Positions and Line Ups

[So Much to Say]

Fans are far too concerned with labeling a player as a 1-5. The reality is that Dixon has much more flexibility built into the system than than "1-5" would indicate. Whether PITT can run with a group of Ano/Maia, Young and Artis up front is really a question about who we can defend. Pairing Young with one of the transfer centers isn't going to change the fact that he is going to be our best post scorer. If he has his back to the basket offensively does that make him a 5? If Ano guards the center spot is he the 5?

Given the influx of experienced bigs (and fouls to give), I would be surprised if PITT doesn't go back to its man to man roots defensively. The question of can Artis play the 3 really becomes who can he defend. I suspect the correct answer is that who starts(or more accurately plays starter minutes) next to Young and Artis will depend mostly on defensive match-ups. There will be occasions against smaller teams that Jones/Jeter will get starter minutes in the front court.

 

[IamHeisenberg]

You are absolutely right. The "concern" is just message board fodder to keep people busy during the dull time of year.

 

[Chescat]

You are absolutely right. The "concern" is just message board fodder to keep people busy during the dull time of year.

 

[Chescat]

I agree with both of the above posters. In addition, we get very caught up on here with who is a 5, 4,or 3. A knowledgeable coach can easily run an offense that plays to an individual's strengths regardless if he's a 3 or a 4.
For example, even though it's problem for many on here, I could see Artis
and Young on the floor at the same time with a 5 who might be one of the new Bigs. Artis doesn't have to play a "traditional" 3 role and neither does Young have to play a "traditional" 4 role. I could see either switching in and out of the high post on occasion. They both have been effective there. That would give both the opportunity to move to the base line and Artis to the wing where he is very effective. Also with an effective "motion offense" (Jamie uses a motion offense) it's possible for the 3 and 4's to be in different places. A good coach makes use of these "different places" based on the player's abilities. Moving Young into the low post, sliding him outside along the baseline and moving into the high post in the motion offense makes him tough to defend. At the same time moving Artis to the wing, also to outside along the baseline, and to the high post plays to his strengths, while Young is maximizing his strengths.
Last year we had to keep Young inside in the low post most of the time.
Bringing the new Bigs into the picture either in the post (high or low) or
on weakside low so they can rebound opens up the floor for both Young and Artis to operate. On the offensive end we should be tough to defend.
Robinson should be able to run this offense easily, especially if Smith is the outsides shooter we've heard he is.

Defensively, we still have questions. Here's an idea, If Boeheim had these
guys we'd be in a 2-3 Zone, IMO not a bad idea.....Oh wait, if he were our coach we'd be on probation LOL. Anyway, Jamie has Boeheim's number, but a 2-3 Zone for this team? IMO, good idea .

 

[NTOP]

I agree with both of the above posters. In addition, we get very caught up on here with who is a 5, 4,or 3. A knowledgeable coach can easily run an offense that plays to an individual's strengths regardless if he's a 3 or a 4.
For example, even though it's problem for many on here, I could see Artis
and Young on the floor at the same time with a 5 who might be one of the new Bigs. Artis doesn't have to play a "traditional" 3 role and neither does Young have to play a "traditional" 4 role. I could see either switching in and out of the high post on occasion. They both have been effective there. That would give both the opportunity to move to the base line and Artis to the wing where he is very effective. Also with an effective "motion offense" (Jamie uses a motion offense) it's possible for the 3 and 4's to be in different places. A good coach makes use of these "different places" based on the player's abilities. Moving Young into the low post, sliding him outside along the baseline and moving into the high post in the motion offense makes him tough to defend. At the same time moving Artis to the wing, also to outside along the baseline, and to the high post plays to his strengths, while Young is maximizing his strengths.
Last year we had to keep Young inside in the low post most of the time.
Bringing the new Bigs into the picture either in the post (high or low) or
on weakside low so they can rebound opens up the floor for both Young and Artis to operate. On the offensive end we should be tough to defend.
Robinson should be able to run this offense easily, especially if Smith is the outsides shooter we've heard he is.

Defensively, we still have questions. Here's an idea, If Boeheim had these
guys we'd be in a 2-3 Zone, IMO not a bad idea.....Oh wait, if he were our coach we'd be on probation LOL. Anyway, Jamie has Boeheim's number, but a 2-3 Zone for this team? IMO, good idea .

If Boeheim had a starting lineup of the Three Stooges, Soupy Sales + Capt. Kangaroo.....he'd be playing the 2-3. Inflexible, but a decent career, despite the little mishaps now & then. Hint: "mishaps" mean "getting caught".
Our problem with Artis as a 3 is when the bad guys have the ball. I really like him WITH the ball against smaller 3s, though. My hope is that somebody up front can defend the rim. 15 fouls in the lane mean we can be more physical this year.

 

[Zaratoughda]

People keep talking about the 'new' centers.... but in truth ANO is the same size as Mike Young, the slimmed down Mike Young, while Rafael Maia is the same size (6'9" and 245) as Mike Young was before he slimmed down. So, Maia and ANO, like Mike Young, are really C/PF players, and both were listed as FORWARDS on the web sites of their former teams.

I think what is happening is that posters see Mike Young as PF sized and best if he played PF, and so they think the thing for Dixon to do is bring in some true-sized Cs and move Mike Young to PF and Jamel Artis to SF.

So, they think this is what is happening with ANO and Maia.

But, the truth of the matter, is IMO Dixon is not thinking along these lines at all.

