Why Our Centers Shouldn't Be Overlooked

[iommi]

Check out my article. Hope you guys enjoy it.

 

[iommi]

Here's another link for those non-Twitter folks:

Don’t Forget About the Guys in the Middle – Otto's Grove

 

[Briancuse]

Like I have said before, I think people are going to be surprised at Dc next year.

 

[Flacusian]

Nice job Vince. Thanks for your article. You are spot on! LGO!

 

[DonLightfoot]

Well done.

 

[EastCoast2]

Nice summary. I hope the country sleeps on our centers. Not a weak spot for us at all.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Like I have said before, I think people are going to be surprised at Dc next year.

Well, the article predicts about the same production next year, as last. Which I agree with, and that's fine. DC will not emerge as an All ACC player, but will again be functional. The real uptick in C performance is Chewy in the middle. Swatting so many interior shots he will alter offensive game plans during games this year. That is what I am most excited about. He played sparingly at PU, but now is a full 2 years older, knows the system that much better, and I think his production doubles from his previous game experience. So look out ACC, the position is definitely a strength!

 

[SoBristol]

A couple of big unknowns here.
Does Andrew White decide on SU? If he does, Tyler Lydon is likely to play a lot of minutes at center in key parts of big games.
What does PC contribute at the offensive end -- how much has he improved in the past year? With all the speculation about our centers, has anyone actually seen PC in action over the summer? Is he stronger? More skilled?

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

A couple of big unknowns here.
Does Andrew White decide on SU? If he does, Tyler Lydon is likely to play a lot of minutes at center in key parts of big games.
What does PC contribute at the offensive end -- how much has he improved in the past year? With all the speculation about our centers, has anyone actually seen PC in action over the summer? Is he stronger? More skilled?

he's still 7'2", and that is the most important stat of all! How could he not be better after 2 years of conditioning and practice? He's on the Wes Johnson plan! Any put backs he gives us are gravy, he just needs to get himself in the right positions on the floor, I think the blocked shots are a given after what has been reported.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

The big uptick of the better center position this year should be in the coaching possibilities. There will be a clear defensive stopper to be able to be used. There will be a glut of fouls to be unleashed.
And as the article mentions, with the addition of the defense and fouls, the press should might be considered as a regular factor. Would love to see it.

 

[chugg21]

Biggest thing to me for sure is that foul trouble won't be debilitating, especially if White's on the roster. Basically will have 3 guys capable of playing big minutes at the 5 all with completely different skill sets that should be able to cover all situations.

 

[RF2044]

Good post. Last year, the center options were extremely limited. We had Coleman, who had size / strength and could volume rebound, but wasn't much of a scorer / shotblocker, and Lydon who could do nice things offensively and was a very good rebounder / shotblocker, but who got overpowered defensively inside.

This year, we have Coleman healthy for the first time, coming off the first offseason where he could actually focus on improving his game instead of rehabbing.

Chukwu is an athletic 7-2 shotblocker, with Lydon / Thompson in the wings.

I don't think this year's team will rely upon the centers to provide much offense [although they're certainly capable of scoring intermittently, depending on matchups]. That really frees them up to just rebound / defend, and burn teams when they can. A better Coleman and a better defensive option in the middle gives us a lot more flexibility than we had last year.

This group could be effective as hell providing 8 and 8 in amalgamation [sans Lydon]. The numbers themselves wouldn't tell the full story, because that would be complimentary scoring output bolstering what could be a much more potent offensive attack this year, compared to last season.

 

[SoBristol]

he's still 7'2", and that is the most important stat of all! How could he not be better after 2 years of conditioning and practice? He's on the Wes Johnson plan! Any put backs he gives us are gravy, he just needs to get himself in the right positions on the floor, I think the blocked shots are a given after what has been reported.

This seems to be the common thread -- PC is 7 ft 2 in, he can block shots, and he has practiced during his transfer year. No real observations about his development, nothing about where he is playing this summer, or what skills or moves he has other than put-backs.

 

[RF2044]

This seems to be the common thread -- PC is 7 ft 2 in, he can block shots, and he has practiced during his transfer year. No real observations about his development, nothing about where he is playing this summer, or what skills or moves he has other than put-backs.

That's because access to the Carmelo Anthony Center is highly restricted. In the past, we had numerous posters watching practices and offering first hand impressions. Now, we're lucky to have news trickle out about player development.

