On the Coaches Show tonight, TK said that AJ Edu is ahead of schedule and is doing Shooting and Passing Drills. He has also begun to run but not cut. The plan is to fit him with a brace and begin individual workouts after the first of the year and then get him into practice situations. The hope is that he will be able to begin playing in games come February with increased time as we move later into the season. He said that this action plan is subject to his doctors and parents signing off on it. His parents will be traveling to Toledo later this month to talk to the Doctors and make a family decision. The NCAA has agreed to pay for this trip. TK added that the major impact Edu can make this year is on the defensive end as his offensive skill development has been slowed by missing so much off and in season time due to his numerous knee surgeries. TK expects him to add much needed interior depth going down the home stretch of the season.
A couple of other nuggets from tonight:
* Thinks this team can score just as much or more than last season but will not rely on three point shooting based on this year's roster's shooting skill set. With that said, he mentioned that K Saunders will begin seeing increased playing time starting tomorrow because of his scoring potential off the bench but he needs to see better effort from him on the defensive end.
* Likes their rebounding so far and potential for the rest of the season because all 5 starters have bought in. TK said theit team goal is to have a 75% margin on first shot rebounds on the defensive end and they are the only team in the MAC that is above that level currently. He wants to see improvement on the offensive end with rebounding and thinks someone like R Moss has potential to really become a very good offensive rebounder.
Very enlightening, thanks.
(12-06-2021 07:01 PM)Basketball Jones Wrote: [ -> ]On the Coaches Show tonight, TK said that AJ Edu is ahead of schedule and is doing Shooting and Passing Drills. He has also begun to run but not cut. The plan is to fit him with a brace and begin individual workouts after the first of the year and then get him into practice situations. The hope is that he will be able to begin playing in games come February with increased time as we move later into the season. He said that this action plan is subject to his doctors and parents signing off on it. His parents will be traveling to Toledo later this month to talk to the Doctors and make a family decision. The NCAA has agreed to pay for this trip. TK added that the major impact Edu can make this year is on the defensive end as his offensive skill development has been slowed by missing so much off and in season time due to his numerous knee surgeries. TK expects him to add much needed interior depth going down the home stretch of the season.
A couple of other nuggets from tonight:
* Thinks this team can score just as much or more than last season but will not rely on three point shooting based on this year's roster's shooting skill set. With that said, he mentioned that K Saunders will begin seeing increased playing time starting tomorrow because of his scoring potential off the bench but he needs to see better effort from him on the defensive end.
* Likes their rebounding so far and potential for the rest of the season because all 5 starters have bought in. TK said theit team goal is to have a 75% margin on first shot rebounds on the defensive end and they are the only team in the MAC that is above that level currently. He wants to see improvement on the offensive end with rebounding and thinks someone like R Moss has potential to really become a very good offensive rebounder.
Always appreciate the reports Basketball Jones
Good to hear that AJ is doing well. Step by step, but having him add some interior defense and rebounding down the stretch would be huge. I know they took a very conservative approach with his first 2 injuries. Wonder if there's an element of wanting to take advantage of any chance to play because the injuries have taken away so many already. Or if there's still Philippine National Team hopes and PBA dreams that might cause them to be conservative again?
(12-06-2021 09:51 PM)pono Wrote: [ -> ] (12-06-2021 07:01 PM)Basketball Jones Wrote: [ -> ]On the Coaches Show tonight, TK said that AJ Edu is ahead of schedule and is doing Shooting and Passing Drills. He has also begun to run but not cut. The plan is to fit him with a brace and begin individual workouts after the first of the year and then get him into practice situations. The hope is that he will be able to begin playing in games come February with increased time as we move later into the season. He said that this action plan is subject to his doctors and parents signing off on it. His parents will be traveling to Toledo later this month to talk to the Doctors and make a family decision. The NCAA has agreed to pay for this trip. TK added that the major impact Edu can make this year is on the defensive end as his offensive skill development has been slowed by missing so much off and in season time due to his numerous knee surgeries. TK expects him to add much needed interior depth going down the home stretch of the season.
A couple of other nuggets from tonight:
* Thinks this team can score just as much or more than last season but will not rely on three point shooting based on this year's roster's shooting skill set. With that said, he mentioned that K Saunders will begin seeing increased playing time starting tomorrow because of his scoring potential off the bench but he needs to see better effort from him on the defensive end.
