I agree with this. Just need to get Caleb back now. He's a glue guy that does a little bit of everything. I think his offensive game will grow a bit with more touches this season as well.
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I’m usually positive, but this isn’t really where it’s at. We can (and should) bring someone additional in to fill Ron and/or Jaden’s spot whether Caleb returns or not to enhance the bench. It’d be a stretch though to say there’s a “stud in the waiting” out there who we aren’t landing just because Caleb might be there. I just don’t see that being the hold up given our roster and the fact that Caleb isn’t dominant scorer.
What sample size is your cut off? He’s taken 133 career threes. Paul’s taken 155.
I am being nice. he might be in one of those other levels i didn't post.
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Good post Scarlet Blind, as for Caleb finishing the year strong offensively, I'd just like to remind everyone of the way he basically carried the team on his back in the last game of the season against ND.
I like Blind's post. I am going to go with that one for the offseason.
Mag needs to get to 225-230 given his height. He won't lose any athleticism Shouldn't be hard for him to put on 10 pounds over the summer
Agreed. If you take away the games where he had the Yips (that had to be a weird mental block - he was missing point blank bunnies) and the games he played injured or recovering from injury, his offensive numbers would look a lot better. I say this with others pointing to small sample size as the excuse for certain players with less attempts than Caleb.
Sure, in a kid's pick up game, like Barkley in the Capital One commercial - I still got itCan you play the 4?
He might be a 4 but right now, on this team, he needs to be a backup 5.
I didn't say FGs, so was talking about how good our FT shooters will be at the end of the games. Cliff shot 62.5% FG and 60% FT in 21-22, but 62% FT last 12 games. It is not unrealistic for Cliff to shoot 65-70% from the line next year. His overall FG% might go down a bit because he will be taking many more 3 point FGs, but his 2pt FG% will head more towards the 65-70% range as well.
Misread my bad. Yes I think Cliff can shoot 70% from the FT line
In fairness - what did you expect from the offense going into 2019-20? Looking back, Caleb led all 3 point shooters returning to the team that season. Even the transfers. Yeboah shot 31% from there the prior year for Stonybrook. Young hadn’t been a good shooter over 2 seasons at Texas.
We didn’t have a high volume sharp shooter like Cam Spencer. We didn’t have a big like Dean who could nail it from deep.
What we had was a transition game that we don’t seem to have the personnel to excel in. But you never know. Maybe Simpson will come in and add that dimension off the bench.
Simpson is just the type of player we are missing. A pass first guard that can break down a defense with dribble penetration and then dish or take it to the hoop. He came up bigger against better competition as you can recall from his games against Camden or in the States. He will see significant minutes this year. Would have been rated a four star had he played in northern Jersey.
I agree on Simpson, he should earn a larger role on this roster. And like Cliff when we had Myles Johnson, it is a valuable freshman experience to play with a veteran group, while not being asked to do too much, too early. Simpson sets up well to be a 20 to 25 minutes a game type of player.
It’s always a crap shoot trying to predict which kids will contribute as frosh. From the limited film I’ve seen on him though, the kid seems like a quick slasher type - I see potential for him being able to contribute the way Tez did as a younger player beating guys down the floor.
I remember all the hype post about Jaden Jones scoring 10-12 ppg and taking a starting role by mid season. Board even hyped up Jalen Miller. Now its Simpson gonna come in and play a big role. Im assuming this is more desperation talk- kinda how it was for Jones and Miller. Since Pike hasn't brought in much lately gotta hype up what we have. Even tho Simpson probably won't be ready
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I don’t remember Miller talk like that, but Jones was a very highly rated recruit who enrolled early. I didn’t think he would replace starters but I was shocked at how lost he looked and that he didn’t contribute more.
His filmed was being hyped up. Can get into the lane, finish with both hands. Some thought he would have a role, and were questioning why weren't seeing him early on. I think we all thought Jaden would play an impactful role, but some were going overboard
That's what we do, hype up the new kid on the block as the next superstar.
When right brag about our ability to spot talent.
