Mike Anderson - Recruiting, Coaching, Etc.

Monte, that's fair. Everyone looked amazing until conference play where we were terrible. Jury still out for sure. If CMA can lead us to a .500 or better conf record, the statue may be built. Feels like forever ago that happened. I see it like this:

Overperforming Expectations:
Posh
Wusu (kid felt like a throw-in...and he is very polished already in terms of his skill. Crisp shooting, makes open shots. Tough, strong guard. Can be very good 4 yr player and maybe even start).

About Expected
Moore (expected him to struggle inside and he has with poor ball control, but has tons of offensive skill further away). Figured his skinny frame would make it tough to drive to hoop and finish and it has.

Underperforming Expectations:
Cole...no excuse here. Remember all the, "he can replace LJ if not exceed him" talk? He seems to get frustrated very easily and he has been missing shots he should be making. Trouble adjusting to bigger, quicker defenses. Struggles to finish inside and gives ball up too easily too often there.
 
[quote="MCNPA" post=406423]Moor playing as expected? Nobody expected this type of production from him. He’s at 10/6 right now. Wusu way better as well.[/quote]

Let's see what their production is like during the Big East season. Certainly, I am hopeful that they will continue to play well when the level of competition is tougher than it has been to date.
 
[quote="MCNPA" post=406423]Moor playing as expected? Nobody expected this type of production from him. He’s at 10/6 right now. Wusu way better as well.[/quote]

Based on him being a JCAA, and based on practice reports, and based on the level of comp so far, I think Moore is performing right around as expected. Keep in mind he's made a number of bad decisions with the ball and has been frustrating to watch at times. So his stats don't tell the entire story. I did say that Wusu was the biggest surprise.
 
Mike Zaun wrote:
Monte, that's fair. Everyone looked amazing until conference play where we were terrible. Jury still out for sure. If CMA can lead us to a .500 or better conf record, the statue may be built. Feels like forever ago that happened. I see it like this:

Overperforming Expectations:
Posh
Wusu (kid felt like a throw-in...and he is very polished already in terms of his skill. Crisp shooting, makes open shots. Tough, strong guard. Can be very good 4 yr player and maybe even start).

About Expected
Moore (expected him to struggle inside and he has with poor ball control, but has tons of offensive skill further away). Figured his skinny frame would make it tough to drive to hoop and finish and it has.

Underperforming Expectations:
Cole...no excuse here. Remember all the, "he can replace LJ if not exceed him" talk? He seems to get frustrated very easily and he has been missing shots he should be making. Trouble adjusting to bigger, quicker defenses. Struggles to finish inside and gives ball up too easily too often there.

This is kind of a fun exercise but I am going to wait one more game until end of pre Big East season to give my under/over performing newcomer grades.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=406426]
Underperforming Expectations:
Cole...no excuse here. Remember all the, "he can replace LJ if not exceed him" talk? He seems to get frustrated very easily and he has been missing shots he should be making. Trouble adjusting to bigger, quicker defenses. Struggles to finish inside and gives ball up too easily too often there.[/quote]

Yes he's adjusting. Adjusting to bigger faster players as you pointed out. It takes time to transition to this level AND from being "The Guy" vs being one of the team.

He's played a handful of games here with a whole group of guys trying to figure out new teammates and yet:

Cole in 5 games: 11.2 ppg, 3.2 rb, 46% fg, 100% ft, 30% from 3.

By comparison LJ averaged in year 1 (his best year)
14 ppg, 6.3 rb, 51% fg, 63% ft, 38% from 3.

Cole is basically 1 more 3pt make per game from matching LG's best year here in every way except rebounding.

Point is its a small sample size to be critical, or overly praising of any new player at this point.

Cole will be fine. He just needs time to figure out his role, and what parts of his arsenal work best at this level.
 
Robert’s is what he is. I think CMA is getting these other guys acclimated because we will need them come next week. They didn’t get a full offseason or full pre-conference season.

Cole looks like he is just finding his way right now. He knows he’s a scorer, and is just questioning how to be scorer on this level. He’s used to taking over whenever he wants to for the most part. Doesnt work like that on this level. He’ll start to bring it again soon.

