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bucketsandbirds

Zane coming back to TU?

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My amateur sleuth skills, based on checking the roster on the site 😆, reveals that the UAB transfer, Gueye, must have got lost between Birmingham & Towson, as he is not on the roster 

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Look, Makhtar Gueye was incredibly intriguing. He is 6-10 and 210 with an ability to run the floor, stretch the defense and protect the rim. But he averaged just 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds on 28.6% from three and 40.6% overall last season at UAB. He only blocked a 1/2 shot a game. He looked the part and I guess Duke saw something, but I can't imagine he would have played much with them. Maybe help with his length in practice. They are loaded at power forward. If he was a sophomore or a junior, he would have been a very good get. As a senior, if he would have received a waiver, he would have been in this situation right now. Not really being able to practice. Just working out until the NCAA tells them they can practice in some form or fashion. That's the biggest worry of this pretty good collection of players. Zane doesn't know the holdovers. We have two freshmen who probably won't see a lot of time and five transfers who will in Mims, Allen, Holland, Victor and Zane. They need at least a month to practice together. 

This puts more pressure on Juwan Gray. He obviously had a disappointing junior season averaging just 7ppg, 4.3rpg on 29.t% 3pt shooting and 41% overall before getting injured. He averaged around 22mpg, despite never starting a game. I think you need some experience on the floor, at least at the start of the season. They can still go small with Demetrius Mims at the 4. Either way, you are going to be able to stretch the floor with four perimeter players. You couldn't do that with Dennis Tunstall at the 4 or Sanders, when he played with Charles Thompson. That's assuming that Gray can shoot closer to 35% and get to the rim a little more since he shot 83% from the line (39 of 47). 

Even if Zane isn't the same player he was two seasons ago, he's certainly a guy who can get to the cup. He could play the 2 or 3. Timberlake is more of a 3 and can help on the boards along with decent D. But assuming Victor and Gray are not big scorers, you need Zane and Holland to be your Fobbs and Betrand, hoping that Gibson gets to double digits playing more off the ball and that Allen can give you 8-9ppg off the bench. He averaged 7.9ppg on 40% 3pg shooting last season for Cal State Bakersfield. That's an upgrade of speed and shooting over Dottin, who I assume will play more of a 2 and 3 this season. You can use him as more of a defensive stopper or if they are down big and want to press.

Then you have Solly. What does he give you at 6-7, 235? We really don't know because he played in just two games last season and wasn't inconsistent as a freshman. Maybe playing alongside his brother could bring out the best in him. Needs to improve his face the basket and back to the basket game, but there is something there, if he's healthy. 

If this was a "normal" season, I'd be getting ready to see practice in 2-3 weeks. Checking out Darrick Jones and Chris Bieku for the first time. Seeing if they could hang with the upperclassmen. Seeing Allen and Holland for the first time. Wondering whether Mims and Victor have put on some weight. Guessing that some form of practice will start at least a month later than normal and probably won't get to watch it in whatever protocol they have.

 

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Yeah, we won't have as much practice together and cohesiveness as we'd like. But that's NO EXCUSE. Every other team is dealing with this unique situation, and most are dealing with huge loss of players/coaches. It's on the coaches to get them gelling. As many new players, as we have, 2 of the 8 have played for us before, another 2 sat out last year and hopefully were learning the system, 2 are freshman who probably won't play/contribute much, which leaves Holland and Allen.

CAA lost 14 of the top 17 scorers from last season, with us losing 2 of those. Only Lewis from JMU and Wynter/Butler from Drexel return

Just 2 of the top 12 rebounders return, with us losing 2. Only Butler and Woods return

5 of the top 11 in assists return, we obviously weren't in this category. 

UNCW- New Coach, Lost Linssen. Only have 3 players on the roster over 6'6"

JMU- New coach, Lost, Parker, Pinkard, Banks, Wilson

NE- Lost Roland, Franklin, Murphy, Brace, Bourquist (thank God!)

Hofstra- Mihalich is on LOA until TBD, Lost Buie, Pemberton, A little used role player

Drexel- Lost Doles, Green, Walton

Delaware- Lost Darling, Cushing, Mutts, Goss

Elon- Lost Sheffield, Fuller, Pack

WM- Lost Knight, VanVilet, Hamilton, Barnes  a little used role player

Charleston - Lost Riller, Miller, Mcluney, Reddish

 

With that said, I would like us to go small when Gray isn't in at the 4. With Victor at the 5, we could spread the floor with some slashers and shooters. Timberlake in the corner was deadly on 3's and cuts to the hoop.  Freeing up the middle of the floor with 4 on the perimeter would keep teams from doubling Victor (I know he isn't an offensive threat, but he's so much bigger than anyone) and allow him to get some second chance shots.

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On 9/9/2020 at 3:15 PM, TuTigers2012 said:

Yeah, we won't have as much practice together and cohesiveness as we'd like. But that's NO EXCUSE. Every other team is dealing with this unique situation, and most are dealing with huge loss of players/coaches. It's on the coaches to get them gelling. As many new players, as we have, 2 of the 8 have played for us before, another 2 sat out last year and hopefully were learning the system, 2 are freshman who probably won't play/contribute much, which leaves Holland and Allen.

CAA lost 14 of the top 17 scorers from last season, with us losing 2 of those. Only Lewis from JMU and Wynter/Butler from Drexel return

Just 2 of the top 12 rebounders return, with us losing 2. Only Butler and Woods return

5 of the top 11 in assists return, we obviously weren't in this category. 

UNCW- New Coach, Lost Linssen. Only have 3 players on the roster over 6'6"

JMU- New coach, Lost, Parker, Pinkard, Banks, Wilson

NE- Lost Roland, Franklin, Murphy, Brace, Bourquist (thank God!)

Hofstra- Mihalich is on LOA until TBD, Lost Buie, Pemberton, A little used role player

Drexel- Lost Doles, Green, Walton

Delaware- Lost Darling, Cushing, Mutts, Goss

Elon- Lost Sheffield, Fuller, Pack

WM- Lost Knight, VanVilet, Hamilton, Barnes  a little used role player

Charleston - Lost Riller, Miller, Mcluney, Reddish

 

With that said, I would like us to go small when Gray isn't in at the 4. With Victor at the 5, we could spread the floor with some slashers and shooters. Timberlake in the corner was deadly on 3's and cuts to the hoop.  Freeing up the middle of the floor with 4 on the perimeter would keep teams from doubling Victor (I know he isn't an offensive threat, but he's so much bigger than anyone) and allow him to get some second chance shots.

2012, why do you think Drexel has lost Walton? I checked online & didn’t see anything about that 

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