Starters Carry Heavy Minutes

[Mean Gene]

I honestly think Glover's been better than Sim in their freshman year. Sim was unplayable and would make very very very costly mistakes. I still get angry thinking of that turnover @Creighton last January. He really only played well against DePaul and some of the cupcakes.

Glover looks far more confident and physically up for it. He's also had small flashes of him actually playing at a high level defensively. But he lacks a focus to maintain it consistency in a game, and its also clear that he can't also get to that mentality in every game. He looked overmatched against Creighton and Marquette from that standpoint (although I'd question why Rick had Glover on Ashworth to begin with).

I'm willing to excuse some of the shooting struggles/being behind because of the hand injury. Getting injured your freshman year and missing all of that practice time really really hurts. I like that he's confident in his shot, I hope he starts hitting them. He would be smart to stay next year.

Sim played well against Creighton at the Garden last year. Big game for us then

 

[mjmaherjr]

Strong rumor Marillac has Vince bound and gagged in his basement letting him out an hour a day to shoot darts
at his customized Jenkins board.

Ok it’s February but funniest post of the year so far

 

[Howie71]

My area in section 119 goes berserk when Ruben enters the game or does anything positive. Maybe the sample size is small but that dude can rebound and play his ass off on D all over the court.

 

[paultzman]

I honestly think Glover's been better than Sim in their freshman year. Sim was unplayable and would make very very very costly mistakes. I still get angry thinking of that turnover @Creighton last January. He really only played well against DePaul and some of the cupcakes.

Glover looks far more confident and physically up for it. He's also had small flashes of him actually playing at a high level defensively. But he lacks a focus to maintain it consistency in a game, and its also clear that he can't also get to that mentality in every game. He looked overmatched against Creighton and Marquette from that standpoint (although I'd question why Rick had Glover on Ashworth to begin with).

I'm willing to excuse some of the shooting struggles/being behind because of the hand injury. Getting injured your freshman year and missing all of that practice time really really hurts. I like that he's confident in his shot, I hope he starts hitting them. He would be smart to stay next year.

Glover will be a good player in time, but all this stuff about playing him this year is moot. Rick realizes he has a fairly big learning curve on defense and his shots have not fallen. Basically, unless it is emergency, I doubt you see him much in these key games. Rick simply does not think he’s ready for decent minutes. I think we will roll w seven guys w a few breather minutes for an eighth guy. Stating the obvious, but Sim is getting good minutes, but his productivity has to improve sooner than later to keep defenders from daring him to shoot while hawking steals, cheating.

 

[Jack Williams]

Glover's role will be what you saw in the MQ game, if a couple guys pick up their 2nd fouls, he can be inserted as a bridge to get us to halftime. That's probably it

 

[Andrew]

I think when the season started Brady was clearly the 7th man and whatever you think of him in most games Pitino would have stuck with that. Vince was the backup Center because Rick wasn’t sure what he had in Prey.

When Dunlap went down he tried short bursts of Prey,Vince, Glover and or Ayo in the first half. This allowed our best players to be fully available for the second half.

When Smith got hurt Prey got the most minutes but it was still the strategmtomtry and stay with the starting five in the second half.

Going forward barring injury or foul trouble, Prey will be our 7th man with Vince and Glover getting a few minutes if absolutely necessary. I see Ayp playing very little going forward.

 

[Beasts of the East]

Glover will be a good player in time, but all this stuff about playing him this year is moot. Rick realizes he has a fairly big learning curve on defense and his shots have not fallen. Basically, unless it is emergency, I doubt you see him much in these key games. Rick simply does not think he’s ready for decent minutes. I think we will roll w seven guys w a few breather minutes for an eighth guy. Stating the obvious, but Sim is getting good minutes, but his productivity has to improve sooner than later to keep defenders from daring him to shoot while hawking steals, cheating.

I agree with most of your post except for two points. Rick is ultra aware that a battle tested 8th man beyond Vince is a very important asset to have in case of injury or foul trouble, especially in tournament games. This is why he coaxes meaningful possession minutes for Glover, Lefty, and Ayo. He knows that any of those guys may be necessary in big games and needs them to not be overwhelmed by that opportunity.

The second is that out of rotation players earn minutes in practice. A kid who is busting it or killing it in practice will get moments to prove himself in real time. Rotation players need to be pushed in practice and for bench players practice is the chance to prove they deserve minutes.

Who knows? Any of our bench players may have a Brian Doyle moment or two before this season is all over. (Reference for the benefit of Yankee fans)

 

[hardytime]

I agree with most of your post except for two points. Rick is ultra aware that a battle tested 8th man beyond Vince is a very important asset to have in case of injury or foul trouble, especially in tournament games. This is why he coaxes meaningful possession minutes for Glover, Lefty, and Ayo. He knows that any of those guys may be necessary in big games and needs them to not be overwhelmed by that opportunity.

The second is that out of rotation players earn minutes in practice. A kid who is busting it or killing it in practice will get moments to prove himself in real time. Rotation players need to be pushed in practice and for bench players practice is the chance to prove they deserve minutes.

Who knows? Any of our bench players may have a Brian Doyle moment or two before this season is all over. (Reference for the benefit of Yankee fans)

Didn’t Rick famously use a walk on/shooter type who never played that much in one of his bigger tourney games at Louisville?

 

[logen]

Absolutely, but I do wonder what happens when we have to play three days in a row, and then two in three days, especially if the first game is particularly grueling.

Cross that bridge when you get to it. I don’t know, I and most of the players I grew up with could play all day at that age and did, day in and day out. Not f’ing around but serious, intense ball, dirty, physical win at all costs ball.
Admittedly, maybe I just don’t get it, maybe my attitude is so “old school” it is irrelevant in today’s world, but I think a lot of the analysis, analytics, is just so much noise, nonsense spurred on by the advent of “ESPN talking heads” decades ago.
IMO, it has added nothing to sports except the introduction of endless reviews to add .3 seconds on the time clock, 10 minute gaps at the end of games to look from 67 angles to see if a ball grazed a finger going out of bounds, all while having played a more relevant 38 minutes with none of that.
Why? To create the semblance of fairness? Well, life AIN’T fair and one call or .3 seconds are NEVER the reasons you lost. I realize that I went off on a tangent but that is what I think the result of all the over-analysis has ultimately done to sports, from the immediacy of result to…………….

 

[Shannon]

Absolutely, but I do wonder what happens when we have to play three days in a row, and then two in three days, especially if the first game is particularly grueling.

Nm