Malik Ellison's Improvement
- Thread starter redmannorth
- Start date
Malik and his Dad will not settle for mediocrity...here we have a young kid thrown into the big time...first years are usually rough...major transition...he'll be just fine and contribute well in whatever role CM decides will serve our team.
all the best Malik!
not to hijack Ellison's thread too much but one thing that I really liked seeing with Ponds in the various all star/elite games was that when he wasn't playing he was studying the other players. The other kids were screwing around or just trying to look cool or distracted on their phone or whatever. He sat watching the action. It will probably be at least a season or two before he is physically at a high level of BE play, the difference with him and Mussini aside from being faster and having a better handle is that he won't be saddled with the same learning curve while thrown into the fire like Mussini. both of them will benefit from more supporting cast that can handle and more speed overall so neither will see the same kind of pressure that Mussini got. Mussini also has some crafty moves of his own which we saw a few times. He will be able to better use when he is not pressured as the primary ball handler. Bashir looks like he can really get up and down the court. With him, Yakwe and Lovett that is some serious speed on the floor that most teams can't match.
No doubt this team will have speed. If defensive rebounding improves, that may result in a lot of open court opportunities, the more easy baskets the better obviously.
My curiosity is how well we will defend, especially closing on threes & preventing second shots. Team quickness will help on close outs, but hopefully guys will play more disciplined & avoid collapsing on drivers prematurely which hurt us last season in my opinion. In any event, this should be a fun team to watch.
P/PM
no doubt fun - and we've come a long way since there were so many gloomy or modest predictions for 2016-17.
Still highly speculative but 15 seems likely and a few more Ws beyond 15 = doable; would be nice to grow as a team and by early March take a few BE tourney games...what's your respective take(s) now...???
beast of the east
Active member
One thing most fans are not aware of is how much Mussini wore down during the season. He lost about 15-20 lbs during the season and despite every effort by the staff, he could not keep any weight on him. This by almost any measure affected his play in the second half. I am pretty confident that the Mussini we will see next season will be a natural improvement on the first half Mussini because of experience, and not the continued decline in play which is largely attributed to fatigue and weight loss.
Stats a little hard to read. My summary is below..
Malik
SEASON GP GS MIN MIN AVG PTS PTS AVG FGM FGA FG% 3-PT FG 3-PT FGA 3-PT FG%
2015 24 9 511 21.3 176 7.3 48 130 .369 14 44 .318
TOTAL 24 9 511 21.3 176 7.3 48 130 .369 14 44 .318
SEASON GP GS FTM FTA FT% O-REB D-REB TREB REB AVG PF DQ AST TO BLK STL
2015 24 9 66 101 .653 14 44 58 2.42 64 4 62 63 2 9
TOTAL 24 9 66 101 .653 14 44 58 2.42 64 4 62 63 2 9
Frederico
SEASON GP GS MIN MIN AVG PTS PTS AVG FGM FGA FG% 3-PT FG 3-PT FGA 3-PT FG%
2015 32 24 938 29.3 343 10.7 103 304 .339 56 184 .304
TOTAL 32 24 938 29.3 343 10.7 103 304 .339 56 184 .304
SEASON GP GS FTM FTA FT% O-REB D-REB TREB REB AVG PF DQ AST TO BLK STL
2015 32 24 81 94 .862 14 64 78 2.44 40 0 70 73 1 39
TOTAL 32 24 81 94 .862 14 64 78 2.44 40 0 70 73 1 39
FT% - clearly Mussini
Shooting percentage(including 3 point %) - slight edge to Ellison
Getting to the line - clearly Ellison
Points per 40 minutes - slight edge to Ellison
Assists per 40 minutes- clearly Ellison
T/O per 40 minutes - clearly Ellison turned it over more
Rebounds per 40 minutes- clearly Ellison
Defense - Ellison bigger and stronger, obviously not great but will be able to guard at the D-1 level. IMHO Mussini can not play D-1 defense.
As for Mussini losing weight, that is scary given that he came into the season as one of the lightest and smallest players in the Big East.
