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Randolph

spider23

Spider's Club
May 31, 2002
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Its been mentioned by a few on here on other threads. Really liking what I am seeing so far. I did not have very high expectations this season, due to the numbers at guard/wing positions. Likely benefitting some minutes due to Crab being out. So far looks like a guy with high confidence to shoot the ball (and the more I watch hoops, the more I feel like that is a bigger factor in shooting than gets credit), scrap on defense, make things happen. Brings an energy to the game. Between Randolph, Dji and Roche, I have a really high confidence level in the guys coming off the bench. All three seem ready to go and make an impact as soon as they come in the game, and I feel like all three are going to make something good happen. Good problem to have.
 
I'dd add Bigelow as a guy I already trust in off the bench. Even last game, when nothing would go for him on offense, he still was active on defense and grabbed boards, and just brings a next level athleticism. 9 deep rotation has been good for Moon so far.
Count Bigelow won’t have many if any other scoreless games in his Spider career.
 
I’m a huge fan of what I’ve seen out of Randolph. Last season during his limited minutes I was sure we had another Isaiah Wilson, Kadeem Smithen, or Jesse Pistokache on our hands. I shouldn’t have judged him so early and on such a limited amount of time. He’s proven me entirely wrong and I love what he brings on defense and his overall mentality. Nobody is going to go out there and have an easy time matched up with him.
 
I’m a huge fan of what I’ve seen out of Randolph. Last season during his limited minutes I was sure we had another Isaiah Wilson, Kadeem Smithen, or Jesse Pistokache on our hands. I shouldn’t have judged him so early and on such a limited amount of time. He’s proven me entirely wrong and I love what he brings on defense and his overall mentality. Nobody is going to go out there and have an easy time matched up with him.
I would not have thought of those names but maybe Wayne Sparrow. Definitely looks different this year.
 
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I think that it is time to start Randolph and bring Nelson off the bench. The more Randolph plays, the better he gets. Likely be good for Nelson's development too, because it would relieve some of the pressure on him.
 
I like that he talked about the decision not to red shirt, and the game and practice reps off that decision being a spring board for this season. I have made the case on here that playing in actual games at this level is very valuable, even if it is fairly limited. Glad Walz did not redshirt. He seems to have the athleticism and some tools to eventually be a good one, and I think any minutes he can get this year could help him be a valuable rotation member next year. Would be great if Randolph can keep getting better this year and more opportunity and develop into a consistent scoring threat.
 
I think there are both sides of the debate with redshirting. I could see Randolph averaging 10 a game for us his senior year and thinking, man I wish he would have redshirted and we had him another year. But, I also understand his reasoning for not redshirting.
 
I think that it is time to start Randolph and bring Nelson off the bench. The more Randolph plays, the better he gets. Likely be good for Nelson's development too, because it would relieve some of the pressure on him.
The article mentions that the offense seems to flow better/quicker with Randolph in the game and I have had the same impression. Maybe it is as simple has having more repetitions in Mooney’s system. We all heard that there was going to be a 50/50 split running the point at the beginning of the year, but it definitely seems like it has been Nelson at the point for at least 70% of the time. I am not pulling any game logs, so I am sure someone will do that and give the actuals. I have the same impression (ie better flow) when Grace is in the game without Quinn. There is definitely a learning curve.
 
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I think that it is time to start Randolph and bring Nelson off the bench. The more Randolph plays, the better he gets. Likely be good for Nelson's development too, because it would relieve some of the pressure on him.
My only concern is that Nelson is better ball handler than Randolph and may handle ball pressure better.
 
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There was never going to be a 20/20 split at PG. Nelson played 41 minutes in our 3rd game. It if wasn't obvious before that, it certainly was after. Nelson has been up and down, but he is our only true PG, our 2nd leading scorer, and it certainly looks like we need scoring with this team. He gave us a nice scoring spark at the start of the 2nd half last game. I 100% still want him starting, but I think Goose and Randolph together can do fine when Nelson is out.

That being said, I could definitely see Randolph getting more minutes. He looks good out there, and gives us another outside scoring threat. It doesn't have to be any one guy who he would take minutes from. He averages 13 minutes a game, so taking him to 20 would only drop 7 total minutes from a few guys, maybe just 2 or 3 less from Nelson, Goose, and Quinn.
 
I think that it is time to start Randolph and bring Nelson off the bench. The more Randolph plays, the better he gets. Likely be good for Nelson's development too, because it would relieve some of the pressure on him.
Randolph is growing every single game and it is great to see. I don't see him as our primary PG though, that is Nelson's role and he is going to have play through the ups and downs of his freshman season. I have a feeling if Randolph saw as many minutes as Nelson got as our PG, we would see some of the very same mistakes from him that Nelson is making.

That said, Randolph is earning more minutes every game and will push Nelson (and probably Goose) as well for more minutes if he continues with his good play. He is showing some scoring touch recently and for a team that is struggling offensively, that is the ticket to more minutes.
 
In my opinion, nobody except Tyler has earned a starter's role as of now. We are 7-7 against a very mediocre schedule. We can't close out games. We look lost for long stretches, especially on offense.

