1- Barnes (Loewe, Scott)
2- Hamilton (Williams, Scott, Ayesa)
3- Blair (VanVliet)
4- Van Vliet (Wight, Knight)
5- Knight (Harvey)

I'm going with defense and experience. If Jihar shows new confidence and growth, he has a shot at the 2 spot. Blair is green, but I like his toughness and versatility. Thoughts?

Depending on the offense, Williams has a shot at the 2 with Hamilton at 3, I think.

It didn't warrant another post, but also potential for Harvey to start and VV to the 3. I'm eager to see what Coach Fischer does with matchups. Loewe might have the inside track on the starting job based on loyalty to the program, which I think would be warranted at the start of the season unless there's a significant talent gap.

Williams has D1 size for #2/3, but has yet to show he is a D1 player. I don't believe that will change. He has had ample opportunity, both, freshman and soph years.

(05-29-2019 09:40 PM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  It didn't warrant another post, but also potential for Harvey to start and VV to the 3. I'm eager to see what Coach Fischer does with matchups.

I'm very excited about this. We have the ability to play very big next year.

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Hope Harvey will have added 20 lbs of solid muscle by the fall, and become a rebounding machine to go with his shot blocking.

Someone besides Van Vliet, Knight or Barnes has got to transform into an additional, consistent 3 pt threat to lift this team to a higher level. That's the window of opportunity for the remainder of the roster.

Nate posted "Unfinished Business" in his "I'm back" announcement today. I have a hunch he was inferring more than just completing his business degree, or skill development needed before his professional career.

This was a much needed good day for Tribe fans, players and staff. Go Tribe!

This from a Wisconsin fan to Jon Rothstein:
Ty
@TJHoeft14
1h
"Nathan Knight & Andy Van Vliet is a nasty front court duo in the CAA. That high-low game is going to be fun to watch & tough to stop.
Wish W&M could’ve found a way to keep Justin Pierce, but they have the talent to make some noise in the CAA and go dancing."

Expect some serious battles in practice among Knight, Van Vliet and Harvey. Buckle up Ben Wight.

I hope it will work out for Rowley to be a grad assistant in his last year of law school.

All the players who spoke at this year Banquet mentioned the attitude of Williams plus their expectations that he could have a great year.


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(05-29-2019 09:49 PM)Tribeheart Wrote:  Williams has D1 size for #2/3, but has yet to show he is a D1 player. I don't believe that will change. He has had ample opportunity, both, freshman and soph years.

I hear you, and you may be right. But who else on the roster is there to play the 2? No one on the roster has shown much more.

The options:
Loewe - 58 games / 2.6ppg
Hamilton - 48 games / 1.8ppg
Williams - 31 games / 1.6ppg
Scott - 22 games / 1.8ppg
Ayesa - ??

Who steps up? Im not sure if I like Loewe at the 2 spot, though he is clearly the most experienced. If it is mainly 3 point shooting we need there, Williams or Ayesa gets the nod. Hamilton got the nod from me because I think he can do a little of everything. He can drive, hit the open shot, and is a willing defender. I guess the same could be said of Loewe. Freshman Ayesa could be a dark horse with his catch and shoot ability. It is a big step up trying to defend at the college level though.
There will be and should be some healthy competition for those guard spots. Whether there is an answer on the roster is TBD.

The terrific addition of Bryce Barnes changes the entire chemistry of the team. With Nathan's return and adding Barnes and Hamilton the past two days the entire outlook for the season has changed for the better virtually overnight,

(05-29-2019 10:15 PM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(05-29-2019 09:40 PM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  It didn't warrant another post, but also potential for Harvey to start and VV to the 3. I'm eager to see what Coach Fischer does with matchups.

I'm very excited about this. We have the ability to play very big next year.

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That's not really a tenable lineup, it would get shredded defensively. None of those players can guard the 3 (it's unclear whether any can truly guard the 4 either). And it wouldn't be too tough to stop offensively either, with a serious lack of speed.

(05-30-2019 08:01 AM)Tribe2011 Wrote:  

(05-29-2019 10:15 PM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(05-29-2019 09:40 PM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  It didn't warrant another post, but also potential for Harvey to start and VV to the 3. I'm eager to see what Coach Fischer does with matchups.

I'm very excited about this. We have the ability to play very big next year.

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That's not really a tenable lineup, it would get shredded defensively. None of those players can guard the 3 (it's unclear whether any can truly guard the 4 either). And it wouldn't be too tough to stop offensively either, with a serious lack of speed.

I agree. This isn’t like Football where we can put in a few special “plays” for unusual line-up combinations. Any lineup we send out there needs to be able to score and defend for many possessions in a row. But yes, it would be cool to see a CAA lineup with 3 guys over 6’9”” !!!!


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I think playing a zone would mitigate a lot of the defensive liabilities. You wouldn't want it to be our everyday lineup but I could see a variety of situations where we'd want to slow the game down and play big.

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At this point, Nate and AVV are the only guys I consider locked in to a starting role. Especially if Dane hits a reset, implements different schemes, etc. it will be an open competition for all slots. If I had to put money on it, I'd expect we'll see Barnes, Williams, Blair, AVV, Knight. But depending on how preseason work goes, either Loewe or Scott could start at PG (Scott would be a huge surprise, sure, but they often say the leap b/t Freshman and Sophomore year is when the most improvement happens). And I think the entire rest of the team is competing for starting spots at 2 & 3. Competition is good. Hopefully it brings the guys together.

(05-30-2019 09:03 AM)ColonelEbirt Wrote:  At this point, Nate and AVV are the only guys I consider locked in to a starting role. Especially if Dane hits a reset, implements different schemes, etc. it will be an open competition for all slots. If I had to put money on it, I'd expect we'll see Barnes, Williams, Blair, AVV, Knight. But depending on how preseason work goes, either Loewe or Scott could start at PG (Scott would be a huge surprise, sure, but they often say the leap b/t Freshman and Sophomore year is when the most improvement happens). And I think the entire rest of the team is competing for starting spots at 2 & 3. Competition is good. Hopefully it brings the guys together.

I am looking for Quinn Blair to have a breakout season. He appears to be tough as nails and I thought that he displayed a soft touch from the 3 point line on occasions. More than anything, I think that he embodies the kind of kid who really plays for the name on the front of the jersey.

Good looking pic

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Our very own Duncan and Robinson

My hunch:

1) Barnes
2&3) Lots of question marks but would go with Williams and Hamilton
4) VV
5) NK

I think Quinn will play a lot (6th man) but not sure he is athletic enough to play the wing in the CAA. Harvey will be our 3rd big. As for the wing spot I’m going with Williams because I think (or hope) he figures it out in year 3! Hamilton brings experience if he can stay healthy. Those 2 will be pushed by Ayesa, Scott, Loewe and others. As for Loewe, I’m curious why some of you think he will be a factor next year? His shooting metrics leave a lot to be desired and he didn’t even average 2 assists a game last year. Just because you played under the old coach doesn’t mean you will play with the new coach. I’ve heard Scott could surprise us this year. Think Luke will still get some time but it won’t be close to what it was last year.

I echo a lot of those same thoughts. For Luke, he is a very good on ball defender, much better than Scott, so that’s why I think he’ll still see time as backup PG. His offense picked up towards the end of the year too. Wouldn’t shock me to see Scott on the wing some with his height.

Who knows what Coach Fisher will be looking for exactly, how much each of these guys improve, if we have any more additions, and what will happen in the fall.


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Hamilton barely played at Penn, not sure I'd pencil him in as a starter

Based on the limited film available, this would be my starting 5. Best balance between offense/defense on the court.

1 Loewe (Barnes, Scott)
2 Barnes (Scott, Williams, Ayesa)
3 Hamilton (Blair, Van Vliet)
4 Van Vliet (Harvey, Wight)
5 Knight (Harvey)

I know Barnes has classical PG size and game, but I think he also the most reliable scoring/shooting option we might have with our guard options. Loewe improved as the season went along, and even found a jumper down the stretch. Guessing Barnes sees time at both 1 and 2 spots. Nod to a healthy Hamilton over Blair based on game experience. I hope Williams proves me wrong, but he has yet to show a good feel for the game or offensive consistency. Scott could factor big if he adds strength and improves defensively.

Still disappointed that we'll never know what could have been, but happy that Dane and staff were able to stop the hemorrhaging and change the narrative around the program.