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Post by Chuck on Sept 21, 2024 13:18:24 GMT -5
You have stated this year’s team is more athletic than last year’s. But also, is this year’s team more noticeably quicker foot speed wise? I understand the concern with athleticism, does NOT necessarily equate to foot speed. Melian is a great example. Looking at the roster from last year I see 3 players with what I call being exceptionally quick (Kyrell, Duane and Miles). Overall this year's team is much quicker than last year. Following are players with exceptional quickness; Noah, Duane, Melvin, Dasonte, Kaba and Miles. |
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Post by kccgold on Sept 21, 2024 15:03:02 GMT -5
Chuck how much playing time do you think Duane will get? I am really rooting for that kid
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Post by bigcat on Sept 21, 2024 17:18:15 GMT -5
You have stated this year’s team is more athletic than last year’s. But also, is this year’s team more noticeably quicker foot speed wise? I understand the concern with athleticism, does NOT necessarily equate to foot speed. Melian is a great example. Looking at the roster from last year I see 3 players with what I call being exceptionally quick (Kyrell, Duane and Miles). Overall this year's team is much quicker than last year. Following are players with exceptional quickness; Noah, Duane, Melvin, Dasonte, Kaba and Miles. Well, Duane and Miles did not play last year so their quickness was irrelevant. Hopefully not this season! Barry was/is a great athlete and Moses was an underrated athlete with good quickness — neither showed it on offense. The rest of the roster was underwhelming athletically. Quickness and athleticism don’t always translate on both ends. The Iron man 2.0 team had decent athletes who were excellent man defenders. You need quick feet, length, grit and agility to play great team defense (man). However, Lofton/Welch/Holmes etc were not quick on the offensive end. Adaway and OO were freakish athletes but the team as a hole was methodical. They were grinders. Some of that was related to the lack of depth. We all know much of the game is cerebral. Larry Bird is one of the slowest, gangliest athletes in NBA history … yet he always was one step ahead mentally and in the right place at the right time. Those Celtics teams were among the best fast-break teams of all time without having great athletes or foot speed. Even though a handful of guys appear to be super athletic in pick-up games it might not translate into an uptempo, high-flying team. Every year one or two posters ask: why don’t we press more, run more and play 10 guys? Answer: because those things are not in Schmidt’s DNA. |
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Post by bonnies1976 on Sept 21, 2024 19:58:28 GMT -5
Every year one or two posters ask: why don’t we press more, run more and play 10 guys? Answer: because those things are not in Schmidt’s DNA.
[/quote]
I sure wish that this was different.
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Post by Hermit on Sept 21, 2024 20:46:05 GMT -5
Chuck how much playing time do you think Duane will get? I am really rooting for that kid If you asked Coach Schmidt that same question, he would say that he doesn’t know. Understand, practice started Wednesday. 12 players are trying to show why they should play. All with expectations. Coach puts them thru the drills. Different combinations. There are, surprisingly, quite a few different offensive and defensive sets being run. From coach’s perspective, there is always something that could be done better (offensively or defensively). Yet to my average fan point of view, I’m surprised these new guys are so advanced in understanding what coach wants. Still a long way to go before the first tip. What you have is 12 guys working hard to show what they can do. It’s way too early to ask questions of that sort. Coach can’t even answer them yet. |
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Post by kccgold on Sept 22, 2024 6:44:14 GMT -5
Chuck how much playing time do you think Duane will get? I am really rooting for that kid If you asked Coach Schmidt that same question, he would say that he doesn’t know. Understand, practice started Wednesday. 12 players are trying to show why they should play. All with expectations. Coach puts them thru the drills. Different combinations. There are, surprisingly, quite a few different offensive and defensive sets being run. From coach’s perspective, there is always something that could be done better (offensively or defensively). Yet to my average fan point of view, I’m surprised these new guys are so advanced in understanding what coach wants. Still a long way to go before the first tip. What you have is 12 guys working hard to show what they can do. It’s way too early to ask questions of that sort. Coach can’t even answer them yet. Yes you are 100% right, it’s just fun to speculate |
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Post by Chuck on Sept 22, 2024 6:55:21 GMT -5
I agree with everything Hermit stated. Even his statement “if you asked Coach Schmidt that same question, he would say that he doesn’t know.” I hope no one things I’m trying to pretend that I know more than Schmidt.
Hermit’s statement “it’s way too early to ask questions of that sort” is also correct. Chad Venning is a great example. In my most recent observation of pickup games, I thought Jaxon didn’t look as good as the first time and Dasonte play making skills was disappointing, while Chance looked much better this time. This is why the words “way too early” is important, because they are way too early and I expect them too change.
