Felix/Jones

[SJUalum98]

I think it would be a huge mistake to redshirt Christian Jones.

Jakarr does not have a high basketball IQ (nowhere near Sanchez) and he has a penchant for sulking and taking himself mentally out of games when he either struggles early on or picks up quick fouls.

Obekpa can't be counted on for offense.

I dont think it would be a huge mistake, but it would be nice to have the fouls and have a kid that has some offensive skill. Sampson just has to realize that his ticket to the NBA will be punched by dominating down low and going from there.

Sampson?

The coaching staff are the ones who design the offensive sets and plays. If Jakarr is floating along the perimeter or parked in the corner, that's where the staff put him.

There's a reason why we are near the top of the NCAAs annually in worst % shots taken (long twos).

The kid is long and bouncy yet we have him tossing the ball around the perimeter.

I almost fell off my couch when Tarik said that we actually spend practice time passing the ball around the perimeter without dribbling. Seriously?

If they are not running set plays, there is plenty of flexibility and discretion for the players. For example, nobody is telling a particular player to take a shot at any given point.

Also, passing the ball without dribbling is a very common drill. I think I saw two or three skip passes all season, which is absurd considering the amount of zone defense we faced.

The team consists of athletes. If there are no set plays, it turns into AAU ball. I thought that's why Whitesell was brought in? To bring some structure.

And for a team full of juniors who have run a weave freelance offense for the past 3 years, I would think at this point they can pass the ball around with their eyes closed.

What did you see from Jamal at PG vs. Humb. St.? Pass the ball around endlessly then call for a pick.

7 games in and the offense is still chuck and pray. And then we hear that they only started practicing Zone defenses 2 weeks ago.

By the way they speak, Rysheed better be Baron Collison-Watson all rolled into one because we're back to bail out ball.

 

[paultzman]

Lipscomb is a serious player...not a typical walkon. He is also the son of a very good coach and is the type of kid you want to keep around a program as long as possible. Walkons can have a very big impact on a program even if they never see the floor. I am very happy to hear these two and probably three guys will be redshirted.

I don't see him as a serious player, but his father does have a loaded team at Wheeler HS.

Recent national rating for upcoming season;

10. (NR) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 21-9
Key Players: C Daniel Giddens 6-10 2015 (No. 23 Hoop Scoop Top 100), SF Jaylen Brown 6-5 2015 (No. 23 Hoop Scoop Top 100, Student Sports Underclass All-American), F Elijah Staley (all-state, Mississippi commit for football).
Why This Ranking: Losing only three seniors and returning a whopping 11 lettermen from a team that advanced to the Class AAAAAA semifinals, Wheeler is in good position to win its sixth state title. Not only do the Wildcats have experience, they have an abundance of talent led by Staley, one of the nation’s better Grid-Hoop players, a leader and someone to get the ball to when the going gets tough. Giddens flanks Staley up front and is one of the best junior big men in the country. Brown is an athletic wing who can score and also take pressure off of the primary ball-handlers.
The Skinny: The semifinal loss was a bitter pill to swallow, as Wheeler had a chance to tie or win the game at the end against Hillgrove of Powder Springs, but couldn’t convert a jumper. Wheeler’s motivation, combined with its talent, plus the coaching of five-time state champ Doug Lipscomb, will be tough to beat in Georgia. It will be a matter of avoiding a slow start for Wheeler to make noise nationally.

 

[Section3]

“@Kieran_Lynch: "Kids that didn't get in are redshirting." Lavin. Elaborated that Lipscomb, Balamou redshirting. Jones up in the air. #sjubb”

Lipscomb?? Is 2014 recruiting that effed up?
Got back from the "game" and I use the word very liberally. This was a total waste of 40 minutes IMO. It appears Humboldt was missing its best players and we basically played a good high school-level team. Not a good game to prepare for a nationally ranked team. Karr was MIA again but then again, he had better competition in prep school.
Yes, Hoop can shoot the three and Gift scored around 24 points with the ball going inside a bit more. Hope it gets fed to Chris upon his return.
Mike Rice was at the game as was the Maven.
Small crowd to witness this embarrassing mismatch.
Sorry for the post here but some mod must have also been embarrassed by this game and locked the thread.
That is all one needs to know about how some felt after the buzzer.

Damned if they do damned if they don't. This same team lost to Cal by 23 a few nights ago. They did what they were supposed to do. Took care of business. What were you wanting from this game? I'm confused. Just seems to me you find something negative in anything positive.

I am not sure if you actually were at the game but the score is very misleading. The second half was mostly walk-ons and Hoop, Pointer and Marco. The first team----the team that will be tested big time on Friday gained zero from this game----zero! It is like Alabama preparing for a big SEC game by playing Fordham.
Bewteen the two games I have no idea of how good we are.
I am happy for our team and a win but this was not even close to competitive ball.

