Canyon Barry visit?

[NJCat]

And his eFG from some quick numbers I think was 56%, which I believe was behind only Skelly, Pardon, and Taphorn. So while he wasn't a plus offensive player, he made enough open shots that he wasn't a liability offensively in the sense that teams can't just abandon him / he doesn't ruin our floor spacing.

This is where "stats are for losers". Sanjay's offensive game was non-existant, at least in Big 10 play. He contributes absolutely nothing. Rebounding and defense are fine, but I don't care what the stats say, my eyes told me NU was playing 4 on 5 on offense when he was on the floor. He needs to be more assertive his final season on that end.

 

[ricko654321]

This is where "stats are for losers". Sanjay's offensive game was non-existant, at least in Big 10 play. He contributes absolutely nothing. Rebounding and defense are fine, but I don't care what the stats say, my eyes told me NU was playing 4 on 5 on offense when he was on the floor. He needs to be more assertive his final season on that end.

Certainly not arguing he was a plus offensive player, he was almost always the worst offensive player on the floor of the 5. But he could make shots enough if you left him alone, he could do something with the ball if we fed him in a good spot, and he was a decent passer that didn't really turn it over. In terms of creating a 4 on 5 dynamic, (without naming names) I can think of multiple NU slow unathletic stiffs and multiple guard defensive specialists that were worse in Sanjay in terms of allowing the D to completely not guard them. Though in the case of the guards, in some cases they got to a more effective level offensively by their senior years than Sanjay has shown thus far.

 

[Medill90]

Certainly not arguing he was a plus offensive player, he was almost always the worst offensive player on the floor of the 5. But he could make shots enough if you left him alone, he could do something with the ball if we fed him in a good spot, and he was a decent passer that didn't really turn it over. In terms of creating a 4 on 5 dynamic, (without naming names) I can think of multiple NU slow unathletic stiffs and multiple guard defensive specialists that were worse in Sanjay in terms of allowing the D to completely not guard them. Though in the case of the guards, in some cases they got to a more effective level offensively by their senior years than Sanjay has shown thus far.

I can think of a player who turned it into a one on five

 

[EvanstonCat]

Putting aside the question of whether it is fair or unfair to do that with Sanjay (I would lean toward it being a slightly jerkish move, unless it had been discussed between them previously)- I think getting rid of Sanjay for 1 year of Berry (based on my entirely incomplete knowledge of his talent) would not be the best move. I think from a leadership perspective you lose something, but more importantly you lose him playing a defense + rebounding role that others on the team do not have. There's a reason Sanjay played 24 mpg last year, and even with Vic back and everyone else hopefully healthy I don't think that will go away.

In terms of defense, Vic is very athletic obviously, but I don't think he bring the same defensive tenacity that Sanjay does to the table. On multiple occasions, Sanjay significantly took a star wing player out of their game, and he would still earn meaningful playing time next year against teams that orient their offense around such a single player of that mold. I don't think we beat Wisconsin without Sanjay shadowing Hayes in basically a box and 1, and that final shot by Illinois very well might turn out differently without Sanjay shutting it down (not to mention his defense the rest of the game). Most recently the BTT game against Michigan- if they don't switch BMac onto Irvin with the dribble screens, I think he has a much harder time making it with Sanjay on him than BMac. I could go on - though Denzel Valentine stands out as one counter-example of a wing player that was so hot when we played MSU that even Sanjay wasn't able to stop.

Not having a guard/ wing that can create and make his own shot in 1 on 1 situations late that develop in close games has hurt us frequently in the past - yet we underappreciate the value of a lockdown defender who can stop other teams in those situations and disrupt the plays the other coach will call.

And worth mentioning briefly- he led our team in rebounds last year (slightly behind Olah on a per game basis but very close). And his eFG from some quick numbers I think was 56%, which I believe was behind only Skelly, Pardon, and Taphorn. So while he wasn't a plus offensive player, he made enough open shots that he wasn't a liability offensively in the sense that teams can't just abandon him / he doesn't ruin our floor spacing.

I would be shocked if Sanjay leaves. He's a team captain, he is the best defender on the team. He has a role to play. In addition, I think CCC is deeply grateful to Sanjay and the other Carmody inherits - they bought into him and there won't be anything but an honest discussion, where perhaps Collins tells Sanjay his minutes will be more limited. It will be a similar conversation to what they had with Sobo. And like Sobo, I think Sanjay will stay. I think CCC would be in his rights to decline to offer Sanjay a 5th year, but I just don't think it will happen given how much Sanjay has contributed to him and the program, and his value to the team as a defensive stopper and hustle guy. He represents everything that you would want in your players in terms of attitude, ethic, and intensity if not talent. He's the "glue guy.

I think we'll take Moore and maybe Barry as well, but the more likely slots are gonna come from Vassar (hell, he could go to the Ivies if he wants a quality education and can play ball to boot) and/or Taphorn (medical likely, as is an honest conversation that with RI and Law coming back, his minutes are going to go to close to zero for the next couple of years). Maybe put Tap in a student manager role or something to keep him part of the program while on medical scholarship.