6-1 PG, #53 in the 247 composite rankings. PG was definitely our biggest need going into 2023-24. Huge get.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
22-23 Team Discussion
- Thread starter Queens_NYC
- Start date
Help Support BearcatTalk:
sirthought
Well-known member
Really nice recruit.
I'm seeing talk that a big man was on campus today for an official visit.
Hoping this staff has really been able to sell going to the Big 12 and the competition players can face there. We know there will be minutes available.
I'm seeing talk that a big man was on campus today for an official visit.
Hoping this staff has really been able to sell going to the Big 12 and the competition players can face there. We know there will be minutes available.
sirthought
Well-known member
I wonder if Collier is waiting to see who else signs? I really don't understand the need to wait as long as November. Anyway, I'm glad the team got a decent PG prospect. Hopefully he'll have some reliable scorers to dish to.
6-1 PG, #53 in the 247 composite rankings. PG was definitely our biggest need going into 2023-24. Huge get.
Yah great pickup! He is on the rise as well could be a 3-4 program guy. We can add additional help here with a transfer or a guy like Collier assuming Jizzle is not ready to lead the program in year 1. Love it. Good to great defender as well. Bearcat type of player.
Wes talked a lot about Ezikpe at today's press conference. Said he's more of a forward than a center, but the team will be more positionless this season. Said Kalu has perimeter skills with good ball handling and passing.
Another topic was replacing interior shot blocking with more length on the peritmeter allowing double teams and closing passing lanes. Also said Ody worked on his defense a lot in the offseason.
DDJ was also on talking about how he will continue to be a combo guard this year, so I guess we'll be seeing a lot of undersized guard lineups.
Link
Another topic was replacing interior shot blocking with more length on the peritmeter allowing double teams and closing passing lanes. Also said Ody worked on his defense a lot in the offseason.
DDJ was also on talking about how he will continue to be a combo guard this year, so I guess we'll be seeing a lot of undersized guard lineups.
Link
sirthought
Well-known member
Wes talked a lot about Ezikpe at today's press conference. Said he's more of a forward than a center, but the team will be more positionless this season. Said Kalu has perimeter skills with good ball handling and passing.
Another topic was replacing interior shot blocking with more length on the peritmeter allowing double teams and closing passing lanes. Also said Ody worked on his defense a lot in the offseason.
DDJ was also on talking about how he will continue to be a combo guard this year, so I guess we'll be seeing a lot of undersized guard lineups.
Link
It was great to hear this press conference. Thanks.
I saw earlier on Twitter about DDJ doing the book program. That's awesome.
I'm really nervous for this season for some reason, but the more I hear them talking the more pumped I get.
The BCJ podcast had Zach Tobler on last night and some good info. The essential take away is that Wes is going to have to find the right balance between offense and defense.
We will have less rim protection and it sounds like none of the our potential best offensive players (DDJ, Nolley, Davenport, Ezikpe) are looking great on defense. Chad dropped a hint that probably referred to Nolley struggling (something like "you can say you can play the 2/3, but if you can't defend at the 2, how much does that really mean?")
It comes back to the thing I've been thinking will be an issue, we've got good/great offensive players and good/great defenders, but nobody who is good/great on both ends. Unless somebody improves on one end or the other, Wes is probably going to be doing a lot of early mixing and matching trying to find a lineup that defends well and can score on offense.
We will have less rim protection and it sounds like none of the our potential best offensive players (DDJ, Nolley, Davenport, Ezikpe) are looking great on defense. Chad dropped a hint that probably referred to Nolley struggling (something like "you can say you can play the 2/3, but if you can't defend at the 2, how much does that really mean?")
It comes back to the thing I've been thinking will be an issue, we've got good/great offensive players and good/great defenders, but nobody who is good/great on both ends. Unless somebody improves on one end or the other, Wes is probably going to be doing a lot of early mixing and matching trying to find a lineup that defends well and can score on offense.
The BCJ podcast had Zach Tobler on last night and some good info. The essential take away is that Wes is going to have to find the right balance between offense and defense.
We will have less rim protection and it sounds like none of the our potential best offensive players (DDJ, Nolley, Davenport, Ezikpe) are looking great on defense. Chad dropped a hint that probably referred to Nolley struggling (something like "you can say you can play the 2/3, but if you can't defend at the 2, how much does that really mean?")
