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(07-21-2022 08:37 AM)skyblade Wrote:  Over on 247 someone (not sure who) got to watch a practice and posted some notes - it's free no worries. Says don't sleep on Skillings/Reed/Sage among other things.

The note I think is of most interest is Nolley needs to improve on defense. It's worth noting (and I believe I have) that Nolley's defense rating on EvanMiya the last couple years was not good. Nolley seems to have good (though maybe not great) length and movement for his size, though he's not bouncy.

Which leads to the question that I've been asking around Ezikpe. Do we really think Wes is going to run out a lineup of Maw?, DDJ, Nolley, Davenport and Ezikpe. That's a lineup with no rim protection, no good defenders (besides MAW), no outside their zone rebounders (and possibly no good rebounders) and mostly undersized. It's the same issues we had last year with DDJ/Davenport, but a worse center and worse SF when it comes to defense/rebounding.

Improving on offense would be great, but you have to score more points than you give up.

I doubt that group will actually see much time on the floor together. Wes has a lot of options to give us length/athleticism and we know he loves size and rim protection especially from bigs. My guess is we will generally have at least a couple of the more defense first, long, athletic guys on the floor especially if some of them can be 3-and-D types.

I think there is something interesting with that group that could move some of them into a semi-rotational spot for one reason on each of them.

At the moment, we have very little rim-protection outside of Lahkin...if Ezikpe can't fill that role, the only other true option is the 7'1" Hawaiian on the bench, meaning he may HAVE to get some trial by fire this year.

If Skillings' shooting is actually where many seem to think it is, he may work his way into the rotation on the basis of improving floor spacing if DeJulius can't find his stroke, MAW and Newman shoot like last year, and Davenport comes back to earth.

I'm not sold on our ability to rebound secondary positions, and by all accounts, Reed is already a fairly solid rebounder from the 3/4 spot. If we are getting our asses kicked on the boards early in the year, I could see him carving out a spot as a support rebounder when Lahkin is moved off the floor for rest/foul trouble/turnoveritis to support Ezikpe and/or Ody (as I see Vik being the starting 5 at this point).

(07-21-2022 07:37 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-21-2022 07:22 AM)skyblade Wrote:  

(07-21-2022 06:37 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-20-2022 09:52 AM)skyblade Wrote:  [
1) Chad has said multiple times now that he thinks MAW will start and that MAW has looked like the better player thus far during the off-season. Given that he is connected to the coaching staff and gets to watch some open gyms, I tend to believe him (sometimes, I don't agree with him on Kalu). I'm also less high on our transfers than many people, I think fans tend to overhype the new guys. When you look at their stats and what they did the last couple of years, Phinisee and Ezikpe look much more like role players than starters.

2) Wes has said he likes to keep guys around 25 minutes maximum so they still have energy left late in the year. If our depth actually pans out I expect him to hold true to that. DDJ will get to 30 and maybe even 35 minutes in some big games, but most of the time I expect him to be around 25 minutes.

Have i missed this? I've heard Chad talk about MAW playing well and that he could start but I haven't heard him go so far as to say he thinks MAW will start. Admittedly I have been busy and haven't been able to give thy BCJ pods my full attention.

Chad lurks around these parts. I'm sure he could clarify if he wanted to.

I may be overstating what exactly he said. He has definitely said that MAW has looked much improved and indicated that assuming Phinisee will start is not a safe assumption.

How you just phrased it is the impression I've gotten.

MAW has apparently been working on getting to and finishing around the rim. But it's possible that MAW's improvement is more a product of the level of defense in open gyms. Once fall comes around and guys start taking playing defense seriously, Phinisee's skillset will have a chance to shine and MAW's offensive improvement may start to diminish.

(07-21-2022 09:10 AM)skyblade Wrote:  

(07-21-2022 07:37 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-21-2022 07:22 AM)skyblade Wrote:  

(07-21-2022 06:37 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-20-2022 09:52 AM)skyblade Wrote:  [
1) Chad has said multiple times now that he thinks MAW will start and that MAW has looked like the better player thus far during the off-season. Given that he is connected to the coaching staff and gets to watch some open gyms, I tend to believe him (sometimes, I don't agree with him on Kalu). I'm also less high on our transfers than many people, I think fans tend to overhype the new guys. When you look at their stats and what they did the last couple of years, Phinisee and Ezikpe look much more like role players than starters.

