FSU Basketball Preview
by B-rod24 on Oct 14, 2010 7:38 PM EDT
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PrintI initially set out to develop an introduction to my "Jam with Coach Ham" review. It turned into this massive 1500 word monster that I thought needed it's own fanpost.
Its that time of the year again. In a little less than a month we'll be cheering the Garnet and Gold on both the gridiron and the hardwood. We'll be singing the fight song after touchdowns and big time three pointers. For the first time in what seems like forever, both the basketball and the football teams are poised for legitimate post season appearances. No longer is basketball season used as a psychological coping mechanism to get our minds off of another disappointing football season. This time it's icing on the cake.
In case you don't remember, the Noles are coming off of a somewhat schizophrenic season leaving fans wondering whether they should call it a success or failure. The team had a regular season that achieved all that we could hope for. The Seminoles went 22-8 in the regular season with a 10-6 record in ACC play that was good enough for 4th in the conference. They played well against ranked team with two wins against Georgia Tech and losses against Big Ten Champion Ohio State and National Champion Duke. Ohio State was one of two losses against out-of-conference opponents, the other being at UF.
All of this success is set against a backdrop of failure. Once again the Seminoles' offense was clearly disjointed and unproductive especially when juxtaposed against the excellent, stifling defense. The Seminoles rarely broke 80 points against any legitimate opponent and only had two players that broke double figures in points per game (Alabi- 11.7; Singleton- 10.2). A lack of a go to scorer, poor ball movement (only 13.9 assists per game), and failure to take care of the ball (16.9 turnovers per game) that doomed Florida State's post season dreams. Losses against North Carolina State (58-52; Alabi only player in double figures with 13pts; 8 assists vs 20 turnovers) in our first game of the ACC tournament and Gonzaga (67-60; Alabi and Dulkys in double figures with 13 and 14 pts respectively; a better 15 assists vs 8 turnovers) were bitter disappointments for Seminole fans that expected a longer post season .
The team lost two veteran big men from last years roster including leading scorer and shot blocker Solomon Alabi. While Alabi was one of the most efficient offensive players last year (#1 on team .596 true shooting %; #4 on team .534 efg%), he never demanded the ball enough (7.8 field goal attempts per game) which negated his offensive talent, considering his ability to make free throws, and destroyed the team's offensive philosophy which seemed to organize itself around slowing the game down and using height as an advantage. Solomon's offensive inconsistency and failure to live up to his potential will always haunt Florida State fans as they watched a talented center with great footwork, an offensive game, and free throw shooting that provided a bonus in crunch time, make a minimal impact on the college game before entering into the draft too early (based on skill developed and being drafted with the 50th overall pick despite early projections in the late lotto). Currently Alabi is on the Toronto Raptors with an non-guaranteed contract. Through four preseason games, Alabi has failed to impress and has been completely outplayed by 2002 draftee David Anderson.
The other loss came from perennial hustle/energy guy, Ryan Reid. Though he didn't have the talent and height of Alabi, Reid brought senior leadership and good defense off of the bench. His 6.8 ppg and 4 rebounds per game shouldn't be difficult to replace.
Though we're losing experience, height, potential, and our focal point both offensively and defensively from the 2009-2010 season, Florida State fans have a lot to be excited about. The core of our team gets significantly older. Our rotation should include 1 Senior (Guard- Derwin Kitchen), 6 Juniors (Guards- Luke Loucks, Deividas Dulkys; Forward- Chris Singleton; Forward/Center-Xavier Gibson, Bernard James, Jon Kreft), 2 Sophomores (Guard- Michael Snaer; Forward/Center Terrance Shannon), and 2 Freshman (Guard- Ian Miller; Forward- Okaro White).
Of the four new comers (Jucos- James, Kreft; Freshman-Miller, White), Ian Miller (6'2 180) should have the most impact immediately. Miller provides a style of play that the Seminoles lacked last year after the departure of Toney Douglas. Miller can hit three's, play either guard slot, use his athleticism to drive to the basket and play above the rim, play great defense, and create by himself. If he lives up to the hype he should get a lot of minutes and supplant either Kitchen or Dulkys in the starting lineup.
Okaro White (6'8 185) is a raw prospect that is working on developing his outside game. He seems to be the heir to Chris Singleton's role as a defensive stopper at both forward positions. He might not get many minutes at the beginning of the season.
