For the love of God why don't we just trust the coaching staff that has given us our only three NCAA appearances in our bball history?
Please change up this lineup for the love of God
- Thread starter Baz=Heisman
- Start date
They have the hand that they have and it is a roster that in order to win, they have to win ugly. New guys are developing nicely but not there yet and while Tye is back it is pretty apparent that he is missing something. My guess, half a step and some strength and conditioning which also have prevented him from getting in the thousands of practice shots he needs. We have a very thin margin for success.
Tye was an elite defender but I would guess that has slipped a bit with his loss of speed, strength and conditioning (as seen with the ticky tach fouls and foul trouble) and since on D they work so much together that one chink hurts us more than we know. And with him really inconsistent on his 3s, (Barhizer is as well likely from being in the boot for a long time. Just noticed less because of all the other parts of his game) it turns us into a 25-30% from 3 team (this year) rather than 30-35% (last year) and that makes it hard to win a lot of games. The young guys show promise but reality is they are not ready for a major role yet
CCC has the roster he has for this year. It has a very thin margin for success (getting us back to the promised land of NCAA tourney) Hopefully they can pull it together but that needs to start pretty quickly
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If thats the reality, then we are toast. (I disagree with your assessment)
Windham and Ciaravino are both better right now than Mullins, who is the first sub off the bench for 4 positions.
Both freshmen can create their own shot. We only have 2 other guys on the roster who can say that with confidence.
Windham and Ciaravino are both willing, athletic, inexperienced defenders.
For the time being it may be better to play Mullins when Hunger is on the court - to shore up the defense.
But I can't make a case for putting Mullins out there with Nicholson.
Leach is ahead of the freshmen right now when it comes to creating his own shot. It’s not just about the offensive moves. It’s also about what the defense has to prepare for. When you're a focal point of the defense's game plan, it’s that much harder to score. Leach, at this stage, is better equipped for that challenge.
The difference in terms of defensive impact between Mullins and the freshmen is more noticeable than the gap offensively. Now, let’s set the record straight on Mullins. This whole idea that he’s not quick enough is off base. He’s our most athletic guy, hands down. His length, his speed, his hops, his basketball IQ... it all makes him an elite defender. He’s not the flashiest scorer, but he’s a willing, smart passer. Yeah, he had a couple of lazy passes in the MSU game, but that happens. But when it comes to defense, Mullins is an elite. He creates turnovers, makes timely switches, communicates like a vet, and is second only to Barnhizer on the defensive end. That’s why he's getting major minutes, because he can lock it down defensively.
As for the freshmen, being willing on defense doesn’t mean you’re good on defense. They’ve got the tools, Windham especially can be really good down the road, but right now, they’re still making mistakes. Miscommunications, bad switches, getting bullied by stronger players, that’s normal for freshmen. But that’s also why freshmen typically aren’t relied on for heavy minutes early in their career. If you’re ranking them over Mullins, it tells me you're prioritizing shooting over defense and ball movement, and that’s not the whole picture.
Berry and Leach have a higher ceiling than anyone on the bench, but the problem is they don’t hit that ceiling often enough. That’s why the freshmen are getting more minutes, they’re showing flashes of something really good down the line. But if this team wants to get back to the tournament, it needs more out of Berry and Leach at that ceiling level. The freshmen aren't at that level yet, and that's fine, they shouldn’t be expected to be. They're not ready to consistently impact games without making mistakes that hurt us, especially on defense. They’ve got a lot of potential, but right now, that’s all it is at the moment potential. I am not saying that there won’t be a game or two where one of them will get red hot and make a huge impact on a game. I just don’t think they are ready to do that consistently yet.
Bottom line: we need more consistency from the upperclassmen if we're going to make a run. The freshmen can help, but they’re not the foundation yet. We should be expecting more out our seniors at this point. They need to step up.
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Yes. By far. Seeing him warm up live it stands out how athletic he is.
The problem is that he executes at pretty much the same speed. He does not change it up. All at the same speed. Makes him much easier to guard.
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For the love of god can discover a magical way to convert our online forum punditry and hand wringing into wins?
One of the best comments out here in weeks.
I'm surprised the 5th year guys get the pass and the faith they've been shown. They can barely stay in the game against strong teams much less offer even mediocre support to NM and BB. Until these guys can reach those low bars, the Cats are in trouble.
Mullins isn't quick enough to stop good point guards from penetrating, dishing and scoring. We've seen that play out multiple times in multiple games. Even the guard on Northeastern was getting past him and scoring.
Is he a very good defender on most wings? Sure. Is he a good rebounder? Yes.
Is he a non-factor on the offensive end? Generally yes, but it depends who he is out there with.
To me, Ciaravino is close to Mullins in athleticism, if not equal.
Otherwise, I agreed with much of your comment above.
I'd play Ciaravino ahead of Mullins when Nicholson is on the court.
Not a comment on Gelo’s athleticism. Mullins is very, very athletic. Just watch the difference between Mullins and everyone else in warmups like gato said.
Has there been any report on Matt's knee injury? He was injured near the end of the game, didn't return to action, left to be evaluated, and made it back for the handshake line at the end.
Thats an excellent question. Slipped my mind. Fitzmorris is going to play 40 minutes... or 10 when he fouls out.
You want to put young players in in a position that they can be successful, But their D is just not there yet so it is harder. Closer than it was at the beginning of the season but just not there yet. D is so important to this team's identity that weakness there will limit their ability to get on the floor. They also need time in weight room. While they have significant upside, they are just not there yet, Mullins D, strength and experience at this level is there and that is what gives him minutes ahead of the Frosh, And you can put him in at just about any time.
He (Ciaravino) has a lot of potential and next year will likely start, That said, at this point he does not have the knowledge maturity and time in weight room to surpass Mullins. Mullins has put in the time, has the maturity both physically and time in the program that puts him ahead. Especially since Mullins is so versitile that he can fill in at several position, That can change but he(Ciaravino) is not there yet
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