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Paul Friendshuh - A preseason recollection

Ulla1

Ulla1

Head Coach
Apr 21, 2011
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We are all a bit anxious about getting new players, big guys, little guys, whatever. So I decided to take a look back at what we have coming in. Paul Friendshuh was a finalist for player of the year in Minnesota along with Tyus Jones (Duke) the eventual winner. According to coaches, following his injury Paul is one of the hardest workers on the team. At 6' 10" and 240 pounds, Paul is highly skilled. Check out the video of his high school highlights. IMHO, Paul will be a solid contributor.
 
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If he gets a strong left hand he will be a force around the basket
 
Good looking stroke for a big guy, but slow and one handed. Makes me nervous when a 6-10 guy can't get playing time and is redshirted by UR, even when ANO went down. Reminds me of a former NBA player's son who sat the bench for us a couple years back.
 
PASpider said:
Good looking stroke for a big guy, but slow and one handed. Makes me nervous when a 6-10 guy can't get playing time and is redshirted by UR, even when ANO went down. Reminds me of a former NBA player's son who sat the bench for us a couple years back.
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Uh. You know he was out with torn ACL, right?
 
So, I have seen nothing of Paul outside of the video posted above, but its a highlight video so it should show Paul at his best! There are some good things there for sure, but also a few things that indicate a need to be very careful about expectations. First is the "one handedness" as noted above. There were many situations in that video that called for a left handed finish and he awkwardly finished right handed. Is a highlight video, so he made them, but its clear that he's not comfortable with his left even in close. Second and more concerning to me is his stroke. He brings the ball back over his head to shoot a little bit. This is the same flaw as DT had in high school videos that actually got worse over time and is now a huge problem. Its not death (Dirk Nowitski has been fine with this), but its also in no way a pure stroke. You don't see a lot of great shooters with that mechanical flaw (but plenty of acceptable ones) and a lot of bad shooters have the that flaw. Time will tell!!
 
PhillySpider said:
So, I have seen nothing of Paul outside of the video posted above, but its a highlight video so it should show Paul at his best! There are some good things there for sure, but also a few things that indicate a need to be very careful about expectations. First is the "one handedness" as noted above. There were many situations in that video that called for a left handed finish and he awkwardly finished right handed. Is a highlight video, so he made them, but its clear that he's not comfortable with his left even in close. Second and more concerning to me is his stroke. He brings the ball back over his head to shoot a little bit. This is the same flaw as DT had in high school videos that actually got worse over time and is now a huge problem. Its not death (Dirk Nowitski has been fine with this), but its also in no way a pure stroke. You don't see a lot of great shooters with that mechanical flaw (but plenty of acceptable ones) and a lot of bad shooters have the that flaw. Time will tell!!
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Another thing to remember is that video is from 2.5 years ago. PF has had a bunch of time to work on his game since then. I suspect he is substantially better now.
 
PASpider said:
Didn't know that. So you're telling me a 6' 10" guy can't dunk and then he tore his ACL? That's not a good sign.
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I can't believe how negative some Richmond fans are. We haven't seen PF play yet, I choose to be optimistic about his potential as a spider. According to Verbal Commits he had 14 other offers, including 3 from other A10 schools. Although they didn't offer, he was getting looked at by UVA and Witchita State. He has had over a season to learn and grow with two of the best front court players in the conference (TJ and TA). I can't wait to see what PF can do on the court.
 
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Agree fan2011, no reason to go negative. Has good size, seems to move well and sounds like a hard worker. Let's give him a chance. On a related note to the harping on his left hand, I was listening to Boston sports radio today for a little bit and they were discussing Kevin McHale. Apparently he would never shoot with his left, would keep making moves and contorting himself until he could get off a shot with his left. Not saying its ideal, but each player has strengths and weaknesses.
 
Wait till the kid actually plays. How many people were excited about TJ Cline, when he was a senior in High School. He wound up at Niagara, and based on his coach's comments, it appeared that they thought they were taking a gamble on him. Last year, he showed he can play at an A-10 level, but no one thought so, when he came out of high school. In fact, I believe I read that as a junior in high school, he was still playing on the junior varsity team. He's come a long way in just a few years.
 
