More than one reason we will be dancing

[AnnapSpider]

That little push shot was pretty awkward. He should be limited to shots under the basket, and dunks.
And get his butt up to the other end to play d under the basket.
There's no advantage having him attempt to do more than he is capable. But no one has to teach him
"size".

 

[MrTbone]

SF but rarely would we ever see Paul showing any skills in clip before this. I am just encouraged that he is moving around some.

You should be more concerned that you didn't see Grant anywhere in those clips...

 

[spider23]

You should be more concerned that you didn't see Grant anywhere in those clips...

I didn't notice Sherod either, hope they had class. I could have missed them though.

 

[Ulla1]

Believe it or not, a nice article by JOC in the RTD. Grant Golden is now 6'10", 260 pounds! Whoa! And again whoa!

http://www.richmond.com/sports/ur-b...cle_cc317461-1b2d-5198-8272-ba66c3462415.html

 

[spiderman]

interesting ... Ford is a 6-8 210-pounder from St. Petersburg, Fla., and likely to have a role this season as Richmond develops with new big men.

gotta assume JOC wasn't just projecting. must have be told that Phoenix is likely to have a role this year ... right?

 

[urmite]

Believe it or not, a nice article by JOC in the RTD. Grant Golden is now 6'10", 260 pounds! Whoa! And again whoa!

http://www.richmond.com/sports/ur-b...cle_cc317461-1b2d-5198-8272-ba66c3462415.html

I was going to say on the roster thread that no Heights or Weights looked updated from the prior season. Grant seems to be the only change over night. No idea if more are to come...


And it appears as far as the internet is concerned Solly is still...

 

[Ulla1]

One more reason, team chemistry:

 

[Ulla1]

 

[Ulla1]

Drove down for the Howard game yesterday, great win. Upon arrival went by the Robins Center (as I always do) and was able to take in the Spider basketball team playing a pick up game. FWIW, a few observations:

1. Grant Golden is a BEAST. We all read that he is now 6'10" and 260 pounds; looks like all muscle. I am here to tell that you that he carries it well. Grant made a couple of threes during the competition and was a beast in the post.

2. Buck is still Buck. He seems to lead and wants to do so. He pretty much set the teams for the scrimmage. He and Khwan both looked good and athletic, but we already knew that. Should also point out that Nick made a few threes, not unexpected. My Duke colleague once told me that when "pure shooters" shoot, the ball swishes without touching the rim. That said, Nick is clearly a "pure shooter".

3. The biggest surprise to me was Jordan Madrid-Andrews, our graduate transfer. Several times he made clever moves in the post to score, then made shots from the perimeter. He made good passes, grabbed rebounds and did a reasonable job guarding Grant. Chatted with him briefly; really a well-spoken young man. Jordan is way better than Kwesi, just no comparison; he will be greatly appreciated this season.

4. Phoenix Ford appears to be quite the athlete; big, strong, very athletic. He had a nice steal and break away dunk. He has a good handle. He may well contribute this year.

5. Solly Stansbury appears to be the real deal. He has a good handle and can shoot. One thing that impressed was a post move he made where he just outfoxed the defender. I had heard from our coaches that he was the real deal and I saw nothing yesterday to indicate otherwise.

6. Several of our guys were either not present or did not participate in the game while I was there. I will say that our walk-ons played hard and Kulju, while needing to bulk up, could contribute at some point in his career.

 

[spider23]

Good stuff Ulla, thanks for the report. I am really interested to see Solly in action. Does he play more like a wing/guard or a big guy. I realize we tend to have big guys that are perimeter oriented. His Europe tape indicates a guard or point forward type.

 

[Ulla1]

Good stuff Ulla, thanks for the report. I am really interested to see Solly in action. Does he play more like a wing/guard or a big guy. I realize we tend to have big guys that are perimeter oriented. His Europe tape indicates a guard or point forward type.

23, I only saw him in action for a short period of time. He clearly has a good handle, can shoot and pass. What impressed or surprised me most during this brief view was his big man moves. He made a move near the basket to score that was pretty amazing. Looking back now, I guess our big men impressed me the most. Solly, Jordan and Grant all looked very good. You and others will not believe how big, strong, skilled and athletic Grant has become. He is a beast.

