My Take

[EastCoast2]

I think this is good analysis. If I were coach, this is what I would do, although if Sidibe emerges the way we've all been hoping, he and Chukwu might be a bit more interchangeable.

Agree with Sidibe. Hopefully he really is 90%+ back to perfect health. When he plays like he did vs. Pitt last year, keep him in the game. Chukwu is option 1 until proven otherwise.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Buddy is the HUGE wrinkle in the minutes distribution here. Nobody expected him to play this year. Not only is he going to play but he's next in line to start with Carey. Definitely belongs on the court imo.

Not to toot my own horn too much, but we were a terrible 3 point shooting team last year. I've said that Buddy will be our zone buster since the summer.

 

[pearl31]

Agree, Dolezaj's kind of a tentative guy anyway. Set the tone with the solid lineup and then bring in a couple subs with some pop.

yep. Hughes is gonna be terrific for us but I just feel like he'll be better as the 6th man than Marek

 

[realorange]

JB made it quite clear in his presser that he wanted Hughes in there to get the rust off. As he said, Hughes hasn't really played any appreciable amount in college because of injury at ECU and then a year off. This is the biggest reason that Marek did not get more minutes last night.

I believe that Marek will get his share of minutes because he brings things to the game that others do not. Just his ability to see/feel the game and be in the right places is worth a lot and certainly his defense is very good.

 

[jr4750]

When Sidibe fell down, he came up in pain. He limped noticeably and several times he leaned down and put his hands below his knee. I am the fretful mother type, so I am glad you didn’t think he was too bothered. I realize HOW MUCH I want him to be okay and not vulnerable.

I noticed that too. I hope he is able to get through this. Total DC2 flashbacks. Big guys with bad knees; tough to overcome.

 

[IthacaMatt]

JB made it quite clear in his presser that he wanted Hughes in there to get the rust off. As he said, Hughes hasn't really played any appreciable amount in college because of injury at ECU and then a year off. This is the biggest reason that Marek did not get more minutes last night.

I believe that Marek will get his share of minutes because he brings things to the game that others do not. Just his ability to see/feel the game and be in the right places is worth a lot and certainly his defense is very good.

Watching Sidibe last night makes me think that Marek is going to get a fair amount of time at center, too, this year.

 

[djorange1989]

That’s what I thought to. He had an upper class demeanor. Calm, not nervous, not afraid. I thought he was beyond his years in that dept and it makes sense since he’s been around this level his whole life.

yep, and as a father, from what I have been able to see, Jim and Juli have done a hell of a job raising their kids. they all seem like nice, mature, grounded young adults. Basically, the anti-Chad Kelly. Buddy will not be intimidated by the spotlight. No telling exactly how he will do when the competition ratchets up, but I feel pretty damn good about him.

 

[Flacusian]

I think Coach knows what he has in Marek, and wanted to see some of the other guys more.

This...for sure

 

[TinyManInside]

Some general thoughts in no particular order.

1) Buddy looked great. yeah, it's an exhibition against a DII team, so not great competition and we need to pump the brakes a bit on how this projects to ACC play, but I guess we should have expected that he wouldn't be awed by the moment. He's been around this level of basketball his entire life, but he just looked so much more composed than I thought he would be. Yeah, his shot mechanics are great, but I was more impressed by his overall feel for the game, little things like spacing/positioning on offense, handling to ball, working to get his feet set in advance of shots, shooting off the dribble, and confidence. His footwork was fantastic throughout the game - this is the most underrated aspect of shooting the basketball - and he showed a GREAT feel for it. Needs some more work on the defensive end but he looked way more prepared than I expected.

2) Braswell - had a bit of "freshman Demetris Nichols syndrome" in his first game - capable defensive effort coupled with complete lack of awareness on offense. I watched him very closely on his first couple of defensive possessions and he was busting his tail - he rotated smoothly and covered a ton of ground, but on offense, he looked timid/reserved and did not move well without the ball at all. He was like the complete opposite of Buddy, who just seemed to understand what spot to be in, and how to get to it. Obviously Braswell needs to get stronger. His shot mechanics looked decent but he had no arc on any of his perimeter shots - total line drives - leading to long misses.

