What should the rotation be?

[MakingPlays]

Now that the "cupcake" portion is done (outside of Fordham ).  What's everyone's thoughts on the rotations and how it should be moving forward?  

I'm thinking it'll look like this moving forward.

Posh / Pinzon
Wusu / Smith
Mathis / Coburn
Champ / Wheeler
Soriano / Nyiwe 

If Nyiwe can give half of what he did today on the defensive end every game, I don't see how CMA can justify giving Wheeler or Stanley minutes over him.  He looks lightyear's better than both defensively.  I think Stanley probably ends up being the odd man out as of right now.  He's still a year away from being a serious contributor IMO.  And I think Wheeler probably ends up being the 10th man by default, just getting around what he did today around 5-10 MPG.  He's serviceable, but not at all what we expected.  Also, I hope CMA keeps Wusu in the starting lineup, with him, Mathis, and Posh everything just looked better.  I think Smith will serve better as being the leading scorer off the bench with Pinzon running the point.  

And whoever that was I argued that there's no way Nyiwe makes the rotation this year, I have to eat crow on that.  I wish I could remember who it was he called it after the red/white game.

 

[monte]

Now that the "cupcake" portion is done (outside of Fordham ).  What's everyone's thoughts on the rotations and how it should be moving forward?  

I'm thinking it'll look like this moving forward.

Posh / Pinzon
Wusu / Smith
Mathis / Coburn
Champ / Wheeler
Soriano / Nyiwe 

If Nyiwe can give half of what he did today on the defensive end every game, I don't see how CMA can justify giving Wheeler or Stanley minutes over him.  He looks lightyear's better than both defensively.  I think Stanley probably ends up being the odd man out as of right now.  He's still a year away from being a serious contributor IMO.  And I think Wheeler probably ends up being the 10th man by default, just getting around what he did today around 5-10 MPG.  He's serviceable, but not at all what we expected.  Also, I hope CMA keeps Wusu in the starting lineup, with him, Mathis, and Posh everything just looked better.  I think Smith will serve better as being the leading scorer off the bench with Pinzon running the point.  

And whoever that was I argued that there's no way Nyiwe makes the rotation this year, I have to eat crow on that.  I wish I could remember who it was he called it after the red/white game.

It wasn't me, that much I can tell you, because I still think that Nyiwe is nothing  more than a situational player. If he's part of our regular rotation, IMO we are going to have a very very long year. As for your rotation, I firmly believe that our top 6, in no particular order, are;
Posh
Champ
Mathis
Soriano
Smith 
Wusu

I think Wusu is best suited to come off her bench. As for the others, until I see a larger sample size from them, against higher level comp, I'll have to reserve judgement. 
 

 

[Mullins Revenge]

Why did Smith get benched for Wusu today.  I dont recall Smith playing that bad or Wusu playing that good.  Seemed weird to me.

 

[BrooklynRed]

Why did Smith get benched for Wusu today.  I dont recall Smith playing that bad or Wusu playing that good.  Seemed weird to me.

While I was surprised at Smith's minutes, Dylan had more speed and strength to box out on defense and was rebounding much better. 

 

[usguard]

But he doesn’t shoot better

 

[MakingPlays]

Why did Smith get benched for Wusu today.  I dont recall Smith playing that bad or Wusu playing that good.  Seemed weird to me.

Smith didn't do anything wrong at all, Wusu is just bigger, stronger, and better on defense.  If you notice Wusu switches in the paint a lot on big men, and holds his own.  That line-up they ran to run the score up to 16 had Posh 6'0, Mathis 6'4, Wusu 6'4, Champ 6'8, Nyiwe 6'10.  Even though Posh is only 6'0 he's really strong and athletic, so they are pretty much switching everything and not missing a beat.  If CMA would have left that lineup out there a little longer they would have run it up to a 20+ point lead, he even joked about messing that up.  

 

[Ray Morgan]

Why did Smith get benched for Wusu today.  I dont recall Smith playing that bad or Wusu playing that good.  Seemed weird to me.

Smith didn't do anything wrong at all, Wusu is just bigger, stronger, and better on defense.  If you notice Wusu switches in the paint a lot on big men, and holds his own.  That line-up they ran to run the score up to 16 had Posh 6'0, Mathis 6'4, Wusu 6'4, Champ 6'8, Nyiwe 6'10.  Even though Posh is only 6'0 he's really strong and athletic, so they are pretty much switching everything and not missing a beat.  If CMA would have left that lineup out there a little longer they would have run it up to a 20+ point lead, he even joked about messing that up.  

CMA has got the team to overachieve every season, but he didn't have his finest coaching game today. The lineup he had after the NJIT  timeout when the lead hit 16 had about 5 poor possessions in a row. Something like a turnover , 3 misses of contested threes, and a forced Soriano hook while double teamed. 

