Cincinnati Bearcats

Hello There, Guest! (LoginRegister)

Post Reply 
Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
Author Message
Bookmark and Share
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #1
Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
I started this thread to comment on Temple’s 2019-2020 season.,In the beginning a poster JedClampett and I discussed the upcoming season. We both had high hopes for both new HC Aaron Mckie, and the team.

When non-conference play started, JedClampett dropped out and I kept texting, but few others did.

I continued providing comments on each of Temple’s games.

Overtime, , I made a deeper dive trying to understand why Temple finished with a 14-17 overall record, and a 6-12 AAC record, when the previous season Temple’s recorded a 23-10 overall record, and finished 3rd in the AAC with 12-6 AAC record.

Temple had a losing season for myriad of reason, including having it’s two worse shooters being Temple most prolific shooters, not playing four guards that included Monty Scott, , and rarely pressuring the ball forcing opponent turnovers on defense.

On page 9 and 10, is a lengthy analysis of Temple’s wins over SMU, Tulane, and UConn they previously lost to. In the second halves of the SMU and Tulane games, and the entire UConn game, Temple played small ball with four guards on the court, and pressured to ball forcing opponent turnovers. It’s my view that Temple would have had a successful winning season
if they played that way the entire season.

Temple should have played either Forrester or Moorman at Center, alongside Alani Moore, NPL, Scott, and Rose at PF. Those four guards produced Temple’s victories in the games. Such line-up would have committed fewer turnovers, got to the foul-line more, had a better shooting percentage, and scored more points per game.

Defensively, if Temple would have also pressured the ball more, opponents commit more turnovers, shoot a lower shooting percentage, and scored fewer points per game.

The big change that made Temple’s 4-guard line-up was HC Mckie finally playing Monty Scoot significant minutes starting with the second SMU game. He was the engine that made Temple’s four-guard line-up so successful.

On page 11 are tips on shooting jumpers, floaters, and foul shots.

My last entry on page 12 is a summary on why Temple’s season went so far off the rails.

Thanks to the 65,000 viewers who have viewed this thread.
 
(This post was last modified: 10-09-2021 07:41 AM by Miggy.)
10-10-2019 10:02 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #2
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-10-2019 10:25 PM)Miggy Wrote:  [quote='Miggy' pid='16361577' dateline='1570762956']
With the season rapidly approaching, and Temple holding an open scrimmage Saturday, and holding a secret scrimmage with Georgetown on Temple’s home court on October 26th, and at the suggestion of JedClampett on the AAC message board, let’s discuss Temple’s men’s bb. Go Owls!

While some fans are unsure if Temple has improved since last season, having lost starters Shizz Alston, Temple’s best player and high scorer, and also Erm Aflakpui, Temple’s starting Center and leading rebounder, I’m not.

I say this for a variety of reasons: 1) Temple’s new HC has invigorated the program and instilled Temple players with new confidence that they can succeed and be a very good team.

2) Temple has three new players in James Scott, D.Dunn, and JPL, who have the potential to make Temple a far better team (more on this in subsequent posts) and

3) Even though Temple had a very good record (23-10) last season, Temple under utilized and did not integrate into the offense enough, some very good shooters who simply did not shoot often enough.

Moorman, D.Moore, Hamilton, and A.moore make-up this grip. Am hopeful with HC McKie stressing for players to find the open man, these players will shoot Moore often, and shoot as least as well as they did last season in conference play.

4) Certain players like D.Moore and others have significant upped their games over the summer.




Ok - I'll respond point by point:



1) Temple’s new HC has invigorated the program and instilled Temple players with new confidence that they can succeed and be a very good team.

I agree on this point. Beyond invigorating and boosting confidence, I think there is another important factor, which may be equally or more important. With McKie at the helm, Temple teams may again develop their sense of identity, which was a key to their success during the John Chaney years. If you had followed the team during that era, you would have known what the team's sense of identity was.

I can only describe the team's identity during that era as being as you put it, a "blue collar" sensibility. Temple teams were often described as being "workmanlike" in their approach, with a high level of determination. The key to their identity was that they identified with the historical mission of Temple, the "acres of diamonds" approach of the founder, Russell Conwell, the mission of helping young people with disadvantaged incomes to move up in the world and strive to better themselves.


2) Temple has three new players in James Scott, D.Dunn, and JPL, who have the potential to make Temple a far better team (more on this in subsequent posts).

Agree, but with Dunn's injury and JPL's sketchy play in Puerto Rico, I have the gut feeling that they may not work their way into the rotation until mid-season.


3) Even though Temple had a very good record (23-10) last season, Temple under utilized and did not integrate into the offense enough, some very good shooters who simply did not shoot often enough.

Moorman, D.Moore, Hamilton, and A.moore make-up this grip. Am hopeful with HC McKie stressing for players to find the open man, these players will shoot Moore often, and shoot as least as well as they did last season in conference play.

Agree about Moorman and Damion. Moorman often passed up taking a shot when he was open on the perimeter. He needs to put up a shot, I think, every time he gets the ball and can see the basket.

In Damion's case, he just needs to play more minutes with greater confidence that he isn't going to get the quick hook from the bench whenever he makes a mistake. As I see it, Damion should be Temple's Patrick Ewing or Mutumbo on the court (i.e., Temple's Godzilla or King Kong). Not overly aggressive, but just dominant, using his size for interior position and a slightly intimidating roadblock on the pathway to the basket.

In Alani's case, I see him as a role player who brings Senior experience into the back court when it is most needed for about 12 mpg. I would like to see Dunn be Rose's primary back up and JPL probably backing up NPL, although Perry will probably also play some minutes at the wing, which could limit Dunn's playing time. Possibly, among the guars, JPL will get the fewest minutes this season, unless someone gets injured.

Hamilton is the most perplexing player on the team, as I see it. I believe Temple needs him as a Center, not a PF. That is unfortunate, to the extent that Hamilton either doesn't have the skill set of a Center or is reluctant to play as a Center. Yes, Hamilton is a very potent scorer, but he has played long stretches when opponents scored or rebounded wantonly against him. This is why it's probably crucial for Damion to play as many minutes as his foot can bear at the Center position.

I see Hamilton as the kind of athlete who can be a major shot-blocker, but for some reason, he hardly blocked any shots last season. Blocking 3 shots per game and altering some other shots could really make a huge difference for the team.


4) Certain players like D.Moore and others have significant upped their games over the summer.

[/i]Glad to hear it.

I think JP Moorman needs to improve his game significantly, and hope he is improving.

My enduring image of Moorman is that of a Pillsbury Dough Boy, too slow, carrying too many extra pounds. He needs to get tougher, leaner, and more athletic. He also needs to be totally focused on winning and becoming a leader on the team, because in the past, it sometimes seemed that playing was too much of a lark. Not that he was lollygagging, but he has not played with enough determination and hasn't been workmanlike enough thus far.

Perry was also very disappointing last season. It often seemed that he didn't know where he was supposed to be on the court, as if he was part wing and part PF, and had some confusion - was he a SF/wing or a PF? I'm not sure if he can learn to function as a PF when he's on the court as a PF and how to function as a wing when he's on the court as a wing. If he can't master both positions, then perhaps he should only play as a PF from now on. I don't think he is as capable to play the wing position as the team needs him to be. The team only has 5 "big men" including Perry, and so I think he should focus on playing the PF position. But he is too short to be the starting PF in my view, and can only be an effective PF by utilizing his high energy level to overcome the height differential.[/i]
 
(This post was last modified: 10-10-2019 11:26 PM by jedclampett.)
10-10-2019 10:55 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #3
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-10-2019 11:23 PM)Miggy Wrote:  5) Another factor is that Cincinnati and Houston will not likely be as good as they were last season when they finished 1-2 in the AAC.

Cincinnati won’t for two reasons. One have a new coach and a new system. Second, Jarron Cumberland is hurt and I believe has not practiced as year. Hard to have new offense run smoothly when your best player has not practiced. And while the new HC is a good one, his prior team committed two many turnovers, unlike HC Cronin’s Cincy teams. Expect Cincy’s turnover advantage margin to be extinguished, which will result in Cincy losing scoring opportunities, and opponents gaining scoring opportunities which is a far cry from last season.

Houston is losing lots of scoring from last year by Davis, Brooks and Robinson. The three took over 16 three’s per game that they shot at a high percentage. Without Kansas 5-star Grimes being declared eligible to play (it’s pending), I can’t see Houston scoring 77 ppg as they did in conference play. Houston’s defense will still be quite good..

Regarding Cincy, I don't know if you saw the video preview of the AAC season, but he really convinced me that Cincy is going to have some major obstacles due to injuries, player turnover, and new HC.

So you may be right. Temple might be able to earn a split with Cincy, though I'm skeptical that they could sweep the Bearcats. I also think that we might be able to split the series with Wichita. But to beat Cincy and WSU on our home floor, our guys will have to give a 100% effort.

.
Regarding Houston, I think that they may be among the top 3 AAC teams, due to having one of the most experienced & savvy coaches in Sampson.

However, we only play Houston at the LC, and I agree with you that Temple could win that game if they make an all-out effort like they did last season.

.
Regarding Memphis, I don't think Temple could beat them at home or on the road without using a very effective zone defense. We only play them once, @ Memphis, and I fear a demoralizing blowout, but that's what we get for being in the same conference with an upper tier team.

I agree with you - got to slow down the tempo against Memphis and play very tough defense, the way Temple's opponent shut our offense down in the first round of the NCAA last season. Zone.

============================================

Altogether, I think the competition in the upper tier of the AAC is going to be tougher, not easier than it was last season. We only beat USF by 1 point in both games last season, and they return most of their best players.

Temple is going to have to play scrappy, tough basketball to finish among the top 4 or 5 teams in the conference, in my view.



On the other hand, when you break it down, I think Temple should split the 4 games with Memphis, UCF, Houston, and USF (teams we only play once).

Temple should be able to sweep most of its games against Tulane, ECU, SMU and Tulsa, hopefully going 8-0, 7-1, or 6-2 in these games.

I see splits with USF, UConn, Wichita (hopefully), & Cincy (hopefully).

