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Post by Commissioner on May 6, 2020 14:26:20 GMT -5
The picture became a lot clearer in the last two days. Speculation is always iffy, but now I'd see a rotation something like this:
G- Frazier G- Davis SF - Moore PF - Brandon C - Waterman
I think Waterman will play. I've pointed out a couple places, in the 5 games before his injury last year, he averaged over 27 minutes, with credible protection of 8+ points and just under 4 rebounds as a true freshman. That was against Rutgers, Stephen F. Austin, Bryant, PFW, and Norfolk State. For us old-timers, it's hard to think of that list--with 4 schools that weren't in D1 (or didn't even exist) when we became fans--as really comparable to a typical 5 game run in Horizon play, but it is. Rutgers was an NCAA-bound Big 10 team; SFA was 28-3 with a win over Duke before their conference tournament was cancelled; PFW is actually going to be in the Horizon; Norfolk (16-15 MEAC) and Bryant 15-17 NEC) are from weaker conferences but were .500 teams overall and had NET ranks of 247 and 242, much higher than us and in HL terms, between YSU and Milwaukee. So think of that as a run against Wright State, Northern Kentucky, PFW, Youngstown State and Milwaukee. He can produce in the HL.
Lots of minutes for Frazier, taking some of the ball-handling pressure off AD.
Bench: LeGreair or Pink Rose Kuol/Isiani/Nguidjol Calpari
Not all 7 of those guys are going to be in the rotation, of course. I think LeGreair and Pink will get every chance to prove themselves, as we need a back-up point guard. I suspect Liedel gets limited minutes, as we have less immediate need of his long range shooting than of the other freshmen's ball handling, and also because I suspect it will take him a bit longer to adjust to the college game, but he could beat out those two. Someone from Isiani, Nguidjol, or Kuol will have to emerge as front court back ups. I'm still hoping to add a good juco or transfer who might better fill the role. Calipari I see getting real but not extensive minutes as a spot up 3 point guy. I don't see much time for Gorman or Hoffman.
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Post by JDetroitTitan on May 6, 2020 14:55:12 GMT -5
The picture became a lot clearer in the last two days. Speculation is always iffy, but now I'd see a rotation something like this: G- Frazier G- Davis SF - Moore PF - Brandon C - Waterman I think Waterman will play. I've pointed out a couple places, in the 5 games before his injury last year, he averaged over 27 minutes, with credible protection of 8+ points and just under 4 rebounds as a true freshman. That was against Rutgers, Stephen F. Austin, Bryant, PFW, and Norfolk State. For us old-timers, it's hard to think of that list--with 4 schools that weren't in D1 (or didn't even exist) when we became fans--as really comparable to a typical 5 game run in Horizon play, but it is. Rutgers was an NCAA-bound Big 10 team; SFA was 28-3 with a win over Duke before their conference tournament was cancelled; PFW is actually going to be in the Horizon; Norfolk (16-15 MEAC) and Bryant 15-17 NEC) are from weaker conferences but were .500 teams overall and had NET ranks of 247 and 242, much higher than us and in HL terms, between YSU and Milwaukee. So think of that as a run against Wright State, Northern Kentucky, PFW, Youngstown State and Milwaukee. He can produce in the HL. Lots of minutes for Frazier, taking some of the ball-handling pressure off AD. Bench: LeGreair or Pink Rose Kuol/Isiani/Nguidjol Calpari Not all 7 of those guys are going to be in the rotation, of course. I think LeGreair and Pink will get every chance to prove themselves, as we need a back-up point guard. I suspect Liedel gets limited minutes, as we have less immediate need of his long range shooting than of the other freshmen's ball handling, and also because I suspect it will take him a bit longer to adjust to the college game, but he could beat out those two. Someone from Isiani, Nguidjol, or Kuol will have to emerge as front court back ups. I'm still hoping to add a good juco or transfer who might better fill the role. Calipari I see getting real but not extensive minutes as a spot up 3 point guy. I don't see much time for Gorman or Hoffman. I think if we get another frontcourt player coach will redshirt a couple of these guys (Boe, Willy, Marquis, Chris and Sam). The most developed player out of the group is Marquis but Chris is a good grinder. What do you think?
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Post by titantarheel on May 6, 2020 15:23:23 GMT -5
JDetroit - Rare is the case to redshirt non-froshmen for non-injury reasons.
Commish, good breakdown and not much to argue with. Its notable the position that Isiani is heading into his jr year. He had a seemingly poor Soph season, after having some moments of optimism during his frosh campaign once he got into action (due to eligibility and then the concussion). It appears he won't be a major factor this season with the new faces brought in that are basically now vaulted over him.