It comes back to the thing I've been thinking will be an issue, we've got good/great offensive players and good/great defenders, but nobody who is good/great on both ends. Unless somebody improves on one end or the other, Wes is probably going to be doing a lot of early mixing and matching trying to find a lineup that defends well and can score on offense.
I agree we have a problem on D with the projected starters. The only way I see that getting better is getting Newman on the floor and taking one guard out. Nolley doesn't have to guard the best perimeter player if Newman is out there. And Newman can provide just as much offense as MAW or ROB if not more. DDJ must move to the 1 for significant stretches of the game if we want to put a decent defense on the floor and use our length. We have enough versatility at the 5 to put traditional guys out there or guys with mobility. We can matchup with the opponent if we need to. Getting Newman on the floor for D is key for me
Wes talked a lot about Ezikpe at today's press conference. Said he's more of a forward than a center, but the team will be more positionless this season. Said Kalu has perimeter skills with good ball handling and passing.
Another topic was replacing interior shot blocking with more length on the peritmeter allowing double teams and closing passing lanes. Also said Ody worked on his defense a lot in the offseason.
DDJ was also on talking about how he will continue to be a combo guard this year, so I guess we'll be seeing a lot of undersized guard lineups.
Link
Like his comments on Kalu. He did talk about length on the wing...but you can't get much of that if DDJ spends too much time at the 2. But I was happy to hear that DDJ doesn't see himself as a 2 only but is willing to play the 1 and I think that is exactly what we need him to do.
I agree we have a problem on D with the projected starters. The only way I see that getting better is getting Newman on the floor and taking one guard out. Nolley doesn't have to guard the best perimeter player if Newman is out there. And Newman can provide just as much offense as MAW or ROB if not more. DDJ must move to the 1 for significant stretches of the game if we want to put a decent defense on the floor and use our length. We have enough versatility at the 5 to put traditional guys out there or guys with mobility. We can matchup with the opponent if we need to. Getting Newman on the floor for D is key for me
How much defense do we need though, that's the question. Is just Newman enough? Even with Newman on the floor, we'd be getting worse on defense at both center and PG compared to last yeah with DDJ/whoever plays center unless one of the centers shows a lot of improvement.
There is a lot of room for matchups, but there's also a lot of room for the other team to exploit mismatches, especially if we switch a lot (which the hints are that we will). Ezikpe struggles at the 4, no way he's defending a 2/3, same with Davenport. Nolley will struggle with smaller guards, DDJ with bigger wings.
I wouldn't be surprised to see us start MAW (or Phinisee) and Newman, bringing Ezikpe and either Nolley or Davenport off the bench. If the 4 of Ezikpe, Nolley, Davenport and DDJ are as bad on defense as I think they've been historically, it's going to be hard to play 3 of them at the same time, much less all 4. But if no one else steps up on offense, we're going to need at least 2 of those 4 on the court at all times. It will be interesting to see how Wes finds the balance.
Like his comments on Kalu. He did talk about length on the wing...but you can't get much of that if DDJ spends too much time at the 2. But I was happy to hear that DDJ doesn't see himself as a 2 only but is willing to play the 1 and I think that is exactly what we need him to do.
The talk about length is interesting, since most of the top athleticism/length we have is guys who aren't being projected to play major minutes (Hensley, Ody, Reed, Skillings, Sage, Vik - though most think he will get more minutes). Are some of those guys going to get major minutes at the expense of less long/athletic guys who don't defend as well? All the talk about length and athleticism makes me think they might.
How much defense do we need though, that's the question. Is just Newman enough? Even with Newman on the floor, we'd be getting worse on defense at both center and PG compared to last yeah with DDJ/whoever plays center unless one of the centers shows a lot of improvement.
There is a lot of room for matchups, but there's also a lot of room for the other team to exploit mismatches, especially if we switch a lot (which the hints are that we will). Ezikpe struggles at the 4, no way he's defending a 2/3, same with Davenport. Nolley will struggle with smaller guards, DDJ with bigger wings.
I wouldn't be surprised to see us start MAW (or Phinisee) and Newman, bringing Ezikpe and either Nolley or Davenport off the bench. If the 4 of Ezikpe, Nolley, Davenport and DDJ are as bad on defense as I think they've been historically, it's going to be hard to play 3 of them at the same time, much less all 4. But if no one else steps up on offense, we're going to need at least 2 of those 4 on the court at all times. It will be interesting to see how Wes finds the balance.
