Buffs1987
New Member
Even deep teams have 3 players who tend to play 30 or more per game. Look at Arizona last season.
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Now the dust is settled, who will be the redshirts from the 2013 class?
- Thread starter jwhite17
- Start date
Even deep teams have 3 players who tend to play 30 or more per game. Look at Arizona last season.
Buffs1987
New Member
Well he's not the highest rated recruit by ESPN, Fletcher is. Fletcher is also the highest on Scout. We need ball handling and shooting. How is Hopkins going to help?He's not our top rated recruit and doesn't help where we need it.
So what do you like about Hopkins?
Buffs1987
New Member
I am not saying he can't play basketball, he is obviously very athletic and can finish strong around the rim. But when you consider everything there seems to be a shortage of minutes for a guard who can't help with outside shooting or ball handling.
I don't know why you think he won't help with ball handling. He's got a great handle. He's also a great finisher at the rim and has a highly developed pull-up/mid-range game for a high school kid.
One of the big knocks is that he dominates the ball too much instead of moving it in the half court. That's kind of been Tad's offense, though. I'd like to see him work on his jumper to force defenders to respect it. But, hey, if you can get to the line, finish at the rim and score off the dribble then the 3pt line is over-rated anyway. Alec shot under 30% from deep as a soph.
Gold
Well-Known Member
Hopkins is the highest rated recruit according to Rivals (119 to 143). But my point still stands, this class ranking has a lot to do with Hopkins, regardless if Fletch has him beat by a few points in other outlets.
If you don't see a good ball handler after watching his tape, then that's your opinion. We all see different things. I actually see a superior ball handler that can get to the rack, score or dish. That's a fairly major help in my opinion!
Medford M.
Well-Known Member
He's a very good ball handler.
You're also forgetting his defense. Quick feet, long arms.
Yeah that
Buffs1987
New Member
I know it sounds like I am down on Hopkins, but I am not. I realize he is one the best recruits in school history and will likely be a major contributor for us one day. I am just looking at the roster, who is coming back, who I think will be improving and what Frosh can fill needs. I think we need size and strength down low, sharp shooters, ball handlers, and someone besides Dinwiddie to move the ball and involve others. Gordon, Jenkins, Thomas and Fletcher seem to fit the bill more than King and Hopkins, and someone is going to have to sit on the bench or get red shirted. That's all I am saying.
I think you may be higher on Talton and Stalzer than some others here. Ski, too. I'm not sure that too many folks on this board feel confident with anyone except Mayor bringing the ball up or leading the break. So J-Hop is looked at as the best guy to fill that role as the secondary handler this year. And going forward he could be primary or it could be Dom (nice problem to have).
Medford M.
Well-Known Member
FWIW, I think Ski may be the best transition passer we have on this team. He threw some absolutely sick bounce passes through heavy traffic last year.
Buffs1987
New Member
These are all nice problems to have, I am just glad the days of Mookie Wright are well past us. I hate Booker's game and am about as low on him as I have been since, well, Mookie Wright. In fact I was looking at his recruiting thread the other day and I believe it was you who said he has problems with his shot selection and playing the point. Nothing has changed so far with him, and it's not looking like it never will.
Boyle seems to want to let him play and shoot though, and even if he shoots less he will be playing a lot of minutes because his defense and leadership.
It may be I am higher on Talton and Eli, we will have to see with them. Eli has probably about reached his ceiling, but Talton still has room to grow and from what it sounds like he is putting in the work.
Without Booker we don't win the Charleston Classic and don't go to the dance. Fact is that we didn't have a great offense last year and he put up 12.6 ppg. Booker is much much better than how he played last year.
And you talk about Talton putting in the work but so does Booker. As soon as he got back from Charleston he was back in the gym shooting.
Buffs1987
New Member
Three years ago someone wrote he needed to work on playing PG and his shot selection. He hasn't changed that thus far.
He plays great in tournaments and has some nice plays each game, but he takes way too many shots and has timely mistakes.
He scored 12.4 points on 12.7 shots, many of which came outside the flow of the offense. He shot 36 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3 and only got to the line 2.5 times per game. And he only shot 70 percent at the line.
Talton on the other hand played limited minutes, but showed quick hands on D, the ability to knock down big shots, handle the offense, led the break and get the ball down low to XJ and Scott.
He had troubles with the speed of the game at times, which led to turnovers and a disruption of defensive rotations. He tried to make plays that may have worked in high school. We'll have to see how he plays when he is in for more minutes, but the potential is there.
