Ari Boya?

[wizard1]

What is the status of Ari Boya? He is becoming a bit of a mystery man. Why isn't he playing more? Are his injuries fully healed? Has he developed playing skills enough to help us?Is his relationship with our coaches OK? How about lifting the curtain and letting us know what is going on?
Wizard

[Dub]

Wizard, I don't have any insider knowledge on this. However, my opinion from what I've seen is that he's not ready to help us much yet. Our cohesion and win streak is primarily due to better execution on offense, and that has coincided with playing our 2 centers relatively little....as in not even having one in the starting lineup.

Of course, that can always change as guys improve, and that's what I expect to happen with time. Boya is going to be a stud for us.

[wizard1]

Dub.....Hope you are right. However, we don't need another "project".
Wiz

[KMart]

From what I can tell by watching the games he has played in, he appears to be a step slow still and has been a liability on both sides of the ball at times. With coach trying to right the ship it looks like ran out of patience with him this year for having any significant contributions. He has a lot of promise and would be shocked if he isn't playing regularly next year. That's just my opinion.

[bigjimmy]

Maybe Wardle doesn't want to admit that they were wrong in believing Ari was 100% recovered. What other explanation could there be?

[tornado]

FWIW - here's a couple of my thoughts on Ari Boya...

-I think the coaches like Ari and what he has to offer but right now he's inexperienced and the coach (just like most of the other coaches in the Valley have done down the stretch) has TIGHTENED the playing rotation to only 8-9 guys and so, at this time, Boya is not going to get a lot of minutes - he will have to work, gain experience, improve and wait his turn, just like most every freshman.

-I keep reading comments like this (mostly on another message board) - "Why isn't Ari playing more" and "I'd make up an injury and redshirt him at this point"
....but Coach Wardle addressed this on his radio show. He said the following - that Ari would still be a high school senior had he not worked HARD & taken a bunch of extra courses then "reclassified" to get into college this year. So he's young and still inexperienced enough and, then his injury slowed him -- but he has tremendous potential and will be a very good player.

-comments about redshirting him are not plausible.
Remember - there are three major criteria to get a medical redshirt...
--there must be a season ending injury. But Ari's injury was NOT season ending - he was cleared and has been playing. And altho his injury bothers him, he has not significantly REINJURED himself. And if you try to fudge the rules and claim a season ending injury then you have submit documentation to NCAA and you risk getting caught if you make things up. You can't just "make up" an injury as one poster called for on another board.
--then another major criteria for medical redshirt - he cannot play beyond the midpoint of the season- but that already happened on Jan. 8, plus Boya also played in multiple other games even up to more than a month beyond that... So there's zero chance of getting a redshirt at this point.

BUT - Ari's value is significant - if we get an injury or two to any of the other big men - to maybe Luuk, Bar or Ja'shon, then Ari would be called into action. Note that his numbers (scoring, rebounding, etc.) on a PER 40 MINUTE basis are roughly the same as junior Koch Bar - so if Ari were needed, I think Coach Wardle would be happy to have him when the situation calls for a big man.

There are so many factors we do not know - and which we will NEVER be privy to - so I would trust Coach Wardle's judgement at this point.

REMEMBER - people were saying the exact same things about Luuk van Bree in December - what happened to him, why wasn't he playing, should he just redshirt, was he ever going to be a contributor...etc...
Now, looking back, we see it's a pretty good thing he did not redshirt and did wait to get fully healthy.

[egib52]

I know he hasn't seen the floor much this year, but what are people seeing that think he should see more time? When I have seen him, it looks like the game is moving too fast for him. I still believe by year 4 he will be a ton, but bigs take longer to develop.

[Go_Braves]

I agree with much that is being stated here. I believe that Coach Wardle has found the right mix (chemistry) to compete at the highest D1 Valley level. Only 8 Braves played last night (only 7 Ramblers played last night).... Both coaches realizing the caliber of play that needs to be achieved and who best to achieve it. Thank goodness that Ja'Shon and Luqman have both found their game rythm; Nate is the perfect "6th Man" - who only really needs to work on his turnovers. I remember Coach Versace trying different combinations in 1980 or was it 1982 trying to find a team chemistry that can compete - and Versace found it when Bradley gave Nationally #1 DePaul a heck of a game in Chicago. Wardle has now found his up tempo team chemistry and I'm sure Boya would love to play - but I am sure Boya also realizes he has a lot to learn and to just be patient like Luuk has been all these past years.

[Dub]

... but what are people seeing that think he should see more time? ...

I'm pretty sure they see that he's a freaking beast with a man-child body.

[Go_Braves]

I'm pretty sure they see that he's a freaking beast with a man-child body.

Bradley needs all the help they can acquire to play against "the likes of " Cameron Krutwig (6'9" 255), Derek Smits (7'1" 240), etc. in future Valley games next season and against other NCAA Beasts like Zion Williamson (6'7" 284) - who really with a build like his should play pro football. Patience Boya - your season is coming - Patrick O'Bryant jelled his sophomore season and so did Mitch Anderson.

[tornado]

Bayo Akinkunle was a classic example of a kid who took a year or two

2 ppg/1 rpg his freshman year
3.5 ppg/3.5 rpg his sophomore year
12/6 his junior year
then 15.4 ppg/8.2 rpg his senior year and All Conference & All-Defense followed by a long & successful pro career

[ihatetea]

If we hadn’t been in our funk at the time he became healthy, but were instead playing our small lineups that have been so much more effective I think Ari would have redshirted. He is absolutely the kind of player we need on our roster. Koch’s big step forward in competency has made Ari more superfluous. But the staggering of classes (2020 graduate and 2022 graduate) means we will have an upperclassman center that can give quality minutes, regardless of how many, for the next 3 years. That is a great asset in the Missouri Valley Conference. I wish he had redshirted knowing what we know about the team now but I’m still excited about what he will do. He’s too large and athletic to not have an impact as he figures it all out skill wise. Just figuring out which shots he can block and which ones are too far away would turn him into a much more effective defensive player and rebounder. I hope he develops that mean streak none of our bigs has that will have him going for dunks instead of weak layups.

[AZ BU Fan]

Once the season starts, very difficult for players to work on skill training/improvement. Limited practice spent on game prep and maintaining cardio. Improvents in Ari's game will have to wait for an off season, or two.