Elephant in the Room...

[newmexicuse]

A lot of discussion about the backcourt. The backcourt will be very strong one way or the other. JJ and Westry will be plus players. If Judah comes back, the backcourt will be just plain excellent. Maybe westry can then play some three. I think we will be adequate at center with MacLeod and Hima.

what about the rest of the front court. A lot of hopes that Benny finally puts it together. I think he will be good overall, but will have some stinkers. Bell, Q, Brown,and JT are all questions. We need one or two of them to make the jump, but if we can get a starting caliber plus frontcourt guy from the portal, I think everything else solidifies.

As for Red, I think the recruiting and portal gets prove the players will love him. I think we improve even in year 1 on his watch.

I for one, am really looking forward to the season for the first time in quite awhile.

 

[Orangezoo]

A lot of discussion about the backcourt. The backcourt will be very strong one way or the other. JJ and Westry will be plus players. If Judah comes back, the backcourt will be just plain excellent. Maybe westry can then play some three. I think we will be adequate at center with MacLeod and Hima.

what about the rest of the front court. A lot of hopes that Benny finally puts it together. I think he will be good overall, but will have some stinkers. Bell, Q, Brown,and JT are all questions. We need one or two of them to make the jump, but if we can get a starting caliber plus frontcourt guy from the portal, I think everything else solidifies.

As for Red, I think the recruiting and portal gets prove the players will love him. I think we improve even in year 1 on his watch.

I for one, am really looking forward to the season for the first time in quite awhile.

More than any season in a long time excited to see the vision and the process. Results being the cherry on top if they come with.

 

[Nicknack]

A lot of discussion about the backcourt. The backcourt will be very strong one way or the other. JJ and Westry will be plus players. If Judah comes back, the backcourt will be just plain excellent. Maybe westry can then play some three. I think we will be adequate at center with MacLeod and Hima.

what about the rest of the front court. A lot of hopes that Benny finally puts it together. I think he will be good overall, but will have some stinkers. Bell, Q, Brown,and JT are all questions. We need one or two of them to make the jump, but if we can get a starting caliber plus frontcourt guy from the portal, I think everything else solidifies.

As for Red, I think the recruiting and portal gets prove the players will love him. I think we improve even in year 1 on his watch.

I for one, am really looking forward to the season for the first time in quite awhile.

Good questions about the front court but is that the elephant? Seems like that has been discussed a ton. I think many just stopped talking about picking up a proven forward in the portal once it became clear red is good rolling with Benny, Bell, and Brown.

If Judah returns (or we get a replacement starter), things look a lot brighter because that should mean we have one of the spots fairly well filled, between Westry, Bell, and maybe JT.

As for Brown, he's the one player I don't feel like we should have questions about. If he could develop a jumper, that would be fantastic, although what he brings to the table is quite good.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I expect Westry or Copeland to start at SF.

 

[Orangezoo]

I expect Westry or Copeland to start at SF.

Me too.. I have seen the references to Bell starting too ( not from staff). If he does I would hope that is the result of making big strides over the summer. That said I would bet outside Judah returning- who starts doesn't matter all that much...

 

[Nicknack]

I really like Cope. But him starting at the 3?? Where do our outside shots come from if Benny isn't hitting them? I hope some day Cope can get to play his natural position.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I really like Cope. But him starting at the 3?? Where do our outside shots come from if Benny isn't hitting them? I hope some day Cope can get to play his natural position.

Just reading tea leaves based on posts from Dasher. We really need Starling to regain his shooting form and/or Bell/Taylor to emerge.

 

[Melancer46]

More than any season in a long time excited to see the vision and the process. Results being the cherry on top if they come with.

This is really it for me. If Judah comes back, I will have actual expectations for the team to be pretty good. Assuming he does not, my expectations will be low but I will be excited to watch and see what the team looks like.

 

[swish7]

I for one, am really looking forward to the season for the first time in quite awhile.

The elephant in the room is the wins and losses. All of this is cute and good for selling tickets, but ultimately it comes down to the wins and losses.

That said, Red's batting pretty well so far.

 

[Orangezoo]

The elephant in the room is the wins and losses. All of this is cute and good for selling tickets, but ultimately it comes down to the wins and losses.

That said, Red's batting pretty well so far.

It will be. But a major uptick in that dept this year would be gravy not the benchmark( unless Judah returns as noted). 24-25 though- yeah it's time to start measuring.

