The Virginia Tech Hokies Buzzketball Review Preview: Satchel Pierce

The first season of the Buzz Williams experience is over, and now's a time not just to look back at Virginia Tech basketball, but look forward at what's to come. To do this, Brian and Pierson have decided not to write a single extensive review on Buzzketball. Instead, they'll examine the past and future by looking at the individuals that make it up. The fourth installment of the series focuses on rising-sophomore center Satchel Pierce, where the guys attempt to sift through the "flashes" and set realistic expectations.

Pierson: Let's just get this out of the way quickly: Dots, you will be missed. He may not have been a prolific scorer and was arguably a victim of being too much of a beefcake on an undersized team, but dammit did he have some gutsy performances last season. He made some serious sacrifices for his teammates, and it's always sad to see a guy like that leave — whether it was of his own volition or not. Alas, we'll never know if he could have found consistent success in orange and maroon at a more natural position. Instead, we'll be forced to endure months of unoriginal comments like, "How many years until we watch The Umlaut draining threes in the Sweet Sixteen heh heh heh?"

Back to business. Maybe it is a natural segue to transition out of a tangent involving a guy being forced to pretend he is tall and into a discussion focused on a guy who actually is tall. Satchel Pierce came to Blacksburg with God-given height and a lot of Jay Bilas' second favorite word: "Upside." *Shudder* Maybe the Satchsquatch was put in an unfair position following Joey van Zegeren's unceremonious suspension and subsequent departure from the team. Everyone and their mother knew Satch wasn't ready for prime time, but on a team lacking in size, there was a limited number of guys to turn to.

Satch's freshman season had its bright spots, including a respectable performance against Duke's Jahlil Okafor. But I have to be honest: I'm not yet sold on Satch over the long term. Could he blossom into a 7-foot force in the paint? Absolutely, but he's got a ways to go.

JVZ was a lanky freshman that drew a whistle every time he got within 6-inches of an opponent. Two years later, he was a physical specimen that could more than hold his own in the ACC.

As for Pierce, I'm still on the fence. His head still ties up his feet and there are times where he looks completely lost on the floor.

Maybe this is an oversimplification of things, but when it comes to major-college basketball, I feel like there are certain things tall guys have to be able to do well to justify minutes. You need to be able to hold your own on the block, regularly contest shots, and at a minimum keep possessions alive on the offensive end by getting a hand on rebounds. He has shown flashes of an ability to do each of these, but struggles to do so on a consistent basis and has never really put it all together for a stretch. Is that a red flag, or is he just a kid that is still adjusting to his huge frame?

Brian: Welp, there goes my plan to make a "MMMMBop" music video parody called "MMMMDots". THANKS BUZZ.

I'm really unsure of what to think about Satchel. If you and I are going to be completely neutral, he didn't show a ton of positives in year one, which is obviously a concern. That being said, I never like to judge a seven footer until he's had a few years of consistent coaching under his belt.

In this series we've talked about guys like Justin Bibbs and Ahmed Hill who have all the tools to get better, and there is a trajectory with those guys that is even visible to us commoners. Pierce isn't on that level. He has a nice attribute or two, the foremost being a soft touch around the rim, but he also has a few glaring deficiencies.

The defense isn't quite there, he's relatively slow on rotations and at times he can bog down the offense by either dribbling too much or trying to make a play that isn't there. But I don't think it's fair to lose all hope on him and cast him aside as the next player headed for a transfer.

Right now if he can hone his touch a little bit more and simply get in the way on defense, he can be a reliable backup center. When each freshman class comes in, we analyze them from a perspective of what could be their highest possible ceiling. When the player doesn't reach that lofty goal two years down the line, it often seems like a failure and that's not fair.

Only five guys can play on a basketball court at one time, and there is a definitive need for backup big men. Hell, even the raging ball of elbows and destruction, otherwise known as Marshall Plumlee, had a role for Duke this past year simply because he was big.

If Pierce is someone that ends up playing 15 minutes a game and fills quality time with the second unit, can we consider that a success?

Pierson: Full disclosure: If "MMMDots" became a thing, my wife would probably play it on loop for God knows how long. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not that's a good thing. I wouldn't mind hearing the Pep Band play the "Shaft" theme song during stoppages following a big play by Satch.

"SATCH! He's a baaaaad mutha — shut yo mouth!"

Based on my impression of your analysis, you're in the camp of Satch being a decent back-up big, but little more. I simply wonder whether this a fair assessment. I think you're right-on with your comparison to our views on toolsy guys like Bibbs and Hill. Satch is tall...and right now, that's about it. His most obvious skill isn't a skill at all, really. It's his height, and it's not entirely clear yet if he knows how to use it.