This to me is an optimistic set of predictions. It would result in a conference record of 14-4 (very optimistic), 13-5, or 12-6. Temple was 13-5 last season. I would be very happy if Temple could finish with a 13-5 record, and think that 12-6 may be more likely.

OOC: It's a fairly rigorous schedule, and we usually lose 2 Big 5 games, due to the "Big 5" rivalry factor. We may play 12 or 13 OOC games, depending on whether the Owls advance in their tournament.

If we play 13 OOC games, I think Temple may be fortunate to go 9-4 in their OOC schedule. Really don't see them winning more than 9 OOC games. If they do, I will be very pleasantly surprised. An 8-5 record seems more likely.

Putting that together, I would see temple as being anywhere between a 20 and 22 win team during the regular season.

Given that we have no idea how good of a tournament game coach McKie will be this season, I would err on the conservative side and guess that with 20-22 wins, Temple will probably end up in the NIT tournament, unless their SOS (Strength of Schedule) is high enough to get them a top 50 NET ranking.

The fascinating thing to watch is not so much how many games the team wins, but how the develops and plays in its first season under Coach McKie.

I'm going to give him a "grace" year, and consider the season a minor success if Temple can win 20 games, especially if they can win a post-season game or two. It would be a major success simply to get an NCAA invitation, since that would probably give recruiting a bit of a boost going forward.

============================================

NOTE:

If we could find some way to bring some guys like "Oregon" and "Carib" over to this board, without calling attention to guys like "Abraxen," it would be great to see it happen.x
 
10-11-2019 12:12 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #4
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-11-2019 07:50 AM)Miggy Wrote:  There’s one major point that I omitted that might change your view as to how Temple will perform this season.

In the Bahamas, Temple showed glimpses into the pressure half-court extended defense that they are capable of playing. We didn’t see this last season.Temple’s traps, players stealing dribbles, and intercepting passes, It was so effective that opponents could hardy run their offensive plays, as Temple was stealing balls and causing turnovers. I’ve never seen this before in college ball. Don’t think any other AAC has so many players who can play like that.

The players who did this were Rose, Nate, Scott, Josh, D.Dunn, and Perry. Defensively, they were all 5-star players. I have no idea how often Temple intends to play like that. But, when they do, it will be a game changer.

I think McKie is considering playing Josh and Alani at PG. I suspect Scott may play some at the PG as well, but regardless, do expect him to get lots of assists.

Josh is a freakish athlete with incredible hops, way more so than his brother Nate, if you can even imagine that. has tremendous speed and aggressiveness. When he’s on the court you can’t take your eyes off him at times given how he plays. Do think he’ll be playing from the putset, and will compete to be Temple’s starting PG.

I know he can get to the rim, but have been unsure of whether he’s a decent shooter. In an interview on the Owlscoop broadcast, Rose said he was. Want to see for myself when I see him play this Saturday.

My two concerns about Josh is that he plays full speed the entire time he is on the court and such leads at times to poor decision-making that leads to unnecessary turnovers. I also fear
he may foul too much because of his aggressiveness. Whether McKie is considering him starting is not known.

What I suspect is that HC McKie is trying to figure out is what players play best with each other.

I think you should give each returning player a clean slate. It’s too early to speculate what positions players should play, or playing time. Should trust the HC judgment on what he see’s. .
D.Moore is almost a completely new player. He’s displayed a variety of inside low-post moves that will leave wondering if he’s the same player you saw the last few years. Same on defense as it seems he’s making a concerted effort to move his feet quickly. Just hope he plays well, and continues to rarely commit fouls.

With Moorman mostly shooting three’s and shooting them Stb 41 percent, he needs to be on the court, and to shoot much better than he did. His defense statistically was very good, but given that his offensive rating was so high, and it created a wide scoring margin per 100 possessions, he’San extremely important part of Temple’s success, and can be even more so, if he shoots more.

Hamilton is a deadly three-point shooter who needs to shoot them when he plays. If so, when we play Memphis it will force Wiseman away from the hoop to guard him. Same for other bigs on other AAC teams as well.

As for Damion Dunn, i’ll try to find out Saturday whether he’ll be back in time to start the season. In many ways, when he plays, he seems like a wily Temple veteran, not an incoming freshman, as he plays smartly, and within himself. You can’t speed him up so he’ll make mistakes. He needs to play. Since he’s a tremendous rebounder, and Rose is not, I do suspect that he’ll sub-in for Rose, and should.

On offense, Dunn’s is Temple’s best mid-range jump shooter off his dribble. He literally can’t be stopped and hardy ever misses. He’ shoots completely under control with balance. Watching him is like me watching a someone playing horse in the backyard, and not missing. No need for him to shoot three’s, that’s how good a two-point shooter he is.

I was of the view that Scott had to be in Temple’s starting line-up as the PG for Temple to get out of the gate in games. But no longer think that. If Josh starts, I like him playing with Alani, D.Dunn, Moorman, or Perry. And Hamilton. That’s a devastating second unit. Fully expect Scott to have a lot of assists, as well as score. But, if Temple does not get off to good starts, he should move into the starting line-up, or if it’s obvious before the season starts that he should,,I hope the change is made.

Fully expect Temple to shoot a higher percentage on two’s than opponents do, unlike last season, and to score more points as well per game, because Temple will cause more turnovers via steals, which will lead to easy baskets on the other end of the court. Also, Temple’s good returning two-point shooters, like D.Moore and J. Hamilton will hopefully shoot more. So, Temple’s two-point shoot percentage should rise from the 49.8 percent Temple shot on two’s in conference play.

In the Bahamas, I saw a glimmer of hope that Temple has a chance to deuce conference opponents from shooting 52.2 percent on two’s from the field. As in Temple’s first and third games, when Temple played almost entirely with players, who will be in Temple’s rotation, Temple held their opponent in the first game to shooting only 43.4 percent on two’s, and only 33.8 percent on two’s in the third game.

Am concerned about replacing Alston 8 three’s per game in conference games. Not worried that Temple will average more than the 33 percent Alston on three’s in conference play, as Moorman, Alani, Hamilton, and Scott are all better three-point shooters. Also, expect Rose to shoot a higher percentage on Three’s (3; percent) than he did last year in conference play.,Just hope that Scott, Moorman, Hamilton, Rose, and Alani shoot enough three’s to compensate for Alston’s departure.

For those who are cautious about the up-coming season because Alston and Ern are gone, consider that when Scott played on the second unit, the second unit beat Temple’s first unit way more than they lost.

So given Temple’s improvement on offense and defense, I do think Temple is the best team in the AAC, and am optimistic they will demonstrate that on the court.

Lots of very interesting stuff here. THANK YOU!

Too much to follow up on in a single response.

The fact that the second unit won most of the scrimmages blows my mind, and sure, it certainly comes as good news!

I guess the second unit was probably made up of Scott (SG), Alani (PG), Perry (W), Hamilton (PF) and Damion ©.

============================================

Totally surprised at your more recent report on JPL. I had a totally different impression weeks back after the Bahamas scrimmages, like me might not be ready for prime-time yet.

Well, if JPL is going to be part of the playing rotation, I don't see McKie using anything less than a 11 man rotation in average games (against
average competition).

Definitely grasp the fact that JPL might be one of Temple's top 5 defenders. But if he's showing a strong offensive game, by all means, bring him into the regular player rotation.

This is what Greg Marshall is famous for - playing a 10 or 11 man rotation even in NCAA tournament games. I think that's a great way to go with a team of mostly 3 star players, few of whom are nationally known. That was how Marshall achieved greatness with a group of relatively unknown, but capable players.

If McKie admires Marshall's style of play as much as I do, and is prepared to emulate the deep rotation model, I could envision Temple going toe to toe with the best teams in the conference, possibly even Memphis.

All I know is that McKie has said he plans to run a quick tempo team. This suggests to me using almost a "hockey style" approach with "lines" of players coming into the game all at once, with fresh legs, to wear out the opposing team's starting unit.

============================================

My first reaction to the pressure half court defense is that the lineup used is definitely a small lineup.

Glad to hear that McKie is considering using such "shut down" units to generate turnovers, stop runs by other teams, etc.

This is the kind of innovation that we've rarely seen at Temple in recent years.

The one concern I have about this lineup is that it should probably only be used for a few minutes at a time, particularly when the team needs to catch up and take a lead at pivotal moments in a game.

I don't think we have good man to man defenders in the interior defense, and the high quality teams will exploit the hell out of this if they get the chance.

There may be few indications of teaching the players to play a zone defense, but my prediction for the season would be a ceiling of 20 wins if McKie doesn't utilize a zone D to supplement the half-court pressure defense.

McKie, fortunately, knows all of the best John Chaney zone defenses, mostly known as matchup zones, developed by Coach Litwack in the 50's (Temple also played zone in its 1938 NIT nat'l championship game). Until Dunphy came along, Temple was always a zone D team.

In its most abstract form, when the guys learned to play it well, it was something that I thought of as an "amoeba" defense. It totally discombobulated a bunch of teams and was a key factor in Chaney's NCAA tournament successes.

I gather that McKie wants an up-tempo game, though, and haven't seen any signs he is inclined to use a 3-2 or 2-3 zone, a matchup zone, a triangle and two (2-3 matchup zone).

What I am saying is that - fine - go with a high tempo offense - but combine that with a stifling defense most of the way.

My proposed plan:

1. Switch defenses frequently to keep opponents off balance.

2. Seems most likely to start games with a man defense, if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly.

3. If the man D gets the job done for a whole game, fine.

4. But if tougher opponents exploit gaps in the man D, it is imperative to shift the defense.

5. Can switch to the high pressure half-court D, but once again, if this is a small lineup, can only do this for a few minutes at a time. Not sure we have enough defensive depth to maintain a pressure D for more than a few minutes.

6. I think McKie needs another option. Pressure defense only works for minutes. For Temple to beat the best AAC teams, the Owls might have to execute an excellent zone defense at least periodically.

7. A step further: I would predict that McKie's overall success at Temple, going forward, is going to be much greater if he can master the art of teaching players to use multiple defenses (not two, but at least three different defensive schemes.


============================================

There's more stuff that I would like to respond to in another follow-up.
 
