Rank the most important players to SU's success next year

[Cusefaninvirginia]

The main criteria here is both who do we most need to step up and who can we least afford to lose:

1. MCW
2. DaJuan Coleman
3. Brandon Triche
4. Rakeem Christmas
5. C.J. Fair
6. James Southerland
7. Trevor Cooney
8. Baye Keita
9. Jerami Grant

 

[rrlbees]

1. Triche
2. MCW
3. Cooney
4. DaJuan Coleman
5. Rakeem Christmas
6. C.J. Fair
7. James Southerland
8. Baye Keita
9. Jerami Grant

I put the 3 guards 1-3 because with only 3 of them, we can't afford to lose any (yes I know Mookie is probable and could play some 2). Real tough call on CJ/JS. Kind of 6 and 6A.

 

[newmexicuse]

You may be placing too much importance on young players, as three of your top four did not have too much overall impact on the prior year's success.

I agree MCW needs to be a key cog. After that the proven players (Brandon, CJ, and James) need to continue to improve and will be very valuable due to their experience & leadership. I think we need at least one of the three bigs to step up. I also agree w your big hierarchy & that DC2 is most likely to be the one since he has the most O & rebounding potential of the three.

So with that in mind, here would be my list:

1. Brandon - The potential oozes...IMHO he should be much better than he has shown. If he steps up as he should as a senior leader he should be our MVP.

2. MCW - He is the player most likely to make others better.

3. CJ - He does so many little things & I believe he will come back with some new dimension to his game that will alleviate the loss of KJ

4. James - When he gets going things really open up. He has also made great strides on D & his boardwork. If he can develop a serviceable handle he might really break out.

5. DC2 - To some extent it will be bigs by committee, but he has the most both ends of the floor potential.

6. Cooney - Even though my #1 & 2 on this list are guards, we will need him to deliver some quality minutes & some long range bombing. You just can't get by w only two guards.

7. Rak - He has plenty of potential, but unlike many here, I think he is way better at the 5 then the 4 & that makes him essentially a backup, even if he gets semi-token starts at PF.

8. Baye - Great ability to run the floor - can he develop into any kind of an O threat ???

9. Jerami - I hate to place this kid at the bottom. I think he will surprise & get more minutes than many are projecting. Nonetheless, the bench will be shortened in tough games & he is most likely to be the odd man out in Jimmy's rotations. I see myself clamoring for him to get more minutes next season just as I clamored for more MCW minutes last year.

I wish MG could be eligible. I think he has the exact skillset we need to fill some holes.

 

[br801]

The most important players next year will be Triche and MCW. Losing either one would be a game changer due to lack of backcourt depth. The team could survive the loss of any of the frontcourt players or Cooney and still be quite good.

 

[Gabjon]

1. Triche
2. MCW
3. Cooney
4. James Southerland
5. C.J. Fair
6. Rakeem Christmas
7. DaJuan Coleman
8. Baye Keita
9. Jerami Grant

This is tough! I agree with Bees regarding the guards, but I think next are the wings they have to shoot well then I put Rak because he needs to have the sophomore jump that we are all expecting. Next is Dajuan I don't want to put to much pressure on our freshmen center (history tells me not to) Baye needs to be ready to play big minutes if DC2 is ready yet. Lastly is Jerami who is the 9th man in a 8 man rotation but I hope he kicks a$$ in practice.

 

[RF2044]

1. Triche--need him to step up and be consistent 15-17 ppg scorer. He has the tools, despite what some believe
2. MCW--big shoes to fill as lead guard. Can he take care of the ball and facilitate half court sets?
3. C.J. Fair--my projection as the team's second leading scorer, needs to take next step shooting / ball handling
4. James Southerland--as either starter or 6th man, needs to provide consistent scoring / shooting and take on bigger role
5. DaJuan Coleman--has to provide low post scoring to balance offense, and better rebounding than Fab
6. Rakeem Christmas--needs to rebound better for us not to be victimized on boards, and make the sophomore jump
7. Cooney--will play a ton as 3rd guard. Needs to provide more than just shooting
8. Baye Keita--had coming out party 2nd weekend of NCAAs--can he be more consistent?
9. Jerami Grant--love the potential, I envision him playing MCW-type of minutes next year

 

[Oakland]

The main criteria here is both who do we most need to step up and who can we least afford to lose:

Those are two different criteria:

Least afford to lose

MCW
Brandon Triche
Trevor Cooney
C.J. Fair
James Southerland
DaJuan Coleman
Rakeem Christmas
Baye Keita
Jerami Grant

Shortage of guards is paramount, need some good play from our returning forwards, can afford to lose a big

Most need to step up:

MCW
C.J. Fair
James Southerland
DaJuan Coleman
Trevor Cooney
Rakeem Christmas
Brandon Triche
Baye Keita
Jerami Grant

MCW not only needs to show that he can control the game without proven stars, but also that he can score from outside to help others on offense. We need CJ or JS to be a star. BT is low because he has a proven game and level of production, if he step up to stardom, great, but we need others to step up or we will be limited on offense.