Childhood buddies of mine were twin brothers that were both 6'2" when we were 12 years old. My dad was our little league coach and he would always have to carry their birth certificates with him to counter the inevitable inquiry from opposing coaches. Their heads were so big that the batting helmets didn't fit. The flaps would flare out just above their ears, providing them little protection from an errant fastball. They were intimidating as hell to opponents, but the truth was they were terrible baseball players. Don't get me wrong, if they somehow managed to make contact the ball would fly for miles. It just rarely happened. Two years later as high school freshman, they were 6'6" and easily north of 250 pounds, and they continued to be awkward as hell. They looked like enormous baby giraffes sauntering up and down the basketball court. But by our junior year, they finally began to grow into their 6'8" frames and became dangerous in the paint.

Maybe Satch is still figuring out how to utilize his gangly limbs. Or maybe he's just that goofy. The biggest challenge I find when attempting to breakdown Pierce's freshman year was distinguishing between the physical challenges and his basketball IQ. In other words, was he slow in recognizing post moves and/or the way the ball bounced off the rim, or was his body struggling to sync up with his brain?

I think there are two important factors that need to happen in the near term: JUCO transfer Johnny Hamilton needs to push Satch in practice, and Buzz's staff needs to set realistic milestones for Pierce's development.

Satch isn't going to improve during the offseason if all he does is practice his post moves against a broom and defend wing players on the block. Regardless of how adept Hamilton proves to be for the Hokies, worst case is he (A) provides additional height for the orange and maroon lollipop guild and (B) challenges Satchsquatch in the paint during practice. There is no substitution for jockeying for position against another big body, and Hamilton should provide that each and every day.

Developmentally, we can't expect Pierce's game to grow by leaps-and-bounds between now and October. We can, however, hope that he spent some quality time at West End and in the gym, in addition to discovering some pent-up anger to translate onto the court. Would it be irrational to cross our fingers that he gets his young heart broken by a summer love?

I feel like his shooting touch will come in time, but some added strength and a mean streak could pay immediate dividends for this team. By the time his junior year rolls around, that's when Buzz should expect to see a more polished post threat on the offensive end.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like the most pragmatic position has to be a wait-and-see approach with Satch. Guys like Bibbs and Hill are easier to project, but an awkward teenage post player like Pierce is just too much of an enigma. Does he develop into a Steady Eddie like Coleman Collins? Is he just another big body that gives solid minutes, like Victor Davila? Or does he fall by the wayside like the "Dunkin' Dutchman," himself, Robert Krabbendam? Only time will tell...

Brian: Evaluating any big man between the ages of 17 and 20 is kind of like buying bourbon. There are the ones on the top shelf that you're almost guaranteed to enjoy (think Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns etc.), the ones on the bottom shelf that should be labeled, "Warning! This will definitely be harmful to your health," and everything in between.

Now, the ones in between all vary on both quality and personal preference. Some age incredibly well and end up bordering on top-shelf status (remember, Frank Kaminsky barely saw the floor in his first two years for Wisconsin). Others, are often forgettable and frequently fall by the wayside.

I think we know that Satch isn't a single barrel masterpiece, but I'm still not convinced he's Rebel Yell (aka the liquor you buy when you're not actually thinking about drinking, but rather thinking about committing arson).

So that leaves us in the middle. Yes he's big, though I will slightly disagree and say that while physicality is a problem I would definitely steer more towards a salads and protein-only diet at the dining halls. I'd be a little worried about him bulking out too much in a bad way, because bad weight rarely helps in the low post.

I still have faith that he can be more than a stiff, because I think his soft touch around the basket can eventually translate into a decent offensive game. He'll never be great on defense, and my only hope is that with experience comes avoiding the urge to hack at every player driving his way.

I know this comparison won't be liked by a ton of people on TKP, but I think if Pierce can do what Mike Tobey does for UVa, it's a win for everyone involved. An average of 15-20 minutes with a few put backs, maybe a jumper from the elbow (something Satchel is not afraid to let fly) would be nice. If you add a smattering of rebounds and maybe a block here and there, you have something. A stat line like that may not look nice to Wahoo fans when it comes to their guy, but I'd be doing backflips if Buzz and Co. can get that out of their big man.

It's all about expectations. I believe mine are realistically attainable for both the player and the coaching staff, and should everything go according to plan we won't have much to complain about.

But as of right now, we're blindly picking out a mid-shelf bourbon at ABC.

Previously in this series:

Devin Wilson
Justin Bibbs
Ahmed Hill