We probably didn't gain anything from the game, but then again the score isn't always indicative of what was or could be learned from the game.

You were ticked about the game from Saturday by saying it was too close, and now you're claiming they didn't gained anything from the game because it wasn't competitive ball. You can't have it both ways, '72.

Just relax, and allow the season the play out, man. The season is 4 months long.... Not one game; two games; one week; one month; two months. 4 months.

Let's enjoy it!

Dink, I was not upset with game being close against SFSTATE. I was upset because we downright sucked in offensive execution and on defense. The only player not familiar with our D and O was Jordan since he was in high school last year. The other guys that played all practiced last year and it appeared as if they forgot anything that should have been learned over the past season and in Europe. What I saw was low basketball IQ and poor execution.
I would rather we win by one after playing great ball than winning by 70 and leaving us still puzzled by the chemistry of our first six players.
Jakarr needed to play the entire 2nd half to get him untracked but I guess Lav decided him sitting watching walk-ons was more beneficial.

I thought you were upset about Saturday's outcome. I stand corrected.

I understand your concern about the execution on Saturday, but I think a lot of it had to do with more tinkering than anything. Nevertheless, they should've executed better.

I probably would've played Sampson a few minutes in the second half, but he certainly wouldn't have played the entire 2nd half. He probably needed to sit and learn that he'll be planted on the bench if continues to take rushed and poor shots. Besides, no need to take a chance on a possible freak injury, either.

Sorry, there was nothing to be gained by him playing in 2nd half...he would been AAUing it up and just reinforcing bad habits

 

[cappy105]

heres my take....I love Christian Jones's game. He is a raw, tough, blue collar guy who always gives 100%. Also Balamou is a tough defender, who is a high energy, scorer who is fearless going to the net. I personnally think both are underrated. Im all for the redshirt idea as long as we dont lose either one. Jones can be a starter in my book. A redshirt year would only help, IF he doesnt leave. Also, redshirting them would be fine with depth, if, we dont deal with any injuries. Thoughts ?

 

[Marillac]

heres my take....I love Christian Jones's game. He is a raw, tough, blue collar guy who always gives 100%.

You are thinking of Tyrone Grant. Christian Jones is a white collar finessee player with a high degree of skill. Don't let his build fool you. I have plenty of screen freezes to show you his teammates running past him to the ball while Jones' feet remained planed on the floor for several seconds.

 

[Marillac]

I think it would be a huge mistake to redshirt Christian Jones.

Jakarr does not have a high basketball IQ (nowhere near Sanchez) and he has a penchant for sulking and taking himself mentally out of games when he either struggles early on or picks up quick fouls.

Obekpa can't be counted on for offense.

I dont think it would be a huge mistake, but it would be nice to have the fouls and have a kid that has some offensive skill. Sampson just has to realize that his ticket to the NBA will be punched by dominating down low and going from there.

Sampson?

The coaching staff are the ones who design the offensive sets and plays. If Jakarr is floating along the perimeter or parked in the corner, that's where the staff put him.

There's a reason why we are near the top of the NCAAs annually in worst % shots taken (long twos).

The kid is long and bouncy yet we have him tossing the ball around the perimeter.

I almost fell off my couch when Tarik said that we actually spend practice time passing the ball around the perimeter without dribbling. Seriously?

If they are not running set plays, there is plenty of flexibility and discretion for the players. For example, nobody is telling a particular player to take a shot at any given point.

Also, passing the ball without dribbling is a very common drill. I think I saw two or three skip passes all season, which is absurd considering the amount of zone defense we faced.

The team consists of athletes. If there are no set plays, it turns into AAU ball. I thought that's why Whitesell was brought in? To bring some structure.

And for a team full of juniors who have run a weave freelance offense for the past 3 years, I would think at this point they can pass the ball around with their eyes closed.

What did you see from Jamal at PG vs. Humb. St.? Pass the ball around endlessly then call for a pick.

7 games in and the offense is still chuck and pray. And then we hear that they only started practicing Zone defenses 2 weeks ago.

By the way they speak, Rysheed better be Baron Collison-Watson all rolled into one because we're back to bail out ball.

No team in the country runs set plays more than 5% or 10% of the time. It is extremely early and there are a lot of new guys to add to the mix. I would have been schocked to see them gel that quickly. We are still not a skilled team by any stretch.

 

[cappy105]

foot work wise, yes, jones is slow. Look at the tapes, he is aggressive on the boards, thats blue collar to me.

 

[Marillac]

foot work wise, yes, jones is slow. Look at the tapes, he is aggressive on the boards, thats blue collar to me.

Christian Jones is not aggressive any aspect of his game--especially not on the boards. We'll just have to agree to disagree. I think the kid does have value to this team if he can go back to the drawing board and change his approach to the game. He should be an automatic 8-10 rebounds every game with that body.