 

[PhillySpider]

If one of Ford/ Madrid Andrews can give us 15 solid minutes a night, I like our big situation. I am more worried about the perimeter guys. We don't really have a non-freshman PG. Khwan is a superb athlete, but he isn't the ball handler that any of our last 4-5 PGs have been and I don't think he is a natural PG. I worry that forcing him to the point might stifle some of his creativity as he tries to fit a role he may not be ideal for and that without a real steadying kind of guy at the point, we might turn it over a lot more than normal. I also worry about shooting quite frankly. We want to shoot a lot of three's. Nick appears to be a pure shooter (but wasn't great last year) and after him, I wouldn't describe anyone who figures to play a lot as a shooter. Buck and Kwan are scorers, but not really shooters and not sure either's range warrants a ton of three's. Don't really see a second shooter out there. I think the hope is that Khwan, Buck, Grant and Solly all shoot it well enough (even if not pure shooters) that we can shoot a dent enough percentage from three to get by.

Further, whatever we might do to fix the any PG "problem" (if it were to go in that direction) might hurt the other problem as if we play Jacob, it probably comes significantly at Nick's expense.

This season will test my single biggest issue with Mooney quite frankly. That he is so stuck with his system that we won't maximize what we do have. This group should play fast and be defensively aggressive and we may have to live with mistakes. Historically, when we have these sorts of kids, I see our most creative and athletic players not only do not progress, but rather regress as they are forced to fit into the "system" - - a system that is much more interested in strict adherence than in actually making plays. Creative, athletic players who want to "play" can struggle with this. I hate the idea of CM stifling Buck's development (or what Khwan offers) by asking them to adhere any more to the system. The Terry Allen senior class were perfect examples of this to me - - guys like Deon played (over others) because they didn't make mistakes and "fit" the system. But we weren't very good. And a guy like TA didn't fully develop in my opinion either. TA regressed and was clearly beaten down a bit psychologically by Sr. year in my view. That can't happen with this group!

 

[Ulla1]

If one of Ford/ Madrid Andrews can give us 15 solid minutes a night, I like our big situation. I am more worried about the perimeter guys. We don't really have a non-freshman PG. Khwan is a superb athlete, but he isn't the ball handler that any of our last 4-5 PGs have been and I don't think he is a natural PG. I worry that forcing him to the point might stifle some of his creativity as he tries to fit a role he may not be ideal for and that without a real steadying kind of guy at the point, we might turn it over a lot more than normal. I also worry about shooting quite frankly. We want to shoot a lot of three's. Nick appears to be a pure shooter (but wasn't great last year) and after him, I wouldn't describe anyone who figures to play a lot as a shooter. Buck and Kwan are scorers, but not really shooters and not sure either's range warrants a ton of three's. Don't really see a second shooter out there. I think the hope is that Khwan, Buck, Grant and Solly all shoot it well enough (even if not pure shooters) that we can shoot a dent enough percentage from three to get by.

Further, whatever we might do to fix the any PG "problem" (if it were to go in that direction) might hurt the other problem as if we play Jacob, it probably comes significantly at Nick's expense.

This season will test my single biggest issue with Mooney quite frankly. That he is so stuck with his system that we won't maximize what we do have. This group should play fast and be defensively aggressive and we may have to live with mistakes. Historically, when we have these sorts of kids, I see our most creative and athletic players not only do not progress, but rather regress as they are forced to fit into the "system" - - a system that is much more interested in strict adherence than in actually making plays. Creative, athletic players who want to "play" can struggle with this. I hate the idea of CM stifling Buck's development (or what Khwan offers) by asking them to adhere any more to the system. The Terry Allen senior class were perfect examples of this to me - - guys like Deon played (over others) because they didn't make mistakes and "fit" the system. But we weren't very good. And a guy like TA didn't fully develop in my opinion either. TA regressed and was clearly beaten down a bit psychologically by Sr. year in my view. That can't happen with this group!

Philly, you are totally off. Chris has been shown to be a very good coach when he has the talent. I also thought that he was stuck in his ways, but then last year he changed defenses and any resemblace to a slow Princeton offense is a stretch. We run as much or perhaps more than most teams. Cheer up Philly, it's a great time to be a Spider.