 

[newmexicuse]

Good questions about the front court but is that the elephant? Seems like that has been discussed a ton. I think many just stopped talking about picking up a proven forward in the portal once it became clear red is good rolling with Benny, Bell, and Brown.

If Judah returns (or we get a replacement starter), things look a lot brighter because that should mean we have one of the spots fairly well filled, between Westry, Bell, and maybe JT.

As for Brown, he's the one player I don't feel like we should have questions about. If he could develop a jumper, that would be fantastic, although what he brings to the table is quite good.

I said it was the elephant because there hasnt been a lot of recent discussion about the frontcourt and IMHO, that is our weakness. If we can solve the weakness then we can think about dancing. If we get "good" Benny 75 to 80% of the time that goes a long ways. And there is no guarantee we get that much "good" Benny. Everybody else is a question mark. A high level portal forward means the question is probably answered affirmatively.

I like what Brown does, but it isnt enough for a tournament team. He needs to find some O other than a putback. Remember, we will be playing with a 5 who has no O other than putbacks (unlike last season). Now, if Brown can develop a nice ten footer, a little baby hook, or simply show he can drive to the hole, that might be enough. However, in some manner he has to be able to score when given opportunities other than putbacks.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I expect Westry or Copeland to start at SF.

Westry isn’t coming here to sit behind a guy that was 8 or 9 in the rotation on a team that didn’t make the NIT.

 

[Goin' Deep]

With a new coach and the portal players, CUSE will be better.
We'll get 20 wins. Should Mintz return...the ORANGE WILL BE BAAAAAAAAD!!!!

 

[Cusefan0307]

Westry isn’t coming here to sit behind a guy that was 8 or 9 in the rotation on a team that didn’t make the NIT.

Where did I say he was going to sit?

 

[DCUNITED13]

When looking at the make-up of the team this upcoming year. Not a single Senior. We have these players (assuming no transfers) for two more years. Currently we have 2 open scholarship slots open. How many recruits are there for 2024-2025? If everyone stays we still have 2. Really need to look at the make-up of the team long term. I believe this team is build for a 2 year success. This upcoming year we squeak into the tourney as a 10/11 seed. In 2024-25 we are a Top 4 seed. If all the players stay around we have continuity and experience.

Go CUSE

 

[Scotch]

A lot of discussion about the backcourt. The backcourt will be very strong one way or the other. JJ and Westry will be plus players. If Judah comes back, the backcourt will be just plain excellent. Maybe westry can then play some three. I think we will be adequate at center with MacLeod and Hima.

what about the rest of the front court. A lot of hopes that Benny finally puts it together. I think he will be good overall, but will have some stinkers. Bell, Q, Brown,and JT are all questions. We need one or two of them to make the jump, but if we can get a starting caliber plus frontcourt guy from the portal, I think everything else solidifies.

As for Red, I think the recruiting and portal gets prove the players will love him. I think we improve even in year 1 on his watch.

I for one, am really looking forward to the season for the first time in quite awhile.

I'm hoping that a move away from zone exclusively will empower more lineup flexibility. I would love to see 3-guard lineups become our foundation given that's where a lot of our dynamic talent lives. We can get away with Chance and/or JT at the 3 and be far more "multiple" in our offensive sets with guys that can shoot/slash/dish.

 

[Scotch]

I expect Westry or Copeland to start at SF.

Totally. Those will be our best lineups.

 

[Nicknack]

Really need to look at the make-up of the team long term.

Does long term in college basketball exist anymore? I miss the good ole days.

 

[Cuse4455]

The elephant wouldn't fit in the room because its too big.

 

[0.2 YNdeeR]

This is really it for me. If Judah comes back, I will have actual expectations for the team to be pretty good. Assuming he does not, my expectations will be low but I will be excited to watch and see what the team looks like.

I'm somewhat hopeful about Judah returning. At the bottom of the second round or UDFA, his path is improbable. If he stays anyway, our half-court offense becomes a concern ... none of the (IMO) likely starters at 1-4 (JJ, Westry, Bell, Benny) is a high volume scorer. That could be a problem.

Signs of hope are: Benny's good shooting (edit) percentage and his play towards the end of last season; Bell improving his shot and playmaking; and Westry and JJ I being very dangerous at getting in the lane. The latter can create a lot of problems for defenses with shooters outside and a 7-4 guy inside who's almost unstoppable at lobs. We also have a decent bench with JT/QC/Malik and can run up tempo and press. Interesting group so far ... it'll be fascinating to see if Red can grab someone out of the portal to add to the mix.