2) Wes has said he likes to keep guys around 25 minutes maximum so they still have energy left late in the year. If our depth actually pans out I expect him to hold true to that. DDJ will get to 30 and maybe even 35 minutes in some big games, but most of the time I expect him to be around 25 minutes.

Have i missed this? I've heard Chad talk about MAW playing well and that he could start but I haven't heard him go so far as to say he thinks MAW will start. Admittedly I have been busy and haven't been able to give thy BCJ pods my full attention.

Chad lurks around these parts. I'm sure he could clarify if he wanted to.

I may be overstating what exactly he said. He has definitely said that MAW has looked much improved and indicated that assuming Phinisee will start is not a safe assumption.

How you just phrased it is the impression I've gotten.

MAW has apparently been working on getting to and finishing around the rim. But it's possible that MAW's improvement is more a product of the level of defense in open gyms. Once fall comes around and guys start taking playing defense seriously, Phinisee's skillset will have a chance to shine and MAW's offensive improvement may start to diminish.

He certainly couldn't get any worse at finishing around the rim.

(07-21-2022 07:22 AM)skyblade Wrote:  

(07-21-2022 06:37 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-20-2022 09:52 AM)skyblade Wrote:  [
1) Chad has said multiple times now that he thinks MAW will start and that MAW has looked like the better player thus far during the off-season. Given that he is connected to the coaching staff and gets to watch some open gyms, I tend to believe him (sometimes, I don't agree with him on Kalu). I'm also less high on our transfers than many people, I think fans tend to overhype the new guys. When you look at their stats and what they did the last couple of years, Phinisee and Ezikpe look much more like role players than starters.

2) Wes has said he likes to keep guys around 25 minutes maximum so they still have energy left late in the year. If our depth actually pans out I expect him to hold true to that. DDJ will get to 30 and maybe even 35 minutes in some big games, but most of the time I expect him to be around 25 minutes.

Have i missed this? I've heard Chad talk about MAW playing well and that he could start but I haven't heard him go so far as to say he thinks MAW will start. Admittedly I have been busy and haven't been able to give thy BCJ pods my full attention.

Chad lurks around these parts. I'm sure he could clarify if he wanted to.

I may be overstating what exactly he said. He has definitely said that MAW has looked much improved and indicated that assuming Phinisee will start is not a safe assumption.

I think there are a lot of factors going into it this offseason; Phinisee is working back from injuries and also acclimating to a new system while MAW is perfectly healthy and more "fine-tuning" his game within a system he's familiar with. It's no surprise that during open gym workouts a player who's been around for a while appears ahead of a guy who just got to campus a few months ago.

I like MAW. I think he's a great swiss-army knife of a player but Phinisee is a pure point guard with hundreds of minutes playing the position in the far-more-competitive Big Ten while MAW has bounced between the guard spots his entire career at UC.

If all else is equal, I think Phinisee gets the nod at point guard while MAW continues to play that same jack of all trades role (which he does extremely well, I might add). That is to say, unless MAW truly has had an epiphany this offseason and is poised for a breakout senior year, which we obviously won't know until they play actual games.

https://www.wcpo.com/sports/college-spor...-way-to-go

Another interview with Wes Miller. The take away from pretty much all of them is that there are two main improvements he wants/expects to see next year. 1. Getting longer and more athletic as a team, felt that we were undersized positionally too often last year and it showed. 2. More options and ability on offense, some of that from returning guys who improve during the off-season.

As I've noted it will be interesting to see how that shakes out. The guys who project as our best offensive players (DDJ, Davenport, Nolley, possibly Ezikpe) are also generally undersized and/or lacking in athleticism and will probably also be some of our worse defensive players. Will Wes prioritize offense or defensive athleticism/length? Hopefully we get a few guys who are good to great on both ends.

