Substitution Rotation

[SyracuseBonnie]

By my count we have 13 scholarship athletes on next year's team. Most, if not all, of these players are probably expecting playing time. If Sol had problems with the rotation last year, I don't even want to think about next year. The big problem seems to be that our younger players are more talented than our upper classmen. I personally feel that Lee, Relph and Hawkins (if the scouting reports are to be believed) are the most talented players we have. So the question is, does Sol go with talent or with experience? Hawkins is one I worry about the most. He's behind 3 or 4 other guards. Will he have patience and sit on the bench all year? I'm glad I'm not in Sol's shoes this year. There are a lot of tough decisions ahead. Where does Lottin play? DOES Lottin play? Dunston or Lee at the 3? The questions go on and on

[GoBonas]

You dont think Ahmad Smith is one of our most talented players on the team. He is by far one of the most talented players in the entire A-10. He does everything on the court. Has started to develop a long distance game as well, expect him to average 18 pts a game and 9 boards a game. Just my thought?

[PABrownIndian]

I was wondering where Ahmad was going to be mentioned? The A-10 doesn't just give out awards to teams, 'cause they feel bad, so Ahmad must be a player. I do agree that seniority only goes so far. Talent eventually outweighs experience.

I wish I knew why Kern isn't given a chance. He is one of the most athletic kids on the court when he is out there. Undersized for a 3 position, but can jump and slash with the best of them. I have never really seen him shoot many outside shots, so he doesn't stick out in my mind as a 2. So many questions, just have to wait and see.

[mangham]

I feel you will see 10 players get about 20 minutes each(Ahmad may get more). I think Carter, Fox(if not reshirted) will get very little time. With Relph probably missing a few games, Diggs and Carson will compete for the additional spot.

[Dunga]

PABrownIndian said:

I wish I knew why Kern isn't given a chance. He is one of the most athletic kids on the court when he is out there. Undersized for a 3 position, but can jump and slash with the best of them. I have never really seen him shoot many outside shots, so he doesn't stick out in my mind as a 2. So many questions, just have to wait and see.

Every time I've seen Kern play this past season, he's been pretty solid. I would choose Kern over Carson. Kern doesn't seem to make mistakes (turnovers etc), plays solid "D", can drive to the hoop and finish tough shots and he even hit a couple 3s. It seems he has improved this year. I think the key for him will be his outside shot and ability to score consistently. If he can start hitting the 3, then he'll see time.

[SyracuseBonnie]

My apologies to Ahmad. I do think he is one of our best players. His selection to the 3rd team all-A10 is well deserved. He has clearly put in a lot of hard work and countless hours to bring his game to the level we saw last year. That being said, last year's team was not as talented as this year's team seems to be. Last year we needed a leader and Ahmad stepped up in a big way. However, I don't expect him to put up the same numbers as he did last year. There is more talent on the court this upcoming year and hopefully we won't need ahmad to take as many shots. I guess my main point, which I didn't really get to in my original post, is that I see relph and lee as our 1st options on offense with upperclassmen like lottin, dunston, and even Ahmad providing the support. Much in the same way that josh pace and kueth duany provided significant points and were very valuable to their teams without being the 1st or 2nd options.

[Felca]

Ahmad is a nice player. He deserves a ton of credit for being a great leader for Bonaventure bsaketball thru the darkest point in our history. His attitude couldn't be better, but on paper the players that Sol has brought in are more talented. His minutes should drop and so will his numbers. That being said, I believe he belongs in the Bonaventure Hall of Fame as one of the shinning examples of what College sports represents. He gave every once of effort had. He represented Bonaventure pride and spirit, as no other balll player has, since I started following Bonaventure basketball my freshman year in '87.

[MFS]

Key words: "on paper." Even that is a stretch. I think lots of folks are expecting too much of the incoming players. Relph is going to be solid, but I think expectations for him are a little too high. And there's no way the rest of these guys, especially the incoming players, are better than Ahmad. His ppg. may go down, but don't be shocked if he's still the go-to guy.

[O2level]

I think the key thing for college players is gaining confidence. Some players never gain it, and subsequently fade away down the bench. However, Ahmad gained that confidence this year; he knows he can play ball with the big boys. He won't lose that, in fact, he'll instill it in the younger players. He leads by EXAMPLE. Catch a fish for a man and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime.

[Felca]

Amen!

[Copenhagen]

The core of the team and the long term foundation are with Hawkins, Lee, ICarson & TylerR.....the JC guys & Williams just need to be solid....filling a role (Ivan & James)....if ASmith adds/grows a little more, "yeah"...12-wins maybe challenging 15! Can Dunston & Lottin contribute?

Depending on the situation consider redshirting Fox could be a good thing...

Why can't ICarson grow similiar as former SBU-players & ASmith have done?

Why would any player on the current roster not believe that there is PT-available and the competition starts now......the Coaching staff could easily be dazzled, confidence gained and place in the rotation secured.....

[FriendsofAN44]

Nice picture Fred ! I see you got it to work OK, looks nice ! Glad to have a transplanted Bonnie currently in Denmark keeping abreast of the team and all the goings-on back at home !

Here is a little history on that painting that Copenhagen Bonnie sent me:

The Danish Friar, an oil painting from the Danish painter Wenzel Tornøe..it was painted in the 1860's while the painter made a trip to Italy...which was common during the Danish Golden Age by the artists of that time.