BJ

[OGBJ20]

Yeah, maybe I should back off that statement a little. But I think BJ is still growing and when he hits 6'8" it will no longer be an option. His shot at additional time this year probably lies in carving out time at the 2. IMO, it is a long shot, but the possibility of taking the sharpshooter role could materialize.

I think long term BJ will fit in nicely at the 3. I think it is his where he will be best suited. But if SU doesn't grab a stud sg soon, crossover from the stud farm at forward may need to occur. I think the madness will stop after SU lands either Whitehead or Briscoe.

And to njcuse, from my reading I like the vibe of BJ's coachability and work ethic. Part of it may be that I just don't get the insights from the other players like I read from OG, but I've been impressed.

BJ is a player at any size with guard skills and instincts at any size. He knows how to play the game. In his early workouts with coach AA, He stated that he is impressed with BJ's handle and they are working on him using his legs more in drills. Shot is fine but they will continue to get up shots increasing his ability to be a knockdown shooter off the dribble and stationary. They are looking to add about 10lbs on BJ during the next month or two. Coach AA stated that BJ is going to be a 2 in this system and if he continues to get taller (in which trainers and coaches believe to about 6'9") he will have the ability to handle the ball from a 2-3 or pt. forward position. I would like to see his physical progress a month or so of training with the SU coaching and training staff.

 

[Libero2]

So... What you're saying is BJ will be James Southerland size, with the handle ability of a Brandon Triche, Jerami Grants tenacity and high energy play, the soft mid range jumper of C.J. fair and a dad to keep us informed all the way?

Why is it everybody keeps counting BJ out (outside of SU circles) anyways?

Btw no small level of expectations for BJ to live up to over the next 4 years lol

 

[jordoo]

BJ is a player at any size with guard skills and instincts at any size. He knows how to play the game. In his early workouts with coach AA, He stated that he is impressed with BJ's handle and they are working on him using his legs more in drills. Shot is fine but they will continue to get up shots increasing his ability to be a knockdown shooter off the dribble and stationary. They are looking to add about 10lbs on BJ during the next month or two. Coach AA stated that BJ is going to be a 2 in this system and if he continues to get taller (in which trainers and coaches believe to about 6'9") he will have the ability to handle the ball from a 2-3 or pt. forward position. I would like to see his physical progress a month or so of training with the SU coaching and training staff.

I love hearing that AA is impressed with BJ's handle. I thought he looked very impressive driving to the hoop a few times in the highlights of that last allstar game he was in. One of the things posters on this board seam to miss is that BJ can be a 2 in our system and play the 3 on defense. Andy Rautins did this as a junior when we needed to spread the floor for Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf to drive. We paid a bit because Andy was only 6-5 and neither a super athlete or physical presance. BJ could give us a 3 guard offense and have the length size and quickness to still be an asset on the back line of the defense if need be or of course out top on defense he would be a real menace with his size and length once he learns exactly how JB's brand of zone works.

 

[orangefan13]

BJ is a player at any size with guard skills and instincts at any size. He knows how to play the game. In his early workouts with coach AA, He stated that he is impressed with BJ's handle and they are working on him using his legs more in drills. Shot is fine but they will continue to get up shots increasing his ability to be a knockdown shooter off the dribble and stationary. They are looking to add about 10lbs on BJ during the next month or two. Coach AA stated that BJ is going to be a 2 in this system and if he continues to get taller (in which trainers and coaches believe to about 6'9") he will have the ability to handle the ball from a 2-3 or pt. forward position. I would like to see his physical progress a month or so of training with the SU coaching and training staff.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

BJ is a player at any size with guard skills and instincts at any size. He knows how to play the game. In his early workouts with coach AA, He stated that he is impressed with BJ's handle and they are working on him using his legs more in drills. Shot is fine but they will continue to get up shots increasing his ability to be a knockdown shooter off the dribble and stationary. They are looking to add about 10lbs on BJ during the next month or two. Coach AA stated that BJ is going to be a 2 in this system and if he continues to get taller (in which trainers and coaches believe to about 6'9") he will have the ability to handle the ball from a 2-3 or pt. forward position. I would like to see his physical progress a month or so of training with the SU coaching and training staff.

I believe that 6'9" is too tall for the 2. The lateral quickness to stop guard penetration will not be there. The Sutherland experiment was a disaster. He couldn't beat out our worst backup 2 in a decade.

6'9", good handle, sweet stroke - that has the makings for a great 3. There is a lot more KJo/CJ in there than Dion/BT.

Of course the staff wants him to maintain/develop a handle. It has been a slight weakness in our past 3's, including Sutherland and even Wes.

