How they look to me so far ... | Syracusefan.com

How they look to me so far ...

IthacaMatt

Old Timer / Unofficial Contributor for 25+ years
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I see a bunch of people posting thoughts to start threads, and I look forward to what everybody else thinks. I've seen some "woe are we" posts so far, and yes, a close game against LeMoyne raises an eyebrow or two. Haven't read anybody else's thoughts yet, but look forward to doing so.

My sense of where we are right now:

I'm thinking of team development over a season. Even though you may have holdover players, anybody who played sports understands that every year you build a new team. Today's portal only amplifies that.

You install plays on offense and defense. You run drills to get players in competitive condition. Leaders emerge in practice. Who makes the plays?

Last year, none of our guys (mostly sophomores) had ever really played man defense since high school. Nearly all of them were AAU guys, where they play too many competitive tournaments to actually learn good fundamentals, like they used to coach a generation or two ago.

It took until the middle to end of December for us not to look completely ridiculous on defense, just as all our biggest guys were going down. Somehow, Red made it functional for a good stretch of the season.

Up until then, as I remember it anyway, our offense was hero ball and bad fast breaks where people usually made the wrong decision.

After learning Defense 101, I felt like Red began teaching them Motion Offense 101 in January, and by February, our offense had more motion, back screens, cuts through the lane, 3 man weave, etc., than we did before.

OK, so we've seen 3 games - they all kind felt like warm-ups, didn't they?

I see four guys who are going to play the two big man spots. And I feel like all of the have something to offer.

Eddie and Jyare Davis are the experienced guys. They are developing nice high-low energy, kind of like Rick & Arinze, back in the day. Early days, of course, but there is chemistry there.

Having Eddie is going to cost us some interior put-backs; he's like a B- defender. But he is physically tough, seems pretty fit compared to last year, and is a good offensive rebounder.

So is Jyare Davis, a very solid offensive rebounder. His best game, of course, was LeMoyne, but the message from the exhibitions got through - "Your role is to be the enforcer, defender, tough guy down low. Get us boards, get us put-backs." I feel like both of these guys are very solid for 15-20 minutes.

And then you have the other two. Donnie Freeman has gotten better each game so far. He worked harder on the boards vs. LeMoyne than in the first 2 exhibitions and had a double-double. Donnie is going to be very good, but he might not be the closer. Maybe by the spring, but his effort is still inconsistent. His thought process is a bit slow; he doesn't react quite quick enough yet.

Finally, you have Petar. He's a really solid dude. He plays the game hard, he plays the right way. He looks for the pass, he works the offensive and defense glass, he attacks the rim. I love this guy. He is SO essential to our front court. We could actually withstand a short-term injury to the big men, and still survive.

What about Naheem? I loved his 10-15 minutes against Slippery Rock, and thought he was very effective. I was also kind of surprised that he saw zero minutes against LeMoyne. We need to use him a bit to keep him engaged and developing, even if it's only 1 or 2 four-minute shifts. We will need him later this year.

LeMoyne wasn't really that small. They were more athletic than they used to be recently, and are obviously recruiting the portal well. I could definitely see them making a post-season tournament.

OK, what about the guards? JJ has been pretty good; not a superstar, but looks like he might be able to give us a Tyus Battle type of season as a scorer. He has generally put forth what I think is a decent effort on defense, but he's an average defender - makes some nice plays, but also gets beat 3-4 times a game. So, I'm trying to be honest here. JJ has the rangy build that, if he continues to gain confidence, could turn into that "go-to" guy that we seek. I thought he was pretty good in stretches so far, including the last 10 minutes vs. LeMoyne.

Carlos is a key piece to this team. I'm a bit disappointed that he looks as important as he does. To me, so far, he's more John Gillon than Tyler Ennis or Jonny Flynn. His defense has not been great so far, but his playmaking has been quite good. We run the offense much better with him in there, and it's clear that the other players look to him as the guy to steady the offense.

I'm disappointed that Cuffe has shown so little in the first 3 opportunities. I thought he could do more. He has to work harder in practice. JJ is not a great PG option. Minutes are available for someone. Speaking of which - 3 games and still no Chance Westry.

