serving skills Christenson's first, Shoji's second, and Shaw's third.
I think Shaw dumped a lot more against USC than normal because of the setter rivalry and he knows Speraw's watching the match.
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Post by 30killspergame on Mar 10, 2014 20:38:51 GMT -5
IMO, thats just a lazy comment based on biases. there are many setters in the NCAA that just dont get the recognition because of where they play or their pedigree. there is no doubt that these guys are great athletes but the best in the NCAA? if hes the best why is usc continuously low in the rankings? i watched match last night and stanford fed usc their lunch, it was a spanking!! best setter in the NCAA shouldve been a little closer, IMO! It takes a team to win, it's not his fault Ferguson recruited no one other than Yoder the last two years at OH.. Plus he is not 100%(already missed some time with a back injury) physically he can't serve bombs the way he did for the US national team. Playing for the national took a look out of him, that's so obvious. He should do better but he is handicapped because he has a coach who is playing a leftie at OH at the moment who is completely useless.. |
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Post by preschooler on Mar 10, 2014 21:25:36 GMT -5
I would also put Matt West in that conversation -will leave other to rank as I do not watch shaw or shoji enough to rank them with any thing other than my personal bias
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Post by wonderwarthog79 on Mar 11, 2014 0:48:13 GMT -5
I saw a lot of Shoji and have seen Shaw a fair amount. Shoji is a great athlete, plays taller than he is, plays terrific defense. Shaw has purer hands, better technique, and, I think, makes better choices in setting. Oh yeah, and he's 6'8"! Hard to compare Micah, West, and Shaw. Shaw has more weapons than either of the others. He clearly out-set West in their last matchup. BTW, Shaw dumped a lot in this match because SC was camped on Irvin and Cook, also because he had great passes. Micah has outstanding touch and control.
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Post by volleyson on Mar 11, 2014 3:27:34 GMT -5
experience on the national/professional level has huge importance, Shaws location is not nearly as good as Shoji or Micah... Don't forget about Kyle Caldwell either, he is probably the most unique setter of them all with the ability to attack at a high percentage on the second contact, his location is in question though... Micah and Shoji have the best defense, but there are not too many opportunities to dig the ball in the international game...
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Post by jna on Mar 11, 2014 8:46:57 GMT -5
I've watched several matches of K.Shoji and his german club through the European Champions League and I can say that he's been a bit weak this season and his team lost the german cup after three successful seasons in a row, if I'm not mistaken. If he keeps on playing like he's been lately - well, he won't have any playing time on the court with the national team this summer.
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Post by JB Southpaw on Mar 12, 2014 8:27:58 GMT -5
IMO, thats just a lazy comment based on biases. there are many setters in the NCAA that just dont get the recognition because of where they play or their pedigree. there is no doubt that these guys are great athletes but the best in the NCAA? if hes the best why is usc continuously low in the rankings? i watched match last night and stanford fed usc their lunch, it was a spanking!! best setter in the NCAA shouldve been a little closer, IMO! the comment from Kevin is probably based on the summer/fall work Micah put in with the SR. Men's team. I think he set all the matches in the FIVB Grand Champions Cup and NORCECA Continental Championship (Gold Medal). It's been a long while since USA had a NCAA setter get that much action with the A team. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2014 23:05:08 GMT -5
IMO, thats just a lazy comment based on biases. there are many setters in the NCAA that just dont get the recognition because of where they play or their pedigree. there is no doubt that these guys are great athletes but the best in the NCAA? if hes the best why is usc continuously low in the rankings? i watched match last night and stanford fed usc their lunch, it was a spanking!! best setter in the NCAA shouldve been a little closer, IMO! the comment from Kevin is probably based on the summer/fall work Micah put in with the SR. Men's team. I think he set all the matches in the FIVB Grand Champions Cup and NORCECA Continental Championship (Gold Medal). It's been a long while since USA had a NCAA setter get that much action with the A team. Man, the men's side of this board is pretty gracious. I saw that post and wanted to make a sarcastic comment about Micha being terrible just to stir the pot, Haha. |
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Post by jayvball on Mar 13, 2014 2:20:33 GMT -5
Having seen Micah play live a few times, I can see why he would be considered the best US setter we have. He has great touch and feel for the ball plus he plays some solid floor defense and his serves are killer. The other person I would consider close to Micah's caliber is Matt West.
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Post by rogero1 on Mar 14, 2014 4:37:22 GMT -5
the comment from Kevin is probably based on the summer/fall work Micah put in with the SR. Men's team. I think he set all the matches in the FIVB Grand Champions Cup and NORCECA Continental Championship (Gold Medal). It's been a long while since USA had a NCAA setter get that much action with the A team. Man, the men's side of this board is pretty gracious. I saw that post and wanted to make a sarcastic comment about Micha being terrible just to stir the pot, Haha. How does commenting on Micha Hancock (PSU women's setter) make any sense on a men's board? |
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Post by bAnthony on Mar 14, 2014 19:57:22 GMT -5
I've watched several matches of K.Shoji and his german club through the European Champions League and I can say that he's been a bit weak this season and his team lost the german cup after three successful seasons in a row, if I'm not mistaken. If he keeps on playing like he's been lately - well, he won't have any playing time on the court with the national team this summer. SCC Berlin hasn't won the German Cup since 2000. More importantly they finished the regular season in first place and are seeded number 1 in the upcoming playoffs. In the Champions League they actually had a much better record this year than last. They walked through the poor teams and split with Trento (Trento at the beginning of the year was much better than they are now since they have been hit with injuries). Last year they had some hiccups against the weaker teams, and beat Lokomotiv when they had already qualified and were playing their reserves. They just happened to get worked by Zenit this year, which was to be expected. Zenit is playing much better than they were last year. I think those of us who watched think Shoji played a little better last year than he actually did since they almost beat Zenit. I honestly don't think he has dropped in his level of play much, but it seems he will always be behind Micah. |
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Post by baywatcher on Mar 15, 2014 10:27:12 GMT -5
Kudos to the BYU, Loyola and LBSU setters, also; their teams are winning and a setter should get credit, even if just for getting their clear All American hitters the ball at the right time and place.
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Post by volleyballbro (guru) on Mar 15, 2014 17:46:20 GMT -5
I like Micah Christenson, Matt West, James Shaw, and Steve O'Dell right now; and Christy Blough, and Micah Maaa in a few years. USAV's problem is that there has not been a blow-away player produced since Matt Anderson in 2008. There is a lot of depth at every position and perhaps more players than ever are earning good livings professionally overseas, but this trend does not bode well for future Olympics. But also I think the Olympics don't matter much - they're only once every 4 years. id add jonah seif because he turned UCSB from mediocre to great this past year. Yes they had the addition of hanley but he is a huge part of their recent success. another is bj boldog. great delivery, high contact and not to mention his all american standing the past years. Also, maa might be good now but his delivery is sub par. Slow out of his hands and sometimes carries ball. Great overall player but doubt he will become national team setter. Kid is a natural on the court and im sure he can find a way onto the national team by playing another position. |
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