IthacaMatt
Old Timer / Unofficial Contributor for 25+ years
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- Aug 26, 2011
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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.
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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