Cumberland

[waterhead]

I am very excited to see what Cumberland will end up doing this year. By the numbers his season was extremely good when you consider he was just a frosh. The key here is "just a frosh".

Cumberland had the highest EFG% on the team. He also led the team in the category of 2 pt %. His points scored per 40 minutes were only 2nd to Washington for the season and in conference. He lead the guards/wings at getting to the foul line per 40 minutes. He led the team in steals per 40. He shot the ball reasonably well from 3, assisted very well, didn't turn the ball over at a high rate, rebounded and blocked shots pretty well for a guard/wing. His instincts are off the charts.

All of this and he wasn't really being that aggressive for most of the season. His fouls were a little high and he could stand to improve his FT%.

All in all it is not a common thing to have a frosh leading or high in that many categories for a 30 win team. Especially when you consider we had very solid players like Washington, Clark, Evans, and Caupain on the team as D1 veterans. He was somewhat shy to take the spotlight early on but his confidence grew as the season progressed. If he comes out this year confidently entrenched in the starting lineup and knowing he is a key player it will be interesting to see how he operates and what he can achieve.

I don't think he will be scared if we put the ball in his hands if we need to get a shot off when the shot clock is running down or the game is on the line. Most importantly I think he will be effective at it. We all thought Evans might be a guy to take that roll but Cumberland seemed to be more comfortable with it. I think Broome will add another option in these scenarios as well. We need these "go to guys" on the perimeter.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

I am very excited to see what Cumberland will end up doing this year. By the numbers his season was extremely good when you consider he was just a frosh. The key here is "just a frosh".

Cumberland had the highest EFG% on the team. He also led the team in the category of 2 pt %. His points scored per 40 minutes were only 2nd to Washington for the season and in conference. He lead the guards/wings at getting to the foul line per 40 minutes. He led the team in steals per 40. He shot the ball reasonably well from 3, assisted very well, didn't turn the ball over at a high rate, rebounded and blocked shots pretty well for a guard/wing. His instincts are off the charts.

All of this and he wasn't really being that aggressive for most of the season. His fouls were a little high and he could stand to improve his FT%.

All in all it is not a common thing to have a frosh leading or high in that many categories for a 30 win team. Especially when you consider we had very solid players like Washington, Clark, Evans, and Caupain on the team as D1 veterans. He was somewhat shy to take the spotlight early on but his confidence grew as the season progressed. If he comes out this year confidently entrenched in the starting lineup and knowing he is a key player it will be interesting to see how he operates and what he can achieve.

I don't think he will be scared if we put the ball in his hands if we need to get a shot off when the shot clock is running down or the game is on the line. Most importantly I think he will be effective at it. We all thought Evans might be a guy to take that roll but Cumberland seemed to be more comfortable with it. I think Broome will add another option in these scenarios as well. We need these "go to guys" on the perimeter.

I feel pretty much the same way. While he isn't the most athletic player on the roster, he just has a knack for making plays. Reminds me of Larry Birds game. Not a lot of flash just in the right spot and makes plays. Even on defense he seems to be very disruptive and gets his hands on a lot of balls. I agree he does need to cut down on his fouls but I suspect he will, simply by understanding the college game a bit better. Very excited to see if he has slimmed down in the off season. Having a year in our conditioning program should do wonders for him.

Broome is going to add so much to this team if he can keep the TO's to a acceptable rate. His ability to get to the rim and either score or dish is going to impact every other player on the floor. His abilities will leave guys wide open and as the opposing bigs try and play help defense on him it should open a ton more offensive rebounding opportunities for Gary Clark and company. I expect to see a bunch of put back slams this year. This by far should be our most exciting team in the Cronin era.

 

[waterhead]

I feel pretty much the same way. While he isn't the most athletic player on the roster, he just has a knack for making plays. Reminds me of Larry Birds game. Not a lot of flash just in the right spot and makes plays. Even on defense he seems to be very disruptive and gets his hands on a lot of balls. I agree he does need to cut down on his fouls but I suspect he will, simply by understanding the college game a bit better. Very excited to see if he has slimmed down in the off season. Having a year in our conditioning program should do wonders for him.

Broome is going to add so much to this team if he can keep the TO's to a acceptable rate. His ability to get to the rim and either score or dish is going to impact every other player on the floor. His abilities will leave guys wide open and as the opposing bigs try and play help defense on him it should open a ton more offensive rebounding opportunities for Gary Clark and company. I expect to see a bunch of put back slams this year. This by far should be our most exciting team in the Cronin era.

I agree. The fans will certainly have more fun watching the product. There will almost certainly be a faster pace, more high flying dunks, and more exciting plays in general. Wins will always be most important but getting the fans excited to come out and watch can be a nice lift for the players.

 

[Bearcat513]

I agree. The fans will certainly have more fun watching the product. There will almost certainly be a faster pace, more high flying dunks, and more exciting plays in general. Wins will always be most important but getting the fans excited to come out and watch can be a nice lift for the players.

Especially since we won't be playing in Clifton this season

 

[justinhub2003]

Im interested to see how much Cumberland is dedicated to his body after a full year. I know Cronin says he has some bad eating habits. My nephew works at cane's in clifton and says Jarron is there once or twice a week.

That said, we have one of the best strength coaches in the country. Cane Broome came to UC weighing 147 pounds and now weighs 167. He came in benching 95 pounds and now maxes out at 185.

Thats a huge transformation and buy in

 

[waterhead]

Im interested to see how much Cumberland is dedicated to his body after a full year. I know Cronin says he has some bad eating habits. My nephew works at cane's in clifton and says Jarron is there once or twice a week.

That said, we have one of the best strength coaches in the country. Cane Broome came to UC weighing 147 pounds and now weighs 167. He came in benching 95 pounds and now maxes out at 185.

Thats a huge transformation and buy in

As much as I like to hear about body transformation I would like to hear more about skills transformation. A guy like Thomas should not have gone 4 seasons before adjusting the loft on his shot. Scott is in a similar boat. We have been pretty bad at FT shooting during Cronin's tenure. That can and should change. If repetition at the line is not getting it done we need to adjust routine or technique for certain players.

I think we can do a lot more on offensive player development in the off season.

 

[justinhub2003]

As much as I like to hear about body transformation I would like to hear more about skills transformation. A guy like Thomas should not have gone 4 seasons before adjusting the loft on his shot. Scott is in a similar boat. We have been pretty bad at FT shooting during Cronin's tenure. That can and should change. If repetition at the line is not getting it done we need to adjust routine or technique for certain players.

I think we can do a lot more on offensive player development in the off season.

I'll be honest, I'd rather the players be spending their own time shooting free throws and coaches spend the bulk of the time on other skills. Free throw shooting should not be something Cronin has to spend a ton of time on.

 

[JasonS]

I'll be honest, I'd rather the players be spending their own time shooting free throws and coaches spend the bulk of the time on other skills. Free throw shooting should not be something Cronin has to spend a ton of time on.

Outside of a form change, I completely agree with you. Free throws are free points. When I played ball when I was a kid, I was pissed at myself if I missed a free throw and left points on the table. Free throws are mental as much as physical.

And by the way, I think waterhead mentioned Shaq Thomas' flat shot earlier. I recall that the coaches worked diligently with him to improve the loft on his shot but ultimately, he just couldn't seem to improve it. Is that on the coach or the player? Who knows. Probably a case by case thing.

 

[cincyguy13]

As much as I like to hear about body transformation I would like to hear more about skills transformation. A guy like Thomas should not have gone 4 seasons before adjusting the loft on his shot. Scott is in a similar boat. We have been pretty bad at FT shooting during Cronin's tenure. That can and should change. If repetition at the line is not getting it done we need to adjust routine or technique for certain players.

I think we can do a lot more on offensive player development in the off season.

I agree with you on the skill part. We've seen guys with great bodies before that have zero skill. That doesn't help. Being in great shape is important but doesn't win games

 

[Btown Bearcat]

Ya I cant wait I would like to add Evans into this as well. The thing people are overlooking though is our fast break is going to be unbelievable. As good a finisher in fast breaks and passer and as strong as Caupain was he wasn't very fast for a PG. Broom on the other hand is one of if not the fastest guards in the country according to Cronin. Our fast break this year is going to be likely one of the best in the country. You get Broom, Cumberland, and Evans in transition and I just dont see how you are going to stop it.

No doubt in my mind all things considered that Cumberland and Evans will be vastly improved this year as I think our offense will fit them like a glove with Broome running the show. Evans and Cumberland are going to be such a great 1/2 threat. Our offense is looking like it could be the real deal and consistent for once. I truly think even tho we lose Caupain's leadership and floor generalship and also KJ's defense that we will be better this year and prob by a good amount especially on the offensive end. I do think Cumberland will end up being the star of this team going forward though and probably wont make it to his senior year in my opinion.