10-12-2019 12:46 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #5
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
I’m sure everyone wants to learn more about JPL. I observed at a few of Temple scrimmages, that it appeared that HC McKie and JPL were not on the same page, as the HC made clear to JPL that he wanted him to distribute the ball to the good shooters on the team, and for him to refrain from shooting jumpers. That seemed justified by how JPL shot in warm-ups.

McKie expressed confidence in JPL driving to the hoop, and JPL did that well.

JPL did seem to play with an attitude, and seemed to wear his feelings on his sleeve. He was not a happy camper. He has a lot of confidence in himself. Acts like he should be in the starting PG, but he needs lots of development before that should happen.

He needs to work on his dribbling as he was called for carrying the ball. His defense was solid and I was pleased that he didn’t foul as much as freshman often do.

He appeared tunnel vision on one fast breaks, as he had James Scoot right in front of him with no one between him and the hoop, but instead chose to pass the ball to Rose on his left side, who was guarded.. That was odd.

Sense that McKie has put too much time getting JPL ready to play, but it’s my view,he’s nowhere ready to play.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-18-2021 12:15 PM by Miggy.)
10-12-2019 06:45 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #6
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-12-2019 05:17 PM)Miggy Wrote:  
(10-12-2019 12:46 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  
(10-11-2019 07:50 AM)Miggy Wrote:  There’s one major point that I omitted that might change your view as to how Temple will perform this season.

In the Bahamas, Temple showed glimpses into the pressure half-court extended defense that they are capable of playing. We didn’t see this last season.Temple’s traps, players stealing dribbles, and intercepting passes, It was so effective that opponents could hardy run their offensive plays, as Temple was stealing balls and causing turnovers. I’ve never seen this before in college ball. Don’t think any other AAC has so many players who can play like that.

The players who did this were Rose, Nate, Scott, Josh, D.Dunn, and Perry. Defensively, they were all 5-star players. I have no idea how often Temple intends to play like that. But, when they do, it will be a game changer.

I think McKie is considering playing Josh and Alani at PG. I suspect Scott may play some at the PG as well, but regardless, do expect him to get lots of assists.

Josh is a freakish athlete with incredible hops, way more so than his brother Nate, if you can even imagine that. has tremendous speed and aggressiveness. When he’s on the court you can’t take your eyes off him at times given how he plays. Do think he’ll be playing from the putset, and will compete to be Temple’s starting PG.

I know he can get to the rim, but have been unsure of whether he’s a decent shooter. In an interview on the Owlscoop broadcast, Rose said he was. Want to see for myself when I see him play this Saturday.

My two concerns about Josh is that he plays full speed the entire time he is on the court and such leads at times to poor decision-making that leads to unnecessary turnovers. I also fear
he may foul too much because of his aggressiveness. Whether McKie is considering him starting is not known.

What I suspect is that HC McKie is trying to figure out is what players play best with each other.

I think you should give each returning player a clean slate. It’s too early to speculate what positions players should play, or playing time. Should trust the HC judgment on what he see’s. .
D.Moore is almost a completely new player. He’s displayed a variety of inside low-post moves that will leave wondering if he’s the same player you saw the last few years. Same on defense as it seems he’s making a concerted effort to move his feet quickly. Just hope he plays well, and continues to rarely commit fouls.

With Moorman mostly shooting three’s and shooting them Stb 41 percent, he needs to be on the court, and to shoot much better than he did. His defense statistically was very good, but given that his offensive rating was so high, and it created a wide scoring margin per 100 possessions, he’San extremely important part of Temple’s success, and can be even more so, if he shoots more.

Hamilton is a deadly three-point shooter who needs to shoot them when he plays. If so, when we play Memphis it will force Wiseman away from the hoop to guard him. Same for other bigs on other AAC teams as well.

As for Damion Dunn, i’ll try to find out Saturday whether he’ll be back in time to start the season. In many ways, when he plays, he seems like a wily Temple veteran, not an incoming freshman, as he plays smartly, and within himself. You can’t speed him up so he’ll make mistakes. He needs to play. Since he’s a tremendous rebounder, and Rose is not, I do suspect that he’ll sub-in for Rose, and should.

On offense, Dunn’s is Temple’s best mid-range jump shooter off his dribble. He literally can’t be stopped and hardy ever misses. He’ shoots completely under control with balance. Watching him is like me watching a someone playing horse in the backyard, and not missing. No need for him to shoot three’s, that’s how good a two-point shooter he is.

I was of the view that Scott had to be in Temple’s starting line-up as the PG for Temple to get out of the gate in games. But no longer think that. If Josh starts, I like him playing with Alani, D.Dunn, Moorman, or Perry. And Hamilton. That’s a devastating second unit. Fully expect Scott to have a lot of assists, as well as score. But, if Temple does not get off to good starts, he should move into the starting line-up, or if it’s obvious before the season starts that he should,,I hope the change is made.

Fully expect Temple to shoot a higher percentage on two’s than opponents do, unlike last season, and to score more points as well per game, because Temple will cause more turnovers via steals, which will lead to easy baskets on the other end of the court. Also, Temple’s good returning two-point shooters, like D.Moore and J. Hamilton will hopefully shoot more. So, Temple’s two-point shoot percentage should rise from the 49.8 percent Temple shot on two’s in conference play.

In the Bahamas, I saw a glimmer of hope that Temple has a chance to deuce conference opponents from shooting 52.2 percent on two’s from the field. As in Temple’s first and third games, when Temple played almost entirely with players, who will be in Temple’s rotation, Temple held their opponent in the first game to shooting only 43.4 percent on two’s, and only 33.8 percent on two’s in the third game.

Am concerned about replacing Alston 8 three’s per game in conference games. Not worried that Temple will average more than the 33 percent Alston on three’s in conference play, as Moorman, Alani, Hamilton, and Scott are all better three-point shooters. Also, expect Rose to shoot a higher percentage on Three’s (3; percent) than he did last year in conference play.,Just hope that Scott, Moorman, Hamilton, Rose, and Alani shoot enough three’s to compensate for Alston’s departure.

For those who are cautious about the up-coming season because Alston and Ern are gone, consider that when Scott played on the second unit, the second unit beat Temple’s first unit way more than they lost.

So given Temple’s improvement on offense and defense, I do think Temple is the best team in the AAC, and am optimistic they will demonstrate that on the court.

Lots of very interesting stuff here. THANK YOU!

Too much to follow up on in a single response.

The fact that the second unit won most of the scrimmages blows my mind, and sure, it certainly comes as good news!

I guess the second unit was probably made up of Scott (SG), Alani (PG), Perry (W), Hamilton (PF) and Damion ©.

============================================

Totally surprised at your more recent report on JPL. I had a totally different impression weeks back after the Bahamas scrimmages, like me might not be ready for prime-time yet.

Well, if JPL is going to be part of the playing rotation, I don't see McKie using anything less than a 11 man rotation in average games (against
average competition).

Definitely grasp the fact that JPL might be one of Temple's top 5 defenders. But if he's showing a strong offensive game, by all means, bring him into the regular player rotation.

This is what Greg Marshall is famous for - playing a 10 or 11 man rotation even in NCAA tournament games. I think that's a great way to go with a team of mostly 3 star players, few of whom are nationally known. That was how Marshall achieved greatness with a group of relatively unknown, but capable players.

If McKie admires Marshall's style of play as much as I do, and is prepared to emulate the deep rotation model, I could envision Temple going toe to toe with the best teams in the conference, possibly even Memphis.

All I know is that McKie has said he plans to run a quick tempo team. This suggests to me using almost a "hockey style" approach with "lines" of players coming into the game all at once, with fresh legs, to wear out the opposing team's starting unit.

============================================

My first reaction to the pressure half court defense is that the lineup used is definitely a small lineup.

Glad to hear that McKie is considering using such "shut down" units to generate turnovers, stop runs by other teams, etc.

This is the kind of innovation that we've rarely seen at Temple in recent years.

The one concern I have about this lineup is that it should probably only be used for a few minutes at a time, particularly when the team needs to catch up and take a lead at pivotal moments in a game.

I don't think we have good man to man defenders in the interior defense, and the high quality teams will exploit the hell out of this if they get the chance.

There may be few indications of teaching the players to play a zone defense, but my prediction for the season would be a ceiling of 20 wins if McKie doesn't utilize a zone D to supplement the half-court pressure defense.

McKie, fortunately, knows all of the best John Chaney zone defenses, mostly known as matchup zones, developed by Coach Litwack in the 50's (Temple also played zone in its 1938 NIT nat'l championship game). Until Dunphy came along, Temple was always a zone D team.

In its most abstract form, when the guys learned to play it well, it was something that I thought of as an "amoeba" defense. It totally discombobulated a bunch of teams and was a key factor in Chaney's NCAA tournament successes.

I gather that McKie wants an up-tempo game, though, and haven't seen any signs he is inclined to use a 3-2 or 2-3 zone, a matchup zone, a triangle and two (2-3 matchup zone).

What I am saying is that - fine - go with a high tempo offense - but combine that with a stifling defense most of the way.

My proposed plan:

1. Switch defenses frequently to keep opponents off balance.

2. Seems most likely to start games with a man defense, if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly.

3. If the man D gets the job done for a whole game, fine.

4. But if tougher opponents exploit gaps in the man D, it is imperative to shift the defense.

5. Can switch to the high pressure half-court D, but once again, if this is a small lineup, can only do this for a few minutes at a time. Not sure we have enough defensive depth to maintain a pressure D for more than a few minutes.

6. I think McKie needs another option. Pressure defense only works for minutes. For Temple to beat the best AAC teams, the Owls might have to execute an excellent zone defense at least periodically.

7. A step further: I would predict that McKie's overall success at Temple, going forward, is going to be much greater if he can master the art of teaching players to use multiple defenses (not two, but at least three different defensive schemes.


============================================

There's more stuff that I would like to respond to in another follow-up.


Quite a practice and scrimmage..Before getting into i’ll first give some impressions of players who didn’t play and then my observations on players who did play.

