Gueye?

[DC_Area_Panther]

Just watched some film on Gueye including the highlights of last year's St. John's vs Stony Brook game. Not sure what to make of this guy in terms of what role he could play at Pitt.

He is a legit 6-9 but skinny as a rail. He looks like a strong wind gust would knock him over. On the plus side, he is athletic, has hops and has surprising ball skills for his height. He can dribble, drive to the hoop and he can shoot the jumper decently--even out to 3-point distance.

The only thing that seems clear is that he definitely is not a typical low blocks player--definitely not a 5 strength wise. He is really has forward skills and maybe more of a 3's skills than a 4's skills. Might be really effective playing the high post/elbows vs the Cuse zone. Oladapo on film appears to be a much more typical power forward.

Maybe Capel could employ a double post offense with Gueye the high post and Hugley the low post and they could flip flop positions since both are capable of shooting the short jumper from the high post.

It should be interesting to see what actually develops.

 

[Chescat]

I also mentioned in
another thread that
Gueye is very thin.
The high low post idea
is a good one except for
the fact that not having
any other bigs (Olipado
is not a Center), presents
a foul problem, if they
both were to get in foul
trouble. Most on here
see Gueye as Hugley's
back up. Capel in the past
did not play his two bigs
at the same time. That
doesn't mean he won't in
this instance.

I doubt he wants Amadason
as the back up Center. My
guess is Hugley starting at
C with Olipado next to him
as a PF. Gueye off the bench
as Hugley's backup, and maybe
coming in occasionally for
Olipado.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

I also mentioned in
another thread that
Gueye is very thin.
The high low post idea
is a good one except for
the fact that not having
any other bigs (Olipado
is not a Center), presents
a foul problem, if they
both were to get in foul
trouble. Most on here
see Gueye as Hugley's
back up. Capel in the past
did not play his two bigs
at the same time. That
doesn't mean he won't in
this instance.

I doubt he wants Amadason
as the back up Center. My
guess is Hugley starting at
C with Olipado next to him
as a PF. Gueye off the bench
as Hugley's backup, and maybe
coming in occasionally for
Olipado.

I could also envision Gueye getting some minutes out on the wing with Hugley and Olsdapo playing on the inside--not as a routine though. I see a more mature Jeffress understudied by freshman Santos as the usual wing player--except when Capel utilizes 3 true guards in the lineup.

Of course, the addition of a talented true post player between now and the fall would change things drammatically---but; I am not holding my breath on such an unlikely possibility.

 

[Chescat]

I could also envision Gueye getting some minutes out on the wing with Hugley and Olsdapo playing on the inside--not as a routine though. I see a more mature Jeffress understudied by freshman Santos as the usual wing player--except when Capel utilizes 3 true guards in the lineup.

Of course, the addition of a talented true post player between now and the fall would change things drammatically---but; I am not holding my breath on such an unlikely possibility.

I agree with what you
said a bout Jeffress. I
feel he's our most
talented player. He just
turned 18, but he's
talented. I hope he's
our break out player
this year.

 

[Jeffburgh]

He is a lot like Kene.

Kene was not as slight, but Gueye is a little better athlete.

Neither should be playing C, but like Kene, due to the lack of other options, Gueye will be a five at Pitt, splitting time with Hugs like Kene split time with Brown.

Just not seeing how he plays anywhere other than C, not just because he will be needed at C, but because while he is a decent athlete for his height, there are now a LOT of other options that HCJC will be more comfortable with at the forward spots - the two transfer forwards, the returning kids like WJ and Collier, and then guards like Nike and the TT transfer who could play as a third guard.

 

[pittchagg]

He is a lot like Kene.

Kene was not as slight, but Gueye is a little better athlete.

Neither should be playing C, but like Kene, due to the lack of other options, Gueye will be a five at Pitt, splitting time with Hugs like Kene split time with Brown.

