State of the Program - Part 2

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

I feel like AJ is poised to become a star next year. My only question is whether he’ll do it in a Mason uniform.

Could. But still long way to go there, especially with consistency.

 

[gmujim92]

Was asking if you heard new info. You were certain last time and now seem uncertain. I know nothing. So why the change?

Leaving open the possibility that my source was wrong, plus that other stuff I posted made me look like a giant d!ck and I’m trying to avoid doing that again. That’s all.

 

[hoops10]

So evaluating players has to be a coaches priority. I just dont think DP has done an adequate job. So with no disrespect to any player, as they really do try and play hard. However I only know what I see. So just one observation on XJ. The good news, great energy, strong, good defensively, fearless. Bad news, he is a college guard with no jump shot. How many times he passes up shots because he can't get it off without being blocked. I just can't recall any guard who can't pull up with the ball over his head for a jump shot. He has
everything else. So I'm not sure u can develop it or not. Same situation with Calixte free throws. So I hope he works on it, maybe it comes with experience and off season work. I really like his overall game.

 

[GMUgemini]

XJ's shot doesn't look great, but it doesn't look as jacked as Marquise (or even Mar's). I think him passing up shots is more a matter of not wanting to make the wrong choice (i.e. if I drive or pass we can get a better shot than this from me) versus (I just can't make this shot). Hopefully he's a Bryon Allen situation (from 15.4% his freshman year to 39.1% his senior year) versus a Marquise situation (shot just never looked good even when he made one).

 

[Mason32]

XJ's shot doesn't look great

Remember when some of us said this watching his high school tape and we're told we are crazy and don't know basketball?

 

[gmujim92]

Remember when some of us said this watching his high school tape and we're told we are crazy and don't know basketball?

The vast majority of freshmen at our level have some type of weakness or shortcoming to improve upon. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be playing here.

 

[sleeperpick]

The vast majority of freshmen at our level have some type of weakness or shortcoming to improve upon. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be playing here.

You’re right. Just seems like we always get freshman that have one or more glaring weaknesses. Not just slight weaknesses. XJ will be a fine a10 player with or without a shot. But you can’t be an elite guard in today’s game without some semblance of a jump shot. His defense greatly improved as the season went on. Started out as a siege against guards and ended a decent a10 defender. Hopefully that only gets better as well

 

[GMUgemini]

You’re right. Just seems like we always get freshman that have one or more glaring weaknesses. Not just slight weaknesses. XJ will be a fine a10 player with or without a shot. But you can’t be an elite guard in today’s game without some semblance of a jump shot. His defense greatly improved as the season went on. Started out as a siege against guards and ended a decent a10 defender. Hopefully that only gets better as well

Agreed. With his motor and ability to get to the rim, if he added an effective jump shot to that, he could be elite.

I think he was just pressed into playing too many minutes due to injuries and illnesses this season, hopefully that translates to something next year.

 

[gmujim92]

I think this discussion illustrates something that has ailed the program since L left: We are having to rely too much on freshmen to play significant minutes instead of being complementary rotation pieces.

Under normal circumstances XJ should’ve had time as a freshman to work on his game while coming off the bench and getting acclimated to college.

We need to get back into that mode if we’re ever going to win consistently in the A-10 because this level requires you to recruit developmental players in the vast majority of cases.

 

[gmubrian]

I think this discussion illustrates something that has ailed the program since L left: We are having to rely too much on freshmen to play significant minutes instead of being complementary rotation pieces.

Under normal circumstances XJ should’ve had time as a freshman to work on his game while coming off the bench and getting acclimated to college.

We need to get back into that mode if we’re ever going to win consistently in the A-10 because this level requires you to recruit developmental players in the vast majority of cases.

I think you are dead on with this observation. The question is, how do we get off this merry go round?

We seem to have three problem contributing into this:
Injuries
Transfers
Recruiting-in that recruiting was really bad at first and we continue to recruit over our existing guys, but then seem to somehow break the guys by the time they are juniors or seniors and they are injured, transfer or have regressed.

 

[gmujim92]

I think you are dead on with this observation. The question is, how do we get off this merry go round?

We seem to have three problem contributing into this:
Injuries
Transfers
Recruiting-in that recruiting was really bad at first and we continue to recruit over our existing guys, but then seem to somehow break the guys by the time they are juniors or seniors and they are injured, transfer or have regressed.

