[quote="Andrew" post=363777]I am thrilled that we were lucky enough to get Coach MA. I told my son in the second half that it is great to have a coach as good as Tom Becker(Vermont Coach). My son said is he really? and I said he is but more experienced. I also love the aggressive style of defense. There have been more open three point shooters than I would like at times but am hoping that will get better with time.
A few observations on the team so far -
- Champagnaie is impressive and has a ton of confidence in his game. He was taking it at Lamb in the first half and while he had moderate success, he is a Freshman who has played four games. His game will definitely translate to a higher level even if there are some growing pains. His three point shot will also start to fall.
- Roberts is fun to watch. He is a very different type of player than Julian so you can't really compare them. He is doing a great job at shot blocking and a very good job following shots. He is also rebounding better than expected.I things shot blocking will immediately translate to higher levels but probably with more fouls. His scoring and rebounding may take a little longer but for a player who is effectively a Freshman I am impressed.
- Earlington plays very hard and has more ability than I expected. I see him more as an energy player at this point. He will get less minutes once Steere is available. He still looks more to me like a solid mid major player but hope he is willing to hang around as a role player.
-Caraher - Like others I would like to see more of him. We obviously need shooters and while I don't believe he is as good a 3 point shooter as is being portrayed he is a better player than I expected. He can hold his own on the court. That said we need him as an outside shooter and would like to see him get more shots off to see how much he should play. Like Earlington he looks more like the solid mid major player that he was before he got here. Hopes he just keeps shooting every day in practice.
- Williams - He is a great athlete who is very quick on the court. He is a good defender in this system but he has little on the offensive end and don't think it's only the injury. He will make the occasional spectacular play because he is an outstanding athlete but is not a good shooter and is small to be an effective slasher with his skill set. I still hope he can get better and can reduce the turnovers as he is a very good defensive sub.
Dunn - too early to judge but wow is he quick. Despite the huge 3 that is not his strength or is being a pure point guard. Looks good on defense and will help by attacking the basket but probably not more than a good mid major guard.
Heron - As Monte said probably the same player he has been his last three seasons. He will be hot and cold. Has looked to pass a little more which is great but unfortunately the player he usually passes is to is not a good shooter(not his fault). We need more of his A games than his C games. Fingers crossed.
Figgy - He is the guy that needs to step up and be our Anthony Lamb in big games. He missed a bunch of floaters against Vermont but that was unusual. A very talented player who will be our team MVP.
Sears and Rutherford are role players. I would not expect to see a lot of minutes out of either particularly Sears once Steere is eligible.
I would put theater/under on Big East wins at 5. It will be a fight to be .500 or above this year but think MA is very close.[/quote]
Great analysis Andrew. Agree completely. Here's the thing; Fig thrived as a 2nd or 3rd option last year. He was not the player other teams focused on, that was Shamorie. Plus we had multiple scoring options on last year's team, so Fig could pick his spots. He was phenomenal in that role. This year he is the man. He's got to carry a very heavy load, especially on nights when Heron doesn't bring his A game. Other teams are going to focus on him, including trying to take away his long jumper/set shot and preventing drives to the hoop. Against lesser team he can create for himself, that is not going to be the case against better comp. If we cannot get Heron to play more consistently, and if we cannot find some other scoring options(Dunn? Roberts? Caraher?), then Fig is going to have a tough time meeting expectation. Certainly not his fault.
A few observations on the team so far -
- Champagnaie is impressive and has a ton of confidence in his game. He was taking it at Lamb in the first half and while he had moderate success, he is a Freshman who has played four games. His game will definitely translate to a higher level even if there are some growing pains. His three point shot will also start to fall.
- Roberts is fun to watch. He is a very different type of player than Julian so you can't really compare them. He is doing a great job at shot blocking and a very good job following shots. He is also rebounding better than expected.I things shot blocking will immediately translate to higher levels but probably with more fouls. His scoring and rebounding may take a little longer but for a player who is effectively a Freshman I am impressed.
- Earlington plays very hard and has more ability than I expected. I see him more as an energy player at this point. He will get less minutes once Steere is available. He still looks more to me like a solid mid major player but hope he is willing to hang around as a role player.
-Caraher - Like others I would like to see more of him. We obviously need shooters and while I don't believe he is as good a 3 point shooter as is being portrayed he is a better player than I expected. He can hold his own on the court. That said we need him as an outside shooter and would like to see him get more shots off to see how much he should play. Like Earlington he looks more like the solid mid major player that he was before he got here. Hopes he just keeps shooting every day in practice.
- Williams - He is a great athlete who is very quick on the court. He is a good defender in this system but he has little on the offensive end and don't think it's only the injury. He will make the occasional spectacular play because he is an outstanding athlete but is not a good shooter and is small to be an effective slasher with his skill set. I still hope he can get better and can reduce the turnovers as he is a very good defensive sub.
Dunn - too early to judge but wow is he quick. Despite the huge 3 that is not his strength or is being a pure point guard. Looks good on defense and will help by attacking the basket but probably not more than a good mid major guard.
Heron - As Monte said probably the same player he has been his last three seasons. He will be hot and cold. Has looked to pass a little more which is great but unfortunately the player he usually passes is to is not a good shooter(not his fault). We need more of his A games than his C games. Fingers crossed.
Figgy - He is the guy that needs to step up and be our Anthony Lamb in big games. He missed a bunch of floaters against Vermont but that was unusual. A very talented player who will be our team MVP.
Sears and Rutherford are role players. I would not expect to see a lot of minutes out of either particularly Sears once Steere is eligible.
I would put theater/under on Big East wins at 5. It will be a fight to be .500 or above this year but think MA is very close.[/quote]
Great analysis Andrew. Agree completely. Here's the thing; Fig thrived as a 2nd or 3rd option last year. He was not the player other teams focused on, that was Shamorie. Plus we had multiple scoring options on last year's team, so Fig could pick his spots. He was phenomenal in that role. This year he is the man. He's got to carry a very heavy load, especially on nights when Heron doesn't bring his A game. Other teams are going to focus on him, including trying to take away his long jumper/set shot and preventing drives to the hoop. Against lesser team he can create for himself, that is not going to be the case against better comp. If we cannot get Heron to play more consistently, and if we cannot find some other scoring options(Dunn? Roberts? Caraher?), then Fig is going to have a tough time meeting expectation. Certainly not his fault.
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