A-10 Previews

[sleeperpick]

AJ isn’t fit to play the 5 at this level but Mar is?

Edit...

 

[gmujim92]

I am going to go on a bump fest pretty soon because Jim and gemini shit on AJ for 3 years and now Jim's butt buddy in the ticket office told him AJ is good and Jimmy and Gem started drooling.. AJ is the truth... Paulsen has no skills to coach him... all Aj's fault last year to the birds/non donors (Jim, Herndon, Gemini) and now hes ready to take over... Paulsen is still going to F*CK it up guaranteed

I shat on AJ? News to me. I almost never criticize our players as long as they’re not doing stupid crap off the floor.

That said, the reason he got stuck playing out of position last year is because he wasn’t reliable enough on either end when they tried him at the 4.

I know this is an amazing concept, but people do improve. He has put in the time and is now dependable to take care of his assignments and consistently be where he’s supposed to be.

The fact that you think DP is incapable of coaching AJ because he’s a “freak athlete” is hilarious. Other than his leaping ability, his skill set isn’t all that unique for a 6-8 guy.

 

[Herndon]

I shat on AJ? News to me. I almost never criticize our players as long as they’re not doing stupid crap off the floor.

That said, the reason he got stuck playing out of position last year is because he wasn’t reliable enough on either end when they tried him at the 4.

I know this is an amazing concept, but people do improve. He has put in the time and is now dependable to take care of his assignments and consistently be where he’s supposed to be.

The fact that you think DP is incapable of coaching AJ because he’s a “freak athlete” is hilarious. Other than his leaping ability, his skill set isn’t all that unique for a 6-8 guy.

LOL, I'm assuming you're responding to somebody I have on ignore, and from your comment, I can probably guess who.

Ignore is your friend, my man. Wasting your time on wastes of time isn't the way to be happy

 

[Mason32]

According to Jim Mason was supposed to dominate defensively on the wings with AJ and Mar last season...

 

[GMUgemini]

AJ isn’t fit to play the 5 at this level but Mar is?

I didn’t say he “was fit” was just positing alternatives to Oduro getting 12-15 mpg, especially if AJ is playing the 4.

Mar is actually heavier than AJ at this point and about the same height, so other than not being as athletic, it’s not insane if you are thinking of one to think of the other. The one thing Mar is really good at is being crafty around the basket and getting his man in the air and drawing contact and finishing around the rim. He ate a lot that way his freshman year. But yeah, it’s not like that’s where I want him to play a ton of minutes (hence spot minutes, like Calixte picks up an early 3rd foul and AJ is also sitting with foul trouble).

 

[GSII]

Hopefully AJ won't break his neck trying to dunk from the ft line like he did last year. Kid couldn't stay on the court b/c of stupid fouls. Was burned multiple times on pick n roll defense. I don't care what improvement Jim or Gem or anybody thinks they see in AJ, until he proves it in a DIV I game CONSISTENTLY, expectations should remain low for him, and this program overall for this season. Aj may have improved, but the A10 did too. And by a huge margin.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

His shot look good enough to force defenses to respect it?

Always skeptical of claims like this from Mason coaching staffs since the days of Jesus Urbina.

 

[Herndon]

Hopefully AJ won't break his neck trying to dunk from the ft line like he did last year. Kid couldn't stay on the court b/c of stupid fouls. Was burned multiple times on pick n roll defense. I don't care what improvement Jim or Gem or anybody thinks they see in AJ, until he proves it in a DIV I game CONSISTENTLY, expectations should remain low for him, and this program overall for this season. Aj may have improved, but the A10 did too. And by a huge margin.

I hear all this, but I don't think of Jim as a BSer either.

If he has really put in the work and made himself a contributor, I'll be the happiest guy in the Patriot Center for AJ.

I'm counting myself as cautiously optimistic.

 

[Mason32]

I hear all this, but I don't think of Jim as a BSer either.

If he has really put in the work and made himself a contributor, I'll be the happiest guy in the Patriot Center for AJ.

I'm counting myself as cautiously optimistic.

Fair but let’s be real, this kid has had a TON of time in Paulsen’s system and we haven’t seen much

 

[Herndon]

Fair but let’s be real, this kid has had a TON of time in Paulsen’s system and we haven’t seen much

Sure, but remember Roy Hibbert? Hibbert was AWFUL, right up until he was suddenly effective. Sometimes thats how guys develop (often bigs). They're working, working, rounding out the rough edges of their game, until suddenly they reach critical mass, and suddenly they're able to bring the talent that they have to bear.

They can have been gradually improving, but had something holding them back and so none of hte improvement showed up on the court, but when they finally improved that one thing enough so that it didn't keep them off the court, all the other stuff suddenly was able to show itself.

