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zappaa

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I’m going to assume Geo is back for B1G play, even if he misses Syracuse.
He is vital for our flow and keeping us in sync, he’s got a great go all the way penetration move and a kick out move when his road is defended, along with the step back. He takes over games with those moves, especially when Harper is hot.
Add all of our improved players and we are a formidable and tough team to play against....Geo is ginormous for us!
Seems to me, the play of the three freshman replacing Yeboah and Paul are the key to the season.
Paul has got to be productive.
All 4 of those guys are off the bench when Geo is healthy....
I’m also assuming Cliff is a good defender at this level, the consensus from the board is he will be.
 
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I agree 100%.

my 1/2 empty glass has me concerned.

good news I’d rather be concerned about the bench and not the starting 3 and 5. (Few years back)
 
I’m going to assume Geo is back for B1G play, even if he misses Syracuse.
He is vital for our flow and keeping us in sync, he’s got a great go all the way penetration move and a kick out move when his road is defended, along with the step back. He takes over games with those moves, especially when Harper is hot.
Add all of our improved players and we are a formidable and tough team to play against....Geo is ginormous for us!
Seems to me, the play of the three freshman replacing Yeboah and Paul are the key to the season.
Paul has got to be productive.
All 4 of those guys are off the bench when Geo is healthy....
I’m also assuming Cliff is a good defender at this level, the consensus from the board is he will be.
Having Geo back is definitely of utmost importance and like you say I actually hope he misses the Syracuse game and gets fully healed for the BIG season he has 2 more weeks so lets hope he is ready; the problem with the kick outs is except when Harper is hot we really have no one who can knock down 3 pointers consistently;
Also as you say Paul has got be productive except through the first 3 games he is still afraid to or consistently passes up wide open shots and when he shot yesterday his shot still looked terrible so with Geo out and when Ron was in foul trouble we had a couple of line ups that had no offensive options
 
Having Geo back is definitely of utmost importance and like you say I actually hope he misses the Syracuse game and gets fully healed for the BIG season he has 2 more weeks so lets hope he is ready; the problem with the kick outs is except when Harper is hot we really have no one who can knock down 3 pointers consistently;
Also as you say Paul has got be productive except through the first 3 games he is still afraid to or consistently passes up wide open shots and when he shot yesterday his shot still looked terrible so with Geo out and when Ron was in foul trouble we had a couple of line ups that had no offensive options
"we had a couple of line ups that had no offensive options"

Really, which ones?
 
I'd add Mathis as a key to our improvement. He's still showing the same inconsistency he's had from day one. He'll make bad decisions and then make some good plays. He's still a bad FT shooter. He needs to put up more quality minutes. It's at least as important as the freshmen coming through.
 
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What this team needs is a guy to give 20 minutes that is an offensive threat and can be trusted on defense.

that is what we got from Caleb

I think the hope here is Palmquist but the jury is still out. Shakey start but it’s waaaay too early to make an assessment on him.
 
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I think the hope here is Palmquist but the jury is still out. Shakey start but it’s waaaay too early to make an assessment on him.
I wish I could say I like the way Palmquist and Reiber move without the ball and their body language, but what the hell do I know.
Pike sees them as contributors and knows a hell of a lot more than me.
Mog looks like he can play that roll.
 
I wish I could say I like the way Palmquist and Reiber move without the ball and their body language, but what the hell do I know.
Pike sees them as contributors and knows a hell of a lot more than me.
Mog looks like he can play that roll.

Reiber was a head scratcher to me but I sell
Software and have never coached a day of basketball in my life. Palmquist at least seems to have a good stroke and is reportedly pretty athletic. Mag does look like another Montez from a build and athleticism standpoint. Not sure about the rest.
 
I’m hoping they can find a way to get Palmquist minutes so we can see if he can provide some offense this year. I don’t see scoring coming from the other freshmen this year.
 
