Playing time for TJ has to increase significantly next year to win

[URSpider65]

Firstly, I'm not calling for CM to leave the program, but I'm praying that he will re-examine his use (or misuse) of TJ for next year. In the Miami game he played another average of 23-24 minutes played most of the year. Yes, over the year, he played 22 minutes or less and would be the leading scorer for the game, that we would lose by 1-6 points. Over and over. Most of us know that TJ would have scored at least 6 more points in any of those games should he have been playing for 31-33 minutes.
CM modified the "Princeton Defense" significantly over the last 10 years, so maybe he can modify his use of TJ over the next 2 years.
TJ has been accused of playing poor defense and becoming fatigued earlier in the year. I thought he played great defense in the latter part of the year, especially in the NIT.
Additionally, I'm hopeful that the inconsistent plan of switching offensive and defensive out of a game every 20 seconds stops.
TJ and the others are hustled in and out so fast that I'm sure it's tough for them to settle into the game. Lots of those minutes logged by TJ were for brief moments of time. Let him play Coach.
I'm hoping that a reflection on the season will bring the coaching staff to realize that many of those late game losses might have been avoided with keeping more stability on the court.

Lastly, I witnessed very involved fans, on their feet, dressed in red, cheering loudly throughout most of the NIT games. In over 50 years of watching the Spiders, I've never seen better crowds. I'm hoping UR will give out red shirts several times next year.

 

[MrTbone]

He does need to get closer to 30 min per game. His defense was very good last night and I don't recall him being in foul trouble.

I expect him to play more than this year for sure and not be any kind of liability on D.

 

[spiderman]

his defense improved dramatically. ideally he'd rebound more, but the defensive subs don't rebound much better. I think the reason CM subs out defensively is because TJ Is best defensively on the inside. he has an inside defender in ANO on the floor. TJ isn't ideal on the wing, and Deion and Trey can both do that.

as for the constant subbing, most people will tell you it doesn't have an effect. I keep reading about how they can't get in a groove, but while everyone likes to stay out there, the quick breathers don't throw you off. we complain that we sub too much, and we complain that we don't play enough guys. which is it? if you're getting down to 8 guys late in the season, you have to get some guys out to keep them fresh.

 

[fan2011]

I think Mooney wants to rest TJ so he can continue to score at such a high rate. If he gets tired out there both his offense and defense suffer, as they do for all players. If TJ can stay out of foul trouble, rebound better (ANO and TA get 30-40% more rebounds per minute) and prove to Mooney that he can play with less rest without his game dropping then he will get more minutes.

 

[Spider B]

TJ gets winded out there. I think his endurance will improve this off season. I agree that his defense improved drastically towards the end of the year. I think TJ is a really special player. He is so good at putting himself in the right area to score.

 

[SpiderGuy]

TJ had his best game versus ASU - very hungry & aggressive. He played well last night, and obviously we needed his points. With the exception of a few games earlier in the season, he has more than shown that he's someone who consistently can score. Lord knows we need scorers. Can anyone dispute that TJ can pick up some of the KA points that we'll need? He's proven himself as a potential 20 point guy per game if enough minutes played.

I really don't need to hear the supposed justifications, reasons, & why's he didn't / can't get more minutes. He has more than proven he's a go to guy and very smart on the court (especially running the offense through him). Keeping him off the court is an opportunity cost. So if he needs more work on defense, then let the coaches work with him in the preseason, let him look at more film, or whatever it takes to keep him on the court. The offensive / defensive switching happens way to early IMHO. Then again, time will tell if CM goes back to the same offensive / defensive thing just like this year. I buy it late in the game, but not 8 or 10 minutes remaining??????????????

I'd like to see whoever is the coach that works with the inside players really do a makeover of our inside defensive & rebounding game. We just got burned too many times this year in those areas. That seems like an area that can be fixed if it's seen as a problem. A set of eyes and a stat sheet would say it's a problem. I realize that CM does not prioritize offensive rebounding, and I challenge anyone to dispute that. However, on the defensive end, you either rebound, or the team will pay a price (examples - at GW and vs Miami last night). I'm just not buying the "oh they were taller or whatever reasoning" for why we got pounded under the Miami goal. We've got tall guys too (maybe not 7 feet), but there's fundamental execution in blocking out, being in position, aggressiveness, etc. here to be considered. Double digit deficits on the defensive boards is not a formula for success.

