My Take

[sutomcat]

I have a lot going on right now but I wanted to jot something down on the game.

Hope Buddy is okay. Once he went down early in the second half, JB moved Cole Swider up top in the zone, moved Buddy to a wing and we played defense like that for a long time. 8 or 9 minutes I think. Cole looked surprisingly at home up there. That was interesting.

Thought JGIII really played well running the offense. He didn't get a lot of points but this team doesn't need him to score a lot. He needs to be the guy who gets the ball to teammates in places they can score. And he did that last night. Looked like a point of emphasis was to get the ball to Jesse in good position down low. Joe had at least 4 excellent passes to Jesse that were all immediately converted to baskets.

Just my opinion, but I think when Joe is taking a lot of long 3s early in possessions, we lose efficiency as an offense and get in trouble. If Joe wants to get some shots off, he almost has to take them early, while the defense is off him. Really don't want to see this happen. Joe is going to be best for this team facilitating.

Cole has great form and he gets his shot off quickly. When you are 6'9 and have a quick trigger, you are going to get a lot of easy baskets. In the ACC, they will probably end up trying to cover him with 6'4 uber quick and athletic guards, and he is going to need to show he can post them up.

Pace really did a nice job attacking the zone. They had patience and found a guy open with than 5 seconds on the clock quite a bit. Seemed like our zone was good for 15-20 seconds but often screwed up in the last 4 or 5 seconds of possession. Hope they learn from this.

Jesse was really aggressive defensively. Got out to mid range jumper range on Pace players a number of times. He blocked a bunch and affected a bunch more. This is the first time I am seeing a clear intimidation factor (with the exception of a few games late last season) since we had Pascal. Really good to see.

Thought we passed the ball as a team really well. A lot of one extra pass happening where we went from a good shot to a great shot. I like the unselfishness last night. A lot.

Torrence struggled some last night. He is mostly just passing it around the perimeter. Rarely pushes the pace, didn't get out on the fast break, and rarely tried to penetrate and pass. Or penetrate and shoot. When he does shoot, the form is not good and it looks like he is really tight and lacking confidence.

Was most impressed with Benny's rebounding. He has a high hoops IQ, found himself in the right place a lot. Made a lot of good decisions. Good passer. His defense was surprisingly solid for a young player.

He is not going to be a big star as a true frosh but he will contribute from day one and I think could be an all conference level player his sophomore season. Yes, I expect he will be here at least 2 years.

Frankie had kind of a quiet day. Jesse does a better job presenting himself to get the ball and is a lot more aggressive on defense. I think he will do better against bigger players. He looked more comfortable battling for position and rebounds with Jesse than the smaller Pace players.

One other thing: Jimmy played center for a few minutes in the second half. Looked okay there. We will not want to do this against ACC opponents.

Really need more stats more often if you sit on the movable stands (123, 124) east of the court. Talking individual stats here. They started to show them some in the northwest corner. Need more of that. Should have room for points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. Hope to get this every timeout.

You can see the stands are noticeably darker than they were in past years. It has been weird seeing them in uber bright light forever and it will take a while to get used to this. Gotta see what it is like to sit in darkened stands in the dome.

4 crew cuts on the team. When was the last time that happened? 1962?

 

[stuckinbig11]

Thanks, Tom.

 

[two3zone]

Nailed it.

 

[cuseincincy]

I noticed the same with Cole up top. I think we even played a few minutes with JG3, Cole, Benny, Jimmy and Jesse/Frank. I doubt many here would have predicted that. The general lack of depth may mean some odd lineups.
Agree completely about Joe. He needs to be the QB which he should be familiar with. I think I'm Ok with Buddy and Cole taking early 3's but wish Joe would initiate more. His open 3's should come from kickouts not 25 footers early in possession.
I think I may disagree a bit on Benny. Obviously WAY early. And I can now see him being 6th man on this team. But I saw more skill and basketball knowledge/court awareness than I have seen in any freshman since Melo. He is NOT frosh Melo. Regardless of who else is on the team next year Benny will be the man by then. I would not be surprised if he is our #1 non 3-point option by the end of this year (or earlier). He struggled some last night but his willingness and ability to pass will lead to more than a few layups.
Buddy and Jimmy...it is pretty funny to me how much like their parents they are. Buddy is always smiling like Mom and Jimmy smiles about as often as Dad, very intense.
It's an interesting team. The things they are good at (shooting, passing, being tall) they are very good at. Hopefully that will translate into some rebounding. Despite their size I really think this is a team that can push the pace offensively. Defensively, they're tall. Less worried about guys penetrating the zone than in years past. Hopefully the additional height will limit some of the guys that ate us up at the free throw line last year. Press will be pretty good. Man to man? Not this year.
Jesse looks like he's picked up where he left off last year. I think we will play with a true 5 most of the time but in all likelihood will see the 3 F's playing together more than we did against Pace. Odd to see this early in season but the 7 1/2 man rotation is already set. We'll see if Sidibe and Ajak end up providing any minutes once they get healthy.
Lastly, Cole. I was expecting a plodding, stand still 3 point shooter. Oops! Pure shooter. More athletic than I expected (see minutes at top of zone). But also showed an aggressiveness to create his own shot that will lead to many mid range pullup jumpers. I daresay he is in Buddy's class as a shooter. Hope his size allows some rebounds to come his way.