FYI, Paul had 22 D1 scholarship offers coming out of high school; quite the antithesis of TJ's one offer. Paul was a 3-star recruit; like those some drool over now (e. g. Nick Sherod, DeMonte Buckingham, Ako Adams et c.). So more than a few programs thought something of him. We were lucky to sign him! Here is the Rivals link; for more offers check out the Verbal Commits site.
http://sports.yahoo.com/alabama/basketball/recruiting/player-Paul-Friendshuh-135949
 
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Ulla, I agree with most of what you say, but don't take every statement that does not say a kid will be great to be negative. Some are just comments on observations. It's to early to say how good Paul will be. I think he has a very high upside, it's up to him to make it happen.
 
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PA I looked at this differently and in no way was he similar to Luke. First PF handles the ball
better. In another video of him it shows some good passing skills. Second he uses the talent he
does have for a big man well. He makes quick decisions and what I like most, is when he gets
ball down low he does not bring ball down or put on the floor unless he goes to other side of
rim. How many great shooting Spider big men brought ball back over their head? Eric Gray,
J Stephenson, Justin Harper and even Bob McCurdy to some extent. If he has good rotation,arc
soft touch and it goes in, I don't care cause it works for him.
 
Let's remember though - there are only so many minutes to be had with what we have returning. I agree - Paul looks good in his HS/AAU highlights and I have heard they is a very hard worker, but he might be a year away from seeing meaningful minutes simply because of the guys ahead of him.

Remember - we have Cline, Allen, and Taylor returning. Based on the fact that Allen played 31 minutes a game last year, and I think everyone on this board, myself included - expect him to be better this year - he is probably playing 32+ a night. Throw Cline into the mix - who at times last year was our best offensive weapon, and they Taylor - who brings some experience. Not to mention - I think the consensus is that Wood will play ahead of Paul.

Not to say Paul is a bad player by any means, I just think his minutes this year, unless he is truly better than Wood in every aspect - will be limited just based on numbers ahead of him.

We all like to say we have a deep team and great depth. But the reality is - most teams usually only play about 8 players. Maybe that 9th guy gets 5 minutes a night, and that might be where Paul fits in - but I think his time to play comes next year - once some room is created by graduation.
 
Agree Trap, probably limited minutes for Paul this year. I do hope he can get some meaningful minutes just to start preparing him for the year after, that is when he will really be needed. If he can even get 5-7 minutes / game some nights I think that will be helpful to his development. If he earn more than great too.
 
As Ulla said, Paul had 22 Division 1 offers coming out of high school. Not sure how many players we have signed recently that had that many D-1 offers, but I would hazard a guess of zero. Of course, this does not mean he is going to be a superstar or even a contributing player, when your 6'10 you are going to get some offers, just because you are 6'10.

Point is, lots of school saw the potential in Paul, we were lucky to sign him. And while his minutes will be limited this year because of Terry and TJ and probably Marshall Wood as well, we are very thin in the front court after this year, so for me, he is the most important freshman we have this year because we really need him to be a player after this year.
 
Spider23 - I agree. And I think this is one area that maybe Mooney and staff have struggled with, and I think many coaches out there struggle with - and that is finding guys minutes to get them experience and teach them so they are ready next season when you really need them. A guy who plays 5-7 minutes a night is probably not impacting a game much from a Win or Loss perspective. You could probably take that person and not play them at all and come out with similar results. But coaches need to find ways to keep these guys involved to prepare them for the following season.

I think the same might be true for our frosh - everyone thinks one of them will play some this year, but again - we have so much returning, unless one of them beats out a current returning player - it will be tough. But it would still be beneficial to find a guy 5 minutes a night and more in blowouts to get them game experience and let them learn against outside competition and not just practice. Its a tough balance, but something I think will be key for our team this year as we build to be a program that doesn't have long NCAA droughts.
 
I agree Trap. If the guys in front of him play like we hope, there's probably little time available for PF this season. his time will likely come next year. and some will say that if a guy doesn't play, then he's not good! not the case.

I like his touch, and I like that he keep the ball high. seems pretty agile. that said, I confess that I haven't seen a UR kid's highlight reel that I didn't like. watch big Luke's video again. I still see a guy that I'd expect be a very good player. loved his video.
 
urfan1 said:
Ulla, I agree with most of what you say, but don't take every statement that does not say a kid will be great to be negative. Some are just comments on observations. It's to early to say how good Paul will be. I think he has a very high upside, it's up to him to make it happen.
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Totally agree, We need to give all of our new players the benefit of the doubt. They deserve our support at this stage of the game. If we can't say something positive, then we shouldn't say anything at all!!!
 
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I was nervous about retaining his mobility after both gaining weight and recovering from the ACL injury, but I thought he looked at least as mobile as TJ during the short practice video and consider that a good sign.