 

[URSpider65]

Agree that players can't be in there all the time. But leaving TJ out for almost a half every game is ludicrous. "Offense" is put in when "they" are shooting foul shots, and the "defense" when we are shooting foul shots, etc. Problem is that one covers that one defensive or offensive set and then the ball turns over and the 'defensive' guys are out on the court, unable to put the ball in the basket. And, they are in for 20 seconds and out again. OK, Dean Smith used those sets, but two wrongs don't make a right. Hopefully this will change next season. And, yes, Dean was successful, but I'd bet the level of ball players was a bit different than ours.
Will be out there supporting the team with hope in my heart, next season.

 

[coachfezz]

I agree with your facts Mr65. I think Coach Stopwatch will still have a job next year also But I do not like the plan now you go to score now for us but always only play 20 minutes. Some things to think about . Does the defense offense have a good future ? Where is Mr Numbers for all these facts I like to read . one plus one is always two even if you want it to be three. Is offense defense two or three ? we know for sure we lose some close games by points . Maybe if we play the shooter this will change, We already know if we do not play the shooter more we lost these games. . I am a fan and now we have a long time to keep talking.

 

[SpiderGuy]

Originally posted by coachfezz:
I agree with your facts Mr65. I think Coach Stopwatch will still have a job next year also But I do not like the plan now you go to score now for us but always only play 20 minutes. Some things to think about . Does the defense offense have a good future ? Where is Mr Numbers for all these facts I like to read . one plus one is always two even if you want it to be three. Is offense defense two or three ? we know for sure we lose some close games by points . Maybe if we play the shooter this will change, We already know if we do not play the shooter more we lost these games. . I am a fan and now we have a long time to keep talking.

coachfezz - I like your analysis. Keep posting your thoughts.

 

[SpiderK]

SpiderGuy. I am with you. Who ever is in charge of teaching rebounding/boxing out should be let go when your players are in the bottom 3 % in the country. Our defense makes it difficult for anyone's set offense to score, but they finally figure out to just throw it up on the rim and go get it practically unchallenged. It is so frustrating to watch, when it could be taught easily. Even if we rebounded at 275 in the country we would have won 5 more games. We give good teams 10-15 more possessions per game because we play with no rebounding fundamentals. I know we are all tired of it.

 

[MrTbone]

Since I always like to look at the data, I checked the rebounding margin for our schedule this year. We won 5 games where we were out rebounded by 10 or more. We also lost 6 games where the differential was 5 or fewer. There are a bunch of games where Margin didn't matter at all.

I absolutely feel we need to step up our game in rebounding but obviously a variety of other factors to consider.

 

[SpiderK]

TBone, I know there are many factors in losing a game, 3 players that can't score, 45% free throw shooters.....and so on. However, our abandonment of rebounding is so obvious and so easily improved. It seems to me to be the first place to make this team better.

Just venting, I know it will never happen. I guess I am going insane expecting a different result.

 

[64Spider]

While we are talking about things to work on in the off season I would like to add using the ball fake to off balance your defender (maybe have our players watch Wisconsin tapes).

 

[SpiderK]

64 good point!! The ole "Hit the brakes and they'll fly right by" trick. Works on most shot blockers every time.

 

[fan2011]

I don't think playing Cline is a cure-all for our team like many on this board. Yes he is a very good offensive threat, and yes leaving him on the bench means he can't score. But if you look at games where he has played for 30+ minutes, it doesn't guarantee a win by any means.

Cline plays for 30+ minutes, we go 3-2 (60% wins)
Cline plays for 20-29 minutes, we go 15-8 (65% wins)
Cline plays for under 20 minutes we go 4-4 (50% wins)

The sample size is very low, but from the data we have available, playing Cline 30+ minutes does not necessarily lead to a higher winning percentage. Preventing second chance points through rebounding and not fouling are important too, and these are things Cline needs to work on. He has improved a lot this season in defense, however, Cline averages 4 fouls per 40 minutes, which is 2nd most on our team behind Deion and he way behind TA and ANO in rebounding percentage.

