Unusual Suspects

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waterhead

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I think we can all see by now which players are definitely going to be our consistent stat producers. SK, TR, and JJ are those guys. So this thread is about who ELSE is looking good going forward as they play more games. From this early season who do we think are progressing to be part of our main rotation and why?

I really thought ST had a good game today. All over the court, didn't make a lot of mistakes, and gave great effort. He just has a great nose for rebounds and his length is very useful on D (if/when not getting lost), and he can get in the lane and score. Knowing where to be on D and slowing it down are his biggest areas of improvement.

TC...looked really good as well. He can finish under control at the basket and he can make FT's. He's a pretty good rebounder as well. Nice composure for a frosh. If he was quicker on D we would be looking at our starting PG.

GG...was hurt today. I hope he is OK.

JL...I thought he played well today. If we can keep him from making the extra move when he already has an open shot...his offense will grow. His length is great for deflections and rebounds. I would like to see better boxing out and more aggression on blocks.

JS...has played very well and within himself. He's not great at any one thing but not bad at any one thing either. Solid.

KJ...I just see his potential oozing if he can just slow his shots down. Almost all of his shots have been good selections but he is pressing and almost always missing long.

JDII and DN don't seem like they are going to factor for one reason or another. For JDIII probably because of defense and for DN a number of things.

Strickland...someone said he has been cleared but not to play yet...I think Bearcat Jeff. I think we could use him so Lawrence doesn't have to cover the 5 when JJ is out.

DM...looks like a red shirt.
 
Id have to say the big surprise this season has been
- Sanders - Really played solid defense and finally starting to make open threes, like we have been told he does for years. Probably been is hardest critic but he has had a really good start to the year imo.

- G - has shown a few things. Can finish around the rim. Super strong. Made a couple threes. I have liked what he has done this year, hopefully hes not injured to bad.

Expected a little more
- Shaq... Today he played well, but lets be real... its Appalachian state. Needs to be a force on the offensive boards. Long and athletic. Please shoot with more arc.

- JL - hard to expect much out of a freshman... but as highly as he was recruited really expected more. his hands are an issue. Drops alot of balls / alot of rebounds.. Has the Yancy issue of thinking way to much before making a move. I will say he has played better each game...
 
TheLivingLegend said:
Id have to say the big surprise this season has been
- Sanders - Really played solid defense and finally starting to make open threes, like we have been told he does for years. Probably been is hardest critic but he has had a really good start to the year imo.

- G - has shown a few things. Can finish around the rim. Super strong. Made a couple threes. I have liked what he has done this year, hopefully hes not injured to bad.

Expected a little more
- Shaq... Today he played well, but lets be real... its Appalachian state. Needs to be a force on the offensive boards. Long and athletic. Please shoot with more arc.

- JL - hard to expect much out of a freshman... but as highly as he was recruited really expected more. his hands are an issue. Drops alot of balls / alot of rebounds.. Has the Yancy issue of thinking way to much before making a move. I will say he has played better each game...
Click to expand...

I think I can agree with most of that...but a couple of points. Sanders doesn't shoot a 3 unless he is WIDE freaking open (which is good)...but he is canning them. His 3 shot is about as slow as a shot can be though.

I doubt we are going to see ST shoot with more arc because he has had plenty of time to change that already. That would have been the first thing I worked on from his freshman year but it obviously has not happened. That's not something you start working on this late...unless coach simply forgot.

JL...he doesn't have strong hands and he is overthinking like you said. I do think the thinking thing can be fixed quickly (shoot as soon as you are open) but the hands thing will take some Bob Huggins style (bring in the football pads) type training. He still adds quite a bit to this team with DN not a great backup to JJ. He can rebound and has a nice natural shot if he would take those when he is open rather than putting the ball on the floor too much.
 
waterhead said:
I think I can agree with most of that...but a couple of points. Sanders doesn't shoot a 3 unless he is WIDE freaking open (which is good)...but he is canning them. His 3 shot is about as slow as a shot can be though.

I doubt we are going to see ST shoot with more arc because he has had plenty of time to change that already. That would have been the first thing I worked on from his freshman year but it obviously has not happened. That's not something you start working on this late...unless coach simply forgot.

JL...he doesn't have strong hands and he is overthinking like you said. I do think the thinking thing can be fixed quickly (shoot as soon as you are open) but the hands thing will take some Bob Huggins style (bring in the football pads) type training. He still adds quite a bit to this team with DN not a great backup to JJ. He can rebound and has a nice natural shot if he would take those when he is open rather than putting the ball on the floor too much.
Click to expand...