Jon Kreft (7'0 240) was originally a part of FSU's 2006 class before a cocaine possession charge. He is a talented Center with a variety of post moves. He has two years of eligibility and is already 22 (I think).
Bernard James (6'9 240) is PF/C and will probably replace Ryan Reid on the roster. He's a former Staff Sargent in the U.S. Air Force and is 25 years old. He's a very powerful player and his background should provide leadership and focus to the roster.
The way the talent is spread out on our roster I eventually expect this rotation:
Starters Bench
C- Xavier Gibson Jon Kreft/Bernard James
PF- Chris Singleton Terrence Shannon/Bernard James
SF- Michael Snaer Chris Singleton/Okaro White
SG- Ian Miller Deividas Dulkys/Snaer
PG- Derwin Kitchen Luke Loucks/Miller
That's an 11 man rotation. I know we'll play at least 9 with Shannon and White probably being left out. Shannon might get beat out of his spot by James. James provides the strength and grittiness that we don't have anywhere else on the roster. White might not play that much his freshman year due to his low weight.
The benefit's of playing with this type of rotation is we have a lot of multi-positional players who should be able to fill a lane in an up tempo type of offense. With two ball handlers and (essentially) two small forwards in the lineup we should be able to use our athleticism and out run the other team. This type of offense might increase our turnovers, but it will also increase our possessions (problem last season, we turned the ball over a lot and slowed the game down so we only had 68 possessions per game). With everyone being able to play multiple positions we're better able to "ride the hot hand" while still rotating players in.
Hopefully we choose to exploit our athleticism by using this type of offense instead of messing around in an "ISO" set where one player gets the ball and the rest clear out and let him go to work.
Expectations for this season: Well, we finished last year 22-10 overall. We gained a lot of talent. We play a very tough schedule this year though. We face UF (Andy Katz has them at #10, Pat Forde #9, Vitale #8), Ohio State (Katz #6, Forde #8, Vitale #4) and potentially Baylor in the Diamond Head Classic (Katz #4, Forde somewhere between 11-23, Vitale #11). We also play National Championship winner Duke (Katz #1, Forde #2, Vitale #1) once in Tallahassee, potential #1 pick Harrison Barnes and UNC (Katz #11, Forde btw 11-23, Vitale #10) twice, Virginia Tech (Katz #22, Forde btw 11-23, Vitale #24) and the rest of the ACC.
Vitale ranks his top 40. We're #34, Maryland is #38, and Miami is #40.
These are just opinions but you can see we're a far cry from the 4 ranked teams we played last year.
Even with this extremely tough schedule we have the potential to finish somewhere between 3rd and 7th in conference. I think its almost impossible to make a lot of noise in the ACC this year, but finishing in the top half almost guarantees a spot in the NCAA tournament. I think 22 or 23 wins isn't out of the realm of possibility. Wake Forest, Maryland, and Georgia Tech lost a ton of talent. I think we have a talented conference but a top heavy conference. We should be able to sneak into the #4 spot like we did last year. We can lose the 4 games against Duke, UNC, and VT and still be in pretty good shape vs the rest of the ACC. The real goal shouldn't be where we fall in the ACC standings, it needs to be making a tournament run. I'm not asking for a Final Four appearance, but a first round win and a close second round loss would be a breath of fresh air for Florida State fans.
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nice writeup.
I think you’re overestimating Miller, and underestimating Kreft. Kreft has been practicing with the team for a while now, and by all accounts was getting the best of Alabi. Plus he’s the only true Center on the team. Miller has competition all over the place, and he doesn’t exactly have a reputation for taking care of the ball.
Think he meant in practice last year
"I wish you loved me as much as you love TomahawkNation!"
by freshcollegeboy on Oct 16, 2010 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks B-rod
The may sound crazy, but I think that Loucks outplayed Kitchen at the point over the second half of the season and should start at point guard. I really don’t like Kitchen’s game at all: he doesn’t create offense for himself nor for anyone else on the team.
"This" may sound crazy
And thanks again for kicking this off.
Agreed that Loucks is a better pure PG,
but he just doesn’t have the athleticism to start in the ACC.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
Does our O not look retarded this year?
no. It continues to do so. We get some nice plays out of Snear, maybe Gibson steps up. Other than that we look like a street team.
sigh.
