PG next year

[Gotcha23]

Who would be your 5 man?

Titus/ JJ

In no way do I want to see the centers we have starting

 

[Robert]

Titus/ JJ

In no way do I want to see the centers we have starting

Well, let's wait until we get a look at Strickland vs. college competition before we pass judgment on him.

As for Nyarsuk... He would have to make a quantum leap forward to be a capable starting center next year.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

Justin Jackson will start the season at the 5:

Guyn or Caupin
SK
Shaq
Titus
Jackson

Lawrence, Sanders, Davis and Nyarusk in the rotation (so a 10 man).

 

[Robert]

Justin Jackson will start the season at the 5:

Guyn or Caupin
SK
Shaq
Titus
Jackson

Lawrence, Sanders, Davis and Nyarusk in the rotation (so a 10 man).

My money is on Jackson to start the year at the 5 as well, but I still don't think you can count Strickland out of being in the rotation. Basically, every scholarship player that will be on the roster next season has a chance to be in the rotation. The only thing we know for sure is SK will be a starter putting in big minutes... Rubles would be the 2nd-safest bet to start, but beyond that, it's really hard to guess what's going to happen.

We all seem to have very realistic expectations about Lawrence, and that is definitely a good thing. However, to be a team that makes a deep tournament run, we are going to need either him or Thomas to become a big-time player next season. I think SK, Thomas, and Lawrence are the only players on this roster that are going to be able to take over a game in the near future.

 

[JackBauer151]

I think the one thing we all have been overlooking is the fact we have 4 players that are going into their 3rd year in the program. A lot of players have made a huge jump in their third year. Dion Dixon, Jaquon Parker, Bishop, Hicks, ect... have all made the big step to what kind of college player they were going to be in their 3rd year. If just two of Sanders, Davis, Guyn, and Thomas can make that leap like those other guys did we could have a real dangerous team. It's one of the more interesting developments Im going to be following this year. Time to step up.

 

[Gotcha23]

Justin Jackson will start the season at the 5:

Guyn or Caupin
SK
Shaq
Titus
Jackson

Lawrence, Sanders, Davis and Nyarusk in the rotation (so a 10 man).

I would love to see this lineup. We would be one of the more athletic teams in the conference with JJ, titus and Shaq. I think between those three rebounding would not be a problem.

 

[JasonS]

I think the one thing we all have been overlooking is the fact we have 4 players that are going into their 3rd year in the program. A lot of players have made a huge jump in their third year. Dion Dixon, Jaquon Parker, Bishop, Hicks, ect... have all made the big step to what kind of college player they were going to be in their 3rd year. If just two of Sanders, Davis, Guyn, and Thomas can make that leap like those other guys did we could have a real dangerous team. It's one of the more interesting developments Im going to be following this year. Time to step up.

I've been saying this all along. This is where you typically see the biggest jump from year to year.

Thomas - Will make a huge jump if he works on the consistency of his jumper (especially from 3).

Sanders - Will make a huge jump if he improves upon his quickness and ball handling.

Guyn - Will make a huge jump if he improves upon his quickness/ability to get in the lane and develops a floater.

Davis - Wild card. Haven't seen him play enough because of injuries.

 

[bearcat jeff]

I've been saying this all along. This is where you typically see the biggest jump from year to year.

Thomas - Will make a huge jump if he works on the consistency of his jumper (especially from 3).

Sanders - Will make a huge jump if he improves upon his quickness and ball handling.

Guyn - Will make a huge jump if he improves upon his quickness/ability to get in the lane and develops a floater.

Davis - Wild card. Haven't seen him play enough because of injuries.

Thomas I'm with you on. He needs more lift on his shot. That should be something that can be corrected with repetition. He doesn't have to be deadly just respectable. I would add he needs to hit free throws as well.

Sanders is a major disappointment to me so far. I hate how he sits outside at the arc. He's at his best from mid-range and in. I don't know if this is by design or not but needs to change. Agree with quickness and ballhandling.

Guyn used a pull up and baseline floater in high school. I know this is a different level but I'm still surprised we seldom see it. He has the strength to get in the lane if he can handle the ball in traffic.