We have 5 front court players for 3 spots and 7 back court players for 2 spots. I expected our 3 front court starters from last year to start this season and for Wood to be ahead of him. But there should be time for him to get some minutes if the staff thinks he is ready, especially since it is easier to get in foul trouble in the front court. Otherwise they are likely to shift Trey to the 3 a bit more often.

PS what is that at the 1:35 mark above?
 
As previously mentioned, I saw PF with TJC and JJ at Whole Foods at the beginning of the summer. Paul has definitely filled out, and looked pretty ripped as opposed to gaining weight and looking soft. He was clearly taller than TJC, and he was wearing his hair short, and just overall looked like he was ready to play.

I hope he can get some time on the floor next year, I'd really like to see him get 8-10 minutes per game if that is at all possible, as we will need him to step up big-time in his 3rd year in the program.

Word is that PF is a hard worker, and is an above average outside shooter for his size.
 
though basketball has become more guard oriented, teams, especially power teams, load up on all the guys 6'10" or above. has always been that way and continues.
 
No melon, but he was carrying a very large salad with chicken on it at Whole Foods, but more importantly, he wasn't on crutches like he was the last time I saw him. Crutches make the think that a guy is probably not ready to play.
 
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I was not being negative - - only cautious in my optimism. I have very little to go on as I stated, but given it was a highlight reel, I still see a few things that temper and enthusiasm and certainly any predictions of great success. For all of us, we can have opinions, but they are not very well informed ones. I think its fair to say some are habitually overly optimistic (as in drinking the cool aid). The only real answer is time will tell!

I will say this - - I saw Luke play quite a bit in high school (over multiple years as well) and questioned from Day 1 whether he could play on our level and openly stated that on here (and my "negativity" was questioned - and ferociously so as I recall). He had many, many D1 offers as well if you believe the press around Philly area etc. I'll say this too based on what little I have seen of Paul - - he's clearly a better athlete than Luke and almost certainly has a better feel for the game. I don't see him is a Luke level miss for us and only time will tell if he's a roster filler, contributor, muti-year starter or legendary Spider.
 
I never saw Luke P play in person, but the highlight film of him in h.s. was against non athletic 6'4 post players. I do think from the limited film of each, Friendshuh would appear to have better physical tools. As I stated earlier, I would be thrilled if he can play a few meaningful minutes a game, gain valuable experience, and put another year behind his ACL injury before emerging next season.
 
Mooney needs to find at least 5, preferably closer to 10 minutes a game for each of Friendshue, Fore, Johnson, Pistokache, Dominaus, and Wood this season. I think at least one (maybe 2) of these 6 have a chance to play significantly more.

Reason # 1, the team needs the contribution this season, and reason # 2, next year.

I would take away minutes from Deion Taylor, Josh Jones, and Trey Davis in that order. I suspect that Mooney will choose to give Wood some of T.J. Cline's minutes (which at this point I do not agree with, but, I have not seen Wood play).

Failure to see that the new guys play substantial minutes will significantly hinder the chances of team success for the following year. Some, or all of these 6 will need to play major roles in 16-17.

As stated previously, player rotation has not been a Mooney strength. Would like to see him have an epiphany this season. I couldn't in good conscience advise anyone to hold their breath waiting for that to happen.
 
Not-A-Homer said:
Mooney needs to find at least 5, preferably closer to 10 minutes a game for each of Friendshue, Fore, Johnson, Pistokache, Dominaus, and Wood this season. I think at least one (maybe 2) of these 6 have a chance to play significantly more.

Reason # 1, the team needs the contribution this season, and reason # 2, next year.

I would take away minutes from Deion Taylor, Josh Jones, and Trey Davis in that order. I suspect that Mooney will choose to give Wood some of T.J. Cline's minutes (which at this point I do not agree with, but, I have not seen Wood play).

Failure to see that the new guys play substantial minutes will significantly hinder the chances of team success for the following year. Some, or all of these 6 will need to play major roles in 16-17.

As stated previously, player rotation has not been a Mooney strength. Would like to see him have an epiphany this season. I couldn't in good conscience advise anyone to hold their breath waiting for that to happen.
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Well we lost 60 minutes a game from K0 and ANO, so there is just the right amount of time for our new guys to get 10 minutes each without taking time away from anyone else.
 
that's crazy. I totally disagree with the concept that you HAVE to play to develop. you develop in practice, which is highly competitive. It's hard enough to get in a flow (and people here criticize substitution patterns) rotating 8-9 guys. you're talking about playing 12 in a game on a regular basis. nobody does that.

the 7 returning upperclassmen will play a lot. Fore will likely play a lot. I think one of the new SGs will play a lot, the other a little.

so 9 play a lot regularly, 1 gets a few every game, and the last 2 don't play much ... assuming we're healthy.

imho.
 