(07-25-2022 04:41 PM)skyblade Wrote:  https://www.wcpo.com/sports/college-spor...-way-to-go

Another interview with Wes Miller. The take away from pretty much all of them is that there are two main improvements he wants/expects to see next year. 1. Getting longer and more athletic as a team, felt that we were undersized positionally too often last year and it showed. 2. More options and ability on offense, some of that from returning guys who improve during the off-season.

As I've noted it will be interesting to see how that shakes out. The guys who project as our best offensive players (DDJ, Davenport, Nolley, possibly Ezikpe) are also generally undersized and/or lacking in athleticism and will probably also be some of our worse defensive players. Will Wes prioritize offense or defensive athleticism/length? Hopefully we get a few guys who are good to great on both ends.

Perhaps our 4 returning starters grew and got more athletic in the offseason. Ezikpe certainly doesn't make us longer and more athletic, either.

(07-25-2022 05:44 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(07-25-2022 04:41 PM)skyblade Wrote:  https://www.wcpo.com/sports/college-spor...-way-to-go

Another interview with Wes Miller. The take away from pretty much all of them is that there are two main improvements he wants/expects to see next year. 1. Getting longer and more athletic as a team, felt that we were undersized positionally too often last year and it showed. 2. More options and ability on offense, some of that from returning guys who improve during the off-season.

As I've noted it will be interesting to see how that shakes out. The guys who project as our best offensive players (DDJ, Davenport, Nolley, possibly Ezikpe) are also generally undersized and/or lacking in athleticism and will probably also be some of our worse defensive players. Will Wes prioritize offense or defensive athleticism/length? Hopefully we get a few guys who are good to great on both ends.

Perhaps our 4 returning starters grew and got more athletic in the offseason. Ezikpe certainly doesn't make us longer and more athletic, either.

Davenport has been working on getting leaner and quicker, but with his body type I can't imagine there's a lot of room to improve.

With the transfers length/athleticism: Nolley is a downgrade to Newman, Ezikpe is a major downgrade compared to Ado/Koval, Phinisee is a large upgrade over Saunders and probably a wash for MAW. I doubt backup PG is what Wes is referring to when it comes to improving length/athleticism. Skillings/Reed/Sage on the other hand bring a lot of length/athleticism, but is unclear how much they will contribute as freshmen.

I feel like Wes is pinning his hopes largely on the returning big-men (and I am as well). Hensley, Ody and Vik. They have tons of athleticism and the experience that this could be there year that any/all of them make a jump.

You don't get much quicker as an athlete at 23. Davenport can work on improving areas of his game but being more athletic probably isn't one.

I still worry about same guy syndrome with the 4 starters.

(07-25-2022 08:09 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  You don't get much quicker as an athlete at 23. Davenport can work on improving areas of his game but being more athletic probably isn't one.

I still worry about same guy syndrome with the 4 starters.

Same. Not overly optimistic for this coming season.

(07-25-2022 08:09 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  You don't get much quicker as an athlete at 23. Davenport can work on improving areas of his game but being more athletic probably isn't one.

I still worry about same guy syndrome with the 4 starters.

I don't think the 4 starters will be DDJ, Nolley, Davenport and Ezikpe. I wouldn't be surprised if only two of those guys start. There are some differences, but poor defense and lots of mid-range jumpers are two negative features of all of their games. None of them get to the rim particularly well either - we don't have anyone on the team who stands out as a slasher.

DDJ doesn't need a ton of offense surrounding him, nor does his style favor passing and quick ball movement. We saw last year he'd pass up open spot-up shots in order to take 3 dribbles and a step back jumper. His game is methodically breaking his man down off the dribble. Ideally he needs a couple shooters to keep the pressure (and double teams) off him and a big man who can finish if DDJ gets it to him at the rim, but the passing of Nolley/Ezikpe won't benefit him a ton. I think we pair him more with shooters, defense and 3-and-D guys (if we have any): Davenport, Hensley, Vik, Ody, MAW, Phinisee and Newman are all possibilities.