3) Battle looked pretty bad. I'm not worried about this because we know he's a good to very good player but I felt like he forced some bad shots and didn't really do anything to run the offense. Obviously he's not a point guard so that's not a big worry. I'm sure he'll ease back into things once he's playing alongside Howard or Carey.

4) Brissett actually showed some touch and made some shots near the basket, which was nice to see even if the opposition was a bunch of 6'5" defenders. It was nice to see after watching him launch grenades off the backboard most of the time he got inside last year. Hopefully he can carry this sort of efficiency over to ACC play. If he can shoot around 45% overall from the field with 36-39% from 3 we'll have a great season. He's a jumping jack and was great on the glass last night.

5) C position - I'm expecting Marek to continue to get minutes in the middle this year. Pascal looked like Pascal. He played a nice game, nothing spectacular or overwhelming, but he was solid. Sidibe... while he was moving better than he did the second half of last year, he just has this feeling of fragility about him... I hope he can stay healthy but to be honest I don't have a good feeling about. Watching him transition from D to O, or O to D, you could see that he had to sort of gear himself up to get up to running speed. Maybe it's just rust and not lingering injury issues... we'll see. Hoping for the best for Sidibe, but I'm expecting Marek to get some of his minutes at C later in the season.

6) Marek - looks like he gained at least half a pound over the off-season. Maybe even a full pound?

7) Hughes looked impressive. Most of his looks were either run-outs or wide open perimeter shots, so it's hard to tell how he will translate in ACC play, but it was pretty much all positives for him in the exhibition.

Mason

 

[007]

Some general thoughts in no particular order.

1) Buddy looked great. yeah, it's an exhibition against a DII team, so not great competition and we need to pump the brakes a bit on how this projects to ACC play, but I guess we should have expected that he wouldn't be awed by the moment. He's been around this level of basketball his entire life, but he just looked so much more composed than I thought he would be. Yeah, his shot mechanics are great, but I was more impressed by his overall feel for the game, little things like spacing/positioning on offense, handling to ball, working to get his feet set in advance of shots, shooting off the dribble, and confidence. His footwork was fantastic throughout the game - this is the most underrated aspect of shooting the basketball - and he showed a GREAT feel for it. Needs some more work on the defensive end but he looked way more prepared than I expected.

2) Braswell - had a bit of "freshman Demetris Nichols syndrome" in his first game - capable defensive effort coupled with complete lack of awareness on offense. I watched him very closely on his first couple of defensive possessions and he was busting his tail - he rotated smoothly and covered a ton of ground, but on offense, he looked timid/reserved and did not move well without the ball at all. He was like the complete opposite of Buddy, who just seemed to understand what spot to be in, and how to get to it. Obviously Braswell needs to get stronger. His shot mechanics looked decent but he had no arc on any of his perimeter shots - total line drives - leading to long misses.

3) Battle looked pretty bad. I'm not worried about this because we know he's a good to very good player but I felt like he forced some bad shots and didn't really do anything to run the offense. Obviously he's not a point guard so that's not a big worry. I'm sure he'll ease back into things once he's playing alongside Howard or Carey.

4) Brissett actually showed some touch and made some shots near the basket, which was nice to see even if the opposition was a bunch of 6'5" defenders. It was nice to see after watching him launch grenades off the backboard most of the time he got inside last year. Hopefully he can carry this sort of efficiency over to ACC play. If he can shoot around 45% overall from the field with 36-39% from 3 we'll have a great season. He's a jumping jack and was great on the glass last night.

5) C position - I'm expecting Marek to continue to get minutes in the middle this year. Pascal looked like Pascal. He played a nice game, nothing spectacular or overwhelming, but he was solid. Sidibe... while he was moving better than he did the second half of last year, he just has this feeling of fragility about him... I hope he can stay healthy but to be honest I don't have a good feeling about. Watching him transition from D to O, or O to D, you could see that he had to sort of gear himself up to get up to running speed. Maybe it's just rust and not lingering injury issues... we'll see. Hoping for the best for Sidibe, but I'm expecting Marek to get some of his minutes at C later in the season.

6) Marek - looks like he gained at least half a pound over the off-season. Maybe even a full pound?