When wrong, wait till next year and fawn over the next new kid on the block who is a can't miss superstar
What are your thoughts on the dynamic of pike going after lofton and the idea of pike Simpson being ready for 20-25 minutes a game?
I’m hopeful he expects early Tez type performance from Simpson. Spark off the bench who can beat everyone down the floor on a fast break. Maybe draw some fouls. Hopefully play tough defense. I’m not sure how many minutes that would translate to but there’s a role for a transition player on this roster. Assuming Caleb returns, it’s probably the biggest piece missing.
1) Ron almost never played the 5.
2) We produced a tournament team in 2019-20 and 2020-21 without Ron shooting amazing from deep. So to be good, we clearly don’t need a 4 to replicate his 2021-22 perimeter shooting.
3) As for rebounding, I don’t see that as an area of drop off either assuming Caleb is playing with Hyatt or Mag.
The issues in order:
1) Ron would create his own shot by penetrating in the paint. Without him there as a go to, will any of these other guys emerge with more confidence to do this? If Caleb in particular could finish more at the rim, he suddenly becomes dangerous because he has a midrange game. We’ll see.
2) Ron is a MUCH better help ball handler than Hyatt and Mag. This may impact rotation options when either Paul or Caleb sit as both of them need a second ball handler for support when running the PG duties. Should Caleb choose to stay in the draft, this would be a major concern.
On the last point - the concerning reflection of note is that we almost never didn’t have 2 of 3 (Paul, Geo and Caleb) on the court at the same time last season. Miller was the next best ball handler, but lacked offense. This was often overlooked as a reason he was put in the game (by the “play Jaden”campaign). It wasn’t only about better defense. He often checked in for stability running the point because we had nobody else.
Ron was next best and typically 3rd best ball handler on the floor. So we’ll be replacing a huge chunk of our 2nd and 3rd ball handling options. And if we’re being honest, Geo is the best pure ball handler of all of them.
Ron was next best and typically 3rd best ball handler on the floor. So we’ll be replacing a huge chunk of our 2nd and 3rd ball handling options. And if we’re being honest, Geo is the best pure ball handler of all of them.
IMO, I bet Pike thinks Simpson is ready for B1G and likes our current lineup, but when he saw Lofton available he was willing to shift his plans as he knows Lofton would be a big time impact player and he had a shot with him
I wanted to think that but it’s not really the way he has used the portal in the past so I think it’s unlikely to be the case
It doesn’t seem like he’s desperate to land someone else though. He was desperate to make sure we landed one guard (offers flying from one target to the next) until we got Spencer.
Between Miller and Simpson there’s a minimum of 10-15 minutes of PT with either Paul or Caleb. Neither will play 40 mph and one of the guards will likely go in when either of them sits.
I didn’t say Ron played the 5 position. I said we need another B1G as in the 6-8 to 6-10” who can swing between the PF and C spots. Remember that kid ??? Pike brought in from Stoney Brook . Yeah that’s the type of guy.
Yes - obviously a Yeboah type would be great but there was an inside connection. Those types of kids are tough to land in the portal though.
I was focused on the part of your post that emphasized the loss of RHJ which won’t impact us much at all at the 5 position.
Oh but unfortunately it will . RHJ was a key component for stability and guidance when things were not going well. We still are not at the we’ll just reload phase. I won’t belabor the point. If Caleb returns that dramatically improves this team as would be expected. A Yeboah type would elevate us to top 4-5 again IMHO.
I think in terms of physical toughness, either combo of Caleb/Hyatt or Caleb/Mag would be okay with Cliff down low. The issue is scoring in the paint.
If Dean Reiber works hard and hits the weight room he can fill the back up 5 and the 4 ( PF) Caleb will be a ( SF) snd off guard. I like Mawot and Hyatt to give us length and depth. People say Reiber will be too slow to defend on the outside ? I’ll hold judgement on that part of his game and see if he can improve that part of his D. In fact I’ll look to see all of them improve on the off D . Being together again will give this team a chance especially if Caleb returns.