JUDAH'S BACK | Page 16 | Syracusefan.com

JUDAH'S BACK

Dean's post the other day had me thinking... did we up our NIL offer at the last minute?

And for those who think Judah was laughing at the panic here on May 31... it sounds like he told Autry earlier that day and was just waiting for the SUAD to put together a video montage for the announcement.
 
SWC75 said:
Look at it as a recruiting class. What if we'd gotten JJ, Chance, Kyle, Naheem and William in one class. You'd think that was a pretty good class, right? Well, it's those guys and four of them have already played at this level. And we've got some pretty good guys coming back. Besides, it's May.
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A few weeks ago, I looked at where Westry and Starling would have ranked as a class using RSCI's ranking system for individuals and classes... The long and short was those two guys would have been the best recruiting class to actually make it to campus since MCW, Cooney and Christmas!

Since then we've added Cuffe and McLeod. It's a Huge recruiting coup for Red and team. And, as you've pointed out, all these guys have game experience or at least time in a major college program. We aren't waiting for unproven freshman with these guys, we are waiting for the sophomore or junior leaps in performance.
 
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RF2044 said:
Right. Look at how Villanova plays [which I think will prove to be a similar template on offense to what we see from Red -- time will tell, but that's my expectation].

A lead guard. Two bigger wings [guard, forward -- whatever]. A versatile forward who plays inside / outside, and can shoot. A big to rebound / defend / score inside a little.

We have the right components to play this style.

Lead guard - Mintz.
Two bigger wings - JJ / Westry.
Versatile inside / outside forward - Williams.
Dunker / defender - Brown / McLeod / Hima [depending upon matchups, lots of fouls to use].

But I agree that positions are being rendered obsolete in modern basketball, outside of PG. And even that distiniction, JJ and Westry will both be relied upon to handle against pressure, distribute the rock, and make plays off of the bounce, so...
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Agree.

This is exactly how we recruit, train and develop the players in our AAU club.

The players that were the tallest in the past were thrown down in the post and just told to be big. Those players are taught forward skills, and the good ones develop a handle. We develop our players starting at 10/11 to play multiple positions (at least 2, sometimes 3) by JHS level.

I can deal with a team that has a traditional big in most cases, but the teams with multiple tall, athletic forwards are the problems. I can deal with a dominant PG or any other specific position, but the teams with multiple good and interchangeable players, those teams are problems.

Red has the ingredients for a special style of play (ala - Nova) depending on what he decides. He can counter most lineups thrown his way, but teams will have hard time countering all of his options.

- You can't press us, but we can press you, relentlessly
- You have a dominant big, we have multiple to throw at you, and our biggest is bigger than yours
- We can match your team size, height and skill, player for player, but you can't match ours

Really excited to see what he does and the personality the team develops. Team chemistry will be key.
 
Niastri said:
Just because I was thinking of it, I looked it up... Starling and Westry would have been a class worth 147 points, in a top heavy year, it would have been 17th best class in '22.

Our last class getting close was Tyus Battle and Matthew Moyer in 2016, worth 111 points, good for 14th in a year where the talent was less concentrated.

We have to go back to '15 with Richardson, Lydon, Diagne and Howard to get a class worth more points, coming in with 156.

I choose not to count Diagne, since he and I are tied for minutes played with the home town Orange... So to get to a recruiting class where everybody made it to campus better than the Starling/Westry class we need to go back to 2011! That class featured Christmas, MCW and Cooney.

So, I reiterate my point. If you think recruiting ratings matter, you should be pretty excited by our two transfers.
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007 said:
Good points RF.

As you know, I have always been a huge believer in the need to have a true PG. But now that you can fill the roster with versatile playmakers, that need becomes less critical but still important. We will have that covered both ways - a true PG and versatility.

I'm REALLY looking forward to this style of play, even though I know there will be growing pains and a learning curve for the staff and the players.
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I will say, having a true PG is a game changer
 
OrangeinDC said:
Agree.

This is exactly how we recruit, train and develop the players in our AAU club.

The players that were the tallest in the past were thrown down in the post and just told to be big. Those players are taught forward skills, and the good ones develop a handle. We develop our players starting at 10/11 to play multiple positions (at least 2, sometimes 3) by JHS level.

I can deal with a team that has a traditional big in most cases, but the teams with multiple tall, athletic forwards are the problems. I can deal with a dominant PG or any other specific position, but the teams with multiple good and interchangeable players, those teams are problems.

Red has the ingredients for a special style of play (ala - Nova) depending on what he decides. He can counter most lineups thrown his way, but teams will have hard time countering all of his options.

- You can't press us, but we can press you, relentlessly
- You have a dominant big, we have multiple to throw at you, and our biggest is bigger than yours
- We can match your team size, height and skill, player for player, but you can't match ours

Really excited to see what he does and the personality the team develops. Team chemistry will be key.
Expand...