For the short term, PT may be available at the 2, and the training will be valuable. But, IMO, his greatest potential, and biggest contribution will be down the line a bit at the 3.

 

[Gabjon]

BJ is a player at any size with guard skills and instincts at any size. He knows how to play the game. In his early workouts with coach AA, He stated that he is impressed with BJ's handle and they are working on him using his legs more in drills. Shot is fine but they will continue to get up shots increasing his ability to be a knockdown shooter off the dribble and stationary. They are looking to add about 10lbs on BJ during the next month or two. Coach AA stated that BJ is going to be a 2 in this system and if he continues to get taller (in which trainers and coaches believe to about 6'9") he will have the ability to handle the ball from a 2-3 or pt. forward position. I would like to see his physical progress a month or so of training with the SU coaching and training staff.

The thing that drives me nuts about this board is most people associate height over skill set as it relates to position. A players skill set defines their position, there height in relationship to their skill set defines the level at which they can play. IE if you are a 6'-4" PF you are a D2 or D3 player. If you are a 6'-7" to 6'-8" guard at an elite program you are a guard. We just had a 6'-6" PG go in the lottery and we has 6'-7" SG who has being reportedly practicing some at the PG. We are the tallest team in the country and will be for the foreseeable future.

 

[Gabjon]

I believe that 6'9" is too tall for the 2. The lateral quickness to stop guard penetration will not be there. The Sutherland experiment was a disaster. He couldn't beat out our worst backup 2 in a decade.

6'9", good handle, sweet stroke - that has the makings for a great 3. There is a lot more KJo/CJ in there than Dion/BT.

Of course the staff wants him to maintain/develop a handle. It has been a slight weakness in our past 3's, including Sutherland and even Wes.

For the short term, PT may be available at the 2, and the training will be valuable. But, IMO, his greatest potential, and biggest contribution will be down the line a bit at the 3.

If he becomes 6'9" he won't be on hill for long. 6'-9" with guard skills and 18 years old he's out of here, that said until he is 6'9" he is not 6-9"

 

[4evaOrange]

Mike Jones played the 2, and how tall was he 6'7?

 

[tptcuse]

If he becomes 6'9" he won't be on hill for long. 6'-9" with guard skill and 18 years old he out of here, that said until he is 6'9" he is not 6-9"

That last sentence made me laugh a lot.

 

[orangefan13]

I believe that 6'9" is too tall for the 2. The lateral quickness to stop guard penetration will not be there. The Sutherland experiment was a disaster. He couldn't beat out our worst backup 2 in a decade.

Good points on being critical.

It has yet to be done at Syracuse, especially at a elite level. Heck we have only done 6'6 3-5 times ever and probably never 6'7 yet, (we will have 2 that can this year though .) Dnic for example was considered a very good dribbler for NBA sf's in the camps. He had a rediculous 3 point pull up, but at 6'7 never made it in the NBA. He was a real solid stationary defender in college funny he couldn't make it as a NBA 2.

I agree on the importance of lateral quickness though and someone that tall has to be into it. Its very tough to find a 6'9 guy who is really wants to lateral slide constantly. Especially when you can play in the back of our zone where you don't need to slide when the ball is swinging around the perimeter. In the last 4-5 years though JB has been recruiting guys who can slide in the back of the zone on the corners (outside Dajuan and Xmas that is ). There has been some recent clips and Mccullough and Roberson have been pretty awesome at lateral sliding as well. Grant has shown alittle bit.

Its possible with enough swingmen we can put 3-4 of those guys up top to lateral slide each for 5-10 minutes a game, but that probably would be best before a quick bench rest as their legs would feel tired doing that before going back to SF. Problem is you want your better rebounders in the back when we have many swingmen also, but just look at Grants case hes not overly strong but really physical for rebounding. No doubt we could become that though. Going the other direction, we have had guards who are only alright lateral sliders up top in recent years and played good mintues and I am not talking about mookie. A 6'7-6'8 SF who can slide pretty well would be a better shotblock and rebounding threat against them.

I imagine its pretty tough to roll around screens at the top of the zone at that size also. But the rebounding and weakside shotblocking if you find someone who wants to play D at that height like a Lebron has to be darnright scary.
Reguardless, I really want BJ to play the 2 if he can. He went to Kobe Bryants old school. I want to see some Kobe rub off on him. I wouldn't be suprised to see Duke, and UNC go with some taller guards against us some years.

Imagine switching BJ, Mccullough and Roberson in and out of 2 guard for 5-10 minutes a game for each next year. They all have the dribble to make it happen. Same thing with Roberson, BJ and Gbinije this year.