7) Hughes looked impressive. Most of his looks were either run-outs or wide open perimeter shots, so it's hard to tell how he will translate in ACC play, but it was pretty much all positives for him in the exhibition.

Mason

Great observations, knowledge and insights, Mason. You are one of my "must read" posters.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Ideal is 3 Fs with one who can give you some minutes at C, 3 Gs and 2 Cs in an 8 man rotation.

Can't see Buddy playing at the 3 yet. Need rebounding out of the position and I just don't see anywhere near the strength needed to mix it up in the ACC. And the wings have to cover a tremendous amount of ground defending from baseline all the way out beyond foul line extended 3 line. Also need to rotate in to the post when ball reverses and they are on the weak side. Maybe eventually but not this year.

That leaves a comfortable 3 man rotation at F with Hughes, Oshae and Marek, Marek is the emergency third 5 and Braswell redshirts. Surplus is at guard. It's apparent Buddy will get minutes. It seems like Tyus coming back, while a wonderful surprise that lifts the ceiling of this team greatly, is what caused the logjam. As mentioned, a GREAT problem to have but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

While I generally agree with this, on some teams we've had a 9th guy who was an important, if situational, contributor. On some teams it's a player like the young Rakim Christmas as that 9th guy, giving you depth at center where the other 2 guys were foul prone. On other teams, you have a designated zone buster like a young Andy Rautins, or a guy who is the fourth guard like an Allen Griffin or a Michael Carter-Williams, freshman year.

This is a team where some players are incomplete, and some groupings of players have a limitation that can be game planned and exploited. The fact of the matter is, the guys coming back were all statistically pretty poor from outside last year. We "expect" better percentages from them all, but not all of them are going to improve as much as we hope. That's basketball.

This year's team holds the promise of giving Boeheim the ability to make more counter-moves when "Plan A" isn't working. Last year, so many guys were hurt (or quit the team) that there was no "Plan B". This year, we have not only a "Plan B", but a "Plan C", too!

That's why I think this is one of those teams that plays 8 or 9 in conference play this year, not just seven.

 

[bballbeadle]

Some general thoughts in no particular order.

1) Buddy looked great. yeah, it's an exhibition against a DII team, so not great competition and we need to pump the brakes a bit on how this projects to ACC play, but I guess we should have expected that he wouldn't be awed by the moment. He's been around this level of basketball his entire life, but he just looked so much more composed than I thought he would be. Yeah, his shot mechanics are great, but I was more impressed by his overall feel for the game, little things like spacing/positioning on offense, handling to ball, working to get his feet set in advance of shots, shooting off the dribble, and confidence. His footwork was fantastic throughout the game - this is the most underrated aspect of shooting the basketball - and he showed a GREAT feel for it. Needs some more work on the defensive end but he looked way more prepared than I expected.

2) Braswell - had a bit of "freshman Demetris Nichols syndrome" in his first game - capable defensive effort coupled with complete lack of awareness on offense. I watched him very closely on his first couple of defensive possessions and he was busting his tail - he rotated smoothly and covered a ton of ground, but on offense, he looked timid/reserved and did not move well without the ball at all. He was like the complete opposite of Buddy, who just seemed to understand what spot to be in, and how to get to it. Obviously Braswell needs to get stronger. His shot mechanics looked decent but he had no arc on any of his perimeter shots - total line drives - leading to long misses.

3) Battle looked pretty bad. I'm not worried about this because we know he's a good to very good player but I felt like he forced some bad shots and didn't really do anything to run the offense. Obviously he's not a point guard so that's not a big worry. I'm sure he'll ease back into things once he's playing alongside Howard or Carey.

4) Brissett actually showed some touch and made some shots near the basket, which was nice to see even if the opposition was a bunch of 6'5" defenders. It was nice to see after watching him launch grenades off the backboard most of the time he got inside last year. Hopefully he can carry this sort of efficiency over to ACC play. If he can shoot around 45% overall from the field with 36-39% from 3 we'll have a great season. He's a jumping jack and was great on the glass last night.