Throughout the years I’ve said speculations are fun. It is the reason why I buy, Lindy magazine and read Rothstein and Blue Ribbon. Especially like reading their insights on players. I expect them to be right on some players and wrong on others, which is the same for myself. Unlike them I can modify my opinion. Still I think I have a better idea of the Bonnies players, because I’ve seen them play. I do not pretend to be an expert. Just a fan, who likes to give his opinion and thoughts.
As for KCCgold’s question on Duane. I think he is one of the Bonnies more talented offensive players. He can be more streaky with his shot than Lajae. There are times in drills where his shot looks alright and others when he is hot. First day of pickup games he was hot, he couldn’t miss. Last pickup games he looked good, but Lajae probably had the higher shooting percentage. With his athleticism and ball handling skills, Duane looks much better in full court. Unlike Lajae, Duane lacks a back to the basket game. Lajae is also a better rebounder. His offense looks better than his defense. It is also important to note players do not always put their best efforts during pickup games (Marcus Posley put little effort toward defense during pickup games). With that stated, we all know how much importance Schmidt places on defense.
My way too early projection is Duane is probably a backup to Lajae at power forward, especially with Schmidt’s tendency to have a player at a bigger position (Karim Coulibaly, Idris, Adaway and others). He is probably not a consideration for starting at small forward with the addition of Noah.
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Post by orangehater on Sept 22, 2024 9:04:33 GMT -5
Chuck you mentioned Miles losing a year of eligibility over his 11 min stretch. It seemed there were numerous opportunities where it seemed he could have been helpful.
Was his appearance and being held out afterward a gamble that didn't pay off trying to keep that extra year? I can't think of another reason he wouldn't even see garbage time
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Post by Chuck on Sept 22, 2024 9:40:23 GMT -5
Coaches make strong recommendations, but it is ultimately the players decision to red shirt. My best guess is Miles decided he was tired of red shirting and wanted to play. Probably thought he was going to play more than he did. I believe Duane would have seen more time if he chose to end his red shirt. Obviously it was best for him to sit out the year.
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Post by orangehater on Sept 22, 2024 10:46:41 GMT -5
Coaches make strong recommendations, but it is ultimately the players decision to red shirt. My best guess is Miles decided he was tired of red shirting and wanted to play. Probably thought he was going to play more than he did. I believe Duane would have seen more time if he chose to end his red shirt. Obviously it was best for him to sit out the year. Hmm seems reasonable to explain his appearance, but not why he'd never for a minute appear again. Hopefully he can contribute this year |
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Post by Chuck on Oct 23, 2024 8:16:19 GMT -5
With 1 week until Alfred game, here are my preseason “awards” description of players game and too early projections.
Centers
— Noel for “Chris Daniels Award” which is given to most improved player in the A-10. He would become just the 3rd Bonnie (LaDarien Griffin and JR Bremer) to win the award since its inception 27 years ago. Has been a monster near the basket this preseason. Solid replacement for Chad. Probable double digit scorer.
— Mike “the dunk meister Award” as he specializes in dunking the basketball. There is little doubt what Mike will do if he gets the ball within 10 feet of the basket. The basketball is going to be dunked. Mike’s size (6’11” 225 pounds) strength and athleticism allows him to be a very effective dunker. He doesn’t have much of a post game other than dunking. He averaged an incredible 13.2 rebounds per 40 minutes. Mike was his team’s 2nd leading rebounder and he played less than half the game (17.5 mpg). His 173 rebounds is more than any Bonnie last year. Mike had just 65 more minutes of PT than Noel, but had 100 more rebounds (173 to 73). As an interior defender Mike gives Noel a much better battle underneath than Xander. As Noel’s backup, Mike is a great rebounder, decent interior defender and is limited offensively.
— Xander “intriguing big man Award.” Xander at 6’10’ 230 has nice size and good athleticism for a big man. He also has solid, but raw skills. Unlike Mike, Xander has low post, back to the basket offensive skills, which needs more development. Xander has a nice shot within 15 feet of the basket. Has the body to become a solid interior defender. Already has shot blocking skills. Xander needs a year in the weight room to add much needed strength. Like Kaba, Xander has exciting potential.
Power forwards
— Lajae for “Barry Mungar Award.” His build and game is very reminiscent of Barry. Has the most complete game of any player on the team. Solid scorer on the blocks and from distance (only Jonah and Noah have a better shot) strong rebounder and is also a solid defensive player. Probable double digit scorer and 2nd leading rebounder.