First, Two players who were present, but did not participate were D.Moore and D.Dunn. D.Moore will be back in a few days. Nothing serious.was glad to learn that he’s going to shoot a lot more than he ever has, and that’s a good thing as he shot 70 percent from the field, and now is ready to unveil all the nifty moves he now has in his offensive arsenal. Look for him to jump from 3 fga’s to 8-10, and that’s a good thing as I doubt his shooting percentage will decline below 60 percent. That would be an upgrade in scoring from the front court.

D Dunn was still wearing a boot and working out on a stationary bike. Said he wouldn’t likely be back before season commences. Since he’ll return by the end of November or shortly thereafter. That’s a bummer as not only is he an excellent player, but Temple really needs him.

From watching him play in the Bahamas and listening to Rose say in a podcast that Dunn simply doesn’t miss two-point jump shots. He’ll be sorely missed.

Dunn has always been a sub-par three-point shooter, mainly because his shooting form is different on two’s than it is for three’s.,At practice, Dunn was told why and how he could improve his three-point shooting.

So during the break, he walked out onto the court wearing his boot, and promptly proceeded to drain 9-10 three’s. He walked off the court and was muttering “cash”’to himself, with a big smile on his face, as if he had won the lottery.,

Dunn is one of my favorite players as he plays with a maturity on the court way beyond him being a freshman. He’s a heady player who makes few mistakes on either side of the ball. Just plays the game correctly. Can shoot, rebound, and defend. When healthy, he needs to play a lot. Terrific under the radar signee by HC McKie. Dunn’s a winner.


Wow - that is a bummer about Dunn not being available until end of November, possibly December, at the earliest.

You wrote:

"Said he wouldn’t likely be back before season commences...he’ll return by the end of November or shortly thereafter."

That suggests to me that he won't be (returning to) practicing with the team until that time. Did you get the impression that was what he meant, or that he wouldn't be "returning" in the sense of playing in any games until end of November? There's a big difference between the two, as we all know.

Being a freshman, it usually takes a few weeks to work their way into the rotation as an effective player.

Given his more gradual recovery process, I'm wondering if he might not be able to play at 90% or more during the OOC schedule, or if we might not see him in action until the conference schedule begins. Of course, no one can predict these things with exactitude.

From this report, I'm going to lower my expectations for Dunn and the team for the first two months of the season. That's unfortunate, because Temple could pick up a couple of Q1 wins during that time, but it will be that much harder to do this without Dunn in the lineup.

Hopefully, JPL will seize upon this opportunity for more playing time as a back up guard. He and Alani should be able to handle the back court duties fairly well for a couple of months.

====

Really concerned about Damion not being able to participate, if it suggests ongoing foot problems. Possibly, there was some other reason why he couldn't be there. You wrote "nothing serious," but if Damion is having any kind of ankle/foot discomfort, it could grow into something serious quite early in the season.

Do you have any info about how Damion is doing, physically, specifically with regard to his foot and ankle health? Thanks.
 
10-12-2019 07:39 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #7
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
[quote='Miggy' pid='16367758' dateline='1570922346']
Players who were impressive today:

1. JP Moorman. Was deadly shooting three’s, and shot a good number of them. Last season, Moorman also shot mostly three’s and shot three’s at 41 percent for the season. 42.4,percent on three’s in conference play. Needs to dive to hoop more as he shot 80 percent near the rim last year.,

The question about Moorman is whether he will take twice as many shots this season. If he plays on the perimeter but only puts up 2 or 3 three point shots per game, then he's wasting his time on the perimeter. Only way it makes sense for him to play as a stretch 4 is if he takes 6 or 7 three point shots per game.

As you wrote, if Scott takes fewer threes, the team will need Moorman to make up the difference. The other guys you mentioned, such as Alani only hit about 1 three pt shot per game.

Question: What defensive stats suggested that Moorman was a solid defender last season, and how can that be squared with the fact that opponents hit 50% of their two point shots last season?

With regard to rebounding, his rebounding stats weren't terrible last season. Sometimes, on offense, he's too far from the basket to get many offensive rebounds, but that's the result of stationing himself on the perimeter on most possessions. He was a great rebounder in his first season, but had very few rebounds in a few games as a soph.



2. Hamilton was terrific offensively today. Hit his mid-range and three-point shots. Would have liked to see him drive to the hoop which he does well. Not involving him more in the offense.

Lis a crime as he’s a terrific shooter. Still needs lots of work rebounding. Used his quickness to to steal a pass into the high-post. Like to se that more.

A key question is this: How many minutes can a HC keep him on the floor if Hamilton "still needs a lot of work on rebounding?"

I'm not finding any suggestions here that Hamilton has upped his game significantly, except possibly hitting higher % of his mid-range and perimeter shots.

It sounds like he is trying to play as a PF, rather than as a Center, and that we might not see him improving much on his rebounding.

Also, if he's improved on defense, I don't see it mentioned.

In that respect, I fear that Hamilton may be a relatively one-dimensional player - - a big time scorer, but a player who is a defensive and rebounding deficit to the team. We've had players like that before - Mark Karcher springs to mind - a guy who scored a lot of points but was a weak rebounder. However, at least Karcher made up for the rebounding by playing fairly well on defense in a matchup zone D.

If Hamilton doesn't develop quickly - and that's almost immediately - he would be similar to a Mark Karcher without Karcher's capable defense. As it was, Karcher's poor rebounding had an adverse effect in many games - and he should have helped Temple make their way into a final four with all the talent they had.

Only hope I can think of, if Hamilton doesn't improve rebounding and defense very soon, is to have him playing at least part of the time in a zone defensive scheme that forces him to play close enough to the basket on defense to be able to pull down defensive boards.


3.Dre Perry is fully recovered from his knee injury. Hit his three’s today and played well. Needs to drive to the hoop. Does it well.,

Sounds like an average review. Nothing spectacular, perhaps, but there were earlier signs that he was improving, I gathered.

4. James Scott: Shot three’s ok, but didn’t go to the hoop as much as he should have. Made nice crisp passes on perimeter, and rebounded a shot, and threw a laser pass the length of the court to a cutting Temple player for an easy hoop.

Wonder what's up with that (not driving enough)? Does HC want him focusing more on perimeter shooting this season? Is his mobility limited in some way?

Heavy emphasis on his passing, which confirms the Bahama data. I really think that he is going to start as a de facto PG, even if listed as a CG. If he has any NBA potential at all, his chances would be much greater if he plays the PG position, the way that Lynn Greer II did, scoring alot from the PG position.

I don't see McKie starting JPL, a freshman, at the PG position. History has shown that it's usually a bad idea to have a starting freshman floor general. Yes, Alani was forced to do so (due to major injury to the expected starting PG), but Alani was always a "B" player in terms of statistical productivity, and that season didn't go very well.

If anyone but Scott starts at PG, it would probably be Alani, who has considerable starting experience. But Alani has never put up high D1 or NCAA Tournament quality numbers. If he plays 20 minutes, he usually only scores 5 or 6 points, gets a rebound or two, maybe two assists, and 1 or 2 steals. From a productivity standpoint, he was only half as productive, statistically, as Shizz was. What the team needs is a player who can do almost as well as Shizz, and seems to me that Scott is the only player capable of doing close to that from the PG position.


5. Alani Moore: Ran the team well and picked up where he left off last year shooting three’s very well. Missed a few because he changed his shooting form on some three’s.Such was brought to his attention, and realizes what he needs to do. Look for him to shoot even better
going forward.

Not a good sign to see a Senior missing shots and still having to work on his shooting form.

Alani's never been a bad perimeter shooter. The problem has been that, being as short as he is, it's hard for him to penetrate or get open looks at the basket against a determined defender.

Also, like Moorman, he has always been too reluctant to shoot the ball when he receives the ball and has a good look at the basket This helps explain why he only scored 5 or 6 ppg last season, despite being the only backup guard coming off the bench.

Alani does have the advantage of experience, quickness, and fairly good judgment as a backup floor general. These are offset by his short stature and modest productivity. He is a fine player to be able to rely on for limited stretches of games, giving starters a chance to rest, but not a D1 starting PG in my view.
 
10-12-2019 08:29 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #8
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-12-2019 06:45 PM)Miggy Wrote:  I’m sure everyone wants to learn more about JPL. This is what I observed. It appeared that HC McKie and JPL were not on the same page, and HC McKie made that clear at times during the scrimmages.

My sense that as a PG, HC McKie wanted JPL to distribute the ball to the good shooters on the team, and for him to refrain from shoot jumpers. That seemed justified by how JPL shot in warm-ups.

Did appear that McKie had confidence in JPL in driving to the hoop, and JPL did that well

But, JPL did seem to play with an attitude, and seemed to wear his feelings in his sleeve, that he was not a happy camper. He has a lot of confidence in himself. Do believe he thinks he should be the starting PG, but it seems he needs lots of development before that should happen.

He needs to work on his dribbling as he was called for carrying the ball. His defense was solid and I was pleased that he didn’t foul to much which freshman often do.

Appeared tunneled vision on one fast break he led asxhe had James Scoot right in front of him with no one between him and the hoop, but instead chose to pass the ball to Rose on his left side, who had a man guarding him who was directly in front of him. That was odd.

Sense that McKie has put too much time getting JPL ready to play, but it’s my view,he’s nowhere ready to play, and should not.

These various reports on JPL present a very mixed picture, with pros and cons.

Things like being "tunnel visioned" suggests that he may not be the best option on a fast break, or that his judgment could be less than 100% at times. These raise some concerns, although he's just a freshman and might improve in these respects. Have to wait and see on that, but is he ready for prime time?

Also, trouble with dribbling again raises the "ready for prime time" question.

With everything you've written about him, I definitely agree
that "it seems he needs lots of development before" he could become a starting PG.

Another down side is that a PG needs to be a good perimeter shooter, but JPL has shown limitations in this area, being better at driving to the basket.

Also, what you wrote:

"HC McKie wanted JPL to distribute the ball to the good shooters on the team, and for him to refrain from shoot jumpers. That seemed justified by how JPL shot in warm-ups."

This suggests that some of the tension you reported may have been due to him having to alter his style of playing at the PG position. It's understandable that this could be frustrating, but if his response has been to carry a "chip on his shoulder" about it, that's not a great sign.

Overall, I honestly wonder if JPL can be much of a contributor as part of a high D1 rotation until he lets go of the resentment or "attitude," has a slice of humble pie, so to speak, and just lets the coaches guide & train him up for AAC level competition.

