A few points for those concerned. Hope this helps. This is kinda where I am at with the topic.

1. Missing Players

No Burrell
No Nichols
No Johnson
No Godfrey

We will have those players when we start the season.

2. Dom and Wilson transferred

Yes, we have players to make up for them and Wilson would have probably not played much but still could have used them especially Dom.

3. We have had to have our SF's play inside.

Yes King and Iverson did well there, however we could have had them guarding opposing 3's. Also, I believe Iverson is gonna end up getting time at the 4 too, but he had to play the 5 in Canada. Even though he did well, that's still not his natural position. It was good to test him there though. However, against opposing 4/5's from the NCAA teams it's gonna be harder for him.

4. Add it all up.

1. Johnson, Pookie, Magee (First games as Tigers) (Johnson officially unofficial but coming, obviously did not play)
2. Avery, Markel ( First games as Tigers)
3. King, Burrell (Burrell didn't play, King played the 4)
4. Nichols, Iverson, Hawkins (Nichols didn't play, Iverson did time at the 5, Hawkins is our 3rd stringer ended up playing a lot of minutes)
5. Shaq, Godfrey (Shaq was only TRUE big we had playing, Godfrey didn't play)

We just have to be patient and understand that we are young and this was 4 games in Canada playing FIBA rules with a 24 second shot clock. These players are not used to that. Also, some of our best pros at times struggle playing FIBA rules, especially the first few games. It was a great experience for them though. The guards got to learn, the coaches got to learn about the team they have and we had potentially 4 of our best players not playing. In basketball missing 4 players especially 4 of your best generally isn't good lol. Not to mention from every report we have gotten, we did not appear to game plan and we didn't change much up during the game aka make adjustments. Coach Pastner used these games to see what he had, who could do what, who could play where etc.

1. Johnson 13.5 PPG, 3.6 APG, 3.5 RPG,
2. Nichols 9.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG (Has gotten better)
3. Godfrey 13.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG
4. Burrell 25.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.6 APG (JUCO stats but WOW)

Add those players to the team and put everyone in their proper position and I'm loving this years team.

I will add that they played players that had exhausted their eligibility. Granted, the tougher competition will make us better but if the Scrubb brothers aren't out there, those are 2 entirely different games.

It's not like we took the 4 Kings. (LMAO)

Is that Kendren Johnson you are saying is coming? Did I miss an announcement he was coming to Memphis or is that speculation?

(08-20-2014 07:12 AM)NJ1 Wrote:  No, they didn't.

In Canada, you get 5 years' eligibility.

Not sure if it was a Jason Smith or Milner tweet but someone said those guys had finished their eligibility. Just going off of what I read.

(08-20-2014 07:06 AM)NJ1 Wrote:  If King plays at the 3 during the season, then that's not necessarily good news defensively. By all accounts, he's got to develop his ability to stay in front of faster players. Offensively he might be better suited to playing the 3, but people who know more than me seem to feel that guarding elite-level small forwards would be hard for him to do well at this stage.

He's gotta play the 3. He's just gotta get better defensively. Small ball is not going to work in the American IMO.

Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

They are big enough, they just have to learn how to be physical without fouling. That is an art.

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)NJ1 Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:13 AM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:12 AM)NJ1 Wrote:  No, they didn't.

In Canada, you get 5 years' eligibility.

Not sure if it was a Jason Smith or Milner tweet but someone said those guys had finished their eligibility. Just going off of what I read.

I think one of them was misinformed. Either that, or I have been-- but to my understanding in Canada you get 5 years, and the confusion about eligibility resulted from that discrepancy.

Gotcha.

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Are you female?

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Big Dom was missed last year for a significant portion of the season, as he couldn't stay out of the doghouse.

I'd say odds were excellent that would happen again this year (which may have led to Dom's "desire for a fresh start").

I, too, would like to have a big-bodied enforcer off the bench. I just don't think Dom was going to be able to keep it together to be that guy for us.

(08-20-2014 07:06 AM)NJ1 Wrote:  If King plays at the 3 during the season, then that's not necessarily good news defensively. By all accounts, he's got to develop his ability to stay in front of faster players. Offensively he might be better suited to playing the 3, but people who know more than me seem to feel that guarding elite-level small forwards would be hard for him to do well at this stage.

King will play at the 3 most of this season and will probably start every game there. He needs to focus on this footspeed prior to the start of the season, but he'll be fine.

We'd hamstring our lineup if we played him at the 4 this season, no experienced long 2 guard like Chris Crawford to plug in at the 3 this year.

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Imho, Dom was going to have a tough time playing over Godfrey. Also, my starting lineup (assuming everyone is eligible) would be:

King - Hawkins - Burrell
Nichols - Iverson - Hawkins
Goodwin - Godfrey - Iverson
Burrell - Woodson - Crawford
Johnson - Powell - McGee

(08-20-2014 07:41 AM)holyterror Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Big Dom was missed last year for a significant portion of the season, as he couldn't stay out of the doghouse.

I'd say odds were excellent that would happen again this year (which may have led to Dom's "desire for a fresh start").

I, too, would like to have a big-bodied enforcer off the bench. I just don't think Dom was going to be able to keep it together to be that guy for us.

Agree. I would rather have Dom than not, but there is no way anyone can say he would make a big difference, b/c, so far, he had not proven he could keep it together off the court, much less sustain an effective performance on the court.