Just not seeing how he plays anywhere other than C, not just because he will be needed at C, but because while he is a decent athlete for his height, there are now a LOT of other options that HCJC will be more comfortable with at the forward spots - the two transfer forwards, the returning kids like WJ and Collier, and then guards like Nike and the TT transfer who could play as a third guard.

I think his skillset is more of a 5 than anything else. I think he can shoot the 3 ball well enough that he believes he can be a stretch 4, but I think overall the skillset and shotblocking lends itself much more to a 5 than anything else.

 

[DT_PITT]

He is a lot like Kene.

Kene was not as slight, but Gueye is a little better athlete.

Neither should be playing C, but like Kene, due to the lack of other options, Gueye will be a five at Pitt, splitting time with Hugs like Kene split time with Brown.

Just not seeing how he plays anywhere other than C, not just because he will be needed at C, but because while he is a decent athlete for his height, there are now a LOT of other options that HCJC will be more comfortable with at the forward spots - the two transfer forwards, the returning kids like WJ and Collier, and then guards like Nike and the TT transfer who could play as a third guard.

Agree ... I'm not seeing how he plays anywhere than C either.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

Thin athletic 5's without post skills is basically the norm now; I think it's fine if you can be a dive guy on the pick and roll and block shots and get defensive rebounds as other teams attack the rim. I mean I'd love to have Joel Embiid but that isn't much of a thing these days. My question on Gueye is how effectively he will do that sort of nu era role.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

He is a lot like Kene.

Kene was not as slight, but Gueye is a little better athlete.

Neither should be playing C, but like Kene, due to the lack of other options, Gueye will be a five at Pitt, splitting time with Hugs like Kene split time with Brown.

Just not seeing how he plays anywhere other than C, not just because he will be needed at C, but because while he is a decent athlete for his height, there are now a LOT of other options that HCJC will be more comfortable with at the forward spots - the two transfer forwards, the returning kids like WJ and Collier, and then guards like Nike and the TT transfer who could play as a third guard.

Yeah, the Kene comparison seems pretty apt. I would add that, in addition to Gueye seeming to be more athletic, he looks to have better ball skills than Kene as he can put the ball on the floor to drive either left or right and can then finish at the rim with either hand.

You may remember how it was claimed by KSs' coaching staff that Kene could shoot the 3-ball well? However, we never saw anything from Kene but air-balls? Gueye may be better at the 3-ball than Kene --at least based on limited data (he looks good shooting it on highlight film and was 4 for 12 last season).

 

[Jeffburgh]

Yeah, the Kene comparison seems pretty apt. I would add that, in addition to Gueye seeming to be more athletic, he looks to have better ball skills than Kene as he can put the ball on the floor to drive either left or right and can then finish at the rim with either hand.

You may remember how it was claimed by KSs' coaching staff that Kene could shoot the 3-ball well? However, we never saw anything from Kene but air-balls? Gueye may be better at the 3-ball than Kene --at least based on limited data (he looks good shooting it on highlight film and was 4 for 12 last season).

Yeah, lots of talk about how good he was in practice with the three ball, but it quickly reached the point where he had the option to take in games pulled.

Gueye probably will get the same opportunity.

 

[Jeffburgh]

I think his skillset is more of a 5 than anything else. I think he can shoot the 3 ball well enough that he believes he can be a stretch 4, but I think overall the skillset and shotblocking lends itself much more to a 5 than anything else.

Agree on this, too.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Thin athletic 5's without post skills is basically the norm now; I think it's fine if you can be a dive guy on the pick and roll and block shots and get defensive rebounds as other teams attack the rim. I mean I'd love to have Joel Embiid but that isn't much of a thing these days. My question on Gueye is how effectively he will do that sort of nu era role.

He’s thin , but he’s also a fifth yr guy whose been in a college strength and conditioning program for 4 yrs now . He’s probably a lot stronger than he looks . Saying that he’s not going to outmuscle a hugh true 5 , but those guys are few and far between .

This Pitt team should be able to compete down low better than any in recent memory .