"…You can't get enough Lonnie Pryors on your football team." -Eddie Gran
Though I Wouldn't..........
necessarily be as blunt in my comments I do have a couple of things to add. Let me be the first to say that last year this team was painful to watch and I’m not interested in another year of that. When people complained about the team last year, several folks said things like Miller will make us better or that they could live with a program that graduated players while underperforming on the court. Now I’m not a rocket scientist but that sounds suspiciously like we’re one player away or the current consensus of Miami coach Randy Shannon. Are the expectations still along the lines of mediocre is ok? A lost decade is ok as long as it’s not in football……I mean we’ve learned that you have to play both offense & defense and if we don’t what’s the point. A 20-10 season with another trip to the NIT as we console ourselves with wait till next witty sayings?
one player makes a difference in basketball
not so much in football.
Miller could be a legit player. Scouting services knocked him a bit because he’s more of an undersized sg than a pg. Think ben gordon.
There are definitely people on this site (myself included) that do not think mediocrity is acceptable.
If our offense blows again I’m done with Hamilton. Same sh*t, different year. I don’t care if we finish top 3 or 4 in the conference again. I don’t care if we make the NCAAT just to lose first round. I don’t think Miller is “the answer”. Dude’s a freshman and name me one freshman in Hamilton’s tenure that was a true impact player/gamechanger. Not Wafer. Not Johnson. Not Singleton. Alabi and Thornton were redshirt freshman when they played.
If we are not performing up to our capabilities…AGAIN…someone’s head needs to roll. Hopefully that is an assistant coach and we bring in some young, vibrant, offensive genius and can keep Hamilton to recruit and run the program. I think he’s running it quite well aside from not having any semblance of a respectable offense.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
yeah, last year we kinda had an excuse for the slow grind offense. we were trying to use Alabi as a focal point. If we can’t run an offense this year then every FSU fan should be done with Hamilton.
Also, I don’t expect Miller to be a stud. He is capable of averaging 10-12 ppg though. That’s a huge impact if you consider what we had last year. Dude is legit though. He has the talent/work ethic to be one of the best guards we’ve had. I’ll figure out where he stands on the team tomorrow night.
I don't think trying to run our offense through Alabi is an excuse for it sucking.
I also don’t really remember us trying to force it through Alabi all that much, especially in ACC play where Alabi completely disappeared the last month and a half of the season.
I think Miller will have the same type of impact of most of our freshman. He’ll get some minutes vs scrubs early and once ACC play comes on he’ll get limited action in the beginning and work himself in. Unlike Snaer and Singleton there isn’t a clear hole in our roster for him to fill immediately. I think 10-12 points/game out of Miller is completely unrealistic. Snaer didn’t do that despite playing 24 minutes/game and I don’t see how Miller can get that many minutes with our other 4 guards. Jmo.
And even if our offense sucks, I would hope Hamilton would just get a new offensive assistant. I would hate to have to go through yet ANOTHER season of crap offense, where the only way to improve would be to fire him. But if that’s what it takes…
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
I think that Miller is more developed offensively than Snaer was as a frosh.
I agree that the best course of action would be to keep Hamilton, but replace an assistant with one similar to what you said, and our team could actually fully utilize their talents. But I do agree that Miller would have to really impress in preseason to earn too many minutes with our glut of guards.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
Few disagreements.
I thought Alabi had horrible footwork and hands of stone to match. I think Gibson and Kreft can competently replace his production and perhaps better it.
Of the new guys I really think Kreft and James will have a bigger impact than Miller. I just don’t see Miller breaking through the 4 veterans of Snaer, Kitchen, Dulkys and Loucks and getting enough court time to make a huge impact. Both Kreft and James will be critical to any success we have this year. I think/hope James will be that high energy/hustle guy that Reid was for us throughout his career. I don’t think Reid will ever get enough credit for just how important he was due to some frustrating decisions he would make offensively.
I would probably expect a starting 5 (backups) of:
C – Kreft (Gibson)
PF – James (Shannon)
SF – Singleton (Snaer?)
SG – Snaer (Dulkys/Miller)
PG – Kitchen (Loucks/Miller)
I expect all 10 of those guys to see significant time (10 mpg+). I don’t expect to see Jordan much and only anticipate seeing White if our bigs are in foul trouble and we don’t want to go to a 3 guard lineup.
We should start 5-0 before UF and OSU come to town 2 nights apart. I’m not buying either of those teams being ranked so highly, though. UF wasn’t great last year and OSU lost Evan Turner, who was Mr. Everything. We always play good opponents close and home and it would not surprise me if we won one or both.