— Duane “the antithesis to Barry Evans” as his game is completely different than Barry’s game. They have just 2 things in common with being 6’8” and neither one has a post game. Barry was a great rebounder, great defensive player and got his point near the basket due to his great athleticism. Barry had a poor jump shot. Duane has a solid shot, drives to the basket, has good athleticism, but rebounding and defense are not strong parts of his game. Duane is a much better player in full court. Has displayed impressive drives to the basket. It will be interesting to see who gets more minutes between Duane and Jaxon.
— Kaba “looks a lot better in the show room” as he looks great during individual drills, but these skills are missing during pickup games, 4on4s and 5on5s. Has displayed solid skills when taking it to the basket. Right now driving to the hoop, might be the strength of Kaba’s game. His game is much more difficult for him when he is defended. A problem is Kaba needs to be wide open to hit shots. Most likely he needs more experience against D1 talent. Has exciting skills to build upon.
Small forward
— Noah “Versatility Award” as he has the most complete offensive game on the team. Noah has a great shot, impressive play making skills where he can create shots for himself and teammates. Despite his age he looks like a very polished player (probably due to his pro experience). Noah is the most athletic player on a very athletic team. It is too bad Bona doesn’t have a Midnight Madness this year, because everyone would have been in awe of Noah’s dunks. He would have won the dunk contest. Probable double digit scorer.
— Chance for “X-Factor” as he is a big key for the Bonnies this season. Which player are we going to see? As a sophomore he led his team with 146 attempted 3 pointers, this past season as a junior he even had more with 149. This is just 2 less than Daryl Banks. Daryl struggled making 34.4%, which is significantly better than Chance making 29.5% of his 3s. Or do we get the Chance, who made 54.6% of his 2 pointers. Among Bona starters only Yann had a better shooting percentage from 2s and it was barely better at 55.3%. Chance poor 3 point shooting ruined his overall FG% at 41.2%. On the entire Bonnie team only Daryl and Kyrell had worse shooting % from the field. This preseason I’ve seen both aspects of Chance game. Chance 41% shooting from the field doesn’t help the Bonnies. I’m hoping he concentrates on his game inside the arc with the Bonnies. If he does he’ll become a high quality player with the Bonnies. Chance is my most difficult projection to make. I’ll take the positive side. If Noah is ineligible, Chance is my choice starting at small forward. At worse he’ll be the 1st man off the bench. A clear X-Factor for the Bonnies.
— Jaxon “Clyde the Glide Drexler Award” describes his dunks, which is different from Mike and Noah. Mike’s dunks are very effective, but are NOT exciting (they are simply a plain dunk). Noah gets extreme height and slams the dunk with force. Jaxon takes off farther from the basket and smoothly glides to the basket before dunking. Jaxon is much better in full court, where he maximizes his athleticism. Along with Melvin, his shot from 3s has been much better than his stats from last season. Strength of his game is blocking shots, which he has displayed this preseason. Will be in a battle with Duane for minutes.
Shooting guards
— Melvin for “doesn’t need a uniform number” to recognize him. All you have to do is listen for who does the most talking and you’ll identify Melvin. Of backcourt players, has the most complete game. Has exceptional athleticism. Melvin’s jump shot has made significant improvement since the first time I saw him (has spent a lot of time at the RC shooting),,. Melvin’s incredible stats at Wagner, perfectly describes his game. He led Wagner in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. He was 4th in the NEC in both scoring and assists. Despite all of this, the strength of his game is his playmaking skills. I watched 2 days of pickup games and his team was the best for both days. The clear difference was Melvin’s playmaking skills. He is my clear choice as best man defender on the team with Dasonte being 2nd.Will be a double digit scorer.
— Jonah “Bonnies Steph Curry” this preseason Jonah has been the Bonnies best shooter. He is the player I’ve seen the most in the Reilly Center working on his shot (2nd is Melvin). Despite his size has been effective taking it to the basket. Does not have the exceptional athleticism of Melvin or Miles and lacks Dasonte’s quickness. Has played PG in high school and some in JUCO, but his natural position is SG. Does not have play making skills for the point. By far his strength is shooting. Probably has a role of shooter off the bench.
—Miles “Most Improved Jump Shooter Award.” Sure it is between just 3 returning players, but Miles dramatic improvement with his jump shot should not be overlooked. Last season his shot was a big weakness. Recently he has displayed a good jump shot. Miles is one of the most athletic players on the team, along with being one of the best man defenders. He is also a solid ball handler. I can see him having a role specializing as a man defender against a high scoring guard or a small forward.
