not to disparage any persons thoughts or opinions, we all have them, and we do not see it from the same perspective - - however this reminds me of the delicatessen story. a guy walks in and says he wants a ham & cheese, with some tomato. the guy behind the counter says, no, you want a combo. the customer says, no, a combo includes mustard. this guy thinks that it will all work out, and yes, everyone loved the play of joey d, with or without the mustard. that we get the point is what really matters.
Last Edit: Oct 3, 2013 15:12:12 GMT -5 by bridgeport
Post by nashvillestag on Oct 3, 2013 15:32:04 GMT -5
Reguarding this discussion of whether you have to have a "pure" PG, I really believe that some offensive systems can be very successful without maybe having that one type of player. And certainly the Princeton system that Sydney favors would be an example of a type of offense that has and could flourish with good combo guards working together simply because part of the tenet of how it works is a lot of passing, motion, cutting without the ball,etc., rather than having any one person dominate the ball with the dribble. So I guess I am not overly worried if none of our new guys would come under the "pure" label. My biggest concern is that they are good players. If they are we should be in good shape IMO.
Jumpin James Bailey, his jersey hangs in the hall by the gym at my alma mater. The old coach/ad said he and Dana Barros were the two best players that ever came through, but not many know them anymore, unfortunately.
As for Grennan, he reminds me a ton of Shake and we remember how excellent he was for Cooley.
I don't think a pure PG has anything to do with what type of shooter the player is. It has all to do with that players ability to setup other players by create scoring opportunities for his team. Passing, Ballhandling and Decision Making are his most important quality. It does not mattter if we have a pure PG, a regular PG, or multiple PG's...... the important thing is that we have enough PG skills on the floor at any one time.
Most good teams have 3 or 4 players on the court with positive Assist-to-Turnover ratios. We have NO returning player that has anything close to a 1.0 Assist-to-Turnover ratio. That tells me we need players that have superior Passing and Ballhandling skills at all positions, esspecially PG . And as far as us playing a Princeton Offense this year, we need Frontcourt players that have PG skills to effectively run that. If we go to a 3 guard line-up, we might have a better chance of looking like a Princeton Offense.
Whatever offense the team runs, they need somebody to initiate the offense through. Whether that player is a point guard, a combo guard or a point forward, really doesn't matter. As long as we have a take charge guy who can make good decisions and limit turnovers, we should be OK . Derek Needham wasn't your classic point guard, but he certainly was our floor general. Hopefully somebody will emerge over the next few weeks that can fill that role.
Whatever offense the team runs, they need somebody to initiate the offense through. Whether that player is a point guard, a combo guard or a point forward, really doesn't matter. As long as we have a take charge guy who can make good decisions and limit turnovers, we should be OK . Derek Needham wasn't your classic point guard, but he certainly was our floor general. Hopefully somebody will emerge over the next few weeks that can fill that role.
I agree, but I will also add that I hope its multiple players that emerge. Guards win basketball games in the MAAC and at the Mid-Major level. So that means we have to 2 or 3 players that have guard-like skills out there.... Passing, Ballhandling, Shooting, Creating Offense, and Defending the Perimeter. In addition to leadership qualities. Here are the strengths and weakness of each guard that I have been hearing and reading from multiple sources:
KJ Rose 6-1 - He is a PG, but not you typical type. He is strong with a big body that can take it to the hoop. Should be very interesting. He said in a article last year he is a pass-first type of player. I can see him posting up other PG's
Sean Grennan 6-3 1/2 - Combo that can shoot off the dribble but also knows how to move without the ball an catch and shoot. Not the quickest of players but still tough and smart player. He is more of a volume shooter, and will likely be the best one to take tough shots when shot clock is winding down.
Lincoln Davis 6-3 - 3-4 sources say Davis is looking very good, and one says he can have immediate impact.... More than Needham did as a frosh. He is described by these words athletic, defensive, crossover, take it to the hoop, and great in transistion. Can make the outside shot, but don't know his consistency. Seems like a strong and much improved ballhandler. Don't know on his passing.
Justin Jenkins 6-2 - up and down last year..... but some of his ups were very, very good. A scorer, scorer, scorer. Creative. It all come down to ballhandling/passing with him.
Doug Chappell 6-2 - shooter. 3pointers and mid range game. Type of guard that can be very effective in the MAAC. I had no report on ballhandling or passing. But he is a player that if his shots go in the basket, he will get PT.
Since, all these reports are 2nd or 3rd hand, don't know the accurracy of them, but I tried to post only info where 2 different sources said the same thing. This still gives me no clear cut idea on their talent level.
Post by nashvillestag on Oct 4, 2013 11:31:59 GMT -5
Of course most of this discussion about the guards and the mystery of what they will bring to the table really only talks about offensive traits. JS you are right in pointing out that it is very important that they can be good at defending the guards from the opposition. And while yes, other than watching Jenkins in limited action last season as a basis for whether he will be good or not on D. (my opinion-jury still out), what do we really know about the others? Just a guess about the little I know about Davis (from info from sources and watching him one time of TV), but I believe he may have a chance to be a real defensive stopper on the perimeter (like Nickerson). Just a guess, and I really can't comment on the others in this regard. But defense is very important, and may indeed be an important factor in who gets a majority of the minutes as the season plays out.
Defense certainly is one of Sydney's criteria for PT, and along with Lincoln Davis, I would think that KJ Rose would be a very good defender because of his strength and toughness. I cannot remember any specifics about Jenkins defense, but he played like a frosh for half the year. Grennan and Chappell would be unknowns.
I feel Marcus Gilbert will become a lock down defender and the 3 and possibly some time at the 2G. Smith is a better perimter defender than inside, but I see him at the 3 and not at 2G.