This thread:

Image-Of-Eeyore.jpg
 
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Right now, after 3 games, my biggest concern is Myles. We need an inside offensive threat. I was hoping to see a little more offensive assertiveness from our center. Aside from the beautiful dribble drive for the and 1, he hasn't showcased anything noteworthy. At the end of last year, Myles had 1 goto offensive move; drop step off the left shoulder into a jump hook. That move was average, at best. Right now, as an opposing coach, I'd sit on that left shoulder and force him to drop right, or make him uncomfortable, and give it up.
This year, I am/was hoping to see a jump hook w both hands, and a post, reverse pivot into a 1 dribble and up (Daniel Oturu did this beautifully). Hoping he just hasn't had the opportunity yet.
 
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Right now, after 3 games, my biggest concern is Myles. We need an inside offensive threat.

I agree 100% and I am a huge Myles fan. I was expecting to see MJ with a better offensive post game then where he left off last year but nothing so far has convinced me of that. Fair to blame/hope some of this is due to Cliff getting the majority of the minutes and MJ mostly coming in when the team has a nice lead. I am certain that will not be the case when conference play starts so we will see.
 
My guess is that Geo sees some time against Syracuse, but not as a starter.....only guessing, the thought is that he will be anxious to get back, similar to his last being out due to injury, coming back a bit before expected
 
Reiber was a head scratcher to me but I sell
Software and have never coached a day of basketball in my life. Palmquist at least seems to have a good stroke and is reportedly pretty athletic. Mag does look like another Montez from a build and athleticism standpoint. Not sure about the rest.

I like what I've seen from Reiber, at the very least hes better than doucoure who is just waste of a scholly at this point.
 
Right now, after 3 games, my biggest concern is Myles. We need an inside offensive threat. I was hoping to see a little more offensive assertiveness from our center. Aside from the beautiful dribble drive for the and 1, he hasn't showcased anything noteworthy. At the end of last year, Myles had 1 goto offensive move; drop step off the left shoulder into a jump hook. That move was average, at best. Right now, as an opposing coach, I'd sit on that left shoulder and force him to drop right, or make him uncomfortable, and give it up.
This year, I am/was hoping to see a jump hook w both hands, and a post, reverse pivot into a 1 dribble and up (Daniel Oturu did this beautifully). Hoping he just hasn't had the opportunity yet.

I have a ton of worries about this team. Myles Johnson is not one of them. True he had trouble finishing against Hofstra. He has been a threat as a passer out of the low post. We saw enough of a sample last year to conclude he can be effective as an option in B1G play.
 
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I like what I've seen from Reiber, at the very least hes better than doucoure who is just waste of a scholly at this point.
I’ve keyed on Reiber and Palmquist without the ball, I’m not particularly impressed by their body movements or their athleticism.
Please understand I’m ridiculously critical, I can’t help myself.
I thought Doucores 5 minutes against FDU were better than anything those two freshman have shown.

FYI...I end up eating lots of crow, so that’s that.
 
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I have a ton of worries about this team. Myles Johnson is not one of them. True he had trouble finishing against Hofstra. He has been a threat as a passer out of the low post. We saw enough of a sample last year to conclude he can be effective as an option in B1G play.
He's an effective option no doubt. I am hoping for improvement with his back to the basket from 6’ out. Would you double Myles in the post? I wouldn't. Imagine how our offense would open up if opponents were force to run an extra guy at him.
Myles is a very bright guy, coordinated, and athletic. There's no reason why he shouldn't have a repertoire of 3-4 reliable moves on the blocks at this point in his career. It's a bit of a head scratcher.
 
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I’ve keyed on Reiber and Palmquist without the ball, I’m not particularly impressed by their body movements or their athleticism.
Please understand I’m ridiculously critical, I can’t help myself.
I thought Doucores 5 minutes against FDU were better than anything those two freshman have shown.

FYI...I end up eating lots of crow, so that’s that.
Doucoure doesn't understand how to play the game. I've been saying this for 2+ years. Add to that, a complete lack of confidence when he's on the floor. Lack of confidence = hesitation = negative play. I'm sure he's a great kid, but a D1 basketball player he is not.
 