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[OGBJ20]

So... What you're saying is BJ will be James Southerland size, with the handle ability of a Brandon Triche, Jerami Grants tenacity and high energy play, the soft mid range jumper of C.J. fair and a dad to keep us informed all the way?

Why is it everybody keeps counting BJ out (outside of SU circles) anyways?

Btw no small level of expectations for BJ to live up to over the next 4 years lol

Most of the people, the so called experts count BJ out because they have not seen him play for the most part and they have only been going on what information they had on him two years ago. You with the pics of him in his TF uniform or him in LM #35 at about 165pds. But enough of that guessing and misinforming about BJ. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE A CLUE. That is what the coaches and former SU players think of him and his ability to play the game. He is on campus as we converse at this time putting the work to exceed expectations because that is what he wants to do. It is going to be a great process and very exciting to watch BJ play.

 

[orangefan13]

Yeah watching alot of the lower merion highlights on youtube BJ played spot up perimter shooter alot with a occasional baseline slash. 90% of scouts have no clue of the sleeping skills dormant in BJ and the ones that do only watched the mary kline classic .
I always love a secret Weapon.

 

[OGBJ20]

I love hearing that AA is impressed with BJ's handle. I thought he looked very impressive driving to the hoop a few times in the highlights of that last allstar game he was in. One of the things posters on this board seam to miss is that BJ can be a 2 in our system and play the 3 on defense. Andy Rautins did this as a junior when we needed to spread the floor for Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf to drive. We paid a bit because Andy was only 6-5 and neither a super athlete or physical presance. BJ could give us a 3 guard offense and have the length size and quickness to still be an asset on the back line of the defense if need be or of course out top on defense he would be a real menace with his size and length once he learns exactly how JB's brand of zone works.

BJ has the quickness and athleticism to play the defensive end of the floor. Not only have the workouts been about offense but defense as well. This young man will get a chance to play his first CBB game before his 18th birthday.

 

[OGBJ20]

Yeah watching alot of the lower merion highlights on youtube BJ played spot up perimter shooter alot with a occasional baseline slash. 90% of scouts have no clue of the sleeping skills dormant in BJ and the ones that do only watched the mary kline classic .
I always love a secret Weapon.

Watching him in HS on some of those clips and as did throughout last season on scratched the surface of BJ's athletic ability to say the least do to the type of team and style of play at times that drove most people nuts.:bat:

 

[orangefan13]

Yeah that was my guess all along after seeing him in the mary kline classic they needed him as a perimeter spotup shooter/baseline slasher instead of the isolation one on one dribble guy and pullup jumpshooter he can be. Nobodys dribble gets that better in a month

You realize your like count is gets a unfair advantage to the rest of us. I love your heart for syracuse basketball though its that heart and determination that make us believe we can get a few more chips and join the top tier someday. I have felt that passionate for the last 5-6 years.

 

[OGBJ20]

Well Jersey, I'll give you the news. BJ is an under the radar recruit JB wanted from North Philly. He is a little young for his class and appears to have been under-ranked. He has progressed fantastically since signing and his HS team, and him, did well.

His father appears to post regularly and in response people are respectful. Several had hoped he would red-shirt but that does not seem in the cards. While some have classified him as a 2-3, that is nonsense. He is a 3, through and through.

In the long term SU view, BJ looks like he will be a key rotational player starting in the '15-'16 season, starting along side Roberson in JB's swan song.

BJ is not from North Philly. He roots are from South Philly(From OG-now residing in Ardmore) and North Philly (From Mother-via Willingboro, no residing in Columbus NJ. Although BJ has never lived in neither place. He has gotten his skill set and savvy from SP.

 

[OGBJ20]

Njcuse you deserve a 2 month band! Because you as a long time poster should know better! Happy 4th to all!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4 Beta

He's been sleeping in class.

 

[OGBJ20]

Personally, I think it is ridiculous that you don't follow the recruiting forums 24/7...

But... BJ is a SF recruit for this year's class. He's a lanky 3 with range who has been moving up recruiting charts the last 6 or 12 months. Silky smooth touch on the j but will probably need to add some strength before moving into a big time role..

He has a great dad who works his son's ass off and keeps the fans posted on his improvement -- It's hard to tell whether the father or son will be the bigger fan favorite, I'll go with the youngin' though.

I'm going with the young buck as well all the way to the hoop.