He would never do it but I wish Mooney would shake things up a bit. Start Randolph, Roche, Burton, Bigelow and Grace tomorrow night. If that doesn't work try Nelson, Goose, Burton, Grace and Quinn next game. I understand sticking with a lineup for a while for continuity/consistency, but after nearly half a season things haven't improved so try something. Feathers might be ruffled but the message would be sent - 0.500 is not good enough for Spider basketball and we expect better.
 
If Randolph starts (gets more minutes) I would like to see a Goose/Nelson split at the point. Crabtree can get more time spelling Randolph until Bailey gets back in the mix.

Randolph may not be the best ball handler just yet, but he doesn't shy away from anybody.
 
I think we have the 8 we want right now. I don't see Crab being part of the rotation, and Dji has had plenty of chances. Don't forget we have Roche, and we need to get him minutes. We are talking more minutes for Randolph, not less, and with Nelson, Goose, Roche, and Randolph, there is no reason to go any deeper there.
 
Randolph has earned an increase in playing time. He gives us flexibility with his skill set and has shown a confident shooting stroke to this point. I also like the toughness he brings when in the game. He will only continue to improve if Mooney will let him play through some mistakes so he will not constantly be looking over his shoulder to see if he is being taken out of the game.
 
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Randolph has earned an increase in playing time. He gives us flexibility with his skill set and has shown a confident shooting stroke to this point. I also like the toughness he brings when in the game. He will only continue to improve if Mooney will let him play through some mistakes so he will not constantly be looking over his shoulder to see if he is being taken out of the game.
Randolph seems like he can handle any kind of playing time. He gets it. I don't see him ever looking over his shoulder. He knows he has guys in front of him right now, and I think he already knows he might be out there for 3 or 4 minute stretches and come back out regardless of how well he plays. He just needs to keep being himself, doing what he does, and his playing time will likely keep increasing.
 
Randolph seems like he can handle any kind of playing time. He gets it. I don't see him ever looking over his shoulder. He knows he has guys in front of him right now, and I think he already knows he might be out there for 3 or 4 minute stretches and come back out regardless of how well he plays. He just needs to keep being himself, doing what he does, and his playing time will likely keep increasing.
Randolph bet on and believed in himself last year, when he decided not to redshirt, despite all of the seniors we had on that team and all of the other freshman taking that redshirt. Seems like he made a winning bet. Two of the freshman who redshirted only get mop up duty and Nelson is going through some struggles of adjusting to the college game and also not having played competitive games for over 2 years.

Most thought Randolph was foolish for not redshirting last year. He is proving us wrong.
 
hard to say if it was a good decision or not. he might have played at this same level this year even if he had redshirted ... and he'd have another year of eligibility. we'll never know.

some guys want to play the most and the longest they can. others want to get their degree in 4 years and then move to the next stage in life.
 
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OK sman, we have had this debate over the years. And yes to 4700's point, we may very well wish we have him for one more year - we probably will if he keeps progressing.

However, this comment directly from the source backs up what i have been saying, essentially playing some game minutes, and needing to be mentally ready for a full season expedite progress:

"Randolph played in nine games (29 minutes) as a true freshman. That experience served as a launching pad for this season, in his estimation. He said he acquired “a sense of awareness for how fast the game is played and how physical the game is played.” He added he also benefited from meaningful repetitions at practice as an active player."

I do find it interesting that it is not a given that our practices give you a sense of the speed and physical nature of the game at this level. In the past I always attributed this to having a lack of A10 level guys, which I admit is not the case anymore. I do think the practice reps with first unit, and you are obviously more locked in if you know you have a chance to go in the game - are definitely more impactful as stated.
 
I've never redshirted or played at this level so I'm only going on what I think makes sense.
I know Randolph said and believes the 29 minutes helped prepare him for this year. I don't necessarily take that as a proven fact, though. just like I don't think for sure that having Nelson play 29 minutes last year would have made him any better this year.

but I don't know how involved Mooney keeps his redshirted players. are they just in layup lines, or are they getting real practice reps? I just don't know.
 
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Maybe it helped Randolph, maybe it didn't. I get what you are saying about him 23, but I don't think we could know based on 29 minutes. I know what he said about everything else, but if you are doing an interview and get asked that question about not redshirting, what else could you possibly say? You certainly are not going to answer, "No, it didn't do anything for me. I should have redshirted". But, it very well could have helped him a lot, and if it did help him, it does not mean it would help everyone else, and does not mean Nelson should not have redshirted. There are examples of it working out both ways for guys. DeAndre Hunter redshirted at UVA and after playing just 2 years, became the 4th pick in the draft. And, he has mentioned he was glad he redshirted and it helped him. If Nelson has a great career here and is all A-10 his redshirt senior year, how could you say it did not work out for him? Like sman said, I just don't think 29 minutes last year would have made any difference at all with Nelson this year. His first 6 games this year, he played 28, 31, 41, 35, 36, and 34 minutes. That is where he is getting his experience. How would playing only 29 total minutes over 9 games like Randolph did have changed anything for him?
 
