Odd men out

[quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=387365]I was thinking the same thing w Roberts, he will be able to put on more weight and will have more time to develop his skills, if he redshirts. It would also be better for scholarship distribution.[/quote]

Not sure he willingly redshirts if healthy, though. I am concerned that the surgery he had combined with coronavirus might put him on the shelf.
 
[quote="L J S A" post=387358][quote="SJUNC" post=387355]I can see a scenario where the season starts mid December. Students come back for second semester so games can start when first semester ends.[/quote]

I actually think it's crazier to push school openings deeper into flu season. It's obviously a logistical nightmare, but it's a shame that there wasn't a national education pandemic plan where schools would start in July to get that first semester completely done with before everyone gets sick again. Just the teacher contracts alone would be a nightmare to sort through.[/quote]
Lord willing there will be a season, but what will it look like is the real question. Will it run from mid October "midnight Madness' to the first w/e in April? Will it run from January 1 to mid May? Anything is possible. It will probably be a condensed season with teams playing 3 games per week which could be the "Odd man Out" solution as minutes will have to be judiciously allocated. Maybe the tournament becomes a real national championship with all D-1 schools invited thus eliminating the need for conference tournaments. The National Tournament could be set up regionally to eliminate high travel. As to school sessions--we are all Phoenix (University of).
 
Everyone is counting on Posh for a lot of minutes and big production right away. He is a big time talent, but we have a lot of returning players that already know CMA's system. Based on last season, CMA will play the guys that work hard, and pull the players that seem to need some teaching moments. I expect Wusu to see limited minutes, but with CMA it's hard to know for sure. With CMA going 10 deep every game, we will be one tough team to play against.
 
Given the fact that for the first time in a long- long time StJ’s Has 4 hands on coaches I expect to see a number of the returning players with improved skills which are developed during the off season.
 
Mostly guesswork since I haven't seen all the new guys play, but still fun to guess. I envision a core eight of LJ, Champagnie, Earlington, Williams, Dunn, Posh, Cole & Toro getting plenty of minutes. I think the other five will fight for remaining minutes from game to game, based on practice & in game performance. I expect Caraher & Roberts (if healthy) will have an edge at the start of the season over Moore, Husu & McGriff, but that may change as the new guys get acclimated. I do see CMA playing 10 or 11 man rotation with this bunch.
Moore will likely need more time (and strength training) to get comfortable at Division I level than Cole; note that he wasn't able to get much court time with College of Charleston as a frosh.
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=387398]Mostly guesswork since I haven't seen all the new guys play, but still fun to guess. I envision a core eight of LJ, Champagnie, Earlington, Williams, Dunn, Posh, Cole & Toro getting plenty of minutes. I think the other five will fight for remaining minutes from game to game, based on practice & in game performance. I expect Caraher & Roberts (if healthy) will have an edge at the start of the season over Moore, Husu & McGriff, but that may change as the new guys get acclimated. I do see CMA playing 10 or 11 man rotation with this bunch.
Moore will likely need more time (and strength training) to get comfortable at Division I level than Cole; note that he wasn't able to get much court time with College of Charleston as a frosh.[/quote]

You are right. Its total guesswork. That's what makes it fun!

If it were me making the call, I'd probably go with these groups at the start of the season:
Dunn, Williams, Cole, LJ & Champagnie to start the game
Posh, Wusu, Moore, Earlington and Torro as the second wave.
Then use Caraher, Roberts and McGriff to fill as needed.
 
[quote="SJUFAN2" post=387402][quote="NCJohnnie" post=387398]Mostly guesswork since I haven't seen all the new guys play, but still fun to guess. I envision a core eight of LJ, Champagnie, Earlington, Williams, Dunn, Posh, Cole & Toro getting plenty of minutes. I think the other five will fight for remaining minutes from game to game, based on practice & in game performance. I expect Caraher & Roberts (if healthy) will have an edge at the start of the season over Moore, Husu & McGriff, but that may change as the new guys get acclimated. I do see CMA playing 10 or 11 man rotation with this bunch.
Moore will likely need more time (and strength training) to get comfortable at Division I level than Cole; note that he wasn't able to get much court time with College of Charleston as a frosh.[/quote]

You are right. Its total guesswork. That's what makes it fun!

