Huh. Sounds like G expects to be starting PG

[edowd26]

This is funny. Why he considered not returning:

MG: Yeah, I did. That's more because if I came back, I would have to take classes. And no one wants to take classes.

(His dad interjects: "This is going in print." Mike: "That's fine.")

At least we've ruled out Syracuse being UNC Chapel Hill.

 

[SBU72]

I felt the same way by my senior year in college so I'll let him slide on that.

He is a 5th year student, so either a grad student or has fulfilled most of his major requirement even more so than most seniors. If still un-graduated, he would probably have as light a 12 credit course load as he can. As a grad student it will be harder.

 

[pearl31]

If T.Lydon can, indeed (as some are forecasting), contribute right away then yeah, I think a lineup of G at point and Lydon at SF could be quite effective.

 

[iommi]

Roberson is the starter at 4, so i didn't count him as a backup. Lydon and Diagne can both play 4, but I envision Diagne playing more [or mostly?] at the 5 behind Coleman.

I figured that's where you were going but I do think Diagne gets a decent amount of time at the 4 because he can score and defend. I think he will block 2 shots a game at the very least. He's only 6'8" but has an incredible wing span.

 

[Jake]

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I think it was 2001 where the plan was to have Deshaun play point and it became obvious that wasn't going to work, so we had James Thues bring the ball over mid court, pass it to someone and then stand in a remote corner of the court until it was time to play defense.

I think Howard might surprise people.

 

[SUFan44]

What were your expectations from Roberson out of high school?

Roberson played behind CJ Fair as a freshman - he's not playing many minutes at all.

Last year, he showed signs of being a dominant force on the glass. And this coming year, my expectation is that he'll be a legitimate threat to have a double-double every game.

Not sure where you're going with this, or how it affects the scouting report of Diagne. He's certainly not going to come in and average double figures - but he's not the next Baye Moussa Keita either.

 

[pearl31]

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I think it was 2001 where the plan was to have Deshaun play point and it became obvious that wasn't going to work, so we had James Thues bring the ball over mid court, pass it to someone and then stand in a remote corner of the court until it was time to play defense.

I think Howard might surprise people.

thoughts on Kaleb as an effective PG this coming year?

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I really think the team will be better if Kaleb can (effectively) play PG and Mike can play on the wing

He can't.

 

[RF2044]

Roberson played behind CJ Fair as a freshman - he's not playing many minutes at all.

Last year, he showed signs of being a dominant force on the glass. And this coming year, my expectation is that he'll be a legitimate threat to have a double-double every game.

Not sure where you're going with this, or how it affects the scouting report of Diagne. He's certainly not going to come in and average double figures - but he's not the next Baye Moussa Keita either.

Good post. The only other thing I'll add is that Roberson barely played as a frosh. He spent the first third of last season bouncing in and out of the starting lineup / injured / etc. When McCullough went down, he finally got a steady dose of PT for the first time in his career.

There were ups and downs, but being tossed into the crucible will benefit his development. He's an experienced vet now--needs to add some muscle / bulk in the offseason, but I expect a double double caliber campaign, as well.

 

[iommi]

Roberson was definitely over-hyped by some. It's pretty funny: not too many people are referring to him as 'The Beast" anymore, reason being Roberson seemed very afraid of failure and hardly an alpha dog, especially in year one. He certainly showed tremendous promise as a volume rebounder, but "Beast" is just about the worst way to describe his college game so far.

I do think he will be a solid player but it remains to be seen if he breaks out of his shell and plays with confidence and ferocity.

 

[RF2044]

He can't.

Unequivocally false.

He most certainly CAN. The question is, WILL he? How much improvement will he show after an offseason devoted to improvement, building upon the starting experience he gained last season? That's a legitimate question, granted, but to say he "can't" is bunk, IMO.

 

[jekelish]

Roberson was definitely over-hyped by some. It's pretty funny: not too many people are referring to him as 'The Beast" anymore, reason being Roberson seemed very afraid of failure and hardly an alpha dog, especially in year one. He certainly showed tremendous promise as a volume rebounder, but "Beast" is just about the worst way to describe his college game so far.

I do think he will be a solid player but it remains to be seen if he breaks out of his shell and plays with confidence and ferocity.

Take "Beast"...drop the S, swap the A and the T...and you've got "Beta." That about sums up his disposition on the court.

 

[two3zone]

Roberson played behind CJ Fair as a freshman - he's not playing many minutes at all.

Last year, he showed signs of being a dominant force on the glass. And this coming year, my expectation is that he'll be a legitimate threat to have a double-double every game.

Not sure where you're going with this, or how it affects the scouting report of Diagne. He's certainly not going to come in and average double figures - but he's not the next Baye Moussa Keita either.

