What A Difference

[Phantom Warrior]

What a difference two years can make.

Look at our top five players in terms of mpg two years ago versus our likely line up at the start of this season.

Point Guard: Derrick - Traci. Derrick was never a true point guard. He was more of a defensive specialist two guard who was forced to play point. Traci is a true point guard. Derrick has been bashed enough over the past two years, so let's just say that as a point guard Traci is a significant upgrade.

Two Guard: Jake - Duane. Jake had a few excellent games when he shot the ball very well. But he also had a slew of games where he couldn't hit from the outside. Unfortunately, that was basically his offense. Had Vander stayed, Jake, of course, would have come off the bench for maybe 8-10 mpg. Instead he became the starter and averaged 30 mpg. Duane is multi-faceted on offense. He is a better ball handler, passer, and scorer than Jake. That's not a knock on Jake. Like Derrick he was cast into a role he shouldn't have been in.

Small Forward: Todd - Sandy. Todd did not start a single game, but his mpg was fifth highest on the team at 23.8 mpg (sixth highest was 17.9 mpg). Todd scored pretty well (11.1 ppg), and he shot reasonably well (46% overall), but sometimes he looked like more of a "Me" player than a "We" player. He did not rebound particularly well (2.3 rpg), and his average of 2.0 apg was not particularly impressive. I don't think Sandy will average double digits in scoring since he will likely be the fifth option most of the time he's on the court, but I think Sandy will average more rpg and apg than Todd did. Even more importantly, I think Sandy will be a positive factor in terms of team chemistry, which is something I highly doubt was the case with Todd.

Power Forward: Jamil - Henry. Jamil had some very productive games his senior year, but I think most fans would agree his performance fell at least a bit short of expectations. He never seemed to grasp the mantel of leadership. His stats were respectable (essentially 12 ppg and 6 rpg), but he disappeared or became a non-factor far too often. Henry has not proven anything yet against high-major players, but I will be surprised if Henry does not end up being more productive this year than Jamil was two years ago.

Center: Davante - Luke. CO usually started, but Davante played almost 9 mpg more than CO did. DG was certainly an offensive threat. He led the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and shot over 50% from the field. He was also the second leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg. I think Luke could end up with similar stats this year (15 & 6), but Luke is a much better defensive player than DG was.

Derrick-Jake-Todd-Jamil-Davante versus Traci-Duane-Sandy-Henry-Luke.

In terms of all-around skills/talent/ability - whatever you want to call it - I see an upgrade at every position. Of course, that's just one fan's opinion.

[MUwarrior1090]

What a difference two years can make.

Look at our top five players in terms of mpg two years ago versus our likely line up at the start of this season.

Point Guard: Derrick - Traci. Derrick was never a true point guard. He was more of a defensive specialist two guard who was forced to play point. Traci is a true point guard. Derrick has been bashed enough over the past two years, so let's just say that as a point guard Traci is a significant upgrade.

Two Guard: Jake - Duane. Jake had a few excellent games when he shot the ball very well. But he also had a slew of games where he couldn't hit from the outside. Unfortunately, that was basically his offense. Had Vander stayed, Jake, of course, would have come off the bench for maybe 8-10 mpg. Instead he became the starter and averaged 30 mpg. Duane is multi-faceted on offense. He is a better ball handler, passer, and scorer than Jake. That's not a knock on Jake. Like Derrick he was cast into a role he shouldn't have been in.

Small Forward: Todd - Sandy. Todd did not start a single game, but his mpg was fifth highest on the team at 23.8 mpg (sixth highest was 17.9 mpg). Todd scored pretty well (11.1 ppg), and he shot reasonably well (46% overall), but sometimes he looked like more of a "Me" player than a "We" player. He did not rebound particularly well (2.3 rpg), and his average of 2.0 apg was not particularly impressive. I don't think Sandy will average double digits in scoring since he will likely be the fifth option most of the time he's on the court, but I think Sandy will average more rpg and apg than Todd did. Even more importantly, I think Sandy will be a positive factor in terms of team chemistry, which is something I highly doubt was the case with Todd.