Excellent breakdown
 
OrangeinDC said:
Agree.

This is exactly how we recruit, train and develop the players in our AAU club.

The players that were the tallest in the past were thrown down in the post and just told to be big. Those players are taught forward skills, and the good ones develop a handle. We develop our players starting at 10/11 to play multiple positions (at least 2, sometimes 3) by JHS level.

I can deal with a team that has a traditional big in most cases, but the teams with multiple tall, athletic forwards are the problems. I can deal with a dominant PG or any other specific position, but the teams with multiple good and interchangeable players, those teams are problems.

Red has the ingredients for a special style of play (ala - Nova) depending on what he decides. He can counter most lineups thrown his way, but teams will have hard time countering all of his options.

- You can't press us, but we can press you, relentlessly
- You have a dominant big, we have multiple to throw at you, and our biggest is bigger than yours
- We can match your team size, height and skill, player for player, but you can't match ours

Really excited to see what he does and the personality the team develops. Team chemistry will be key.
Expand...
Awesome, awesome post. Excited is an understatement.
 
50YRsofCuse said:
Cuffe is the wild card. We are not sure what he has to show. If he does show scoring potential, he will be in the mix. Believe that Judah, Chance and Quadir are your best ball handlers and passers. Believe that 2 of them will be on the count at all times.

Good thing that Red is playing a positionless team strategy ?? that way we can field a 3 or 4 guard lineup at times where forwards are not effective.

we need to take advantage of the speed and athleticism that the players on the team have. Run, score, defense, press, steal, run, score.

I may be dreaming but they have the depth and the horses to do this.
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One thing about Cuffe is that for what would really be his first legit season on the court- he should only be asked to do what he does well to start. Which is defend and be an aggressive high level athlete working with having a high level facilitator on the court at the same time. If he has developed a perimeter shot to go with, even better. That said his athleticism and kind of being a Stevie like player adds another dimension to the team. Don't underestimate value that comes with him having a long standing relationship to Judah either.

He isn't a big minutes guy year 1 most likely but more importantly can be impactful in his time on the court vs just a backup guard that can help handle the ball.
 
OttoinGrotto said:
The falling is by design, I'm convinced. He's figured out how to shut off the survival part of his brain that says "when I jump I must land on my feet."

He optimizes his hang time for the attempt at the basket better than maybe any guard we've ever had.
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It also helps account for why Mintz averaged 6.00 free throw attempts per game in conference play last year. His hanging in the air gives lots of time for defenders to foul him before he hits the ground.

It's harder for officials to ignore ticky tack fouls when the shooter is lieing on the ground at the end of the play.
 
Orangezoo said:
One thing about Cuffe is that for what would really be his first legit season on the court- he should only be asked to do what he does well to start. Which is defend and be an aggressive high level athlete working with having a high level facilitator on the court at the same time. If he has developed a perimeter shot to go with, even better. That said his athleticism and kind of being a Stevie like player adds another dimension to the team. Don't underestimate value that comes with him having a long standing relationship to Judah either.

He isn't a big minutes guy year 1 most likely but more importantly can be impactful in his time on the court vs just a backup guard that can help handle the ball.
Expand...


Good summary.

His PT will likely be determined by:
  1. How much he's recovered from his knee injury
  2. Whether we use a 3-guard lineup [essentially]
  3. How his skill set translates to Red's offensive system, relative to Copeland / Taylor
If he's good to go physically, I wouldn't underestimate his chances to see the floor. Kansas prompted him to enroll early for a reason. But no idea whether he's fully recovered [or not], and ready to challenge for a spot in the rotation.
 
Orangezoo said:
One thing about Cuffe is that for what would really be his first legit season on the court- he should only be asked to do what he does well to start. Which is defend and be an aggressive high level athlete working with having a high level facilitator on the court at the same time. If he has developed a perimeter shot to go with, even better. That said his athleticism and kind of being a Stevie like player adds another dimension to the team. Don't underestimate value that comes with him having a long standing relationship to Judah either.

He isn't a big minutes guy year 1 most likely but more importantly can be impactful in his time on the court vs just a backup guard that can help handle the ball.
Expand...
Good post.

I think what will be important for Cuffe is for him to be able to see his path, role and potential for success for the following season. I think this would have had to be part of the conversation with coaches and a tradeoff for taking a chance on him after the injury. I will say, I'm really interested to see how Red does it, he's the wild card in the equation. What I've seen, if he's healthy you gotta find some bump for him.
 
RF2044 said:
Good summary.

His PT will likely be determined by:
  1. How much he's recovered from his knee injury
  2. Whether we use a 3-guard lineup [essentially]
  3. How his skill set translates to Red's offensive system, relative to Copeland / Taylor
If he's good to go physically, I wouldn't underestimate his chances to see the floor. Kansas prompted him to enroll early for a reason. But no idea whether he's fully recovered [or not], and ready to challenge for a spot in the rotation.
Expand...
This!
 
