Signing Party Notes

[MolivaManiac]

Mooney said we have 30 games and are looking for one more. Mentioned the games already discussed. He did say we'd probably start with WVU in Vegas.

He also said Jesse and Julius could play together on the court together down the road but they'd be competing for minutes at the 2 this year.

He was asked about the strength of the A10 this year. Said he thought the A10 could get 4-5 bids. First team he mentioned was Rhody as a strong team. Also mentioned Dayton.

He said we were still seeking players for next year, be it a transfer or 2015 freshman. He seemed to sound like something might be close on a transfer but I may have been reading too much into his statement.

Great event, good crowd.

 

[Ulla1]

Heard that we are after another recruit out of high school this year. That would complete our recruiting of players coming in this fall.

 

[Spideroldie]

My 2-cents worth, which I had posted under a different thread about 30 minutes ago, and is clearly a better fit here....
The signing party was truly a very nice, and memorable, event. Here are some highlights...
1. Very nice food and drinks, in buffet form. But you had to like BWW wings. I tried out about 5-6 different types, and they were all good.
2. Good brief presentations by both head coaches. Coach M suggested that we may be adding one more player, who I assume may be a transfer. Time will tell.
3. The photos of new signees showed one "invited walk-on," for the men, a 6-0 PG. Could be our next Zack Chu.
4. It was a good opportunity to talk to the coaches. I had a chance to say "hi" to Marcus Jenkins, and welcome him abroad.
5. It was also a ood opportuntiy to meet the players, and most were present. Paul F has bulked up very nicely, and is up to 240, which is very good news. Deion Taylor had a "boot" on his foot from a small mis-hap yesterday or so, but should only be out of action for a week or two. It was also a chance to meet MWood and Khwan Fore, before they play their first game. The freshmen (our two 6-3 incoming guards) were not there yet, and will not be in for anohter couple of weeks.
6. I came away with a really positive "vibe," that everyone (players and coaches) is ready to work hard and to have a great season.
Thanks to our basketball program for putting on this very memorable event. We truly have amazing facilities now, so I can see our recruiting taking yet another step in the right direction. A recruit who makes it to campus cannot help but be impressed!

 

[MolivaManiac]

I keep waiting for them to have wings in 'sit down dinner form' at these events.

 

[CarolinaSpider]

sounds like the women got some top ranked recruits themselves.

 

[64Spider]

Mike Shafer hired an assistant coach from Rider (I think he is Miller) who has experience recruiting overseas and bingo they sign a very talented young lady from Finland. It looked like her basketball skills are greatly advanced compared to the girls coming out of high school here.
Maybe we should use his connections to look for some talent on the men's side.

 

[Ulla1]

Mike Shafer hired an assistant coach from Rider (I think he is Miller) who has experience recruiting overseas and bingo they sign a very talented young lady from Finland. It looked like her basketball skills are greatly advanced compared to the girls coming out of high school here.
Maybe we should use his connections to look for some talent on the men's side.

He mentioned that David Gonzolvez, who played professionally in Finland, helped in her recruitment.

 

[spider23]

Good info guys, thanks for the report! Nice of Gonzo to help the Spiders ladies out!

 

[97spiderfan]

Thanks for the report for those who attended. One question. Why was this event not publicized a little more on this board? I'm a season ticket holder and am on these boards every day, like the Richmond athletics FB page and yet the first I heard of it was after it occurred. Maybe I was just out to lunch and missed all of the proclamations of this event. I'm in Richmond and surely would have attended, had I known.

 

[spider23]

97Spiderfan getting black listed for his opinions on this board?
2555 × 2555 - alwaysimages.co.uk

 

[ur2K]

Thanks for the report for those who attended. One question. Why was this event not publicized a little more on this board? I'm a season ticket holder and am on these boards every day, like the Richmond athletics FB page and yet the first I heard of it was after it occurred. Maybe I was just out to lunch and missed all of the proclamations of this event. I'm in Richmond and surely would have attended, had I known.

I didn't make it last night, but at least 2 emails went out publicizing the event. Said capacity was limited to 150 or so.

 

[97spiderfan]

Perhaps 23, that this is the case. I thought these message boards were anonymous

 

[SpiderTrap]

Mooney said we have 30 games and are looking for one more. Mentioned the games already discussed. He did say we'd probably start with WVU in Vegas.

He also said Jesse and Julius could play together on the court together down the road but they'd be competing for minutes at the 2 this year.

He was asked about the strength of the A10 this year. Said he thought the A10 could get 4-5 bids. First team he mentioned was Rhody as a strong team. Also mentioned Dayton.

He said we were still seeking players for next year, be it a transfer or 2015 freshman. He seemed to sound like something might be close on a transfer but I may have been reading too much into his statement.