It sounds like he's still more of a high school player - with all the attitude that can go with it - than an impact player at the collegiate level at this point. In other words, like he's got some growing up to do.

Reading all this, I see him as the kind of guy who can come into a game in a pinch for a minute or two as a very limited role player, whose main strengths right now are his defensive prowess - useful in applying pressure defense when called for - and his ability to drive to the basket.

I do not see him as being anywhere near being able to even play as the #3 PG in Temple's rotation. To the extent that he does play, I would imagine that he might be best suited to play as the #2 SG behind his brother Nate. It could be an advantage to have one of the two Pierre-Louis brothers on the court most of the way, and JPL's offensive game seems fairly similar to NPL's. Maybe he could play a few minutes per game backing up his bro'. But even that will require him to develop enough humility to accept his role on the team.

The main positive that springs to mind that is, if McKie was able to help Allen Iverson to evolve as a player with attitude issues, he can probably get the job done with JPL, as well.
 
10-12-2019 08:50 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #9
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
Here’s the ratings from last session of Temple players returning per 100 possessions in conference play.

A player’s offensive rating reflects the number of points Temple scored per 100 possessions when that player was on the court. The higher the points scored, the better.

The defensive rating for a players represents the number of points opponents scored with a particular player on the court per 100 hundred possessions. The lower the players rating the better the defender Is.

A wider positive scoring margin between the offensive and defensivec the better the players performance was.

D.Moore, Off. 138.9. Def. 99.9

JP. Moorman Off. 120.7. Def. 101.8

Justyn Hamilton Off. 113.3 Def. 104.3

Alani Moore. Off. 111.1. Def. 104.3

Nate Pierre-Louise. Off. 108.4. Def. 102.5

Dre Perry Off. 97.7 Def. 98.5
played hurt in conference play.

Quentin Rose. Off. 97.7 Def. 101.5

Rose offense not good in conference play. Offensive rating about
the same in 2 prior years.