The trio of 'frosh' guards...you'd hope one will emerge eventually as a decent 8-12 minute a night guy. Pink maybe has immediate advantage just from being in the program a year? Maybe. But I'd also be fine with a welcome surprise of Legreair or Liedel showing good promise out of the gates to start their careers.
Otherwise, let's hope our rising Juniors all make significant steps forward, which certainly happens on a regular basis with college players.
No idea what the ceiling is for this team, but the floor seems to at least be in there as a 8th place team in the HL with a 250'ish NET rating -- this should be a better team than we've seen at Calihan since the 2015-16 team (which incidentally was 6th in HL with 9-9 record, and 16-15 overall)
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Post by nctitan on May 6, 2020 17:59:54 GMT -5
Willy's sophomore season was a challenge. He was recruited as an outside shooter who happened to be 6-foot-8, and with Boe out he was pressed into service as the backup man in the paint. Not his role. But he did what he was asked, played out of position, and actually performed pretty well … considering. Second on the team in blocks, and playing adequate defense considering that he was up against taller and stronger players most of the time.
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 3, 2020 8:02:12 GMT -5
So, now it looks something like this:
PG: Fraser SG: Davis (but expect him to play a lot of point, too). SF: Kuol PF: Brandon C: Thompson
Short Bench: G: Johnson, Rose F/C: Waterman, Isiani
Deep Bench: Calipari (spot three point shooter) Pink Liedel LeGreair (possible redshirt?) Gorman (presumed walk-on) Hoffman (if returns at all)
Assuming Hoffman does not return, don't be surprised if Titans bring in another big or another point guard -- likely another grad transfer in either case.
At this early point, I would look for the first 7 to be the starters plus Johnson and Waterman. Don't be shocked if Liedel earns some PT. Sink or swim year for Isiani. If he can keep his concentration and effort, Brandon can emerge as a real star. He's got the potential. If he can't, Coach has options.
This is a team that has size, lots of scoring options, a big-time star in AD, and some depth. It also has a bunch of new players--can Coach get them playing together? In that respect, COVID really hurts. We were due for a summer trip this year that is off; we may find pre-season practice and even non-conference play truncated, which will hurt us more than many teams. There are a lot of unknowns here, but if Waterman and Thompson play well--and I think they will-this suddenly starts to look like a very good recruiting year and team that can turn it around for us.
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Post by upbasketballfan on Jul 3, 2020 8:50:27 GMT -5
I think it's going to look like:
PG: Davis SG: Rose SF: Brandon PF: Waterman C: Thompson
Short Bench: Kuol, Pink, Isiani and Fraser.
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Post by ptctitan on Jul 3, 2020 8:57:38 GMT -5
Johnson can handle the ball, too. He is an option for some PG time.
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Post by upbasketballfan on Jul 3, 2020 9:24:24 GMT -5
Johnson can handle the ball, too. He is an option for some PG time. Not according to his TO's and very poor shooting percentage. Maybe they were just using the wrong basketballs at Bonnie?
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Post by upbasketballfan on Jul 3, 2020 9:25:52 GMT -5
I hope these guys are in the gym!
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Post by Rogobob77 on Jul 3, 2020 9:26:35 GMT -5
Like some others who have posted, I’ve heard that there is a very good chance that we will be signing a grad transfer point guard. Comes from a mid-major program with decent stats, not a big scorer more of an assist guy. If this materializes, I think the plan might be for him to anchor the PG role for next year, or at minimum get a good chunk of minutes.
Is it clear that Johnson will be eligible for the coming season?