Great event, good crowd.

In an attempt to read between the lines and based on Mooney's history with Frosh - I don't expect any of the frosh to play significant minutes next year.

Look at what we have returning. We return essentially 4 starters in ShawnDre (yes he was 6th man last year, but he was a starter at the beginning of the year, and with Anthony gone - he will start and play Anthony like minutes 32+ a night), Cline, Allen, and Davis. Then you throw in Taylor, Josh Jones, and Fore returning (Jones played late in the season, and Fore played early before sideline by injury). And lastly - throw in Wood who is now eligible. You got 8 guys right there in the rotation. And a good mix of guards and forwards for Mooney to play with. I am sure one of them will see time - but don't see it being anything significant. Think more like ShawnDre his frosh year - where he only played about 5 minutes a night until Lindsay went down. Then he started to play.

 

[64Spider]

I know Mooneys history like everyone on this board but would still hope that he put the best players on the court regardless of year. That to me would signal an uptick in recruiting.

 

[fan2011]

In an attempt to read between the lines and based on Mooney's history with Frosh - I don't expect any of the frosh to play significant minutes next year.

Look at what we have returning. We return essentially 4 starters in ShawnDre (yes he was 6th man last year, but he was a starter at the beginning of the year, and with Anthony gone - he will start and play Anthony like minutes 32+ a night), Cline, Allen, and Davis. Then you throw in Taylor, Josh Jones, and Fore returning (Jones played late in the season, and Fore played early before sideline by injury). And lastly - throw in Wood who is now eligible. You got 8 guys right there in the rotation. And a good mix of guards and forwards for Mooney to play with. I am sure one of them will see time - but don't see it being anything significant. Think more like ShawnDre his frosh year - where he only played about 5 minutes a night until Lindsay went down. Then he started to play.

Mooney's history with freshmen is playing at least 1 freshmen for 10+ minutes a game in every season he has been here except for 2010 and 2015. Not playing freshmen for significant minutes has been the exception during Mooney's tenure, not the rule.

SDJ and JJ are the only true returning guards we have on the roster. TD is more of a 3 in our system. There are a ton of minutes up for grabs at the 1 and 2, and maybe even the 3 if KF, JJ2 or JP show that they are ready too contribute.

 

[97spiderfan]

SDJ and JJ are the only true returning guards we have on the roster. TD is more of a 3 in our system. There are a ton of minutes up for grabs at the 1 and 2, and maybe even the 3 if KF, JJ2 or JP show that they are ready too contribute.

I agree that TD is more of a 3 in our system and have been saying that since he came. Yet, TD was our starting 2 guard all of last year, so obviously Mooney disagrees with that.

I would love for Deion/Trey to take every single minute at the 3, if we have a capable 2 guard that can step in and be a legitimate scoring threat at that position.

 

[spiderman]

I agree. I don't think Julius and Jesse can both get a lot of time this year, but the more advanced of the 2 should see 10+ per game, or at least grow to that as the season progresses. Khwan will be the backup 1 and get about the same. and PF could even earn some time but that will be difficult with a bunch of upperclassmen bigs. difficult but possible.

 

[MolivaManiac]

Mooney made a major point of how Julius' body was very 'college ready'.

 

[spiderman]

Jesse's too.

 

[Stork3]

I was one of the season ticket holders who did not get an email regarding the event; so I checked it out. Allison Vogler from the athletic department indicated that if your email address is a "Verizon.net" email address, there were some problems with the mail delivery, since the new software used by the University is having a problem. I believe that someone is working on the problem. Allison can be reached at 287-6341.

 

[SpiderTrap]

Mooney says Jesse and Julius will compete for minutes at the 2 this year.

This tells me - there is no competition for minutes at the 1, because you have ShawnDre - who will play 32-35 minutes a night, and I think Mooney expects Fore and Josh Jones to fill in when needed for the other 5-8 minutes at PG when needed and also compete for minutes at the 2--3 position, which in Mooney's offense - I don't think matters much. For the 2-3 spots - you have Davis (played 30 minutes a night last year - see that staying the same or slightly increase to 32), Jones, and Fore...and you could even slide Allen or Taylor to the 3 for a few minutes if Mooney decides to play big and use Wood and Cline together with Allen or Taylor at the 3.

Just looking at Mooney's past - Frosh usually don't play much. Yes - KA, Geriot, Butler, Gonzo all played but that was because of the bare cupboard argument. Since then - you have Anthony who played a lot (25 minutes on a rebuilding team), and Lindsay played 15 minutes for an NCAA team. Other than that - not a whole lot of history of true frosh under Mooney getting lots of time.

