Starting five...

[sireltonruddock]

I think the board needs a little life, and with no schedule to speculate wins and losses, the starting lineup might be a decent topic upon which to discuss. So what does everyone think Coach will put out there against Chicago State in the opener?

I suppose I'll go with:

Jermaine Calvin
Peaches Relph
Zarryon Fereti
Michael Lee
Paul "Wall" Williams

With this lineup, we'll be a little diminutive on the perimeter, but I think that it will bring our best offensive options to the table.

In having The Flying Peach and Fereti on the floor at the same time, it should open up some perimeter shots. From everything I've heard on campus, "Z" is the real deal. Calvin, too, had some very nice reviews regarding his athleticism, ball handling, leaping (numerous put back dunks at 5'10"), and passing abilities.

The front court, in my mind, should be one of the most formidable in the Atlantic 10. Lee is poised for an all-conference season, and by his senior year, I believe he can challenge for POY honors. If Williams can have a similar season to last year, we should be in pretty good shape up front. Of course, it would be nice if our boy Kaba could give a solid 15 minutes of defensive intensity and the occasional Terrence Durham-like junk bucket.

All in all, I like this roster a lot more than last year's. We're much deeper in the back court, which wins in this conference.

The story of the '06-'07 season, at least as far as wins and losses go, will be SBU's ability to beat the teams that it "should" beat out of conference. This means Canisius, Niagara, Chicago State, Youngstown State, St. Francis, Cleveland State and Central Connecticut State (assuming that the rumors of playing the last four are true). As far as conference play goes, we'll have to wait and see how we fare against these teams before having a really solid grasp on that portion of our schedule.

As usual, I'm optimistic, but Coach really does need to increase the total in the 'W' column this year. The winters are too cold to handle when the Bonnies aren't successful.

Free Peaches. Go Bona's.

[mangham]

Sir Elton. I like this line up against a zone. I like Hawkins or Morris/Williams at the three when our opponent goes man. Paul and Michael play better with their backs to the basket. We need one of these three to play like Rashaan Palmer.

I hope we use a more pressing defense with all of the athletes Sol has recruited.

[donniesbu82]

Are we playing Manhattan College? Do you think we will beat them?

[sireltonruddock]

I have heard mixed stories regarding Manhattan. Some say we will play them in the RC, some say they won't even be on our schedule. MC lost a great deal with the departure of Coach Gonzalez. Their top player, CJ Anderson, is transferring to Xavier. In my mind, we should probably take MC in the RC.

[remus]

I like that lineup. The main question is whether or not the players will be able to stay out of trouble this summer. Hopefully it isn't a repeat performance of last year.

[bababooey]

Elton, not sure if you got it mixed up with this, but the Manhattan transfer that I know about was Pawtucket, RI product Jeff Xavier is transferring out to Providence College.

[sireltonruddock]

Yes, Jeff Xavier is transferring to Providence. CJ Anderson, who was their most talented player, is transferring to the A-10's Xavier University. As I said, Manhattan is losing a great deal of talent from a pretty solid team last year.

[wgt]

The Jaspers lose players that produced 53 ppg last season. CJ Anderson was their best but will be an academic liability at X. I saw MC easily handle Fordham 81-68 at Draddy Gym last season. Bobby G & staff’s (including Phil Martelli Jr) departure is replaced by coaches that know the metro area & will compete well against Gonzalez who recently signed two metro area players

[LumsdnA10Academc98]

I don't think there are any questions regarding the lineup SirElton proposed at the 1, 2, 4 and 5 positions. Like Mangham noted, the real battle for minutes, I think, will occur at the 2 and especially the 3 spot.

I see Hawkins, Williams and Ferreti pressing for minutes at the 2, where hopefully Peaches eats up a solid 30 minutes. If Relph is in healthy and in shape, that shouldn't be an issue. While they all are serviceable SG's, I see the SF spot as a rotation between them and Morris, with Benson ideally supplying 6-8 minutes off the bench.

The real question will be whether Hawkins has developed a playable mid-range jumper. If AJ finds a 15-18 foot jumper to keep defenses honest on the perimeter and allow him to get to the bucket with more ease, the 3 should be his. The best athlete we've seen in years, his development could be the key to 2007. With the versatility at the 2 and 3 spots, fresh bodies spotting Peaches and AJ could be the key to the season, in a perfect world. Ferreti lacking the foot speed of The Hawk at the 3 could be an issue as well.


