Carino’s 5 Pikiell priorities
- Thread starter dpwhite
- Start date
Need 3 point shooters------has to be the priority IMO.
Hopefully not an unexpected transfer, which has been the program killer so many times in the past. My biggest (maybe irrational) fear is that Issa doesn’t think he can play at this level and wants to transfer.
I really enjoy Carino's articles. always informative...and well balanced (not too negative or positive)
to me, what's flying under the radar in this article is the notion of Shaq D being welcomed back. Not to say I didn't want him back...but I think many on these boards just assumed Pikiell would encourage him to leave to free up a ship.
He really came on late in the season, and was invaluable in the B1G Tourney...so if Pike wants him back, that's good enough for me.
will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
to me, what's flying under the radar in this article is the notion of Shaq D being welcomed back. Not to say I didn't want him back...but I think many on these boards just assumed Pikiell would encourage him to leave to free up a ship.
He really came on late in the season, and was invaluable in the B1G Tourney...so if Pike wants him back, that's good enough for me.
will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
I'd rather not see a Grad Transfer in. Bringing in Strickland would be the best option.
2 Guy have to go. Mensah should go home to France and get paid. Bullock should
transfer down a level to get some playing time.
My priorities for the off season are:
Free Throw shooting for everyone. Raise the individual % above 75%.
Thiam gaining weight & muscle and watching film of Nebraska's Roby.
Doucore & Doorson jump shots from the foul line.
Baker gaining weight & muscle and learning to protect the ball better.
Nathan - Taking a leap in ability similar to Eugene and become a Matt Haarms/Jon Teske level player.
2 Guy have to go. Mensah should go home to France and get paid. Bullock should
transfer down a level to get some playing time.
My priorities for the off season are:
Free Throw shooting for everyone. Raise the individual % above 75%.
Thiam gaining weight & muscle and watching film of Nebraska's Roby.
Doucore & Doorson jump shots from the foul line.
Baker gaining weight & muscle and learning to protect the ball better.
Nathan - Taking a leap in ability similar to Eugene and become a Matt Haarms/Jon Teske level player.
Those are some lofty expectations. Free throw jumper for Shaq? How about working on catching and finishing regularly. Souf getting paid to play in France? I don’t think so. Nathan elevating from walk on to level of backup centers for top ranked teams in one summer? Dream on.
Said it for a while but getting Strickland and Hyatt for 2018 (to replace Mensah and Bullock, ideally, but Bullock and Sanders, more realistically) would be the grand slam.
I'd rather have a sit-out transfer than a grad transfer to be honest. Even at the top of the chain guys like Jaaron Simmons at Michigan and Mark Alstork at Illinois didn't move the needle a whole lot. Al Freeman at NC State is the one big impact guy I can think of.
No unexpected transfers, of course. I'd put Baker, Omoruyi, and Thiam in the can't-lose category. Doucoure would be a big loss but he has a long way to go. Don't think there's any whispers of anything anyway.
A lot of the things that need to be worked on we won't see manifest until next season. The shot selection HAS to be better. Even in the Big Ten tournament, Corey and Geo were taking shots with a higher degree of difficulty than they should have been. The good news is if they can hit those, they can hit better, smarter shots.
Thiam needs to bulk up and improve his handle and passing. I liked seeing him post up later in the season so I hope we see more of that next year too, along with more confidence in the 3-ball.
Omoruyi needs to work on his jumper. He has the best footwork inside of anybody on the team, so if he's able to stretch the floor a bit that would give him some more room to use that footwork.
Hearing that Johnson and Kiss have reworked their bodies is already good news. Getting a big man who can pass is sorely needed, since all we could do this season was swing it around the perimeter. A little inside-outside action is going to help the offense. The Kiss and Johnson news means that if Bullock does stay, there's absolutely no excuse to fail the conditioning test.
I'd rather have a sit-out transfer than a grad transfer to be honest. Even at the top of the chain guys like Jaaron Simmons at Michigan and Mark Alstork at Illinois didn't move the needle a whole lot. Al Freeman at NC State is the one big impact guy I can think of.