 

[Jeffburgh]

Thin athletic 5's without post skills is basically the norm now; I think it's fine if you can be a dive guy on the pick and roll and block shots and get defensive rebounds as other teams attack the rim. I mean I'd love to have Joel Embiid but that isn't much of a thing these days. My question on Gueye is how effectively he will do that sort of nu era role.

Honestly, the big man recruiting has been so abysmal for this program for so long, over a decade now, Pitt fans think think having a 6-8/9 center is normal, and have no expectations for a center to be a center at this point.

I did a post on the payside about the 2019 ACC season, Duke was playing two forwards most of the year, but pretty much every other ACC team had a for real, actual center.

Duke was playing two forwards 6-9ish
NC was NC - six players 6-10 or taller
VA - Huff 7-1 & Salt 6-10 primarily playing C
Louisville - Enoch 6-10 & Williams 6-11 Primarily playing C
FSU - Olejniczak 7-0 & Balsa Koprivica 7-0 primarily playing C
NC State - Funderburk 6-10 & Bates 6-11 Primarily playing C
Georgia Tech - James Banks 6-10 (PF was 6-9 Moses Wright)
WF - Sarr 7-0 (PF 6-8 Mucius)
BC - Popovic 6-11 (PF 6-8 Mitchell)
Miami - Miller 7-0 (PF Waardenburg 6-10)

 

[H2PisIT]

l think Mo Gueye should remain at the position(s) that earned him Defensive Player of the Year.

 

[pittchagg]

Honestly, the big man recruiting has been so abysmal for this program for so long, over a decade now, Pitt fans think think having a 6-8/9 center is normal, and have no expectations for a center to be a center at this point.

I did a post on the payside about the 2019 ACC season, Duke was playing two forwards most of the year, but pretty much every other ACC team had a for real, actual center.

Duke was playing two forwards 6-9ish
NC was NC - six players 6-10 or taller
VA - Huff 7-1 & Salt 6-10 primarily playing C
Louisville - Enoch 6-10 & Williams 6-11 Primarily playing C
FSU - Olejniczak 7-0 & Balsa Koprivica 7-0 primarily playing C
NC State - Funderburk 6-10 & Bates 6-11 Primarily playing C
Georgia Tech - James Banks 6-10 (PF was 6-9 Moses Wright)
WF - Sarr 7-0 (PF 6-8 Mucius)
BC - Popovic 6-11 (PF 6-8 Mitchell)
Miami - Miller 7-0 (PF Waardenburg 6-10)

I think it’s just more important to have a guy who has the skillset playing the position than it is to have a guy who meets some kind of ideal height playing the position. Sure, you’d like your starting center to have both, but the skillset is so much more important to me than the height - and we’ve got two guys (3 including Max) with the skillset. And it’s not like we’re going to be running 6’6 centers out there - I just don’t think the difference between 6’8-6’9 and 6’10-6’11 is going to hurt you in a meaningful respect.

 

[Jeffburgh]

I think it’s just more important to have a guy who has the skillset playing the position than it is to have a guy who meets some kind of ideal height playing the position. Sure, you’d like your starting center to have both, but the skillset is so much more important to me than the height - and we’ve got two guys (3 including Max) with the skillset. And it’s not like we’re going to be running 6’6 centers out there - I just don’t think the difference between 6’8-6’9 and 6’10-6’11 is going to hurt you in a meaningful respect.

Yeah, Pitt hasn't had anyone remotely fitting that in over half a decade now, and would have been a better team in 2019 with pretty much any of the ones I listed.
People are cashing checks w Hugs and Gueye w no money in the bank. Its a hope and prayer.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Just watched some film on Gueye including the highlights of last year's St. John's vs Stony Brook game. Not sure what to make of this guy in terms of what role he could play at Pitt.

He is a legit 6-9 but skinny as a rail. He looks like a strong wind gust would knock him over. On the plus side, he is athletic, has hops and has surprising ball skills for his height. He can dribble, drive to the hoop and he can shoot the jumper decently--even out to 3-point distance.