I've heard rumors that Burrell might not make it. Hopefully they are wrong. We need another tall wing

(08-20-2014 07:48 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Imho, Dom was going to have a tough time playing over Godfrey. Also, my starting lineup (assuming everyone is eligible) would be:

King - Hawkins - Burrell
Nichols - Iverson - Hawkins
Goodwin - Godfrey - Iverson
Burrell - Woodson - Crawford
Johnson - Powell - Cunningham

Sometimes that 6'10 280 frame is exactly what the doctor ordered.

I don't think USF has either of those two behemoths back this season (Egbunu 6'10" 250; Perry 6'9" 250) but imagine if we had to defend these two with someone no heavier than 230 (shaq) or no taller than 6"5" (Hawkins).

With Dom on the roster, we at least had a gigantic body to throw at guys like this.

(08-20-2014 07:48 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Imho, Dom was going to have a tough time playing over Godfrey. Also, my starting lineup (assuming everyone is eligible) would be:

King - Hawkins - Burrell
Nichols - Iverson - Hawkins
Goodwin - Godfrey - Iverson
Burrell - Woodson - Crawford
Johnson - Powell - McGee

I wanna see Burrell and Johnson play, but I like where that lineup is headed. Length and strength. It does, however, put a lot of pressure on Johnson if Burrell turns out to be more of a 3 than a 2.

Iverson, Hawkins, Godfrey and Powell off the bench (assuming our bench is longer than last year) is intriguing.

(08-20-2014 07:55 AM)MemphisCanes Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:48 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Imho, Dom was going to have a tough time playing over Godfrey. Also, my starting lineup (assuming everyone is eligible) would be:

King - Hawkins - Burrell
Nichols - Iverson - Hawkins
Goodwin - Godfrey - Iverson
Burrell - Woodson - Crawford
Johnson - Powell - Cunningham

Sometimes that 6'10 280 frame is exactly what the doctor ordered.

I don't think USF has either of those two behemoths back this season (Egbunu 6'10" 250; Perry 6'9" 250) but imagine if we had to defend these two with someone no heavier than 230 (shaq) or no taller than 6"5" (Hawkins).

With Dom on the roster, we at least had a gigantic body to throw at guys like this.

If we don't have size,then we must dictate the game in other ways....No sense if defeating yourself mentally by reiterating the obvious. This year, the combinations of guards/small forwards will be limitless as well as creating mismatches from the small forward/power forward positions.

We actually had this luxury last year but chose to focus primarily on 3 dominant guards consistently and was too stubborn to develop our team based on the strengths/advantages that were there....It is imperative for any team, from any sport on any level, to play to it's advantages/strengths....It only throttles development if we waste the opportunities to gameplan to what we can't do as opposed to what we can!!

BTW, who is Godfrey???? I am not familiar with this 13ppg 8+ rebs per game;

(08-20-2014 08:05 AM)thagr82008 Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:55 AM)MemphisCanes Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:48 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Imho, Dom was going to have a tough time playing over Godfrey. Also, my starting lineup (assuming everyone is eligible) would be:

King - Hawkins - Burrell
Nichols - Iverson - Hawkins
Goodwin - Godfrey - Iverson
Burrell - Woodson - Crawford
Johnson - Powell - Cunningham

Sometimes that 6'10 280 frame is exactly what the doctor ordered.

I don't think USF has either of those two behemoths back this season (Egbunu 6'10" 250; Perry 6'9" 250) but imagine if we had to defend these two with someone no heavier than 230 (shaq) or no taller than 6"5" (Hawkins).

With Dom on the roster, we at least had a gigantic body to throw at guys like this.

If we don't have size,then we must dictate the game in other ways....No sense if defeating yourself mentally by reiterating the obvious. This year, the combinations of guards/small forwards will be limitless as well as creating mismatches from the small forward/power forward positions.

We actually had this luxury last year but chose to focus primarily on 3 dominant guards consistently and was too stubborn to develop our team based on the strengths/advantages that were there....It is imperative for any team, from any sport on any level, to play to it's advantages/strengths....It only throttles development if we waste the opportunities to gameplan to what we can do as opposed to what we can't!!

BTW, who is Godfrey???? I am not familiar with this 13ppg 8+ rebs per game;

Our versatility on the wing will be great for us on offense, but there's no getting around the fact that we're smaller in the middle without Dom on defense. Offense will be fine this season, we've got weapons galore.

Defense... is another issue. I'd say that instituting several zone looks, including a 1-3-1 with one of our lengthier guys at the top, is the best way to hide our weaknesses on D. However, we've got a lot of new guys and, from the Canada trip, most don't even know where to be in man defense, much less a complicated zone. We've got work to do.

Well at least we know how far we are from competing for the Canadian national title.

(08-20-2014 07:55 AM)MemphisCanes Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:48 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 07:16 AM)presskh Wrote:  Big Dom will be sorely missed. Our lack of a dominant big man will hurt us this year. Shaq and Nichols are great in most situations, but sometimes size does truly matter.

Imho, Dom was going to have a tough time playing over Godfrey. Also, my starting lineup (assuming everyone is eligible) would be:

King - Hawkins - Burrell
Nichols - Iverson - Hawkins
Goodwin - Godfrey - Iverson
Burrell - Woodson - Crawford
Johnson - Powell - Cunningham

Sometimes that 6'10 280 frame is exactly what the doctor ordered.

I don't think USF has either of those two behemoths back this season (Egbunu 6'10" 250; Perry 6'9" 250) but imagine if we had to defend these two with someone no heavier than 230 (shaq) or no taller than 6"5" (Hawkins).

With Dom on the roster, we at least had a gigantic body to throw at guys like this.

You're right. Sometimes a big body is needed. In Dom's case, my question was always going to be his attitude and the overall affect on the team. I hope Godfrey turns out to be closer to 240.