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Randolph went against traditional wisdom and bet on himself with electing not to redshirt. That speaks to his confidence in his game and ability to make an impact at this level. This is the type of player we want on our team.

What did redshirting get Noyes and Dread, just another year on the bench. There is a lesson to be learned here.
 
Randolph went against traditional wisdom and bet on himself with electing not to redshirt. That speaks to his confidence in his game and ability to make an impact at this level. This is the type of player we want on our team.

What did redshirting get Noyes and Dread, just another year on the bench. There is a lesson to be learned here.
what's the lesson to be learned in your opinion? don't take a developmental redshirt even if you'll barely see the floor? I just don't think it's that cut and dry.

everyone said Noyes needed to get stronger. Dread might just not be as good as Randolph, no matter who takes the redshirt.

I don't think Randolph is getting time this year because he didn't redshirt. instead, he's getting more and more time because each time he's gotten some time he's made the most of it and made an impact.
 
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Randolph went against traditional wisdom and bet on himself with electing not to redshirt. That speaks to his confidence in his game and ability to make an impact at this level. This is the type of player we want on our team.

What did redshirting get Noyes and Dread, just another year on the bench. There is a lesson to be learned here.
I don't get this take at all. Noyes and Dread would have only seen the floor last year in blow outs. And, who knows how much that would have even been. How much could this really help them? Dread has played 3 minutes this year. Do you really think those 3 minutes and whatever time he might get the rest of the year will make him more prepared for next year? As for Noyes, why play hardly any minutes last year, when you can take a year to get stronger, and have an extra year at the end if you want it? Noyes has options now that he would not have had had he not redshirted. What if redshirts, whereever they are from, transfer? Wouldn't it better to have an extra year at your new school if you want it?
 
Maybe it helped Randolph, maybe it didn't. I get what you are saying about him 23, but I don't think we could know based on 29 minutes. I know what he said about everything else, but if you are doing an interview and get asked that question about redshirting, what else could you possibly say? You certainly are not going to answer, "No, it didn't do anything for me. I should not have redshirted"? But, it very well could have helped him a lot, and if it did help him, it does not mean it would help everyone else, and does not mean Nelson should not have redshirted. There are examples of it working out both ways for guys. DeAndre Hunter redshirted at UVA and after playing just 2 years, became the 4th pick in the draft. And, he has mentioned he was glad he redshirted and it helped him. If Nelson has a great career here and is all A-10 his redshirt senior year, how could you say it did not work out for him? Like sman said, I just don't think 29 minutes last year would have made any difference at all with Nelson this year. His first 6 games this year, he played 28, 31, 41, 35, 36, and 34 minutes. That is where he is getting his experience. How would playing only 29 total minutes over 9 games like Randolph did have changed anything for him?
Seems that the 2 players have totally different developmental mindsets.

Randolph seems to be more of a "take it right now" sort of player. He goes after every inch every second. I would be willing to bet that he isn't consumed by what will be happening 3-years from now. Thus, Randolph is making great strides every time he takes a bite. This is not to say that more floor time won't show areas of improvement for Randolph, it likely will.

I don't see the same urgency from Nelson. He appears to be more in line with the "slow and steady, all is well, there is plenty of time to right the ship" philosophy that Captain Mooney feeds to the media after every loss. I suspect that the "it is a long season - career" mindset combined with the pressure of high expectations is slowing Nelson down a bit.

Time will tell just how well the chosen philosophy works out for each player. But, I think that at this moment, Randolph is surging at a faster pace. This is why I would like to see more of him right now.
 
Randolph went against traditional wisdom and bet on himself with electing not to redshirt. That speaks to his confidence in his game and ability to make an impact at this level. This is the type of player we want on our team.

What did redshirting get Noyes and Dread, just another year on the bench. There is a lesson to be learned here.
The lesson to me is you only redshirt if you know you got time coming the following year. So for Nelson that made sense. Noyes/Dread will now go 2 years without playing competitive basketball, that seems sub optimal.
 
I haven't noticed a lack of urgency from Nelson. Far from it. Not sure why you would say that except it allowed you to throw in another Mooney cheap shot?
 
I haven't noticed a lack of urgency from Nelson. Far from it. Not sure why you would say that except it allowed you to throw in another Mooney cheap shot?
Agree with VT on this one - Nelson is visibly disturbed when he plays poorly or gets quick fouls as happened at GMU.. if anything I worry he may get too down on himself when he or the team has challenges.
 
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Nelson's doing fine. expectations were just way too high with him earning the job right off the bat.
he'll be good.
 
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Nelson's doing fine. expectations were just way too high with him earning the job right off the bat.
he'll be good.
Nelson is doing fine but also agree he gets in his head when he doesn't play well. Would like to see him look to score more often, he has got a nice little floater that he could utilize more instead of passing back out. Frustrating that many players do this now, they get themselves into a good position to make a high percentage shot but then pass it out for a player to take a 3 which is a lower percentage shot.
 
depends on who he's passing to!

floaters are pretty but they're not that high a percentage shot for most. an open 3 is usually a better shot than a contested 2 from a 5'10" player. Nelson hits 46.6% of his 2's ... contested or not.
 
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