 

[gospidersgo]

Philly, just curious what did you see in Bucks freshman season to lead you to believe he is not a shooter? He shot 36% from 3 as a freshman. I know he didn't have the reputation as a pure shooter but he sure did make a lot.

 

[fan2011]

Philly, just curious what did you see in Bucks freshman season to lead you to believe he is not a shooter? He shot 36% from 3 as a freshman. I know he didn't have the reputation as a pure shooter but he sure did make a lot.

Buck is certainly a shooter, I am not sure how anyone who watched him play can come to any other conclusion. Both Sherod and Buck took about half their shots from 3pt range and Buck shot 37%, while Sherod shot 33%.

 

[spider23]

Buck is a shooter, passer, slasher, defender, rebounder, leader. What am I missing? Hopefully he doesn't have to guard 4's this year. Fore will have much greater ball handling responsibilities this year, but this is his 4th year of college and he is going to be ready. Buck and Jacob will help, and don't forget Joe Kirby when needed for a few minutes here and there. He has proven he can fill in at this level.

 

[MrTbone]

If one of Ford/ Madrid Andrews can give us 15 solid minutes a night, I like our big situation. I am more worried about the perimeter guys. We don't really have a non-freshman PG. Khwan is a superb athlete, but he isn't the ball handler that any of our last 4-5 PGs have been and I don't think he is a natural PG. I worry that forcing him to the point might stifle some of his creativity as he tries to fit a role he may not be ideal for and that without a real steadying kind of guy at the point, we might turn it over a lot more than normal. I also worry about shooting quite frankly. We want to shoot a lot of three's. Nick appears to be a pure shooter (but wasn't great last year) and after him, I wouldn't describe anyone who figures to play a lot as a shooter. Buck and Kwan are scorers, but not really shooters and not sure either's range warrants a ton of three's. Don't really see a second shooter out there. I think the hope is that Khwan, Buck, Grant and Solly all shoot it well enough (even if not pure shooters) that we can shoot a dent enough percentage from three to get by.

Further, whatever we might do to fix the any PG "problem" (if it were to go in that direction) might hurt the other problem as if we play Jacob, it probably comes significantly at Nick's expense.

This season will test my single biggest issue with Mooney quite frankly. That he is so stuck with his system that we won't maximize what we do have. This group should play fast and be defensively aggressive and we may have to live with mistakes. Historically, when we have these sorts of kids, I see our most creative and athletic players not only do not progress, but rather regress as they are forced to fit into the "system" - - a system that is much more interested in strict adherence than in actually making plays. Creative, athletic players who want to "play" can struggle with this. I hate the idea of CM stifling Buck's development (or what Khwan offers) by asking them to adhere any more to the system. The Terry Allen senior class were perfect examples of this to me - - guys like Deon played (over others) because they didn't make mistakes and "fit" the system. But we weren't very good. And a guy like TA didn't fully develop in my opinion either. TA regressed and was clearly beaten down a bit psychologically by Sr. year in my view. That can't happen with this group!

While khwan may not be a pure PG, his handle is not nearly as bad as I think has been suggested. I posted a stat that last year his Total turnovers or ATO ratio was pretty respectable. I'd prefer to see him as a 2G though, so understand your perspective.

Definitely question marks but CM showed some malleability last year that's been missing so I think he's getting there, hopefully with better pieces to work with.

 

[PhillySpider]

Philly, just curious what did you see in Bucks freshman season to lead you to believe he is not a shooter? He shot 36% from 3 as a freshman. I know he didn't have the reputation as a pure shooter but he sure did make a lot.

I don't think he is a bad shooter by any means. Just more scorer than shooter. What I saw were two things. One is an eye test thing. His shot to me looks too flat to be a great outside shooter. All great outside shooters get great arc ( with a few exceptions as nothing is absolute- - Kobe being the prime example and he made up for it by taking more shooting reps than anyone in the history of the game). Bucks shot lacks that great pure shooter arc a little to me. 2nd is something that is actually good but just points more to scorer than shooter. That is, he seems to want first and foremost to get to the rim or the nail. Shooters look to shoot first. This is a great thing overall, but just shows I think that he views himself as more scorer than shooter. I hope he doesn't change. I just would prefer we had. 2nd shooter to play off of his offensive aggression.