Quadir Copeland was last season's X Factor for Red's offense - he wants a SF who is good enough to share the playmaking and ball handling responsibilities. Aside from taking pressure off the 2 guards, it helps guard against the press. We don't have that yet. I don't think we necessarily will, unless it's Westry.

Chopper Moore didn't make use of his time against LeMoyne, but looked good in the other 2 scrimmages. Lucas saw more time this last game, but was not as good as against Slippery Rock. Talented, but inconsistent. But his athleticism will ensure that he gets some time. Not a good enough handle to be that 3rd guard, though. You could see Red tried him in that role a couple times, but it hasn't clicked yet.

Let's talk about Chris Bell. Personality wise, I feel like he and JJ are not "big enough" personalities to preen at the camera and scream after making a shot. But these are our guys.

It's kind of like how the 2001 team relied on seniors Damone Brown and Allen Griffen - not All Americans, but experienced guys. Not loud and boisterous, but they knew how to play. That's kind of what I see in Chris and JJ so far. And that's OK, we have had many winning teams that were collectives, and not star-driven.

Back to Chris's game so far this season. My gosh, he looks so much better! Games 1 and 3, he attacked the basket, made some good quick dribble moves, scored at the rim, and even had a put back or two. Game 2, he mostly shot 3's (and made them). His effort on defense looks improved. He's not stellar but I would call him a "B" defender so far. And that's an improvement.

So, what does this all add up to? How good could we be?

I think these guys need another month or two of practice. I expect them to continue to get better. I see a lot of good things. Their chemistry is not quite there yet, but to me, they look like they are trying to do the right things. If our outside shooting is hot, we could knock off a couple of these name opponents in the next month.
 
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OK, just for fun, here is my SU Comps list for how this year's team looks to me so far:

JJ Starling = Tyus Battle

Jaquan Carlos = John Gillon - maybe a little less 3 pt shooting, but more midrange game

Eddie Lampkin - somewhere between Andre Hawkins and Rick Jackson

Chris Bell = James Southerland

Donnie Freeman = Sophomore Jerami Grant

Petar Majstorovic = Sean Kerins JR/SR year

Choppa Moore = Early Scoop Jardine

Naheem McLeod = Jeremy McNeil

Jyare Davis = poor man's Paul Harris

Lucas Taylor = so far, Tony Bland

Kyle Cuffe = Josh Wright

Chance Westry = Billy Edelin / Schea Cotton

So, how good a lineup do we really have?

We look weak in the backcourt, to be honest, compared to past teams / SU standards. Our forwards look to be the strength of the team.

I think it's a matter of these guys learning how to play together, and developing chemistry.

Red has to keep playing a lot of guys, not these no-shows like he just did with Cuffe, Naheem and Choppa in the LeMoyne game.

Nobody on this team has earned their spots yet. We have no idea yet about our rotations.
 
Chance Westry - does anyone here know how far along he is in his rehab? Is he competing at full bore in practices?

Donnie Freeman’s development is the big key to this team. He needs to develop his left hand and he needs to use his 6ft 10 in height to finish stronger. Presumably he will get better on defense. I would compare him to Chris McCullough - though Chris might have been more ready day one.
 
OK, just for fun, here is my SU Comps list for how this year's team looks to me so far:

JJ Starling = Tyus Battle

Jaquan Carlos = John Gillon - maybe a little less 3 pt shooting, but more midrange game

Eddie Lampkin - somewhere between Andre Hawkins and Rick Jackson

Chris Bell = James Southerland

Donnie Freeman = Sophomore Jerami Grant

Petar Majstorovic = Sean Kerins JR/SR year

Choppa Moore = Early Scoop Jardine

Naheem McLeod = Jeremy McNeil

Jyare Davis = poor man's Paul Harris

Lucas Taylor = so far, Tony Bland

Kyle Cuffe = Josh Wright

Chance Westry = Billy Edelin / Schea Cotton

So, how good a lineup do we really have?

We look weak in the backcourt, to be honest, compared to past teams / SU standards. Our forwards look to be the strength of the team.

I think it's a matter of these guys learning how to play together, and developing chemistry.

Red has to keep playing a lot of guys, not these no-shows like he just did with Cuffe, Naheem and Choppa in the LeMoyne game.