Davis to me is a huge X factor for the team. Either as a starter or points off the bench, which killed UC last season.

Let me add:

Justin Jackson - I know it isn't year 3 but he has to contribute consistently next season. He has to put in the time to be better. He has some ability and natural gifts.

 

[BearcatsBball]

Am I the only one who thinks Nyarsuk will log more minutes than Jamaree? Everyone keeps talking about how Titus will be so much better in his second year in D1, yet no one says a word about Nyarsuk. He provided some solid backup minutes last year, just needs to add a bit of strength. I know this is the time of year where everyone believes we have five freshmen All Americans, but let's not forget about the guys who already have some D1 experience.

 

[Bearcatboy]

Am I the only one who thinks Nyarsuk will log more minutes than Jamaree? Everyone keeps talking about how Titus will be so much better in his second year in D1, yet no one says a word about Nyarsuk. He provided some solid backup minutes last year, just needs to add a bit of strength. I know this is the time of year where everyone believes we have five freshmen All Americans, but let's not forget about the guys who already have some D1 experience.

I defiantly agree with you that Nyarsuk will back up Jackson at the 5 spot but at the beginning of the year when we are playing cupcake's I think Strickland will come in and see a lot of minutes at the 5 spot to gain experience for next season because as of right now Strickland is our starting 5 in 2014.

 

[mplebanon]

It wouldn't surprise me to see Guyn surprise everyone.

He seems to be the first guy counted out most of the time.

I thought he looked better and better as the season went on.

 

[JumpinJack5]

It wouldn't surprise me to see Guyn surprise everyone.

He seems to be the first guy counted out most of the time.

I thought he looked better and better as the season went on.

He could be a solid backup, but Caupain should be the long term plan for starter. One thing I noticed about Guyn that rarely gets praised is that he is a decent shooter. Turnovers and dumb mistakes are an issue, but he has some offensive potential and is a solid defender. He could be a good 6th man.......

 

[BearcatsBball]

Guyn will be the starter and will impress. He showed potential late in the year and was better than Cash for a stretch. If you think Caupain will step in as a freshman and start, you can't think this year's team will be very good. While he may be the answer long term, he isn't the answer this year.

 

[JumpinJack5]

Guyn will be the starter and will impress. He showed potential late in the year and was better than Cash for a stretch. If you think Caupain will step in as a freshman and start, you can't think this year's team will be very good. While he may be the answer long term, he isn't the answer this year.

Better than Cash? Of course he is better than Cash, he only had one good leg. Guyn lacks the intangibles to be a starter thus far, but he has good physical tools. If Caupain can do a little of everything like his stat line suggests, he will push Guyn for playing time. The coaches seem to like Caupain already...,

 

[handwaver]

He could be a solid backup, but Caupain should be the long term plan for starter. One thing I noticed about Guyn that rarely gets praised is that he is a decent shooter. Turnovers and dumb mistakes are an issue, but he has some offensive potential and is a solid defender. He could be a good 6th man.......

How is he a decent shooter? Have you looked at his stats? .370 overall shooting, .289 from 3-pt range. In my book, that qualifies as miserable shooting. Couple that with more turnovers than assists, and you have a disaster at point. I'll take my chances with the frosh.

 

[JumpinJack5]

How is he a decent shooter? Have you looked at his stats? .370 overall shooting, .289 from 3-pt range. In my book, that qualifies as miserable shooting. Couple that with more turnovers than assists, and you have a disaster at point. I'll take my chances with the frosh.

Towards the end of the year, he started to shoot it much better. He doesn't have an awkward shot, it just wasn't falling for him early in the year. He makes too many dumb mistakes and he will have to improve his decision-making to even be considered for starter......

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

How is he a decent shooter? Have you looked at his stats? .370 overall shooting, .289 from 3-pt range. In my book, that qualifies as miserable shooting. Couple that with more turnovers than assists, and you have a disaster at point. I'll take my chances with the frosh.

Exactly!!!! People thinking that Guyn is a starting PG at this level are fooling themselves. One of the incoming Frosh will be handling the PG duties.

 

[mplebanon]

I'm as excited about the freshmen as anyone. But the reality is that barring no other choices, freshmen don't typically start.