 

[fan2011]

I don't think he is a bad shooter by any means. Just more scorer than shooter. What I saw were two things. One is an eye test thing. His shot to me looks too flat to be a great outside shooter. All great outside shooters get great arc ( with a few exceptions as nothing is absolute- - Kobe being the prime example and he made up for it by taking more shooting reps than anyone in the history of the game). Bucks shot lacks that great pure shooter arc a little to me. 2nd is something that is actually good but just points more to scorer than shooter. That is, he seems to want first and foremost to get to the rim or the nail. Shooters look to shoot first. This is a great thing overall, but just shows I think that he views himself as more scorer than shooter. I hope he doesn't change. I just would prefer we had. 2nd shooter to play off of his offensive aggression.

Ahh, of course. The arc of a player's shot is what makes them a shooter...

 

[PhillySpider]

While khwan may not be a pure PG, his handle is not nearly as bad as I think has been suggested. I posted a stat that last year his Total turnovers or ATO ratio was pretty respectable. I'd prefer to see him as a 2G though, so understand your perspective.

Definitely question marks but CM showed some malleability last year that's been missing so I think he's getting there, hopefully with better pieces to work with.

.

My concern with Khwan is that those numbers were accumulated without primary ball handling responsibility. As primary they need to be better and he'll face more pressure. We are going to need to really help him. But big worry is that he is so conscious of doing that job, he sorta forgets to be Khwan. It's like playing against a press. If all you ever do against a press is get it over half court, it's a losing proposition even if succsful most of the time. You have to punish pressing teams by scoring against the press. Don't want Khwan so concerned that he becomes happy just not turning it over. We need him to be aggressive. I am actually hoping that we are preparing to live with more turnovers and communicating that. This team will benefit from a less structured game than last years group.

 

[PhillySpider]

Ahh, of course. The arc of a player's shot is what makes them a shooter...

Arcs don't make shooters and that's not what I said. Plenty of guys with great arc aren't great shooters. Buck will be a fine shooter. But he will be our primary scorer. We need shooters around him. Not sure yet where that might come from yet beyond Nick who looks more like a pure shooter to me.

 

[MrTbone]

.

My concern with Khwan is that those numbers were accumulated without primary ball handling responsibility. As primary they need to be better and he'll face more pressure. We are going to need to really help him. But big worry is that he is so conscious of doing that job, he sorta forgets to be Khwan. It's like playing against a press. If all you ever do against a press is get it over half court, it's a losing proposition even if succsful most of the time. You have to punish pressing teams by scoring against the press. Don't want Khwan so concerned that he becomes happy just not turning it over. We need him to be aggressive. I am actually hoping that we are preparing to live with more turnovers and communicating that. This team will benefit from a l so structured game than last years group.

Again, fair points but khwan did a ton of ballhandling. He was often the primary guy bringing the ball upcouet even with sdj in the game. I think khwan had more difficulty turning the ball over on passes than while dribbling.

But I agree it's maybe not his first area of comfort. Shawndre was very comfortable and you want that guy who isnt half a bounce off from losing the ball.

 

[MrTbone]

Arcs don't make shooters and that's not what I said. Plenty of guys with great arc aren't great shooters. Buck will be a fine shooter. But he will be our primary scorer. We need shooters around him. Not sure yet where that might come from.

One could argue that you're only one replacement away from a makeup similar to last year (backfill SDJ). So if that comes from nick or gilyard or solly we are probably ok. We certainly didn't get it last season from marshall or kwesi or even TJ (31.6%, he wasn't great for whatever reason).

 

[spiderman]

Philly, maybe I misunderstood but you felt Buck was stifled by Mooney???
the A10 rookie of the year? he's like the least stifled freshman Spider ever. he not only had a great year, but showed improvement throughout. Coach is a big part of that.

as for shooting I think we have one of our best, most well rounded shooting teams ever. we finally have the lineup that everyone here has said we need for Mooney's offense. a lineup where everyone has the green light. you're not going to have 5 pure shooters and we wouldn't want 5 guys who are checking their feet all the time. but 5 guys who can shoot looks really good. and our bench can shoot too.

as for system, I think Mooney's system is perfect for the makeup of this team. we're not made up of playground athletes. the system is perfect for Grant playing the TJ role. if you watch Solly's highlights, he comes from a team that runs something incredibly similar to us. seems to fit Nick perfectly too. Buck adds his aggression and flair to it, and makes it better. I think they all fit.