The only thing that seems clear is that he definitely is not a typical low blocks player--definitely not a 5 strength wise. He is really has forward skills and maybe more of a 3's skills than a 4's skills. Might be really effective playing the high post/elbows vs the Cuse zone. Oladapo on film appears to be a much more typical power forward.

Maybe Capel could employ a double post offense with Gueye the high post and Hugley the low post and they could flip flop positions since both are capable of shooting the short jumper from the high post.

It should be interesting to see what actually develops.

From what I've read about him, he seems like a stretch 4. Maybe a Mark McCaroll-type. Probably not a 5.

 

[gary2]

Yeah, Pitt hasn't had anyone remotely fitting that in over half a decade now, and would have been a better team in 2019 with pretty much any of the ones I listed.
People are cashing checks w Hugs and Gueye w no money in the bank. Its a hope and prayer.

Hugley has shown some of what he can do. I think he will be fine.

I see Gueye playing high on offense and low on defense.

He can hit the three, passes well and blocks shots on defense. I think he can even take some bigs off the dribble.

The guy can really move and is. Explosive. Does not fumble passes. Does not need to slowly gather his feet to dunk.

He definitely gives us a different look. I think that look plays well with Payton and Oladapo playing down low.

 

[Jeffburgh]

Hugley has shown some of what he can do. I think he will be fine.

I see Gueye playing high on offense and low on defense.

He can hit the three, passes well and blocks shots on defense. I think he can even take some bigs off the dribble.

The guy can really move and is. Explosive. Does not fumble passes. Does not need to slowly gather his feet to dunk.

He definitely gives us a different look. I think that look plays well with Payton and Oladapo playing down low.

I do like Hugs and hold out hope he can give them more at the five than they have had in a long time, and Gueye can maybe be a better Kene. But, again its relative to just how how low the bar is for the program at the five spot at this point.

 

[Chescat]

No matter how we slice
and dice it, we are still
weak inside. We do not
have a true, tested C.
However, IMO we're
better inside than we
were last season with
Brown and Coulibaly.
Also, as I keep repeating,
there are several ACC
teams that are weak.
We're one of them. We
should be competitive
with all of them. On top
of all that, I expect we
will put a starting five
on the floor that will be
better than what we
finished with last season.

Average talent, yes....but
better than last season's
end?....yes.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

No matter how we slice
and dice it, we are still
weak inside. We do not
have a true, tested C.
However, IMO we're
better inside than we
were last season with
Brown and Coulibaly.
Also, as I keep repeating,
there are several ACC
teams that are weak.
We're one of them. We
should be competitive
with all of them. On top
of all that, I expect we
will put a starting five
on the floor that will be
better than what we
finished with last season.

Average talent, yes....but
better than last season's
end?....yes.

That's an interesting take. Better inside? Well, I agree that Hugley + Gueye should/could be an improvement over the Brown/Coulibaly combo. But, if you Include Champagnie in the frontcourt/in the paint equation for his defensive rebounding and scoring, I am not convinced the conclusion holds up very well, Can the combo of Oladapo and Payton replace most of Champagnie's inside scoring and rebounding? I am not convinced that they will be able.

 

[gary2]

That's an interesting take. Better inside? Well, I agree that Hugley + Gueye should/could be an improvement over the Brown/Coulibaly combo. But, if you Include Champagnie in the frontcourt/in the paint equation for his defensive rebounding and scoring, I am not convinced the conclusion holds up very well, Can the combo of Oladapo and Payton replace most of Champagnie's inside scoring and rebounding? I am not convinced that they will be able.

There were times last season when Justin just abandoned inside scoring. We suffered when that happened.
Toney was guilty too.

That will not happen this season with Hugley, Payton and Oladapo. The players that need to be inside players, want to be inside players.

We will be less dribble drive and three point dependent.

 

[Chescat]

That's an interesting take. Better inside? Well, I agree that Hugley + Gueye should/could be an improvement over the Brown/Coulibaly combo. But, if you Include Champagnie in the frontcourt/in the paint equation for his defensive rebounding and scoring, I am not convinced the conclusion holds up very well, Can the combo of Oladapo and Payton replace most of Champagnie's inside scoring and rebounding? I am not convinced that they will be able.