Nobody on this team has earned their spots yet. We have no idea yet about our rotations.
southerland was a good rebounder...but shooting wise, ok

choppa and scoop have nothing in common

naheem is more like chukwu

cuffe us nowhere near josh wright

westry is a mystery no point in trying with him#

i actually like ther freeman grant comp

based on jyares first game harris wishes he was davis

gillon and carlos are both small but very different...gillon wasnt a good facilitator just a shooter...carlos isnt a good shooter but can pass
 
Schea Cotton? What. What a random, non-SU comp!

Not really, if you followed recruiting way back then.

Or I suppose I could have said Winfred Walton. (Guys who never played for us ...)

But like Westry, Cotton overwhelmed HS players with a similar game to Westry. Cotton was a serious target, but never played for us, had multiple injuries that derailed his career, and got a bit of time in the SEC, like Westry, but that was pretty much it for his career.

That was my free association process.
 
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southerland was a good rebounder...but shooting wise, ok

choppa and scoop have nothing in common

naheem is more like chukwu

cuffe us nowhere near josh wright

westry is a mystery no point in trying with him#

i actually like ther freeman grant comp

based on jyares first game harris wishes he was davis

gillon and carlos are both small but very different...gillon wasnt a good facilitator just a shooter...carlos isnt a good shooter but can pass
If Davis comes in the ballpark of the production of Paul Harris then it's a big win.
 
southerland was a good rebounder...but shooting wise, ok

choppa and scoop have nothing in common

naheem is more like chukwu

cuffe us nowhere near josh wright

westry is a mystery no point in trying with him#

i actually like ther freeman grant comp

based on jyares first game harris wishes he was davis

gillon and carlos are both small but very different...gillon wasnt a good facilitator just a shooter...carlos isnt a good shooter but can pass

Southerland only got 3 rebounds a game as a junior and 5 as a senior. Shumpert was a better rebounder than that. But Southerland had real athleticism, like Chris does.

With Choppa, I understand what you're saying, but I'm not going to compare him to Dion, at least not yet. Choppa doesn't have a strong handle yet, and neither did Scoop at the beginning. Choppa can't drive like Dion. Scoop's dribble was kind of high, and he was in love with his 3 point shot - a similarity to me. Similar build too (although Scoop got a little thick in the middle over time ...). I might have also said Jalen Carey, but Choppa will be a much better shooter.

Sure, I'll give you Chukwu instead of McNeil. Good call. I was trying to think of an offensively challenged C who could swat a lot of shots.

John Gillon gave us 5.4 assists a game, one of our most productive PGs in the last 10 years, so I disagree with you there that he wasn't a facilitator. The team may have lost a lot of games early to derail their season before it really got momentum. Carlos made an average of 33% from three these past 2 years, so don't write him off as a shooter just yet.

The Westry comp was intended to be joking - the mystery man who appears then disappears (Edelin) or who never suits up for us at all (Cotton).
 
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If Davis comes in the ballpark of the production of Paul Harris then it's a big win.
harris averaged 12 pts 8 reb for his career (while never being doubled)

last season, davis avged 17 pts 8 reb (while being mostly double teamed)

i'll be shocked if davis isnt in harris' ballpark in stats this year...and frankly expect him to better what harris did

if the Lemoyne game didnt convince you (it did convince me) note that Davis also dropped 17 and 8 on Villanove in an NCAAT game in 2022
 
If Davis comes in the ballpark of the production of Paul Harris then it's a big win.

Might not be that hard - Paul averaged 12 pts, 8 reb and shot in the low 20s from three.
 
Might not be that hard - Paul averaged 12 pts, 8 reb and shot in the low 20s from three.
But around 50% overall. He had some total bozo moments and many had lofty expectations which he never met, but he was a very solid player here and the jabs he got didn’t make sense at all, ESPECIALLY when you see some of the players we’ve had here in the last 6 years.
 
harris averaged 12 pts 8 reb for his career (while never being doubled)

last season, davis avged 17 pts 8 reb (while being mostly double teamed)

i'll be shocked if davis isnt in harris' ballpark in stats this year...and frankly expect him to better what harris did

if the Lemoyne game didnt convince you (it did convince me) note that Davis also dropped 17 and 8 on Villanove in an NCAAT game in 2022
If he does, he's exceeded expectations. All for it.
 