5) C position - I'm expecting Marek to continue to get minutes in the middle this year. Pascal looked like Pascal. He played a nice game, nothing spectacular or overwhelming, but he was solid. Sidibe... while he was moving better than he did the second half of last year, he just has this feeling of fragility about him... I hope he can stay healthy but to be honest I don't have a good feeling about. Watching him transition from D to O, or O to D, you could see that he had to sort of gear himself up to get up to running speed. Maybe it's just rust and not lingering injury issues... we'll see. Hoping for the best for Sidibe, but I'm expecting Marek to get some of his minutes at C later in the season.

6) Marek - looks like he gained at least half a pound over the off-season. Maybe even a full pound?

7) Hughes looked impressive. Most of his looks were either run-outs or wide open perimeter shots, so it's hard to tell how he will translate in ACC play, but it was pretty much all positives for him in the exhibition.

Mason

Mason, loved everything you said! But I have to tell you that your avatar ALWAYS strikes me as a spider, and I have this knee jerk scared reaction the first second I look at it, and then when I look closer I see it’s a ram. But this has happened to me Every. Single. Time. I seem to have a brain that cannot learn.

I will let you know if this ever changes.

 

[SWC75]

I had the game on Watch ESPN while I scribbled down notes for the Dino Babers Show, then attempted to read my own scribbling and transcribe them in separate windows. Thus, my knowledge of what went on with the basketball game is limited.

- Scoring 80 points, even against a decent DII team, is impressive without a point guard.

- We are assuming we'll be swimming in depth this year but we had 10 guys last year. One didn't show up. Another left after 6 games. Another tore up his knee after 18 games. We thought Sidibie would beat out Chukwu. Then came his knee problems. Matt Moyer's father said he couldn't play. Nearly everyone else got owies at one time or another. Etc. etc. Only one of those things had happened by this point. We've already got all three point guards hurt. Sidibie went down hard a couple of times and looked the worse for it. Chukwu dived into the crowd. Matt Park wondered who looked more scare, Paschal or the kid he was headed toward. I hope we have no more than the average number of injuries and other problems this year. But we can't know yet.

- JB was right. Tyus Battle is not a point guard, any more than Stevie Thompson was. he's a '2' man all the way. he did have 6 assists vs. 2 turnovers but the extra responsibilities were too much for his shot and he was 1 for 10 from the field.

- I think Dolezaj will start and Hughes will come off the bench for the same reason that Eric Dungey will start and Tommy DeVito will come off the bench: you want the offensive guy coming off the bench and the multi-talent veteran in the starting line up. Dolezaj can do so many things- rebound, block shots, pass, hit medium range shots and just be where the ball is that you need his skills on the court. But if the offense lags, you want to bring in a guy who can make an instant difference and I think Hughes will be that guy. I think they play about 50-50 although both may see time at other positions: Hughes to spell battle and Dolezaj to spell Chukwu, especially if Bourama isn't 100%. As with Dungey/DeVito Marek could be in. if the other team is playing zone maybe Hughes could help us more with his outside shot, (although i like Marek in the high post). Both will see plenty of action.

- I saw Buddy Boeheim hold back on a contested three pointer, dribble around his man and stroke a pull up jumper and I fell in love. We've had outside shooters that never learned to do that in their whole career here. He's definitely part of the rotation. I figure Braswell and Washington will be on the outside looking in and we'll be going with 8 guys. JB will figure out how to use them. I agree with the view that Howard, Battle and Carey could become this team's version of Jardine/Triche/Waiters, except Hughes could be in that mix, too.

- We did chuck up a lot of threes early. But we have people who can hit them and we had no point guard. With Howard and especially Carey there will be more breaking down of the defense, which can also produce three pointers - the wide open kind.

- This won't be part of my season stats as it's an exhibition game. But Oshae Brissett had a heck of a game. 22 points, 14 rebounds 4 assists 2 steals, minus 9 missed field goals and 3 missed free throws and a foul = 29 points. With his size and athleticism, he should have dominated and he did. Ditto for SU.

 

[Shenexon]

It's going to be a fun year watching JB with a full cadre of competent players. He could have a chance to play matchups more than just plugging holes. He'll have the luxury of many options and hope he can work through the egos and complexities of that wealth of talent. This is that multi-year period of great SU teams competing for ACC and National Championships that we've all been waiting for. Sure will be fun watching it unfold...LGO!!

