Matt Roth is “everything as advertised”

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By Alex | December 19, 2007

Matt Roth turned in another stellar effort Tuesday night and inched closer to the Illinois state record for three-pointers made as Washington beat Normal Community, 81-42.

Roth scored 34 points (including eight three-pointers) and his team moved to 8-0 in the process. He now has 354 three-pointers in his career and looks to be a lock to get the 18 additional treys needed to break the record.

Normal Community coach Dave Witzig offered the following comments on Roth to the Peoria Journal Star:

“We didn’t want him to have any easy shots, but if he got his 20 to 24 points, he couldn’t beat us by himself. His 34 points is the most any individual has scored against us in my nine years here. We wanted to make sure his teammates didn’t get offensive put backs, but they did. It started out as the Matt Roth show and then spread to the entire team. Matt Roth is everything as advertised. “

While Devin Ebanks is the stud of the 2008 class, both Roth and Tom Pritchard have showed over the past couple of weeks that they deserve headlines as well. A couple of recruiting analysts have told me that Roth is underrated on the national level and is a steal for the Hoosiers. Nothing against Kyle Kuric, but I think the Hoosiers made the right call in pursuing Roth over Kuric. He’ll be a solid four-year player that will give Indiana a shooter that can knock down contested shots on a consistent basis.

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Tom 11 months ago 1 point
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No comments? The kid is going to set the Illinois 3 point record for God's sake! I applaud you, Matt and I am really glad you chose IU. Apparently, most posters would rather whine about insignificant stuff then recognize your achievements.

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dale myers 11 months ago 1 point
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Thanks for the great job you do with sharing Hoosier info...appreciate it!

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http://insidethehall.com

Corey James 11 months ago 1 point
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I thought that Roth would be solid and figured he was underrated...but the idea held by many individuals that this kid can really turn out to be pretty solid and is underrated on the national level is just a huge plus...next years recruiting class just keeps looking better and better...congrats to coach Sampson and Mr. Roth for a great senior season so far...Go Hoosiers

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David 11 months ago 1 point
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So he can shoot, big deal. I want to see him shoot over some of the bigger guards and also defend at the next level.

But, his three point accuracy will do...for now. Shoot down the record Matt.

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b-side 11 months ago 1 point
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David, do you think Butler was worried if AJ Graves could "shoot over some of the bigger guards"?

Bottom line, if you can shoot the rock in high school, you can shoot the ball at any level. At worst, he sounds like the 2nd coming of Kyle Hornsby. If he has any ball-handling or above average defensive skills, that's just icing on the cake.

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David 11 months ago 1 point
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Hey, I'm just being realistic here. How many kids can shoot the three in high school? There is a huge jump from high school to college ball and compound that with the fact that Matt freakin' Roth is going to IU, where expectations aren't just to make the NCAA tournament (like Butler) they are to win the National Title.

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JIm 11 months ago 1 point
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Roth will be fine 3 point shooter for IU but he will struggle when it comes to foot speed and guarding bigger, faster players. Kuric is a much more complete offensive player (does more than shoot 3s) and is more athletic. The next four years will be interesting to watch both.

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knasmiley 11 months ago 1 point
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David, you obviously know nothing about the game of bball or what it takes to put together a team.......

As for Kuric, yeah he is a better athlete from what I hear, but that isnt what IU was looking for, we needed a shooter that can hit 3s with defenders closing on him. Matt Roth is going to set the ALL TIME record in the state of Illinios and with the makeup of the Hoosiers, him taking passes from a collapsing D will just make his shooting all that more important, they will be closing on him and he has proven time and time again he can HIT THE SHOT.........

I think he is a BIG part to building a program, cant have enough kids that WANT to be Hoosiers and do what it takes to win.........

PS: We will have plenty of athletes at IU now that KS is here, adding the likes of Roth and Pritchard are priceless imho of course........

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Corey James 11 months ago 1 point
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well said smiley

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David 11 months ago 1 point
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KNA, you're right. I have absolutely no idea how to put together a basketball team. I'm not a coach. These are just my opinions. I'm just a fan of IU basketball. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Big deal.

You know that we don't all have to agree on everything IU basketball, right? A difference of opinion can be a good thing.

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Calbert Cheaney 11 months ago 1 point
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Matt Roth > Kuric

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jaime gongora from sevilla 11 months ago 1 point
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I felt that my two euros were worth answering this subject. Matt Rothis going to ne great. He's going to be
much beter than Hornsby because he has a more fluid stroke. As far as lacking some athletic ability, I say leave him alone. He's a basketball player with a great iq. He and coach sampson will come up with ways to get open shots. Can you imagine how easy threes will come by with double screens, while teams having to deal with ebanks as well. Any kid can be great in college b-ball if given a good coach and a great ability to shot . I better go dam euro is killing. Jaime out.

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ray 11 months ago 1 point
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the simple fact that we'll have a VERY consistent shooter on the iu squad for four solid years is a huge benefit to the program. it's great to see superstars come on the scene in bloomington, but they often have their sights set somewhere else and don't stay long. to a kid lacking nba-caliber athleticism, their college career is all the more important...which can sometimes lead to something very special (think tom coverdale).

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Jeff 10 months ago 1 point
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Matt will be the career scoring leader in Illinois and is on pace to end up in the top 8 nationally. I have seen him play over 80 games and have taken people with me and lets just say they leave impressed. Yes the big ten conference is tough and physical but Roth goes through getting fouled, grabbed, and everything else to score 20 plus a game. One more thing he scores within the concept of team play...hes not out there to pad his stats

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