If it were me making the call, I'd probably go with these groups at the start of the season:
Dunn, Williams, Cole, LJ & Champagnie to start the game
Posh, Wusu, Moore, Earlington and Torro as the second wave.
Then use Caraher, Roberts and McGriff to fill as needed.[/quote]

Not feeling this. Earlington is an easy starter for next year and is the most physical player on the team. Creates mismatches and was really budding at the end of his soph year. I’ll make a bold prediction and say Cole won’t start until at least conference. CMA loves Williams, really thinks Dunn is going to have a fantastic year, and is really excited about his returners and team next year.
 
[quote="Big Red" post=387406][quote="SJUFAN2" post=387402][quote="NCJohnnie" post=387398]Mostly guesswork since I haven't seen all the new guys play, but still fun to guess. I envision a core eight of LJ, Champagnie, Earlington, Williams, Dunn, Posh, Cole & Toro getting plenty of minutes. I think the other five will fight for remaining minutes from game to game, based on practice & in game performance. I expect Caraher & Roberts (if healthy) will have an edge at the start of the season over Moore, Husu & McGriff, but that may change as the new guys get acclimated. I do see CMA playing 10 or 11 man rotation with this bunch.
Moore will likely need more time (and strength training) to get comfortable at Division I level than Cole; note that he wasn't able to get much court time with College of Charleston as a frosh.[/quote]

You are right. Its total guesswork. That's what makes it fun!

If it were me making the call, I'd probably go with these groups at the start of the season:
Dunn, Williams, Cole, LJ & Champagnie to start the game
Posh, Wusu, Moore, Earlington and Torro as the second wave.
Then use Caraher, Roberts and McGriff to fill as needed.[/quote]

Not feeling this. Earlington is an easy starter for next year and is the most physical player on the team. Creates mismatches and was really budding at the end of his soph year. I’ll make a bold prediction and say Cole won’t start until at least conference. CMA loves Williams, really thinks Dunn is going to have a fantastic year, and is really excited about his returners and team next year.[/quote]

Couldnt agree more. He became the best player on the team by the end of the year.
I have posh, cole, LJ, Penny and duke as the 1st team.
 
[quote="Big Red" post=387406][quote="SJUFAN2" post=387402]

You are right. Its total guesswork. That's what makes it fun!

If it were me making the call, I'd probably go with these groups at the start of the season:
Dunn, Williams, Cole, LJ & Champagnie to start the game
Posh, Wusu, Moore, Earlington and Torro as the second wave.
Then use Caraher, Roberts and McGriff to fill as needed.[/quote]

Not feeling this. Earlington is an easy starter for next year and is the most physical player on the team. Creates mismatches and was really budding at the end of his soph year. I’ll make a bold prediction and say Cole won’t start until at least conference. CMA loves Williams, really thinks Dunn is going to have a fantastic year, and is really excited about his returners and team next year.[/quote]

I could see Cole sitting for Earlington. LG move to SF with Champagnie and Earlington holding down the 4 & 5 in which ever fashion suits the team we are playing.

I'd keep Posh and Wusu together at the start. They already have chemistry playing together.

If its me I want the outside shooting and athleticism Cole brings to the table on my first team since Dunn isn't much of an outside threat.

It's nice to have this dilemma for a change. Can't remember the last time we were debating which 5 guys should start and literally had 10 or 11 legitimate players for that conversation.
 
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This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......
 
[quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

so true...
 
[quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

That’s what I’m saying. Folks get so excited about the new guys but these guys have never played on this level. They haven’t felt the intensity of HM D1 ball. But they will grow as players and come along during the year. I think the starting 5 you saw at the end of last season will be your 5 for most of the year. They had great chemistry and played well off of each other. Then go from there.
 