Guessing Wes starts out the season with DDJ at 2, Nolley at 3, and JD at 4. So you either get Rob or MAW at 1 and whoever comes out on top at the 5.
We are what we are at the 5...whoever that ends up being. If we do move DDJ to the 1 I think he is a decent defender on ball. But getting Newman at the 2 helps with length and rebounding and trapping and you aren't losing scoring to MAW or Rob. He can guard the best perimeter wing player. I don't see how you get worse at the 5 by putting Newman in?
I think you keep your play makers and shooters on the floor and find the best defense you can for the other 2 spots. If our defense remains bad then you can look into taking a scorer off the floor for a defender.
What I am most excited about is who we are bringing in. Definitely better two way players. Jizzle and Ray can play both sides. Skillings and Reed both have great length and should become good on both sides. Sage is tall enough to rim protect and has some scoring ability.
The talk about length is interesting, since most of the top athleticism/length we have is guys who aren't being projected to play major minutes (Hensley, Ody, Reed, Skillings, Sage, Vik - though most think he will get more minutes). Are some of those guys going to get major minutes at the expense of less long/athletic guys who don't defend as well? All the talk about length and athleticism makes me think they might.
The only real way to get more length on the floor is obviously not to play two short guards. You have to play one of them. If JD isn't getting it done on D then you could put a better defender in...but you aren't really adding much length in that scenario. I think DDJ and Nolley are gonna play a lot regardless. And you want to have JD's shooting out there if you can help it.
Wes isn't going to look at this like Cronin would. He's trying to get more offense out there...but he still needs to find a way to be a top 50 defensive team at the same time. Hopefully much better than that. top 25 would be preferred. But I don't see it this year unless we sacrifice offense.
The talk about length is interesting, since most of the top athleticism/length we have is guys who aren't being projected to play major minutes (Hensley, Ody, Reed, Skillings, Sage, Vik - though most think he will get more minutes). Are some of those guys going to get major minutes at the expense of less long/athletic guys who don't defend as well? All the talk about length and athleticism makes me think they might.
Also there has been some high remarks about Kalu on offense and his athleticism. There is no reason he can't be a good defender if that becomes a priority which it should. I don't know just how much ODU focused on his defense...but he is certainly athletic enough to get the job done if our staff can teach or convince him to go 100% on both sides while he is in. He's not going to play more than half the game so he should be able to conserve his energy for when he gets in there. That goes for most of the team of course. I have no worries about DDJ slacking. I hope Nolley is committed to becoming the best defender he can. JD will be giving his all and hope that is good enough.
Nolley as a point forward solves a lot of issues. DDJ, Newman, Nolley, JD, Vik is a somewhat long lineup that should be able to score. My guess is Rob starts at PG though.
It would be nice to know what offensive and defensive packages are working well in practice and scrimmages. How are we rebounding in those lineups etc. Wes has a lot variety to work with but I hope it's not too much to find the optimal rotation. Sounds like he has been throwing a ton of different looks out there so far which is both good and bad. That sounds to me like an inconsistent year unless he can figure it out early.
In future years I don't think he will have to try so many different looks as he gets players who can play two ways. But we are likely 2 years away from good results from getting those guys into the heavy rotation. That's okay as long as he continues to be successful on the recruiting trail.
It would be nice to know what offensive and defensive packages are working well in practice and scrimmages. How are we rebounding in those lineups etc. Wes has a lot variety to work with but I hope it's not too much to find the optimal rotation. Sounds like he has been throwing a ton of different looks out there so far which is both good and bad. That sounds to me like an inconsistent year unless he can figure it out early.
In future years I don't think he will have to try so many different looks as he gets players who can play two ways. But we are likely 2 years away from good results from getting those guys into the heavy rotation. That's okay as long as he continues to be successful on the recruiting trail.
Yeah, it seems like it's going to be very similar to last years team, in that we'll have a bunch of options, each of whom brings different skills to the table, but all of them have major flaws. We will have more depth, but I'm not sure how much that helps. All the mixing-and-matching would be a lot easier if we just had one or two players who excel at both offense and defense.
It seems like the same issue FB teams with choosing a starting QB. At some point you have to make a choice and stick with it in order to get that guy more development through experience.