 

[Cusefaninvirginia]

yeah, definitely two different criteria. I just wanted to keep the discussion as open as possible, but breaking it down between the 2 lists works great too.

 

[moqui]

SU is going to have the best & deepest frontcourt in the nation next year, and all 5 will contribute in different ways and will be of various importance in various games.

the key to the season will be the backcourt. Quality backcourt play = Final Four.

So, my list is:
1a. Triche
1b. MCW
2. Cooney
3a through 3e -the frontcourt
4. Mookie
5. Nolan Hart
6. Grant

 

[sutomcat]

SU is going to have the best & deepest frontcourt in the nation next year, and all 5 will contribute in different ways and will be of various importance in various games.

the key to the season will be the backcourt. Quality backcourt play = Final Four.

So, my list is:
1a. Triche
1b. MCW
2. Cooney
3a through 3e -the frontcourt
4. Mookie
5. Nolan Hart
6. Grant

LOL, I guess you aren't really high on Grant's chances for playing time. I heard that one of the Ottos beat Nolan Hart one on one last year while wearing her uniform.

 

[pfister1]

1. MCW - because I think he will be the point an integral to everything we are trying to do
2. Brandon - because I think he is the natural candidate to be the "dude" - but we could more easily still be successful if he plays at or near the same level as last year than if MCW comes out and doesn't take a big step forward.
3. James - if he takes a step forward it would be HUGE for us.
4. CJ - need him to progress, but I don't know if the season success will turn on his performance.
5. Rak - I put Rak higher than DC b/c its tough to be reliant on a frosh big man.
6. DC
7. Cooney - while we are thin and can't afford to lose him, I don't think he needs to be overly productive, especially if we are getting big contributions from BT and MCW.
8. Keita
9. Grant

 

[newmexicuse]

Everybody, myself included, had dissed or not even mentioned the Mookster !!

Maybe this is the year that Jimmy fine tunes the Zone so much that we can simply play 4 on 5 & leave the Mookster totally free to run amuk on the O end of the court !!! No reason a running amuk Mookie can't hit over 50% from the trey line & average 20PPG !!!

 

[cuserulesall]

Everybody, myself included, had dissed or not even mentioned the Mookster !!

Maybe this is the year that Jimmy fine tunes the Zone so much that we can simply play 4 on 5 & leave the Mookster totally free to run amuk on the O end of the court !!! No reason a running amuk Mookie can't hit over 50% from the trey line & average 20PPG !!!

He very well could be are secret weapon next year !!!! Fifth year senior who was a top 50 player . Oh yea !

 

[pfister1]

He very well could be are secret weapon next year !!!! Fifth year senior who was a top 50 player . Oh yea !

Yes...a very well guarded secret. I expect the secret Mookie weapon will be the like the secret formula for Coke and remain buried in the vault next year.

 

[Antiprodigy]

My criteria is based upon the goal of at least a final four:

1. Triche - Without having top 5 level talent at multiple positions (ala - UK last year) which SU doesn't have this year, you need experienced guard play.
2. MCW - It's vital that he be the stud that so many here envision, because SU will need him to make others better with his play.
3. Rak - He must have the sophomore improvement that Moqui and others are so sure will happen, in order for SU to be truly elite.
4 - DC2 - He will need to provide significant offense and rebounding.
5 - CJ - As long as we get at least what we have been getting from him, things will be fine.
6 - JS - Copy and paste CJ's for James.
7 - The rest. It's important to have quality players backing the starters, but barring injury, those above will truly determine how far SU can go.

I see all of these as definite possibilities. I am confident about 1, 4, 5, 6. I have concerns about 2 & 3. And in the end, SU's fate will be tied to how closely MCW and Rak are able to get to those goals.

 

[billsin01]

1. Triche--need him to step up and be consistent 15-17 ppg scorer. He has the tools, despite what some believe
2. MCW--big shoes to fill as lead guard. Can he take care of the ball and facilitate half court sets?
3. C.J. Fair--my projection as the team's second leading scorer, needs to take next step shooting / ball handling
4. James Southerland--as either starter or 6th man, needs to provide consistent scoring / shooting and take on bigger role
5. DaJuan Coleman--has to provide low post scoring to balance offense, and better rebounding than Fab
6. Rakeem Christmas--needs to rebound better for us not to be victimized on boards, and make the sophomore jump
7. Cooney--will play a ton as 3rd guard. Needs to provide more than just shooting
8. Baye Keita--had coming out party 2nd weekend of NCAAs--can he be more consistent?
9. Jerami Grant--love the potential, I envision him playing MCW-type of minutes next year

A couple thoughts first:
1 -- good thought on a summer time post but I agree, "least afford to lose" isn't a huge thing for me b/c I think any key starter poses a pretty big potential loss in almost any year.
2 -- That so many people have Triche so high on their lists surprises me in that I think we absolutely know what we have in him and have seen who he is. If he is a more consistent spot up shooter and can quicken his release it would help but I really think he is who he is.
3 -- I'll rank 'x factors' in terms of being guys we don't know a lot about who could help with this season.

The givens (ranked in no particular order)
1) Fair -- I sorta feel like he could be an x factor if he came back a more polished scorer, but I think we can bank on him to improve his game, lead this team in minutes, contribute in a ton of ways and, in all likelihood, score 15 a game (he scored 8.5 despite dion and kj taking the bulk of the shots).
2) Triche -- I'd love to see him be a more consistent spot up shooter and be more consistent overall, but I agree he's a nice player and key piece of the puzzle. I just don't think we'll see more than 12-13 a game. The key will be how efficiently he does that. People keep talking about how his minutes will go up but tend not to mention that he was losing minutes b/c Scoop was a significantly better lead guard and Dion was a much more dangerous/dynamic threat on both ends. Triche is very solid but he is what he is and if he's looked to to score 17 a game, we are in trouble, IMO.
3) BMK -- I'd love to see him get some minutes at the 4 if DC can provide some minutes at the 5 b/c I think he'd be a nightmare defensively for teams. But ultimately he's a big guy with below-average hands, average arm-length and not a lot of heft. Really nice player for stretches but unlikely to be a 30+ mpg breakout guy.
4) Southerland -- I'm tempted to throw dirty into the x factor pile since he clearly has athleticism, but I think it's fine to predict improvement and a solid contribution from him and it's unlikely that he'll have a major breakout year. What might be interesting is if he can handle a few minutes here and there at the two and/or shoot more consistently.
5) Grant -- Grant should be in the x factor role since we don't know anything about him, but I'm going to put him here b/c I think it's pretty unlikely he jumps Fair/Southerland/Xmas for a huge number of minutes in meaningful games as a true frosh. I admit I could be way off.

X Factors (ranked in order of most important/highest upside)
1) MCW -- Questions about MCW handling the PG spot are unnecessary, IMO, in that he was a good player this year as a frosh and is only likely to get better. To me the question is how much better. I really see him as a guy who could be a nightmare on both ends of the floor and dynamic in the open floor/unsettled situations. Does he get there? I don't know but I think he has huge potential.
2) Xmas -- The forgotten man, IMO, in this whole discussion. I really think he showed way more on the offensive end than anyone here expected. He uses his body well, has terrific athleticism, and even has a move or two up his sleeve. I really think he could be a guy that could potentially do one of two things -- take a giant leap forward and be a 27 mpg guy who provides some offense down low, real good rebounding and nice size in general or a guy who ends up losing minutes in key games to Southerland/Fair/DC/Keita. I'm not sure which guy we end up seeing.
3) Cooney -- Cooney will get minutes, obviously, and the reports are certainly pretty good on him. We know nothing really about him but if he's a consistent shooter with a quick release and at least adequate on the defensive end, is there any reason to suggest he couldn't cut into triche's minutes?
4) DC -- Needs to be in shape but I would love to have a post scoring option even if it's for 10-12 mpg. Can he do that?

 

[ORRange]

1) Carter-Williams has been given the reins and must produce to have a great year. 8pts, 5a and 4 rbs in 25 minutes/game. He is key, otherwise BT will have to play out of position.
2) James must make shots on plays set up specifically for him. He is a senior and will be given every chance to produce (JB is always stubbornly loyal to them). James cannot go through 5 game stretches where he doesn't make multiple 3's. I would love to see some of his Globetrotter pregame dribbling exhibition translated to an actual drive to the basket during the game. An occasional score off the dribble by him would really open up his game and help us in our halfcourt sets. It seems like I'm always muttering to myself "Come on James we need you to make one of those shots". Well I'm hopeful but won't hold my breath
3) Not the least bit concerned with anyone else on the team. I know exactly what to expect and anything more is added luxury.

 

[Nerlo Rangel]

i'll take a different approach and assume the guards hold down the fort, and each one knows and executes their own role.

1) dajuan coleman: if DC can rebound on both ends of the court, average double-digits on the glass, that would help heal the most obvious wound from last season's team. DC is also a great outlet passer, so his rebounding leads to easy buckets in transition.

 

[All4SU]

1. Triche
2. MCW
3. Christmas
4. Coleman
5. Fair
6a. Cooney (This is a tie)
6b. Southerland
8. Baye Keita
9. Jerami Grant

 

[CuseFaninVT]

You may be placing too much importance on young players, as three of your top four did not have too much overall impact on the prior year's success.

I agree MCW needs to be a key cog. After that the proven players (Brandon, CJ, and James) need to continue to improve and will be very valuable due to their experience & leadership. I think we need at least one of the three bigs to step up. I also agree w your big hierarchy & that DC2 is most likely to be the one since he has the most O & rebounding potential of the three.

So with that in mind, here would be my list:

1. Brandon - The potential oozes...IMHO he should be much better than he has shown. If he steps up as he should as a senior leader he should be our MVP.

2. MCW - He is the player most likely to make others better.

3. CJ - He does so many little things & I believe he will come back with some new dimension to his game that will alleviate the loss of KJ

4. James - When he gets going things really open up. He has also made great strides on D & his boardwork. If he can develop a serviceable handle he might really break out.

5. DC2 - To some extent it will be bigs by committee, but he has the most both ends of the floor potential.

6. Cooney - Even though my #1 & 2 on this list are guards, we will need him to deliver some quality minutes & some long range bombing. You just can't get by w only two guards.

7. Rak - He has plenty of potential, but unlike many here, I think he is way better at the 5 then the 4 & that makes him essentially a backup, even if he gets semi-token starts at PF.

8. Baye - Great ability to run the floor - can he develop into any kind of an O threat ???

9. Jerami - I hate to place this kid at the bottom. I think he will surprise & get more minutes than many are projecting. Nonetheless, the bench will be shortened in tough games & he is most likely to be the odd man out in Jimmy's rotations. I see myself clamoring for him to get more minutes next season just as I clamored for more MCW minutes last year.

I wish MG could be eligible. I think he has the exact skillset we need to fill some holes.

Great list, great rationale. You've summed up my thoughts better than I could have possibly done.

 

[armory]

MCW
Thickburger
Triche
DJC
J-So
Rak
Keita
Cooney
Grant

 

[IthacaMatt]

X Factors (ranked in order of most important/highest upside)
1) MCW -- Questions about MCW handling the PG spot are unnecessary, IMO, in that he was a good player this year as a frosh and is only likely to get better. To me the question is how much better. I really see him as a guy who could be a nightmare on both ends of the floor and dynamic in the open floor/unsettled situations. Does he get there? I don't know but I think he has huge potential.
2) Xmas -- The forgotten man, IMO, in this whole discussion. I really think he showed way more on the offensive end than anyone here expected. He uses his body well, has terrific athleticism, and even has a move or two up his sleeve. I really think he could be a guy that could potentially do one of two things -- take a giant leap forward and be a 27 mpg guy who provides some offense down low, real good rebounding and nice size in general or a guy who ends up losing minutes in key games to Southerland/Fair/DC/Keita. I'm not sure which guy we end up seeing.
3) Cooney -- Cooney will get minutes, obviously, and the reports are certainly pretty good on him. We know nothing really about him but if he's a consistent shooter with a quick release and at least adequate on the defensive end, is there any reason to suggest he couldn't cut into triche's minutes?
4) DC -- Needs to be in shape but I would love to have a post scoring option even if it's for 10-12 mpg. Can he do that?

Coleman is going to play way more than 10-12 mpg. He'll get at least 20, and maybe more if he can stay out of foul trouble. Christmas can't be our center if we expect to go anywhere deep in the tournament this year. He is like a Terrence R0berts kind of player, IMO, although maybe with some better post moves.

I think Smelly (Fart Boy) has the potential to blow up this year, if he gets off to a good start in the early season and gets his confidence going. That's my biggest X factor.

 

[netman99]

1) Coleman
2) Coleman
3) Coleman
4) Coleman
5) Coleman
6) Coleman
7) Coleman

This team desperately needs someone that score with their back to the basket and also rebound. Coleman is the obvious answer, the only question is will he do it as freshmen. I think he will personally.