 

[Knicks411]

That's because access to the Carmelo Anthony Center is highly restricted. In the past, we had numerous posters watching practices and offering first hand impressions. Now, we're lucky to have news trickle out about player development.

Is this a new thing? If so, any idea why?

 

[SoBristol]

Good post. Last year, the center options were extremely limited. We had Coleman, who had size / strength and could volume rebound, but wasn't much of a scorer / shotblocker, and Lydon who could do nice things offensively and was a very good rebounder / shotblocker, but who got overpowered defensively inside.

...QUOTE]

I agree with much of your post. With Lydon at center, as in our run to the final 4, there was a trade off. With his range, opposing centers struggled to guard him outside, but yes he could get overpowered inside. That was last season. He has gained strength every off-season -- no doubt he will be stronger in 2016-17 and better able to compete inside.

PC is taller but is very lean;, will he be overpowered by opposing centers? Will he be able to draw opposing centers away from the basket? Again, we don't have much to go on.

 

[SoBristol]

That's because access to the Carmelo Anthony Center is highly restricted. In the past, we had numerous posters watching practices and offering first hand impressions. Now, we're lucky to have news trickle out about player development.

Right, we don't have much news, and particularly about PC. In the past, some players participated on international teams over the summer, or attended skill camps where there were observers. We might have to wait until JB or Hop reports on the October practices.

 

[RF2044]

Is this a new thing? If so, any idea why?

Because they can restrict traffic now, basically. When practices used to be held at Manley, it was for the most part [not 100% of the time] an open door access, with many other teams also using the facility simultaneously. It was easy for walk-ins to enter and either head to the bleachers or find a spot out of the way on the sidelines to observe practice, and not much that the basketball coaches / support staff could do to restrict that.

The new facility is state of the art, complete with all of the work out amenities you can imagine. To prevent randoms from sneaking in to work out, the facility has restricted badge access. Which also affords the team a measure of privacy, because nobody can get in unless invited.

I don't think it is a secrecy thing as much as it is just the way things have evolved.

 

[Brooky03]

A couple of big unknowns here.
Does Andrew White decide on SU? If he does, Tyler Lydon is likely to play a lot of minutes at center in key parts of big games.
What does PC contribute at the offensive end -- how much has he improved in the past year? With all the speculation about our centers, has anyone actually seen PC in action over the summer? Is he stronger? More skilled?

I don't see Lydon playing big minutes at Center. He played there as an emergency measure last season. We have two legitimate Centers this season, so I don't see why we'd put him that far out of position again.

 

[CuseMan4]

The two best things about Paschal
1-he's blocks/changes a ridiculous amount of shots
2-kid runs like a deer, surprisingly fast end to end and can keep up with our guards for the most part

 

[Cusefan0307]

I don't see Lydon playing big minutes at Center. He played there as an emergency measure last season. We have two legitimate Centers this season, so I don't see why we'd put him that far out of position again.

Someone's going to have to sit the bench if we get White. It's not going to be our best frontcourt player.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Right, we don't have much news, and particularly about PC. In the past, some players participated on international teams over the summer, or attended skill camps where there were observers. We might have to wait until JB or Hop reports on the October practices.

We did get the report from Eric Devendorf when Boeheims Army practiced against players in the area.

 

[721Comstock]

I don't see Lydon playing big minutes at Center. He played there as an emergency measure last season. We have *three* legitimate Centers this season, so I don't see why we'd put him that far out of position again.

TT is also more of a legit C than Lydon is, size-wise.

Just because Rico did a commendable job at the 5 last year - out of necessity/desperation - does not mean he's going to play there much, if at all, this season.
Why would JB play him out of position, when there's zero need to this year?

 

[bozophobe]

he's still 7'2", and that is the most important stat of all! How could he not be better after 2 years of conditioning and practice? He's on the Wes Johnson plan! Any put backs he gives us are gravy, he just needs to get himself in the right positions on the floor, I think the blocked shots are a given after what has been reported.

There is never gravy in college basketball. Until after that final trophy is hoisted. Then we call that gravy beer or champagne. But never before.

 

[orange79]

There is never gravy in college basketball. Until after that final trophy is hoisted. Then we call that gravy beer or champagne. But never before.

Given how last year played out, I would call making the Final Four gravy.