* Likes their rebounding so far and potential for the rest of the season because all 5 starters have bought in. TK said theit team goal is to have a 75% margin on first shot rebounds on the defensive end and they are the only team in the MAC that is above that level currently. He wants to see improvement on the offensive end with rebounding and thinks someone like R Moss has potential to really become a very good offensive rebounder.
Always appreciate the reports Basketball Jones
Good to hear that AJ is doing well. Step by step, but having him add some interior defense and rebounding down the stretch would be huge. I know they took a very conservative approach with his first 2 injuries. Wonder if there's an element of wanting to take advantage of any chance to play because the injuries have taken away so many already. Or if there's still Philippine National Team hopes and PBA dreams that might cause them to be conservative again?
TK didn't say anything about Edu's potential to play for his National Team or PBA Dreams. He did mention that he would be graduating this December but nothing about plans after this season. He said other than the day he tore his other ACL earlier this year, when he broke down with the news, he has been very upbeat and positive.
So Edu can not take another redshirt year? If he can’t, great for Toledo. I would like for you guys to be at full strength to bolster the MAC’s chances of a 2nd NCAA bid. Good luck in his recovery!
Posted on twitter that AJ graduated today.
Congrats @ArielJohnEdu for graduating this morning w/ an Accounting degree. Great to have AJ's dad & mom here for the ceremony. Ayo & Josie flew over from England. What better reason to have mom's 1st trip to the USA! Keep working hard! Next stop. Master's Degree!
https://twitter.com/toledo_mbb/status/14...27/photo/1
(12-18-2021 02:20 PM)Sleepy Wrote: [ -> ]Posted on twitter that AJ graduated today.
Congrats @ArielJohnEdu for graduating this morning w/ an Accounting degree. Great to have AJ's dad & mom here for the ceremony. Ayo & Josie flew over from England. What better reason to have mom's 1st trip to the USA! Keep working hard! Next stop. Master's Degree!
https://twitter.com/toledo_mbb/status/14...27/photo/1
Congrats!!!
From The Blah's article on yesterday's game:
Quote:“And we’ll get even better because our best defensive player is not playing until February,” said Kowalczyk, alluding to 6-foot-10 center A.J. Edu, who
is due to return from a knee injury.
“A.J.’s doing good. He started individual workouts this week. The goal is sometime in February.”
I know that they will not let him come back if he is not ready but I am wondering if coming back in Feb will be enough time for him to make a difference. Even mentioning that "we'll even get better...February" is not the best way to put things. TK is all about the hype on these things. We are playing very well now. Here's hoping it will continue as the hill gets steeper.
on the Rockets podcast available at the UT site there's a long convo with AJ about his recovery and return. some highlights.
- he's doing weightlifting and strength training without limitations along w the rest of the team
- main focus for now is on basketball moves and agility wearing a brace and working solo with coaches/trainers
- knee feels good, no setbacks, says his previous rehab experience has made this round a lot smoother
- coaches have been working with him on the playing conservatively and having a mental approach to not try to do everything right away. he expects to come back this year as a less dynamic player, the coaches aren't expecting him to be an aggressive playmaker. goal is to play good position basketball under control and think "like a freshman" by doing the basic things right and not trying to do too much.
on a parallel note, the OU board says that Dwight Wilson has had some setbacks in his knee injury recovery and won't play this year-will probably seek a rs and a 6th year at OU returning to the center position after jason carter leaves.
Looking at EDU when he is standing on the court during warmups it is clear that he has a large brace on his leg under his sweats.
(01-09-2022 11:09 PM)rocketpaul Wrote: [ -> ]Looking at EDU when he is standing on the court during warmups it is clear that he has a large brace on his leg under his sweats.
It is also clear to see that he has bulked up a lot since his freshman year. Even with a lot of time off for rehab.
(01-10-2022 04:51 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote: [ -> ] (01-09-2022 11:09 PM)rocketpaul Wrote: [ -> ]Looking at EDU when he is standing on the court during warmups it is clear that he has a large brace on his leg under his sweats.
It is also clear to see that he has bulked up a lot since his freshman year. Even with a lot of time off for rehab.
Says he’s 225