In an effort to get more size, interior defense and rebounding on the court for Big 12 play, Coach Bzdelik will start tinkering with the lineup. Austin Dufault will switch from Center (5) to Power Forward (4), which really suits his game much better. Taking over at the 5 is most likely going to be Shane Harris-Tunks, according to the article. My guess is that Dwight Thorne is the odd man out, becoming our 6th man.
After working through the kinks of the rotation, I believe our starting lineup will shake out like this by the time Big 12 play begins:
5 - Shane Harris-Tunks
4 - Austin Dufault
3 - Marcus Relphorde
2 - Cory Higgins
1 - Alec Burks
If Shane can step up and make this workable, it would be a huge benefit for the team. Dufault and Relphorde would no longer be playing out of position on offense and defense, which should help both their games on both ends of the court. That probably makes up for any offense they lose with Tunks in the game.
And I also like the idea of pairing Dwight with Nate coming off the bench. Nate needs that steadying, veteran influence and this would mean they'd be paired together in the practice lineup too.
Daily Camera Article
A few bits from the article:
"We have to move Austin over to the four (position) where we can get longer and bigger," Bzdelik said.
But who else is worthy of starting at the five spot?
True freshman Shane Harris-Tunks, a 6-11 Australian with international playing experience, appears to be Bzdelik`s best option at center.
Casey Crawford has never lived up to expectations, Trey Eckloff has been an innocent bystander on the end of the bench based on practice performance, and Trent Beckley hasn`t been healthy since the trip to Maui.
"I feel like I can do better than what I`ve been doing. I think it`s more a matter of finding the confidence to play how I`m more used to playing," Harris-Tunks said. "I think I`ve played pretty well, but I know there`s more I can bring."
Dufault, a 6-9 sophomore, leads the team in rebounding (4.4 rpg) but said he didn`t even play center at tiny Killdeer High School during his prep days in North Dakota.
Marcus Relphorde, a versatile starter who the coaching staff describes as a "point-forward," is third on the team in scoring (9.4) but only shooting 34.1 percent from the field. The 6-7 junior has only grabbed a total of six defensive rebounds in CU`s four losses and could also benefit from having a center like Harris-Tunks battling alongside him more in the paint.
After working through the kinks of the rotation, I believe our starting lineup will shake out like this by the time Big 12 play begins:
5 - Shane Harris-Tunks
4 - Austin Dufault
3 - Marcus Relphorde
2 - Cory Higgins
1 - Alec Burks
If Shane can step up and make this workable, it would be a huge benefit for the team. Dufault and Relphorde would no longer be playing out of position on offense and defense, which should help both their games on both ends of the court. That probably makes up for any offense they lose with Tunks in the game.
And I also like the idea of pairing Dwight with Nate coming off the bench. Nate needs that steadying, veteran influence and this would mean they'd be paired together in the practice lineup too.
Daily Camera Article
A few bits from the article:
"We have to move Austin over to the four (position) where we can get longer and bigger," Bzdelik said.
But who else is worthy of starting at the five spot?
True freshman Shane Harris-Tunks, a 6-11 Australian with international playing experience, appears to be Bzdelik`s best option at center.
Casey Crawford has never lived up to expectations, Trey Eckloff has been an innocent bystander on the end of the bench based on practice performance, and Trent Beckley hasn`t been healthy since the trip to Maui.
"I feel like I can do better than what I`ve been doing. I think it`s more a matter of finding the confidence to play how I`m more used to playing," Harris-Tunks said. "I think I`ve played pretty well, but I know there`s more I can bring."
Dufault, a 6-9 sophomore, leads the team in rebounding (4.4 rpg) but said he didn`t even play center at tiny Killdeer High School during his prep days in North Dakota.
Marcus Relphorde, a versatile starter who the coaching staff describes as a "point-forward," is third on the team in scoring (9.4) but only shooting 34.1 percent from the field. The 6-7 junior has only grabbed a total of six defensive rebounds in CU`s four losses and could also benefit from having a center like Harris-Tunks battling alongside him more in the paint.
