dajuan coleman

[tbonezone]

just want to know if he is indeed available to play if needed. yesterdays game and the foul trouble on the bigs had me worried about going into OT without a BIG . can dajuan give us some limited minutes inside if we need him or is he injured and unable to go ? just curious.

 

[SBU72]

just want to know if he is indeed available to play if needed. yesterdays game and the foul trouble on the bigs had me worried about going into OT without a BIG . can dajuan give us some limited minutes inside if we need him or is he injured and unable to go ? just curious.

As the game wound down and there was a fair chance of OT, I thought back to the 6OT game. In that game a freshman Kris Joseph got thrown into the fire to defend the UConn bigs and proceeded to do a decent job. I wondered if DC2 would be put in that situation. Of course the game was so long that the UConn centers ended up fouling out so Joseph did not have formibable foes to face. How would DC2 have made out?

 

[tptcuse]

Can we all answer a question with a question?

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Can we all answer a question with a question?

Why do you ask that?

 

[br801]

just want to know if he is indeed available to play if needed. yesterdays game and the foul trouble on the bigs had me worried about going into OT without a BIG . can dajuan give us some limited minutes inside if we need him or is he injured and unable to go ? just curious.

As far as I know, he is healthy and available to play if needed.

 

[tptcuse]

Why do you ask that?

Are you curious about my motivation?

 

[Marsh01]

just want to know if he is indeed available to play if needed. yesterdays game and the foul trouble on the bigs had me worried about going into OT without a BIG . can dajuan give us some limited minutes inside if we need him or is he injured and unable to go ? just curious.

The only way he lays IMO is if we get into serious foul trouble and he has to play. Giving him some minutes just to get him in the game isnt going to happen for the rest of the season. In fact I would be surprised if we see him play 1 more minute this year. Kind of like MCW last year where he was basically shut down

 

[kingtidge]

I think that he's a last resort at this stage of the season.

He simply doesn't operate in the defense well.

Now, you can certainly say, "What, he's had all season to get competent on defense!", but it is what it is...

Wouldn't be the first time we had a frosh center who never got the defensive approach year 1...

 

[RF2044]

just want to know if he is indeed available to play if needed. yesterdays game and the foul trouble on the bigs had me worried about going into OT without a BIG . can dajuan give us some limited minutes inside if we need him or is he injured and unable to go ? just curious.

The time for Dejuan to get into the game yesterday was in the first half, when we established a double digit lead. At that point, both Rak / Keita had 2 fouls apiece, and I thought we might see Dejuan play a few minutes there toward the end of the half when we had a little bit of a cushion. Hard to have a guy JB doesn't trust sit multiple games, then throw him in during the second half of a closely contested game.

Marsh01 had a good point about DC2 before yesterday's game--if he gets in there, it is probably an emergency situation that doesn't bode well. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing him get a few minutes of time [especially in the first half], just to enable us to run subs and get some fresher legs. Boeheim did a good job of doing that yesterday [in my opinion], playing 8 and getting guys in there to give the key players a blow. Cooney produced; so did Grant and Keita.

 

[pearl31]

The only way he lays IMO is if we get into serious foul trouble and he has to play. Giving him some minutes just to get him in the game isnt going to happen for the rest of the season. In fact I would be surprised if we see him play 1 more minute this year. Kind of like MCW last year where he was basically shut down

Well, if yesterday wasn't serious foul trouble I don't know what is.

 

[ImperialOrange]

As far as I know, he is healthy and available to play if needed.

I think he's healthy enough but nowhere near game shape at the moment. 4+ weeks off due to surgery will do that especially since he's pushing 280 lbs up and down the court.

 

[Marsh01]

Well, if yesterday wasn't serious foul trouble I don't know what is.

I meant if both guys get 3 fouls in the first half, both have 4 with 10 minutes left, both foul out. That type of scenario.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Are you curious about my motivation?

Wouldn't you expect that after your past post?

 

[pearl31]

both have 4 with 10 minutes left, both foul out. That type of scenario.

but that was pretty much the situation yesterday

 

[br801]

Well, if yesterday wasn't serious foul trouble I don't know what is.

Serious means both Rak and BMK have fouled out. Even then, JB might opt to play Grant, CJ or Southy in the back of the zone before using DC2, if he thought he could get away with it. Let's hope we don't get the chance to see what JB would do.

 

[br801]

I think he's healthy enough but nowhere near game shape at the moment. 4+ weeks off due to surgery will do that especially since he's pushing 280 lbs up and down the court.

I believe JB views him as too much of a defensive liability at this point (and rightly so). And that's unfortunate, because he could certainly help on the defensive glass. Those extended possessions Pitt was getting in the second half were a main reason they were able to get back in the game late, and the possibility of that happening going forward concerns me.

 

[Texas Otto]

So your saying there's a chance

 

[KevMonstah]

I was hoping he could play, and honestly, there's no excuse why he shouldn't because you have to try hard to put up a worse statline than Rak and Keita did yesterday in their combined 41 minutes:


2-3 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 offensive reb (that's O-N-E), 1 defensive reb (grr), 0 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, 2 turnovers,
9 fouls, 4 points, and one near disastrous goaltend by Keita with 1:15 to go, and SU up 4.

And not that they were any serious defensive presence or offensive catalyst in a second half that Pitt outscored SU 32-22 and outrebounded them 26-10.

Kev

 

[tbonezone]

i thank everyone for their replies and surmise that the answer is YES. dajuan is available if we need him.
that's good news to me.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I believe JB views him as too much of a defensive liability at this point (and rightly so). And that's unfortunate, because he could certainly help on the defensive glass. Those extended possessions Pitt was getting in the second half were a main reason they were able to get back in the game late, and the possibility of that happening going forward concerns me.

Yep, an even barely functional DC would have won us that Marquette game. No way their fatty goes off like he did if DC was there playing even credible defense.