Player Evaluations Thus Far

lawmanfan

lawmanfan

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Posh: Is a real terror on the press, you can see why Anderson wanted him. Needs to be much better at stopping the ball. Decisiveness, handle, and distribution with the ball have not been impressive. Needs better judgment on when to drive. Too much dribbling around without an obvious purpose. Short version: he's a freshman, he has talent, he will get better over time under this staff.

Champagnie: Wonderful all-around player. Has seemed visibly frustrated the last few games. The staff needs to design more to get the ball into his hands in the right spots - he can create some for himself but it isn't his strength.

Williams: Gets better and better. Confidence and assertiveness are his main development need, other than that he does everything well. Probably underrated as the second-best player on the team.

Moore: Improving offensively every game as he become more comfortable. Runs the floor great for a tall guy, has a nice jumper, should avoid forcing the 3. Collects rebounds by virtue of his length. Too thin to be an effective post defender, and does not rotate well to protect the rim when the guards get beaten (which is often, so far).

Toro: After a very slow start, has also been improving every game. Much more effective low-post presence than Moore, is beginning to defend bigs well one-one-one, grab rebounds, and showed some low-post offense against Creighton. Seems to be turning into a useful rotation player when more size is needed or Moore needs a breather or has foul trouble. His play has essentially buried Josh Roberts on the bench.

Wusu: Giving him the number 5 was a mistake, he seems to think that means he should get 5 fouls every game. Maybe should switch numbers with Posh? Anyway, too many fouls is his main problem, he's a freshman and he will probably learn how to avoid that in time. Does everything pretty well - his handle is good, he can shoot some, he can get to the rim, defend, and rebound. Needs time and development but looks like a nice 4-year player.

Dunn: Strong handle. Good drive to the rim, having some trouble finishing. Mid-range jump shot falling nicely this year, but still not a shooter from distance. Team seems to run more smoothly when he's at the point and Posh it out, maybe because of familiarity between Dunn, Champagnie, Williams, and Earlington when he's out there.

Earlington: Main challenge is to stay within himself. Does best when he grabs a couple of rebounds and gets a layup or two, then takes good 3s once he's comfortable. When he gets sped up or starts forcing the action, it doesn't go well. Likely issue is he ended last year thinking he was going to be a starter and a focus, and hasn't fully adjusted to staying in the same role of valuable bench contributor / rotation player.

Cole: Likely his best role at this level is standstill 3-point shooter. Having some trouble adjusting to the BE level of play, new system, and his role in the system. Sometimes tries to do too much in an LJ Figueroa sort of way. Like Champagnie, would benefit from having some things designed to get him the ball in the right spot (for him, an open 3) or better ball movement on offense. Attitude is something to keep an eye on.

The rest: injured or buried on the bench, no comments needed. I like McGriff, but after being hurt all last year he's hurt again. He's steady with the ball, tough on D, has good court vision.
 
[quote="lawmanfan" post=409448]Posh: Is a real terror on the press, you can see why Anderson wanted him. Needs to be much better at stopping the ball. Decisiveness, handle, and distribution with the ball have not been impressive. Needs better judgment on when to drive. Too much dribbling around without an obvious purpose. Short version: he's a freshman, he has talent, he will get better over time under this staff.

Champagnie: Wonderful all-around player. Has seemed visibly frustrated the last few games. The staff needs to design more to get the ball into his hands in the right spots - he can create some for himself but it isn't his strength.

Williams: Gets better and better. Confidence and assertiveness are his main development need, other than that he does everything well. Probably underrated as the second-best player on the team.

Moore: Improving offensively every game as he become more comfortable. Runs the floor great for a tall guy, has a nice jumper, should avoid forcing the 3. Collects rebounds by virtue of his length. Too thin to be an effective post defender, and does not rotate well to protect the rim when the guards get beaten (which is often, so far).

Toro: After a very slow start, has also been improving every game. Much more effective low-post presence than Moore, is beginning to defend bigs well one-one-one, grab rebounds, and showed some low-post offense against Creighton. Seems to be turning into a useful rotation player when more size is needed or Moore needs a breather or has foul trouble. His play has essentially buried Josh Roberts on the bench.

Wusu: Giving him the number 5 was a mistake, he seems to think that means he should get 5 fouls every game. Maybe should switch numbers with Posh? Anyway, too many fouls is his main problem, he's a freshman and he will probably learn how to avoid that in time. Does everything pretty well - his handle is good, he can shoot some, he can get to the rim, defend, and rebound. Needs time and development but looks like a nice 4-year player.