There was plenty of opportunity for Roberson as a freshman and he didn't show much as a freshman. But you're missing the point, the point is that like Lydon people were saying that Roberson could get 20 minutes a game because he was that skilled coming out of high school. I haven't said anything about Roberson's So. and Jr. year, just what the expectations were of him coming in, which is sounding a lot like the expectations of Roberson coming in and BJ Johnson's So. year.

 

[jekelish]

There was plenty of opportunity for Roberson as a freshman and he didn't show much as a freshman. But you're missing the point, the point is that like Lydon people were saying that Roberson could get 20 minutes a game because he was that skilled coming out of high school. I haven't said anything about Roberson's So. and Jr. year, just what the expectations were of him coming in, which is sounding a lot like the expectations of Roberson coming in and BJ Johnson's So. year.

I think the biggest difference between Roberson and Lydon, though, is mindset. Lydon is fearless. Roberson has always been passive. Fearlessness and confidence go a long way.

As far as BJ, people say Lydon is skinny but BJ was still about 20 pounds lighter than Tyler is right now, and Tyler has two inches on BJ.

I'm not saying Tyler Lydon will immediately set the world on fire, but I think he's going to be the best player in this class when it's all said and done. And I think it'll be by a pretty significant margin.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Unequivocally false.

He most certainly CAN. The question is, WILL he? How much improvement will he show after an offseason devoted to improvement, building upon the starting experience he gained last season? That's a legitimate question, granted, but to say he "can't" is bunk, IMO.

This^^^
And I'd also add that I expect Kaleb to step up to the challenge and make a big improvement next year.
Theres a long list of players at SU who were initially dumped on by the "glass-half-empty" brigades, and ultimately ended up having good, if not great, careers.
Granted, I could also see KJ thrust into a "Scoop-like" role as 6th man off the bench, if Silent G gets the start. Either way he should be much better on both sides of the floor. That 2-3 can wreck havoc with incoming players and takes some adjustment. He should be much better at it, more confident and that SHOULD translate into every other phase of his game.

 

[Jake]

thoughts on Kaleb as an effective PG this coming year?

I think he can be, but a lot will depend on how he fights of challenges from oncoming guards.

I could easily see an Allen Griffin career path here.

It's hard for a team to play PG by committee, but that might be the case.

 

[tbonezone]

looks a bit like we got a roster meld of second level seasoned talent and some unproven frosh.
so toss in the DCII injury ???? and the schollie reduction transfers. i'd say in june prognosis negative.

 

[Cuse_NYC]

Has anyone seen Franklin Howard play? He's 10x a better pg than Kaleb already. He is without a doubt our best passer. He is longggg. Jumper is suspect, i'll admit that.

 

[two3zone]

Has anyone seen Franklin Howard play? He's 10x a better pg than Kaleb already. He is without a doubt our best passer. He is longggg. Jumper is suspect, i'll admit that.

Everybody coming in is better than the person they replace here in Cuse land. Give me a break with this nonsense.

 

[Wallo]

I can tell you from watching him with my own eyes he's a lot more advanced offensively than a lot of our recent big men. He already has a nice looking jumper out to about 15 feet and can finish with either hand. Iommi, Francis, and Tee have all watched him and I'm sure will back this up.

The cuse needs someone that is able to shoot beyond the 19 foot line not counting Cooney !!

 

[iommi]

The cuse needs someone that is able to shoot beyond the 19 foot line not counting Cooney !!

Cooney isn't a great shooter. He's a high volume gunner without a leash or a
conscience.

 

[urban96]

Swaggy mike get buckets

 

[longislandcuse]

Everybody coming in is better than the person they replace here in Cuse land. Give me a break with this nonsense.

Not too high of a bar there.

Until Roberson-Kaleb-Cooney-DC2 prove they can do anything, I'm going to hope the guys coming in can give us what they don't.

G is the only guy I have any confidence in going into the season. Cooney, I am optimistic about. DC2, I am hopeful for. Roberson and Joseph are real low on my confidence scale. Just so happens we have 2 guards and 2 forwards coming in to push them to be better or take their spots.

 

[iommi]

Not too high of a bar there.

Until Roberson-Kaleb-Cooney-DC2 prove they can do anything, I'm going to hope the guys coming in can give us what they don't.

G is the only guy I have any confidence in going into the season. Cooney, I am optimistic about. DC2, I am hopeful for. Roberson and Joseph are real low on my confidence scale. Just so happens we have 2 guards and 2 forwards coming in to push them to be better or take their spots.

Optimistic in what regard about Cooney? To me, he is what he is. He's going to get better in year 5? No...

 

[longislandcuse]

Optimistic in what regard about Cooney. To me, he is what he is. He's going to get better in year 5? No..

Hoping that with a good year for G and some more perimeter threats, he will get some better looks and then develop some confidence/rhythm.