Yup... IMO better inside.
Here's why....I feel Hugley
and Gueye will be better
than Brown 2.5 ppg and
Coulibaly 5.2 ppg. Their
rebounding was even
worse 3.9 and 2.7.
Hugley playing reduced
minutes as a true frosh
out rebounded both of
them and scored the same
as Coulibaly. I feel he'll be
much better, and Gueye
adds to the mix as a
rebounder and short blocker.


Oladapo's inside presence
adds to the mix. He's no
Champ that'sfor sure,
but he's rugged will
rebound and defend..
What the three of them
bring is more bulk and
strength inside. Champ
was great, and no ONE
player will replace him.
My post alluded to
the END of the season
when there was no Toney.
If you recall, the end of
the season had Coulibaly
inside with Champ and
Sibande on the wing. I
feel Oladapo's presence
will make a big difference
on the inside.

 

[joeydavid]

I think his skillset is more of a 5 than anything else. I think he can shoot the 3 ball well enough that he believes he can be a stretch 4, but I think overall the skillset and shotblocking lends itself much more to a 5 than anything else.

Here's a look at his athletic ability and skillset against a P6 team. He went 7/11 for 15 with 6 boards.

 

[Chescat]

Here's a look at his athletic ability and skillset against a P6 team. He went 7/11 for 15 with 6 boards.

View embedded media

I watched the film vs
St, John's and looked
at box scores against
Hofstra and Vermont.
Those three were most
likely three of the better
teams they played.
Stony Brook looked like
a mid level A10 team to
me.

Gueye scored double
figures in those games
and did rebound. He
definitely likes to play
on the open floor. He's
not a back to the basket
inside force. He's quick,
athletic, and has moves
Brown and Coulibaly do
not have. I like him as a
rotational forward type.
Personally I can't see him
at Center for long stretches
of time. ACC bigs are far
stronger. It'll be interesting
to see how Capel uses him.
Based on what I saw, he's
better than Collier IMO.
He's also better than Brown
and Coulibaly, but I'm
concerned at what he brings
to us in the post.

Another possibility if he
subs for Hugley, is for Capel
to go with two forwards
(Gueye and Oladapo), in
a possition less type of
offense.

 

[joeydavid]

I watched the film vs
St, John's and looked
at box scores against
Hofstra and Vermont.
Those three were most
likely three of the better
teams they played.
Stony Brook looked like
a mid level A10 team to
me.

Gueye scored double
figures in those games
and did rebound. He
definitely likes to play
on the open floor. He's
not a back to the basket
inside force. He's quick,
athletic, and has moves
Brown and Coulibaly do
not have. I like him as a
rotational forward type.
Personally I can't see him
at Center for long stretches
of time. ACC bigs are far
stronger. It'll be interesting
to see how Capel uses him.
Based on what I saw, he's
better than Collier IMO.
He's also better than Brown
and Coulibaly, but I'm
concerned at what he brings
to us in the post.

He's not a center. He going to defend the 5 because of necessity but he doesn't play like a 5 at all on the offensive end.

 

[FireballZ]

Was Hugley suspended from all basketball activities last year or was he permitted to practice? I presume the former.

 

[Chescat]

He's not a center. He going to defend the 5 because of necessity but he doesn't play like a 5 at all on the offensive end.

I totally agree. I kind
of surmised it, but I
had to watch the film.
Yup, Center on D due to
"necessity."

I actually liked what
I saw of him on the
offensive end. I like
what I saw of him out
on the floor, but he's
not an inside force.

 

[Chescat]

Was Hugley suspended from all basketball activities last year or was he permitted to practice? I presume the former.

I thought he had to go
home to Ohio, and took
classes virtually. He
supposedly did well on
the academic end as
stated by Capel. I hope
he worked out and
stayed in shape.