 

[Niastri]

Westry isn’t coming here to sit behind a guy that was 8 or 9 in the rotation on a team that didn’t make the NIT.

If Mintz comes back, the starters are pretty much locked in:

G Mintz
G Starling
G Westry
Williams
C McLeod

Rotation of Bell, Brown, Taylor, Copeland, Hima.

After that, Carey and Patterson if everybody else is hurt or fouled out.

This could be a rotation where a whole lot of players get between 15-25 minutes and everybody gets after it really hard when they are on the court. No more Marathon Men unless we go 6 overtimes again.

My biggest concern with this lineup is that Westry comes in and he's so much better than Bell in practices where even Bell and whatever crew he has can't help but admit Westry starting makes sense. Otherwise, it could be a chemistry issue in Red's first season, which would makes things harder. Giving Bell 25 minutes off the bench could make that better.

Secondly is that Mintz, Starling, Westry and Williams shoot well enough where we aren't forced to sub one of them out for Taylor or Bell when Red doesn't really want to.

 

[skeeter223]

If Mintz comes back, the starters are pretty much locked in:

G Mintz
G Starling
G Westry
Williams
C McLeod

Rotation of Bell, Brown, Taylor, Copeland, Hima.

After that, Carey and Patterson if everybody else is hurt or fouled out.

This could be a rotation where a whole lot of players get between 15-25 minutes and everybody gets after it really hard when they are on the court. No more Marathon Men unless we go 6 overtimes again.

My biggest concern with this lineup is that Westry comes in and he's so much better than Bell in practices where even Bell and whatever crew he has can't help but admit Westry starting makes sense. Otherwise, it could be a chemistry issue in Red's first season, which would makes things harder. Giving Bell 25 minutes off the bench could make that better.

Secondly is that Mintz, Starling, Westry and Williams shoot well enough where we aren't forced to sub one of them out for Taylor or Bell when Red doesn't really want to.

Good post. I'm excited about a 3 guard offense. There may be occasions when we go to 4 guards with Copeland on the floor.

 

[Niastri]

I'm still hopeful about Judah. At the bottom of the second round or UDFA, his path is improbable. If he stays anyway, our half-court offense becomes a concern ... none of the likely starters at 1-4 (JJ, Westry, Bell, Benny) is anywhere near a dead eye shooter. That could be a problem.

Signs of hope are: Benny's play towards the end of last season; Bell improving his shot and playmaking; and Westry and JJ I being very dangerous at getting in the lane. This can create a lot of problems for defenses with decent shooters outside and a 7-4 guy who's almost unstoppable at lobs. We also have a decent bench with JT/QC/Malik and can run up tempo and press. Interesting group so far ... it'll be fascinating to see if Red can grab someone out of the portal to add to the mix.

I'd like to point out, again, that Williams shot a better percentage from three last year than Girard and McNamara ever did in their career. He's not a bad shooter, and we can expect he'll get more opportunities under a faster offensive system.

Although Westry was really bad last year, the other guys are at least palatable from range.

They should shoot well enough to keep teams from clogging the lane. If they aren't, we can put Taylor or Bell in to loosen things up.

We will be multiple.

(Not to bring Paul Pasqualoni into the conversation.)

 

[Orangezoo]

I'd like to point out, again, that Williams shot a better percentage from three last year than Girard and McNamara ever did in their career. He's not a bad shooter, and we can expect he'll get more opportunities under a faster offensive system.

Although Westry was really bad last year, the other guys are at least palatable from range.

They should shoot well enough to keep teams from clogging the lane. If they aren't, we can put Taylor or Bell in to loosen things up.

We will be multiple.

(Not to bring Paul Pasqualoni into the conversation.)

That's not accurate. Joe shot over 40 pct last year (21-22).

 

[0.2 YNdeeR]

I'd like to point out, again, that Williams shot a better percentage from three last year than Girard and McNamara ever did in their career. He's not a bad shooter, and we can expect he'll get more opportunities under a faster offensive system.

Although Westry was really bad last year, the other guys are at least palatable from range.

They should shoot well enough to keep teams from clogging the lane. If they aren't, we can put Taylor or Bell in to loosen things up.

We will be multiple.

(Not to bring Paul Pasqualoni into the conversation.)

Lol to "multiple" and PP. And you don't need to tell me twice about Benny. He was close to 40% from 3. It's not his percentage; its the attempts that are the concern. Can he get himself open? I think with playmakers like JJ and Westry, Benny and Bell will get better looks. That's what athletic guards can do for you, along with pressing, running and lobs to McCleod.