 

[orangefan13]

Watching him in HS on some of those clips and as did throughout last season on scratched the surface of BJ's athletic ability to say the least do to the type of team and style of play at times that drove most people nuts.:bat:

Yet they still won the title College Basketball Leaders do the things that the team needs most even if they are not accustomed to it. I defenelty see BJ being one of those with his hard work. To hear he was already doing that at the highschool level amougst all the recruiting stars and rankings is mindblowing.

 

[OGBJ20]

I believe that 6'9" is too tall for the 2. The lateral quickness to stop guard penetration will not be there. The Sutherland experiment was a disaster. He couldn't beat out our worst backup 2 in a decade.

6'9", good handle, sweet stroke - that has the makings for a great 3. There is a lot more KJo/CJ in there than Dion/BT.

Of course the staff wants him to maintain/develop a handle. It has been a slight weakness in our past 3's, including Sutherland and even Wes.

For the short term, PT may be available at the 2, and the training will be valuable. But, IMO, his greatest potential, and biggest contribution will be down the line a bit at the 3.

If BJ reaches 6'9" by the time he is a senior, he will have the skills of a guard to play multiple spots on the floor. Again, the coaches see him playing the 2-3 at this time and also believe that he will be a 2-3 on the next level. According to the coaches BJ brings an ability to handle the rock from a 2-3 spot along with being able to score/shoot the ball on offense. In speaking to BO, he stated that after seeing BJ over last weekend that he could see him playing positions similar to himself because of his ability to handle and score etc. BO still marveled at the fact that BJ was only 17years old.

 

[OGBJ20]

The thing that drives me nuts about this board is most people associate height over skill set as it relates to position. A players skill set defines their position, there height in relationship to their skill set defines the level at which they can play. IE if you are a 6'-4" PF you are a D2 or D3 player. If you are a 6'-7" to 6'-8" guard at an elite program you are a guard. We just had a 6'-6" PG go in the lottery and we has 6'-7" SG who has being reportedly practicing some at the PG. We are the tallest team in the country and will be for the foreseeable future.

Exactly, today's players are definitely bigger but the skills that possess makes them unique in their own right.

 

[realorange]

Nothing wrong with the ability to be a point forward.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

If BJ reaches 6'9" by the time he is a senior, he will have the skills of a guard to play multiple spots on the floor. Again, the coaches see him playing the 2-3 at this time and also believe that he will be a 2-3 on the next level. According to the coaches BJ brings an ability to handle the rock from a 2-3 spot along with being able to score/shoot the ball on offense. In speaking to BO, he stated that after seeing BJ over last weekend that he could see him playing positions similar to himself because of his ability to handle and score etc. BO still marveled at the fact that BJ was only 17years old.

First OG - sorry about the geography mixup - Ardmore looks NorthWest of Philly to me, but I see I may have used the wrong terminology.

If BJ gets to 6'9" he is not playing guard. Nope. Certainly not at SU. You and Gabjon can wax poetic about unique playing styles but there are thresholds on height at certain positions. Right now, BJ is pretty much pushing the limits of height at the 2g. If he gets signficantly longer he will not have the lateral quickness needed at the top of the zone. No worries there though because there is a spot waiting for him at the 3. IMO, that is where his big minutes will be.

 

[orangefan13]

If BJ gets to 6'9" he is not playing guard. Nope. Certainly not at SU.

I dissagree also. I could see Gbinije, Bj, Mccullough maybe even Roberson all get 5-10 minutes atleast at SG maybe even. They all have the dribble to, the shot to, and enough lateral quickness to slide uptop before taking a breather, and that would translate to the press well also. We will have to see what JB has in mind. And I would have added Grant if he had the dribble. Of course if we get Whitehead that will be less likely.

This is kind of like Saying Grant can't play this year because we have CJ, BJ, Roberson already and hes not as good on offense. For the record they had Grant guarding guards in the world games. Only thing I worry about are sliding around those screens up top.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I dissagree also. I could see Gbinije, Bj and Mccullough all get 5-10 minutes atleast at SG maybe even. They all have the dribble to, the shot to, and enough lateral quickness to slide uptop before taking a breather, and that would translate to the press well also. We will have to see what JB has in mind. And I would have added Grant if he had the dribble. Of course if we get Whitehead that will be less likely.

This is kind of like Saying Grant can't play this year because we have CJ, BJ, Roberson already and hes not as good on offense. Its those screens I worry about.

No, McCullough will see zero minutes at the 2. None. Roberson likewise will never see time at the 2.

This is nothing like saying Grant can't play. Grant certainly can play. If nothing else Grant's defense will give him time. The physical limitations on the lateral quickness of these 6'8" and above players keep them from even being considered at the 2.

No, to me, this is more reminiscent of your speculation last year of BMK at the 4.