Carino: 5 Burning Questions
- Thread starter dpwhite
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Can’t say I understand question 5. That might have been a legitimate question in past years, but not this year.
All legit questions but none more important than the first. I think Geo can handle it but I’m more concerned about his workload and who will back him up. He broke down last year and even more is expected this year. A Baker injury (even short-term), could be a disaster.
No mention of our 4* soph 6’9 forward Mamadou Doucoure returnee. I know he had foul woes last year but we need him to make strides like Eugene did after his first year. His development is key to enable some front court scoring punch! Hoping coach Young can help him with his defense and footwork to manage his tendency to foul.
I think McConnell will be key so Geo doesn’t have to play major minutes. We didn’t pick up a 5th year PG to back up Geo so McConnell will need to step up to keep Geo fresh. I expect some growing pains with this young team but so hopeful for the future.
I can think of 30 burning questions and #5 doesn’t make the list
The better question is, how does the buy-in manifest itself?
As to Doucoure, I'm pessimistic on him but important to remember he should've still been in HS last season. But he was a Big Ten body with very little refinement on either side of the ball. We'll see how far he can come along in one year.
Freshmen that are leaned on early often get worn down late in the season. They're dealing with new routines, new daily schedules, new sleep schedules, new S&C procedures, more games and minutes than HS against a big step up in competition, etc. Thiam ended up getting sick as a freshman late in the year, and so did Baker. Fair chance that Mathis will this year, too, if we lean on him for 25+ minutes.
As a sophomore, he should be more comfortable with the routine, as nothing will really be "new" - he'll have a year's worth of experience and conditioning under his belt, and should be less likely to break down late in the season.
My question is whether he's ready to step up from B1G secondary scorer to B1G lead scorer.
Maybe I am overestimating this staff and the people they bring in to the program. To me "buy-in" is a given and the groundwork is in place for what it takes to play and what needs to be done in the offseason, and how to handle yourself off the court.
I have questions for every player.
Baker - Can he become the primary "go to" scorer, who scores 14+ ppg, is the threat late in the shot clock, and demands the ball at the end of the game?
Mathis - Can he live up to his billing and transition smoothly from HS to B1G ball?
McConnell - Can he give 10+ strong minutes at the point and give Baker time to rest and play off the ball, without being a liability?
Kiss - Can he improve his consistency from Q and stamp out the streakiness in his shooting?
Thiam - Can he finally start putting it all together and using the tools he has developed to be more aggressive offensively?
Harper - Can he legitimately push Thiam for minutes and make the transition to college (especially defensively)?
Omoruyi - Can he develop more offensively and fill the rebounding gap left by Freeman?
Carter - Can he provide that "big body" PF presence on the block that we've been lacking
Doucoure - Can he make strides to adapt to the speed of the game (primarily in footwork/body control) and make a leap as a sophomore?
Johnson - Can he make an immediate impact after a redshirt year of S&C?
Doorson - Does he make a "Hamady-like" leap in his final year now that he's finally been healthy for the longest stretch since HS?
Baker - Can he become the primary "go to" scorer, who scores 14+ ppg, is the threat late in the shot clock, and demands the ball at the end of the game?
Mathis - Can he live up to his billing and transition smoothly from HS to B1G ball?
McConnell - Can he give 10+ strong minutes at the point and give Baker time to rest and play off the ball, without being a liability?
Kiss - Can he improve his consistency from Q and stamp out the streakiness in his shooting?
Thiam - Can he finally start putting it all together and using the tools he has developed to be more aggressive offensively?
Harper - Can he legitimately push Thiam for minutes and make the transition to college (especially defensively)?
Omoruyi - Can he develop more offensively and fill the rebounding gap left by Freeman?
Carter - Can he provide that "big body" PF presence on the block that we've been lacking
Doucoure - Can he make strides to adapt to the speed of the game (primarily in footwork/body control) and make a leap as a sophomore?
Johnson - Can he make an immediate impact after a redshirt year of S&C?
Doorson - Does he make a "Hamady-like" leap in his final year now that he's finally been healthy for the longest stretch since HS?
Geo does not need to average anything crazy. 12 ppg and distributing the ball will do it from him, as I think both Thiam and Omoruyi can both average in double figures playing 25+ minutes per game. The rest of the scoring will fall in line from there to get us into the 70s in ppg.
My questions piggybacking your....
take guys 7 thru 11 (Omoruyi thru Doorson). How can we drastically improve offense with 2 of those guys in the game simultaneously. If the answer is what I think can guys 4 thru 6 (Kiss thru Harper) do an adequate job defending B1G 4s and hold their own on the defensive glass.
take guys 7 thru 11 (Omoruyi thru Doorson). How can we drastically improve offense with 2 of those guys in the game simultaneously. If the answer is what I think can guys 4 thru 6 (Kiss thru Harper) do an adequate job defending B1G 4s and hold their own on the defensive glass.