The above is a good indication of which returnees should shoot more, and
if they do, bodes well for Temple having a successful offense.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-01-2021 07:33 AM by Miggy.)
10-13-2019 12:17 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #10
~~~~ f f
(10-13-2019 08:03 AM)Miggy Wrote:  Watching Temple’s intra-squad game, it was apparent that James Scott should replace Shizz Alston as Temple’s starting PG, backed-up by Alani Moore. That should help Temple keep turnovers down, assists up, and scoring maintained. Whether that will happen is unknown.

In the scrimmage. with freshman JPL playing at PG, coupled with the ball in Rose’s hands to distribute the ball a good bit of the scrimmage, the offense bogged down, and excessive turnovers were committed. It’s my view that Rose should not be used to distribute the ball, as he committed the most turnovers per game last year.

It’s clear to me that Scott and Alani solve the turnover problem if they share the PG position. If that doesn’t happen, not sure at all if Temple will have good win-loss as Temple needs to have few turnovers committed, and get good scoring from the PG position.

Scott, in a scrimmage earlier in the week, in 25 minutes of playing time, scored 15 points on 6-12 shooting, made three-three’s had 5 assists, and secured 3 rebounds. Very confident he’d average 6-8 assists per game if he’s Temple’s starting PG.

I couldn’t gage from the scrimmage how Temple’s rebounding will be this season. I can say no one stood out. Was hoping to see more from Hamilton, but didn’t. Parks played but my attention was not drawn to him. Temple will face a big Georgetown front court this coming Saturday, and that should tell us more about Temple’s offense, defense and rebounding. Hopefully D.Moore will play.

What struck me yesterday is that Temple has a number of players that shoot three’s well. They are Moorman, Alani, Scott, Hamilton, Rose, Perry, and Nate. Dunn may join the mix as well when he returns to play. Do think that Temple will shoot more fga’s as three’s. Want to see Moorman and Alani shoot more three’s as they shot 3’s at a whooping 42.4 percent in conference play.

Do want to see Both Moorman should shoot way more than he did last season as his Total Shooting Percentage (TSP) is very high. Hamilton and Alani should shoot more often as well. Temple getting more balanced scoring, offensive fire power from it’s front court, will make the entire team so much better.

Do think Moorman should start over Perry. If so, Temple will still have good players with Hamilton, Perry and Alani coming off the bench and Dunn to when he returns.

Do hope Scott is in the starting line-up. Can’t see the offense running well without him, but even if Alani starts, and Scott comes off the bench, want to see Scott sub-in for him.

One thing I didn’t see yesterday was back-cut’s from the weak side that would lead to easy hoops for Rose, Moorman, Hamilton, and Perry, near the hoop.

Do expect D. Moore minutes to go from 10 to 25 or more minutes per game. As such he should take most of the fga’s that Ern shot last year, and that’s a good thing.

Until Dunn returns Perry, should sub-in for Rose. When Dunn comes back he needs to spell Rose. He!s a solid replacement as he shoots and rebounds well.

The defense by both squads looked good, but we’ll learn more more from the Georgetown scrimmage. Both defenses made it very difficult for either offense to get to the rim, and that’s a very good sign to see as Temple’s biggest weakness last season was it’s porous defense at the rim.

Both Forrester and Strickland played in the scrimmage, but neither stood out. Strickland did have a nifty drive to the hoop. He can hit the three-ball, but was off yesterday. Forrester is a very active player, and can run the court, but plays out of control. Was told that after the scrimmage. Neither have cleared waivers to play this year.

Very interesting notes & insights. Thank you for sharing this info. I noticed that this thread that you started has already drawn interest, with gotten 200 views in a few days.

Dunn's injury status throws a lot of things out of whack. I saw him as a great backup SG or wing. Now, the options are more limited, which may mean that Perry as you said will be the backup wing, and if JPL plays, it will probably be backing up NPL for a few mpg.

Overall, without Dunn, I'm expecting Temple's back court to be about as productive as last season's back court was.

I would predict the starting back court will be Scott-Rose-NPL, with Alani-Perry-JPL as the reserves for the 3 positions, until Dunn returns.

My guess is that, when Dunn returns at full speed, the team's back court may play better than last season's back court did, and Perry will be able to play more of his minutes as a PF, backing up Moorman.

Alani has occasionally put up numerous shots, but only occasionally, and mostly against lesser competition when his points were gravy. I believe that he struggles to get open looks against teams with superior defenders, and has tended to distribute, rather than to look for his shot. Not sure if he can or will change in that respect.

Last season, Alani scored ~5-6 ppg in somewhere between 16 and 20 mpg, as the only backup guard who typically played, other than Perry's 5 mpg backing up Rose. That means Temple's 3 back court starters played a combined ~95-100 mpg. We may see that number drop closer to 95 mpg and 25 mpg for backup guard/wings Alani, Perry, JPL, and Dunn.

I see Alani's minutes dropping slightly, and expect to see him playing mostly back-up PG, although maybe we'll see him and Scott on the floor together now and then. The best thing about Alani is that he's a Senior who plays a cool headed game and knows what his role is, and usually isn't a liability when he's out there on the court. Mr. Stability on the court, will show some senior leadership.

I hope Dunn can take most of the backup wing minutes when he returns, partly because he seems more explosive and consistent a scorer, perhaps a bit more lithe and more body control than the other options. Rose has often played 29-31 mpg, so maybe Dunn could eventually play 9-11 mpg. I agree with you - he's like dynamite. He could enter games as an offensive spark plug.

I'm seeing JPL as NPL's backup, maybe 5-6 mpg.

Shifting Perry to backup PF (15 -20 mpg) might strengthen the PF position, giving Moorman more chances to rest, so that we can always have a PF on the floor with fresh legs.

Glad that Strickland and Forrester have a redshirt transfer year to develop their games. The rotation up to 11 is deep enough without them at all positions. Sounds like they might need that extra year of player development to emerge as impact players in 2020 or 2021. Having them from 2020-21 through 2022-23 will help ensure that McKie will have two positions solidified for those three seasons, with 8 current Owls departing prior to 2021-22 season.

We may see lineups like Strickland - Dunn - JPL/White - Forrester - Parks by 2021-22, plus 7 incoming players TBD. That's not a bad core foundation to build on.

Forrester & Parks may not score a huge number of points, but interior defense and rebounding from them should be fairly solid.

This season, though, Damion obviously has to amp up his defensive effort. I recall him being yanked from almost every game last season, and have the impression that he may be a bit gun shy - afraid to make a mistake and thus not assertive enough on defense. Don't know if he has the agility to challenge more shots without getting into foul trouble. But I think McKie may be more tuned in than Dunphy was and will encourage Damion to play his game and not worry about getting yanked and embarrassed by his HC the way he was in prior seasons.

Damion is a "man mountain" of a player, and I have seen him utterly dominate the basket area on both ends of the floor. Would love to see Coach let him loose this season. He usually takes 2-4 minutes to get warmed up & in the flow of game, then makes his presence felt. Last season, he was often back on the bench before he even got a chance to get into his groove. Very exciting player when he gets pumped up.

Don't know what to think about Hamilton, except that he seems about a year behind Moorman in his development as a player, which would make sense, since he hardly played more than a minute in his freshman year. I thought Moorman had more potential then he showed last season, and could imagine this might be a breakthrough season for him as a Junior, knowing that his contributions are not optional, but vital.

My impression is that both JPL and Hamilton have some way to go in the department of accepting their roles as being what the team needs them to do, rather than what they might choose to do on their own. In both cases, I'm fairly optimistic that McKie - who seemed to help Iverson to accept his role and play within their system - can do the same, as needed, with Temple players.

Would not be surprised to see McKie bench both JPL and Hamilton - at least occasionally - if they fail to play the roles he needs them to play for team success. Maybe against a weaker opponent, he might just sit those guys for a whole game to educate them as needed. For example, he could rotate Damion, Moorman, and Parks at C; Perry & Moorman at PF, Scott, Rose, & NPL back court with Alani playing 20+ mpg in the back court.

Maybe Hamilton & JPL would benefit from the experience from watching their teammates play without them, so that they could better understand what the team needs most from them when they do get back into a game - and what the team misses the most from their absence. Temple's coaches might also need to give them the benefit of a little of their wisdom and teaching the keys to great team (as opposed to individual) play.
 
10-14-2019 12:54 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #11
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
Last season. Temple’s opponents committed 3 more turnovers than Temple did. Such was Fran Dunphy’s defensive hallmark.

Temple’s positive turnover margin was a big factor in Temple amassing a 13-5 AAC record last season. In real terms, this means that Temple averaged 3 more possessions and scoring opportunities per conference games than opponents did,as each opponent turnover is one less scoring opportunity they otherwise would have had, and one more scoring opportunity that Temple would not have had, but for creating the turnover.

These three extra scoring opportunities were reduced by Temple being out-rebounded, but Temple still produced a net positive more scoring opportunities than opponents, and Temple used them wisely by shooting more three’s and shooting more foul-shots than opponents,,which produced Temple conference wins, even though opponents shot a higher percentage on two’s (52.2-49.8 percent), and Temple being out-rebounded in conference games.

As Temple used some of extra scoring opportunities to take more three’s (422-402) shoot them at a higher percentage (35.3-29.6), and make more three’s than opponents (149-119) in conference play.

In retrospect, Temple’s conference opponents would have been wise to have taken more two’s and less three’s, as they shot two’s at 52.2 percent, and shots three’s at an equivalent of 44 percent on two’s.

But, Temple would have been wise to shoot more three’s then they did, and less two-point jumpers outside the paint, as Temple shot on three’s the equivalent of almost 53 percent on two’s, compared to the 49.8 percent Temple actually shot on two’s.

Temple also used some of these extra scoring opportunities to shoot more foul shots (400-381), shoot them at a higher percentage (73.5-64.8 percent), and to score more points at the foul-line (294-247) than opponents did.

Both Temple’s returning players and new players allow Temple to at least maintain Temple’s advantage in creating turnovers off of steals.

But depending on who replaces Shizz Alston at PG, Temple not turning the ball more than last year remains an open question to be answered this season. And if Temple commits 3 more turnover per game last year, Temple’s six-extra opportunities per game in conference games may well vanish.

Temple has a roster that allows them to take more three’s, shoot them at a higher percentage, and make more three’s than conference opponents do.,

Also, Temple’s roster should allow Temple to shoot as many three’s, shoot them at a higher rate than opponents do, and make more foul-shots then opponents do.

But Temple’s opportunity to create an advantage shooting three’s and at the foul-line vanishes or is greatly reduced if Temple commits more turnovers this season in conference games.

Shizz Alston committed an average of 2.6 turnovers per conference game.

Based on what I witnessed what’ve James Scott did in the Bahamas (3 turnovers (2 questionable in being attributed to him) in 64 minutes over 3 games, 0 turnovers in two of the games) ) and in the team’s recent intra-squad scrimmage James Scott’s ability to commit few turnovers and score well, that he should replace Alston, and that A.Moore, averaging 14 mpg in conference play,, only committed .5 turnovers per game, as he had 9 turnovers and stole the ball 20 times in 18 conference games should be his back-up, or if Moore starts, then Scott should sub-in for him.

Temple may still face a turnover problem if McKie follows on his intent to place the ball in Rose’s hands more, and JPL plays the PG position.

Will look in future posts at Temple’s ability this season to shoot a higher 2-point shooting percentage or reduce opponents two-=point shooting percentage. Also look at Temple’s potential improving their rebounding this season.

Hoping that Temple’s scrimmage against Georgetown provides us some insight into all the above outstanding issues.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-01-2021 07:42 AM by Miggy.)
10-14-2019 01:35 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #12
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-14-2019 05:56 AM)Miggy Wrote:  Jedclampett:

Thanks for your take on various Temple players.

With regard to Moorman and A.Moore, both shot no more once every 4 or 5 minutes in conference play on because the offense was built around Alston, NPL, and Rose.

With Alston gone along his taking an average 8-per game, I expect Scott to average at least 5 per game and maybe even more.

Two players who can even fill-in the gap, and maybe exceed it, are JP.Moorman and Alani Moore, who were both at the top of the chart in conference play in three-point shooting
percentage. And what I especially like about both is the majority of their shots were three-pointers.

Last year, the offense revolved around Alston, NPL, and as result, both Moorman and Alani, rarely shot, shooting only once every four or five minutes. I want to see both shoot more often this year as they are likely to continue to shoot three’s at a higher percentage than Nate and Rose.

Moorman was told last year to defer to the big three and he did. In the scrimmage I attended, one could see that Moorman was a whole new player, and was bombing away from beyond the three-point line , and hitting them at a high rate. Same for Alani and Perry as well, who shot a lot of three’s and shot them well.

One think both Moorman and Perry should do more is dribe to the rim more as Moorman shot an astounding 80 percent at the rim (24-36) for the season and Perry shot 56 percent at the rim.

As you can see, from a previous chart that all Moorman and A.Moore and nice offensive ratings, and defensive rating per 100 possessions, and also a decent margin between the two.


Perry had the best defensive rating, and that now that he hasxheeled , based on what I saw in the scrimmages, his offense was very good as as well.

It’s clear that Moorman can play PF or SF, and that Perry can play. PF, SF, or SG. He is Temple’s best perimeter defender.


Moorman "bombing away" from three point line - like the sound of that!

It seems a bit odd to have so many capable 3 pt shooters and relying on them so heavily with the 10 inch extension of the 3 pt line. It could work out for Temple if the FG3% doesn't drop more than a few % pts, but if the FG3% drops significantly against some teams, Temple will be forced to drive the ball to the hoop.

Rose and NPL can penetrate, as can JPL, and it seems Scott can shoot from anywhere on the court. Hamilton can score from 2 pt land, as can Moorman and Perry to some extent.

That injury situation with Dunn really throws a monkey wrench into things until he comes back.

I'm with you about Dunn being a potential impact player, and my concern is that Temple might be similar to last season, but could take a step forward when he returns.

Regarding all the PFs on the team, we'll have 4 in Moorman, Perry, Hamilton, and Parks - although the latter two will I'm guessing play the C position.

Don't see Perry as a starting option at any position on the team, but as a good backup player who can function in front or back court. He seemed to be out of place too often last season, and I think expecting him to play multiple positions may be too confusing for him. But we will need him at wing until Dunn returns and at PF behind J.P. all season.

Regarding "Centers" and "PFs," it's probably accurate to say that Temple only has one true Center, and that he may average 25 mpg at best. What that means is that for the other 15 minutes or so, the reality is that Temple will have two PFs on the floor, since Hamilton seems listed as a PF.

During those 15 minutes, I would not have Perry in the game except at the wing position. Hamilton has the height to play side by side with Moorman in the front court, neither being a true Center, but at least one of which will have to play near the basket on defense.

I know Hamilton can hit from 3, but I'm concerned that if Temple over-relies on 3 point shooting, opponents will spread their defense to stop our perimeter shooters. To keep defenses honest and make them have to work hard, Temple needs to have a solid 2 point offense. It's not Moorman's strong suit, but it is Hamilton's, so when he and J.P. are in the game together (as they should be when Damion's on the bench), I'd put Moorman on the perimeter and have Hamilton playing within 8 or 10 feet of the basket

Could Hamilton play alongside Damion for a few minutes per game as the closest thing we'd have to a "twin towers" arrangement? It's certainly a possibility for a few mpg...why not? Maybe try it and see?
 
10-14-2019 06:47 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #13
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
p.s. The idea of telling other players not to shoot so Temple's Big 3 could get more shot opportunities seems slightly mistaken in retrospect.

Yes, Big 3 should have gotten most shots as they did, but against better opponents, it was too easy for them to simply focus on shutting down Temple's Big 3, knowing that no other TU player would pick up enough on the scoring.

This strikes me as a fundamental error in judgment on the part of the prior HC. He should have known better to design such a limited offensive scheme. Severely restricting shots by other players essentially took them out of the offense and did not help their development as players.
 
10-14-2019 06:51 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #14
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
The nice part about Temple spreading the floor, and Hamilton playing on the perimeter at times, is that it forces opponents to choose between sending their big out to guard him, or to instead stay at home, and leave Hamilton unguarded on the three-point line. If the big stays at home, Hamilton will have a field day shooting the three-ball. My fear is that McKie will not have him shoot three’s as much as he should.

If the opponent’ big does come-out on Hamilton- Scott, Nate, Rose, Perry, and even Moorman, will should each eat the opponent’s lunch, as they will have virtual free pass to the hoop.

HC McKie needs to determine whether Moorman or Perry starts.

D.Moore, Hamilton, and Parks will play Center, but don’t know how much Parks will play. McKie playing both D.Moore and Hamilton together is a good idea. Don’t know if he’ll do that. Also, don’t know what his small line-up is.

When I looked closely at Temple’s losses, we see time and again, where Rose or Alston were way off in their shooting, and NPL, a few times as well, they continued to keep shooting when better shooters were open. That cost Temple wins. Don’t want to see that repeated this year, but fear it may, although it didn’t occur in the intra-squad open scrimmages.

Don’t think the extended three-point line, will effect either the number of three’s attempted, nor percentage made, as few players shoot three’s near the former line anyhow. Most NBA and college teams increase there three’s each year. Some NBA and college teams rapidly approaching 50 percent of all shots being three’s. Given the number of decent three-point shooters, Temple should increase the number of three’s shot as well.

Players should no longer take long two-point jump shots from beyond the foul-line extending out to the three point line as most shooters shoot those shots very poorly. Instead, would rather see drives to the hoop, shorter 2-point jumpers, or three’-point shots..

If Temple substantially reduce the of long two-point jump shots they take, Temple’s 2-point shooting percentage and points scored would sky-rocket, as will the number of three’s being scored.

With more close-in shots, even if missed, there will be more of an opportunity to garner offensive rebounds.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-18-2021 12:22 PM by Miggy.)
10-14-2019 07:30 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #15
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
I’ve saved this separate space for Nate-Pierre Louise, one of my favorite Temple players. We all know that he goes non-stop on the court like few players can match.

This past season Nate’s overall 2-point shooting declined very little from his freshman year in conference play (52.8 to 51 percent).

Nate is a slasher who’s very good at scoring at the rim as last season he shot 108-174 or 62.1 percent at the rim, and was extraordinary in getting to the foul-line.

He’s ok shooting three’s (34.6) if he takes just a few of them per game.

He should eliminate shooting long distance two’s, as 20 percent of all his his 10.3 fga’s or 2.2 per game were long distance 2’s, and he only shot 24.3 percent ( 19-75) on long distance shots or 25.3 percent.

His inprovement in certain statistical categories this past season in conference play was simply incredible. He played a major part in Temple’s success this past season.

Temple took 253 foul shots in conference play last season, 11th in the AAC. This past season Temple took 400 foul shots in conference play, the 4th most taken by any team in conference play. Such was a huge jump.,

This was largely do to Alston, Rose and NPL, taking easy more trips to the foul-line.

Nate saw his playing time rise from 20.4 mpg in his freshman year to 34.1 mpg in conference play. His biggest improvement from his freshman year was getting to the foul-line, for even though his playing time increased over a third, he more than doubled the number of foul-shots he took, as it went from 2.6 to 5.6 per game in conference play.

He also improved his foul shooting from 57.6 percent from the previous season, to 69 percent in conference play his sophomore year.

He averaged 2.5 foul-shots made per game his freshman year, and saw that increased to 3.8 foul-shot made per game in conference play his soohomore year.

In his freshman year his fga’s relationship to foul shots attempted was 33 percent.

In his sophomore year, he averaged 10.3 fga’s, and he averaged 5.6 foul shots attempts per game in conference games. So the ratio of fga’s to foul shot attempts was 50 percent of all fga’s.

I can’t a find a stat like that for any other college bb player in the country, but I doubt that any other player approaches that percentage. Even Jarron Cumberland, the AAC’s player of the year, who took more foul-shots per game than anyone in the conference only had a 41 percent ratio of foul shots to fga’s.

Nate increased his total rebounds from 3. 3 his freshman year to 5.1 in conference play his sophomore year.

His assists improved from .7 to 1.9 his sophomore year.

Nate’s steals increased from 1.1 to 1.4 per game in conference play from the year before.

Even though his playing only increased by a little over 1/3 from his freshman year, his turnovers doubled from .9 his freshman year to 1.8 his sophomore year.

Nate shot 34.7 on three’s in conference play. He sveraged taking 2.7 three’s per game and averaged making .9 per game. He shot slightly less than 30 percent on three’s at the start of the season in non-conference games.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-03-2021 12:32 PM by Miggy.)
10-14-2019 11:20 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #16
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
Interesting.

I really noticed how much emphasis Coach McKie put on the loss of Dunn until late November, and his point that he is really looking forward to watching Dunn "play" on the court this season. These remarks echo yours, and fit also with what I've seen of Dunn in his videos.

Far too soon to make any comparisons, but I'm starting to get the sense/intuition that if Dunn's foot heals quickly enough, he could be the kind of impact player that Rose and NPL were in their freshman year, and could earn up to something like 15-20 mpg of playing time.

Do you know anything more about Dunn's injury, and how long ago it and his surgery took place?

If it were a major stress fracture or achilles type injury, he would be out until spring, at the earliest, and might have to redshirt. But the injury did require surgery, and recovering from foot surgery is tough because of the weight a body puts on the foot all day. Staying off the foot means losing some muscle tone, but he can exercise bike to keep somewhat fit enough.

If he's using an exercise bike, with a protective boot of some kind, I assume it's not an ankle injury, at least not a severe one, because flexing the ankle isn't a good idea for some weeks, until physical therapy begins.

So that narrows things down to relatively minor surgeries. Could he have broken one of his smaller foot bones, perhaps - but that doesn't typically require surgery unless it's a compound fracture of some kind.
Seems more likely to involve some kind of relatively minor ligament or tendon repair, perhaps?

=====

I like the fact that McKie is taking all the time he needs to decide upon his starters and rotation. He's obviously letting the players compete for starting positions, although I expect Rose, NPL, Moorman, and probably Scott to start. If Scott doesn't start, maybe McKie's idea is to start games on low octane at tirst, and then amp up the voltage by bringing in spark plugs like Scott and Hamilton in off the bench.

It does seem like a good idea to have at least one spark plug guy off the bench. I'm guessing that will be one of Hamilton's virtues, since he's a potent scorer. Perry could be a spark plug, but he's been inconsistent and hit less than 30% FG3% last season, and may be more effective playing closer to the basket. Alani can be a spark plug to some extent. But when Dunn returns, he might be that guy in the back court.

Also like the fact that McKie is so cool about being willing to discuss his stance and body language on the coach - saying that he'll be seeking input from all his mentors and associates, and that it will sort itself out, but that most importantly, he's got to be himself out there. Somebody gave him some good guidance on that, I'm guessing.

I like the fact that he is strong, but open-minded. Confident without being arrogant, and very dedicated to this role he will be playing and to his team. He is a likable guy. I see just a wee bit of Coach Chaney in him, and that is a compliment.

=====

Even with Dunn out, I'm assuming there will be a 9 man rotation, with JPL being a potential 10th man when circumstances dictate (perhaps a few minutes of intense defense when NPL is on the bench).

He's got a lot of moving parts to work with. Almost every player, other than Damion, could play multiple positions. Perhaps switching specific player-position matchups will be an opportunity for this team to try to create mismatches.

I assume that you must agree that showing the exact same look every time down the floor is a recipe for failure in college basketball. Some stability is helpful at times, but the ability to move players in and out or from position to position can help win some games, as can moving players in to play a high pressure defense, or switching the whole team into a zone defense. Dunphy was better at all these things years back in his prime, but in recent years, the team could be so predictable on offense that it became tiresome to watch all too often, and opposing coaches could easily figure out how to exploit the lack of change to their advantage.

McKie's thinking seems to be much more fluid than his predecessor's was, and that could be very beneficial this season by jarring opponents and throwing them off kilter to adjust in mid-half.

I get what you mean about reducing 2 point jump shots to increase FG2%, although there will always be some of those when the clock ticks down without nobody else open.

Guys like Scott and Dunn and NPL seem to be pretty good jump shooters, though. Maybe give them the green light and tell the others to focus on 3 pt shots, dishes to big men, put-backs, and drives toward the basket. Will be interesting to see what unfolds.

You mentioned back-door passing and other tricky passing plays. Moorman, Scott, and Alani are good passers, and Rose can also make some spectacular passes. Building passing prowess in the other guys could make for a more deceptive offensive scheme, but perhaps this evolves in the early months of the season.
 
(This post was last modified: 10-14-2019 07:26 PM by jedclampett.)
10-14-2019 07:16 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #17
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-14-2019 11:20 AM)Miggy Wrote:  I’ve saved this separate space for Nate-Pierre Louise, one of my favorite Temple players.

Great summary of his development as a player.

I also noticed, last season, that he spent the first few months of season in the shadow of Alston and Rose, scoring ~14 ppg, but seemed to narrow that gap later in the season.

He also struggled through some tough first halfs, sometimes failing to score more than 1-2 points, then getting hot in the second half. Sometimes we won, and sometimes we lost those games. FD had no solution, with only one solid back up option in Alani, who also had to back up Alston or Rose. Not sure if Perry ever made a huge difference by playing in the back court to relieve NPL when he was shooting cold.

This coming season, it would be really helpful if Nate could score at least 5 or 6 points in the first half of almost every game. When he's not hitting, the team struggles to pull ahead.

Until Dunn returns, if Nate goes into a first half shooting slump, at least McKie will have two options - to insert Alani or JPL and give NPL a breather. He could also try playing Scott, Rose, and Perry (SG) as a temporary back court unit, which I'm not sure FD ever tried. Since Perry is a better 2 point shooter, perhaps he can make up for some of the interior scoring Temple usually relies on NPL to do. JPL can do the same, but I get the strong sense that his minutes will be strictly limited for some time while he develops.
 
