Practice Report II

[MSOrange]

So here’s what I’m hearing regarding hoops.

The feeling is that we are good enough to be 2010 / 2003 special. The addition of Carey, Hughes and Buddy changes much of the offensive dynamics that led this team to struggle last year.

The plan is to run more. Carey, especially, is excellent in transition. He’s realllllllly good. Have heard comparisons to a young Ben Gordon, or maybe Gary Payton.

Hughes brings versatility and scoring, Carey speed and the ability to attack the rim and Buddy should benefit by getting open looks...


The 9 will be Frank, Tyus, Brissett, Marek, PC, Hughes, Sidibe, Carey and Buddy...but everyone loves Braswell - ”a future star”.

Expect to see everyone’s minutes decrease from last year. The rotation will look a lot like 2010...where the second unit comes in and pushes tempo ala Joseph / Scoop etc.

We will be more physical and versatile and don’t be surprised if Frank becomes an “A” level shooter...and no issues regarding his long term health.

This gets me really excited! Thanks for the post

 

[20Plus]

Our only weakness is beef at the 3,4,5
But if we run and don’t getin grind it out games with more physical teams we will crush them

 

[20Plus]

Curious with all the talent if we could go with four wings And then a forward or one center

Getting Carey, Howard, Battle and Hughes on the floor With one of the forwards or center in the middle

 

[General20]

So here’s what I’m hearing regarding hoops.

The feeling is that we are good enough to be 2010 / 2003 special. The addition of Carey, Hughes and Buddy changes much of the offensive dynamics that led this team to struggle last year.

The plan is to run more. Carey, especially, is excellent in transition. He’s realllllllly good. Have heard comparisons to a young Ben Gordon, or maybe Gary Payton.

Hughes brings versatility and scoring, Carey speed and the ability to attack the rim and Buddy should benefit by getting open looks...


The 9 will be Frank, Tyus, Brissett, Marek, PC, Hughes, Sidibe, Carey and Buddy...but everyone loves Braswell - ”a future star”.

Expect to see everyone’s minutes decrease from last year. The rotation will look a lot like 2010...where the second unit comes in and pushes tempo ala Joseph / Scoop etc.

We will be more physical and versatile and don’t be surprised if Frank becomes an “A” level shooter...and no issues regarding his long term health.

Are you hearing anything about Hughe's D at the bottom of the zone? I think that's going to determine how a lot of minutes get distributed. And we will be better if he can play all his minutes as a forward.

 

[Ceerqqq]

The rotation will look a lot like 2010...where the second unit comes in and pushes tempo ala Joseph / Scoop etc.

Thanks for confirming this...something I've been expecting/hoping to see since the early reports on Hughes and Carey were so glowing.

And if this is what the coaching staff is thinking, then we can trust that JB believes he has enough real talent to pull it off. (You know that he would never attempt to use such a deep bench it if he didn't believe his 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th players could pull it off.)

Projecting ahead, if this whole plan unfolds as imagined, it will confirm that JB & Co. have done it again in recruiting talent that they see with experienced eyes instead of trusting the rankings of recruiting observers.

I mean, if I'm not mistaken---and I probably am---Tyus Battle is the only 5-star recruit on this year's team...no?

 

[Jake]

Are you hearing anything about Hughe's D at the bottom of the zone? I think that's going to determine how a lot of minutes get distributed. And we will be better if he can play all his minutes as a forward.

I expect him to play nearly exclusively at the 3

 

[reedny]

Are you hearing anything about Hughe's D at the bottom of the zone? I think that's going to determine how a lot of minutes get distributed. And we will be better if he can play all his minutes as a forward.

Plugging in Hughes is going to be this year's roster magic trick. I do think it's possible that he'll play SG - with Tyus playing some PG as he has in practice. But the default guard rotation will probably be Frank, Tyus and JC.

As you point out, Hughes has a lot of advantages at forward. He's beefy at 225, he can drive and he spreads the floor. Having him, Tyus and Frank on the floor is our best offensive lineup. My concern is that the guy he's likely to sub for - 6'10 MD - is a much better rebounder and defender and is just starting to hit his stride as a scorer.

 

[Cusesky8214]

Carey is definitely getting minutes...dynamic scorer! Hughes will be a difference maker. Buddy the sniper and everyone else will be improved. Cant wait for this season!!

 

[SUFan44]

So here’s what I’m hearing regarding hoops.

The feeling is that we are good enough to be 2010 / 2003 special. The addition of Carey, Hughes and Buddy changes much of the offensive dynamics that led this team to struggle last year.

The plan is to run more. Carey, especially, is excellent in transition. He’s realllllllly good. Have heard comparisons to a young Ben Gordon, or maybe Gary Payton.

Hughes brings versatility and scoring, Carey speed and the ability to attack the rim and Buddy should benefit by getting open looks...


The 9 will be Frank, Tyus, Brissett, Marek, PC, Hughes, Sidibe, Carey and Buddy...but everyone loves Braswell - ”a future star”.

Expect to see everyone’s minutes decrease from last year. The rotation will look a lot like 2010...where the second unit comes in and pushes tempo ala Joseph / Scoop etc.

We will be more physical and versatile and don’t be surprised if Frank becomes an “A” level shooter...and no issues regarding his long term health.

This year's roster has all the pieces. Experience, talent, length, shooting, ball handling...

Can't wait to finally compete for an ACC title.

 

[General20]

Plugging in Hughes is going to be this year's roster magic trick. I do think it's possible that he'll play SG - with Tyus playing some PG as he has in practice. But the default guard rotation will probably be Frank, Tyus and JC.

As you point out, Hughes has a lot of advantages at forward. He's beefy at 225, he can drive and he spreads the floor. Having him, Tyus and Frank on the floor is our best offensive lineup. My concern is that the guy he's likely to sub for - 6'10 MD - is a much better rebounder and defender and is just starting to hit his stride as a scorer.

No doubt Hughes and Dolezaj will be offensive and defensive substitutions for each other, and that's fine. My worry is that Hughes is going to suck defensively at the bottom of the zone. If Hughes can be 80% of what Dolezaj is defensively and Carey is as good as people are saying, Syracuse is going to be very good.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

This year's roster has all the pieces. Experience, talent, length, shooting, ball handling...

Can't wait to finally compete for an ACC title.

I'm excited to see how JAB manages the depth. Carey, Hughes, Sidibe will be the primary subs but also Braswell, Washington and Buddy available as well.

 

[MG44]

The plan is to run more. Carey, especially, is excellent in transition. He’s realllllllly good.
.

Yeah, yeah, yeaaaah, do tha haaarlem shufffle

 

[jdubs30]

No doubt Hughes and Dolezaj will be offensive and defensive substitutions for each other, and that's fine. My worry is that Hughes is going to suck defensively at the bottom of the zone. If Hughes can be 80% of what Dolezaj is defensively and Carey is as good as people are saying, Syracuse is going to be very good.

Why?

 

[Orangezoo]

No doubt Hughes and Dolezaj will be offensive and defensive substitutions for each other, and that's fine. My worry is that Hughes is going to suck defensively at the bottom of the zone. If Hughes can be 80% of what Dolezaj is defensively and Carey is as good as people are saying, Syracuse is going to be very good.

Maybe not so much he will suck but that he will make us less dominant. My hope is that even if that is the case, he still proves a net gain through being a offensive weapon, paired with further improvements by our centers. Also from a rebounding perspective I think the fact he is pretty solid will help offset being 6-6 and not 6-10.

 

[Jake]

I’m not concerned about Hughes defensively. He’s had a year practicing the zone. Carey is much more of a concern. Limiting entry passes is a much more important aspect of the zone.

 

[pearl31]

So here’s what I’m hearing regarding hoops.

The feeling is that we are good enough to be 2010 / 2003 special. The addition of Carey, Hughes and Buddy changes much of the offensive dynamics that led this team to struggle last year.

The plan is to run more. Carey, especially, is excellent in transition. He’s realllllllly good. Have heard comparisons to a young Ben Gordon, or maybe Gary Payton.

Hughes brings versatility and scoring, Carey speed and the ability to attack the rim and Buddy should benefit by getting open looks...


The 9 will be Frank, Tyus, Brissett, Marek, PC, Hughes, Sidibe, Carey and Buddy...but everyone loves Braswell - ”a future star”.

Expect to see everyone’s minutes decrease from last year. The rotation will look a lot like 2010...where the second unit comes in and pushes tempo ala Joseph / Scoop etc.

We will be more physical and versatile and don’t be surprised if Frank becomes an “A” level shooter...and no issues regarding his long term health.

good lord, Jake, what are you trying to do to me over here?

 

[SoBristol]

good lord, Jake, what are you trying to do to me over here?

To keep a little perspective (together with a ton of positives) the practice report was cautious about Carey in the half court, Sidibe did not do much, Buddy took open shots and made 1. There is a "feeling" we would be deep and good - which was obvious entering the summer. How good? Need more actual observations.

 

[SoBeCuse]

To keep a little perspective (together with a ton of positives) the practice report was cautious about Carey in the half court, Sidibe did not do much, Buddy took open shots and made 1. There is a "feeling" we would be deep and good - which was obvious entering the summer. How good? Need more actual observations.

You can’t be worse in the halfcourt than the squad as of late. Especially from a creativity/pace standpoint. Carey will be fine and a huge uptick to the energy, speed, pace, etc. Yes, definitely more curious about Sidibe and his recovery, possible offense/strength improvements, etc.

 

[Cusefan0307]

To keep a little perspective (together with a ton of positives) the practice report was cautious about Carey in the half court, Sidibe did not do much, Buddy took open shots and made 1. There is a "feeling" we would be deep and good - which was obvious entering the summer. How good? Need more actual observations.

In fairness to Sutomcat he was there 15 minutes.

 

[pearl31]

good lord, Jake, what are you trying to do to me over here?

 

[GooseMutt]

Thank you Tom... One of your quotes jumped out at me...

