Preseason Practice...

[OttoinGrotto]

Lol 20 attempts is an insane figure for college basketball. Can we bet on that? Can’t lose situation for me. Could win money betting the obvious under, but if it’s somehow over the entertainment value all around will be worth the price.

You're thinking about this too rationally.

Other comps don't matter. JB's tendencies are the only things that matter.

We know every season JB has a player (sometimes more than one) towards the tops of minutes per game in all of the NCAA.

Look at the roster. Who's the one guy JB trusts unconditionally? Who's the one guy 1-4 that's a known quantity?

Pencil Girard in for 38 mpg.

Now, we also know JB values shooting. Look at the roster. Who is the only player that has a track record making shots?

It's Joe again.

Is there anyone else 1-4 that can score?

Nope. Jesse also doesn't count because we don't prioritize getting the ball inside.

So where are the shots going to come from?

They're going to come from JG3.

Given what we're hearing, is Benny gonna get shots? No.

Given Symir's game, is he gonna be cranking up shots? No.

Is JB gonna trust freshmen forwards and guards to put the ball in the air? Maybe, maybe Mintz. That's it.

Look at this coach, with this roster, and this player in JG3, and the dude is never checking out of the game, and he's taking as many shots as he wants.

And we know Joe likes to shoot.

Magic combination of minutes + green light. That's what matters.

 

[justgold315]

You're thinking about this too rationally.

Other comps don't matter. JB's tendencies are the only things that matter.

We know every season JB has a player (sometimes more than one) towards the tops of minutes per game in all of the NCAA.

Look at the roster. Who's the one guy JB trusts unconditionally? Who's the one guy 1-4 that's a known quantity?

Pencil Girard in for 38 mpg.

Now, we also know JB values shooting. Look at the roster. Who is the only player that has a track record making shots?

It's Joe again.

Is there anyone else 1-4 that can score?

Nope. Jesse also doesn't count because we don't prioritize getting the ball inside.

So where are the shots going to come from?

They're going to come from JG3.

Given what we're hearing, is Benny gonna get shots? No.

Given Symir's game, is he gonna be cranking up shots? No.

Is JB gonna trust freshmen forwards and guards to put the ball in the air? Maybe, maybe Mintz. That's it.

Look at this coach, with this roster, and this player in JG3, and the dude is never checking out of the game, and he's taking as many shots as he wants.

And we know Joe likes to shoot.

Magic combination of minutes + green light. That's what matters.

 

[kcsu]

New offense. Joe shoots from half court and the guys hit the board. Joe 100 shots per game.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Mintz will average more points than Benny. I’m pretty confident in that. Benny is not going to be someone we go to in order to get a bucket. He needs to focus on defense, rebounding, and getting garbage points.

Seems that way.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Mintz being a threat to score at the rim or on floaters/jumpers after getting into the paint while also being able to pass for easy baskets or open jumpers is one of the keys to our offense this year.

The dream is Girard shoots a couple wide open threes a half courtesy of Mintz every half, or Edwards and Williams get frequent easy dunks as they shade towards Girard even after Mintz gets past his man.

A lot has to go right, but the team can realistically be really good on offense this year, with lots of ways to score available to them.

Good post!

 

[Bulldog04]

I replied to exactly what you posted. And I’m very familiar. You have issues with JB and Gmac.

Lol! Issues with Gmac ? That’s hysterical. When have I ever said anything about Gmac ever in a negative way? The answer is never. I’ve actually stood up for him when people feel like he “loses” a recruit. And zero issue with JB. Is it time for him to go? No question. But It’s because I want the program to be successful.

Let’s stay on topic though about practice. We talking about practice

 

[IthacaMatt]

He is. It’s called clash of personalities between him and you know who

Well, Benny hasn't done nearly enough to date to say that he's going to win this disagreement. 1.5 PPG and a crap trip to Europe have not impressed.

 

[Cuse99&01]

I think it can. Experience and confidence and adjusting to the speed of the game can go a long way for some guys in that regard.

What can be interpreted as “soft” might actually be “a step behind and lost”. That can get better. IMO.

Agree that gaining experience and confidence and adjusting to the speed of the college game will help his game. Which will ultimately make him a better player. Becoming better and more confident doesn’t necessarily equate to being an alpha or a dog on the court. I feel that is more of an inherent trait. You either have it or you don’t.

Regardless if Benny has it or not, I’m hoping for a big leap in his game this year!

 

[Cuse_NYC]

One of those quiet kids that got tons of run and JB liked was Tyus Battle.

CJ

 

[Bayside44]

Wish DNic were still around for Benny. He got it for sure from JB but it did work out for him at the end.

 

[Orangezoo]

Wish DNic were still around for Benny. He got it for sure from JB but it did work out for him at the end.

Good point. Was happy for DNic but he was a great guy to have around for guys like Benny

 

[Orange315]

I think we average 77 points per game. Girard-19. Mintz- 14. Edwards- 12. Taylor/Bunch- Combine for 14. Torrence- 6. Misc bench??- 4.

 

[CardiacCuse]

Joe will be channeling his inner Coon dog. Hes going to need an ice bath for his right arm after every game. His elbow is going to get carpel tunnel. He is like a pent-up sailor on leave having played out of position to feed Buddy the ball, now that the kid is out of jail, he is going to go Bsh t crazy.
This is going to be his dream, think of it as the Golden Corral of shooting

Seriously though, Joe can shoot with the best of them. Hes a shooter a natural two and yes, his range is ridiculous. I think he is going to light it up and I hope that he has a great year as after playing out of position he deserves it, and the team needs him to lead the way.

if joe gets a quality shot then I see no need to bemoan massive volume from him. there is no good look that I dont want joe shooting.

If Joe is getting 20 wide open shots a game - this is a national title caliber team IMO

He's one of the best shooters I've ever seen ( a better shooter than Buddy, imo). ...he's just on the small side and not particularly fast so rarely gets many open looks .

If he's just gunning 20 off-balance 35 footers every game...then it would be a problem...but I seriously doubt that.

I guess it will probably be the case that he has the green light with under 5 seconds on the shot clock to gun...which, while not perhaps ideal, really wouldnt be that bad.

I think being "the man" can do wonders for a player like that...a shooter that has clear first option status in an offense can bring out the beast in a player. I think Joe is a confidence player and the more confidence he has the better he plays...I think we have seen the reverse of that so far with Benny.

However, to temper all of that, Joe does struggle one on one,,,,and we have seen numerous late game mulligans from him over the last few seasons so i don't exactly want to see his Michael Jordan imitation this season if it means iso Joe for the last 5-10 minutes of games...we saw that with Buddy last year and it was a disaster.

 

[Orangezoo]

if joe gets a quality shot then I see no need to bemoan massive volume from him. there is no good look that I dont want joe shooting.

If Joe is getting 20 wide open shots a game - this is a national title caliber team IMO

He's one of the best shooters I've ever seen ( a better shooter than Buddy, imo). ...he's just on the small side and not particularly fast so rarely gets many open looks .

If he's just gunning 20 off-balance 35 footers every game...then it would be a problem...but I seriously doubt that.

I guess it will probably be the case that he has the green light with under 5 seconds on the shot clock to gun...which, while not perhaps ideal, really wouldnt be that bad.

I think being "the man" can do wonders for a player like that...a shooter that has clear first option status in an offense can bring out the beast in a player. I think Joe is a confidence player and the more confidence he has the better he plays...I think we have seen the reverse of that so far with Benny.

However, to temper all of that, Joe does struggle one on one,,,,and we have seen numerous late game mulligans from him over the last few seasons so i don't exactly want to see his Michael Jordan imitation this season if it means iso Joe for the last 5-10 minutes of games...we saw that with Buddy last year and it was a disaster.

Joe should never be iso Joe late in games with Mintz and Symir on this roster. I'm not saying he won't have 1 on 1 situations where the matchup warrants him taking his man- but in most cases he shouldn't be operating solo on the ball like that. It's not the strength of his game even as the primary option.

 

[Cuse_NYC]

if joe gets a quality shot then I see no need to bemoan massive volume from him. there is no good look that I dont want joe shooting.

If Joe is getting 20 wide open shots a game - this is a national title caliber team IMO

He's one of the best shooters I've ever seen ( a better shooter than Buddy, imo). ...he's just on the small side and not particularly fast so rarely gets many open looks .

If he's just gunning 20 off-balance 35 footers every game...then it would be a problem...but I seriously doubt that.

I guess it will probably be the case that he has the green light with under 5 seconds on the shot clock to gun...which, while not perhaps ideal, really wouldnt be that bad.

I think being "the man" can do wonders for a player like that...a shooter that has clear first option status in an offense can bring out the beast in a player. I think Joe is a confidence player and the more confidence he has the better he plays...I think we have seen the reverse of that so far with Benny.

However, to temper all of that, Joe does struggle one on one,,,,and we have seen numerous late game mulligans from him over the last few seasons so i don't exactly want to see his Michael Jordan imitation this season if it means iso Joe for the last 5-10 minutes of games...we saw that with Buddy last year and it was a disaster.

National Title? I’m more optimistic than most about this season, but we don’t have enough. Judah would have to be a lottery pick and Benny would have to make a major leap.

 

[Cuse99&01]

I think we average 77 points per game. Girard-19. Mintz- 14. Edwards- 12. Taylor/Bunch- Combine for 14. Torrence- 6. Misc bench??- 4.

So Benny won't score?

 

[hoopsupstate]

So Benny won't score?

That leaves eight points for Benny.

 

[OburgCuse]

Wish DNic were still around for Benny. He got it for sure from JB but it did work out for him at the end.

Yes, DNic was the first person who came to mind when Bulldog was referring to quieter/more passive type who struggled early and was able to turn it around. Good example of someone who struggled mightily early when JB and others would get on him but ultimately figured out a way to get his confidence and be a real leader of the team as an upperclassman. Not everybody can figure this out though.

 

[Orange315]

So Benny won't score?

Yes 8. Missed that

 

[Trueblue25]

Will be happy if we finish above .500

 

[Dangelo]

Will be happy if we finish above .500

I won’t this team should be better than last year

 

[djcon57]

Will be happy if we finish above .500

To me, as with every JB season going forward, the goal should be the bubble. Get in and win a couple games.

Anything more would be fantastic.
Anything less, disappointing

 

[Niastri]

National Title? I’m more optimistic than most about this season, but we don’t have enough. Judah would have to be a lottery pick and Benny would have to make a major leap.

If Girard gets 20 open threes a game, he'd average 40+ ppg.

I think we could win that way.

 

[Orangezoo]

To me, as with every JB season going forward, the goal should be the bubble. Get in and win a couple games.

Anything more would be fantastic.
Anything less, disappointing

This. I'll take the over for my own mental health as the same for all of ours in cuse nation though.

 

[Sherman20]

Don’t know if we will be good but hopefully we are more enjoyable to watch. Last season was painful to watch, they were bad at so many things

I don’t know about that. We were good on offense, top 25 or 30 in offensive efficiency, per KenPom. But we were absolutely atrocious on defense. Like worst in JB’s tenure bad.