So CC would bench Lumpkin. Got it. NOT!
Weren't you one of those who predicted that Lumpkin's role and minutes would diminish significantly with
all the talent CC was bringing in?
I must confess that I don't understand the point of your post. Sanjay played the 4. That was his position. It doesn't matter why. He wasn't skilled offensively enough to get many minutes at any other position. A power forward is expected to rebound because they frequently guard guys around the basket and are in a better position to defensive rebound than guys running around on the perimeter. They also have more opportunities to block shots helping down low. They are supposed to be tall. Sanjay was a pretty good rebounder and not a good shot blocker for his position. That seems pretty straight forward. I didn't know we were grading on a curve. Do less athletic guys get extra points on your scale because they are not as quick and can't jump as high ("he's a a phenomenal rebounder for a 6'1" guy that can't jump!")?
Two guys that Carmody recruited helped Collins take a team to the tournament in his 4th season as coach (something never accomplished before). Do folks think that is surprising or somehow diminishes the accomplishment?
He wasn't a good shot blocker because he was undersized at 6-6.
Who's to say that Law (taller frame, longer wingspan) couldn't have played the 4?
Swop did a pretty good job at that at a slight 210 lbs.
Lumpkin was actually the more prolific scorer of the 2 in high school.
Who's to say he wouldn't have been a decent scorer in his natural position as a 3/wing?
Can definitely see him as a Hearn type - using his physicality to bully past weaker opponents on the way to the basket.
By that same token - why wasn't Pardon a better rebounder and shot blocker at his position (he was pretty good, but wasn't "exceptional")?
Could it have been that he was also undersized for his position, altho his longer wingspan did make up for it a bit?
There's a reason why the 6-11 Esch is the career leader in rebounds and the 7 ft Olah, the career leader in block shots.
I thought this thread was interesting until it turned into the age old anti BC opinions. I believe the talent CC has recruited was far better than the talent BC brought to NU. BC rarely had a team with two B1G level talent players. He had no depth, lacked athleticism and had very little size on most of his teams.
BC had a pretty good run with his recruiting classes landing at least 1 B1G starting caliber player who made an impact as a frosh.
Coble, Juice, Shurna, Crawford and Cobb.
So his teams (during the consecutive NIT runs) had at least 3 B1G caliber players (you don't make the postseason out of the B1G without at least 3 such players).
But the problem was, you had players at various stages of their careers (Sr Juice, frosh Cobb) and when the inevitable injuries arose (only Juice out of the 5 was.able to avoid any prolonged//serious injury), there wasn't enough starter depth to make up for it).
We never got to see a team with Coble, Juice and Shurna, much less one with Coble, Juice, Shurna and Crawford (that would have been the most explosive Cats team in the modern era).
Even after Juice and Johnny graduated, the team with Crawford, Cobb, Hearn, Swop and Olah had the talent to make it to the Dance, esp. with the 4 non-centers being + defenders, but we all know how that season went down the drain.
Players like the aforementioned Hearn, Moore, Nash, Demps, Lumpkin, Olah, etc. became B1G caliber players as upperclassmen.
But the problem was still not having enough depth to overcome the inevitable injury bug.
That's where not having any classes with 2 immediate impact recruits hurts, or not having an athletic and skilled 5 like Pardon (like had stated, Pardon was the biggest difference-maker from prior teams).