"Oshae looked about the same as last year physically. Played about the same too. Threw up a couple of 3s, drove and drew a foul, drove and scored. Dominated the boards. Mostly hong out on the perimeter. Looked to be having fun. "

Taken at face value, is this enough improvement for him to declare early? or could he pull a Tyus and return for his Jr year to improve his stock?

That quote infers to no change. But Oshaes biggest asset is his competitive drive and alpha need to win that comes out instinctively in game situations. If he only rebounded and shot foul shots I would be satisfied due to many other offensive options.it may not suit his nba aspirations but would serve us just fine.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

So here’s what I’m hearing regarding hoops.

The feeling is that we are good enough to be 2010 / 2003 special. The addition of Carey, Hughes and Buddy changes much of the offensive dynamics that led this team to struggle last year.

The plan is to run more. Carey, especially, is excellent in transition. He’s realllllllly good. Have heard comparisons to a young Ben Gordon, or maybe Gary Payton.

Hughes brings versatility and scoring, Carey speed and the ability to attack the rim and Buddy should benefit by getting open looks...


The 9 will be Frank, Tyus, Brissett, Marek, PC, Hughes, Sidibe, Carey and Buddy...but everyone loves Braswell - ”a future star”.

Expect to see everyone’s minutes decrease from last year. The rotation will look a lot like 2010...where the second unit comes in and pushes tempo ala Joseph / Scoop etc.

We will be more physical and versatile and don’t be surprised if Frank becomes an “A” level shooter...and no issues regarding his long term health.

 

[billsin01]

To keep a little perspective (together with a ton of positives) the practice report was cautious about Carey in the half court, Sidibe did not do much, Buddy took open shots and made 1. There is a "feeling" we would be deep and good - which was obvious entering the summer. How good? Need more actual observations.

In fairness to Sutomcat he was there 15 minutes.

Love Jake's insight but agree with the first post that we're a long way from really knowing what we have, at least those of us who aren't privy to inside info or first-hand observation. This isn't b/c I doubt Jake's points as much as it's just the reality of how far we'd have to come to make the type of improvement where we are comparing this team to 2010. For example -- we were third in O rating in 10 ... we were 240th last season. We could add 5 ppg to our scoring and we'd still probably only rank in the 150s overall.

So drastic improvement (i.e. closer to 10 ppg and moving waaaayyyy up the O rating charts) is absolutely possible and maybe even very realistic with this group, but I think anyone would have to agree that it's hard to 'expect' that type of improvement.

The one thing I will point out relative to Tom's observations is that we have more depth so practices have to look different and therefore are maybe a bit tougher to judge. Instead of a second team run by Washington and maybe leaning heavily on him, frosh MD and frosh Sidibe, we're looking at a second unit where those guys are all sophs and they're playing with Buddy and Bras -- in short, not a murder's row but a much tougher group than the first team has faced in several years.

So what does that all mean? I think it's completely fine to be expecting significant and maybe even dramatic improvement, but I do think everyone has to wait and see a bit to really know what we have.

 

[billsin01]

No doubt Hughes and Dolezaj will be offensive and defensive substitutions for each other, and that's fine. My worry is that Hughes is going to suck defensively at the bottom of the zone. If Hughes can be 80% of what Dolezaj is defensively and Carey is as good as people are saying, Syracuse is going to be very good.

Legit concern, IMO. JB's best teams are the ones that fit together well and have guys playing in the spots that suit them the best. The title team had GMac off-ball (a luxury he rarely had the next three years) the bulk of the time, Melo able to go inside-out at the 3 instead of being forced into exclusively playing the 4 and Pace and duany being able to chip in as needed in bench roles. Even two years ago, once Battle got going at the 2, White settled in at the 3 and we used Lydon to play a kind of odd, but effective stretch 5 type role was much better than when we were trying to squeeze White in at the 2 and make lydon a wing.

The point being, it seems logical to at least question if Hughes, who is a bit short for the ideal player at the three, can quite handle what we need him to handle in that role.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Love Jake's insight but agree with the first post that we're a long way from really knowing what we have, at least those of us who aren't privy to inside info or first-hand observation. This isn't b/c I doubt Jake's points as much as it's just the reality of how far we'd have to come to make the type of improvement where we are comparing this team to 2010. For example -- we were third in O rating in 10 ... we were 240th last season. We could add 5 ppg to our scoring and we'd still probably only rank in the 150s overall.

So drastic improvement (i.e. closer to 10 ppg and moving waaaayyyy up the O rating charts) is absolutely possible and maybe even very realistic with this group, but I think anyone would have to agree that it's hard to 'expect' that type of improvement.

The one thing I will point out relative to Tom's observations is that we have more depth so practices have to look different and therefore are maybe a bit tougher to judge. Instead of a second team run by Washington and maybe leaning heavily on him, frosh MD and frosh Sidibe, we're looking at a second unit where those guys are all sophs and they're playing with Buddy and Bras -- in short, not a murder's row but a much tougher group than the first team has faced in several years.

So what does that all mean? I think it's completely fine to be expecting significant and maybe even dramatic improvement, but I do think everyone has to wait and see a bit to really know what we have.

I think the more competitive practices are a really big deal and are going to pay dividends.