I think we are huge and skilled with Freeman, Lampkin and Jayare - Freeman is gonna be a different player by January - we have no depth whatsoever at guard and I’m not sold at all on Carlos
 
I don't think my opinion of the team has changed we are going to be bad on defense and should be good on offense.

We will lose games we should win or have close games like LeMoyne when our offense doesn't show up.
We will win some games we shouldn't when our offense goes nuts.
I don't really think we will have "good" defensive games as I just don't think we have any great individual defensive players so we will have to outscore everyone. That doesn't mean that sometimes an individual can make a singular great defensive play like Bell did to end the game but overall it will be few and far between.

The season should be a roller coaster.
 
I think we are huge and skilled with Freeman, Lampkin and Jayare - Freeman is gonna be a different player by January - we have no depth whatsoever at guard and I’m not sold at all on Carlos

Carlos is going to be ok, but defensively, I agree with others who have said we will probably play some zone again this year, like we did last year. Our guards are going to have trouble staying in front of people.
 
I don't think my opinion of the team has changed we are going to be bad on defense and should be good on offense.

We will lose games we should win or have close games like LeMoyne when our offense doesn't show up.
We will win some games we shouldn't when our offense goes nuts.
I don't really think we will have "good" defensive games as I just don't think we have any great individual defensive players so we will have to outscore everyone. That doesn't mean that sometimes an individual can make a singular great defensive play like Bell did to end the game but overall it will be few and far between.

The season should be a roller coaster.

I see your points, but I think you're forgetting that the team we see in October / November is not going to be the same team we will see in January. We got better in many respects as the season went on last year, despite the losses of players.
 
I see a bunch of people posting thoughts to start threads, and I look forward to what everybody else thinks. I've seen some "woe are we" posts so far, and yes, a close game against LeMoyne raises an eyebrow or two. Haven't read anybody else's thoughts yet, but look forward to doing so.

My sense of where we are right now:

I'm thinking of team development over a season. Even though you may have holdover players, anybody who played sports understands that every year you build a new team. Today's portal only amplifies that.

You install plays on offense and defense. You run drills to get players in competitive condition. Leaders emerge in practice. Who makes the plays?

Last year, none of our guys (mostly sophomores) had ever really played man defense since high school. Nearly all of them were AAU guys, where they play too many competitive tournaments to actually learn good fundamentals, like they used to coach a generation or two ago.

It took until the middle to end of December for us not to look completely ridiculous on defense, just as all our biggest guys were going down. Somehow, Red made it functional for a good stretch of the season.

Up until then, as I remember it anyway, our offense was hero ball and bad fast breaks where people usually made the wrong decision.

After learning Defense 101, I felt like Red began teaching them Motion Offense 101 in January, and by February, our offense had more motion, back screens, cuts through the lane, 3 man weave, etc., than we did before.

OK, so we've seen 3 games - they all kind felt like warm-ups, didn't they?

I see four guys who are going to play the two big man spots. And I feel like all of the have something to offer.

Eddie and Jyare Davis are the experienced guys. They are developing nice high-low energy, kind of like Rick & Arinze, back in the day. Early days, of course, but there is chemistry there.

Having Eddie is going to cost us some interior put-backs; he's like a B- defender. But he is physically tough, seems pretty fit compared to last year, and is a good offensive rebounder.

So is Jyare Davis, a very solid offensive rebounder. His best game, of course, was LeMoyne, but the message from the exhibitions got through - "Your role is to be the enforcer, defender, tough guy down low. Get us boards, get us put-backs." I feel like both of these guys are very solid for 15-20 minutes.

And then you have the other two. Donnie Freeman has gotten better each game so far. He worked harder on the boards vs. LeMoyne than in the first 2 exhibitions and had a double-double. Donnie is going to be very good, but he might not be the closer. Maybe by the spring, but his effort is still inconsistent. His thought process is a bit slow; he doesn't react quite quick enough yet.

Finally, you have Petar. He's a really solid dude. He plays the game hard, he plays the right way. He looks for the pass, he works the offensive and defense glass, he attacks the rim. I love this guy. He is SO essential to our front court. We could actually withstand a short-term injury to the big men, and still survive.