Cashmere only averaged 18 minutes per game his frosh year (after a redshirt year).

Kilpatrick, like Wright had a redshirt season, averaged 20 minutes per game in his first season of action.

Everyone is soooooo excited about Shaquille Thomas probably starting, and rave about how good he is. He averaged 10 minutes per game in his first season of action.

Sure, Mick might go young hoping it pays dividends come February. But having watched Mick for 7 seasons now, defense is priority #1. And having heard Mick say things like we're going to go 10 deep, play 40 minutes of hell and press, press, press.............and then watch him resort back to the boring halfcourt offense style and killer defense...........well.......I don't see Mick changing much this season.

If the frosh play, it will be off the bench early in the OOC schedule. Some of them, if they progress rapidly, will maybe steal a starting spot. I could see a Nick Van Exel replacing A.D. Jackson move in the middle of the season.

I mean, geez, Maxiell only played 20 minutes per game his frosh season. I think Hicks played 13 mpg or something like that.

Freshmen are never ready for the speed or defensive effort. You can gush all you want about their offensive skills. A lot of good that did Shaquille Thomas in seeing the floor. It will be defense first.

 

[coachpipe]

I'm as excited about the freshmen as anyone. But the reality is that barring no other choices, freshmen don't typically start.

Cashmere only averaged 18 minutes per game his frosh year (after a redshirt year).

Kilpatrick, like Wright had a redshirt season, averaged 20 minutes per game in his first season of action.

Everyone is soooooo excited about Shaquille Thomas probably starting, and rave about how good he is. He averaged 10 minutes per game in his first season of action.

Sure, Mick might go young hoping it pays dividends come February. But having watched Mick for 7 seasons now, defense is priority #1. And having heard Mick say things like we're going to go 10 deep, play 40 minutes of hell and press, press, press.............and then watch him resort back to the boring halfcourt offense style and killer defense...........well.......I don't see Mick changing much this season.

If the frosh play, it will be off the bench early in the OOC schedule. Some of them, if they progress rapidly, will maybe steal a starting spot. I could see a Nick Van Exel replacing A.D. Jackson move in the middle of the season.

I mean, geez, Maxiell only played 20 minutes per game his frosh season. I think Hicks played 13 mpg or something like that.

Freshmen are never ready for the speed or defensive effort. You can gush all you want about their offensive skills. A lot of good that did Shaquille Thomas in seeing the floor. It will be defense first.

The difference is we have no one to play infront of the freshmen this year. The players you mentioned had veteran Starters who they werent going to beat out of a job. Thats not the case this year. Only 1 starting spot is guaranteed and thats SK. The rest will fill itself out during the first few weeks of practice and then probably continue to change throughout the season.

I for 1 think we have a better shot at winning games with some of the younger guys on the court which is rare, but I can see one of the Freshmen coming in and possibly being a giant spark to win a game before I could see Sanders or even Guyn taking over.

 

[JasonS]

Guys, don't hurt yourselves trying to think. This is very simple. The players who are most ready to contribute will play. Let's not worry about starting because that really doesn't matter. Who will get the majority of minutes? It will depend on several factors:

1. Defense - This is top priority. If you can defend, you will play.

2. Shooting/Offense - Mick may be willing to play someone strictly for offensive purposes as long as their defense isn't horrendous. Basically, think of +/- in hockey.

3. Turnovers - This is going to be more important than shooting for the PG spot but falls here for everyone else.

4. Hustle - If you play hard and hustle, there will be minutes for you. How many will depend on the previous three points above.

See, wasn't that easy? j/k Busting some balls this morning. The point is, don't get carried away with all this freshman vs. non-freshmen thing. Guys improve in the off-season and until we see what they can do, we really have no idea how the lineup will shake out. I think it is too early to write off Guyn. We haven't seen the best from him yet. I also think it is too early to expect ANY of the freshmen to come in and start from day 1. Lawrence is the one most likely to contribute right away but don't be surprised or disappointed if Lawrence takes some time to adjust to the college game. I think this incoming class is exciting and should be a great foundation for the future. Let's not get crazy and anoint these guys as starters (or playing major minutes consistently) from day 1.