I'd hope for 14+ from him, personally.
Last year, Sanders played just 7% more minutes than Baker but took 35% more shots. Baker is going to be looked to as that primary scoring role, and will very likely be taking many more shots this year.
I’m all for it if he can be more efficient. Needs to shoot over 40% from the field if he wants to take 500+ shots over the course of the season.
Well, he needs to be over 40% regardless, imo - which for Baker means better finishing at the rim and more high percentage short pull up shots. He was only .396 on 2P attempts last year (ahead of just Doucoure and Mensah), which needs to be closer to .430
Could be wrong....Baker isn't the type of guard you ask or even want finishing at the rim. He has a different game than Beatty, but he was the type of point guard that was effective and didn't penetrate often.
To me Baker uses the dribble to get separation for his mid range shot and maybe use the dribble to get the ball to others.
If Baker is spending more than 2/3 of the time on court as the point guard I wouldn't mind seeing him NOT be the leading scorer.
He is not nearly as much of a slasher as Sanders was, but he does go to the rim. But even if he goes toward the rim and pulls up for a 5-10 footer, he needs to get a higher percentage on his 2P shots. Playing more as a PG this year, defenses need to respect his penetration so that he can kick to open shooters on the outside.
He has a bad habit (as did Sanders) of pulling up just inside the three point arc. While Sanders did it to get closer, because he couldn't really hit threes that well, Baker is a much better shooter from range and shouldn't be giving up that extra point to get 2 feet closer to the rim.
That's a fair point to consider - but that would mean someone like Mathis would need to step up as a leading scorer as a freshman, or Thiam would really need to step up his offense this year. I don't see "leading scorer" coming from the frontcourt.
I hate predicting what players who hate never played a minute of college basketball do. I have always thought of these players as fictional until they put the jersey on and step on the court.
Having said that my early prediction is Mathis as our leading scorer. I envision a bunch of people in the 7-11 PPG area.
Maybe we have a lot of balance across the lineup? If we have 5 guys averaging 9+, that would help mitigate not having a primary scorer - so maybe we're looking at spreading the love around.
Last time we had 5 guys at 9+ was 2009-10, but we also had Rosario at 16.7 that season.
Last time we had 5 guys at 9+ and no one over 14 was 1997-98 (Billet 13.9, Hodgson 13.2, Clark 10.9, Johnson 10.9, Greer 10.0)
If that happens ...that will be a VERY good sign, as I think Geo and Onamuryi are good for 10-11 per game as well.
Geo Baker is one of the best to come to the Banks in the last five years. He will be fine, and McConnel will spell him well enough. Scoring like Green said, will be more well distributed against the board and will allow for more cherry picking and fast paced play. The team will really have to hold to their defensive values to get out of the basement. Scoring will be in the 54-62 point range.
Noooooooo!
Last year B1G play only....
Average B1G game (all teams) 66 possessions and 1.053 points per possession...equates to 69.5 per 40 minutes
RU 65.4 * .874 =57.1...... 2nd worst was Minny at .988 points per possession...
We HAVE to get that number up in the bare minimum .95 area. Assuming 65.4 * .95 = 62 points per game (bare, BARE minimum).
Want a .500 team? Improve 1.054 points per possession D to 1.034 and bump .874 points per possession on offense to 1.034. Keeping tempo constant that means we need 67.6 points per game.
Scoring under 60 will equate to another 3-15.
Can't score with no production out of 2 of the 5 offensive spots on the court. That has to change this year. That means Issa comes out of his shell or sits (no matter what D he offers!) AND no 2 bigs unless someone is a threat offensively.
Probably in the higher part of that range of 62-66 actually after doing some numbers. This year the program will get production out of the off guard spot. I believe we know what Doorson is, and what his ceiling is. That brings the quyestion of what the program gets out of Myles Johnson. I think he can add a helpful dimension. May not be the most physical kid on the floor, but he is skillful, and has long limbs to make up for a lost step if defender gets by him,
Scoring can be better based on taking more three pointers and playing a little faster...problem is it will look a little more unorganized when random people are shooting the ball to try and contribute.
A more ultra conservative path is to try and ask Baker to be the player when the shot clock is under 10 seconds and just ask him to make the pass or shot....question is are fans ready for the ball to go to the 3rd and 4th options, if that's the right basketball play??...RU fans are used to Sanders dominating the ball and while predictable, it also doesn't allow others to figure out what they can do and can't do.
I watch a lot of rebuilds across the country (from awful to not awful is step 1....that means getting from 12 wins to 15 in a regular season...i think with this many moving parts, usually around 50 games is when things get sorted out....
