2014 Spring Recruiting

[waterhead]

Just my opinion I think he steps up and leads he's never had to with older players in front of him now he is that older player and has to play like it. Again IMO I think Sanders start at the 4 and the only one backing up Thomas is Morman and like I said he will only play 10 minutes.So 30 minutes for Thomas and 10 for Morman.

Guyn/Caupain
Cobb/Johnson
Thomas/Morman
Sanders/Ellis/Clark
Deberry/Strickland/ Moore

I think we could see Sanders getting the minutes from the 4 early on while we figure out who is actually going to be our 4(s). There is no way we finish the season with Sanders getting most of his minutes at the 4 (or we will be in trouble). 4 of our 5 returning vets will start early on and we will need at least one new guy to start at the BIG.

If Guyn is going to start I would rather see it at the 2 than the 1 since we clearly have a better player there. I would argue Johnson is better too but Guyn has the seniority.

Mick will use the vets to teach the new/young kids what he wants to see and then hopefully some will start to get it and take more minutes.

 

[Bearcatboy]

I think we could see Sanders getting the minutes from the 4 early on while we figure out who is actually going to be our 4(s). There is no way we finish the season with Sanders getting most of his minutes at the 4 (or we will be in trouble). 4 of our 5 returning vets will start early on and we will need at least one new guy to start at the BIG.

If Guyn is going to start I would rather see it at the 2 than the 1 since we clearly have a better player there. I would argue Johnson is better too but Guyn has the seniority.

Mick will use the vets to teach the new/young kids what he wants to see and then hopefully some will start to get it and take more minutes.

I do agree things could look different by the end of the year but in the beginning of the year it's the vets.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I think we could see Sanders getting the minutes from the 4 early on while we figure out who is actually going to be our 4(s). There is no way we finish the season with Sanders getting most of his minutes at the 4 (or we will be in trouble). 4 of our 5 returning vets will start early on and we will need at least one new guy to start at the BIG.

If Guyn is going to start I would rather see it at the 2 than the 1 since we clearly have a better player there. I would argue Johnson is better too but Guyn has the seniority.

Mick will use the vets to teach the new/young kids what he wants to see and then hopefully some will start to get it and take more minutes.

That's part of my logic too in saying I wouldn't be surprised if Guyn starts at shooting guard. The more I think about it, the more I can see Mick deciding on starting Caupain, Guyn, Thomas, Sanders and DeBerry. And then using the back-ups to come in and just press like crazy. Kind of like the year we used Davis and Wilks off the bench and just pressed liked crazy causing turnovers and getting quick points. This hinges on Cobb backing up at point of course. But in this scenario, our second team will be Cobb, KJ, Mormon and Ellis in a full-court onslaught pressing scenario. Cobb is a big x-factor in my opinion, no so much will he explode, but more X-factor in we really don't know what we have with him. He can shoot and he is quick that's about all we know. How is his defense? Is he ready to contribute right away or will he need time to adjust to our style of play? I really hope he can play back-up pg behind Caupain. If so that opens the door for so many things. If he's stuck at back-up shooting guard or is a third string guard so to speak then that forces us to start KJ (which I'm not terribly opposed to) and more than likely keep Caupain on the bench. I don't think anyone will argue on here we'd rather see Caupain running the offense than Guyn, but I too just don't see Guyn not starting if he started all last year with a shoulder falling off.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Plus I think Guyn's game is better suited for shooting guard. He's small and quick and I think serves us better off the ball running around and trying to get free and wearing out his defender. If you ever watched SK without the ball he was great at that. With a healthy shoulder and being a senior I could really see him doing big things next year. Deep down I like his game, he just never showed anything but flashes. His shot looks good, he has a nice little floater he rarely uses. On defense you can switch him and Caupain and let Guyn defend the ball up the floor still. He doesn't really seem to run the offense well, so free his mind up and put him off the ball and let him focus more on scoring than setting up plays.