 

[Robert]

Ya I cant wait I would like to add Evans into this as well. The thing people are overlooking though is our fast break is going to be unbelievable. As good a finisher in fast breaks and passer and as strong as Caupain was he wasn't very fast for a PG. Broom on the other hand is one of if not the fastest guards in the country according to Cronin. Our fast break this year is going to be likely one of the best in the country. You get Broom, Cumberland, and Evans in transition and I just dont see how you are going to stop it.

No doubt in my mind all things considered that Cumberland and Evans will be vastly improved this year as I think our offense will fit them like a glove with Broome running the show. Evans and Cumberland are going to be such a great 1/2 threat. Our offense is looking like it could be the real deal and consistent for once. I truly think even tho we lose Caupain's leadership and floor generalship and also KJ's defense that we will be better this year and prob by a good amount especially on the offensive end. I do think Cumberland will end up being the star of this team going forward though and probably wont make it to his senior year in my opinion.

I think Clark can really fly in the open court too. We haven't seen much of it because of our offense, but I could see Clark getting a lot of open-court dunks this year with Broome leading the break.

I will add to that as well that I love when Cumberland gets a rebound, steal, or outlet pass. Unlike some guards we have had in the recent past, he's not afraid to go coast to coast.

 

[waterhead]

Outside of a form change, I completely agree with you. Free throws are free points. When I played ball when I was a kid, I was pissed at myself if I missed a free throw and left points on the table. Free throws are mental as much as physical.

And by the way, I think waterhead mentioned Shaq Thomas' flat shot earlier. I recall that the coaches worked diligently with him to improve the loft on his shot but ultimately, he just couldn't seem to improve it. Is that on the coach or the player? Who knows. Probably a case by case thing.

I don't know but I think Shaq came out his senior year with slightly more loft and...no it didn't work...but it didn't look like much time was spent on it the first 4 years. Had it been addressed earlier it may have helped. It will be interesting to see if Scott has more loft this year. It will be his 3rd year in the system and the loft could have been addressed before he ever played in a game last year.

As far as FT's I agree there is a lot of mental to it. Not every player is a psychology major so they may not know they are having a mental block or nerves etc. It's up to a coach to see if they can figure out ways to get them more comfortable at the line by changing routines or techniques etc. We all know what the definition of insanity is...if the coach sees the same poor results it's on him to provide a few ideas to the players to work on IMO.

The player has to make the shots but if he never changes what isn't working...the results won't change. Again, repetition is not always the answer. Shooting more shots the same way with bad results may never fix the problem. If a player sits at the line for 10 seconds every FT staring at the rim and then finally shoots...maybe coach could say...just get up their and shoot the damn ball (to take some pressure off). There is no angry mob behind the rim in practice.

 

[Robert]

I don't know but I think Shaq came out his senior year with slightly more loft and...no it didn't work...but it didn't look like much time was spent on it the first 4 years. Had it been addressed earlier it may have helped. It will be interesting to see if Scott has more loft this year. It will be his 3rd year in the system and the loft could have been addressed before he ever played in a game last year.

As far as FT's I agree there is a lot of mental to it. Not every player is a psychology major so they may not know they are having a mental block or nerves etc. It's up to a coach to see if they can figure out ways to get them more comfortable at the line by changing routines or techniques etc. We all know what the definition of insanity is...if the coach sees the same poor results it's on him to provide a few ideas to the players to work on IMO.

The player has to make the shots but if he never changes what isn't working...the results won't change. Again, repetition is not always the answer. Shooting more shots the same way with bad results may never fix the problem. If a player sits at the line for 10 seconds every FT staring at the rim and then finally shoots...maybe coach could say...just get up their and shoot the damn ball (to take some pressure off). There is no angry mob behind the rim in practice.

I think a lot of it starts at an early age. Most kids just don't find practicing free throws to be very fun. You have to find a way to make them realize how valuable of a skill it is. Show them how many points are left off the board by bad free throw shooters. Help them imagine crunch-time situations where they can envision themselves sinking the game-clinching free throws. If I've got a kid who is serious about basketball, I want them shooting free throws every day (after homework is finished, of course).