 

[AZOrange]

How the heck could Cole not get run with Jay Wright? That’s absurd

 

[syrBossHogg]

How the heck could Cole not get run with Jay Wright? That’s absurd

He did get ~19 mins a game the past two years, essentially the first guy off the bench. Guessing his defense in their M2M system was too unreliable to make him a starter

 

[Orangezoo]

That big lineup took the game from 49-36 to 61-36. Lots of good hoops in that stretch

 

[althea]

How the heck could Cole not get run with Jay Wright? That’s absurd

Isn't Nova's roster pretty loaded?

 

[721Comstock]

I noticed the same with Cole up top. I think we even played a few minutes with JG3, Cole, Benny, Jimmy and Jesse/Frank. I doubt many here would have predicted that. The general lack of depth may mean some odd lineups.
Agree completely about Joe. He needs to be the QB which he should be familiar with. I think I'm Ok with Buddy and Cole taking early 3's but wish Joe would initiate more. His open 3's should come from kickouts not 25 footers early in possession.
I think I may disagree a bit on Benny. Obviously WAY early. And I can now see him being 6th man on this team. But I saw more skill and basketball knowledge/court awareness than I have seen in any freshman since Melo. He is NOT frosh Melo. Regardless of who else is on the team next year Benny will be the man by then. I would not be surprised if he is our #1 non 3-point option by the end of this year (or earlier). He struggled some last night but his willingness and ability to pass will lead to more than a few layups.
Buddy and Jimmy...it is pretty funny to me how much like their parents they are. Buddy is always smiling like Mom and Jimmy smiles about as often as Dad, very intense.
It's an interesting team. The things they are good at (shooting, passing, being tall) they are very good at. Hopefully that will translate into some rebounding. Despite their size I really think this is a team that can push the pace offensively. Defensively, they're tall. Less worried about guys penetrating the zone than in years past. Hopefully the additional height will limit some of the guys that ate us up at the free throw line last year. Press will be pretty good. Man to man? Not this year.
Jesse looks like he's picked up where he left off last year. I think we will play with a true 5 most of the time but in all likelihood will see the 3 F's playing together more than we did against Pace. Odd to see this early in season but the 7 1/2 man rotation is already set. We'll see if Sidibe and Ajak end up providing any minutes once they get healthy.
Lastly, Cole. I was expecting a plodding, stand still 3 point shooter. Oops! Pure shooter. More athletic than I expected (see minutes at top of zone). But also showed an aggressiveness to create his own shot that will lead to many mid range pullup jumpers. I daresay he is in Buddy's class as a shooter. Hope his size allows some rebounds to come his way.

Cole himself literally said when he signed w/ Cuse, that he was told he would get opportunities at SG.

So - anybody who didn't expect to see that, must have missed that.

Now - when I read that, my first thought was - yeah, we told Andrew White that too, and it didn't work out for him, or us.
But, at least last nite, Cole looked more than comfortable at SG.

Gotta love that our backup to a 6'6" lights out potential All-ACC and AA SG - is a 6'9" lights out shooter.

I also wouldn't call it 7 1/2 men - 8 guys all got legit minutes last nite, and all figure to continue doing the same (even if/when Buddy is back at 35+).
3 guards, 3 forwards, 2 centers. Just like JB likes it.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Agree on Cole looking good at the 2... in my eyes the best defensive and rebounding lineup was Swider, Torrence, Jimmy, Benny and either one of the centers. That lineup has the opportunity to be REALLY good in the zone and still score some points.

The best offensive lineup is JG3, Buddy, Swider, Jimmy and Edwards. Unfortunately this lineup is by far our worse from a defensive/rebounding perspective. At least last night, Swider wasn't quick enough cover the wing... based on sample size of 1 game we will be seeing a LOT of open threes on his side of the zone if he's on the wing.