 

[jacobkdoyle]

Guyn is my personal #6 SG on the roster.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Dude who else on the team has wowwed you to think Shaq won't score the most points for us. His shot maybe flat but he has very good touch. Your out of your mind to think he will not be the leading scorer next year.

LOL! Dude? TC and KJ both have shown a more well rounded game then Shaq. If you give them equal minutes over the course of next season they will out play Thomas. He doesn't board and he disappears on defense. He shys away from contact at the rim and Mick has stated so on several occasions. Don't get me wrong I would be thrilled to death if he took a huge step forward but he has been in the program 3 years and his improvement is minuscule. He better be ready to compete when practice starts because Mormon,Sanders and KJ all will be after wing minutes. An occasional alley oop dunk won't keep him on the floor if he doesn't get to the foul line and grab some rebounds. As far as him being our best press defender I think you maybe overstating his ability a tad. He certainly is long enough to play good defense but at this time it has not been demonstrated on the court. I guess time will tell.

 

[jacobkdoyle]

As a FR, Shaq had 71 REB in 356 minutes, or 8 per 40 minutes...last year had 94 REB in 779 minutes, or 4.8 per 40 minutes. That is a major drop off when given extended time. The extra 423 minutes and 23 REB soph year = 2.2 REB per 40 minutes, or 1.3 RPG based on his 22.9 mpg average. Also averaged under 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, and hit only 5 3s on the season.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

As a FR, Shaq had 71 REB in 356 minutes, or 8 per 40 minutes...last year had 94 REB in 779 minutes, or 4.8 per 40 minutes. That is a major drop off when given extended time. The extra 423 minutes and 23 REB soph year = 2.2 REB per 40 minutes, or 1.3 RPG based on his 22.9 mpg average. Also averaged under 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, and hit only 5 3s on the season.

exactly Jacob. He'll give you the occasional highlight but he needs to elevate his game quite a bit to be the leader of his team.

 

[#BearcatNation]

I feel like this exact convo is already going on in the "next years team" thread over on the main board. Can we keep this one to recruiting? I keep clicking this thinking there's news....

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Guyn is my personal #6 SG on the roster.

You're obviously not a Guyn fan. However, Mick is. The fact that he started all last year with a major shoulder issue and while not filling up the stat sheet leads me to believe we shouldn't not expect him to start. (Sorry guys I know, double negative.) I might be Guyn's biggest defender on here and even I don't think he should've been starting all last year. I know you stated previously you expect him to start at point and that could very well be true.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I feel like this exact convo is already going on in the "next years team" thread over on the main board. Can we keep this one to recruiting? I keep clicking this thinking there's news....

I understand threads can get off topic but at least we're having some intelligent discussion.

As far as 2014 recruiting goes I would imagine we are done. At this point I think Mick will hold onto the scholarship. Do any of our insiders have any knowledge that we are actively and aggressively pursuing anybody at this point?

 

[mdchick]

Shaq is useful in the press because of his length and leaping ability to run down or steal the errant pass you're trying to create. His length is also good in stepping in and helping with a trap. But what makes the full court press effective is having some tough-defending guards in there to pressure the ball to get things rolling. For that reason I think KJ will be our best weapon in the press and according to Larry Davis' comments last year, Mormon as well. When your guards create an errant pass and the guy you stick in the middle to come get the ball gets the steal that doesn't mean he created the turnover. And I think that is Thomas' main role in the press. Jackson was great at this the past couple of years. It is important to have that piece out there to be quick and long to react to the ball but I don't think it's as important as your guards that do the dirty work.

still think shaq is better for the press than kj would be but, if you think about it who else on our team has the athletic ability, speed and height to guard the in bounce pass like he could and the answer is no one. KJ is good defensively don't get me wrong but morman cob and caupain can all do what kj can do.

 

[mdchick]

LOL! Dude? TC and KJ both have shown a more well rounded game then Shaq. If you give them equal minutes over the course of next season they will out play Thomas. He doesn't board and he disappears on defense. He shys away from contact at the rim and Mick has stated so on several occasions. Don't get me wrong I would be thrilled to death if he took a huge step forward but he has been in the program 3 years and his improvement is minuscule. He better be ready to compete when practice starts because Mormon,Sanders and KJ all will be after wing minutes. An occasional alley oop dunk won't keep him on the floor if he doesn't get to the foul line and grab some rebounds. As far as him being our best press defender I think you maybe overstating his ability a tad. He certainly is long enough to play good defense but at this time it has not been demonstrated on the court. I guess time will tell.

first off guyn is going to get the most minutes out of anyone guard wise wither you agree with it or not, that's just the way it is, I like TC's game better than guyn's but Cronin will start guyn and go with guyn over any of the guards.

I love KJ's game and everything I think he will be a really good player by his senior year but how can you make an argument that shaq cant finish at the rim when every single shot kj takes in the lane gets blocked. KJ has a better outside game but shaq definitely is better than kj at driving to the rim.

Lastly Shaq was passive last year because of SK being our go to guy. Now that he is our go to guy he is going to be completely different this year. He gets to the rim with ease better than anyone on the team its not even close and if you think otherwise you are just wrong man.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

still think shaq is better for the press than kj would be but, if you think about it who else on our team has the athletic ability, speed and height to guard the in bounce pass like he could and the answer is no one. KJ is good defensively don't get me wrong but morman cob and caupain can all do what kj can do.

Shaq will probably be best for guarding the inbounds pass or ellis. There's more to pressing than guarding the inbounds. I think we're looking at it from two different perspectives. There are many components to a successful press and shaq's length is useful. I still think without great on-the-ball pressure a press is utterly useless. Shaq isn't known for this and isn't quick enough to defend the ball. To be honest, in my opinon Shaq is our biggest liabilty defensively.

As far as your last sentence, Cobb and Mormon haven't set foot on the court yet so how can you say they can do what KJ can do defensively?

 

[mdchick]

Shaq will probably be best for guarding the inbounds pass or ellis. There's more to pressing than guarding the inbounds. I think we're looking at it from two different perspectives. There are many components to a successful press and shaq's length is useful. I still think without great on-the-ball pressure a press is utterly useless. Shaq isn't known for this and isn't quick enough to defend the ball. To be honest, in my opinon Shaq is our biggest liabilty defensively.

As far as your last sentence, Cobb and Mormon haven't set foot on the court yet so how can you say they can do what KJ can do defensively?

Cobb and morman are division 1 basketball players if they arnt athletic enough to defend, then that's on the coaches. Defensively kj fouls a lot so to me he is our biggest liability.

Are you on the same boat that thinks Shaq won't be our best player next year or do you agree he will be... I'm confused haha

 

[cincrulz11]

first off guyn is going to get the most minutes out of anyone guard wise wither you agree with it or not, that's just the way it is, I like TC's game better than guyn's but Cronin will start guyn and go with guyn over any of the guards.

Why are you so certain? Guyn didn't even have more minutes than TC last season. TC played 2 minutes more!

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

first off guyn is going to get the most minutes out of anyone guard wise wither you agree with it or not, that's just the way it is, I like TC's game better than guyn's but Cronin will start guyn and go with guyn over any of the guards.

I love KJ's game and everything I think he will be a really good player by his senior year but how can you make an argument that shaq cant finish at the rim when every single shot kj takes in the lane gets blocked. KJ has a better outside game but shaq definitely is better than kj at driving to the rim.

Lastly Shaq was passive last year because of SK being our go to guy. Now that he is our go to guy he is going to be completely different this year. He gets to the rim with ease better than anyone on the team its not even close and if you think otherwise you are just wrong man.