I agree that the future looks bright though. We have quite a few guys who in a year or two should be stars who can bring it on offense and defense. But it may be painful getting there if Wes can't find a rotation that excels on both ends of the court.
Yeah, it seems like it's going to be very similar to last years team, in that we'll have a bunch of options, each of whom brings different skills to the table, but all of them have major flaws. We will have more depth, but I'm not sure how much that helps. All the mixing-and-matching would be a lot easier if we just had one or two players who excel at both offense and defense.
It seems like the same issue FB teams with choosing a starting QB. At some point you have to make a choice and stick with it in order to get that guy more development through experience.
I agree that the future looks bright though. We have quite a few guys who in a year or two should be stars who can bring it on offense and defense. But it may be painful getting there if Wes can't find a rotation that excels on both ends of the court.
I'm not going to complain much this year or next when we get to the B12 for the first time. But when this frosh HS class are juniors and Ray and Jiz are sophs I hope we are trending in the right direction. I expect we will add some more impact guys like transfers or hopefully guys Like Bidunga, Cyril or McKinnley to help. And although it's a long time to wait I am willing to give 3 years to make the dance given some turnover and overall youth in the next couple of years. Probably not a popular take but something I am preparing for.
I do think if Wes can find the right rotation this year...we have an outside shot. The following year is going to be tough but not impossible.
https://www.jconline.com/story/spor...in-secret-scrimmage-matt-painter/69601809007/
Purdue got a detailed breakdown on the secret scrimmage. Unfortunately, we only get nuggets on UC. Relevant notes about UC from the article.
- The Boilermakers won 77-64
-The Boilermakers converted 16 points off 12 Cincinnati turnovers.
-The Boilermakers were 8 of 20 from beyond the arc.
-Robert Phinisee, who attended McCutcheon and started his career at Indiana, played 27 minutes for the Bearcats. Phinisee scored one point and went 0 of 1 from 3-point range.
-Purdue attempted 31 free throws, hitting 25. Kaufman-Renn drew eight fouls and made 7 of 9 from the line. Edey was fouled seven times. Two Cincinnati players were called for six fouls.
-the Boilermakers won the rebounding battle.
Purdue got a detailed breakdown on the secret scrimmage. Unfortunately, we only get nuggets on UC. Relevant notes about UC from the article.
- The Boilermakers won 77-64
-The Boilermakers converted 16 points off 12 Cincinnati turnovers.
-The Boilermakers were 8 of 20 from beyond the arc.
-Robert Phinisee, who attended McCutcheon and started his career at Indiana, played 27 minutes for the Bearcats. Phinisee scored one point and went 0 of 1 from 3-point range.
-Purdue attempted 31 free throws, hitting 25. Kaufman-Renn drew eight fouls and made 7 of 9 from the line. Edey was fouled seven times. Two Cincinnati players were called for six fouls.
-the Boilermakers won the rebounding battle.
It's hard to get a lot out of the Purdue notes, unfortunately it seems like that's all we are going to get for a while. Can't read that much into it, but I'll try because despite being almost nothing, it's the most we've had for a while.
Looks like the defense might be a major issue. We committed a bunch of fouls (I assume on the interior) and didn't defend the three point line well. Though Purdue is bigger than almost any team we will face this year.
Kaufman-Renn is a 6'9" Sophomore Forward and Edey is 7'4". If I was going to bet on the two UC players called for 6 fouls it would be on Lakhin and Ezikpe, but regardless of if I'm right it sounds like our primary two big men couldn't stay on the floor and that's not a good sign. It could have been just about any of our bigs as pretty much all of them are known for fouling a lot.
Phinisee did what every single piece of evidence from his previous college years indicated he would and was a complete non-factor of offense.
Looks like the defense might be a major issue. We committed a bunch of fouls (I assume on the interior) and didn't defend the three point line well. Though Purdue is bigger than almost any team we will face this year.
Kaufman-Renn is a 6'9" Sophomore Forward and Edey is 7'4". If I was going to bet on the two UC players called for 6 fouls it would be on Lakhin and Ezikpe, but regardless of if I'm right it sounds like our primary two big men couldn't stay on the floor and that's not a good sign. It could have been just about any of our bigs as pretty much all of them are known for fouling a lot.
Phinisee did what every single piece of evidence from his previous college years indicated he would and was a complete non-factor of offense.
Last edited: