A Look at the 2020-21 Men's Basketball team

[mat1992 2,259]

No preview this season without seeing practice. I haven't seen the team and I don't know if I'll be able to watch them due to COVID-19 restrictions until Nov. 25 or whenever the first home game is (and then not sure). So I can only go by what I've heard and the Blue Ribbon Preview, which was a very well done (always is) write up by Brian Mull. Let me go through a thumbnail sketch of each player. If I list a quote, I'm crediting Blue Ribbon Magazine and Brian Mull.

The starters or Key rotation players

PG Jason Gibson (6-1, 165). Gibson is not going to be electrifying with his speed or quickness. But has the IQ and the swag to be very good. He does have incredible range on his three-point shot and can make some dazzling passes. Had 68 assists and 44 turnovers last season. You'd like to see him average closer to four assists per game than 2.1. Needs to drive and dish more than just drive to look for the foul. Is expected to see some time at the two guard spot. Avg 8.4 ppg and shot 36.6% from three-point range, 89.4% FT. Not a bad defender, but had some issues with allowing penetration against quicker guards. Still needs to get stronger. 

SG/PG Zane Martin (6-4, 215). The big question is whether Towson's new "2" guard (yes, he's now wearing Betrand's number) is as good as he was in 2017-18. In that season as a sophomore, Martin was one of the best scorers in the CAA. He averaged 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He shot 46% from the floor 69.6% FT and 38% from beyond the arc. He also took 34.9% of the team's shots on the floor and posted a 107.9 offensive rating in conference play. But he struggled down the stretch of games, as his percentages from the line and the field went down in the last five minutes. Was he taking too much on his shoulders? He was basically the only player who could create his own shot (if he had only played with Fobbs). That might be the case on this team, but he'll have more shooters on the floor than maybe Mike Morsell with Gibson, Cam Allen, hopefully Curtis Holland, and others. At New Mexico, he averaged just 10.1 points and 3.1 assists, and playing more of a point guard role. He shot just 25% (21-84) from beyond the arc and 41.5% from the field with the Lobos. Defensively, he's not going to win awards, but he did appear to improve that part of his game at New Mexico.

PG Cam Allen (6-1, 185). The Cal Bakersfield transfer adds speed and experience. He shot 40.1% from the field and a more impressive 39.6% from beyond the arc (76% FT). He averaged 7.9 points and had 50 assists and 19 steals in 31 games with 10 starts. Also played for two seasons at Loyola Marymount so he likely played against Juwan Gray, though not matching up against him. One thing Allen could help is on the defensive end, challenging the quicker and more explosive point guards in the league. That was certainly an issue at times last season. If he comes off the bench, the tempo should be very uptempo.

PF Juwan Gray (6-8, 215). The grad transfer is another former WCC player. He left the charms of San Diego to move closer to his home two years ago. Odd first year for Gray. He averaged 7 points and 4.3 rebounds on 41% shooting and just 29.5% from long range. The hope was that Gray would become that athletic stretch four that the team had needed for years. He wasn't consistent enough and then injured his hand against Delaware on Feb. 6 and that was his season. The Tigers certainly missed Gray, even though he didn't start. They were left with almost no perimeter scoring in their frontcourt rotation of Tunstall, Sanders and Thompson. He did shoot 51% from 2-point range, but Gray is not a back to the basket player and not really a put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket type of player. They need him to make shots from the perimeter.

"He will be a key guy for us," said Pat Skerry in Blue Ribbon Magazine. "We need him to score better. I also think he might be as good a defensive versatility guy as we've had. I'm anticipating a big year from him, especially in the leadership category. He's a graduate student who does all the right things."

SG/SF Nicolas Timberlake (6-4, 200). Timberlake was named CAA Sixth Man of the Year and deservedly so. He averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.9 minutes last season. Skerry mentioned in the CAA Conference call that Timberlake would have started at shooting guard last year if not for a knee injury early in the season that cost him the first four games. He certainly improved as the season went on and became a very good offensive rebounder in conference. The big question for Timberlake and the team is whether he can consistently make shots. He doesn't have to be Brian Fobbs, but he needs to average double figures and become a second or third option to complement Martin. He played in nine games before getting injured in his freshman season, shooting 39.7% from the field and 23.8% from the three-point line (7 of 13 from the line). He certainly got better, but still shot just 37% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc (66% FT). The speed and athleticism are there. Not many players in the league run faster or jump higher. Needed to work on his ballhandling though moving to the three should help since Martin is a ball-dominant guard. If the team can push the ball more, Timberlake could get a few easy transition looks per game. Or some open threes from the corner, considering defenses will be locked on Martin. He is the key for this team.