If were the coach I'd optimize my primary lineup for our biggest weakness which will be defense and rebounding, while not hurting the offense too much. To me that line up would be Symir, Buddy, Jimmy, Benny, Jesse. Edwards can sub in at the 2/3/4 and JG3 at either the 1/2. But Symir has to at least pretend to be an offensive threat otherwise teams will sag off him and take away our shooters. This is where losing Richmond hurts the most.

Not that we can read too much from one game, but It thought it was really interesting that the first sub was Jimmy out and Benny in. I thought for sure it would be Swider out based on his struggles defending the wing.

 

[SWC75]

When JBA gets healthy, will he get those 2 minutes Jimmy got at the 5?

 

[007]

When JBA gets healthy, will he get those 2 minutes Jimmy got at the 5?

I think we are way more likely to see Jimmy get minutes at 5 than JBA taking those minutes. Not when the game is still on the line anyway.

 

[RF2044]

Good post [per usual], Tom.

First of all, its tough to derive much significance from a game like this. The opponent is overmatched, we have better athletes, guys might be able to get away with stuff that they wouldn't be able to against P5 players, etc. But high level, there were some positives and negatives I noted from watching the game. Here are my observations:

The Good

• Swider looked like an even better shooter than I'd hoped
• We have the ability to put a lineup on the floor that features four shooters and a big -- which is a tough matchup
• Jimmy gives us a mid-post game we haven't had in a LONG time.
• We have some position versatility with Jimmy and Swider
• Frank is progressing ahead of schedule. There will be some frustrating moments this year as he gains experience, but he'll be a future starter
• Jesse looked more comfortable offensively, and finished well. And the team was looking to get him the ball
• Buddy looked like a guy who is poised to have a big year
• Symir looks like a true lead guard
• Girard looked like he was playing faster, and looked to attack

Neither Good Nor Bad

• Girard SHOULD look more comfortable playing against this type of competition. We've seen this before -- like when he'd look super-aggressive taking it to the rack against a guy like NC State's Patrick Beverly, who was small and slower afoot than JGIII. Remains to be seen whether he can continue to make plays off of the bounce against tougher competition
• Jimmy forced too much, especially early on. There are things he looks to do that he might have gotten away with in the Ivy League, that won't fly at the P5 level. I expect him to adjust and not make those types of mistakes going forward
• Benny passed the "look" test, and appears to have the potential to be a plus rebounder
• Jesse... loved the body control on those lobs to convert baskets, but dunk the &@#$ ball!!!
• Torrence passes the look test physically -- kid is built like a P5 power guard

The Bad

• Only 1 exhibition, but I was disappointed to see Benny's readiness at this stage of his developmental curve. He's a kid who just oozes potential -- I expect him to make a massive sophomore jump, and be a 17 / 7 type of kid next year as the team's leading scorer, but I was hoping he'd be ready to challenge for a starting role from day 1. He'll contribute in spurts, but looks like he needs a year to really hit his stride
• Rebounding. Ugh...
• I don't know that Symir will ever be a starting caliber guard. He looks adequate running the team [didn't see enough to gauge how he will handle the ball against on-ball pressure], but his scoring / shooting limitations seem glaring. At best, he might be a slightly better version of Howard Washington. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't offer tons of upside.
• I fear we're going to struggle against extremely athletic teams that press and look to get out in transition. We looked a little slow
• Please... no long term Buddy injury. Didn't appear to be the case, but...

All of the above qualified by noting that this is just an exhibition, on a team with a bunch of new faces that has guys still trying to figure things out and figure out how they fit together.

 

[pearl31]

Good post [per usual], Tom.

First of all, its tough to derive much significance from a game like this. The opponent is overmatched, we have better athletes, guys might be able to get away with stuff that they wouldn't be able to against P5 players, etc. But high level, there were some positives and negatives I noted from watching the game. Here are my observations:

The Good

• Swider looked like an even better shooter than I'd hoped
• We have the ability to put a lineup on the floor that features four shooters and a big -- which is a tough matchup
• Jimmy gives us a mid-post game we haven't had in a LONG time.
• We have some position versatility with Jimmy and Swider
• Frank is progressing ahead of schedule. There will be some frustrating moments this year as he gains experience, but he'll be a future starter
• Jesse looked more comfortable offensively, and finished well. And the team was looking to get him the ball
• Buddy looked like a guy who is poised to have a big year
• Symir looks like a true lead guard
• Girard looked like he was playing faster, and looked to attack

Neither Good Nor Bad

• Girard SHOULD look more comfortable playing against this type of competition. We've seen this before -- like when he'd look super-aggressive taking it to the rack against a guy like NC State's Patrick Beverly, who was small and slower afoot than JGIII. Remains to be seen whether he can continue to make plays off of the bounce against tougher competition
• Jimmy forced too much, especially early on. There are things he looks to do that he might have gotten away with in the Ivy League, that won't fly at the P5 level. I expect him to adjust and not make those types of mistakes going forward
• Benny passed the "look" test, and appears to have the potential to be a plus rebounder
• Jesse... loved the body control on those lobs to convert baskets, but dunk the &@#$ ball!!!
• Torrence passes the look test physically -- kid is built like a P5 power guard

The Bad

• Only 1 exhibition, but I was disappointed to see Benny's readiness. He's a kid who just oozes potential -- I expect him to make a massive sophomore jump, and be a 17 / 7 type of kid next year as the team's leading scorer, but I was hoping he'd be ready from day 1. He'll contribute in spurts, but looks like he needs a year to really hit his stride
• Rebounding. Ugh...
• I don't know that Symir will ever be a starting caliber guard. He looks adequate running the team [didn't see enough to gauge how he will handle the ball against on-ball pressure], but his scoring / shooting limitations seem glaring. At best, he might be a slightly better version of Howard Washington. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't offer tons of upside.
• I fear we're going to struggle against extremely athletic teams that press and look to get out in transition. We looked a little slow

All of the above qualified by noting that this is just an exhibition, on a team with a bunch of new faces that has guys still trying to figure things out and figure out how they fit together.

as per usual, really good observations and I agree w pretty much all, except for your take on Symir. Thought he looked very good last night (yes, albeit exhibition v DII) both running the show and up top in the 2-3 - and no, he's not a shooter, but we knew that already. Think he'll be a really good 3rd guard and even as the primary lead guard in some games depending on circumstances.

 

[OmahaCuse]

I think if JG3 gets hot early in the game really opens everything up for other. We are going to really miss KR this year even of for 20 minutes of steals and getting to the rim.

 

[bballbeadle]

Did anyone else who was there notice the glare on the court? It was quite bright. We wondered whether the players saw it, too, or if it doesn’t glare when you are on the court as opposed to being above it?

 

[Orangezoo]

Good post [per usual], Tom.

First of all, its tough to derive much significance from a game like this. The opponent is overmatched, we have better athletes, guys might be able to get away with stuff that they wouldn't be able to against P5 players, etc. But high level, there were some positives and negatives I noted from watching the game. Here are my observations:

The Good

• Swider looked like an even better shooter than I'd hoped
• We have the ability to put a lineup on the floor that features four shooters and a big -- which is a tough matchup
• Jimmy gives us a mid-post game we haven't had in a LONG time.
• We have some position versatility with Jimmy and Swider
• Frank is progressing ahead of schedule. There will be some frustrating moments this year as he gains experience, but he'll be a future starter
• Jesse looked more comfortable offensively, and finished well. And the team was looking to get him the ball
• Buddy looked like a guy who is poised to have a big year
• Symir looks like a true lead guard
• Girard looked like he was playing faster, and looked to attack

Neither Good Nor Bad

• Girard SHOULD look more comfortable playing against this type of competition. We've seen this before -- like when he'd look super-aggressive taking it to the rack against a guy like NC State's Patrick Beverly, who was small and slower afoot than JGIII. Remains to be seen whether he can continue to make plays off of the bounce against tougher competition
• Jimmy forced too much, especially early on. There are things he looks to do that he might have gotten away with in the Ivy League, that won't fly at the P5 level. I expect him to adjust and not make those types of mistakes going forward
• Benny passed the "look" test, and appears to have the potential to be a plus rebounder
• Jesse... loved the body control on those lobs to convert baskets, but dunk the &@#$ ball!!!
• Torrence passes the look test physically -- kid is built like a P5 power guard

The Bad

• Only 1 exhibition, but I was disappointed to see Benny's readiness. He's a kid who just oozes potential -- I expect him to make a massive sophomore jump, and be a 17 / 7 type of kid next year as the team's leading scorer, but I was hoping he'd be ready from day 1. He'll contribute in spurts, but looks like he needs a year to really hit his stride
• Rebounding. Ugh...
• I don't know that Symir will ever be a starting caliber guard. He looks adequate running the team [didn't see enough to gauge how he will handle the ball against on-ball pressure], but his scoring / shooting limitations seem glaring. At best, he might be a slightly better version of Howard Washington. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't offer tons of upside.
• I fear we're going to struggle against extremely athletic teams that press and look to get out in transition. We looked a little slow

All of the above qualified by noting that this is just an exhibition, on a team with a bunch of new faces that has guys still trying to figure things out and figure out how they fit together.