 

[Ulla1]

Mooney says Jesse and Julius will compete for minutes at the 2 this year.

This tells me - there is no competition for minutes at the 1, because you have ShawnDre - who will play 32-35 minutes a night, and I think Mooney expects Fore and Josh Jones to fill in when needed for the other 5-8 minutes at PG when needed and also compete for minutes at the 2--3 position, which in Mooney's offense - I don't think matters much. For the 2-3 spots - you have Davis (played 30 minutes a night last year - see that staying the same or slightly increase to 32), Jones, and Fore...and you could even slide Allen or Taylor to the 3 for a few minutes if Mooney decides to play big and use Wood and Cline together with Allen or Taylor at the 3.

Just looking at Mooney's past - Frosh usually don't play much. Yes - KA, Geriot, Butler, Gonzo all played but that was because of the bare cupboard argument. Since then - you have Anthony who played a lot (25 minutes on a rebuilding team), and Lindsay played 15 minutes for an NCAA team. Other than that - not a whole lot of history of true frosh under Mooney getting lots of time.

Was told that both Julius and Jesse are REALLY GOOD and would definitely play significant minutes. This was from the same source that said that Kendall was a really good shooter before he ever played a minute as a Spider. Bet the ranch!

 

[fan2011]

Mooney says Jesse and Julius will compete for minutes at the 2 this year.

This tells me - there is no competition for minutes at the 1, because you have ShawnDre - who will play 32-35 minutes a night, and I think Mooney expects Fore and Josh Jones to fill in when needed for the other 5-8 minutes at PG when needed and also compete for minutes at the 2--3 position, which in Mooney's offense - I don't think matters much. For the 2-3 spots - you have Davis (played 30 minutes a night last year - see that staying the same or slightly increase to 32), Jones, and Fore...and you could even slide Allen or Taylor to the 3 for a few minutes if Mooney decides to play big and use Wood and Cline together with Allen or Taylor at the 3.

Just looking at Mooney's past - Frosh usually don't play much. Yes - KA, Geriot, Butler, Gonzo all played but that was because of the bare cupboard argument. Since then - you have Anthony who played a lot (25 minutes on a rebuilding team), and Lindsay played 15 minutes for an NCAA team. Other than that - not a whole lot of history of true frosh under Mooney getting lots of time.

Under Mooney freshman have accounted for 20% of our minutes on average, that is a fairly large chunk. Mooney will play the best players, he does what he thinks gives us the best chance to win. He will play freshman if they are the better option. I really don't understand where the 'Mooney doesn't play freshmen' sentiment comes from.

 

[ur2K]

I found it interesting in the recap video that Mooney referred to Jesse as a point guard.

 

[SpiderK]

I bet Julius and Jesse play some minutes at the 2 & 3 if we need points.
0 to ? Points is an improvement.

 

[spiderman]

ur2k, I think he was just saying both aren't always going to be fighting for one spot. they can play together and may/will in the future, and if they do it's Jesse at the point with Julius at the 2. neither is a 3.

I'd think Jesse gets a shot to be the backup PG this year and next, too. Khwan's 15 minutes of experience doesn't give him much of a leg up.

 

[97spiderfan]

Under Mooney freshman have accounted for 20% of our minutes on average, that is a fairly large chunk. Mooney will play the best players, he does what he thinks gives us the best chance to win. He will play freshman if they are the better option. I really don't understand where the 'Mooney doesn't play freshmen' sentiment comes from.

For the last 4 years, freshman have accounted for 14% of our minutes. For the past 2 year they have accounted for 4% of our playing time. 1 freshman has played meaningful minutes the past two years, SDJ, and the only reason he played the minutes he did was because we lost Ced to a season ending injury. So recently, freshman have not played much of a role. They played a much larger role when we had a bare cupboard at the beginning of the tenure.

 

[spiderman]

we had a lot of non-freshmen the last few year. this year we don't. just 7.

 

[URWeb95]

SDJ, Cline and Allen are set as starters. Who starts at the 2 and 3?

 

[MolivaManiac]

I'd bet a mortgage payment that Deion and Trey are the other 2 starters but I predict Khwan plays a lot more minutes than people expect.

 

[Ulla1]

I'd bet a mortgage payment that Deion and Trey are the other 2 starters but I predict Khwan plays a lot more minutes than people expect.

Khwan will back up Shawndre. Josh will begin the year at the two with Julius and Jesse pushing for time as the year goes on.

 

[SpiderK]

I'd bet a mortgage payment that Deion and Trey are the other 2 starters but I predict Khwan plays a lot more minutes than people expect.

No doubt that Trey and Deion will start. Hopefully Trey is around 25 minutes and Deion around 20, and some other kids get to play and get better.