What about Naheem? I loved his 10-15 minutes against Slippery Rock, and thought he was very effective. I was also kind of surprised that he saw zero minutes against LeMoyne. We need to use him a bit to keep him engaged and developing, even if it's only 1 or 2 four-minute shifts. We will need him later this year.

LeMoyne wasn't really that small. They were more athletic than they used to be recently, and are obviously recruiting the portal well. I could definitely see them making a post-season tournament.

OK, what about the guards? JJ has been pretty good; not a superstar, but looks like he might be able to give us a Tyus Battle type of season as a scorer. He has generally put forth what I think is a decent effort on defense, but he's an average defender - makes some nice plays, but also gets beat 3-4 times a game. So, I'm trying to be honest here. JJ has the rangy build that, if he continues to gain confidence, could turn into that "go-to" guy that we seek. I thought he was pretty good in stretches so far, including the last 10 minutes vs. LeMoyne.

Carlos is a key piece to this team. I'm a bit disappointed that he looks as important as he does. To me, so far, he's more John Gillon than Tyler Ennis or Jonny Flynn. His defense has not been great so far, but his playmaking has been quite good. We run the offense much better with him in there, and it's clear that the other players look to him as the guy to steady the offense.

I'm disappointed that Cuffe has shown so little in the first 3 opportunities. I thought he could do more. He has to work harder in practice. JJ is not a great PG option. Minutes are available for someone. Speaking of which - 3 games and still no Chance Westry.

Quadir Copeland was last season's X Factor for Red's offense - he wants a SF who is good enough to share the playmaking and ball handling responsibilities. Aside from taking pressure off the 2 guards, it helps guard against the press. We don't have that yet. I don't think we necessarily will, unless it's Westry.

Chopper Moore didn't make use of his time against LeMoyne, but looked good in the other 2 scrimmages. Lucas saw more time this last game, but was not as good as against Slippery Rock. Talented, but inconsistent. But his athleticism will ensure that he gets some time. Not a good enough handle to be that 3rd guard, though. You could see Red tried him in that role a couple times, but it hasn't clicked yet.

Let's talk about Chris Bell. Personality wise, I feel like he and JJ are not "big enough" personalities to preen at the camera and scream after making a shot. But these are our guys.

It's kind of like how the 2001 team relied on seniors Damone Brown and Allen Griffen - not All Americans, but experienced guys. Not loud and boisterous, but they knew how to play. That's kind of what I see in Chris and JJ so far. And that's OK, we have had many winning teams that were collectives, and not star-driven.

Back to Chris's game so far this season. My gosh, he looks so much better! Games 1 and 3, he attacked the basket, made some good quick dribble moves, scored at the rim, and even had a put back or two. Game 2, he mostly shot 3's (and made them). His effort on defense looks improved. He's not stellar but I would call him a "B" defender so far. And that's an improvement.

So, what does this all add up to? How good could we be?

I think these guys need another month or two of practice. I expect them to continue to get better. I see a lot of good things. Their chemistry is not quite there yet, but to me, they look like they are trying to do the right things. If our outside shooting is hot, we could knock off a couple of these name opponents in the next month.
Think you’re doing that typical fan thing of totally overrating a bad opponent who plays us close in an early game. You may have noticed Lemoyne got blown off their home floor by U Cal Northridge by 22, who in turn lost their opener to Bonnies by 14. And they were picked 4th out of 9 in the lowest rated D1 conference. More realistically than making a tournament, they are probably one of the 25 or so worst teams in D1, and will struggle to win 7 or 8 games. I know people don’t want to think this because it really makes us look bad, but sometimes the truth hurts.
 
Think you’re doing that typical fan thing of totally overrating a bad opponent who plays us close in an early game. You may have noticed Lemoyne got blown off their home floor by U Cal Northridge by 22, who in turn lost their opener to Bonnies by 14. And they were picked 4th out of 9 in the lowest rated D1 conference. More realistically than making a tournament, they are probably one of the 25 or so worst teams in D1, and will struggle to win 7 or 8 games. I know people don’t want to think this because it really makes us look bad, but sometimes the truth hurts.

OK, maybe so. Fair of you to think that.