After that we have 3 more home games, including our ACC opener against Clemson, which is squeezed between two ooc games. Again, I think we should win all 3. Be interesting to see how Clemson looks under their new coach, who WAS pretty good at Wright State (you know, that one school that seemed to always knock off Butler every other year).
After that we go to Cali to play Loyola Marymount, I assume to get our feet accustomed to the time difference before flying out to Hawai’i for the Diamond Head Classic, first game vs Hawai’i. We’ll play 2 more games against tbd opponents and then we come back to the mainland to face Auburn in Auburn. Should be another w.
Then we start the remainder of our ACC slate. I’ll say 11-5 ACC record with losses to Duke, @ Clemson, @ UNC, @ UMD and @ NC State with a 7-1 home ACC record, 4-4 road. I said we should go 12-1 vs our known ooc opponents and that odd December ACC game vs Clemson. I’ll just say 1-1 in the 2 unknown DHC opponents for a 24-7 (11-5) season. I think we have an incredibly talented team and will be more athletic/talented than the vast majority of our opponents, hence the record. We will still be ungodly tall and if our offense improves at all we could finally win an NCAAT game. I would not, however, be surprised if we flopped out in the 2nd round of the NIT.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
Kreft is a serious talent
I went to school with him at Chipola for 2 years and watched nearly every game he played. Chipola is known as a stepup school used for kids who get in trouble or get injured and and to get back to Div 1. The head coach there really does alot in helping those kids grow up.
Jon Kreft had some trouble in the past, but didn’t get in a lick of trouble since entering Chipola or since he’s gotten to FSU. He runs the floor as good or better than any big man I have ever seen in person. I saw him do a between the legs dunk during a game, and he was often the recipient of alley-oop passes which he can convert with one or both hands.
Kreft really knows how to use his body to get into position (much like an anit-Alabi). He also plays mean defense, and really sells out his body in games. He led Chipola in blocks both years he was there. I’m looking forward to watching him play and will most definitely be interested in how FSU will use him!!!
Here’s ESPN’s take on Kreft
No highlight film, but if you’re a junkie and really want to watch him in live games, you can check out full games from the State Tournament HERE. Kreft is #58. Be warned, he doesn’t play as often as he should, as Chipola rotates alot of guys and tries to let everyone play to show off their skills to D1 schools. They also had the Junior College National Player of the Year on this squad who is now playing at West Virginia (Casey Mitchell).
"I wish you loved me as much as you love TomahawkNation!"
by freshcollegeboy on Oct 15, 2010 2:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I remember when Kreft committed. I remember when he played in, I believe, that Jordan All Star Game.
I think he’s a much better player than Alabi. He actually has an offensive game. He is aggressive. He isn’t slow. He’s a pretty fluid athlete for a big guy. Doesn’t have rocks for hands.
There was an article on here a year or so ago about him that had film of specifically him from the Chipola site. I used to have it. I’m trying to see if I still do.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
Ok, got it.
Just not sure how to get it so you all can see it…
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
No, where do i find it?
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
kreft is too much of an enigma for me to et a proper reading on him right now
It’s really difficult to project how big men will contribute. Contemporary basketball is a guards game.
Anyways, would you guys rather have pictures or video of the JWCH tonight. I’m thinking of filming a bit of the scrimmage on my sister’s shitty digital camera.
Maybe just some dunks or if there are cool introductions.
But pics for me would be just fine.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
AGREE 100%
Kreft will be a huge X-factor for us. I also am happy to see the analysis from freshcollegeboy, especially regarding using his body to get into position, and being a fluid athlete. Alabi hadn’t played basketball long enough to fully understand the finer points of post play, and you could tell. That was why he excelled on defense, he didn’t have to think. You could see that every move that Alabi made was after he thought about it, and it was too methodical and slow moving. Natural paint players don’t have that thought process and don’t look awkward when making a move. They simply react right away to how the player is guarding them and then make their move, however Alabi just didn’t have the basketball experience to make those moves. Can’t wait to see Kreft on the court, especially him and Gibson on the floor at together, that would be a nice high-low post tandem.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
I agree with your assessment of Alabi,
However, I would like to see Kreft and Gibson starting, and like you see Singleton at SF, not PF at least for the starting line up. I haven’t looked at the schedule as intently as you, but from reading your write up here, I would tend to agree with your assessment of our projected record.
I do disagree with you saying that you would not be surprised if we flopped out of the 2nd round of the NIT. I’m hoping that was just some hyperbole mixed in with the possibility of our coaching staff wasting our talent.
