Could we see our deepest backcourt in years???

[007]

Your right on the misquote statement. But BJ will have a chance to earn minutes at 2-3 positions on the floor and I say pt. forward because of his ability to handle the rock and good decision making abilities. These are the positions that need to be filled with quality play and he is going to get a chance to make his mark as his has already started since day one of coming on campus and day one after the State Title game. It is going to be a competitive battle for playing time for all of them because of all of the talent on the team which could only improve the team. And for the record, BJ has and was recruited by SU to play 2-3 from the beginning and the more they saw him they playing the 2 more than the 3 became evident because of his skills. He was also recruited by ACC, BE, B10, A10 and other colleges to start at the 2 0r 3 or play meaningful minutes for them. He'll be ready.

As you already know, continue to take the vast majority of opinions stated here with a huge grain of salt. Fans will be fans, but nothing matters until the players play.

From the little I actually "know" about BJ, I am guessing that he will bring one particular skill to this team that will be in very short supply this year......shooting! I think this aspect of the team's overall ability, or lack thereof, is being underestimated. So, IF BJ provides that talent, he will see quality minutes this year IMO (insert grain of salt here).

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Is it possible that BJ will also get some scrap minutes at the 2? Sure it is, and again I'm not knocking your insight from conversations with the coaches, but I don't understand how he could usurp Cooney or Mike G or leap over a fellow freshman that was actually recruited to play the 2.

Does this all equal depth? I think that depends upon how you look at it. When looking back at the 2011-12 team, and specifically the backcourt, we had great depth because MCW and Waiters could have started for 95%+ teams in the country. This year we could make an argument that Cooney or G (whoever doesn't start) would likely be a starter on most other teams. But would Buss? Or would BJ start elsewhere at the 2? I’m just not comfortable assuming two incoming freshman constitute the same quality depth at guard as two guys that went on to be lottery picks. Perhaps I'm wrong and if so I’ll be delighted to eat my words.

I understand we are on a fan board but the Orange colored glasses are getting out of control.

1. Who is arguing that the loser in SU's backcourt race is a starter elsewhere? The sg looks to be the weak link this year. Cooney was the worst 3rd guard SU has had in a long time. MG averaged about 5 ppg against D level Euros. These don't look like lotto picks that had to wait their turn (which is when the starter for another team statements made the most sense - ie MCW, Dion).

2. We do not have the best depth in the backcourt in years, we have the worst. SU really has no backup pg, we'll need to convert Buss. We have an incredibly unsettled sg situation. The reason BJ is mentioned at the 2 is because it is the weakest link. BJ seems like a coachable kid and will play active D. If he does the above and shows a good 3 pt shot, I could see time coming his way. Two years ago this would not have been an option, he would have been behind MCW. Last year was bad because Cooney was our third guard, but the situation does not get better by penciling him in as the starter.

 

[OGBJ20]

I understand we are on a fan board but the Orange colored glasses are getting out of control.

1. Who is arguing that the loser in SU's backcourt race is a starter elsewhere? The sg looks to be the weak link this year. Cooney was the worst 3rd guard SU has had in a long time. MG averaged about 5 ppg against D level Euros. These don't look like lotto picks that had to wait their turn (which is when the starter for another team statements made the most sense - ie MCW, Dion).

2. We do not have the best depth in the backcourt in years, we have the worst. SU really has no backup pg, we'll need to convert Buss. We have an incredibly unsettled sg situation. The reason BJ is mentioned at the 2 is because it is the weakest link. BJ seems like a coachable kid and will play active D. If he does the above and shows a good 3 pt shot, I could see time coming his way. Two years ago this would not have been an option, he would have been behind MCW. Last year was bad because Cooney was our third guard, but the situation does not get better by penciling him in as the starter.

The reason BJ is mentioned at the 2 is because the coaching staff believe that he is a player that possess guard/swingman skills that allow him to play multiple positions in this system. They also see him as a 2 on the next level as well at his size and increasing ability to play the game. That comes from the SU coaching staff as they have become more familiar with him through daily workouts over the past 5wks. I agree that the backcourt situation for playing time is up for grabs and should be a great challenge for the players to earn minutes on the floor. Personally, I think that BJ will get a great opportunity to earn meaningful minutes at multiple positions on the floor if he continues to improve and impress the coaching staff. If the glasses are Orange that is because the coaches and players are coloring them Orange through decision making based on the players ability as seen in workouts, etc.

 

[OGBJ20]

I understand we are on a fan board but the Orange colored glasses are getting out of control.

1. Who is arguing that the loser in SU's backcourt race is a starter elsewhere? The sg looks to be the weak link this year. Cooney was the worst 3rd guard SU has had in a long time. MG averaged about 5 ppg against D level Euros. These don't look like lotto picks that had to wait their turn (which is when the starter for another team statements made the most sense - ie MCW, Dion).