But I've been watching a long time, and I remember the last several exhibitions against LeMoyne, including that time they beat us to start the 2009-10 season. (I was there that night with a LeMoyne alum with whom I shared seasons at mid-court for many years.)

This year's LeMoyne team seemed more like a Division 1 team to me than recent editions. They might have gotten their butts kicked by Cal-Northridge, but they seemed bigger and more athletic than in the days they (and Colgate) looked like Ivy League teams. A lot more dunking going on. A lot better mid-size and bigger players. Those teams always have quick little guards who can shoot. But this year's team seemed to have decent wings and bigs.
 
I see a bunch of people posting thoughts to start threads, and I look forward to what everybody else thinks. I've seen some "woe are we" posts so far, and yes, a close game against LeMoyne raises an eyebrow or two. Haven't read anybody else's thoughts yet, but look forward to doing so.

My sense of where we are right now:

I'm thinking of team development over a season. Even though you may have holdover players, anybody who played sports understands that every year you build a new team. Today's portal only amplifies that.

You install plays on offense and defense. You run drills to get players in competitive condition. Leaders emerge in practice. Who makes the plays?

Last year, none of our guys (mostly sophomores) had ever really played man defense since high school. Nearly all of them were AAU guys, where they play too many competitive tournaments to actually learn good fundamentals, like they used to coach a generation or two ago.

It took until the middle to end of December for us not to look completely ridiculous on defense, just as all our biggest guys were going down. Somehow, Red made it functional for a good stretch of the season.

Up until then, as I remember it anyway, our offense was hero ball and bad fast breaks where people usually made the wrong decision.

After learning Defense 101, I felt like Red began teaching them Motion Offense 101 in January, and by February, our offense had more motion, back screens, cuts through the lane, 3 man weave, etc., than we did before.

OK, so we've seen 3 games - they all kind felt like warm-ups, didn't they?

I see four guys who are going to play the two big man spots. And I feel like all of the have something to offer.

Eddie and Jyare Davis are the experienced guys. They are developing nice high-low energy, kind of like Rick & Arinze, back in the day. Early days, of course, but there is chemistry there.

Having Eddie is going to cost us some interior put-backs; he's like a B- defender. But he is physically tough, seems pretty fit compared to last year, and is a good offensive rebounder.

So is Jyare Davis, a very solid offensive rebounder. His best game, of course, was LeMoyne, but the message from the exhibitions got through - "Your role is to be the enforcer, defender, tough guy down low. Get us boards, get us put-backs." I feel like both of these guys are very solid for 15-20 minutes.

And then you have the other two. Donnie Freeman has gotten better each game so far. He worked harder on the boards vs. LeMoyne than in the first 2 exhibitions and had a double-double. Donnie is going to be very good, but he might not be the closer. Maybe by the spring, but his effort is still inconsistent. His thought process is a bit slow; he doesn't react quite quick enough yet.

Finally, you have Petar. He's a really solid dude. He plays the game hard, he plays the right way. He looks for the pass, he works the offensive and defense glass, he attacks the rim. I love this guy. He is SO essential to our front court. We could actually withstand a short-term injury to the big men, and still survive.

What about Naheem? I loved his 10-15 minutes against Slippery Rock, and thought he was very effective. I was also kind of surprised that he saw zero minutes against LeMoyne. We need to use him a bit to keep him engaged and developing, even if it's only 1 or 2 four-minute shifts. We will need him later this year.

LeMoyne wasn't really that small. They were more athletic than they used to be recently, and are obviously recruiting the portal well. I could definitely see them making a post-season tournament.

OK, what about the guards? JJ has been pretty good; not a superstar, but looks like he might be able to give us a Tyus Battle type of season as a scorer. He has generally put forth what I think is a decent effort on defense, but he's an average defender - makes some nice plays, but also gets beat 3-4 times a game. So, I'm trying to be honest here. JJ has the rangy build that, if he continues to gain confidence, could turn into that "go-to" guy that we seek. I thought he was pretty good in stretches so far, including the last 10 minutes vs. LeMoyne.

Carlos is a key piece to this team. I'm a bit disappointed that he looks as important as he does. To me, so far, he's more John Gillon than Tyler Ennis or Jonny Flynn. His defense has not been great so far, but his playmaking has been quite good. We run the offense much better with him in there, and it's clear that the other players look to him as the guy to steady the offense.