 

[SWC75]

Mason, loved everything you said! But I have to tell you that your avatar ALWAYS strikes me as a spider, and I have this knee jerk scared reaction the first second I look at it, and then when I look closer I see it’s a ram. But this has happened to me Every. Single. Time. I seem to have a brain that cannot learn.

I will let you know if this ever changes.

I see the same thing when I glance at it.

 

[bballbeadle]

I see the same thing when I glance at it.

View attachment 142702

AAAH AAAH AAAAH! You s.o.b.

 

[bballbeadle]

AAAH AAAH AAAAH! You s.o.b.

That is the kind of thing my husband would do. Good one!

 

[maxxyz]

I think Dolezaj will start and Hughes will come off the bench for the same reason that Eric Dungey will start and Tommy DeVito will come off the bench...

You had to go there. Thread to turn into a "who should start" football thread in 3...2...1...

 

[pfister1]

I really hope the starting lineup is:

PG) Howard
SG Battle
SF) Brissett
PF) Dolezaj
C) Chukwu

Start with the best zone defense. Establish the tempo. Rattle the opponent early with the tallest starting lineup ever in college basketball. Then let Hughes bring some Dion Waiters-esque offense off the bench. Let Carey give Howard and/or Battle a breather for 3-6 minutes at a time. Let Sidibe give Chukwu a breather, and between the two centers, you play the hot hand for the game. Let Buddy take some shots to try to stretch a lead, if he can hold his own in the zone and not be a liability. That's it, 8, maybe 9 guy rotation, depending on Buddy.

Seems like a really offensively challenged lineup, unless MD has made major offseason strides. I haven’t gotten as excited about the prospects for this season as I have to watch MD and PC get big minutes together on the court.

I think the fan base has over valued MD. I think he is a nice complimentary player, but not a starter if it’s at the expense of Hughes or Carey. I really liked seeing OB at the 4 last night.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Seems like a really offensively challenged lineup, unless MD has made major offseason strides. I haven’t gotten as excited about the prospects for this season as I have to watch MD and PC get big minutes together on the court.

I think the fan base has over valued MD. I think he is a nice complimentary player, but not a starter if it’s at the expense of Hughes or Carey. I really liked seeing OB at the 4 last night.

Yeah, I think Boeheim knows this. In the presser he talked about Marek’s hustle and how he is valuable there but nothing else, really. Obviously he doesn’t give you much besides some glue, hustle, and good decisions. Important but we still need offense. Some of the woes from last year won’t be automatically fixed. Marek’s probably better deployed against a zone anyways. The upside is that there are options this year. Marek starting along with a C is still pretty much on 3 vs 5 on offense. Can’t have that.

 

[AlaskaSU]

Mason, loved everything you said! But I have to tell you that your avatar ALWAYS strikes me as a spider, and I have this knee jerk scared reaction the first second I look at it, and then when I look closer I see it’s a ram. But this has happened to me Every. Single. Time. I seem to have a brain that cannot learn.

I will let you know if this ever changes.

Me to. severe case of arachnophobia. When I see your freak ram I see a spider. Worked hard to make my house spider proof. when I see one I run for the dust buster.

 

[dasher]

Yeah, I think Boeheim knows this. In the presser he talked about Marek’s hustle and how he is valuable there but nothing else, really. Obviously he doesn’t give you much besides some glue, hustle, and good decisions. Important but we still need offense. Some of the woes from last year won’t be automatically fixed. Marek’s probably better deployed against a zone anyways. The upside is that there are options this year. Marek starting along with a C is still pretty much on 3 vs 5 on offense. Can’t have that.

Hughes is just too good to sit.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Hughes is just too good to sit.

Yup

 

[orangefog]

Hughes is just too good to sit.

We have first world problems again, finally.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Battle Brissett and Hughes are going to play a lot of minutes...

The biggest surprise from last night for me was seeing the 2-2-1 - full and 3/4 court press. I am really big fan of this development. JB also showed the traditional 1-2-1-1. I have never seen JB use the 2-2-1 in over 30 years of following the program. This leads to me to believe that he is going to at least try to go 9-10 deep and press.

Wow

He always wanted the guys to get back and be set in the 2-3. With Chukwu back there it does make a difference. I like it also but let's see how it goes with a true D1 team if we are still doing it.