His shot is slow...my fiancé even said one of his shots looked like it was in slo-mo...but that shot is so smooth that it is pretty, especially when it drops...
 
I think Lawrence, Caupain and KJ have very bright futures. Sanders will only get better as his confidence grows. This team has only scratched the surface. They have a long way to go but plenty of time to get there. Strickland needs to be eligible. Low post depth is my major concern.
 
My biggest surprise has been how solid the pg spot has looked. GG and Caupain combined have impressed me. Neither have looked like Chris Paul out there, but as big as a question mark that position was before the season started, I'm really not that worried anymore. I hope Guyn is OK, but it was nice to see Caupain get some good minutes with the rest of the starting five. Sanders really seems to have matured and Lawrence looks like he was worthy of his high recruiting rank. Hope he continues to improve. Unfortunately he wont get much stronger this season, but he seems to be a quick learner and is adjusting to this level of play. As is Caupain.

Shaq has been my lone disappointment of the season as far as expectations go. I hoped he would have shown significant improvement and thus far I haven't seen it. It's still early, so there's plenty of time for him to come around. He just seems to want to only use his athleticism as opposed to playing smarter if that makes sense. Much like Dion Dixon. I always thought he could've been better if he learned better fundamentals (as could anyone I guess). Kilpatrick is a good example of learning to play smarter. He uses his body so well to get position and create any advantage he can. Shaq can just jump higher than everybody. While that can definitely work in the game of basketball it won't take you to the next level. Two things I do like about him is his nose for the ball and going towards the hoop when shooting. Once he can control his handles in traffic and learn to use his body better he could be a force. Sometimes I have to remind myself he's three games into his sophomore season.
 
david aka the TYZ said:
My biggest surprise has been how solid the pg spot has looked. GG and Caupain combined have impressed me. Neither have looked like Chris Paul out there, but as big as a question mark that position was before the season started, I'm really not that worried anymore. I hope Guyn is OK, but it was nice to see Caupain get some good minutes with the rest of the starting five. Sanders really seems to have matured and Lawrence looks like he was worthy of his high recruiting rank. Hope he continues to improve. Unfortunately he wont get much stronger this season, but he seems to be a quick learner and is adjusting to this level of play. As is Caupain.

Shaq has been my lone disappointment of the season as far as expectations go. I hoped he would have shown significant improvement and thus far I haven't seen it. It's still early, so there's plenty of time for him to come around. He just seems to want to only use his athleticism as opposed to playing smarter if that makes sense. Much like Dion Dixon. I always thought he could've been better if he learned better fundamentals (as could anyone I guess). Kilpatrick is a good example of learning to play smarter. He uses his body so well to get position and create any advantage he can. Shaq can just jump higher than everybody. While that can definitely work in the game of basketball it won't take you to the next level. Two things I do like about him is his nose for the ball and going towards the hoop when shooting. Once he can control his handles in traffic and learn to use his body better he could be a force. Sometimes I have to remind myself he's three games into his sophomore season.
Click to expand...

I agree with most of that...but I thought Shaq played great today
 
waterhead said:
I agree with most of that...but I thought Shaq played great today
Click to expand...
Pleasantly surprised with the overall play. I think somebody got into ST's head. He really hustled when he got his minutes. He dove for balls, tried to save balls from gong OB, not to mention pulling down 7 boards. He CAN jump higher than anybody out there. The fact that he's bulked up a little from last year probably helps his confidence when mixing it up inside.
 
bearcat jeff said:
I think Lawrence, Caupain and KJ have very bright futures. Sanders will only get better as his confidence grows. This team has only scratched the surface. They have a long way to go but plenty of time to get there. Strickland needs to be eligible. Low post depth is my major concern.
Click to expand...
We looked lost out there when both JJ and Titus were on the bench. But, the others played cohesively. We still a couple more patsy teams before New Mexico. Still a work in progress, but coming along nicely.
 
waterhead said:
I agree with most of that...but I thought Shaq played great today
Click to expand...

Shaq didn't play bad yesterday. My point was more he hasn't shown the improvement we were all hoping for. App State is not very good team. They had nobody that could come close to matching Shaq's athleticism. So he should've looked good. He's a starter and seeing good minutes. He could dominate vs. a team like that. Shaq made some nice plays here and there but he was far from dominating. And again, he's young and still improving. I'm not trying to bash him I just haven't seen much different in his game.
 