I'm disappointed that Cuffe has shown so little in the first 3 opportunities. I thought he could do more. He has to work harder in practice. JJ is not a great PG option. Minutes are available for someone. Speaking of which - 3 games and still no Chance Westry.

Quadir Copeland was last season's X Factor for Red's offense - he wants a SF who is good enough to share the playmaking and ball handling responsibilities. Aside from taking pressure off the 2 guards, it helps guard against the press. We don't have that yet. I don't think we necessarily will, unless it's Westry.

Chopper Moore didn't make use of his time against LeMoyne, but looked good in the other 2 scrimmages. Lucas saw more time this last game, but was not as good as against Slippery Rock. Talented, but inconsistent. But his athleticism will ensure that he gets some time. Not a good enough handle to be that 3rd guard, though. You could see Red tried him in that role a couple times, but it hasn't clicked yet.

Let's talk about Chris Bell. Personality wise, I feel like he and JJ are not "big enough" personalities to preen at the camera and scream after making a shot. But these are our guys.

It's kind of like how the 2001 team relied on seniors Damone Brown and Allen Griffen - not All Americans, but experienced guys. Not loud and boisterous, but they knew how to play. That's kind of what I see in Chris and JJ so far. And that's OK, we have had many winning teams that were collectives, and not star-driven.

Back to Chris's game so far this season. My gosh, he looks so much better! Games 1 and 3, he attacked the basket, made some good quick dribble moves, scored at the rim, and even had a put back or two. Game 2, he mostly shot 3's (and made them). His effort on defense looks improved. He's not stellar but I would call him a "B" defender so far. And that's an improvement.

So, what does this all add up to? How good could we be?

I think these guys need another month or two of practice. I expect them to continue to get better. I see a lot of good things. Their chemistry is not quite there yet, but to me, they look like they are trying to do the right things. If our outside shooting is hot, we could knock off a couple of these name opponents in the next month.
I agree this team will look a lot better by beginning of ACC play than it does not... the problem is they need to make sure that they don't dig themselves too deep a hole to get out of during ACC play to make the dance. They don't have the luxury of waiting a few months.
 
OK, just for fun, here is my SU Comps list for how this year's team looks to me so far:

JJ Starling = Tyus Battle

Jaquan Carlos = John Gillon - maybe a little less 3 pt shooting, but more midrange game

Eddie Lampkin - somewhere between Andre Hawkins and Rick Jackson

Chris Bell = James Southerland

Donnie Freeman = Sophomore Jerami Grant

Petar Majstorovic = Sean Kerins JR/SR year

Choppa Moore = Early Scoop Jardine

Naheem McLeod = Jeremy McNeil

Jyare Davis = poor man's Paul Harris

Lucas Taylor = so far, Tony Bland

Kyle Cuffe = Josh Wright

Chance Westry = Billy Edelin / Schea Cotton

So, how good a lineup do we really have?

We look weak in the backcourt, to be honest, compared to past teams / SU standards. Our forwards look to be the strength of the team.

I think it's a matter of these guys learning how to play together, and developing chemistry.

Red has to keep playing a lot of guys, not these no-shows like he just did with Cuffe, Naheem and Choppa in the LeMoyne game.

Nobody on this team has earned their spots yet. We have no idea yet about our rotations.
I kinda like the Freeman and Grant comparison. I was having this conversation the other day and we couldnt come up with a really good comparison for Freeman. We ended up with early Billy Owens and Hakim Warrick had a baby.
We also jad Jyare/Harris, JJ/Battle.
Taylor/ sloppy Josh Hart.
 
Choppa reminds me of Mookie Jones. Hope he far exceeds Mookie (it won't be that hard).
 
I agree this team will look a lot better by beginning of ACC play than it does not... the problem is they need to make sure that they don't dig themselves too deep a hole to get out of during ACC play to make the dance. They don't have the luxury of waiting a few months.

Yeah, that's the key. Our recent seasons have sometimes been buried before they even get started.
 
Choppa reminds me of Mookie Jones. Hope he far exceeds Mookie (it won't be that hard).

Not quite as tall, but I like it!
 

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