OrangeinDC said:
Good post.

I think what will be important for Cuffe is for him to be able to see his path, role and potential for success for the following season. I think this would have had to be part of the conversation with coaches and a tradeoff for taking a chance on him after the injury. I will say, I'm really interested to see how Red does it, he's the wild card in the equation. What I've seen, if he's healthy you gotta find some bump for him.
Expand...

Exactly!

The days of penciling multiple starters in for 35+ minutes per game are over.

May the best players win the PT.
 
RF2044 said:
Right. Look at how Villanova plays [which I think will prove to be a similar template on offense to what we see from Red -- time will tell, but that's my expectation].

A lead guard. Two bigger wings [guard, forward -- whatever]. A versatile forward who plays inside / outside, and can shoot. A big to rebound / defend / score inside a little.

We have the right components to play this style.

Lead guard - Mintz.
Two bigger wings - JJ / Westry.
Versatile inside / outside forward - Williams.
Dunker / defender - Brown / McLeod / Hima [depending upon matchups, lots of fouls to use].

But I agree that positions are being rendered obsolete in modern basketball, outside of PG. And even that distiniction, JJ and Westry will both be relied upon to handle against pressure, distribute the rock, and make plays off of the bounce, so...
Expand...
I hear what u r saying. I love the Nova or UConn styles. We finally seem to have the athletes to possibly emulate, but in order to emulate we will need solid three point shooting to open up the court. The problem on this squad is that our best athletes and our best three point shooters reside in different bodies. I do not expect Benny to be able to hit almost 40% in a bigger role. I do expect our guards to improve, but can they get to 35% plus ?

I think we need to look back in our own history for the style most suitable to this squad. I am talking about the early Cuse teams that pressured, ran, and gunned and averaged 99 PPG before there even was a three point shot.
 
newmexicuse said:
I hear what u r saying. I love the Nova or UConn styles. We finally seem to have the athletes to possibly emulate, but in order to emulate we will need solid three point shooting to open up the court. The problem on this squad is that our best athletes and our best three point shooters reside in different bodies. I do not expect Benny to be able to hit almost 40% in a bigger role. I do expect our guards to improve, but can they get to 35% plus ?

I think we need to look back in our own history for the style most suitable to this squad. I am talking about the early Cuse teams that pressured, ran, and gunned and averaged 99 PPG before there even was a three point shot.
Expand...

Shooting is a question mark -- agreed.

But we can also generate easy baskets by getting turnovers or forcing misses, rebounding, and running.

I expect a lot more easy baskets the way Red will play versus how we've played in the recent past. That will help. I also expect the team to be MUCH better at creating dribble-drive opportunities off of the bounce than we have been in a LONG time.

To your point -- guys will have to hit shots, too. But the days of being one-dimensional on offense are over.
 
OrangeinDC said:
Good post.

I think what will be important for Cuffe is for him to be able to see his path, role and potential for success for the following season. I think this would have had to be part of the conversation with coaches and a tradeoff for taking a chance on him after the injury. I will say, I'm really interested to see how Red does it, he's the wild card in the equation. What I've seen, if he's healthy you gotta find some bump for him.
Expand...

Re: Red - listening to Gerry and AG talking and assuming Straughn would say similar things- they all have a solid positive influence on the team and approach too. Thus it's how the staff does it as a whole albeit certainly the HC owns the accountability. Four strong basketball minds that also have the respect and relationship with the players is always better than 1. It's something that stuck out for me watching Duke this year. For all we throw pot shots at Scheyer - he was the lead man but watch him throughout a game and in timeouts- it's 100 pct a team on that staff and they grew a great deal over the season.

I counter that to Davis at UNC and you don't see that same comraderie and it reflects on the court.
 
I think the part I'm most excited about is that Red has a true play maker at the point. I wondered earlier on whether Red would have the players to bring his own style to the court in year 1. I believe when you look at the roster there is enough athleticism and talent to get creative. It certainly makes losing Jesse hurt a bit more, as I think center is still our position of weakness, but top to bottom I feel way better about the roster right now.
 
newmexicuse said:
I hear what u r saying. I love the Nova or UConn styles. We finally seem to have the athletes to possibly emulate, but in order to emulate we will need solid three point shooting to open up the court. The problem on this squad is that our best athletes and our best three point shooters reside in different bodies. I do not expect Benny to be able to hit almost 40% in a bigger role. I do expect our guards to improve, but can they get to 35% plus ?

I think we need to look back in our own history for the style most suitable to this squad. I am talking about the early Cuse teams that pressured, ran, and gunned and averaged 99 PPG before there even was a three point shot.
Expand...
This is why I hope to see improvement out of Taylor or Bell. We need one of them to play the role Karaban played for UConn. Running is great, but you still need to have a functioning half court offense. That has been Hops demise at Washington.
 

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