I think that Kreft will be huge this year, and will be an upgrade over Alabi, especially offensively.
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Nah, wasn't kidding at all.
We were only a few losses last year away from being an NIT team. And we ALWAYS have suffered letdowns in the NIT if we missed the NCAAT. So it wouldn’t surprise me. I hope we at least get to the 2nd round of the NCAAT and I expect it…but, I’m not confident.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
I expect us to be better this year,
and therefore would be extremely disappointed/surprised if we went to the NIT. I agree that an NIT letdown would be likely if we made it there.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
Excellent use of a fanpost. Thanks for taking the time to do this write-up.
>-----:----:------>Spearing 'em and Scalping 'em like it's 1999
I'm not so sure this Jimbo fella is the right man for the job.
Thanks brod
I agree with your expectations entirely. I’m cautiously optimistic our offense and defense will improve. To me, the difference b/w 3rd and 7th is how they shoot FT. Thats my only worry
"I got a PBS mind in an MTV world"...Jimmy Buffett
by The Ryno and I Know on Oct 15, 2010 2:28 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I dunno about fts but i agree.
as long as a team can compensate for poor FT shooting then it shouldn’t effect games too much. The 2004 UConn Huskies were notoriously one of the worst FT shooting teams I’ve ever witnessed and they won it all.
If our main goal is doing SOMETHING in the NCAA tournament I doubt FT shooting should harm that goal. We just need 1 or 2 deadeyes for late game situations.
I really don’t see how our offense can get worse though. We have to expect it’s going to get better. If we’re going to be sloppy with the ball we need to push the tempo and at least try to increase our offensive possessions. This season shouldn’t be measured on how we do in ACC play. It needs to be measured on making the tournament and trying to make it out of that first weekend.
I hear ya
FT are more important to a team with fewer posessions. If they are gonna push it more and have more posessions then I could agree. Last year, empty posessions hurt. Agree on tourney over ACC
"I got a PBS mind in an MTV world"...Jimmy Buffett
by The Ryno and I Know on Oct 15, 2010 3:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
FTs killed us last year.
like you said, we can’t give away points like that with how bad our offense was. Missing FTs for a bad offensive team is basically another turnover.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
Kreft film.
The quality took a bit of a hit during the upload process but whatevs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq9JL03bgzk
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
Wow, he really does looked polished.
How much does he weigh? Any potential he’s just going to get shoved around so much he’ll be ineffective?
260 lbs. last year
And he will not get shoved around. He’s the type of guy that does the shoving. I can’t wait for him to get fouled bad in a game. When he gets angry he can dominate in the paint.
"I wish you loved me as much as you love TomahawkNation!"
by freshcollegeboy on Oct 15, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
prime example in his film @1:15 and 1:48
uses his weight very well.
"I wish you loved me as much as you love TomahawkNation!"
by freshcollegeboy on Oct 15, 2010 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions
That settles it. If he pans out that well,
we’re going to be ridiculously good this year. 5 guys running around in circles on O won’t ever have looked so beautiful!.
I think Hamilton expects him to leave for the NBA this year.
Dead serious. Why else would we bring in another juco 7’ kid for 2011 if we expect to have Kreft and Gibson in 2011?
Looking to take Rodney Hood to replace Singleton, who I also expect to go to the NBA this year.
That means we’re taking 4 commits, with 2 guys going to the NBA, 1 senior graduating, and an open scholarship that we aren’t using in 2010. We could sign a 5th guy and ask Jordan to leave, also, since Singleton won’t be on the team in 2011.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
u think singleton is leaving for sure?
I don’t think it is that cut in stone.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
Yes, I think he is gone.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
wish his play would match his projected draft status
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it pretty much has
He’s been a lock down defender for us. Thats why NBA teams want him.
It may.
He was definitely our best all around player last year. Blocks, steals, rebounds, assists, points, etc.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
This year I hope so, which I think you are saying.
He definitely was our best all around, but he still hasn’t developed enough offensively and doesn’t play within himself enough to be considered a polished 1st rounder. I have kinda come around to him being drafted in the first round since the NBA drafts on potential more than anything, and 6’8"-6’9" players that can play SF and are that athletic are gonna be drafted high. The obvious comparison is Josh Smith of the Hawks, but I think that Singleton is still too mechanical as far as his basketball moves.
