Starting line up for 2012-13

For once I don't care. The starters at the start of the year won't be the starters at the end of the year. The starters and mins will be distributed based on who is practicing well, who is playing well and matchups for a particular game. The guys from last year will set the standard for work ethic and hustle and the new commers better pull up thier jocks if they expect to play.

I have had faith that the staff will recuit who we need and I have faith they will put the right guys on the floor. I just can't wait to sit back and enjoy the show. We will be Dancing Baby. 
 
From the start, Coach said he was looking to go two deep of equal quality at each position. That would make for the following, with variations depending on foul trouble, hot hand, match-ups, etc:

Gift-Obekpa
Sampson-Sanchez
Pointer-Garrett
Harrison-Bourgault
Greene-Branch

Names listed first are presumed starters. Gift has earned it. If Obekpa will is here for four years, he will be a three
year starter. Sampson is the centerpeice of this recruting class. He starts. Pointer-Garrett a toss-up. I like them both, although I think Garrett has more potential to score from beyond 3 feet. Greene likely to flip flop with Branch by the Big East schedule. Don't think Bracnh starts the first day he is eligible. Bourgault will get minutes, maybe even at the three. You need more than one shooter these days. Outside of Harrison and Bourgault, it's a team full of very athletic dunkers. If Bourgault can play at this level, I would like to see on the court with Harrison..Otherwise, look for a lot of packed in zones. Like every other season.
 
 
From the start, Coach said he was looking to go two deep of equal quality at each position. That would make for the following, with variations depending on foul trouble, hot hand, match-ups, etc:

Gift-Obekpa
Sampson-Sanchez
Pointer-Garrett
Harrison-Bourgault
Greene-Branch

Names listed first are presumed starters. Gift has earned it. If Obekpa will is here for four years, he will be a three
year starter. Sampson is the centerpeice of this recruting class. He starts. Pointer-Garrett a toss-up. I like them both, although I think Garrett has more potential to score from beyond 3 feet. Greene likely to flip flop with Branch by the Big East schedule. Don't think Bracnh starts the first day he is eligible. Bourgault will get minutes, maybe even at the three. You need more than one shooter these days. Outside of Harrison and Bourgault, it's a team full of very athletic dunkers. If Bourgault can play at this level, I would like to see on the court with Harrison..Otherwise, look for a lot of packed in zones. Like every other season.
 
Click to expand...
 

IMO, Bourgault will get more time than some think at the 2 and 3 spots. He has good size, is crafty with the ball on offense and is a deadeye shooter. He will get time on the court with D'Lo to spread defenses out a bit.
 
GG is a backup. There is about as nice as I can put it. He really pissed me off at times missing all of his bunnies. He looks really good in spurts--really good--but he hurts the team playing extended minutes. He is the definition of a role player.
Click to expand...
 

Not sure why such knocks on Gift.

I always felt last year that PF was his natural, true position and would love to see what he and Obekpa could do in a 5-8 minute stretch together with Obekpa at C.

Gift struggled in conference play because the other BE schools had so much length and he has no semblance of a back-to-the-basket game. And, more importantly, he had to play sort of reserved because he was the only big and couldn't pick up fouls.

But let's talk about where he excelled. His speed (for his size) is unmatched!

The amount of easy, breakaway buckets that he got last year was golden. With the length that we'll have in the matchup zone this year, I fully expect Gift to get his fair share of easy buckets beating his man down court. No one can keep up with him.

I really sense that Lavin loves Gift. Like he trusts him and looks at his as a leader.

Yes, he has horrible hands and he's shaky on offense. But we have other pieces now where maybe he can play more of his natural role. I'm a fan of the one-year Gift that we'll see this year. 
 
 Gift is an excellent young man. Smart and works hard. But seeing him bobble the ball so much last year used to drive me crazy.
 
From the start, Coach said he was looking to go two deep of equal quality at each position. That would make for the following, with variations depending on foul trouble, hot hand, match-ups, etc:

Gift-Obekpa
Sampson-Sanchez
Pointer-Garrett
Harrison-Bourgault
Greene-Branch

Names listed first are presumed starters. Gift has earned it. If Obekpa will is here for four years, he will be a three
year starter. Sampson is the centerpeice of this recruting class. He starts. Pointer-Garrett a toss-up. I like them both, although I think Garrett has more potential to score from beyond 3 feet. Greene likely to flip flop with Branch by the Big East schedule. Don't think Bracnh starts the first day he is eligible. Bourgault will get minutes, maybe even at the three. You need more than one shooter these days. Outside of Harrison and Bourgault, it's a team full of very athletic dunkers. If Bourgault can play at this level, I would like to see on the court with Harrison..Otherwise, look for a lot of packed in zones. Like every other season.
 
Click to expand...
 

Things will change often as the season goes on no doubt but swap Sanchez with Gift and Garrett with Pointer and I'd agree with your depth chart to start the season.
 
