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Old 06-25-2020, 01:02 PM   #11
sirthought
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Really hard to say who will start given the circumstances they've been training under.

Is Rap even in Cincinnati?

My guess is the season will start with Dou at the 4 and Vogt at the 5, just to see how they play together. Both have experience in the system.

Rap may move up in there, but he'll have to get settled somewhat. I do think starting him and having Dou sub in between 4 and 5 could be a good mix.

If Eason starts then we really got a much better player than anyone expected. I bet he'll contribute, but not with starters minutes unless due to injury.

Davenport is only going to play there if we really need him to pester someone on defense in a strange way. He doesn't really play big enough for that position, but he does hustle and add energy. I just don't think he's a 4.
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Old 06-26-2020, 09:36 AM   #12
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At the PG position it's going to be hard to replace the production of Cumberland. But we should have a player there who fits more natural in the system CJB wants to run.

MAW...he would likely get the first look provided Dejulius is not available. He seemed to be more productive from top of the key than the wing but I don't think he's the best fit here for the team overall. He's not a speedster with great ball skills so I think long term we should get him in the right position as a SG. There seems to be more natural fits at the 1.

Dejulius...if available I would think he would be option A. He would have experience over Mikey and David has a decent arsenal of shooting, ball skills, speed, and finishing on the break. It would be nice to have a scoring threat as a PG rather than someone who just gets us into the offense.

Saunders...long term I think he's going to be great for us but it could take a year or two for him to get the keys. If he gets them any sooner we should have a great player on our hands. Speedy, good ball skills, improved deep ball, and has played well against good competition.

Mason Madsen...he does have some appeal here if he puts in the work which seems like a given. He's got decent ball skills and a good shot and seems like a pass first type of player. There would be good chemistry on the floor long term with Gabe. He could also become a knock down shooter and play SG. Reportedly a better defender than his brother but all of the guys on this list seem capable defenders.

Short term loss here compared to Cumberland but long term better fits for the system.
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Old 06-26-2020, 09:47 AM   #13
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It's going to be interesting to see how a speedy guard can work for Brannen. He wants to push the pace obviously. He has a full roster of talented players so it should be much easier to get out and run and plug and play when guys get tired. A lot more pressing as well as we are 2 and 3 deep at most positions.

We will also be able to run the 5 out motion. CJB did a pretty good job of making things work last year without being able to run hardly any of his preferred stuff. Losing Cumberland is tough...but if there is a silver lining...it's pretty easy to spot.

With a little more parity in the roster...Brannen can use that bench now as a teaching tool and he doesn't have to manufacture ways to keep certain guys on the floor. He should not have to play with tired players or anyone taking plays off. There will be someone behind them willing to go all out. The competition for minutes should be fierce.
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Old 06-26-2020, 10:07 AM   #14
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My biggest offensive concerns are outside shooting and O rebounding. Will we get better shots at a higher clip, and if not will we get second chances?

If Brannen's system can offer more screening to get guys into the lane and open shots, we might get by with less outside shooting. I have a feeling he wanted to run more motion screens, but had to switch course.

Last season the defense was still a work in progress much of the time, which meant that we often needed three pointers from Cousin Cumberland to help us move ahead.

If guys don't improve from distance it could mean some creativity is needed to get closer to the basket. Not the worst thing, especially if we get to the line more frequently. Everyone knows a balanced attack is clearly better.

I know the Madsen's were both shooting well from long range in high school. Saunders was okay, but will need to improve. I guess DeJulius could be that player. Harvey seems to be a bit more like Cumberland, he wants the ball in his hand and wants to try to dunk. Really hoping that Harvey, Davenport and Dou have continued to work on three pointers.
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Old 06-26-2020, 12:03 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sirthought View Post
My biggest offensive concerns are outside shooting and O rebounding. Will we get better shots at a higher clip, and if not will we get second chances?

If Brannen's system can offer more screening to get guys into the lane and open shots, we might get by with less outside shooting. I have a feeling he wanted to run more motion screens, but had to switch course.

Last season the defense was still a work in progress much of the time, which meant that we often needed three pointers from Cousin Cumberland to help us move ahead.

If guys don't improve from distance it could mean some creativity is needed to get closer to the basket. Not the worst thing, especially if we get to the line more frequently. Everyone knows a balanced attack is clearly better.