 

[MakingPlays]

Why did Smith get benched for Wusu today.  I dont recall Smith playing that bad or Wusu playing that good.  Seemed weird to me.

Smith didn't do anything wrong at all, Wusu is just bigger, stronger, and better on defense.  If you notice Wusu switches in the paint a lot on big men, and holds his own.  That line-up they ran to run the score up to 16 had Posh 6'0, Mathis 6'4, Wusu 6'4, Champ 6'8, Nyiwe 6'10.  Even though Posh is only 6'0 he's really strong and athletic, so they are pretty much switching everything and not missing a beat.  If CMA would have left that lineup out there a little longer they would have run it up to a 20+ point lead, he even joked about messing that up.  

CMA has got the team to overachieve every season, but he didn't have his finest coaching game today. The lineup he had after the NJIT  timeout when the lead hit 16 had about 5 poor possessions in a row. Something like a turnover , 3 misses of contested threes, and a forced Soriano hook while double teamed. 

CMA has always had head scratching lineups.  That's just who he is, he trusts his bench to a fault at times.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but he's going to use his bench and trust those players if they are half-way decent.  It's frustrating at times I admit that.  However if there's injuries or foul trouble those minutes and experience those guys get do come in handy and why in most cases, even in losses, his teams are always competitive and never out of a game, because he always has players on the floor that have game experience and comfortable on the floor.

 

[Amaseinyourface]

I like smith/coburn/wheeler as a trio off the bench. That’s 16 seasons of experience and a nice offensive punch. Smith can spell posh if he needs a breather, coburn on the wing, wheeler up front. I do prefer the other two bench bigs in Stanley and even Nyiwe but I don’t see coach giving up on Wheeler just yet. 

Posh / wusu / Mathis sets the tone for how we want to play. But with those three as your starting backcourt I think it’s essential we feature Soriano like we did yesterday or else we risk champ getting a bit overcrowded. We saw some Champ post up touches yesterday, I hope we continue to get more creative using him. Him at the top of the key in dribble hand off situations would be tough to guard. We saw it once yesterday. 

 

[braintrust]

Wheeler could be the odd man out when BE league play starts, shouldn't be bringing the ball up as much as he does, and shouldn't be hanging out throwing up jumpers either.

Posh/Wusu/Mathis...starting backcourt.
Champ/Soriano...Starting frontcourt.
Bench...Smith, Coburn, Pinzon, Nywei, Wheeler

Minutes:
Posh.....30
Champ..30
Mathis...20
Wusu...20
Soriano...20
Smith...20
Pinzon...20
Coburn...15
Nywei...15
Wheeler...10

Give or take as league play gets closer.

 

[beast of the east]

Now that the "cupcake" portion is done (outside of Fordham ).  What's everyone's thoughts on the rotations and how it should be moving forward?  

I'm thinking it'll look like this moving forward.

Posh / Pinzon
Wusu / Smith
Mathis / Coburn
Champ / Wheeler
Soriano / Nyiwe 

If Nyiwe can give half of what he did today on the defensive end every game, I don't see how CMA can justify giving Wheeler or Stanley minutes over him.  He looks lightyear's better than both defensively.  I think Stanley probably ends up being the odd man out as of right now.  He's still a year away from being a serious contributor IMO.  And I think Wheeler probably ends up being the 10th man by default, just getting around what he did today around 5-10 MPG.  He's serviceable, but not at all what we expected.  Also, I hope CMA keeps Wusu in the starting lineup, with him, Mathis, and Posh everything just looked better.  I think Smith will serve better as being the leading scorer off the bench with Pinzon running the point.  

And whoever that was I argued that there's no way Nyiwe makes the rotation this year, I have to eat crow on that.  I wish I could remember who it was he called it after the red/white game.

Nyiwe and Soriano both had excellent games against subpar NJIT front line talent.   Before anointing either as ready for prime time, let's see how either do against Kansas, or Pitt for that matter.   Josh Roberts looked so much like a world beater against OOC competition two years ago that Mullin was roundly criticized for somehow missing out on this extraordinary talent.   Then of course, the conference games began and Roberts wilted.   Not saying either Nyiwe or Soriano will, but they still have to prove they can be dependable against top notch competition.  If I had to guess though, I'd say both of their minutes shrink when the games get real.

 

[monte]

Now that the "cupcake" portion is done (outside of Fordham ).  What's everyone's thoughts on the rotations and how it should be moving forward?  

I'm thinking it'll look like this moving forward.