>>>-----------;;;-->CP7 for Heisman>>>-----------;;;-->
Like I said, it may improve and he may be "worth" that 1st round pick this year.
I wouldn’t draft him based on his first 2 years though.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
I wouldn't use (waste) a 1st round pick on a guy who I didn't expect to be much of a scoring threat.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
not a waste
there are 7-8 teams that need a designated defender.
Your opinion. My opinion.
Not a big deal.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
ehh...
you don’t see too many guys drafted in the first round just based on being able to defend. I agree with you that he has the potential tools to become a 1st round pick, however I’m not so sure he will develop those here and I would not use a 1st rounder on him. But I am not a GM so it doesn’t truly matter.
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gm's draft guys more for their 'potential' -
thus things like athleticism, speed, height, wingspan and coachablity often mean more than actual college perfomance -
see larry sanders (vcu) –
he only averaged 14 pt/game at a crappy mid-major school but he was drafted 15th overall b/c of his freakish athleticism and length -
but great college players like harangody and dejaun blair drop to the 2nd round despite stellar college careers b/c they lack the size/athleticism…
so its not unthinkable that an athlete like singleton could go early 1st round despite not posting an all-american collegiate career…
Not at all, but it wouldn't be because he's a great defender.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
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"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
Players are drafted for defense/potential all of the time
Larry Sanders- 15th pick; shot blocking and role player attributes
Xavier Henry- 12th pick; on ball defense and role player attributes
Kevin Seraphin- 17th pick; defense/potential
Christian Eyenga- 30th pick; defense/potential
Nicolas Batum 25th pick; defense/potential
Draft express currently has Singleton #15. A guy who can run the floor, defend sf’s and pf’s, rebound, block, and steal.
There are very few players who are capable of averaging 2 steals and 2 blocks (per 40 pace adjusted)
NBA scouts can see the problems with our team. They know we ask Singleton to be something he’s not (iso type scorer). In the NBA he could excel at a situation where he’s asked to be a designated defender, crash the boards, and (eventually) knock down some spot up threes.
exactly - and if he can show that he's a strong finisher and a better shot-blocker who knows:
6’9ish athletes can do pretty well w/out a ton of skills
tyrus thomas: 4th
kenyon martin: 1st
kwame brown: 1st
udoh: 5th
aminu: 8th
ed davis 13th
brandon wright 8th
if he becomes more efficient offensively
he wont get past the late teens.
yeah I was clarifying what i thought you meant.
agree about not drafting him based on the first two years as well
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Looks like he's a more than adequate boxer outer/position establisher in a few plays on the film.
MiNDSET? SWAG-ER-ISM!!!
---------------------------------------------------------
"Trick is right."
"Wherever you are, Trick, you are wise, indeed."
"Correct, Sir Trick."
im gonna do the jam with coach ham thing after the game tomorrow
got some video and some decent pics.
Singleton?
To me he seems like the key to our season. Please tell me he learned how to shoot the 3, cuz he missed ’em over and over when he was wide open last year. If he can knock down open looks we can play with anyone. Also, I would love to see someone emerge at the PG and have HAM stick with them. We gotta be one of the deepest teams in the ACC. I look forward to the season and would NOT be shocked if we won the ACC (reg or tourney).
I'm not sure any one player is the key to the season.
which might be why I am a little more pessimistic than most. We have great talent on the team, we go up against some of the best teams in the country.. But we cannot run an offense. Its not just about Dulkys hitting a higher % of 3’s. Its about not rushing the play, its about not giving the ball away on a ridiculous pass that has no reason to be attempted, it about not taking the first deep FG that might be offered, it is about setting up and running an offense and waiting for the better pass to the big guy underneath or the opportunity to charge the basket. There just seems to be a impatience with the players when it comes to the getting set up and waiting for quality shots and all I see are a bunch of guys who don’t seem to be on the same page.
"…You can't get enough Lonnie Pryors on your football team." -Eddie Gran
its year 3 with these guys
I’m a lot more Optimistic with this team than most. I expect our O to run 15% better than the past two years solely cuz Reid and Alabi aren’t here slowing down pace and turnin it over. There’s no way we shouldn’t avg 70 ppg. If Kreft starts at center and Gibson at PF, who in the nation can matchup with Singleton at the 3? I agree HAM is dumb when it comes to O but this has to be his best squad since hes arrived. We have 3 PG on our team, one of them has to step and take charge. I think we finally figure it out and make a ton noise this season.
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