eagle88 Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 Just a few thought on Max thus far this year: from everyone i have talked to including his Dad says Max is healthy this year, unlike last season. Max played thru pain and injuries last season that few players could have endured, especially since he played most minutes of every game ! The fact that Max played at a high level last year in spite of being beat up alone in my mind puts him in a hall of fame category. I seriously wonder this year if his shot is a little off due to putting on 10 lbs of muscle ? Will it take Max a liitle time to adjust and get used to shooting with more muscle? He certainly has improved his vertical and his rebounding and just being stronger shows that. Time will tell but hopefully Max will return to his elite shooting form soon as it will help our chances this year and give him a better chance of making the League! Go Max! We all love you and are pulling for you! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 I'm glad you started this thread, 88. I am concerned for Max - and as a result, for the team. I know that he had a slow start last season as well, but the hole appears to be "deeper and darker" this year. In games last year, he would just keep firing and eventually shoot himself out of his slump - which worked in almost every case (the exception being at Central Arkansas). I don't know if he has stopped shooting because he knows that we have increased the number of 3-point shooters around him this year (all eight in the rotation are serious threats from beyond the arc), but he definitely seems frustrated. And, of the eight in the rotation, his 3-point % of .290 is the lowest, which is shocking for such an elite shooting talent. I've also observed that his body language and demeanor with officials has changed this year. In the past, he would often converse with the refs, asking them questions about a call, and then smile, shrug, and walk away. This year, he seems to be more argumentative and terse, which signals to me that his head is not a good place. I'm not expressing this as a criticism, but simply as an observation and concern. I am 100% with you in my support of Max, and am praying and trusting that "all things will work together for good" for Max this season and beyond. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 27 minutes ago, TrueBlue82 said: I'm glad you started this thread, 88. I am concerned for Max - and as a result, for the team. I know that he had a slow start last season as well, but the hole appears to be "deeper and darker" this year. In games last year, he would just keep firing and eventually shoot himself out of his slump - which worked in almost every case (the exception being at Central Arkansas). I don't know if he has stopped shooting because he knows that we have increased the number of 3-point shooters around him this year (all eight in the rotation are serious threats from beyond the arc), but he definitely seems frustrated. And, of the eight in the rotation, his 3-point % of .290 is the lowest, which is shocking for such an elite shooting talent. I've also observed that his body language and demeanor with officials has changed this year. In the past, he would often converse with the refs, asking them questions about a call, and then smile, shrug, and walk away. This year, he seems to be more argumentative and terse, which signals to me that his head is not a good place. I'm not expressing this as a criticism, but simply as an observation and concern. I am 100% with you in my support of Max, and am praying and trusting that "all things will work together for good" for Max this season and beyond. Yeah, his problems can't all be from hitting the weight room. He's just not the same player right now; doesn't look all that engaged, making bad decisions with the ball, no fire, no joy, no engagement with his teammates, frankly just "meh" with his body language. I love the guy and will be forever grateful to him for coming back to school TWICE when he could have left, but there is definitely something affecting his game in general and his outside shooting in particular (and it ain't just good defense). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 This is bothersome....only 48 hrs. to tip off vs. our hated rival TU and Max is having head issues?......concerning to say the least....TheEagleman is hoping and praying that Mad Max returns with a vengence on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds and drops 40 on the Golden Hurricane.....ORU needs to flush them back where they belong..... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 Max may be thinking that he should have already turned pro (G league or overseas) instead of playing John Brown, OBU, or Rogers State. Hopefully, the next few games will light a fire under him. Listening to some of Coach Mills post game interviews and he almost always says: We had to challenge them at halftime to come out and play some defense in the second half. Or to play with more energy in the second half. It is not only Max that needs a wake call but most of the team. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Connor Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 I just noticed on the ESPN Division 1 stats page that as of today Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor are tied for 44th in free throw percentage at 88.9%. I wonder if they still keep in contact with each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 Still amazes me how Max, following an un-Max-like start to the season, seemingly flipped a switch in the TU game and has been the player we all remembered ever since. He got handled pretty well by the physical Missouri State guards, but he managed some circus shots in the lane when his outside shot betrayed him in the second half, then capped off his performance by making that gutsy alley-oop to Patrick with the game tied on the next-to-last possession of the game. Great to see him playing so well and seemingly back in control of his game. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle88 Posted December 20, 2022 Author Share Posted December 20, 2022 Not sure who all has heard this story so I'll share it with you. Last night at the SDSU game Troy Abmas(Max's Dad) shared with me that while in high school Coach Springman along with other college coaches came to one of Max's games to look at a big 6"10 guy who was highly touted. After the game Coach Springman came directly to Max and started recruiting him. Needless to say he found a diamond in the rough. Springman recruited Kevin Durant when he was an assistant at Texas. Coach Springman's son Durant was named after KD. Every year on Durant's birthday he gets a call from KD. We have been very blessed to have Coach Springman on the staff! He is a genuine person with high character. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 35 minutes ago, eagle88 said: Not sure who all has heard this story so I'll share it with you. Last night at the SDSU game Troy Abmas(Max's Dad) shared with me that while in high school Coach Springman along with other college coaches came to one of Max's games to look at a big 6"10 guy who was highly touted. After the game Coach Springman came directly to Max and started recruiting him. Needless to say he found a diamond in the rough. Springman recruited Kevin Durant when he was an assistant at Texas. Coach Springman's son Durant was named after KD. Every year on Durant's birthday he gets a call from KD. We have been very blessed to have Coach Springman on the staff! He is a genuine person with high character. That was Julius Marble, who signed/played with Michigan State and transferred this year to Texas A&M to be closer to family after his father passed away. I agree that our coaching staff is filled with talented & good people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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