We have to have a couple years of good health and keep the core players in the fold, then we can finally start to build depth.

For instance, if AJ stays at Mason and Kier gets a medical redshirt, I think our incoming freshmen would have a great chance to be 10-12 mpg role players next season. That’s really the ideal scenario.

 

[GMUgemini]

We have to have a couple years of good health and keep the core players in the fold, then we can finally start to build depth.

For instance, if AJ stays at Mason and Kier gets a medical redshirt, I think our incoming freshmen would have a great chance to be 10-12 mpg role players next season. That’s really the ideal scenario.

Getting Kier and AJ both back for their 5th years would be a huge step in this direction:

Eight man rotation at that point would be: Kier, Greene, Miller, AJ, Oduro, Hartwell, XJ, Calixte. Whatever we can get from the other players from a minutes standpoint will be earned on a case by case basis.

 

[mkaufman1]

Totally agree with whats being stated above

But of course knowing our luck, Polite Kolek and Henry will end up playing 30-35 mins a game, someone will get hurt and somehow will only have 8 rotational players by the end of the year.

 

[GMUgemini]

Totally agree with whats being stated above

But of course knowing our luck, Polite Kolek and Henry will end up playing 30-35 mins a game, someone will get hurt and somehow will only have 8 rotational players by the end of the year.

Well, that would be something like: Kier is denied a waiver, AJ grad transfers, JDS transfers, Hartwell surprise transfers, and we don't replace any of them; then Greene goes down with a broken foot after the first 5 games (because why not), Oduro gets a concussion and misses half the season with persistent symptoms after getting flagrantly elbowed going for a rebound that the refs don't call.

 

[gmujim92]

Well, that would be something like: Kier is denied a waiver, AJ grad transfers, JDS transfers, Hartwell surprise transfers, and we don't replace any of them; then Greene goes down with a broken foot after the first 5 games (because why not), Oduro gets a concussion and misses half the season with persistent symptoms after getting flagrantly elbowed going for a rebound that the refs don't call.

Sadly after the last couple years this isn’t far-fetched at all...

 

[GMUgemini]

Sadly after the last couple years this isn’t far-fetched at all...

Yeah, it kind of compares favorable to this season: We start with 13 players: Reuter leaves the program (12), Boyd gets shut down before the season with surgery (not sure why they didn't do that right after last season, but whatever -- 11), Kier stress fracture right before the season (10), Dady wrist injury after game 2 (9), JDS is mostly useless, or at least the coaching staff think so (8) Hartwell gets the Coronavirus in the Cayman Islands and is ineffective for about a month (7).

 

[patriotchild]

Yeah, it kind of compares favorable to this season: We start with 13 players: Reuter leaves the program (12), Boyd gets shut down before the season with surgery (not sure why they didn't do that right after last season, but whatever -- 11), Kier stress fracture right before the season (10), Dady wrist injury after game 2 (9), JDS is mostly useless, or at least the coaching staff think so (8) Hartwell gets the Coronavirus in the Cayman Islands and is ineffective for about a month (7).

I guess we should extend Paulsen. Or at least cut him some slack. Not his fault

 

[GMUgemini]

I guess we should extend Paulsen. Or at least cut him some slack. Not his fault

If we are being serious, I'd say having three players completely unready to step into bigger roles (JDS, Calixte, Mar) is still Paulsen's fault, especially since two of those three are juniors.

 

[patriotchild]

If we are being serious, I'd say having three players completely unready to step into bigger roles (JDS, Calixte, Mar) is still Paulsen's fault, especially since two of those three are juniors.

Totally not being serious. Agree.
However if you want to go down this path, let’s find all the reasons he can stay!

yr 1 dumpster fire, competed
Y2 trying to recruit better, competed with limited team
Y3 bad luck with some recruits leaving, did ok
Y4 injuries, had best year ever
Y5 injuries

 

[GMUgemini]

I do wish we knew how much the injuries were really affecting the players in year 4, especially at the beginning of the year when everyone was supposedly healthy. Speaking specifically of Otis (who started the year terribly), Grayer (who shot well, but couldn't seem to defend), and Reuter (well, we all know about Reuter). Those first three losses totally killed the season and any 11 A-10 wins.