Dunn: Strong handle. Good drive to the rim, having some trouble finishing. Mid-range jump shot falling nicely this year, but still not a shooter from distance. Team seems to run more smoothly when he's at the point and Posh it out, maybe because of familiarity between Dunn, Champagnie, Williams, and Earlington when he's out there.

Earlington: Main challenge is to stay within himself. Does best when he grabs a couple of rebounds and gets a layup or two, then takes good 3s once he's comfortable. When he gets sped up or starts forcing the action, it doesn't go well. Likely issue is he ended last year thinking he was going to be a starter and a focus, and hasn't fully adjusted to staying in the same role of valuable bench contributor / rotation player.

Cole: Likely his best role at this level is standstill 3-point shooter. Having some trouble adjusting to the BE level of play, new system, and his role in the system. Sometimes tries to do too much in an LJ Figueroa sort of way. Like Champagnie, would benefit from having some things designed to get him the ball in the right spot (for him, an open 3) or better ball movement on offense. Attitude is something to keep an eye on.

The rest: injured or buried on the bench, no comments needed. I like McGriff, but after being hurt all last year he's hurt again. He's steady with the ball, tough on D, has good court vision.[/quote]

McGriff injured again? Same surgically repaired shoulder from last year or new injury?
 
[quote="AJ Hidell" post=409453][quote="lawmanfan" post=409448]Posh: Is a real terror on the press, you can see why Anderson wanted him. Needs to be much better at stopping the ball. Decisiveness, handle, and distribution with the ball have not been impressive. Needs better judgment on when to drive. Too much dribbling around without an obvious purpose. Short version: he's a freshman, he has talent, he will get better over time under this staff.

Champagnie: Wonderful all-around player. Has seemed visibly frustrated the last few games. The staff needs to design more to get the ball into his hands in the right spots - he can create some for himself but it isn't his strength.

Williams: Gets better and better. Confidence and assertiveness are his main development need, other than that he does everything well. Probably underrated as the second-best player on the team.

Moore: Improving offensively every game as he become more comfortable. Runs the floor great for a tall guy, has a nice jumper, should avoid forcing the 3. Collects rebounds by virtue of his length. Too thin to be an effective post defender, and does not rotate well to protect the rim when the guards get beaten (which is often, so far).

Toro: After a very slow start, has also been improving every game. Much more effective low-post presence than Moore, is beginning to defend bigs well one-one-one, grab rebounds, and showed some low-post offense against Creighton. Seems to be turning into a useful rotation player when more size is needed or Moore needs a breather or has foul trouble. His play has essentially buried Josh Roberts on the bench.

Wusu: Giving him the number 5 was a mistake, he seems to think that means he should get 5 fouls every game. Maybe should switch numbers with Posh? Anyway, too many fouls is his main problem, he's a freshman and he will probably learn how to avoid that in time. Does everything pretty well - his handle is good, he can shoot some, he can get to the rim, defend, and rebound. Needs time and development but looks like a nice 4-year player.

Dunn: Strong handle. Good drive to the rim, having some trouble finishing. Mid-range jump shot falling nicely this year, but still not a shooter from distance. Team seems to run more smoothly when he's at the point and Posh it out, maybe because of familiarity between Dunn, Champagnie, Williams, and Earlington when he's out there.

Earlington: Main challenge is to stay within himself. Does best when he grabs a couple of rebounds and gets a layup or two, then takes good 3s once he's comfortable. When he gets sped up or starts forcing the action, it doesn't go well. Likely issue is he ended last year thinking he was going to be a starter and a focus, and hasn't fully adjusted to staying in the same role of valuable bench contributor / rotation player.

Cole: Likely his best role at this level is standstill 3-point shooter. Having some trouble adjusting to the BE level of play, new system, and his role in the system. Sometimes tries to do too much in an LJ Figueroa sort of way. Like Champagnie, would benefit from having some things designed to get him the ball in the right spot (for him, an open 3) or better ball movement on offense. Attitude is something to keep an eye on.