So my estimate of improvement is not going to be measured this season...i would expect to see January 2020 as the timetable for things to become a little more organized..
From Game 1 this year to around January 2020, expect a vicious learning curve and some extreme valleys and some flickering lights coming on periodically.
A more ultra conservative path is to try and ask Baker to be the player when the shot clock is under 10 seconds and just ask him to make the pass or shot....question is are fans ready for the ball to go to the 3rd and 4th options, if that's the right basketball play??...RU fans are used to Sanders dominating the ball and while predictable, it also doesn't allow others to figure out what they can do and can't do.
I watch a lot of rebuilds across the country (from awful to not awful is step 1....that means getting from 12 wins to 15 in a regular season...i think with this many moving parts, usually around 50 games is when things get sorted out....
So my estimate of improvement is not going to be measured this season...i would expect to see January 2020 as the timetable for things to become a little more organized..
From Game 1 this year to around January 2020, expect a vicious learning curve and some extreme valleys and some flickering lights coming on periodically.
I agree. One positive attribute is that Dourcore will have the advantage of a full off - season practice with the team which he did not last year. With our coaching staff, this attribute is critical and so important for Dourcore's development - which I believe will occur just like Eugene's has. Our coaching staff is terrific in bringing out the best in our kids.
Keep Kenny Parker away from the Basketball team, please
I am not buying this if the freshman are good enough. These kids play multiple games on consecutive days on the AAU circuit. Many a team make deep runs into March with freshman leading the way.
cash or charge?
It is known as the Freshman wall - below is an article alluding to it:
Newest Missouri class fighting through ‘freshman wall’
By Tod Palmer
tpalmer@kcstar.com
January 29, 2016 06:51 PM
Updated January 29, 2016 08:15 PM
COLUMBIA
The concept of a “freshman wall” isn’t new to college basketball.
The grind of stepping up from the high school ranks into the college game takes a heavy toll on many players.
There are notable exceptions. LSU’s Ben Simmons averages 19.8 points and 12.7 rebounds.
But most freshman struggle to adapt to the college, especially when conference play arrives.
Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/c...f-missouri/article57395053.html#storylink=cpy
My questions:
1. Can the newcomers successfully take Issa Thiam's minutes?
Hearing a lot of Issa chatter in this thread. Not sure why for a guy that played 30+ minutes and only averaged 7 ppg. That includes very long stretches where he was completely invisible on the offensive end. Personally, I'm hoping he gets passed over by the likes of Mathis, Kiss, McConnell, Harper. That would be a very good sign for us. All 4 of these newcomers have a higher ceiling than Issa.
2. Can Doucoure make a similar jump that Eugene made from year 1 to 2?
I realize they're playing different positions, but I do see some similarities. Both atheletic, both very raw (sometimes clueless) in year 1. Eugene's growth was really amazing. Is it possible we see something similar from MD?
3. Does one of our bigs emerge as a clear cut starter at the 5? Seems like the job is up for grabs amongst 4 guys. I'd love for 1 of them to rise to the top rather than playing center by committee.
1. Can the newcomers successfully take Issa Thiam's minutes?
Hearing a lot of Issa chatter in this thread. Not sure why for a guy that played 30+ minutes and only averaged 7 ppg. That includes very long stretches where he was completely invisible on the offensive end. Personally, I'm hoping he gets passed over by the likes of Mathis, Kiss, McConnell, Harper. That would be a very good sign for us. All 4 of these newcomers have a higher ceiling than Issa.
2. Can Doucoure make a similar jump that Eugene made from year 1 to 2?
I realize they're playing different positions, but I do see some similarities. Both atheletic, both very raw (sometimes clueless) in year 1. Eugene's growth was really amazing. Is it possible we see something similar from MD?
3. Does one of our bigs emerge as a clear cut starter at the 5? Seems like the job is up for grabs amongst 4 guys. I'd love for 1 of them to rise to the top rather than playing center by committee.
Many do I am sure . I am just saying if a kid is talented enough it won’t matter. Simmons, Anthony etc . You want to say we don’t have those types of kids? Fine and those types hit the wall. But there are exceptions of course
I think the 2 factors at play here....
1. Slow and low release leading to block shots and lack of confidence
2. Upper classmen not being the most encouraging group. I got the sense that Issa had little to no respect from them and really the team as a whole.
For these 2 reasons there is a huge fear of missing shots.[/QUOTE]
Okay, don't buy it.
Baker wore down and got sick last year, and bounced back for the postseason. Thiam did the same the year before that. We don't know if Sanders was sick in late February his freshman year, because he was suspended for 4 games. Myles Mack had a big dropoff in February of his freshman year, too, before bouncing back in March.
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