 

[spiderman]

Josh certainly plays good defense. his handle's not very strong for a 2 guard though, and he hasn't shot as well as his reputation thus far. I don't think he gets handed the 2 job ... starting or backup. he'll have to fight for time. though only 6'4", he seems more of a 3 than a 2 to me.

 

[SpiderTrap]

I think right now - you can look at the line-up like this.

Guaranteed starters - ShawnDre, Davis, Cline, Allen

The fifth starting spot becomes a little tricky. Our most experience returners are big men in terms of Taylor and Wood. You could play either one of them - and go with a bigger line-up. Or you could slide in Josh Jones or Fore and go more traditional with Davis playing the 3, and two big men. I have a feeling Mooney will choose the more traditional to start and hope we have better shooting this year with Fore or Jones out there, but he will no doubt use the bigger line-up at times to give people some rest.

Are there minutes up for grabs for a frosh guard. Yes - but I think they are very minimal. At most 10-12 minutes a game between 2 guys.

 

[MolivaManiac]

Khwan will back up Shawndre. Josh will begin the year at the two with Julius and Jesse pushing for time as the year goes on.

Khwan will backup ShawnDre but the 2 of them will play together at times too. Khwan will be a 15 minute a game guy next winter because he can get in the lane and because he can defend.

 

[fan2011]

Almost every D1 team changes their starting lineup over the season (not including senior day). I think there were less than 10 teams last year who had the same starting lineup all year (except for senior day). I think that it is extremely likely the starting lineup we see on day 1 will not be the starting lineup for the whole season.

http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/starting_over_and_over_and_over

 

[MrTbone]

Mooney says Jesse and Julius will compete for minutes at the 2 this year.

This tells me - there is no competition for minutes at the 1, because you have ShawnDre - who will play 32-35 minutes a night, and I think Mooney expects Fore and Josh Jones to fill in when needed for the other 5-8 minutes at PG when needed and also compete for minutes at the 2--3 position, which in Mooney's offense - I don't think matters much. For the 2-3 spots - you have Davis (played 30 minutes a night last year - see that staying the same or slightly increase to 32), Jones, and Fore...and you could even slide Allen or Taylor to the 3 for a few minutes if Mooney decides to play big and use Wood and Cline together with Allen or Taylor at the 3.

Just looking at Mooney's past - Frosh usually don't play much. Yes - KA, Geriot, Butler, Gonzo all played but that was because of the bare cupboard argument. Since then - you have Anthony who played a lot (25 minutes on a rebuilding team), and Lindsay played 15 minutes for an NCAA team. Other than that - not a whole lot of history of true frosh under Mooney getting lots of time.

Trap, I think your analysis is pretty accurate but would suggest a couple of things. 1) Josh Jones won't fill in at point, he's not that kind of ball handler and 2) Khwan isn't really a 2-3, he's more of a true PG who can stretch to 2G. So probably flip flop those guys.

I think we will see someone get a lot of time at 2G still and won't be surprised if it's a newbie. Trey really is a 3 and while he played a lot of 2G for us, Mooney will need to develop a 2 for the 2016-2017 season. That could be Josh, but I would expect some meaningful time from either Julius or Jesse there.

 

[TBSpyder]

Trey spent very little time as a guard, though he was a nominal starter. He played mostly as a 3. Season doesn't start for 6 months, I think it's impossible to project how much some of these guys may improve greatly in that time period. I think everyone on this team, has a chance to show that they deserve significant playing time. I think there are really only two locks as starters, Terry and SDJ. I expect Trey and T.J. to start as well, but they will be challenged. I'm particularly hoping that Paul F. is ready for significant minutes. You can't coach size.

 

[SpiderTrap]

TB - Trey and Cline are locks as well as starters. No challenge there at all.

And I agree - starting line-ups will change throughout the season, but I don't see Trey, ShawnDre, or Allen ever being out of the starting line-up next year. I left Cline off the list only because I wonder how teams will adapt to him now that they really know how he plays and what he can do. I expect him to be a starter for the entire season, but I could see a stretch where maybe he struggles and Mooney sits him a few games to get him back on track.

 

[urmite]

Trey spent very little time as a guard, though he was a nominal starter. He played mostly as a 3. Season doesn't start for 6 months, I think it's impossible to project how much some of these guys may improve greatly in that time period. I think everyone on this team, has a chance to show that they deserve significant playing time. I think there are really only two locks as starters, Terry and SDJ. I expect Trey and T.J. to start as well, but they will be challenged. I'm particularly hoping that Paul F. is ready for significant minutes. You can't coach size.

Perhaps, but last season 43% of the time that Trey was on the court so was Deion, Terry, and either TJ or Zo.