Posh / Pinzon
Wusu / Smith
Mathis / Coburn
Champ / Wheeler
Soriano / Nyiwe 

If Nyiwe can give half of what he did today on the defensive end every game, I don't see how CMA can justify giving Wheeler or Stanley minutes over him.  He looks lightyear's better than both defensively.  I think Stanley probably ends up being the odd man out as of right now.  He's still a year away from being a serious contributor IMO.  And I think Wheeler probably ends up being the 10th man by default, just getting around what he did today around 5-10 MPG.  He's serviceable, but not at all what we expected.  Also, I hope CMA keeps Wusu in the starting lineup, with him, Mathis, and Posh everything just looked better.  I think Smith will serve better as being the leading scorer off the bench with Pinzon running the point.  

And whoever that was I argued that there's no way Nyiwe makes the rotation this year, I have to eat crow on that.  I wish I could remember who it was he called it after the red/white game.

Nyiwe and Soriano both had excellent games against subpar NJIT front line talent.   Before anointing either as ready for prime time, let's see how either do against Kansas, or Pitt for that matter.   Josh Roberts looked so much like a world beater against OOC competition two years ago that Mullin was roundly criticized for somehow missing out on this extraordinary talent.   Then of course, the conference games began and Roberts wilted.   Not saying either Nyiwe or Soriano will, but they still have to prove they can be dependable against top notch competition.  If I had to guess though, I'd say both of their minutes shrink when the games get real.

I see Soriano's minutes shrinking but I still see him as serviceable. We sure need him since he's our only real low post player with skills. And while Nyiwe gave us a  few nice minutes yesterday, and showed athleticism, the idea that he can offer any kind of significant contribution against higher level comp is way premature IMO. Don't you guys think that if CMA thought he was capable of contributing, that he would worked him in to the rotation against the cupcakes? I mean, it's not like we have a slew of other options that's been keeping him on the bench. I know he wasn't the biggest of guys, but I sure do wish we had Earlington down low this year. We really could have used him on the blocks. 

 

[Knight]

You’re right on target Monte.  
I’ve come to the conclusion that last year’s team was more talented.  I want to see if CMA can mold these players into a team.

 

[monte]

You’re right on target Monte.  
I’ve come to the conclusion that last year’s team was more talented.  I want to see if CMA can mold these players into a team.

The parts seemed to fit better on last year's team. Having said that, it's still early and this team is still a work in progress. 

 

[SLYFOXX1968]

I took the temptation to post the Rotation should be : Posh, Champ , Williams , Earlington , Robert’s , Wusu , Dunn, Cole, with Soriano and Smith newcomers .   Moore was a Player but , had other issues and might have been a drain on Team Chemistry .  And , Pinzon and Traore as Recruits .                                                                                After all that was a Team that finished 4 th in the BE last year .  Why overhaul it ?  At least to the extent of demolish and rebuild ?                               And , if CMA’s style is difficult to learn , why lose Players who had 2 or more years to play it ?   I’m not sure either , if those former Players left because they were pushed or were there other issues ?                                                                    And , while Smith , Mathis have been nice additions , was losing Williams , Earlington , Dunn worth it ?   Wheeler has shown , well, nothing to indicate he’s going to contribute . 
once the BE Season starts .                                      I think too , as World Class Optimists , our fan base declared a major Talent upgrade . So far , I’m not so sure .  We will soon see . 

 

[monte]

I took the temptation to post the Rotation should be : Posh, Champ , Williams , Earlington , Robert’s , Wusu , Dunn, Cole, with Soriano and Smith newcomers .   Moore was a Player but , had other issues and might have been a drain on Team Chemistry .  And , Pinzon and Traore as Recruits .                                                                                After all that was a Team that finished 4 th in the BE last year .  Why overhaul it ?  At least to the extent of demolish and rebuild ?                               And , if CMA’s style is difficult to learn , why lose Players who had 2 or more years to play it ?   I’m not sure either , if those former Players left because they were pushed or were there other issues ?                                                                    And , while Smith , Mathis have been nice additions , was losing Williams , Earlington , Dunn worth it ?   Wheeler has shown , well, nothing to indicate he’s going to contribute . 
once the BE Season starts .                                      I think too , as World Class Optimists , our fan base declared a major Talent upgrade . So far , I’m not so sure .  We will soon see . 

Some posters were calling this the most talented team since the elite 8 team. I'm not sure that this team is more talented then any of Lavin's teams, even his 2nd team, and any of the Mullin/Ponds teams 

 

[Amaseinyourface]

I was one of the guys pushing against the thought it was going to be so simple to upgrade the talent. But still, last years team was 7-7 overall and 2-6 in BE play before anyone thought they could be any good. Nothing we have seen so far shows me this group CANT be better than last years. They just havn’t found themselves yet. Unless you believe both the individual talent level and CMAs ability to coach have both dropped off significantly, I think we should still be optimistic about where we will be second half of the season.  