Khwan was as much the 1 as SDJ a lot of the time last year. we don't use the traditional ball-in-his-hands all the time PG. both guards handle, and both give up the ball and move.

 

[fan2011]

Basketball, both NBA and college, is moving towards a more positionless game. The standard 1-5 is not the only recipe for success, and seems to be less and less effective as more statistically minded teams find efficiencies outside the traditional basketball mold. We saw this first hand last year when our team started to do a lot better when Mooney put Buck in at the 4 full-time. Buck is not a traditional 4, but having the best players on the floor is better than sticking to traditional positions. Trying to force players, and the team, into a stereotypical mold is not the recipe for success. I am not saying we don't need a ball handler, I am saying that we have 3 or 4 guys on the court who may not be traditional 1s, but can handle the ball well enough and that is all a team needs. Fore doesn't have to be a traditional 1 for the team to be successful, nobody needs to be.

 

[PhillySpider]

Again, fair points but khwan did a ton of ballhandling. He was often the primary guy bringing the ball upcouet even with sdj in the game. I think khwan had more difficulty turning the ball over on passes than while dribbling.

But I agree it's maybe not his first area of comfort. Shawndre was very comfortable and you want that guy who isnt half a bounce off from losing the ball.

Maybe my point is better stated as a concern over how much we will miss SDJ's ball handling than concern about Khwan's. Overall, my point being I don't think we'll have the overall ball handling ability we did last year and that worries me a little.

 

[PhillySpider]

Philly, maybe I misunderstood but you felt Buck was stifled by Mooney???
the A10 rookie of the year? he's like the least stifled freshman Spider ever. he not only had a great year, but showed improvement throughout. Coach is a big part of that.

as for shooting I think we have one of our best, most well rounded shooting teams ever. we finally have the lineup that everyone here has said we need for Mooney's offense. a lineup where everyone has the green light. you're not going to have 5 pure shooters and we wouldn't want 5 guys who are checking their feet all the time. but 5 guys who can shoot looks really good. and our bench can shoot too.

as for system, I think Mooney's system is perfect for the makeup of this team. we're not made up of playground athletes. the system is perfect for Grant playing the TJ role. if you watch Solly's highlights, he comes from a team that runs something incredibly similar to us. seems to fit Nick perfectly too. Buck adds his aggression and flair to it, and makes it better. I think they all fit.

Khwan was as much the 1 as SDJ a lot of the time last year. we don't use the traditional ball-in-his-hands all the time PG. both guards handle, and both give up the ball and move.

Actually no I do not think Mooney stifled Buck last year. My overall fear with Mooney is that he and the system do stifle players and particularly creative, aggressive athletic ones. But your point and one made by others (and it's a good one) is that Mooney seemed to loosen the choke hold on the system some last year after the rough start. Thats true and its a good thing and one I hope continues. We looked like a much freer and more creative team after the first 10-12 games last year. But half a season or so vs. 10 years the other way isn't enough for me not to worry about it still. That's what I was trying to say - - I am still worried he will - - but hopeful based on last year that he continues to evolve (not historically his strong suit) and won't stifle.

Shooting - - we could be that strong well rounded shooting team. Or not. All five starters as you note give some reason to hope on their shooting. On the other hand, we do not have a single person who has established that they are a great (or even good) outside shooter at the college level. Nick looks like - and has some pedigree - as a shooter, but wasn't actually very good last year. No one else has really done it either. To be a good shooting team, Nick has to shoot a good deal better, Buck needs to improve some and the other guys need to prove out what you hope they can. If it all happens, we can be very good offensively, but we have had an awful lot of guys come through in the past several years who we thought could be shooters who never panned out (and some who certainly did for sure) - - hopefully we get more up than down in this area this year.