Moore doesn’t hurt for confidence and is very skilled. Still learning how to play more vertical, and which shots he needs to take.

This team plays beautiful and fun basketball when they get going. When we are playing well, we will have around 20+ assists. That’s who this team is. And they play hard on defense. Gonna be something when they finally start locking in and guarding better at the rim and in the half court. They’re still learning. Buckle in. Another versatile 6’10 kid is a great thing. We shouldn’t be dominated down low, and I like our guards and wings.
 
Since his 5-6 game against SP, Cole is shooting 1-14 from 3 or 7%. Right now, it looks like the SP game was the clear outlier in terms of 3 PT shooting. Hope it's just mental and he returns to that form, but early or not it's concerning that he cannot make 3's at a high clip against terrible teams like LaSalle and SB. Rider is pathetic they shoot 29% and give up an avg of like 80 pts a game. If he can't make 3's regularly against these guys, how is he making them against Big East teams? He's a JR now, so there isn't an eternity of time left to get it together. I think he will do better if he lets the game come to him a bit more and keeps his head up. He's clearly not as good as the 5-6 or as bad as the 1-14, so it will be interesting to see what his numbers end up being.
 
Here's a thought on Anderson's approach to program building.

If you look at the players he's brought in as freshmen, they generally seem to play very mature, well-rounded games. Specifically I'm thinking of Champagnie, Wusu, Griff, and Alexander. The inherited players who get the most time are the ones who also show those traits (Greg Jr, Marcellus, and last year Caraher).

If you then look at the JUCOs and transfers he brings in, they seem to be there to fill one of two roles: to do something specific (Sears, Toro) or to increase the talent level of the team (Cole, Moore).

With both the inherited players and the transfers, Anderson seems willing to accept that they aren't going to start out as exactly the kind of player he wants and to try to coach them into more of what he is looking for. I think he views it as the price to be paid to fill the roster holes or upgrade the talent ceiling of the team.

My guess is that as time goes on, the JUCOs and transfers will start to be replaced with freshmen who are the kind of player he wants PLUS start with a higher floor (or potentially higher ceiling).
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=406448]Since his 5-6 game against SP, Cole is shooting 1-14 from 3 or 7%. Right now, it looks like the SP game was the clear outlier in terms of 3 PT shooting. Hope it's just mental and he returns to that form, but early or not it's concerning that he cannot make 3's at a high clip against terrible teams like LaSalle and SB. Rider is pathetic they shoot 29% and give up an avg of like 80 pts a game. If he can't make 3's regularly against these guys, how is he making them against Big East teams? He's a JR now, so there isn't an eternity of time left to get it together. I think he will do better if he lets the game come to him a bit more and keeps his head up. He's clearly not as good as the 5-6 or as bad as the 1-14, so it will be interesting to see what his numbers end up being.[/quote]

I don't think he's had many open looks the last few games. . Close to open looks, but defender just close enough to alter or rush his shot ever so slightly. Resulting in his shot "almost" going in. Agree that a JC kid doesn't same window of time to get acclimated to the next level as a freshman, but I'm still hopeful this Cole and the team make the adjustments needed to get Cole back in rhythm. I think he is capable of being a 12-15 PPG scorer, even against better comp.
 
[quote="lawmanfan" post=406458]Here's a thought on Anderson's approach to program building.

If you look at the players he's brought in as freshmen, they generally seem to play very mature, well-rounded games. Specifically I'm thinking of Champagnie, Wusu, Griff, and Alexander. The inherited players who get the most time are the ones who also show those traits (Greg Jr, Marcellus, and last year Caraher).

If you then look at the JUCOs and transfers he brings in, they seem to be there to fill one of two roles: to do something specific (Sears, Toro) or to increase the talent level of the team (Cole, Moore).

With both the inherited players and the transfers, Anderson seems willing to accept that they aren't going to start out as exactly the kind of player he wants and to try to coach them into more of what he is looking for. I think he views it as the price to be paid to fill the roster holes or upgrade the talent ceiling of the team.