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I’ve keyed on Reiber and Palmquist without the ball, I’m not particularly impressed by their body movements or their athleticism.
Please understand I’m ridiculously critical, I can’t help myself.
I thought Doucores 5 minutes against FDU were better than anything those two freshman have shown.

FYI...I end up eating lots of crow, so that’s that.
Completely disagree. Reiber showed more feel for the game and bball IQ in mop up duty game 1 than Doucoure has shown his entire career. It was obvious that quickly Reiber should move above Doucoure in the pecking order. Doucoure should be used in emergency or mop up duty only at this point. Reiber is clearly the better option. Maybeee if we play a team with some real meat inside and we need Doucoure's muscle to bang for a few minutes, but thats about the only scenario barring injury where Doucoure should play any meaningful minutes.
 
He's an effective option no doubt. I am hoping for improvement with his back to the basket from 6’ out. Would you double Myles in the post? I wouldn't. Imagine how our offense would open up if opponents were force to run an extra guy at him.
Myles is a very bright guy, coordinated, and athletic. There's no reason why he shouldn't have a repertoire of 3-4 reliable moves on the blocks at this point in his career. It's a bit of a head scratcher.

he has played a grand total of 50 minutes. We have faced mostly zone defense. He has scored 22 points on 9-14 shooting and has 5 assists.

I am not getting some of the anti-Myles sentiment.
 
Completely disagree. Reiber showed more feel for the game and bball IQ in mop up duty game 1 than Doucoure has shown his entire career. It was obvious that quickly Reiber should move above Doucoure in the pecking order. Doucoure should be used in emergency or mop up duty only at this point. Reiber is clearly the better option. Maybeee if we play a team with some real meat inside and we need Doucoure's muscle to bang for a few minutes, but thats about the only scenario barring injury where Doucoure should play any meaningful minutes.

Duke had some moments in his freshman year.
 
I think the hope here is Palmquist but the jury is still out. Shakey start but it’s waaaay too early to make an assessment on him.
Don't forget Palmquist was with the team since I think January of last year so he has had plenty of time to get acclimated to the college game
 
Duke had some moments in his freshman year.
I'll give him that but he looks lost ever since. He isn't a good fit

Don't forget Palmquist was with the team since I think January of last year so he has had plenty of time to get acclimated to the college game
And he is a 20 year old even though he's a freshman. I was hoping the age and extra time in the system would have him be more game ready out of the gate. He seems a bit unsure of himself which you could see on that missed layup and him missing FTs as supposedly one of the best FT shooters on the team. I think he will come around though.

He may have his best game against Syracuse if he can knock down a couple 3's to help bust their zone.
 
Don't forget Palmquist was with the team since I think January of last year so he has had plenty of time to get acclimated to the college game

That is true but we‘be probably only seen him in about 5 to 7 minutes of game time this year.
 
Duke had some moments in his freshman year.

To be fair, there were some posters saying Issa Thiam was a player. Doucore is the space filler a coach takes when almost starting from scratch with a bad team. Doucore. Thiam. Mensah. Bullock. Look at this year's crop. No preseason, total disruption but think they all can play. At least three will start when their time comes. Unless we recruit over them.
 
To be fair, there were some posters saying Issa Thiam was a player. Doucore is the space filler a coach takes when almost starting from scratch with a bad team. Doucore. Thiam. Mensah. Bullock. Look at this year's crop. No preseason, total disruption but think they all can play. At least three will start when their time comes. Unless we recruit over them.
Jaden Jones jumps them immediately 😀
 
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Agreed. He will start, but maybe not right away and may be better than any freshman not named Cliff.
But that is how it goes with building programs. What happens if the NCAA follows through on what some are saying and grants an extra year to everyone? Geo for another year, and what happens to recruits? Would they say, for this year, only, you can have more than the usual number of scholarship players? In case one or more come down with Covid? If the season founders, could see them declaring this a lost year, because the pandemic is worsening, world-wide.
 
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