You seem to be under the impression that I think Ski played well last year. Outside of the tournament he didn't but I do not believe for a second that is an accurate reflection of Ski's talent level. For whatever reason he lost his confidence after the tournament and he started pressing.
Buffs1987
New Member
I am under the impression that you believe he will improve in the areas that were identified as weak parts of his game at least 3 years ago. He came in needing to improve his shot selection and ability to play the point, he has done neither.
I don't think Mills is going to gain that magic 30 pounds and I don't think Booker will improve his shot selection or ability to distribute. He kept shooting, so he must've been pretty confident. I remember he said in some news article "every time I shoot the ball I think it's going in" after that tournament.
I am not questioning his talent level, I am simply saying he has not improved on his known weaknesses for 3 years, why will he start now? It's not a matter of confidence or whatever.
Medford M.
Well-Known Member
Well he's not a point guard, and as Reggie Miller just said on TNT in regards to JR Smith shooting his way out of a major slump... "that's the only way to do it". So either he needs to take open shots, or he just shouldn't play. You seem to be in the "he shouldn't play" camp.
Ski was getting better at picking his spots towards the end of last season. He was still frustrating to watch at times, but he was getting better. He is only a soph who will be here all 4 years. Was JMO but I thought the offense moved better when he was setting it up. A big reason for it was he would get the ball to the perimeter after bringing it up, instead of stalling after crossing half court like Dinwiddie loves to do(drove me nuts). Same could be said of Talton to a lesser extent toward the end of the season when he ran the point. They looked to distribute more than Dinwiddie did.
Buffs1987
New Member
Booker taking open shots, playing tough d, diving for the ball and being a floor leader is great. Booker shooting and missing with 30 seconds left on the shot clock is another thing. There would be times during games when he would be the only one to shoot for 3-5 straight possessions. Often times the other team would go on a run during that time. His long misses led to fast breaks the other way and easy baskets or foul shots.
Some advanced stats:
| 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | Difference | |
| FGA | 233 | 384 | 151 |
| TS% | 49.9% | 44.8% | -5.1% |
| %Shots at Rim | 29% | 18% | -11% |
| FG% at Rim | 67% | 56% | -11% |
| %Shots 2pt Jumpers | 33% | 44% | 11% |
| FG% 2pt Jumpers | 32% | 33% | 1% |
| %Shots 3pt | 33% | 38% | 5% |
| FG% 3pt | 37% | 31% | -6% |
| %assisted 3pt | 61% | 67% | 6% |
| FT% | 74% | 71% | -3% |
Win Shares:
| 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | Difference | |
| Off Win Share | 0.96 | -0.42 | -1.38 |
| Def Win Share | 0.97 | 1.44 | 0.47 |
| Total Win Share | 1.93 | 1.02 | -0.91 |
Those stats to me suggest a sophomore offensive slump. Instead of getting to the basket like he did his freshman year, he took too many jump shots so your comment about him not being able to fix is shot selection is a bit off after looking at his freshman year. I anticipate his offensive win shares going way up next year because there will not be nearly as much pressure for him to score next year which will open things up for him.
I actually don't think Arizona was particularly deep last year. They basically ran a 7 man rotation last year, with Mayes and Chol also seeing spot minutes. Of those 7, 3 were true freshmen, and they only had 2 true guards in those 7. Lyons and Johnson both had to play big minutes out of necessity. Also, while we're digging for examples of teams to fit our arguments, take a look at the rosters for Florida, Marquette and Wichita State; you'll see a combined 3 players on those squads that played 30 minutes or more per game, with Rosario of Florida on the verge as well. I think those three teams had pretty decent seasons last year. You may not want to throw definitive statements out there just yet.
Well **** are we expecting a 6'0" guard to get to the rim over a third of the time? If Ski can get to the rim more next year he will be fine. This isn't the first time someone has had a sophomore slump and he won't be the last. Ski will be fine.
Considering you think Spencer will play 30-35 minutes every night, why do we have a pressing need for another main ball handler and lead guard? That only leaves a few minutes available. More pressing is the need for a secondary ball handler to help handle the press and close out games. Hopkins fits this profile pretty well, with the added benefit of having the length and athleticism to make an impact on the defensive end.
I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that Dinwiddie will play around 30 minutes/game next year, he did average 32.5 last season.
I don't either. I actually expect him to average 30+. I'm just saying that, if you expect him to average those type of minutes, I'm not sure why you would make the statement that our most pressing need is another lead guard.
Oh gotcha. Agreed.
Bingo.