10-14-2019 07:25 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Miggy Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,260
Joined: Aug 2019
Reputation: -4
I Root For: Eastern Michigan and Tem
Location:
Post: #18
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-14-2019 07:25 PM)jedclampett Wrote:  
(10-14-2019 11:20 AM)Miggy Wrote:  I’ve saved this separate space for Nate-Pierre Louise, one of my favorite Temple players.

Great summary of his development as a player.

I also noticed, last season, that he spent the first few months of season in the shadow of Alston and Rose, scoring ~14 ppg, but seemed to narrow that gap later in the season.

He also struggled through some tough first halfs, sometimes failing to score more than 1-2 points, then getting hot in the second half. Sometimes we won, and sometimes we lost those games. FD had no solution, with only one solid back up option in Alani, who also had to back up Alston or Rose. Not sure if Perry ever made a huge difference by playing in the back court to relieve NPL when he was shooting cold.

This coming season, it would be really helpful if Nate could score at least 5 or 6 points in the first half of almost every game. When he's not hitting, the team struggles to pull ahead.

Until Dunn returns, if Nate goes into a first half shooting slump, at least McKie will have two options - to insert Alani or JPL and give NPL a breather. He could also try playing Scott, Rose, and Perry (SG) as a temporary back court unit, which I'm not sure FD ever tried. Since Perry is a better 2 point shooter, perhaps he can make up for some of the interior scoring Temple usually relies on NPL to do. JPL can do the same, but I get the strong sense that his minutes will be strictly limited for some time while he develops.


Most of NPL’s offense are drives to the hoop. Opponents defenses were constructed to stop his drives, but with his spin moves, he was more often successful getting and scoring at the hoop, than not.

Defenses gave him the outside 2-point jump shots that he shot at only 25 percent. He should not shot those shots.

If he can’r get to the hoop, or is not scoring, he should pass the ball to anyone who is making their shots. NPL only a few games where he kept shooting even when he was missing.

Rose and Alston were much worse by continuing to bomb away bomb away when they were missing. It’s up to HC McKie to demand that from NPL or any other player not shooting when they are missing fga’s. ..

Or McKie can leave NPL on the court, and instruct him to look to score only off fast breaks, and to concentrate on playing good defense.

Or McKie can sub-in either Scott Alani, Perry, or Dunn when he returns.

NPL has to look to see if there is a defender inside. Sometimes when he hasn’t shot in a while, he doesn’t do so, and he instead drives to the hoop and crashes or misses a contested shot.

NPL taking 10-11 shots is about right. If he’s on, he can shoot more. He’s been a very productive player on offense and defense.

But, I fear he will try to shoot more because Shizz Alston is gone. There is no need for him to carry the load as Temple has a plethora of good scorers.

HIs foul shooting percentage increased from his freshman year, and since he’s a hard worker, hopefully he will again this season.
 
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2019 10:59 AM by Miggy.)
10-14-2019 10:46 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #19
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
Most of NPL’s offense are drives to the hoop. Opponents defenses were constructed to stop his drives, but with his spin moves, he was more often successful getting and scoring at the hoop, than not.

Defenses gave him the outside 2-point jump shots that he shot at 25 percent. He should not shot those shots.

If he can’r get to the hoop, or is not scoring, , he should pass the ball to Moorman, Hamilton, D.Moore, to anyone who is making their shots. NPL only a few games where he kept shooting even when he was missing..

Rose and Alston were much worse. That didn’t happen but in just Hopefully it wii. It’s up to HC McKie to demand that from NPL or any other player not shooting when they are missing fga’s. ..

Or McKie can leave NPL on the court,, and instruct him only to look to score off fast breaks, and to otherwise justo play good defense.

Or McKie can sub-in either Scott or Alani if either is not on the court, Perry, or Dunn when he returns.

NPL has to look to see if there is a defender inside. Sometimes when he hasn’t shot in a while, he instead drives to the hoop and crashes or misses a contested shot.

NPL taking 10-11 shots is about right. If he’s on, he can shoot more. He’s been a very productive player on offense and defense.

But, I fear he will try to shoot more because Shizz Alston is gone. There is no need for him to carry the load as Temple has a plethora of good scorers.

HIs foul shooting percentage increased from his freshman year, and hopefully he will again as he’s a very hard worker.
[/quote]

You make a lot of good points.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty, when the shot clock is running down or at critical moments, it might be most likely that Scott takes over, since he is able to hit from anywhere on the court. So I'm looking at Scott as the money guy.

Agree that Nate shouldn't take those 2 pt jump shots - except if he's got the ball with 2 seconds on the clock and has to shoot.

Rose, when healthy, can sometimes make the money plays, although his main contribution on offense is often to go on a 1 man scoring spree and score 6-9 points in a row, to either take back a lead or build a lead.

Have too often seen him miss shots at the most crucial moments.

So we may see Scott be the main man at crunch time, and I'm cool with that, because he has played that role with his prior team.

Maybe Dunn could also become that kind of player in the next year or two.

=====

This brings up another interesting question: What will the starting lineup be after Rose, Alani, & Damion are gone?

I'm thinking that the starters might be Scott, NPL, Dunn, J.P., & Justyn.

That's a pretty high octane offensive unit - I assume you'd agree.

Bench: Perry (Sr), Strickland (RS Soph), Forrester (RS Soph), JPL (Soph), White (Fr), Parks (RS Soph), plus two new recruits TBA.

That's a back-up unit with a lot of defensive skill. If McKie wants to, he can at times put an entire bench unit on the floor at times when he wants to shut down an opponent's scoring.
 
10-15-2019 02:41 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
jedclampett Offline
All American
*

Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
Post: #20
RE: Temple men’s bb 2019-2020
(10-15-2019 11:56 AM)Miggy Wrote:  I must digress for a moment, as I’m very concerned about HC Mckie’s intention to put the ball more in Rose’s hands this year, and to have Rose both distribute the ball, and to shoot more this year, as it’s my view, both are a recipe’ for disaster, and Temple having the chance to have a very successful year.

I agree that these are areas where McKie needs to improve, but I'm a little more optimistic, because I have been following him since his freshman year, and think I understand his growth trajectory in a way that makes me more sanguine about his development.

Rose started out as a potential superstar on the team, but had some what one might call some "attention deficit" issues, or some "needing to grow up" issues. Some combination of both, but mostly attention deficit, I believe, because he has always been serious and has gotten along well with teammates.

I don't want to say that he started out as somewhat of a "primmadonna," because that would be stigmatizing him, but he has always been a virtuoso who could single-handedly win games at the drop of a hat. But, like many creative people who are not known for consistency, he could play 15 minutes and be barely visible, before suddenly catching fire.

Rose is also a very youthful person, even for his age. He is bouncy, can be effervescent, perhaps a little tempestuous at times or feisty. I don't consider him immature, because that's too severe, but "youthful" and spunky individualist or free spirit comes closer.

Now, his attention does wander, and this can affect his judgment at times. He's impulsive and gifted enough to charge the basket with gusto, but perhaps the impulsiveness has gotten him into trouble, when he arrives at the basket and can't finish or crashes, burns, or turns the ball over.

Nevertheless, he has been gradually improving in these respects over time, more or less steadily, and he seems to know that he has to work on these things so as to help the team.

Part of growing up for all of us in our 20's is consuming some "humble pie" and learning that we're not the center of the world. Beyond that, each young person has the challenge of accepting their personal limitations. In basketball, the game forces a player to become more and more of a team player, thinking less of their own statistics and more about the team's.

I know that you've been very critical of him, because he seems like the kind of guy who shouldn't be making these mistakes so far into college, but you might be able to appreciate and understand him better if you consider him to be a "gifted and talented" student.

The term 'gifted and talented,' applies to students who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields. Often, gifted students have specific developmental challenges that they need to put work into or may need assistance with.

A classic example is a young person with attention issues, who is brilliant and incredibly talented in certain respects, and might even be considered a prodigy or a young genius, but can be limited by the attention problems (being distractable, impulsive, or drifting concentration). These limitations may be with the gifted student for their entire life, but they often learn how to overcome them or surmount these difficulties over time, sometimes with educational or medical assistance in some combination.

To me, QR fits this profile almost perfectly. He is the classic "gifted and talented" student. Like many others with these traits, he can be hard to understand or even frustrating to others at times, who ask "how can such a prodigy be such a klutz sometimes?"

=======

If you look at him this way, you may be able to both appreciate and empathize with him as he goes through his moments of brilliance and his periodic screwups.

He's growing up, and not the same way most people do, maybe a wee bit slower than some expect, but like most other "gifted and talented" people of all ages, he is a very special person and (in this case all-AAC first team pre-season) player.

I don't want to go into detail about my professional training, I'd like you to know that I've had advanced post-doctoral training in a closely related field, so I'm not making this stuff up. I know whereof I speak about this.


So, as frustrated and impatient as you have often been, and understandably so at times, as I've also been, I hope that you might realize that the turnovers and distracted focus or seeming spaced out at times are all part of what many gifted and talented students have to deal with.

They're not lazy or crazy or stupid. They're actually more like young Einsteins, who struggle because their brains are wired differently that most peoples are. Not worse, just different.

And, yes, you would have been just as frustrated and impatient with young Einstein himself, another classic "gifted student" who struggled with boring academic routines and was always quirky and a bit on the eccentric side. His brain was different. That's why he was so amazingly gifted in some areas.

It's not easy for gifted students, because in some ways, they're in a mental world that uniquely rises above most other peoples' capacity to understand in some specific ways, and in other ways can be seen as odd or lazy or eccentric & spaced out at times.

==========

Having said all this, I love the guy, not knowing him, only seeing him on the basketball court. I've known a lot of "gifted" people of various ages, and have developed a special appreciation for them.

I empathize with him, too. I know it's not easy, and sometimes must be incredibly frustrating to have not only his brilliance, but also his mistakes watched by thousands of people night after night. On the other hand, I never worry about him, because he's got the right amount of moxy to shrug off the occasional glitches and is smart enough not to get excessively bummed out. Got to maintain an even keel through it all.

I see him as having most of the tools that a great player like Julius Erving had. At times, he has been just as spectacular as Dr. J. was back in the day. It's too soon to know whether he will ever be able to make a NBA team or not. He'll have a lot of work to do to get there, if he's even capable of going that far. Maybe his attention issues or physical issues will get in the way.

But he'll have an interesting professional career somewhere in the world, I think one can bet on that.

Regardless of all that, I accept him for what he is, and knowing what kinds of unique struggles he has to deal with, I enjoy watching him develop as a player. The struggles are the same kinds of struggles that every one of us has to deal with in life, because none of us are good at everything, and most of us mess up sometimes, or crash and burn in our own ways.

========

Last and most encouraging point - This is going to be his most special year in college. He's first team pre-season all-AAC, and will be getting a lot of attention. It is his greatest chance to shine, perhaps that he'll ever get. He is a Senior, and a co-captain, and he is going to have to carry the team on his back to some extent, especially now that Shizz is gone.

This, in some ways, will be Quinton's team, just like last year was Alston's team in a lot of ways. So he almost certainly is going to temper his mistakes and play as responsibly as he can for the good of the team. Success depends on what he does, game in and game out; he's not a kid any more.

With responsibility comes development. Give a young person enough responsibility, and he will grow up. So I think that in some ways, we're going to see a new version of Quinton Rose out there on the court this year. Not a perfect version, but an improved version.

Passing the ball - yes it's a concern if there are too many off-target passes. But Rose was part of a unit that generated close to 15 assists per game last season, and when he is 100% "on," he is capable of making mind-dazzling passes. If he needs to make fewer passes, then McKie will definitely make needed adjustments; we can count on that.

To ease your mind on passing, just remember last season how Alston and Rose ran the offense together, and envision Scott taking on the role that Alston played. I think McKie will have Scott and Rose run the offense together this year. Few of Rose's errors on the court were due to errant passes. They were due to the crash and burn, charging fouls, losing control of the ball in traffic, being stripped of the ball, etc.
 
10-15-2019 06:01 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 




User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


Copyright © 2002-2024 Collegiate Sports Nation Bulletin Board System (CSNbbs), All Rights Reserved.
CSNbbs is an independent fan site and is in no way affiliated to the NCAA or any of the schools and conferences it represents.
This site monetizes links. FTC Disclosure.
We allow third-party companies to serve ads and/or collect certain anonymous information when you visit our web site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over) during your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice or to opt-out of this type of advertising, you can visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2024 MyBB Group.