SG Curtis Holland (6-2, 220). Holland, the High Point transfer, took Martin's old number and in some ways, he does resemble him physically with his size and strength. He could certainly replace his scoring or come close to that next season. But this season, he's the biggest question mark on the team due to health. In just nine games at High Point, playing for legendary coach Tubby Smith, he averaged 12.7 points and shot 39.1% from beyond the arc. He's coming off bone spur surgery on his foot and could return in non-conference play. Hopefully, he'll be in the rotation by December and at full strength by conference play. You can only imagine Martin and Holland playing together with their strength and Holland's athleticism. Let's hope they get that chance.

C Victor Uyaelumno (7-0, 220). Solomon's big but skinnier brother didn't get much time to play at USC. He's a four-star prospect for a reason. Not just because he's 7-feet, but also because he can run the floor like a deer. He will protect the rim and should be able to rebound. After that, it's tough to tell. They don't need him to score in double digits, but he's not a zero on offense. He does have some skills. Another question mark only because nobody has really seen him do it on a long-term basis. There are also worries about foul trouble and turnovers. 

C/PF Charles Thompson (6-8, 240). He's an old-school, back to the basket power forward. In this day and age of small ball, he has the length and size to play center. Thompson averaged 3.2 points and 3.7 rebounds. Shot just 46.2% (12-26) from the line. Did shoot 50% from the field and took just 2 shots from three-point range (didn't make them). Not as worried about him becoming a three-point shooter, but can he become a Dennis Tunstall with more bulk. Needs to improve shooting stroke and free throw shooting. Will play a lot of center and maybe some power forward.

PF Solomon Uyaelumno (6-7, 235). Solly played in just two games last season and then redshirted due to a knee injury. He was never fully healthy even after surgery, but returned in good shape according to Skerry on the CAA Conference call. One thing he should be able to do is rebound. He averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 16 minutes per game as a freshman. Shot just 51% from the line (26-51), but 57.8% from the field. Only took one three-point shot and made it. It will be interesting to see how many minutes he plays with his brother Victor and he could start at some point this season (would assume Gray does early on). Another question mark.

SF/PF Demetrius Mims (6-6, 185). Mims played sparingly at Long Beach State and averaged 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds. Very small sample size. At Poly, he averaged 18ppg and 7rpg. Very good athlete and pretty good shooter. Had some injury issues in his redshirt season. He's another wild card here, but needs to be productive off the bench. Not sure if he could physically play power forward, even in small ball lineup. 

 

The rest

Darrick Jones Jr. (6-5, 190). He's the future. Incredible athlete. Played for famous Oak Hill Academy, but didn't play a lot or shoot very much because they had so much talent surrounding him. He did rank #8 in the state of Virginia and was a three-star recruit. Not sure how much he will play this season. If this was non-COVID era, maybe you redshirt him since you have a bunch of guys that can play small forward, but not this season. Another lefty.

Chris Bieku (6-7, 215). Probably the biggest unknown of all the scholarship players. A freshman from Canada with very little video of him. You have Solomon and Gray ahead of him. Thompson can play power forward and so can Mims. Unless there are injuries, probably not going to see any time this season so possible redshirt. 

Jakigh Dottin (6-2, 211). You put Dottin, Holland and Martin out there...I know. Big, physical guards. Kind of like the Pittsburgh days. But Dottin doesn't have the scoring talent of the other two. He can defend some and play both guard spots. If Holland doesn't play early on, he could see some minutes. You almost forget that he started 13 games last season. Good guy and vocal leader. Not a great shooter (40.2%, 6-18 3-point, 70% FT). Hard not to like his toughness (3.0 rebounds). Had a nice 69 assists to 30 turnovers last season. But against pressure, seemed like he coughed it up at the worst times. Not super athletic or quick. That's why Allen is here and why they are bringing in two more point guards next season.

[TuTigers2012 1,079]

Nice write up.  I am excited about this teams depth and different skills that everyone brings.  Did not know that Hollands injury is still there.  You think if he's not back by Jan first, and everyone else is healthy and playing well, they redshirt him??

[mat1992 2,259]

I think redshirting is a possibility. Depends on the progress he makes.

[TSU88 1,078]

If this season doesn’t count as a year of spent eligibility (am I correct about that?) then would it even be procedurally necessary to redshirt a player?