No unexpected transfers, of course. I'd put Baker, Omoruyi, and Thiam in the can't-lose category. Doucoure would be a big loss but he has a long way to go. Don't think there's any whispers of anything anyway.
A lot of the things that need to be worked on we won't see manifest until next season. The shot selection HAS to be better. Even in the Big Ten tournament, Corey and Geo were taking shots with a higher degree of difficulty than they should have been. The good news is if they can hit those, they can hit better, smarter shots.
Thiam needs to bulk up and improve his handle and passing. I liked seeing him post up later in the season so I hope we see more of that next year too, along with more confidence in the 3-ball.
Omoruyi needs to work on his jumper. He has the best footwork inside of anybody on the team, so if he's able to stretch the floor a bit that would give him some more room to use that footwork.
Hearing that Johnson and Kiss have reworked their bodies is already good news. Getting a big man who can pass is sorely needed, since all we could do this season was swing it around the perimeter. A little inside-outside action is going to help the offense. The Kiss and Johnson news means that if Bullock does stay, there's absolutely no excuse to fail the conditioning test.
Because that speculation on this board was based on nothing and took on a life of its own as more people kept repeating it.
Your biggest fear is that a player leaves because he doesn't think he can play at this level?
That is sillier than the fear of the number 13 or being afraid of triangles.
agree. which is why you would think there would be more discussion on the very boards where this ill-informed speculation was hatched ;)
anyway, I think that Shaq developed nicely (on D) this season. Hopefully his foot issues are behind him. He will never be mistaken for an offensive threat, but if he can catch the ball a bit more cleanly, he could be a guy who can put back some garbage buckets. Especially if we are able to exploit the perimeter with next year's lineup.
Even his FTs form has improved tremendously.
I am just a sucker for program guys who give their all, and I hope he comes back to have an impactful sr year (see Austin Johnson).
PS - I dont expect Shaq to have the same jump as Austin did...just making a comparison to a guy who grinded out his entire career to make a meaningful jump in impact his Sr year.
Doorson....not another guy on the roster that is 7' and can defend the 4 or 5 teams we may face that has a big, slow interior presence. If you want to roll the dice and say we go to war without that piece that is 1 thing. To think we can replace what doorson brings is another.
Doorson played 27 minutes vs. purdue. 71 in total in the 3 games. he played 36 minutes in 2 games vs. michigan state.
I want him on the team and i'd rather his spot filled in 2019-20 by a HS player we have been recruiting for a few years.
Doorson played 27 minutes vs. purdue. 71 in total in the 3 games. he played 36 minutes in 2 games vs. michigan state.
I want him on the team and i'd rather his spot filled in 2019-20 by a HS player we have been recruiting for a few years.
Not in life, with regards to the team. I promise I don’t go to sleep worrying about Rutgers basketball.
Not that high on Shaq's development particularly on the offensive end. Right now he does not really need to be guarded closely. If you think Johnson is a player ready to contribute, than a rotation of Duke, Myles and Shaq Carter (mostly a 4 but could play the 5 at times) should work. Having said that, you wonder what type of options he would have as a 5th year transfer. RU may be the best alternative for him.
My opinion - possible departures Carino is alluding to are Corey; Bullock and Souf.
Providence and GTown seem like logical candidates given we already played St Johns; We play Seton Hall and Nova is too good for us. Just focusing in on East Coast schools
Personally, I'd prefer GTown.
I would have Doucore and Doorson spend hours every day working on low post moves so much that the moves become second nature. There is absolutely no reason guys that size can't score inside. You just need to know what to do with the ball when you get it. And that only comes with repetition.
The foul line shot will be "worked on" while practicing their FTs.
Shaq needs to learn how to jump quicker. He takes too long to gather himself allowing defenders to get in better position.
Can we land Strickland...even if Corey comes back and convince either Souf or Bullock to move over?
If Corey comes back (seems doubtful) Strickland could add depth / could be used in a 3 guard rotation ....different looks / match up combos.
MO
Hope to see great improvement in Doucoure and Shaq as hopefully the summer training will help them improve in the same way that Eugene elevated his game. Doucoure did not have the advantage of summer training and Shaq was probably hurt.
Similar threads