Power Forward: Jamil - Henry. Jamil had some very productive games his senior year, but I think most fans would agree his performance fell at least a bit short of expectations. He never seemed to grasp the mantel of leadership. His stats were respectable (essentially 12 ppg and 6 rpg), but he disappeared or became a non-factor far too often. Henry has not proven anything yet against high-major players, but I will be surprised if Henry does not end up being more productive this year than Jamil was two years ago.

Center: Davante - Luke. CO usually started, but Davante played almost 9 mpg more than CO did. DG was certainly an offensive threat. He led the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and shot over 50% from the field. He was also the second leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg. I think Luke could end up with similar stats this year (15 & 6), but Luke is a much better defensive player than DG was.

Derrick-Jake-Todd-Jamil-Davante versus Traci-Duane-Sandy-Henry-Luke.

In terms of all-around skills/talent/ability - whatever you want to call it - I see an upgrade at every position. Of course, that's just one fan's opinion.

Good post.

If we're just talking skills/ability, definitely give me Todd over Sandy. If we are factoring in attitude then I would take Sandy. The only other one that is even remotely debatable is Jamil/Henry and that's only because Henry has yet to prove anything at the college level while Jamil was a 3 year starter/contributor. Henry should put that debate to rest a couple weeks into the season.

The two guard spots and center aren't even close in terms of talent.

[DCwarrior]

The one area the starting five from two years ago will likely be better at than this year's starting five is on the defensive end (especially if we switch CO in for Davante). For all their many offensive faults, Derrick and Jake were strong and very solid on defense. Todd and Jamil could be as well when they wanted to be. CO was very good defensively (Davante not so much).

Of this year's starting five, I haven't seen proof from any of them that they'll be above average defenders / defensive rebounders.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Agreed that we are better at every position. Between roster problems and some players just not developing as expected, we had a lot of issues. The only nit I would pick is that if Vander had come back, Jake would have left as a graduate transfer rather than come off the bench, but regardless, Jake was the starter and while he tried hard, he simply wasn't up to it at this level.

[The Reptile]

So, you're responsible for setting up a defensive scheme against our team what do you do - man or zone? And what do you emphasize once in the defense? I'm not trying to imply that this will be an impossible task given the youth of this team and some teams will have a stopper somewhere on their roster that will shut down at least one of our players. So, as a coach, how do you defend our squad?

[MU88]

So, you're responsible for setting up a defensive scheme against our team what do you do - man or zone? And what do you emphasize once in the defense? I'm not trying to imply that this will be an impossible task given the youth of this team and some teams will have a stopper somewhere on their roster that will shut down at least one of our players. So, as a coach, how do you defend our squad?

You pressure the ball all over the floor. Team is extremely sloppy, as least going by the games in Europe. They don't take care of the basketball. That may change as these guys get older, but right now, we are turnover prone.

[Phantom Warrior]

It will also change when they aren't playing with a 24-second clock. That is not a lot of time and forces teams to rush the offense - try to create when nothing is there. It is hard to be patient when that clock is ticking. The extra six seconds to a 30-second clock will slow down the tempo a bit, which is especially important for younger players. Remember, all of these guys previous played with a 35-second clock. Going to 24 seconds is a HUGE difference.

The other factor is that I doubt Wojo has put in even a quarter of the offense so far as from all reports the 10 practices emphasized defense. I realize Wojo will run a motion offense rather than a ton of set plays (a la Crean), but there will still be more structure than there was on this trip. Plus, those young 'uns will have more experience running a motion offense if they did not use that approach in high school.

[Nukem2]

It will also change when they aren't playing with a 24-second clock. That is not a lot of time and forces teams to rush the offense - try to create when nothing is there. It is hard to be patient when that clock is ticking. The extra six seconds to a 30-second clock will slow down the tempo a bit, which is especially important for younger players. Remember, all of these guys previous played with a 35-second clock. Going to 24 seconds is a HUGE difference.