Who I'm REALLY reminded of is a guy named Jason Cain who played for UVA like 15 years ago. He was a SCRUB his first couple years, and like AJ, a guy whose highlights always looked way better than his game play. He was a bouncy, raw big, would just wasn't fundamentally sound enough to stay on the floor. He worked and worked and then suddenly, out of nowhere, as an upperclassman he was a pretty good contributor.

He didn't set the world on fire, but I remember him suddenly going from a guy who if he was in you knew it was garbage time, to a guy who was a solid contributor.

I'm hoping it's the same deal for AJ.

 

[Masonfan3]

Fair but let’s be real, this kid has had a TON of time in Paulsen’s system and we haven’t seen much

I'm asking this because I really don't know. Has Paulsen ever coached someone with AJ's skill set? You can have all the talent in the world but if your not put in the best position to succeed then you won't amount to much.

 

[gmujim92]

I'm asking this because I really don't know. Has Paulsen ever coached someone with AJ's skill set? You can have all the talent in the world but if your not put in the best position to succeed then you won't amount to much.

Here’s the thing most people forget about AJ: He is not a natural perimeter player despite having ideal size and athleticism to be a stretch 4. So his skill set was fairly limited when he got to Mason.

He was a 5 all the way through HS and AAU. But when you stop growing at 6-7, it’s tough to play the 5 on our level (unless you are thick like Jai and Darryl Monroe, which obviously isn’t AJ). He was a classic tweener.

AJ had to learn how to handle the ball, expand the range on his jumper and play a completely unfamiliar position at the same time he was adjusting to the rigors of college and being a D-I athlete. Not easy to do.

I know it’s easy to blame the coach, and I do think Dave could’ve handled AJ better as far as leaving him out there and letting him learn from his mistakes, but it’s ultimately the player’s responsibility to put himself in the right position. It’s not intramurals.

 

[GMUgemini]

Hopefully AJ won't break his neck trying to dunk from the ft line like he did last year. Kid couldn't stay on the court b/c of stupid fouls. Was burned multiple times on pick n roll defense. I don't care what improvement Jim or Gem or anybody thinks they see in AJ, until he proves it in a DIV I game CONSISTENTLY, expectations should remain low for him, and this program overall for this season. Aj may have improved, but the A10 did too. And by a huge margin.

I think it’s totally reasonable to have the mindset of “show me” with pretty much the whole roster at this point, not just AJ.

 

[GSII]

I think it’s totally reasonable to have the mindset of “show me” with pretty much the whole roster at this point, not just AJ.

Yes. Which is why is said program expectations should also be low.

 

[Washingtonian]

This was dated October 4th:
https://cbbcentral.com/2019/10/04/32x32-2019-20-atlantic-10-preview/

#8. George Mason– Dave Paulsen told me this summer that he believes this is the best team he has had since taking the GMU job, but the strength of this year’s A10 may not lead to that improvement translating to wins. Still, there’s reason for optimism in Fairfax despite the graduation of Otis Livingston thanks to the presence of star wing Justin Kier and the breakout potential of sophomore Jordan Miller. Miller was terrific down the stretch last season after burning his redshirt midway through the season, averaging over 10 points and 7 rebounds per game and wowing with his athleticism and versatility as a small-ball four.

 

[GSII]

Saying this is your best team yet when you are constantly being out recruited isn't saying much. This guy talks in circles a lot.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

I'm generally in the positive camp, but there's no doubt last year's Reuter over-hype cut off some rope as to taking preseason comments at all seriously...

 

[Herndon]

Saying this is your best team yet when you are constantly being out recruited isn't saying much. This guy talks in circles a lot.

I don't follow

 

[GMU1983]

This was dated October 4th:
https://cbbcentral.com/2019/10/04/32x32-2019-20-atlantic-10-preview/

#8. George Mason– Dave Paulsen told me this summer that he believes this is the best team he has had since taking the GMU job, but the strength of this year’s A10 may not lead to that improvement translating to wins. Still, there’s reason for optimism in Fairfax despite the graduation of Otis Livingston thanks to the presence of star wing Justin Kier and the breakout potential of sophomore Jordan Miller. Miller was terrific down the stretch last season after burning his redshirt midway through the season, averaging over 10 points and 7 rebounds per game and wowing with his athleticism and versatility as a small-ball four.

What??? Here we go again. The guy is non-nonsensical. Ridiculous just like Reuter was an all A-10 performer. Is he kidding us in year 5???

 

[GMUgemini]

The proof shall be in the pudding. Do we eat? Or will it be over-egged and regurgitated? That remains to be seen.