Point guard
— Dasonte for “Jalen Brunson Award.” First time I saw Dasonte, I thought he physically looked like Jalen Brunson, with both his looks and build. Dasonte obviously doesn’t have the same talent or shot, but has the same type of game. He is a tough PG, who can create, take it to the basket, and score off the dribble. Unlike Brunson, Dasonte doesn’t excel with shooting behind the arc. To Dasonte credit recently during practice, he has displayed a good 3 pointer. Dasonte is also a solid man defender. The strength of his game is being a playmaker. Last season, he had 3.1 Assist/TO ratio, which would have been 2nd in the A-10 this past season. Very well could have one of the best Assist/TO ratios in the A10 this season.
Outlook — Every year at this time of season we predict the Bonnies have a lot of depth. I really do not see it with this team. I see is a clear separation between the top 6 (Noel, Lajae, Noah, Melvin, Dasonte and Chance) compared to rest of the team. This is more of a situation of Bonnies having a solid top 6 players rather than team having weak depth.
Weakness — As Schmidt pointed out in a recent OTH article; following players (Chance, Jaxon, Melvin and Dasonte) struggled with shooting from 3s last season. This preseason Melvin has made significant gains from the first day I saw him. I credit this to the extra time I’ve seen him shooting in the Reilly Center. During the month of February Jaxon made 7 of 15 shots from 3s for 46.7%. Maybe his hot shooting is a continuation of how he ended the season. Even Dasonte has shown an improved 3 pointer recently. Then consider last season Lajae shot 42% from 3s and Noah shot just under 40% against professionals. Shooting looks a lot better now than at the start of the preseason.
Strength — Without question this is a much more athletic team. Noah, Jaxon, Chance and Miles are high level athletes like Barry Evans. Also shooting might actually be a strength with the addition of Noah. I’ve mentioned several times that last year the team lacked chemistry and playmakers. This team has 3 quality playmakers with Noah, Melvin and Dasonte. Unlike last year I do not see the Bonnies having to take a bad shot, because time is running out on the shot clock. Noah, Melvin and Dasonte are skilled at creating shots for teammates and themselves.
Projection — I see this team being better than last year’s team, who actually had a decent record with 20 wins and a winning record against A10 teams (when including A-10 tournament). Last year the team finished with an 87 NET and probably would have been accepted to the NIT. Can the Bonnies make it to the bubble on Selection Day Sunday. I think a lot depends on Noah and Chance. Unlike rest of the players, I haven’t seen that much of Noah. I’m hoping Noah is as good as I’m expecting. He looked really good during the last pickup games I watched. As mentioned above Chance is truly the X-Factor of the team. To make the bubble, Bonnies can’t have him shooting 41% from the field. We need both Noah and Chance to excel for Bonnies to be on the bubble on Selection Day Sunday. There is NO doubt in my mind that the Bonnies are a big sleeper in the A-10.
Some might say “a typical response from a homer.” Call me guilty, but I feel very positive about this team. Very much looking for start of this basketball season.
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Post by dadster81 on Oct 23, 2024 8:54:13 GMT -5
As always, appreciate the review, and the optimism. Last year, for the first time as a Bona fan, I stopped caring - I was just not a fan of the players on the team and their overall team effort. Give me 100% effort, and a little bit of the underdog attitude, and I will be a fanatic. Hoping that this year's team can give us that!
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Post by Cassian on Oct 23, 2024 8:55:57 GMT -5
Can Miles be the “x” factor Chuck?
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Post by chrismoses on Oct 23, 2024 9:08:05 GMT -5
Thanks for the rundown, Chuck.
I hate to speculate too much before the year even starts because guys can look great in pickup games and that doesn’t always translate to results during actual games.
While the score of the Mansfield game doesn’t really matter much and should be taken with a grain of salt, it’ll show us who Schmidt likes and trusts. It’ll also show us which of the new guys might factor into Schmidt’s game plan in the early OOC.
This team will undoubtedly be offensively challenged early on, but hopefully they will gel as a team as the year goes along.
If we have any aspirations of being a top A10 team, we will need a few guys that have the ability to knock down outside shots at a good clip.
Just remember this OOC slate is weak intentionally. It’ll take some time for this team to get comfortable with each other and Schmidt’s playbook.
Don’t lose your mind if they start 2-2 or 4-5.
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Post by proudbonnie89 on Oct 23, 2024 9:17:48 GMT -5
What a great read, thanks Chuck!
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