My guess is that as time goes on, the JUCOs and transfers will start to be replaced with freshmen who are the kind of player he wants PLUS start with a higher floor (or potentially higher ceiling).[/quote]

I agree with what you're saying about CMA's approach, my concern is that there will continuously be kids leaving-not just here, but at every school-for myriad reasons, and there will constantly be a need for CMA to plug in transfers to fill in the gaps. The landscape of both high school and college ball has changed in a big way. Building a team around a core group of kids is becoming harder and harder. That's why plugging in kids with experience, that can help immediately, is so crucial.
 
[quote="Monte" post=406462]
I don't think he's had many open looks the last few games. . Close to open looks, but defender just close enough to alter or rush his shot ever so slightly. Resulting in his shot "almost" going in. Agree that a JC kid doesn't same window of time to get acclimated to the next level as a freshman, but I'm still hopeful this Cole and the team make the adjustments needed to get Cole back in rhythm. I think he is capable of being a 12-15 PPG scorer, even against better comp.[/quote]

Cole will be fine - it's a different level, different system, different role for him. He can shoot, and he can also score when he's put in the right position. It's just going to take some time for it all to come together.

I thought the Stony Brook game showed that Anderson has been working with Cole, Moore, and Toro - you could see that Moore was much more comfortable. Toro had some tough moments but also had some of his most productive minutes on the floor. Cole did not force anything, which is a step forward for him. It's just taking him longer because he may have the biggest adjustment to make. But I think he'll be just fine. Anderson knows his business.
 
I don’t understand why CMA doesn’t have these players in mid-season form to start the season. :sick:
 
I mean all Cole did in his first handful of games is save us from outright embarrassment with a game winning shot that nobody else wanted to take.

Now that Champ is back, he has to adjust even more.

I like what I see from him.



.
 
Patience, as the saying goes, is a virtue and really a necessity in any life endeavor.
Equally important is allowing the process to unfold. In this instance the process is developing our
2020-21 team. And the process of installing the Mike Anderson regime - April 2019 - a mere 20 months and counting.
My mantra - I like the direction we are headed.
 
[quote="MainMan" post=406474]I mean all Cole did in his first handful of games is save us from outright embarrassment with a game winning shot that nobody else wanted to take.

Now that Champ is back, he has to adjust even more.

I like what I see from him.
.[/quote]

Great point about Champagnie soaking up looks that went to Cole in the first few games, increasing the degree of adjustment that's required.
 
And, when Dunn is back and the team is at full strength, everyone will have to adjust again to playing time, substitution patterns and playing together as a unit on the floor.

Half of our roster is five games into their first season at St John's. We need to have patience as they learn how to blend into a cohesive unit. We have good talent and excellent coaching. I truly believe that our team will get better and better as the season goes on.
 
Just watched the SB game. I'll tell youse guys one thing CMA needs to coach and shore up and that is boxing out defensively on the foul lane. We don't put a body on the other guy and get beat to the ball a lot it's like a 50-50 rebound chance. This has long been a problem in this program in fact my friends and I in 2 shot situations always root for the opponent to miss the first shot and make the second so we don't give up an offensive rebound. Let's go fellas put a body on someone. PS We all remember down 4 to BYU when this reared it's ugly head.
 
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What is disappointing is that coach is not getting players to create and drive toward the rim take it or dish .we would get to the line more and have more asissts.
Cole is an ex unless he is not fast enough which I doubt
He just has them running around shooting deep shots and no back doors or set plays on on of bounds Going to need to do these thing when BE start.
 
I think everyone is so disappointed in Cole so far because all everyone kept saying was "He's going to step right in and replace LJ," "He shot 45% percent from 3!" There is a huge difference between where he played and the talents St. John's has played against so far this year. I really think people need to stop acting like every recruit brought in by CMA is a perfect fit and great get. Its been 5 games and I truly think Cole will be a solid ROLE player for us that has moments where he shines and at times has moments where we want to throw the remote at the tv. Juicos are tough to read and evaluate. He just need to get confidence back and realize his role on the team.
 
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