I think our starting guards can play with anyone in the country. D-Lo and Sheed are very good. this team will go as they go. D-Lo is a consistent outside threat although he can be streaky and I expect Rysheed to become much more consistent with his outside shot this year. I think they can carry this team if they have put in the offseason work that they should have. Phil Greene is a good spot up shooter and I think Branch showed late last season that he is capable of hitting from deep. Obepka will be a terror defensively and if he can improve a little offensively that would help a great deal. If Thomas can rebound and score garbage baskets off the offensive boards and play defense that's all he needs to do. The wildcard in all this is Dom. This team needs him to up his game and become a quality Small Forward at the college level. Many question marks but I still think if guys have taken care of business in the offseason we can be a good team.
Roster for this year
- Thread starter Lester
- Start date
Im one of the few on this board who thinks the addition of Jones and Thomas outweighs the loss of Sampson and Sanchez. If our four guards can all hit 3's at a decent clip (33-35%) which I think they are all capable of then I think we can be very good. The wild card for me is Christian Jones. No matter how good our guards are we will have to get scoring from our bigs from time to time. I think most sell christian short, IMO he is our best scoring option out of the bigs and I would not be surprised if he averaged 8-10 pts a game for us. My bigger concern from him is his rebounding.
I too have some expectations for Felix. Think he is a better option than Dom.
MarkRedman
Well-known member
Felix is an excellent athlete but has done nothing to date on the court to make me think he can really contribute at this level
At least Dom has shown flashes that he can contribute, although he is often out of control
We have very capable guards and would be better off playing a 3 guard system along with Thomas and Obekpa
I would also like to see a little less of Greene and more of Branch playing with Jordan and D'Lo
For some reason, it seems that Lav has a man crush on Greene
Jamal Branch is the key to the season.
Lavin has to be willing to play him big minutes, and Jamal has to deliver with slightly less turnovers. He is the only true, pass-first, point guard on the team. Our offensive efficiency is far and away the weak link of this team, and we simply score more efficiently when Branch is in the game. He doesn't look for his own shot, and he gets himself into the lane.
It might seem like heresy to play him over Harrison or Jordan, but at the end of the day coach needs to play the lineup that gives them the best chance to win. And in my eyes that means Branch with +30mpg
Lavin has to be willing to play him big minutes, and Jamal has to deliver with slightly less turnovers. He is the only true, pass-first, point guard on the team. Our offensive efficiency is far and away the weak link of this team, and we simply score more efficiently when Branch is in the game. He doesn't look for his own shot, and he gets himself into the lane.
It might seem like heresy to play him over Harrison or Jordan, but at the end of the day coach needs to play the lineup that gives them the best chance to win. And in my eyes that means Branch with +30mpg
True but felix has got nowhere near the opportunities that dom has been given. Doms gotten 20 minutes per game since day one. Im not sure felix has gotten 20 minutes in any single game.
Has it been determined if Felix lost a year of eligibility for his cameo appearance last year?
I hope ncaa would show some sympathy. Felix had it tough from what was said, and Lavin kind of messed up.
But practiced well that week.
Are you trying to get me to break my computer?
Seriously though, I think it's true we need to see more of Felix before anyone can say they expect him to be a contributor.
He has had limited exposure, and when he has played he has shown a limited handle and limited shooting ability. That doesn't mean he can't contribute, it's just the signs haven't been great so far.
I agree with this and your prior post about Thomas/Jones (I'll throw in the Delarosa bros) outweighing the loss of Sanchez/Sampson.
I'm not sure Lavin will give Felix the look, but there is no doubt in my mind he's a better option than Dom on both ends of the floor. I think he has star potential.
I'd like to believe that Thomas/Jones (plus Delarosa bros) will outweigh the loss of Sanchez/Sampson. But I don't know how you can make that math work. Sampson and Sanchez put up 20 points a game. Let's be really generous and assume that Jordan will add another 5-10 ppg this season. Where's the other 10-15 points going to come from?
Dom is a negative. Anyone that is at least neutral can be better. Felix is always under control, doesn't dominate the ball, and plays a role. Dom does whatever Dom wants to do, whenever Dom wants to do it. He can't shoot or dribble and his defense is grossly overrated. Don't get me started on the lack of rebounding either.
Amen, Dom hurt us more than he helped us. Is it that hard to believe that felix could be a better option.
Thomas and jones will get a combined 40-45 minutes a game. Id put up a pretty penny that combined they score 15 points.
You have to understand how poor their defense was as well. They would give up 3-4 straight layups at times to their men. Also, Sanchez was an awful rebounder with no range. Sampson was actually a really good rebounder that was too often out of position. Thomas will get plenty of layins off rebounds and open looks after he sets screens. The rest of those points will go to the guards.
More rebounds, less easy baskets, more possessions...