Let's remember shaq didn't see the court much last season. The game hasn't slowed down for him yet and his flat shot undermines many of his attempts. The next three games will be big for him in terms of getting his feet under him before the New Mexico, Xavier, and Pitts of the world.
 
david aka the TYZ said:
Shaq didn't play bad yesterday. My point was more he hasn't shown the improvement we were all hoping for. App State is not very good team. They had nobody that could come close to matching Shaq's athleticism. So he should've looked good. He's a starter and seeing good minutes. He could dominate vs. a team like that. Shaq made some nice plays here and there but he was far from dominating. And again, he's young and still improving. I'm not trying to bash him I just haven't seen much different in his game.
Click to expand...
Watched the game on ESPN3. One of the announcers was Terry Nelson, UC '93 - Elite 8. He seemed to think Shaquille could be the "next coming". Sang his praises regularly throughout the broadcast. I noticed Shaquille's shots and FTs had a trace more arc to them. That's good. He has such a great vertical leap that it probably seems unnatural for him to shoot upward. He'll learn. I like ESPN3. If they have the game in their archives, you can retrieve it from as far back as 30 days - for those interested.
 
david aka the TYZ said:
Shaq didn't play bad yesterday. My point was more he hasn't shown the improvement we were all hoping for. App State is not very good team. They had nobody that could come close to matching Shaq's athleticism. So he should've looked good. He's a starter and seeing good minutes. He could dominate vs. a team like that. Shaq made some nice plays here and there but he was far from dominating. And again, he's young and still improving. I'm not trying to bash him I just haven't seen much different in his game.
Click to expand...

Ok I can agree we haven't seen the improvement we seem to be watching in some players but ST without improvment was looking really good at the end of last season and I thought we saw that yesterday. Granted against insuperior talent.

Listening to the broadcast on ESPN3 i heard, what I felt, were two UNBELIEVABLE statements about ST. It was said twice...but I don't know if it's a joke or not. Shaq has gained 30 lbs in 2 years and has gained 5" on his vertical leap (in one year I think). For one I can't see the weight on his frame and for two how do you gain that much vertical with 30 more LB's. Muscle? If that is the case...ST has definitely been working hard. If the above is true...we should see it at some point this year. Mick says he doesn't quite understand his role yet...but when that happens...look out.
 
waterhead said:
Ok I can agree we haven't seen the improvement we seem to be watching in some players but ST without improvment was looking really good at the end of last season and I thought we saw that yesterday. Granted against insuperior talent.

Listening to the broadcast on ESPN3 i heard, what I felt, were two UNBELIEVABLE statements about ST. It was said twice...but I don't know if it's a joke or not. Shaq has gained 30 lbs in 2 years and has gained 5" on his vertical leap (in one year I think). For one I can't see the weight on his frame and for two how do you gain that much vertical with 30 more LB's. Muscle? If that is the case...ST has definitely been working hard. If the above is true...we should see it at some point this year. Mick says he doesn't quite understand his role yet...but when that happens...look out.
Click to expand...

After finally listening to Cronin's post game presser it seems all he is looking for this year from Thomas is defensive effort and rebounding. Cronin will take 8-10 points a game from Thomas if Thomas is content with 8-10 points a game...rather than pressing for more as a soph.

He brought up SK and how he just wanted SK to stay on the court by playing D and that his offense would eventually come. When you get put into a conversation with SK the coach knows the potential...he just wants you to "get it" that a soph is TOO early to expect to be getting 15-20 a game. The offensive game will come to Thomas if he is patient. I thought it was a great sign that Cronin put TR and ST in the post game presser. Usually that honor is going to go to players he felt deserved it for one reason or another.

I thought they both deserved it...and maybe TC as well...but he's not going to put a frosh in a presser this early.
 
waterhead said:
After finally listening to Cronin's post game presser it seems all he is looking for this year from Thomas is defensive effort and rebounding. Cronin will take 8-10 points a game from Thomas if Thomas is content with 8-10 points a game...rather than pressing for more as a soph.

He brought up SK and how he just wanted SK to stay on the court by playing D and that his offense would eventually come. When you get put into a conversation with SK the coach knows the potential...he just wants you to "get it" that a soph is TOO early to expect to be getting 15-20 a game. The offensive game will come to Thomas if he is patient. I thought it was a great sign that Cronin put TR and ST in the post game presser. Usually that honor is going to go to players he felt deserved it for one reason or another.

I thought they both deserved it...and maybe TC as well...but he's not going to put a frosh in a presser this early.
Click to expand...
Players are requested by the media for post game. Only guys off limits are the freshmen...
 

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