That 5-10 minutes doesn't sound like a lot, but finding that much time for those 6 guys, plus time for 6 others (SDJ, TA, TJ, JJ, TD and DT) means 12 players in the rotation. While I too am often frustrated by our rotations, I can't advocate that because its so tough to build any sort of continuity.

Plus one of the things that frustrates me with the rotations are when he seems to make moves for no apparent reason - - like we are on a 12-3 run and suddenly he puts 2 new guys in and takes 2 guys out including the guy who just hit 2 jumpers and we somehow end up with no shooters on the floor and the run ends and we go into one of our "7 minutes without a bucket" swoons. Forcing guys into the rotation will keep that going.

SDJ, TA and TJ seem a lock for extended minutes (although TJ will probably be limited to 30). Wood seems a very good bet for solid minutes. After that, its a major battle, but I'd really like to see it limited to 8 or 9. If its 12 because the young guys are all so good, then we should probably park DT and maybe even TD and/or JJ entirely.

Like Not-A-Homer, I don't see either of things (12 man rotation or 9 man rotation with maybe 2 out of 3 of DT, TD, and JJ sitting virtually full time) happening. Rather I see the veteran 7 (including Wood) getting healthy time, one of the freshman (KF) getting OK minutes and the rest fighting over the remaining crumbs! I see some more offense/defense substitutions like we had last year as well with DT, TD and maybe Wood as D guys and TJ, JJ and one of the kids as offense guys etc.

Here is my big prediction - - JJ really emerges as an offensive player, basically forcing CM to play him more and our best 5 (but not against pressure defense) is SDJ, JJ, MW, TA and TJ
 
Not-A-Homer said:
Mooney needs to find at least 5, preferably closer to 10 minutes a game for each of Friendshue, Fore, Johnson, Pistokache, Dominaus, and Wood this season. I think at least one (maybe 2) of these 6 have a chance to play significantly more.

Reason # 1, the team needs the contribution this season, and reason # 2, next year.

I would take away minutes from Deion Taylor, Josh Jones, and Trey Davis in that order. I suspect that Mooney will choose to give Wood some of T.J. Cline's minutes (which at this point I do not agree with, but, I have not seen Wood play).

Failure to see that the new guys play substantial minutes will significantly hinder the chances of team success for the following year. Some, or all of these 6 will need to play major roles in 16-17.

As stated previously, player rotation has not been a Mooney strength. Would like to see him have an epiphany this season. I couldn't in good conscience advise anyone to hold their breath waiting for that to happen.
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Whoops. There is no chance--0%--that Mooney plays 11 guys at least 10 minutes a game. Wood will likely get there, and one of Fore, Johnson, or Pistokache, but that's it.

SDJ and Allen at 30+
Cline, Davis, and Taylor all at 25+
JJ and Wood at 15+

That leaves 35 mins, at most, for the rest. I would bet Fore and maybe PF get the majority of those.
 
How about
TA 32
SDJ 31
TJC 25
TD 25
DT 25
JJ 15
MW 15
KF 10
PF 10
JJ2 5
JP 5
KD 2

All the 25s could be more, all the last four are assuming they are ready this season.
 
I am very happy to have Paul on our team, and believe we are fortunate that he committed. If a guy with his ability also plays and practices (and works-out) hard, which I have heard he does, the only obstacle that is likely to stand in his way is his health. Here is hoping that Paul takes great care of his body, and that he is able to do some of the same things that Cline did for us last season (including the passing). I really like our front-court depth this season, and agree that Fore and Paul will both get enough minutes to show what they can do. Can't wait for the season to begin, and hope we will have another "midnight-madness" type of event, where the fans can see the guys in a game-type scrimmage. This year, if we wanted to, we could have one team of "returning vets" and another team of "newcomers" (including redshirts/transfers), both with 6 players. These are always great events, and they certainly help to generate pre-season "buzz" from the local fan-base.
 
Old timers, what was the name of that tall guy we had when Tarrant to us to the Sweet 16, something Flye?
With the right discipline this guy could sure be a big factor.
 
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