 

[waterhead]

I think a lot of it starts at an early age. Most kids just don't find practicing free throws to be very fun. You have to find a way to make them realize how valuable of a skill it is. Show them how many points are left off the board by bad free throw shooters. Help them imagine crunch-time situations where they can envision themselves sinking the game-clinching free throws. If I've got a kid who is serious about basketball, I want them shooting free throws every day (after homework is finished, of course).

I agree we leave a lot of points off the board from missed FT's. I don't feel like these kids miss FT's (for the most part) because they aren't practicing them. The problem, as I see it, is they aren't practicing the right way. Most of these kids can make FT's at a good clip (probably can with their eyes closed in practice) with no pressure or without a rabid crowd behind the goal yelling or waving distraction devices.

For some of them I think Cronin needs to ask them to adjust their technique or most likely their routine. For many of them I would suggest just spend less time at the line looking up at the rim and the crowd behind it. Just dribble once or twice and let it fly...looking up at the rim only at the last second. Their natural ability and muscle memory will take over. I am guessing a lot of them can make 80-90% in practice but the game situation affects their brain a little and they get tight or think too much.

You don't just tell a kid to "suck it up" and expect it to work in high pressure situations. You have to try some different things until is DOES work IMO. On the other hand there are a very select few who can do better in pressure situations than not...they are very few though. Not many Jordan's out there or as an analogy Tiger Woods on the golf course. Most don't perform better under pressure...most do quite a bit worse.

 

[waterhead]

I think Clark can really fly in the open court too. We haven't seen much of it because of our offense, but I could see Clark getting a lot of open-court dunks this year with Broome leading the break.

I will add to that as well that I love when Cumberland gets a rebound, steal, or outlet pass. Unlike some guards we have had in the recent past, he's not afraid to go coast to coast.

I agree with you...Clark can do some damage in the fast break when he's fresh. He gets a little winded though and jogs down a lot. We will need to use the bench this year more than last if we are going to push the pace.

 

[REB4cats]

I agree with you...Clark can do some damage in the fast break when he's fresh. He gets a little winded though and jogs down a lot. We will need to use the bench this year more than last if we are going to push the pace.

If we are pushing the pace like I hope we are going to Tre Scott may end up being a much bigger factor. I think his skill set is suited for this style of play and keeping the bigs fresh he will be getting more minutes...

 

[waterhead]

Breaking down last year into 3 parts...three 12 game sections.

First 12 games we played 8 home patsie games with 2 neutral and 2 away games and scored 81.2 ppg as a team. Washington and Evans got off to hot starts and Cumberland was learning the ropes. Evans and Washington were putting up 30 ppg between them. Cumberland was at 5.8 ppg.

Second 12 games were all conference games except X and we had 7 home and 5 away games. As a team we scored 72.8 ppg. Washington and Evans slipped to 24 ppg between them. Cumberland was gaining at 9.1 ppg.

Last 12 games we had 5 tourney games and 4 road games with only 3 home games. We scored 68.8 ppg. Evans and Washington were putting up 22.5 ppg between them. Cumberland led the team in scoring per minute played (although he missed one game) and was putting up 10.3 ppg.

I would expect Cumberland to get off to the type of hot start Evans and Washington did last year. He was playing less minutes the first 2/3 of the season.

It is entirely possible for Cumberland to lead us in scoring this year. I think it is equally possible for Washington, Evans, or Broome to do this as well although I think Broome is more of an outside chance as is Clark. Broome will have the ball in his hands the most. Clark needs to come out like he's got everything to lose.

Either way it's going to be fun to watch!! I would love to put my money on Cumberland but I am hoping Washington, Evans, Clark, and Broome will do everything they can to take the crown...short of playing selfish ball. If Broome can just average half of what he did at Sacred Heart...we are going to be a top 10 team IMO (short of injury knock on wood).

 

[jacobkdoyle]

I hope Evans is at 15+. I hope Cumberland and Broome are over 13. And Clark and Washington between 10-13.

 

[cincyguy13]

I think cumberland will be our leader scoring. I hope Evans does. I think Evans has a higher ceiling but doesn't have that killer instinct. If he did, he wouldn't still be here. Love them both. Should be a great year

 

[RedlegZdid]

I think cumberland will be our leader scoring. I hope Evans does. I think Evans has a higher ceiling but doesn't have that killer instinct. If he did, he wouldn't still be here. Love them both. Should be a great year

I think he would still be here, he hasn't shown the ability to create his own shot which is everything in the NBA.