Here is my estimation of minutes for next year

SDJ: 35+ (30 mpg in last 10 games) Mooney always has a guard that plays virtually the whole game, it will be SDJ next year
TA: 30+ (35 mpg in last 10 games)
Cline: 25-30 (27 mpg in last 10 games)
ANO: 20-25 (27 mpg in 10 games before he got hurt)
TD: 20-25 (33 mpg in last 10 games) TD will lose time at the 2-guard to some combination of JJ, JJ, KF and KS
DT: 15-20 (24 mpg in last 10 games) DT will lose minutes to PF, MW and CD

That leaves ~40 minutes for JJ, JJ, KF, KS, MW, PF and CD. I expect someone to get ~15 minutes, and a couple others to get 5-10 minutes. I doubt we will be playing 13 people, and we will settle into an 8-9 man rotation by the time A10 play comes around.

 

[Not-A-Homer]

I hope that the Coach has the year 2016-17 on his mind next season. Clearly it will be in the team's best interest to get the newcomers as much time on the floor as possible.

If (their first opportunity to play) Wood, Fore, Diekvoss, Johnson, & Friendshue only average 1-3 minutes a game in 15-16, youthful trouble will follow the following season when they will be called upon for much larger roles.

Masterful integration of all of the parts will benefit both seasons.

 

[SpiderGuy]

Originally posted by Not-A-Homer:

I hope that the Coach has the year 2016-17 on his mind next season. Clearly it will be in the team's best interest to get the newcomers as much time on the floor as possible.

If (their first opportunity to play) Wood, Fore, Diekvoss, Johnson, & Friendshue only average 1-3 minutes a game in 15-16, youthful trouble will follow the following season when they will be called upon for much larger roles.

Masterful integration of all of the parts will benefit both seasons.

Agree, but for the most part that has not been CM's pattern of including newcomers in the rotation. Of course there are exceptions. Based upon what players will graduate next year, it would be a benefit to get the young guys some real playing time. It's a balance to achieve = playing for the current year and preparing for the following year. I'm not an advocate of just getting the younger guys filler minutes if their skills are good enough to be interchangeable parts.

 

[spiderman]

TJ got himself into great shape this year. I don't know if he can ever play 30 mpg though. it's the way he plays, and what makes him special. he's 100% effort all the time both on offense and defense. most guys, especially bigs, catch their breath on the court at times. he's always busting it.

I don't want him to change that at all. it's the best thing about him. and if that means he needs more breaks in Coach's eyes, then I'm fine with it. but his defense was no longer a liability the last few weeks. it was strong as long as he was inside. he'll never be a plus perimeter defender, but inside he's good now. keep working with him on rebounding.

 

[97spiderfan]

Originally posted by spiderman:
TJ got himself into great shape this year. I don't know if he can ever play 30 mpg though. it's the way he plays, and what makes him special. he's 100% effort all the time both on offense and defense. most guys, especially bigs, catch their breath on the court at times. he's always busting it.

I don't want him to change that at all. it's the best thing about him. and if that means he needs more breaks in Coach's eyes, then I'm fine with it. but his defense was no longer a liability the last few weeks. it was strong as long as he was inside. he'll never be a plus perimeter defender, but inside he's good now. keep working with him on rebounding.


Good points on TJ. I made a similar argument with Trey last year that because of how he plays the game would rather him play 20-25 minutes of maximum effort, than 30-35 minutes where you get diminishing returns.

TJ was way underutilized in OOC, but feel that he was getting the minutes he needed at the end. Feel that will continue next year. And also agree his defense was much, much improved at the end of the season.

 

[SouthJerseySpiderFan]

Originally posted by 64Spider:
While we are talking about things to work on in the off season I would like to add using the ball fake to off balance your defender (maybe have our players watch Wisconsin tapes).

Great idea! Coaches too.

 

[AnnapSpider]

When you're a big guy, and very active, there is just so much time you can play.
A tired player is not a good player, and I love TJ's style.

 

[Eight Legger]

I'm at peace with the TJ situation. As someone mentioned above, his minutes during conference play were improved from OOC, and I will assume that Mooney would have had him in there more often if he thought he could have handled it. I want him on the court as long as he can play at a high level, but if he is huffing and puffing, I'd rather sit him for a few minutes.