Good takes. Again based on very limited evidence that also was lacking our best player at times, to me we look like a team that can beat essentially 95 pct of the teams in the country to where last year it was more like 90 pct. Now that 5 pct from 100 is that difference between the glory version of SU vs a better version of where we have been the past 6 years.

Against the extremely athletic teams we will need to take advantage of the likelihood they struggle to shoot it and we have legit size to defend the rim. Reality is we will end up overmatched a few times ( doubtful we run into every team that is a matchup that is too one sided for us to overcome) this year. I don't think the non conference slate is full of teams we can't beat.

 

[GooseMutt]

My take. I’m not as knowledgeable as many on this site and impressed with their breakdowns and knowledge! Having said that;

We appear to have a lot of weapons
Too many options for opposite teams to double up anyone (it would be to their

Team appears to be unselfish and have mutual goal to get ball In basket anyway anyhow

we have some shooters and this is gonna be a gunslinging team!

Can’t wait!

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I can't say i'm "disappointed," but i was most surprised by Symmir. His shot was just ugly. Which just seems so different from that summer practice clip, where he was running around the gym knocking down long jumpers. What i do like about him, though, is his speed. He's really quick with the ball, and seemingly without being out of control. But, it so far is not a 'useful' speed. Meaning, he pushes it, but then reaches a point on the court where he then doesn't go further, so the speed doesn't translate to buckets for himself or plays for others. Not sure our starters are fast enough to run with him anyway. But, at some point, i expect the team to capitalize on his quickness.

Jesse looked really good, although it wasn't against strong opposition. But, he catches. He finishes. He doesn't rush. He doesn't look clumsy or gangly or spazzy. Which is super important, both toward his success but also for giving his teammates confidence in him. He was fantastic in closing out against shooters, and he had a block on a jumper in the second half that shocked me. We have a presence at center. That's a marvelous thing to say.

Cole—wow. Looked like a stronger JJ Redick. We could legitimately wonder whether he'll outscore Buddy this season. If not for the minutes bias Buddy will likely get...

Frank was okay. Which in and of itself is encouraging. Didn't have the 'lost' look from last year. Griffin said he has mad the biggest improvement of any player he has coached, so i'm assuming there's more that Frank just didn't get a chance to show, but i also see he's still on an upward trajectory. I just don't know where he fits best, because i don't really see a 'center.' I see a traditional power forward. I wonder if he has or will ever develop a mid-range jumper game.

Benny was probably exactly what i expected. With some talent, but not ready to be a star this year. He'll be very good–i just hope he stays for three years and doesn't rush it after next. Also, though, it's pretty clear that Jimmy is more ready now, so i'm not gutted that Benny isn't a starter. He'll get his opportunities.

 

[LockedOnSyr]

Definitely impressed with how well the team played together for first game with so many "new pieces." 26 assists on 30 field goals is awesome. Looked like a team that had played together for a long time and really enjoyed one another/understood their roles. We recapped the game today on the pod if you guys want to hear more.

 

[SUMinistry]

Cole—wow. Looked like a stronger JJ Redick. We could legitimately wonder whether he'll outscore Buddy this season. If not for the minutes bias Buddy will likely get...

Very impressed with his shooting and overall skill last night. Honestly don't believe he will be the second or maybe even third scorer for the season, but he will have games where he explodes for 20-25+.

 

[Orangefan1]

How the heck could Cole not get run with Jay Wright? That’s absurd

it’s obvious he wasn’t utilized properly at all

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Very impressed with his shooting and overall skill last night. Honestly don't believe he will be the second or maybe even third scorer for the season, but he will have games where he explodes for 20-25+.

Who would be second or third? And why not Cole?

 

[Ceerqqq]

Did anyone else who was there notice the glare on the court? It was quite bright. We wondered whether the players saw it, too, or if it doesn’t glare when you are on the court as opposed to being above it?

(cataracts? personal experience...)

 

[SWC75]

I just had a thought.

With a tall team full of good shooters and finally a center who can score, maybe 'pushing it' isn't really the best thing for this team.