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Post by nctitan on Jul 3, 2020 9:48:22 GMT -5
I think it's going to look like: PG: Davis SG: Rose SF: Brandon PF: Waterman C: Thompson Short Bench: Kuol, Pink, Isiani and Fraser. The recruiting priorities this year were (1) a big man and (2) a point guard so that AD wouldn't have to be. No way AD will be the PG this season. And no way Rose starts. With the roster as we understand it so far: Fraser pg Davis sg Kuol sf Brandon pf Thompson c First subs are: Johnson g Isiani f Waterman c Pink might see some time, too. Johnson is a combo guard. Willy is a small forward but has shown that he can play bigger. It would be nice to have another banger.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2020 11:57:22 GMT -5
I think it's going to look like: PG: Davis SG: Rose SF: Brandon PF: Waterman C: Thompson Short Bench: Kuol, Pink, Isiani and Fraser. The recruiting priorities this year were (1) a big man and (2) a point guard so that AD wouldn't have to be. No way AD will be the PG this season. And no way Rose starts. With the roster as we understand it so far: Fraser pg Davis sg Kuol sf Brandon pf Thompson c First subs are: Johnson g Isiani f Waterman c Pink might see some time, too. Johnson is a combo guard. Willy is a small forward but has shown that he can play bigger. It would be nice to have another banger. I tend to agree with NC on the Starters/subs as he's posted it, but adding Rose as a wing/slashing type player among the subs. But personally, I think Mike Davis is hurting his son's possible NBA chances by not using him at PG and developing his skills there. I don't believe AD has a chance to make the NBA as a shooting guard. I think it's a misconception that if AD scores 30 ppg and takes a majority of the shots, it's going to impress the scouts. I'd rather see him shoot more selectively and distribute the ball - score 20 and add 8 to 10 assists with minimal turnovers - that would be much more impressive in my mind and show he could contribute on the NBA level. If the argument is that the team sucks, so he has to shoot the ball a ton and score 30ppg - well then that's his dad's fault for not bringing in talent. Hopefully we're past that line of excuses (not enough talent) starting this season
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Post by ptctitan on Jul 3, 2020 12:18:36 GMT -5
Johnson can handle the ball, too. He is an option for some PG time. Not according to his TO's and very poor shooting percentage. Maybe they were just using the wrong basketballs at Bonnie? Here's the deal. The coaches have watched lots of video of Matt. They think he can bring the ball up the court and permit AD to play off the ball as needed. Same with Fraser. Maybe rogobob's scenario materializes. Maybe it doesn't. Or maybe 50% of it materializes. The main point here is that the coaches are done actively seeking more players for this year and are focusing now on recruiting for 2021-22. My guess is that we will see a lot of interchangeable roles on offense as opposed to having players with traditional, old-school positions. Even Thompson can handle the ball a little. He can play a traditional center or more like a power forward. We could go big with a mid-major version of twin towers. We could go small with one post guy surrounded by 4 smaller guys. More importantly, Coach wants lots more toughness at all positions on both ends of the floor. He wants AD not handling the ball as much. He wants him shooting less and at a higher percentage. And he wants real options on the floor that will penalize brutally all teams that decide to double or triple AD. He wants real competition for playing time at most positions. Finally, he wants the older, tougher players to teach and mentor Pink, LeGreair and Liedel in practice so all three can develop into good upperclass players when it's their turn.
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Post by upbasketballfan on Jul 3, 2020 13:19:27 GMT -5
I think it's going to look like: PG: Davis SG: Rose SF: Brandon PF: Waterman C: Thompson Short Bench: Kuol, Pink, Isiani and Fraser. The recruiting priorities this year were (1) a big man and (2) a point guard so that AD wouldn't have to be. No way AD will be the PG this season. And no way Rose starts. With the roster as we understand it so far: Fraser pg Davis sg Kuol sf Brandon pf Thompson c First subs are: Johnson g Isiani f Waterman c Pink might see some time, too. Johnson is a combo guard. Willy is a small forward but has shown that he can play bigger. It would be nice to have another banger. So I guess what you are saying is that Waterman left a starting job to go further away from home so he could live in Detroit and ride the pine. I think not! It looks to me like Davis has to play with the ball in his hands. someone else might bring it up but the offense will start when AD touches the ball. I am still hoping for the Texas big frosh.
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Post by rbj on Jul 3, 2020 13:20:46 GMT -5
The recruiting priorities this year were (1) a big man and (2) a point guard so that AD wouldn't have to be. No way AD will be the PG this season. And no way Rose starts. With the roster as we understand it so far: Fraser pg Davis sg Kuol sf Brandon pf Thompson c First subs are: Johnson g Isiani f Waterman c Pink might see some time, too. Johnson is a combo guard. Willy is a small forward but has shown that he can play bigger. It would be nice to have another banger. I tend to agree with NC on the Starters/subs as he's posted it, but adding Rose as a wing/slashing type player among the subs. But personally, I think Mike Davis is hurting his son's possible NBA chances by not using him at PG and developing his skills there. I don't believe AD has a chance to make the NBA as a shooting guard. I think it's a misconception that if AD scores 30 ppg and takes a majority of the shots, it's going to impress the scouts. I'd rather see him shoot more selectively and distribute the ball - score 20 and add 8 to 10 assists with minimal turnovers - that would be much more impressive in my mind and show he could contribute on the NBA level. If the argument is that the team sucks, so he has to shoot the ball a ton and score 30ppg - well then that's his dad's fault for not bringing in talent. Hopefully we're past that line of excuses (not enough talent) starting this season I agree that if AD wants to play in the NBA it will have to be as a point guard, however, I just don't think he has NBA talent, he's too small,frail and weak.
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