(07-14-2015 12:29 PM)ODUR8R Wrote: Raw per game averages are dinosaurs in college basketball. Arledge only played half the game but was our best defensive rebounder. ODU played at the 339th fastest tempo last season which greatly impacted per game averages.
Within that, Arledge was our best defensive rebounder, the best at drawing fouls, the best at spacing the floor and the second best on the team at blocking shots. He was our second most utilized player on a per possession basis.
I'm going to wait and see on Pervier.
Like them or loath them, averages are what they are ... averages. I think we are both saying much the same thing which is essentially 'wait and see'. It is just like we are talking about the glass being half full, but are individually concentrating on the opposite half.
I had noticed that Arledge played just 20.1 minutes per game (average) and am pretty sure that he would have averaged more minutes, points, rebounds, etc. had he not gotten so many dumb/cheap fouls called against him, lots of them 15-20+ feet from the basket. Too many times he was forced to the bench due to that.
As our tallest player and starting center it is understandable that he was the team's best defensive rebounder. Most teams post their center down low and since he would be guarding that position it naturally puts him in the best/closest defensive rebounding position when the shot goes up. With him having better range than Taylor or Ross, that kept them closer to the basket than him on the offensive end and therefore Taylor in particular was a better offensive rebounder.
While he was a reasonable 3 point shooter at 26.7% (average) he wasn't stellar. I'm certainly not suggesting that Pervier will be as good at that distance. On the other hand if Pervier is better in the low post then he may bring a much needed dimension to the team by opening up the outside more for guys like Freeman, Bacote, Mosley, and Baker. That might also cut into Taylor's offensive rebounding numbers though. Time will tell.
I would be surprised if ODU's style/pace of play changes very much this season, but the shortening of the shot clock will likely allow a few more possessions per game (average). If averages do change much in returning players it would likely be due to the individuals shooting better than they did last year, them taking more shots than they did last year, the team being better defensively or at rebounding that got them more shots or easier (open court shots) than last year.
None of this is meant as a negative against Arledge. I like Arledge and wish he had another year of eligibility at ODU. If he did I would have Pervier as 2nd on the depth chart behind him going into the season, and after that if he was not performing well he would move behind Biberaj to 3rd.
I'm pretty sure that most if not all of us - myself included - are taking a wait and see attitude with Pervier. All I was saying is that
IF he gets significant minutes per game (say 20 minutes per game like Arledge) this season then I don't see it as a stretch for him to at least be in the neighborhood of the averages that Arledge posted. Basically he would only need a couple of rebounds and baskets per 10 minute half (average). If that were to happen I believe that he should be able to have at least 19 blocked shots and perhaps even the 20 steals that Arledge had at season's end. Naturally he wouldn't be able to do that if he wasn't good enough to play a decent amount of minutes like Arledge did.
I've never seen him play so I don't know. If I had then I too might be more in the glass half empty crowd while still not being sure. I am reasoning that since the coaching staff recruited him for probably just one season they likely saw something about him other than just his size to make them optimistic that he could help the team. He did have some big games in Junior College this past season so maybe there is some justification there.
