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Welcome Jamal Hartwell
- Thread starter sleeperpick
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Considering we don't really have a shooter on the team and Hartwell could be that guy, he does have potential to help the team - if someone else is the point guard and we run some designed plays so he is not always trying to shoot over someone 3 inches taller than him
I'll disagree. Jamal is listed at 5"10. So is Fatts Russell. Russell easily had a few inches on Jamal. If you honestly think a 5'9" shooting guard is going to lead us to the promised land please give me some of what you've been drinking. Again, I don't question his work ethic, heart, or desire. 99% of the time a guy with the same skill set that is 6"3" beats a guy that is 5'8".
I never said he's leading us to the promised land. Just that he has a role in which he could help our team more than 3rd string PG. Off the bench shooting specialist could work with the right coach and offensive scheme
With the right coach? Who might that be? Right scheme? Who is going to establish that? Not trying to be a dick. I'm really not. I'm just fed up with mediocrity. I just don't see the current mix of players and coach getting us out of the basement, which to me is the ultimate goal. I also don't see Jamal willing to be a 3rd option off the bench.
Off topic. Tonight killed me when I watched GW get a dunk and layup on inbounds plays. Have we done either all year?
I get your point. Just think he has a good enough stroke and good enough heart, etc for us to find a way to use him. Or, rather, if we parted ways, who would we sign that's better?
With XJ and Polite in the mix, if Jamal were to leave how about a JUCO transfer or a legitimate big? Although at this point I have little hope for DP's correctly assessing any real talent. Enjoying the back and forth with no name calling or insults. Props to you for that since so many here head straight to the gutter.
So again, against a team that doesn’t have a guard smaller than 6’4” Hartwell shoots 4-8 and you think he won’t be able to get a shot off against anyone?
Against Nebraska he played 37 minutes and had 23 points on 8-15 shooting (5-10) and their lineup goes 6’3, 6’3, 6’4. Yeah, they aren’t a great team this year, but they are still physically way bigger than we are.
Maybe we don’t keep tossing players off our team before their sophomore season is over and we can actually have some experienced seniors on the roster?
One game. Again, please look at his percentages for the season. Anyone can get shots off. He's not making enough to warrant the minutes in my opinion.
Those were two games. I gave you his last 5 before tonight. Shooting almost 39% from 3 in his last 5. He had a shooting slump in the middle of the season, a lot of sophomores do.
He shot 40% against UMD, 37.5% against NMSt. And then he hits a rough patch that lasts about 8 games.
With experience he’ll get better at picking his spots, about when to pull up for a floater and when to lay it off to a cutter.
You are right he’s playing too many minutes now but it’s because he’s the only guard on our bench. I’d expect him to average about 7 minutes less a game if Kolek and Polite are good enough to take minutes at the 1 and 2 (XJ and Greene are also playing too many minutes right now).
FreeGunston12
All-American
I am tired of the undersized point guard bit. XJ has surpassed Hartwell. Polite may next year. His minutes will, in all likelihood, decrease. He isn't a good fit for us defensively, mostly because he can't trap anyone.
He deserves a spot on the team, but I wouldn't blame him if he wants to seek out a better opportunity for himself.
He deserves a spot on the team, but I wouldn't blame him if he wants to seek out a better opportunity for himself.
I don’t disagree Hartwell is small and has holes in his game, some of which were exposed against vcu; but he’s the least of our problems this year. This roster is so flawed, starting with no consistent shooting guards in a league where 3-point shooting is paramount.
Next season might very well be a different story with Xavier returning and Polite coming in, but there’s still a place on this team for Hartwell. It’s just incumbent on him to bust his tail to earn playing time.
Next season might very well be a different story with Xavier returning and Polite coming in, but there’s still a place on this team for Hartwell. It’s just incumbent on him to bust his tail to earn playing time.
Let's talk about Russell...a, Russell is not 2 inches taller than Hartwell. B, what was Russel's shooting percentage his sophomore season? Want to venture a guess? He shot 22.3% from 3 and 33.8% overall. And you want to talk about a volume shooter, he took 441 shots that year (179 3s). He had no business taking most of those shots, especially taking so many away from Dowtin. Imagine if Cox said, shut Russell down and push him out the door, we can just recruit over him (Cox's strategy was let him shoot through his problems so as not to destroy his confidence -- we've seen what happens when you destroy a player's confidence)?
As Tom said, Hartwell has some holes in his game. But he's got a nice looking shot, it's up to him to figure out when he pulls the trigger, and it's up to Paulsen to figure out how to get him into good spots (I know most of us don't think Paulsen can do that part).
Maybe we don't want him playing 27 minutes per game for us right now, but unfortunately if not him, who? Mar? JDS? Let him work his a** off in the offseason, let him compete with Polite and XJ for minutes. That's a good thing for us. The last thing we want is for Polite to get a ton of minutes just because he's the only guy there -- we want him to earn every minute on the court. The same goes for XJ, Greene, Miller, AJ, and Oduro.
Yeah, think about this, AJ and Oduro combined to shoot 3-6 from 3, all of our other guards combined for 1-12...
Speaking of Oduro, can we acknowledge his double-double today? The kid is showing more composure and confidence every game. The limitations he has on both ends of the court he makes up for with his knowledge of the game, poise and hustle.
There’s no question he has a lot to work on — including his strength and conditioning — but I think the future is really bright for this kid.
By George.
Starter
This is fairly obvious at this point. He does get caught in quicksand on defense, has to step up and help faster. I wish we played through him more after his fast start. Ride the hot hand.
Remember folks, Hartwell had the flu and then developed bronchitis. Have you ever a bout of bronchitis? It takes weeks to fully recover. It looks like Jamal has finally recovered. Now, he has to recover his game. I know... time. But who does have enough if it?
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Giving the boards a sneak peak of the next video I'm dropping. I really think Hartwell is in for a big season. He's probably the only player on the squad who can create his own jump shot off the dribble.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p0gxwel9v3jbb3v/HARTWELL II.mp4?dl=0
So far these highlights videos have been a hit. The players seem to really get into them. I'm just trying to create a little hype for them before they get back to Mason and start practicing.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p0gxwel9v3jbb3v/HARTWELL II.mp4?dl=0
So far these highlights videos have been a hit. The players seem to really get into them. I'm just trying to create a little hype for them before they get back to Mason and start practicing.
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Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter