Making freshman earn their minutes with their play isn't a bad thing or a unusual practice. Many coaches subscribe to that thought process. Cumberland will see minutes at the 2 and 3. Getting him PT will not be a problem.Cronin always goes with the senior to start but Cumberland will play more minutes a game than kj mark it down.
Making freshman earn their minutes with their play isn't a bad thing or a unusual practice. Many coaches subscribe to that thought process. Cumberland will see minutes at the 2 and 3. Getting him PT will not be a problem.
Cumberland can play both 2-3 kj IMO can't, making Cumberland play more minutes overall.
In reallity they probably will be match each other in mpg. And that I'm fine with. Cumberland can play the 2 and 3 so he will be subbing for both kj and Evans.
I'm just saying from a starting perspective, it's KJ role until Cumberland takes it. And that pressure in my opinion wil make KJ better
I just don't see what Johnson has done to earn it himself.
I just don't see what Johnson has done to earn it himself.
using your logic what have you seen Cumberland do?I just don't see what Johnson has done to earn it himself.
using your logic what have you seen Cumberland do?
I think he will too. The only question on Cumberland in my mind is whether or not he can adapt fast enough defensively to D1 athletes and Mick's defensive scheme. If his defense can be average for a D1 wing, he'll supplant KJ by the time February comes around. However, if the defense isn't up to Mick's minimum standards, he'll struggle to stay on the floor.The problem is that there is literally nothing Cumberland can do. You're right, he hasn't done anything yet. But freshman start all the time in D1 basketball. It won't take much to show he's the better player. We'll have the chance to see for ourselves soon enough. But I'd put my money on Cumberland over Johnson in pretty much every stat this year in per 40/minutes.
To outperform him he'll have to be on the floor. Nothing Cumberland can do? He can play well when given his opportunities. Freshman have started for Mick. Again Mick is know different then many coaches concerning freshman. Most make the freshman push the upper class men to the bench. I won't even go into the fact that Cumberland will have to back up Evans as well as playing minutes at the 2. He is a freshman who will probably struggle defensively early on. Bringing him off the bench to adjust and control his fouls is a wise move to start the year.The problem is that there is literally nothing Cumberland can do. You're right, he hasn't done anything yet. But freshman start all the time in D1 basketball. It won't take much to show he's the better player. We'll have the chance to see for ourselves soon enough. But I'd put my money on Cumberland over Johnson in pretty much every stat this year in per 40/minutes.
Its a long season and Cumberland will get lots of minutes. He will be a big piece of the puzzle if we are to have a good seaso or not. Regardless if he comes of the bench.If kj came off the bench our reserves wouldn't have a single scorer in the game.
Jj can't score , Tre Scott who knows, prob not Brooks, quad will shoot but won't score so if we add kj to the bench we have a bunch of guys who can't shoot.
But if kj starts then Cumberland is our scorer off the bench. We dint need kj to score in the starting line up. Just play d
I've said many times that I expect very little out of Cumberland this year. I've seen many great Bearcats have horrendous freshman years and nothing about Cumberland tells me he'll be different. KJ has frustrated me a lot in his three years and I want Cumberland to out perform him badly and be in the lineup, but my years watching college basketball have taught me that it probably won't happen. I'm looking for KJ to actually be better than we all think and to finish his career on a somewhat high note and Cumberland will struggle to adapt and play less minutes than most of you think. I would be delighted if I am wrong, but you're all hoping that Cumberland is something special and I just don't see it happening next season.
I think KJ is the unsung hero thus year. We have Caupain, Evans, Clark and Washington to focus scoring with. KJ Needs to play lock down D, and mind his business on offense. Get open for the occasional 3 or take advantage when other players get double teamed if he can get an advantage, but other than that he doesn't need to be a focal point of the offense. He is capable of shutting the opposing team guards down from scoring, so own that. Cumberland will come off the bench behind Evans as much as he will KJ. We need him in that role. Now if he comes in and is hands down a better defender and scoring option and you can't keep him off the floor, then great. I don't expect that to happen though. KJ is your starter, he plays hard and gives 100 percent and being a senior he's mature and will be hungry. I think we'll see good things from KJ. Again it might not show up in the stat sheet but he will be an important fit and I think he'll rise to the occasion. And Cumberland can come off bench, still get upwards of 25 minutes a game and when in can be a focal point of the offense. It's really a win-win on this roster.
L-T, my whole thing is that Cumberland doesn't have to be special at all to give us more than Kevin Johnson. As others have said, I think it's in our best interest to have Cumberland as ready as possible to help us at a reaaonably high level by season's end.
As for someone who was saying that Cumberland would be the only scorer in the second unit...I don't think we have the depth to be mass subbing like that. And the fact that Cumberland can score and play 2 positions is also relevant. We have a short bench and a pretty established core. Our subbing pattern will likely be 1 in 1 out most of the time.
Oh dear God I hope not. Evans should play so much more than Johnson.
Oh dear God I hope not. Evans should play so much more than Johnson.
It was in our best interest to develop a second point guard last year and you saw how that worked out with Jenifer. Gary Clark and Eric Hicks scored at epic levels in high school. They came in here and struggled mightily. Hicks especially. I think he averaged 1 or 2 points his freshman year. I'm not getting my hopes up with Cumberland. My hopes went into the stratosphere with Jenifer last year and that was a disaster.