And last but not least, something I failed to mention before. I believe this could be the best rebounding team we have had in a very long while (which isn't saying much I know). Grant to me figures to be stronger and more athletic than TJ. TJ was not a great rebounder at all. Buck at the 3 should be an above average rebounder. Both of these two guys to me actually appear to have more rebounder mentality than we have seen from a lot of our guys. Khwan will help much more than your average PG. Solly is the x factor. If he is a solid rebounder with a rebounder mentality, we can be pretty decent. He has as much size and more physicality (hopefully) than we have gotten out of that spot in awhile. We won't be a rebounding power because I am sure CM will probably stick to his belief in sacrificing offensive rebounding to get back and defend, but I think we can really hold our own on the defensive glass vs. the past bunch of years!

 

[Ulla1]

Actually no I do not think Mooney stifled Buck last year. My overall fear with Mooney is that he and the system do stifle players and particularly creative, aggressive athletic ones. But your point and one made by others (and it's a good one) is that Mooney seemed to loosen the choke hold on the system some last year after the rough start. Thats true and its a good thing and one I hope continues. We looked like a much freer and more creative team after the first 10-12 games last year. But half a season or so vs. 10 years the other way isn't enough for me not to worry about it still. That's what I was trying to say - - I am still worried he will - - but hopeful based on last year that he continues to evolve (not historically his strong suit) and won't stifle.

Shooting - - we could be that strong well rounded shooting team. Or not. All five starters as you note give some reason to hope on their shooting. On the other hand, we do not have a single person who has established that they are a great (or even good) outside shooter at the college level. Nick looks like - and has some pedigree - as a shooter, but wasn't actually very good last year. No one else has really done it either. To be a good shooting team, Nick has to shoot a good deal better, Buck needs to improve some and the other guys need to prove out what you hope they can. If it all happens, we can be very good offensively, but we have had an awful lot of guys come through in the past several years who we thought could be shooters who never panned out (and some who certainly did for sure) - - hopefully we get more up than down in this area this year.

And last but not least, something I failed to mention before. I believe this could be the best rebounding team we have had in a very long while (which isn't saying much I know). Grant to me figures to be stronger and more athletic than TJ. TJ was not a great rebounder at all. Buck at the 3 should be an above average rebounder. Both of these two guys to me actually appear to have more rebounder mentality than we have seen from a lot of our guys. Khwan will help much more than your average PG. Solly is the x factor. If he is a solid rebounder with a rebounder mentality, we can be pretty decent. He has as much size and more physicality (hopefully) than we have gotten out of that spot in awhile. We won't be a rebounding power because I am sure CM will probably stick to his belief in sacrificing offensive rebounding to get back and defend, but I think we can really hold our own on the defensive glass vs. the past bunch of years!

In my humble and gentle opinion, I do not understand where you are coming. No offense; just my opinion that you are just way off.

 

[urmite]

We may be selling Khwan short as ball handler. It seems to me that his ball handling to protect the ball has been fine.

It is his ball handling to get others open that has been lacking at times. And assists is the one area I am apprehensive about. TJ had a great assist rate and Shawndre was about where you want your best player or two to be. The only other player to have an above average assist rate was Grant but I worry about the small sample size.

I am hoping we will share the ball enough that everyone has a decent assist rate instead of having one player do most of the work in that area. (Unless Jacob is ready...)

 

[LongTimeSpiderFan]

Maybe my point is better stated as a concern over how much we will miss SDJ's ball handling than concern about Khwan's. Overall, my point being I don't think we'll have the overall ball handling ability we did last year and that worries me a little.

I'm not worried about ball handling with this teams versatility. Buck and Fore will be fine and when the freshman kid is on the floor it'll be his primary respondamos he'll be just fine.

 

[LongTimeSpiderFan]

I'm not worried about ball handling with this teams versatility. Buck and Fore will be fine and when the freshman kid is on the floor it'll be his primary respondamos he'll be just fine.

Respondamos? = responsibility.... Damn spell check

 

[gospidersgo]

Philly, I'm not trying to pile on but your confidence in our frontcourt vs. lack of confidence in the backcourt just doesn't make sense to me.

Our top 4 returners by playing time are all guards (Julius, Buck, Khwan, Nick). All 4 shot better than 30% from 3 last year so there is no one on the court that can't shoot. There is a lot of experience, talent, leadership and athleticism in that group.