 

[MakingPlays]

You’re right on target Monte.  
I’ve come to the conclusion that last year’s team was more talented.  I want to see if CMA can mold these players into a team.

How so?  In the non-conference last year, they only beat St. Peter's by 1 point, only beat a very bad Boston College team that only won 4 games the entire year by 4 points, and only beat Rider by 3 points.  And most of the rotation players had a full year in CMA's system.  

Only person I think that was more talented than the person they got replaced with in the rotation is Moore.  His defense was bad, but offensively he fit in really well when he wasn't taking wild 3 pointers for no reason, however we now know his attitude was not worth it.  As far as the guards Mathis, Smith, and Coburn are upgrades over all the guards that departed in Cole, Dunn, and Williams.  All of these guys are putting up medicore stats on bad mid-major teams.  Williams last game he put up 6 points against 1-5 Jacksonville State in a loss, in 25 minutes.  Rasheem Dunn just put up 4 points in 28 minutes against Davidson in a loss, and Vince Cole just put up 4 points in 29 minutes (0-7 from 3) in a loss against Toledo.  Hard to look at that and say these guys were more talented.

 

[monte]

You’re right on target Monte.  
I’ve come to the conclusion that last year’s team was more talented.  I want to see if CMA can mold these players into a team.

How so?  In the non-conference last year, they only beat St. Peter's by 1 point, only beat a very bad Boston College team that only won 4 games the entire year by 4 points, and only beat Rider by 3 points.  And most of the rotation players had a full year in CMA's system.  

Only person I think that was more talented than the person they got replaced with in the rotation is Moore.  His defense was bad, but offensively he fit in really well when he wasn't taking wild 3 pointers for no reason, however we now know his attitude was not worth it.  As far as the guards Mathis, Smith, and Coburn are upgrades over all the guards that departed in Cole, Dunn, and Williams.  All of these guys are putting up medicore stats on bad mid-major teams.  Williams last game he put up 6 points against 1-5 Jacksonville State in a loss, in 25 minutes.  Rasheem Dunn just put up 4 points in 28 minutes against Davidson in a loss, and Vince Cole just put up 4 points in 29 minutes (0-7 from 3) in a loss against Toledo.  Hard to look at that and say these guys were more talented.

It not just talent level, it's also specific skill sets of the players, and chemistry. What our ex players do after they leave here means nothing. I judge them on what they did here. Having said that, I'll wait to decide which team is more talented since we have yet to see Coburn and a number of the other players play against higher level comp more(other then Indy). 

 

[SLYFOXX1968]

You’re right on target Monte.  
I’ve come to the conclusion that last year’s team was more talented.  I want to see if CMA can mold these players into a team.

How so?  In the non-conference last year, they only beat St. Peter's by 1 point, only beat a very bad Boston College team that only won 4 games the entire year by 4 points, and only beat Rider by 3 points.  And most of the rotation players had a full year in CMA's system.  

Only person I think that was more talented than the person they got replaced with in the rotation is Moore.  His defense was bad, but offensively he fit in really well when he wasn't taking wild 3 pointers for no reason, however we now know his attitude was not worth it.  As far as the guards Mathis, Smith, and Coburn are upgrades over all the guards that departed in Cole, Dunn, and Williams.  All of these guys are putting up medicore stats on bad mid-major teams.  Williams last game he put up 6 points against 1-5 Jacksonville State in a loss, in 25 minutes.  Rasheem Dunn just put up 4 points in 28 minutes against Davidson in a loss, and Vince Cole just put up 4 points in 29 minutes (0-7 from 3) in a loss against Toledo.  Hard to look at that and say these guys were more talented.                                            Evaluating Talent is subjective .  Sure it’s easy to say our former Players aren’t setting the World on fire for their new teams but , that overlooks the fact that they were more valuable here than there .   Agree ?                 Plus , other than the last game disappointment against Seton Hall with a broken handed. Posh trying to play , that team was finally playing well .     I do agree that last years team struggled early against Cupcakes and early in the BE Season and perhaps CMA can bring that rabbit out of the hat again . Let’s hope so .   Lastly , I don’t see Wheeler as  better than Earlington . The Duke just had a nice game with 16 points for San Diego .   And ,I think a healthy Williams would , at least equal , Smith and had more to the basket game . Plus , he was a better shooter than Mathis .  Dunn ?  With Posh often hampered by injury , Rasheem did give us a back up point who could get to the rim and was a tenacious defender .   Plus , led by example . And , despite his detractors , Cole did give us a boost in more than a game or 2 with his long range Bombs .  He showed Clutch on more than 1 occasion .