From the start, Coach said he was looking to go two deep of equal quality at each position. That would make for the following, with variations depending on foul trouble, hot hand, match-ups, etc:

Gift-Obekpa
Sampson-Sanchez
Pointer-Garrett
Harrison-Bourgault
Greene-Branch

Names listed first are presumed starters. Gift has earned it. If Obekpa will is here for four years, he will be a three
year starter. Sampson is the centerpeice of this recruting class. He starts. Pointer-Garrett a toss-up. I like them both, although I think Garrett has more potential to score from beyond 3 feet. Greene likely to flip flop with Branch by the Big East schedule. Don't think Bracnh starts the first day he is eligible. Bourgault will get minutes, maybe even at the three. You need more than one shooter these days. Outside of Harrison and Bourgault, it's a team full of very athletic dunkers. If Bourgault can play at this level, I would like to see on the court with Harrison..Otherwise, look for a lot of packed in zones. Like every other season.
 
Click to expand...
 

Things will change often as the season goes on no doubt but swap Sanchez with Gift and Garrett with Pointer and I'd agree with your depth chart to start the season.
Click to expand...
 

Also, FWIW, the only position where I wouldn't be comfortable with a 20/20 breakdown in minutes is Dlo/Marco. Closer to 30/10 there.
 
From the start, Coach said he was looking to go two deep of equal quality at each position. That would make for the following, with variations depending on foul trouble, hot hand, match-ups, etc:

Gift-Obekpa
Sampson-Sanchez
Pointer-Garrett
Harrison-Bourgault
Greene-Branch

Names listed first are presumed starters. Gift has earned it. If Obekpa will is here for four years, he will be a three
year starter. Sampson is the centerpeice of this recruting class. He starts. Pointer-Garrett a toss-up. I like them both, although I think Garrett has more potential to score from beyond 3 feet. Greene likely to flip flop with Branch by the Big East schedule. Don't think Bracnh starts the first day he is eligible. Bourgault will get minutes, maybe even at the three. You need more than one shooter these days. Outside of Harrison and Bourgault, it's a team full of very athletic dunkers. If Bourgault can play at this level, I would like to see on the court with Harrison..Otherwise, look for a lot of packed in zones. Like every other season.
 
Click to expand...
 

Things will change often as the season goes on no doubt but swap Sanchez with Gift and Garrett with Pointer and I'd agree with your depth chart to start the season.
Click to expand...
 Completely agree unless Garrett is rusty. I wouldn't put Sanchez on the bench to start with. Where does Felix fit in?
 
 I think Felix will be a situational player getting spot minutes for foul trouble, agressive full court pressure and, unfortunately, the inevitable injury. No indications Wood has qualified as of yet so if he is signed/accepted (which is far different from his verbal that he's coming) then he too will split minutes mostly with Marco and Felix but potentially a few at SF as well. There are no great teams that play 12 players 10+ minutes per game.
 
GG is a backup. There is about as nice as I can put it. He really pissed me off at times missing all of his bunnies. He looks really good in spurts--really good--but he hurts the team playing extended minutes. He is the definition of a role player.
Click to expand...
 

Not sure why such knocks on Gift.

I always felt last year that PF was his natural, true position and would love to see what he and Obekpa could do in a 5-8 minute stretch together with Obekpa at C.

Gift struggled in conference play because the other BE schools had so much length and he has no semblance of a back-to-the-basket game. And, more importantly, he had to play sort of reserved because he was the only big and couldn't pick up fouls.

But let's talk about where he excelled. His speed (for his size) is unmatched!

The amount of easy, breakaway buckets that he got last year was golden. With the length that we'll have in the matchup zone this year, I fully expect Gift to get his fair share of easy buckets beating his man down court. No one can keep up with him.

I really sense that Lavin loves Gift. Like he trusts him and looks at his as a leader.

Yes, he has horrible hands and he's shaky on offense. But we have other pieces now where maybe he can play more of his natural role. I'm a fan of the one-year Gift that we'll see this year. 
Click to expand...
 

Gift does seem like a very nice young man, but two things about his game will keep him from seeing major minutes, in my eyes, unless he can improve in these areas:

1) Very simply; the turnovers. He can't be dribbling the ball off his foot that often

2) He's GOT to learn to rotate on defense if he's going to see any kind of meaningful playing time.

I've posted this article before(it really is great stuff for basketball nuts), but watch the video from early last season. He's WAY too late rotating to cover the corner shooter when the ball comes back to the weakside. I don't have video from late in the season, but it wasn't much better. And that's why I think Lavin/Dunlap went with 5 undersized freshmen in conference play.

He's got the physical tools to do it. He's quick and fast for his size. But his instincts for playing in our zone are really poor.

http://hoopspeak.com/college/2011/11/whats-wrong-with-st-johns-zone-defense/ 
 
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