As far as the frontcourt, Kaba's 12-15 minutes could be key. Described as an athlete, I think he is the key to a more successful Paul Williams. Numerous time down the stretch - GW, @duq, fu, to name a few - Paul missed chip shot layups that may have been a result of having been up and down the court for 30 minutes. Paul still needs to give us 32-plus minutes, but he did so last year out of desperation. Dave and Ivan were that bad/injured. Kaba spelling Paul should be the key to a more productive Paul Williams. Now let's hope Mike Lee is busy taking his game to the dominant level we know he's capable of reaching.

[jh]

I'm not sure what Relph has ever done at the college level to assume he could/should start 30 min per game. His potential as a streak shooter and average defense seems to put his role as best for a shooter off the bench.

More likely starting 5
6'9 Willams
6'8 Lee
6'4 Ferati
5'10 Calvin

The 5th spot would be a battle..more likely won by an athletic slasher and defender like AJ Hawkins. Calvin and Hawkins would be a very good defensive duo in the backcourt who can also give offense at the other end.
Relph;s outside shooting was not there last year....was he out of shape? anyone see him doing anything now to correct that??
How does a 5'11 guard 19 yrs old...playing D1 hoops...not be in shape 12 months a year?

Battle for 5th spot
6'4 AJ Hawkins soph
6'4 James Williams junior
6'6 Jourdan Morris frosh

[hamrucker]

How does a 5'11 guard 19 yrs old...playing D1 hoops...not be in shape 12 months a year?

When you can't do anything for 2 months because of a cast on your foot. Also, there is a difference between being in shape and being in game shape. Peaches didn't play in a D-1 game in almost two years when he finally took the court for us.

If you can't assume Peaches can be a starter and play 30 minutes, how can you assume Jermaine Calvin will be able to?

[LumsdnA10Academc98]

jh said:

I'm not sure what Relph has ever done at the college level to assume he could/should start 30 min per game. His potential as a streak shooter and average defense seems to put his role as best for a shooter off the bench.

Battle for 5th spot
6'4 AJ Hawkins soph
6'4 James Williams junior
6'6 Jourdan Morris frosh

Believe me, I understand where people question Relph's potential as a consistent contributor. Understand, however, we're not a very good team. At the off-guard spot, we have no Bremers, nor even any Pratos, from which to choose. That leaves us wondering whether guys named Zarryon Fereti and James Williams are any better than our starting SG from last year's 8-19 team, Tyler Relph.

Both Z and James are yet to appear in a D-1 game, and AJ Hawkins is yet to hit a trey as a collegian. Jourdan Morris converted on only a handful as a high schooler, and, a good leaper at 6-6.5, he'll see most of his time at the forward spots. How do these facts, with Relph having started eight of our last nine games as our most successful shooter last season, not make the SG position Tyler Relph's to lose? Could Z or James see time in the starting lineup at some point? Yes. Are they proven A-10 SG's? No.

Again, I understand the questioning of Relph. His physical strength and conditioning, last season, left much to be desired. However, to claim that not only Zarryon Fereti and James Williams, who 99 percent of this board have never seen, as well as Hawkins and Morris, are better options as our starting SG is totally preposterous.

[sireltonruddock]

I am optimistic that we'll see the real Flying Peach in '06-'07. This is a kid that, from everything I have ever gathered, dominated the organized games between last year's squad prior to his injury. If the potential that he showed in high school and, to a lesser extent, during his days at WVU and SBU does not come to fruition, then so be it.

I do feel guys like "Z", James, AJ, and Jourdan will be important pieces to the Bona puzzle.

Relying on them won't seem quite so desperate after seeing the likes of Kern Carter, Terron Diggs, Wade Dunston, and Pat Lottin attempt to man our off guard spot over the past few seasons... guhhhhhh.

That said, I think it's a very good sign regarding the direction of this program now that we can have healthy debates that justify multiple players' bids to crack the starting lineup.

Free the Flying Peach and Let's Go Bona's!

[Chuck]

jh said:

I'm not sure what Relph has ever done at the college level to assume he could/should start 30 min per game. His potential as a streak shooter and average defense seems to put his role as best for a shooter off the bench.

On a NIT bound West Virginia team, Tyler lead his freshman class in scoring and minutes played. He averaged 5 ppg and 17.7 minutes per game. He was one of 2 reserves to receive significant playing time and he started 5 games as a freshman. Tyler was a successful and high profile basketball player prior to Bonas. It is difficult trying to explain his struggles last year. Hopefully it can be attributed to his injury.

Tyler's freshman stats
www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?section=6568
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/stats/team/2003/westvir.html

[jh]

Anyone know if relph was in tip top shape prior to the foot injury....and is he in tip top shape now Is he in the weight room as often as Timmy Winn or JR Bremer were??