Contrast that with our frontcourt - a transfer from one of the worst college basketball teams in the country who barely saw the floor, a redshirt freshman coming off a heart condition, a wild card who played against completely unknown French semi-pro teams and big Paul who we are still waiting on.

I do happen to think our frontcourt has some good talent but there is almost zero experience at the D1 level from this group - it's pretty remarkable how little actually.

 

[97spiderfan]

Philly, I'm not trying to pile on but your confidence in our frontcourt vs. lack of confidence in the backcourt just doesn't make sense to me.

Contrast that with our frontcourt - a transfer from one of the worst college basketball teams in the country who barely saw the floor, a redshirt freshman coming off a heart condition, a wild card who played against completely unknown French semi-pro teams and big Paul who we are still waiting on.

I do happen to think our frontcourt has some good talent but there is almost zero experience at the D1 level from this group - it's pretty remarkable how little actually.

And this is why we are getting very little respect in the preseason. I happen to think that our front court is going to be OK but there is no pedigree and we are pinning are hopes on a bunch of players who haven't played much D-1 ball.

Our back court though is going to be really good. Khwan, Nick, Buck, JJ, Gilyard. We are strong and deep in the backcourt.

 

[MountainSpider]

How long until we can switch from over-analyzing what each player is going to do this season to over-analyzing what each game means for the rest of the season and Chris Mooney's coaching ability?

 

[gospidersgo]

How long until we can switch from over-analyzing what each player is going to do this season to over-analyzing what each game means for the rest of the season and Chris Mooney's coaching ability?

Nov 10

 

[urmite]

Speaking of Over Analyzing...

Still trying to get a handle on Solly's past performance.
High School 13 Points, 11.3 Rebounds, 4.3 Blocks (at 6'7" in HS that isn't surprising), 2.4 steals, 1.5 assists

2nd year in France appears to be his best.
9.2 points, 6.1 Rebounds, 2.1 Steals in 23 minutes

If that stayed the same with Buck's minutes from last year and if French U21 is equal to the A-10. (No idea if either is true...)
Then he would have had 12.0 points, 7.9 Rebounds and 2.7 Steals in Buck's 29.91 minutes last year.

That would definitely be a significant contribution and the steal number seems to stand out throughout...

What does it typically take to be top 20 in steals nationally?

I'll be glad when we can start having a chance to see these guys in person...

 

[PhillySpider]

Philly, I'm not trying to pile on but your confidence in our frontcourt vs. lack of confidence in the backcourt just doesn't make sense to me.

Our top 4 returners by playing time are all guards (Julius, Buck, Khwan, Nick). All 4 shot better than 30% from 3 last year so there is no one on the court that can't shoot. There is a lot of experience, talent, leadership and athleticism in that group.

Contrast that with our frontcourt - a transfer from one of the worst college basketball teams in the country who barely saw the floor, a redshirt freshman coming off a heart condition, a wild card who played against completely unknown French semi-pro teams and big Paul who we are still waiting on.

I do happen to think our frontcourt has some good talent but there is almost zero experience at the D1 level from this group - it's pretty remarkable how little actually.

I think maybe I can best express my views here as that I am concerned that our backcourt isn't the given that it might be being viewed as vs. our frontcourt might not be the weakness it might be being viewed as. Not that I am concerned more about our backcourt than our frontcourt in the absolute sense. And that is focused on the lack of a lead ball handler/guy to run offense through. When I question Khwan's ball handling, its not that I think he's gonna get stripped in the backcourt half the time and kick it away the other half. Yes, I am concerned about us turning it over a little more because I don't know that Khwan will be as efficient as SDJ with ball security, but its actually the much more subtle stuff. Will he be able to get to the right spots to start the offense, deliver the pass to the right place (and that doesn't mean to the right person etc. - - it means to the guys right hip and not his left shoulder when that is where it needs to be to keep his cut moving smoothly etc. ) The kinds of things that that comfortable ball handlers do as they mature in those roles and elevate their game and that make offense run smoothly. TJ also had a lot of offense run through him. A lot of the other guys opportunities came from the combo of the threat TJ was in the post and his excellent passing. We don't know if we have those guys - - even among the guys who are otherwise "proven".

