John Brannen Expectations

[sedziobs]

Originally Posted by IDC

I think Hardnett is the most unknown of a guy as I can remember. He's a guy who played PG in high school but can't shoot whatsoever.

Is that true? His shot certainly looked ok to me in warmups last year.

The 5 spot will likely be different than under Cronin. With the back to basket post game slowly evaporating from basketball, you don't always need size at that position. Brooks was very important in the Cronin system where rim protection and offensive rebounding were keystones. But you can definitely get away with smaller players with a different strategy. We can always bring in Sorolla if we need him for post defense against certain teams.

None of us know enough about Brannen or the new players to truly know what is best for this team. But my early opinion is that I would start Scott at the 5 with McNeal getting the bulk of PG duties. That's the kind of lineup that is typically on the floor in late game situations anyway. The post game practically disappears in the last minute in college basketball.

A McNeal, Cumberland x2, Williams, Scott lineup is 4 seniors and a junior. Our bench will be full of guys with varying skill sets that can play multiple positions. I would guess minutes will vary a lot game to game based on opponent. I could easily see most of our bench players getting 25 minutes one game and 5 the next.

Anyway, I think Brannen has built a solid roster. I'm not concerned about the 5 position. Sorolla is here to protect the rim when needed. Our offensive efficiency is not going to depend on post play this year.