The other factor is that I doubt Wojo has put in even a quarter of the offense so far as from all reports the 10 practices emphasized defense. I realize Wojo will run a motion offense rather than a ton of set plays (a la Crean), but there will still be more structure than there was on this trip. Plus, those young 'uns will have more experience running a motion offense if they did not use that approach in high school.
Actually, most of the frosh did not have a shot clock in HS.

[Phantom Warrior]

Reptile,

If I were a coach game-planning for MU, my top priority would be to attack Henry on defense nearly every time down the floor and get him in foul trouble so that he is no longer on the floor. I would tell the player that Henry is guarding to drive, drive, drive. Wojo, like many coaches takes players out if they pick up two fouls fairly early on. I would defend MU's offense by eliminating one of its critical components.

Once Henry was on the bench, I would get the ball down low and attack Luke on basically every possession if you have someone who can play the low post. If not, I would draw Luke out from the basket when he's on defense, even if it's only to the free throw line, and have that player drive on Luke.

I realize this is not really what you asked, but it would still be my strategy against MU.

As far as what defense I would play, I would probably go to some sort of a match-up zone. I would want to slow MU down and take away driving lanes for Carter, Duane, and Henry. I would try to make MU beat my team from the perimeter.

I would also take a page from Bo Ryan and pretty much forget about the offensive glass. After a shot, I would have four guys hustle back on defense, leaving only one player to attack the offensive boards, as I would definitely want to take away MU's transition game as much as possible.

[Gato78]

If I was game planning for MU right now, I would play zone until I know MU could consistently hit 3s. Our past history makes me think "you can't shoot unless you prove to me otherwise". If MU hits 3s, then a sagging man to account for our size, doubling the post.

[Nukem2]

If I was game planning for MU right now, I would play zone until I know MU could consistently hit 3s. Our past history makes me think "you can't shoot unless you prove to me otherwise". If MU hits 3s, then a sagging man to account for our size, doubling the post.
Yes, 3 point shooting is still a big question for this team offensively.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

I would probably use zone. Deny the ball to the post and force the shooters to make shots. At least that's how I'd start defending against this team. I think for overall scheme PW lays it out well, but the two most "automatic" weapons seem to be Henry and Luke. Keep the ball away from them and make Duane and Sandy beat you outside.

[BLT]

With a freshman PG, MU will see 3/4 man pressure, especially with the new shot clock. This is also why Wojo likes our bigs running the floor ahead of the break. Right away, Henry is going to see a lot of pressure off defensive rebounds on his high dribble up court.

[Phantom Warrior]

From what I've seen of Carter, I think teams would be making a big mistake to try to pressure him in the back court. He has that Tony Miller ability - and mentality - to break down a press with the dribble. He is very quick with the ball, surprisingly strong, and can change direction quickly and fluidly. I have memories of TM destroying Kentucky's vaunted full-court press. I think Carter can do the same, which will create an awful lot of open looks and scoring opportunities at the other end.

Also, we will likely have four ball handlers on the court almost all the time. In short, I think we will be a very, very tough team to press. And if a team does press us, I think they will pay the price at the other end of the court because of the way we attack the hoop.

I kind of hope teams will try to press us.

[Nukem2]

From what I've seen of Carter, I think teams would be making a big mistake to try to pressure him in the back court. He has that Tony Miller ability - and mentality - to break down a press with the dribble. He is very quick with the ball, surprisingly strong, and can change direction quickly and fluidly. I have memories of TM destroying Kentucky's vaunted full-court press. I think Carter can do the same, which will create an awful lot of open looks and scoring opportunities at the other end.

Also, we will likely have four ball handlers on the court almost all the time. In short, I think we will be a very, very tough team to press. And if a team does press us, I think they will pay the price at the other end of the court because of the way we attack the hoop.

I kind of hope teams will try to press us.Agreed. This will be a tough team to press. Certainly, press or no press, this team will have some unforced TOs due to inexperience and exuberance. Going to be fun to watch this team develop.

Just wish we had a 6'7" or 6'8" banger off the bench to help out at times.