Nolley/Ezikpe are very good passers, but not particularly skilled as finishers off the dribble. Ideally you pair them with guys who move the ball well and get open looks with ball movement. Who those guys are I'm not sure. We didn't see a lot of ball movement last year, as both Davenport and DDJ tend to kill ball movement. It's possible Ezikpe gets benched, Nolley's role could turn into mostly being a spot-up shooter (his only high percentage shot) and we mostly let DDJ run the show.

Maui bracket was released last night.

Texas Tech
Creighton

Louisville
Arkansas

San Diego St
Ohio State

Arizona
Cincinnati

Arizona is a preseason top 20 team by most lists. Could have a UC Ohio State second round game.

If you believe the rumors about Arizona/San Diego State and the Big 12 you could have future members of the Big 12 playing in this tournament.

(08-01-2022 07:12 AM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  Maui bracket was released last night.

Texas Tech
Creighton

Louisville
Arkansas

San Diego St
Ohio State

Arizona
Cincinnati

Arizona is a preseason top 20 team by most lists. Could have a UC Ohio State second round game.

If you believe the rumors about Arizona/San Diego State and the Big 12 you could have future members of the Big 12 playing in this tournament.

That's a great opening round game for UC against what will be a top 25 opponent.

Regarding San Diego State, I don't buy the rumors of the Aztecs in the Big 12. More likely, I see that school as a backfill after further defections from the Pac 12 to the B10 and Big 12. If I'm running the Big 12, I wouldn't backfill with a G5 when there will be a handful of P5 state flagship universities in play, two of which are in contiguous states (CO, UT) to future Big 12 member BYU.

(08-01-2022 07:12 AM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  Maui bracket was released last night.

Texas Tech
Creighton

Louisville
Arkansas

San Diego St
Ohio State

Arizona
Cincinnati

Arizona is a preseason top 20 team by most lists. Could have a UC Ohio State second round game.

If you believe the rumors about Arizona/San Diego State and the Big 12 you could have future members of the Big 12 playing in this tournament.

We have the potential to play both O$U and Louisville.

If that happens coach Miller has the potential to return from Hawaii as the new Huggins... or the new Brannen.

Great group of teams but I fear that lineup might be a bit out of our weight class to start the season. Arizona is going to be really good again this season.

(08-01-2022 09:11 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(08-01-2022 07:12 AM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  Maui bracket was released last night.

Texas Tech
Creighton

Louisville
Arkansas

San Diego St
Ohio State

Arizona
Cincinnati

Arizona is a preseason top 20 team by most lists. Could have a UC Ohio State second round game.

If you believe the rumors about Arizona/San Diego State and the Big 12 you could have future members of the Big 12 playing in this tournament.

We have the potential to play both O$U and Louisville.

If that happens coach Miller has the potential to return from Hawaii as the new Huggins... or the new Brannen.

Well I doubt he will be Huggs II.

My wife is an Arizona grad. Been trying to convince her we should go to the Maui invitational this year. But turns out that week will be her Grandpa's 100th Birthday so we have too much going on around here. Maui Invitational is definitely a bucket list sports trip for me.

(08-01-2022 09:41 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  My wife is an Arizona grad. Been trying to convince her we should go to the Maui invitational this year. But turns out that week will be her Grandpa's 100th Birthday so we have too much going on around here. Maui Invitational is definitely a bucket list sports trip for me.

It's really an exceptional event. We had plans to go until my brother decided to get married in the midwest two days before it begins.

(08-01-2022 07:12 AM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  Maui bracket was released last night.

Texas Tech
Creighton

Louisville
Arkansas

San Diego St
Ohio State

Arizona
Cincinnati

Arizona is a preseason top 20 team by most lists. Could have a UC Ohio State second round game.

If you believe the rumors about Arizona/San Diego State and the Big 12 you could have future members of the Big 12 playing in this tournament.

The last time UC played Arizona was the Miles Simon game in 96.

Zona also beat the 93 Elite 8 team. Chris Mills was their star then.

Great opportunity here; tall ask early in the season though .