KAEO: Dibaji Walker

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Old Cage
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by Old Cage » Wed Jan 08, 2020 7:57 pm

He has to play smarter. I understand that might take some time, but at the moment he is playing his way out of his minutes.
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by 69MG » Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:08 pm

Looked a little lost out there tonight and didn't contribute much. I keep hearing from people in the program that he can play, but haven't seen it yet. Hoping we see it soon as we can use a 6'9 guy that can shoot and rebound.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by m626t » Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:30 pm

if he indeed "can play", he should be up to game speed and showing improvement in the next 2 to 3 games. Here's hoping.
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by natwam2547 » Thu Jan 09, 2020 11:56 am

^ Problem is if we didn't know any better we'd probably think a lot of guys "can't play" based off of their next opponent and how tough they are. I'm willing to give Walker plenty of time. Maybe it's because I didn't have the highest hopes to begin with. But if he's a 9-10 minute a night guy who scores 3-5 points, I'd be happy with it.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by Worcester_To_Amherst » Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:20 am

I want to give the Dibaji thread a little bump after last night's game.

I think there's a strong argument to be made that he's the 2nd most talented guy on the team, especially with TJ out.

His play has been very frustrating since he's really only produced in a meaningful way in 3-4 games. I said in the St. Louis thread, but the biggest thing holding him back is just feel for the game, and knowing what to do and when to do it. He's clearly a talented scorer, but probably not as good a shooter as he thinks he is. He's a good defender and rebounder, sometimes.

If he finds a consistent comfort level I'm confident he'll be a very solid player the next 1 1/2 years.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by MassMan06 » Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:39 am

Worcester_To_Amherst wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:20 am I want to give the Dibaji thread a little bump after last night's game.

I think there's a strong argument to be made that he's the 2nd most talented guy on the team, especially with TJ out.

His play has been very frustrating since he's really only produced in a meaningful way in 3-4 games. I said in the St. Louis thread, but the biggest thing holding him back is just feel for the game, and knowing what to do and when to do it. He's clearly a talented scorer, but probably not as good a shooter as he thinks he is. He's a good defender and rebounder, sometimes.

If he finds a consistent comfort level I'm confident he'll be a very solid player the next 1 1/2 years.
I think we have two more years with Dibaji after this one.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:49 am

MassMan06 wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:39 am
I think we have two more years with Dibaji after this one.
We do. This is the half year.
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by Floyd » Wed Feb 19, 2020 2:02 pm

Dibaji has a nice skillset and can be a definite weapon for us. His length and athletic ability as well as his ability to drive to the hoop are impressive. He's got a nice shot, great motor, and is a very positive kid. Sometimes he looks to be a little rushed, but I think as he gets more comfortable and learns when to be a bit more patient, it'll help him. From hearing him speak you can tell he just lives basketball, and he seems like a kid that just loves to work on his game. He's a little unique in what he can do with his size. He's gonna help this team a lot
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Wed Feb 19, 2020 2:06 pm

I love the thought of high-low sets with Walker and Mitchell, as well as Walker running the baseline. I feel like there are endless man to man and zone set possibilities with those two on the floor.
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by TheInsider » Wed Feb 19, 2020 2:17 pm

^^^ Yes. Dibaji has a nice mid-range game and can be a tough match-up as he gets more comfortable. I also like what Preston gives us. He's turning into Samba but can finish. If healthy I can see Dibaji being the #2 or #3 option behind Tre and TJ. Through Preston in the mix and Hopefully the driving ability of Garcia and we will go from almost no options outside Tre this year to many options scoring next year. We will be able to survive a guy like CP or even TJ getting cold for a few games.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by 69MG » Wed Feb 19, 2020 2:53 pm

I thought that last night's game was Dibaji's best so far, even though it wasn't reflected in the box score. His D has improved greatly since the St. Joe's game and he was much more active yesterday going after loose balls. He only got credit for 3 rebounds but I thought he had more. In any case, if he can string these types of games together we are a much better team.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by DrG » Wed Feb 19, 2020 3:18 pm

Dibaji was an unsung hero last night for the way he singlehandedly kept us in the game in the first half. Without him, we would have been behind at least 20 points at halftime.

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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by Jackson96 » Wed Feb 19, 2020 3:41 pm

I hope this is a start of things to come for Dibaji -- if he ever puts it together on a consistent basis than the ceiling for this team goes up. I think Samba, Preston and Dibaji are a nice combination. They all definitely are works in progress, but they all bring something to the table.
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by DoctorJ » Sat Mar 21, 2020 3:49 pm

Jackson96 wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 3:41 pm I hope this is a start of things to come for Dibaji -- if he ever puts it together on a consistent basis than the ceiling for this team goes up. I think Samba, Preston and Dibaji are a nice combination. They all definitely are works in progress, but they all bring something to the table.
And we add Cairo to the mix now too. I agree on the ceiling for UMass goes up the better Dibaji gets. He is an interesting player.
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Re: KAEO: Dibaji Walker

Post by 69MG » Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:57 am

Here's a great story on Samaki Walker's career and life. We can only hope that Dibaji can replicate that.

https://twitter.com/TommyPointJon/statu ... 1726763008

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