Magic Number

[Robert]

Originally Posted by CaptDale

Big Dave is useless. He has a vertical jump of zero, hands are greased and all he knows how to do is run to the high post and set a pick. Sad, but true. There's more to being big than being tall. So anybody with even a little mobility would be a good backup.

I agree 100%. Dave offers nothing except for a big body. If Strickland doesn't become eligible, I'm going to be very concerned for this team in conference play. Kennesaw State has some size, so this should be at least a slight indicator of if JJ and Rubles can stay out of foul trouble against bigger teams.

[BearcatSpaniard513]

Originally Posted by CaptDale

Big Dave is useless. He has a vertical jump of zero, hands are greased and all he knows how to do is run to the high post and set a pick. Sad, but true. There's more to being big than being tall. So anybody with even a little mobility would be a good backup.

Yeah I do think he does not bring that much to the table. He alters shots and he did have that game against Pitt I think where he made everything he threw up, had some key blocks and big rebounds. A couple games like that this year is not too much to ask from a senior

[david aka the TYZ]

Nyarsuk can offer a big body and presence on defense. He can alter shots, but not a good rebounder because he doesn't have good hands. On offense he is a liability. When he is in there we will see the offense avoid him, but he can at least draw a big defender away from the action IF our players are smart enough to use him as a decoy. We just have to hope he can give us some servicable minutes in the limited time he will see.

[Nomadic1]

... I don't think we're going to sink because of a lack of Jamaree Strickland. To be quite honest, I'm not interested in those kind of bigs anyway. I want this team to move quick, not have to slow itself down as it used to with Yancy. That's not even a knock on Yancy or Strickland, it's just that this isn't the type of team that should use a traditional 5. I like Deberry's potential on this team more than Strickland's. As for scoring, last year we just passed it around the horn and threw up a prayer at the end of the shot clock. It's not the same offense, it's not the same team and I consider that to be a non-issue.

[ervins84]

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times... Points per possession is what matters, not total points. Tempo confuses many on what is good D and good O.

Right now the offense is serviceable at 1.08 PPP adj for opp, but the D is elite at 0.94 PPP adj for opp.

So far this year UC has forced turnovers on 26.6 % of possessions which is top 10 in the country. Last year was only 20% which was 153rd.

The offense is also always going to look worse than it is wrt execution bc it is heavily dependent on O Rebd. Uc is currently 2nd in the nation in off rebd percentage ( literally as simple a stat as the name).

Defense is elite against 2pt shots, average vs 3s, and surprisingly very poor defensive rebounders despite being good on offense.

Tempo is way up this year to just over 69 possessions a game after last year averaging 64, and this team also shoots the least amount of 3s per FG att of any Cronin team.

I am not sure what predictive value any of this has, especially with only a 5 game sample against pretty poor competition, but i do like the general direction.

More steals
High level D
Up tempo (especially with recruits who all want to play fast and bc more possessions means more shots for everyone and tends to breed a happier selfless team not concerned with getting their shots)

[waterhead]

Originally Posted by ervins84

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times... Points per possession is what matters, not total points. Tempo confuses many on what is good D and good O.

Right now the offense is serviceable at 1.08 PPP adj for opp, but the D is elite at 0.94 PPP adj for opp.

So far this year UC has forced turnovers on 26.6 % of possessions which is top 10 in the country. Last year was only 20% which was 153rd.

The offense is also always going to look worse than it is wrt execution bc it is heavily dependent on O Rebd. Uc is currently 2nd in the nation in off rebd percentage ( literally as simple a stat as the name).

Defense is elite against 2pt shots, average vs 3s, and surprisingly very poor defensive rebounders despite being good on offense.

Tempo is way up this year to just over 69 possessions a game after last year averaging 64, and this team also shoots the least amount of 3s per FG att of any Cronin team.

I am not sure what predictive value any of this has, especially with only a 5 game sample against pretty poor competition, but i do like the general direction.

More steals
High level D
Up tempo (especially with recruits who all want to play fast and bc more possessions means more shots for everyone and tends to breed a happier selfless team not concerned with getting their shots)

Hard to say with the teams we have played...but we have also played a lot of freshmen...and there is a new hand check rule which would limit our D more but should give us a slight advantage on O.

[Bearcat_NTS]

Originally Posted by ervins84

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times... Points per possession is what matters, not total points. Tempo confuses many on what is good D and good O.

Right now the offense is serviceable at 1.08 PPP adj for opp, but the D is elite at 0.94 PPP adj for opp.

So far this year UC has forced turnovers on 26.6 % of possessions which is top 10 in the country. Last year was only 20% which was 153rd.

The offense is also always going to look worse than it is wrt execution bc it is heavily dependent on O Rebd. Uc is currently 2nd in the nation in off rebd percentage ( literally as simple a stat as the name).

Defense is elite against 2pt shots, average vs 3s, and surprisingly very poor defensive rebounders despite being good on offense.

Tempo is way up this year to just over 69 possessions a game after last year averaging 64, and this team also shoots the least amount of 3s per FG att of any Cronin team.

I am not sure what predictive value any of this has, especially with only a 5 game sample against pretty poor competition, but i do like the general direction.

More steals
High level D
Up tempo (especially with recruits who all want to play fast and bc more possessions means more shots for everyone and tends to breed a happier selfless team not concerned with getting their shots)

Is there any way to check the numbers for this point last year? What those numbers tell me is my fears for this team are a reality. The defensive rebounding has been poor, mainly because the defense is scrambling and there aren't clear box out responsibilities. UC is relying on Jackson and Rubles (SK too) for rebounds. I am also a little concerned that they were only able to force 8 turnovers against NC State. Against NC State and NC Central, UC shot under 40% as well.

[bearcat jeff]

Great stats Ervins 84. This team isn't quite "together" in my eyes. Someone has to be another perimeter shooter, front line is thin and the freshmen play hard but do a lot of thinking still. I like the effort they are playing with and LOVED seeing TR and ST hit some midrange jumpers.

[ervins84]

Originally Posted by bearcat jeff

Great stats Ervins 84. This team isn't quite "together" in my eyes. Someone has to be another perimeter shooter, front line is thin and the freshmen play hard but do a lot of thinking still. I like the effort they are playing with and LOVED seeing TR and ST hit some midrange jumpers.

They're definitely flawed. No question. This is a terrible shooting team, that is still going to struggle mightily vs sound half court teams with good guards that control pace and bigs who can rebound.

I'm just happy to see it feels like they have the beginning of an identity and brand developing. As more kids see the pressing, running, dunking up tempo system Mick looks to be developing, I'm optimistic his recruiting will only get better. This kind of system, when a team wins, tends to sell itself very easily.

[JumpinJack5]

Originally Posted by bearcat jeff

Great stats Ervins 84. This team isn't quite "together" in my eyes. Someone has to be another perimeter shooter, front line is thin and the freshmen play hard but do a lot of thinking still. I like the effort they are playing with and LOVED seeing TR and ST hit some midrange jumpers.

That perimeter shooter is JD3. Unfortunately, I don't know if he will be able to work his way out of the doghouse. Strickland is an unknown who is supposed to be a good low post scorer, so he is a possible solution for the front line because Big Dave clearly isn't. The freshmen will continue to progress, they have already made plenty of progress. Caupain needs to attack the rim more and Lawrence looks like he thinks with the ball in his hands instead of knowing what he is going to do before he gets the ball. KJ has had some bad luck, but I have never been a huge fan of his shot, he is an incredibly streaky shooter. He is very quick and is good at slashing, although he hasn't been able to finish yet. This team will grow a lot over the course of the season, and there will be plenty of growing pains to go along with that.