The rest: injured or buried on the bench, no comments needed. I like McGriff, but after being hurt all last year he's hurt again. He's steady with the ball, tough on D, has good court vision.[/quote]

McGriff injured again? Same surgically repaired shoulder from last year or new injury?[/quote]
Was in a boot
 
[quote="section10" post=409452]for champ, i would add matador defender and water down "wonderful all around player".[/quote]

Bad defensive game against Creighton, no question. But ordinarily pretty good defensively. He doesn't have plus foot speed, and as one of my co-workers says, you can't teach speed. But ordinarily he's a pretty sound defender. Last night, not so much.
 
Moore is the opposite of Willie Glass. He can score anywhere except around the basket.
 
[quote="AlBovino" post=409493]Sounds like we are undefeated. Has anyone been watching this team perform?[/quote]

Really appreciate this poignent and in depth analysis. Very quality stuff here.
 
I believe GWill is our best all around player. He is our best defender on a team that desperately needs defense. His turnovers are doable since he is a primary ball handler. One of the few who can take it to the basket. Our second best three baller behind only Julian.

With all this praise I say SIT HIM. He refuses to take charge, deferring to lesser players. Six shots in the Creighton debacle. We need him to be aggressive or we don’t need him.
 
[quote="Rehobie" post=409631]I believe GWill is our best all around player. He is our best defender on a team that desperately needs defense. His turnovers are doable since he is a primary ball handler. One of the few who can take it to the basket. Our second best three baller behind only Julian.

With all this praise I say SIT HIM. He refuses to take charge, deferring to lesser players. Six shots in the Creighton debacle. We need him to be aggressive or we don’t need him.[/quote]

He definitely is not a starter next year in my opinion if he doesn't show some fire. It's all up to him, though. GW as a senior is better than anyone younger who could steal his spot, so he needs to act like it.
 
[quote="L J S A" post=409646][quote="Rehobie" post=409631]I believe GWill is our best all around player. He is our best defender on a team that desperately needs defense. His turnovers are doable since he is a primary ball handler. One of the few who can take it to the basket. Our second best three baller behind only Julian.

With all this praise I say SIT HIM. He refuses to take charge, deferring to lesser players. Six shots in the Creighton debacle. We need him to be aggressive or we don’t need him.[/quote]

He definitely is not a starter next year in my opinion if he doesn't show some fire. It's all up to him, though. GW as a senior is better than anyone younger who could steal his spot, so he needs to act like it.[/quote] An interesting stat IMO. He is second on the team in minutes played but 5th on the team in shot attempts

I really like him but he needs to get greedy and look for his shot a more because no way should he be 5th in shots
 
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With all due respect, imho the idea that Greg Williams won't be a starter next year is nuts. He is by far our best backcourt player and will only get better next year. I also wish he'd be more aggressive offensively, but have seen improvement there and do not expect anything but increased confidence going forward. But then again I'm often wrong as I've been so far with both Cole & Toro so who knows.
 
Greg Williams has a similar skill set to another Williams that played for St. John's in the 1980s, Kevin Williams. Quick, explosive slashers that could shoot it well enough to supplement their drives to the basket. Both can play the passing lanes and had quick hands on defense. One difference is that Kevin played with both a lot of energy and a lot of confidence. That's what Greg is missing. I think he still has room to grow. Lot of games left in his career at St. John's to prove it.
 
I understand I’m an outlier and GW is a nice kid but I think he’s being overrated by many here. He’s OK. But he is not a top of the rotation guy. He’s a nice piece of the puzzle but he does not score consistently and he’s not a reliable outside shooter. Decent but no sharpshooter. I live his athleticism and like his defense but as a junior seems unsure and not confident nor consistent. Actually if our roster permitted, I’d rather he be a 6 th or 7 th man. I think that’s a more suitable role. But as I said I know I’m an outlier. . . .
 
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I think GW has gotten better each and every year. He works hard and gets after it on the defensive end as well. I think he will have a really impactful senior year next year, maybe similar but not as impactful as Sir dom.

Hopefully as this year goes on he gets more confident in his abilities and continues to improve. I am a big fan of him
 
Good things will happen if Julian and Greg lead the team in FGs. Everyone else right now can take a complimentary back seat. Our two best players no question. Hopefully others step up as the season progresses.
 
No change in the original post on this thread following the Georgetown game. Just about everyone played to type. The main difference seemed to be Coach shifting gears to try to improve the base defense before he gets back to working on the press.

And also starting Toro against Wahab, which was a good move and one that Toro justified with his play.

Incremental improvement for most of the players, slight regression for Wusu.
 
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