Re: How many of these current playersarestartersin07/08?

From: Jonathan Breiner
Date: 02 Dec 2006 - 02:06 PM EST

I agree with this, but I think even Downey would struggle at this point getting the team into its offense, being a leader, etc. Way too many new guys and not the talent level (yet) that we have become accustomed to. I think next year with Adam H., Williamson, Vaughn and Williams, that is a good 4. I think I have been most disappointed with Gentry. With his size and ability, I expected better rebounding and shooting from the guard position, but it has yet to happen. Maybe he is not as good as I thought, but I can't give up yet! But I have been equally surprised by Vaughn. I think the thing that hurts the most is the activity on the defensive end. Warren and Vaughn have spurts, but Sikes and Williamson have been consistently overmatched and do not play as consistently hard as we are used to seeing. Hopefully that will change too with experience!

Jon

----- Original Message ----- From: "dfairchild" <address@hidden>
To: "UC Basketball Forum" <address@hidden>
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 9:03 PM
Subject: Re: [UC Basketball] How many of these current playersarestartersin07/08?

Joe,

The stat line looks good. Let me preface my remarks with two caveats - it
is difficult to gauge Vaughn's and Warren's point guard skills fully because
1) they don't have a full complement of experienced players - for example,
think of the difference between Downey's supporting cast and theirs; 2) the
team as a whole is still relatively new, not familiar playing with one
another.

Having said that - what I don't see when I watch the games is a floor leader
getting the team into its offense. I regularly see passes around the top of
the key (little dribble or pass penetration, feeding the post, etc); I don't
see defenses getting broken down, being forced to respond, rotate.

Maybe it is unfair to expect to see those things at this point. Also, it
could be that I haven't watched enough games. I like to learn and if you
are seeing those things or others, I'm eager to hear.

Go Cats!
DF

-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden
[mailto:address@hidden Behalf Of Joe Bodner
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 7:11 PM
To: UC Basketball Forum
Subject: Re: [UC Basketball] How many of these current players
arestartersin07/08?

15 points and 5.5 assists per game sounds like someone who knows when to
shoot and when to pass. Am I missing something as far as Vaughns lack of
point guard skills?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brock Schweitzer" <address@hidden>
To: "UC Basketball Forum" <address@hidden>
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 6:44 PM
Subject: Re: [UC Basketball] How many of these current players arestartersin
07/08?

If Cronin is shooting for the "best athlete available," then we may have
to
expect an all out running-style team. I expected that from what I saw at
Bearcat Madness, but in the games, there has been little to no pressing,
and
the team still doesn't run the floor effectively enough to mask the lack
of
size and a set half-court offense.

Sikes is a smaller version of Corie Blount, except with a better jump
shot.
He was never intended to play in the middle and should be rotating between
3-4, but could be effective in a running-offense at the 5. Its really
obvious that Williamson feels most comfortable running the floor, and not
in
a half-court offense, which is why he is flourishing, to a degree, this
year.

I agree, we need a true point guard, but Vaughn is VERY promising. Vaughn
insisted that he was a passer from the get-go, and you can see it at
times,
but Cronin really wants him to shoot, which as we've seen, can be very
effective. I think Cronin realizes, if Vaughn becomes a legit threat from
3, teams will have to play tight on the perimeter with him, which will
allow
him to penetrate and dish (something he's already good at). Whether Larry
Davis is the answer is yet to be seen, but I suspect a "Downey-like" guard
would be the best choice.

I have a feeling, that this team will be full of players 6'4"-6'7" in the
coming years, and that will very much resemble the Villanova team from
last
year. The more players on the 6'7" end with speed (i.e. Williamson) will
yield even better results than 'Nova.

I am curious as to whether the press is not being implemented because of a
lack of depth or because of just not running it effectively. Against
Oakland, when they ran it, was horrible... the front guy (Vaughn or
Warren)
and the back guy (Sikes) would look good, but the guys in the middle were
lost and missed lots of opportunities to snag some long passes. This is
where I see those new mid-size players coming in and making our press
scary.

Another question is whether the old-school press (i.e. Huggins '92-'93,
Pitino '92-'95) is even effective anymore. It was a hit in the early-mid
'90s, but has since disappeared from college basketball. Is it too easily
manipulated by offenses, or is it just too tough to teach a team to run it
effectively with the brutal schedules and short-term players? I certainly
hope its not a dinosaur, and I hope Cronin can get these guys to run an
effective press, because that's the best shot without some solid depth at
the 4-5 spots.

On 12/1/06, dfairchild <address@hidden> wrote:

Brock,

I asked this question about a week ago, but no one had an answer. I
think
that we are short on big men and a quality point guard. Right now for
big
men, it is Adam H., Sikes, and Mike Williams. Will Connor Baldwin come
back
out again next year?

I think Vaughn will be a great player, but I see him more as a 2 guard
than
a 1. Some have compared him to Logan. It would be great to see him
develop
like Steve did, but I think Steve's develop was more his skills and
understanding of the game. I think he had a pg's mentality from the git
go,
and I haven't seen that from Vaughn or Warren.

Go Cats!
Darryl

-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden
[mailto:address@hidden Behalf Of Brock Schweitzer
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 1:31 PM
To: UC Basketball Forum
Subject: Re: [UC Basketball] How many of these current players are
startersin 07/08?

Speaking of which, are there any big guys on our recruiting radar to fill
the gaps of Herrera and Hall? Seems like this would be a top priority
for
Cronin and staff since they've got plenty of depth at in the front court
for
next season.

On 12/1/06, John <address@hidden> wrote:
>
> This team will be much better next year and may just surprise a lot of
> people. With a year of experience with the current team, plus the new
> additions and big men we will be alright. After that we should have a
> good recruiting class to begin replacing the current players that will
> be graduating.
>
> cpaw fan wrote:
> > One starter is a senior, but Adam should be there for the starting
> lineup
> > next season. Of the other starters, should we expect that all of
> > them
> > will
> > be starting again next season?
> >
> > Mike Williams should be able to win a spot, but what about the
> > recruits? Do
> > any of them appear to be good enough to be impact players as
> > Freshman?
> >
> > If the answer is that Willimson and Vaughn are the only hold over
> > starters,
> > then things look pretty good.
> >
>
>
>

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References:
- Re: How many of these current players arestartersin07/08?
  - From: dfairchild

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