 

[joeydavid]

Yeah, the Kene comparison seems pretty apt. I would add that, in addition to Gueye seeming to be more athletic, he looks to have better ball skills than Kene as he can put the ball on the floor to drive either left or right and can then finish at the rim with either hand.

You may remember how it was claimed by KSs' coaching staff that Kene could shoot the 3-ball well? However, we never saw anything from Kene but air-balls? Gueye may be better at the 3-ball than Kene --at least based on limited data (he looks good shooting it on highlight film and was 4 for 12 last season).

Do you remember when Kene did this?



Me neither.

 

[FireballZ]

I thought he had to go
home to Ohio, and took
classes virtually. He
supposedly did well on
the academic end as
stated by Capel. I hope
he worked out and
stayed in shape.

I guess that's my point. If he didn't continue to work out and practice with the team, we should probably almost expect a drop off this year from how he looked right before the suspension, as opposed to an automatic 'experience' improvement.

 

[Chescat]

Do you remember when Kene did this?

View embedded media

Me neither.

Too funny... Great clip and
comment! I did like how
Kene hustled though. You
and I see the same things
in Gueye's offensive game.
My problem however is
what I'm not seeing on
the inside. Again, maybe
a position less type of
offense when he's on the
floor. Well, we now know
for sure he's not a traditional
Center. I do like what I see,
again as a rotational type
of forward.

 

[Chescat]

I guess that's my point. If he didn't continue to work out and practice with the team, we should probably almost expect a drop off this year from how he looked right before the suspension, as opposed to an automatic 'experience' improvement.

Good point. One thing I
expect, is for him to
return with a "chip" and
motivation to show he
f..ked up and wants to
make things right. I hope
he worked out and is in
somewhat decent, but
not game time shape.

 

[H2PisIT]

He didn't look THAT thin to me in that clip, however, he might want to attach himself to Gary Christopher's hip.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

I guess that's my point. If he didn't continue to work out and practice with the team, we should probably almost expect a drop off this year from how he looked right before the suspension, as opposed to an automatic 'experience' improvement.

Remember with Covid restrictions there was limited preseason practice , no one on one coaching sessions in the summer and not much of an OOC schedule. All the freshman should improve next season ….let’s hope ..

 

[Drew1208]

Good point. One thing I
expect, is for him to
return with a "chip" and
motivation to show he
f..ked up and wants to
make things right. I hope
he worked out and is in
somewhat decent, but
not game time shape.

We ran a lot a screens at the top of the key using Akc wasn't a much of a threat to drive or shoot. He can be used at the 5, this way but shoot and drive more.
Rim running, shot blocking, drive thru the open lane.
Hopefully they discourage him from taking long twos and midrange shots, 13-9 said his numbers were horrible there.

 

[BPKY]

I watched the film vs
St, John's and looked
at box scores against
Hofstra and Vermont.
Those three were most
likely three of the better
teams they played.
Stony Brook looked like
a mid level A10 team to
me.

Gueye scored double
figures in those games
and did rebound. He
definitely likes to play
on the open floor. He's
not a back to the basket
inside force. He's quick,
athletic, and has moves
Brown and Coulibaly do
not have. I like him as a
rotational forward type.
Personally I can't see him
at Center for long stretches
of time. ACC bigs are far
stronger. It'll be interesting
to see how Capel uses him.
Based on what I saw, he's
better than Collier IMO.
He's also better than Brown
and Coulibaly, but I'm
concerned at what he brings
to us in the post.

Another possibility if he
subs for Hugley, is for Capel
to go with two forwards
(Gueye and Oladapo), in
a possition less type of
offense.

You make a ton of sense for someone who can only type four words in a row. 😉

It's been posted that Hugley is lighter but stronger. He's almost certain to improve. This is a rebuild. Like you said, look to season's end.

I like Kene, but Joey nailed it. Mark down 8 more points per game minimum from the center position just due to being able to catch and convert.

Yes, Gueye is only 6-9, but nobody said the magic word. Wingspan.