2. We do not have the best depth in the backcourt in years, we have the worst. SU really has no backup pg, we'll need to convert Buss. We have an incredibly unsettled sg situation. The reason BJ is mentioned at the 2 is because it is the weakest link. BJ seems like a coachable kid and will play active D. If he does the above and shows a good 3 pt shot, I could see time coming his way. Two years ago this would not have been an option, he would have been behind MCW. Last year was bad because Cooney was our third guard, but the situation does not get better by penciling him in as the starter.

The other thing is that BJ is still growing and maturing as a player physically and from a skill standpoint at the age 172/3yrs old. So it is safe to say that he could be a player with a huge skill set to adapt to playing multiple spots even if he is taller/bigger. You don't loose your skills if you have acquired them. He still has a lot of room to grow which is a good thing while earning a chance to play in this process.

 

[OGBJ20]

I understand we are on a fan board but the Orange colored glasses are getting out of control.

1. Who is arguing that the loser in SU's backcourt race is a starter elsewhere? The sg looks to be the weak link this year. Cooney was the worst 3rd guard SU has had in a long time. MG averaged about 5 ppg against D level Euros. These don't look like lotto picks that had to wait their turn (which is when the starter for another team statements made the most sense - ie MCW, Dion).

2. We do not have the best depth in the backcourt in years, we have the worst. SU really has no backup pg, we'll need to convert Buss. We have an incredibly unsettled sg situation. The reason BJ is mentioned at the 2 is because it is the weakest link. BJ seems like a coachable kid and will play active D. If he does the above and shows a good 3 pt shot, I could see time coming his way. Two years ago this would not have been an option, he would have been behind MCW. Last year was bad because Cooney was our third guard, but the situation does not get better by penciling him in as the starter.

As a fan of the game, I believe that all this talk about starters, playing time adds to the intensity level of practices and makes the players work hard if they want to play. Additionally, it increases the competitive edge in practice as the players challenge each other instead of going up against a lot of walk-ons. Whoever is on the floor will definitely be ready to kick some butt and the players in the rotation/on the bench will be chomping at the bit to rip into someone. For the first time in a while and because of the more athletic conference you may see JB count higher than 8 and move to 10-11 in some cases in a game. But I will state again because of the depth of the players on scholarship with the intentions of playing, I would think that the players would have a serious CHIP on their shoulder to play effectively when called upon. OH by the way, I'm just posting, texting and face booking until I get the party started later. GO ORANGE, LETS GET AFTER ITSUball

 

[Shermthegeneral]

I'll give my opinion after midnight madness! I need to see players in a game playing in JB's system to give a fair assessment.

I'm always nervous when we have our starting point guard coming in as a freshman! It reminds me to much of the 1996-97 team with Jason Hart, Ramel Lloyd and LeSean Howard. That was the one of the only Cuse teams that that I can remember that only won 19 games and it was a pretty bad team with bad chemistry.

 

[cuseincincy]

For the first time in a while and because of the more athletic conference you may see JB count higher than 8 and move to 10-11 in some cases in a game.

It's official now! You sir based on the above statement are now fully indoctrinated into Orange Fan(atic)dom! So many years at this time we look at the upcoming years roster and say this exact thing. We've said it so many times it has sort of become a punchline on this board. "How can we not play 9 or 10 players? Who's he gonna sit?" Inevitably we usually see it reduced to 7 or 8. Just last year we were positive we had to play 9, afterall, we only had 9. And to be honest if it weren't for Coleman's injury I think we would have seen all 9 most of the season. My measuring stick is 10 minutes means you're in the rotation. Cooney barely hit that mark, Coelman didn't and Grant wouldn't have if it were not for South's suspension. In my opinion by the end of the season we were close to a 6 man rotation with Grant and Cooney getting minimal time. JB plays his best guys, a lot. It's hard to argue with his success (darn near impossible actually). Will we see more players this year? Only until he figures out who his best are. Keita, Coleman, Christmas, Fair, Grant, Ennis, and likely Gbinje are going to play alot. In my humble orange colored opinion, whoever among the rest of the players shows he can hit the outside shot will join those 7 in a what becomes an 8 man rotation the 2nd half of the year. The guy I can't figure out is Roberson. By all acounts he is a serious player. But is he good enough for JB to want to sit either CJ or Grant in order to get him PT? I just hope whoever ends up on the outside of the rotation keeps their head up. MCW is a living testament that good things come to those that wait (and work hard, and have talent). Best of luck to all the players. I think JB ceratinly has the puzzle pieces to choose from.