[quote="Big Red" post=387414][quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

That’s what I’m saying. Folks get so excited about the new guys but these guys have never played on this level. They haven’t felt the intensity of HM D1 ball. But they will grow as players and come along during the year. I think the starting 5 you saw at the end of last season will be your 5 for most of the year. They had great chemistry and played well off of each other. Then go from there.[/quote]

Nothing wrong with that. CMA is an old school coach and the new guys having to earn their stripes is old school. Some will earn them much faster than others, time will tell. I think when Roberts recovers from his injury that he will be highly motivated.
 
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[quote="SJUFAN2" post=387413][quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

so true...[/quote]

So disappointing but truth is that he wasn’t a CMA recruit and likely would never have been with his lack of motor. All the kids coming in have a different type of motor and fit what CMA likes on his teams. I think they’ll all have a better shot than Steere at getting solid minutes.
 
[quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

Yeah, big difference is Steere played a grand total 5 minutes of D1 ball at NC State before coming here. Cole and Moore had All American seasons at the JUCO level. Toro has shown skill around the basket in the A10. We are legitimately 10+ deep, barring health concerns. All of the new players coming in will contribute to some degree. Don't sleep on the freshman.
 
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[quote="AlexSTJ" post=387418][quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

Yeah, big difference is Steere played a grand total 5 minutes of D1 ball at NC State before coming here. Cole and Moore had All American seasons at the JUCO level. Toro has shown skill around the basket in the A10. We are legitimately 10+ deep, barring health concerns. All of the new players coming in will contribute to some degree. Don't sleep on the freshman.[/quote]

Also true.
The biggest adjustment to playing college ball is usually the physical aspect. Especially in the BE. I don't expect that to be an issue for Posh or Wusu. They are built like football players. Once the acclimate to their teammates and the conditioning program they should be ready sooner than the average freshman.
Cole is a 2x JUCO AA. Sure there's a transition. But he won't be asked to carry the load offensively. Absolutely no reason he can't have an LJ type 1st year impact.
Moore is the question mark. He has the JUCO experience so he's progressed beyond the typical incoming freshman in that regard. But he's rail thin so he will need to get stronger while he adjusts to this level.

I really hope we get to play in the fall. I haven't been this excited about one of our teams in a looong time.
 
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[quote="AlexSTJ" post=387418][quote="MainMan" post=387412]This time last year everyone thought Steere was going to be a 2nd semester monster so......[/quote]

Yeah, big difference is Steere played a grand total 5 minutes of D1 ball at NC State before coming here. Cole and Moore had All American seasons at the JUCO level. Toro has shown skill around the basket in the A10. We are legitimately 10+ deep, barring health concerns. All of the new players coming in will contribute to some degree. Don't sleep on the freshman.[/quote]

Agree here. And let’s remember that we had quite a few kids that many of us, including myself, doubted could make any impact. Guys like Roberts, Earlington, Rutherford etc. they had a big impact with the coaching change. The new guys however, I believe are a bit more talented overall than that group, so I think they’ll be able to earn decent minutes. Posh gonna share time at Pg, Cole looks like a stud, can’t ignore Moore’s
Length in there and Toro an experienced grad big who is an excellent rebounder. This year I expect Iron Mike to play deep into the roster, because like last year it is one of our strengths and will allow us to push harder on the court.
 
I think Coach Anderson likes Caraher a lot more than some fans on this site . He played him a lot , in key situations , down the stretch of the season . Yes , he’s a role player but , I think Coach likes the way he gets the ball moving around the Perimeter and guys get in motion . Caraher passes the ball well too. He’s a heady , smart type player that many Coaches find valuable to use in games .
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=387439]I think Coach Anderson likes Caraher a lot more than some fans on this site . He played him a lot , in key situations , down the stretch of the season . Yes , he’s a role player but , I think Coach likes the way he gets the ball moving around the Perimeter and guys get in motion . Caraher passes the ball well too. He’s a heady , smart type player that many Coaches find valuable to use in games .[/quote]

I think it is tough to tell who he played cause he liked them or who he played out of necessity. Mike didnt have a lot to work with last year and some of his decisions were made out of pure necessity. That will not happen this year. He is going to only play the kids he believes can get it done.
 
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