I know the Madsen's were both shooting well from long range in high school. Saunders was okay, but will need to improve. I guess DeJulius could be that player. Harvey seems to be a bit more like Cumberland, he wants the ball in his hand and wants to try to dunk. Really hoping that Harvey, Davenport and Dou have continued to work on three pointers.
Yah...I don't think we will be a particularly good 3 pt shooting team but I think we should be just good enough to keep em honest. I have concerns about rebounding too unless we send everyone to crash the glass.
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Old 06-26-2020, 01:16 PM   #16
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3FG Shooting Stats for Returning D1 players (UC players + Transfers)

Diarra - 71.4% (5/7)
Adams-Woods - 37.3% (22/59)
DeJulius - 36.1% (30/83)
Williams - 34.2% (27/79)
Harvey - 31.3% (5/16)
Ivanauskas - 26.3% (31/118)
Davenport - 14.3% (2/14)
Vogt - 0% (0/0)
--------------------------------
Total: 122/376 (32.4%)

We shot 31.9% as a team last year.
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Old 06-26-2020, 07:32 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Queens_NYC View Post
3FG Shooting Stats for Returning D1 players (UC players + Transfers)

Diarra - 71.4% (5/7)
Adams-Woods - 37.3% (22/59)
DeJulius - 36.1% (30/83)
Williams - 34.2% (27/79)
Harvey - 31.3% (5/16)
Ivanauskas - 26.3% (31/118)
Davenport - 14.3% (2/14)
Vogt - 0% (0/0)
--------------------------------
Total: 122/376 (32.4%)

We shot 31.9% as a team last year.
Not great not horrible but we should be serviceable and that will be enough to run the offense
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Old 06-29-2020, 12:45 PM   #18
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So the wing position is in my mind perhaps the most important to deciding how good we will be. We need to score the ball in the absence of the Cumberlands. We think we know what we have in Williams but I am still undecided. When we were pressured to put the ball in his hands...he really came through a few times for us. Can he do that consistently night in night out or not is the question.

Keith...he's the guy right now on the wing to take the mantle. He's the focal point or we will just have to go all out on scoring from 5 positions. He improved his 3 ball and really seemed to embrace the clutch situations when he had to but we will always need at least 1 go to guy and I hope we have 2 or 3 of them this year.

Harvey...loads of talent but never really looked all that comfortable last year. A lot was said about him recovering from leg injuries but it was still hard to see the type of player he will be. Sounds like he is really doing well in off season though. Still a big question mark but we need someone to step up. Played some really good D 2nd half of the season.

MAW...could see some time at PG or SG. Solid enough to be a role player IMO but we probably need to settle on a position for him. Solid ball handler with a good shooting stroke and good D. Best served on the wing in the end IMO. He wasn't as effective when he moved over to the wing but we were also trying to ISO Jarron a lot of the time so who knows.

Gabe...I am very excited to see this kid. Probably won't be super effective early on but I really hope we can lean on him at some point maybe mid season. I don't care if it's as a shooter or a play maker...I think we will need Gabe to step in and contribute. He's got a lot of tools and perhaps more importantly confidence in play making ability that can help us down the stretch.

Dejulius could see some time at SG depending on his eligibility and who's best at running PG. I would rather see him at point but other than height issues I would not be too concerned if we need him at SG.

Davenport. I know he's not a 3 but he probably should be if he wants to play a lot or go pro. Focus on the 3 ball would do wonders for his career IMO. He can defend pretty well but doesn't have a lot of skills that jump off the page. 3 and D would be great for him.

Mason M...could see some time at SG if he becomes a deadly shooter. Very similar to Davenport where he would probably be best served to perfect the 3 ball as opposed to how much work goes into perfecting ball handling and play making. But if he does become a great ball handler...it might be great to see him out there feeding Gabe at some point. The chemistry would be fun to watch.
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Old 06-29-2020, 12:57 PM   #19
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IMO, Davenport's ceiling is being 6th man. That may be a stretch, especially with his knees.
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Old 06-29-2020, 03:06 PM   #20
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Keith is our single most important player at the moment.

After him, at the 2/3 spots we're considering:

-2 true freshmen (Madsen bros)
-1 true sophomore who played 9 min/game (Harvey)
-1 true sophomore who is unproven as a combo guard (MAW)
-1 transfer who is talented but undersized on the wing and may not even be eligible (Dejulius)
-1 true sophomore who played the least of our returning players, is not a natural wing, and is coming off a major injury

Keith provides experience, leadership, athleticism, scoring ability, rebounding ability, defense, and is a reliable FT shooter.

Without him, no matter who his replacement may be, we would be a far less competitive team next season.
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