TC will start at PG. I'll bet you a soda. Not only will KJ and TC take a step up offensively but defensively as well. Your theory is putting the ball in his hands more will change his game. Can't come close to agreeing with that. Shaq's entire game needs work. He has been here 3 years and while there has been a occasion flash he still has many holes in his game. Physically he is still not prepared to absorb contact and finish he doesn't even draw fouls. That is equal to a TO. He goes many minutes without a rebound. Playing defense is not on his favorites list either. If our team is dependent on Shaq it will be a long season. My friend a old saying is I see better then I hear. If SK being gone is his catalyst he needs to show us. Until now he has not demonstrated any where close to being able to lead this team.KJ will out work him and out play him. The guys taking the biggest step forward next year will be TC and KJ. If Shaq improves as well it will be a very good season.

 

[Bearcatboy]

TC will start at PG. I'll bet you a soda. Not only will KJ and TC take a step up offensively but defensively as well. Your theory is putting the ball in his hands more will change his game. Can't come close to agreeing with that. Shaq's entire game needs work. He has been here 3 years and while there has been a occasion flash he still has many holes in his game. Physically he is still not prepared to absorb contact and finish he doesn't even draw fouls. That is equal to a TO. He goes many minutes without a rebound. Playing defense is not on his favorites list either. If our team is dependent on Shaq it will be a long season. My friend a old saying is I see better then I hear. If SK being gone is his catalyst he needs to show us. Until now he has not demonstrated any where close to being able to lead this team.KJ will out work him and out play him. The guys taking the biggest step forward next year will be TC and KJ. If Shaq improves as well it will be a very good season.

To start the year the first sentence is wrong but by the end of the year it will be right and Caupain will probably improve greatly over the year.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Cobb and morman are division 1 basketball players if they arnt athletic enough to defend, then that's on the coaches. Defensively kj fouls a lot so to me he is our biggest liability.

Are you on the same boat that thinks Shaq won't be our best player next year or do you agree he will be... I'm confused haha

He did foul alot, but when you're a freshman playing five minutes a game that's not as big an issue. He was sent into games and allowed to be aggressive. He also forced a decent amount of turnovers for his limited time on the court. And by the logic of your first sentence and tying that in with why you say they can bring just as much defensively as KJ then all players on our roster should be equally good on defense. Fact is there are players that are better and players that are worse. If we took a poll on this board I'm 99% certain KJ wouldn't be considered our biggest liability. And I'd venture to say Shaq would be.

As far as Shaq being our best player, it would be great but I'm not holding my breath. Logic should dictate that he would be based on stats alone of the returning players. Offensively at least. And I think Mick will give him the opportunity to be. He needs to want it and be tougher mentally and physically. We have plenty of talent and there will be younger players pushing him. There's no SK to fall back on now. If he doesn't step it up someone will. We have KJ and Cobb that I highly doubt either will be gun shy with the ball. Guyn and Caupain, too. Plus hopefully an inside presence or two.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

TC will start at PG. I'll bet you a soda. Not only will KJ and TC take a step up offensively but defensively as well. Your theory is putting the ball in his hands more will change his game. Can't come close to agreeing with that. Shaq's entire game needs work. He has been here 3 years and while there has been a occasion flash he still has many holes in his game. Physically he is still not prepared to absorb contact and finish he doesn't even draw fouls. That is equal to a TO. He goes many minutes without a rebound. Playing defense is not on his favorites list either. If our team is dependent on Shaq it will be a long season. My friend a old saying is I see better then I hear. If SK being gone is his catalyst he needs to show us. Until now he has not demonstrated any where close to being able to lead this team.KJ will out work him and out play him. The guys taking the biggest step forward next year will be TC and KJ. If Shaq improves as well it will be a very good season.

I completely agree with your assessment on Shaq. My biggest concern with him is like you said he shys away from contact and doesn't draw fouls. I hope he does toughen up this year and can be our top scorer. The opportunity is there for him to take it.