Mussini is 14.6 > 13.8 ellison scoring per 40.
steals per 40 - clearly mussini.
Is it safe to say you think malik is better player ? B)
beast of the east
Active member
Thanks for the stat comparison. Because Mussini wore down during the season and his play fell precipitously, Ellison was the beneficiary with increased playing time. As such its hard to comoare the 2 statistically. Ellison got off to a slow start without the benefit of a preseason, and as Mussini's play declined, Ellison got more playing time and improved. The hope is that either or both will have a role on a much better team, but if they don't, it would be a sign of a much improved roster.
Malik's most direct route to quality rotational minutes, and the way he can help us most, is by becoming the college version of D and 3.
What Malik does well already is slash, which should fit naturally with the pace I anticipate we'll be playing both up and down and in the half court.
With the paint pieces Ponds and Lovett are going to be getting ideally 1-4 will have 3 point range because there is going to be a lot of collapsing D. But at a minimum it has to be 1-3, and that is where Malik comes in. He has a nice stroke and confidence, but needs to become knockdown when open and feet set. Defender needs to be lose-lose conflicted between helping on dribble pen and leaving him open for 3. Don't see that as the case at the moment but view it as possible.
Has to continue to improve defensively on the ball. He runs well north and south and can leap but is not that quick laterally. Playing angles, spacing, and using his length effectively therefore key. Too often last season he tried to play hip to hip on quicker guards 25+ feet from the basket and it was a blow by situation. Did see improvement here later in the year as he became more disciplined, playing off his man enough to prevent penetration but using length to make up that space on a shooter. Was particularly impressed he gave Whitehead some trouble by seemingly catching him inbetween like this. Being able to guard 1-3, which I believe he has potential to do, a major plus.
A player like Malik developing into a quality 6-8 man and contributing for 4 years is what you would see at some of the winning programs I think we see ourselves as hopeful comparables to. Glad to hear he is having a big summer so far.
What Malik does well already is slash, which should fit naturally with the pace I anticipate we'll be playing both up and down and in the half court.
With the paint pieces Ponds and Lovett are going to be getting ideally 1-4 will have 3 point range because there is going to be a lot of collapsing D. But at a minimum it has to be 1-3, and that is where Malik comes in. He has a nice stroke and confidence, but needs to become knockdown when open and feet set. Defender needs to be lose-lose conflicted between helping on dribble pen and leaving him open for 3. Don't see that as the case at the moment but view it as possible.
Has to continue to improve defensively on the ball. He runs well north and south and can leap but is not that quick laterally. Playing angles, spacing, and using his length effectively therefore key. Too often last season he tried to play hip to hip on quicker guards 25+ feet from the basket and it was a blow by situation. Did see improvement here later in the year as he became more disciplined, playing off his man enough to prevent penetration but using length to make up that space on a shooter. Was particularly impressed he gave Whitehead some trouble by seemingly catching him inbetween like this. Being able to guard 1-3, which I believe he has potential to do, a major plus.
A player like Malik developing into a quality 6-8 man and contributing for 4 years is what you would see at some of the winning programs I think we see ourselves as hopeful comparables to. Glad to hear he is having a big summer so far.
I wish all these guys success. That said, Mussini better shooter, Ellison the better athlete and can 'grow' into a Big East frame. Also, since when is Lovett 'bigger' than Ponds? I posit that 'size' for both these guys (Lovett and Ponds) will matter zilch. It's their speed, feint, ball-handling, score making ability, and shooting that will prove out. I think we may have 'jewels' in both players.
And, OT, but Freudenberg's shooting skills and size will produce big results IMO...yeah, over time.
And, OT, but Freudenberg's shooting skills and size will produce big results IMO...yeah, over time.
I think Mussini will have a good year. He will likely be utilized in a role that is a much better fit for his skill set. I could see him shooting 40% from behind the arc in the PGIV role. He may have to be hidden on defense...possibly by some zone...so minutes may be limited in some matchups. Ellison has a lot better size and mobility, so more options for minutes on the court for him. If he can develop as a decent spot up shooter, and more discipline on the defensive end, then there will be minutes for him.