Our best and most proven players are in the backcourt/wings as a number have stated, but we still have no one proven as "the guy" (and 2 guys would be better than one guy) around whom and through whom the offense runs and that is worrisome. Maybe we have those guys but only time time will tell.

 

[97spiderfan]

I think maybe I can best express my views here as that I am concerned that our backcourt isn't the given that it might be being viewed as vs. our frontcourt might not be the weakness it might be being viewed as. Not that I am concerned more about our backcourt than our frontcourt in the absolute sense. And that is focused on the lack of a lead ball handler/guy to run offense through. When I question Khwan's ball handling, its not that I think he's gonna get stripped in the backcourt half the time and kick it away the other half. Yes, I am concerned about us turning it over a little more because I don't know that Khwan will be as efficient as SDJ with ball security, but its actually the much more subtle stuff. Will he be able to get to the right spots to start the offense, deliver the pass to the right place (and that doesn't mean to the right person etc. - - it means to the guys right hip and not his left shoulder when that is where it needs to be to keep his cut moving smoothly etc. ) The kinds of things that that comfortable ball handlers do as they mature in those roles and elevate their game and that make offense run smoothly. TJ also had a lot of offense run through him. A lot of the other guys opportunities came from the combo of the threat TJ was in the post and his excellent passing. We don't know if we have those guys - - even among the guys who are otherwise "proven".

Our best and most proven players are in the backcourt/wings as a number have stated, but we still have no one proven as "the guy" (and 2 guys would be better than one guy) around whom and through whom the offense runs and that is worrisome. Maybe we have those guys but only time time will tell.

SDJ was more of a 2 guard for us then a PG. I never saw him as some kind of passing guru in our offense. Now, TJ is a different story. His passing abilities are legendary and not having him in our offense anymore is going to put more pressure on everyone to make crisp fluid passes.

I think Mooney sees Sherod as the guy that we can run our offense around. Sherod is a smooth passer, a guy who can operate out of the high post and is always in the right position. That doesn't mean Sherod is the focal point of our offense but I think he plays an outsized role in making sure our offense has the right flow and rhythm to it.

 

[MountainSpider]

My recollection is this board had similar concerns when KA left and Shawndre had to take over primary PG duties his junior year. My expectation (demand ?) is that our million dollar man adjust to his new personnel this year. Our roster does look a little weird if you are trying to run a Princeton-esque offense.

 

[URPike]

I think maybe I can best express my views here as that I am concerned that our backcourt isn't the given that it might be being viewed as vs. our frontcourt might not be the weakness it might be being viewed as. Not that I am concerned more about our backcourt than our frontcourt in the absolute sense. And that is focused on the lack of a lead ball handler/guy to run offense through. When I question Khwan's ball handling, its not that I think he's gonna get stripped in the backcourt half the time and kick it away the other half. Yes, I am concerned about us turning it over a little more because I don't know that Khwan will be as efficient as SDJ with ball security, but its actually the much more subtle stuff. Will he be able to get to the right spots to start the offense, deliver the pass to the right place (and that doesn't mean to the right person etc. - - it means to the guys right hip and not his left shoulder when that is where it needs to be to keep his cut moving smoothly etc. ) The kinds of things that that comfortable ball handlers do as they mature in those roles and elevate their game and that make offense run smoothly. TJ also had a lot of offense run through him. A lot of the other guys opportunities came from the combo of the threat TJ was in the post and his excellent passing. We don't know if we have those guys - - even among the guys who are otherwise "proven".

Our best and most proven players are in the backcourt/wings as a number have stated, but we still have no one proven as "the guy" (and 2 guys would be better than one guy) around whom and through whom the offense runs and that is worrisome. Maybe we have those guys but only time time will tell.

If you remember it was Khwan who often had the ball in his hands last year and SDJ played the 2 guard when they were both on the floor. I think KF will be fine at the point and in our offense the moment whoever it is that brings the ball down the court makes the first pass they are no longer a traditional point man. I think we'll miss TJ and his passing ability more than SDJ overall. I think we'll be a better defensive team this year and we will have more options offensively than we have in a while. I think 9th in the A-10 is ridiculous and completely expect us to battle for one of the top 4 spots all season.