For some time.... as I see it... Dixon has been moving in the direction of more athletic bigs... and this usually means bigs that are 'not as big' for their position as we would normally have.

So, the thing about Maia and ANO, is they are really strengthening our situation overall inside, given the players we had their last year, Uchebo and Randall, were pretty much disasters.

I don't think Dixon has any thought at all of starting Mike Young at PF and Jamel Artis at SF. IMO he WANTS to start them at C and PF, and IMO, they are both better players at those positions.

The problem is, they, and MY in particular, tend to get worn down going up against bigger players. So, Dixon's plan, is to play Mike Young at PF when Artis is not in there, in the hopes it would wear MY down less.

He tried to do this last year but Randall and Uchebo were such disasters he couldn't do it.

So, IMO this is where Maia comes in.... Randall's replacement. Dixon's hope, is he can play Maia as long as necessary so MY does not get worn down... and this is probably gonna work.

As far as ANO is concerned... I really don't know. Could look at him as Luther's replacement (which means as much or more PF than C) but Luther did not get many minutes and ANO should get a lot more than Luther so... we will just have to see what happens.

 

[JS School]

I asked this on another thread: if you play 2 Fs and 3 Gs, do you still label players 1 through 5?

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

I asked this on another thread: if you play 2 Fs and 3 Gs, do you still label players 1 through 5?

Young's shortcoming at the 5, IMHO, has been that he only has average hops and reach for a guy 6-9 . ANO, while not as skiled as Young offensively has the superior hops and reach needed to be better defensively at the 5 for getting boards and blocks--he will play bigger than 6-9. So, if in together ANO would probably be the 4 and MY the 5 on offense and they would flip jobs for defense. Maia appears to be similar in size to Randall; but maybe slightly better than Randall skill wise. Maia would presumably fill in at the 4-5 when ANO is out.

 

[Zaratoughda]

Young's shortcoming at the 5, IMHO, has been that he only has average hops and reach for a guy 6-9 . ANO, while not as skiled as Young offensively has the superior hops and reach needed to be better defensively at the 5 for getting boards and blocks--he will play bigger than 6-9. So, if in together ANO would probably be the 4 and MY the 5 on offense and they would flip jobs for defense. Maia appears to be similar in size to Randall; but maybe slightly better than Randall skill wise. Maia would presumably fill in at the 4-5 when ANO is out.

What I could see happening... is you have Artis and ANO at PF and Young and Maia, and possibly Nix, at C.

ANO.... would be a huge improvement on the defensive side over Artis. Jamel, is our best offensive player but his D is average at best. ANO, is an impact player on the defensive end.

Dixon is gonna play this whole thing by ear I am sure.... seeing what he has once training camp starts... and then will make any decisions on rotation.

So, our speculation on this is just that.... SPECULATION... and not completely informed speculation that is for sure... but we are posters and thus can do this no problem.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

It's our version of a fantasy sports league--kinda!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

What I could see happening... is you have Artis and ANO at PF and Young and Maia, and possibly Nix, at C.

ANO.... would be a huge improvement on the defensive side over Artis. Jamel, is our best offensive player but his D is average at best. ANO, is an impact player on the defensive end.

Dixon is gonna play this whole thing by ear I am sure.... seeing what he has once training camp starts... and then will make any decisions on rotation.

So, our speculation on this is just that.... SPECULATION... and not completely informed speculation that is for sure... but we are posters and thus can do this no problem.

Zara,

The writing is on the wall. I don't know why you are denying this. Maia and Nelson-Odoa (and maybe Nix) are going to split the 40 minutes at Center. They both specialize in "Center-type" things (rebounding and shot-blocking). Young's going to play smaller at the 4 and be able to take smaller players in the block. And Artis is going to have to really work on his perimeter O and D at the 3 (though he will also be the backup 4). After missing on Diallo, the Maia/Nelson-Odoa combo is a 1-year short-term fix at the 5. Its the best Jamie could do and honestly, he did well to get those 2. While not world-beaters, they should be an ACC-level combo at the 5 position.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I asked this on another thread: if you play 2 Fs and 3 Gs, do you still label players 1 through 5?

For game-planning and setting up plays, yes.
It's really only short-hand so every knows their responsibilities.

 

[DT_PITT]

Zara,

The writing is on the wall. I don't know why you are denying this. Maia and Nelson-Odoa (and maybe Nix) are going to split the 40 minutes at Center. They both specialize in "Center-type" things (rebounding and shot-blocking). Young's going to play smaller at the 4 and be able to take smaller players in the block. And Artis is going to have to really work on his perimeter O and D at the 3 (though he will also be the backup 4). After missing on Diallo, the Maia/Nelson-Odoa combo is a 1-year short-term fix at the 5. Its the best Jamie could do and honestly, he did well to get those 2. While not world-beaters, they should be an ACC-level combo at the 5 position.

I believe you are likely correct - this writing does appear to be on the wall. And for what it's worth, I'm hearing good things about Maia.

I do think there may be times (matchups) when we still go with Young / Artis at the 5-4, but those look much more like the exception rather than the rule.

But the key for this, by far, is for Artis to improve his perimeter O and D as you have suggested.

Personally, I would not be surprised with a starting five of Maia-Young-Artis-Smith-Robinson (although I can see Jones starting over Smith at the 2).

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

If Boeheim had a starting lineup of the Three Stooges, Soupy Sales + Capt. Kangaroo.....he'd be playing the 2-3. Inflexible, but a decent career, despite the little mishaps now & then. Hint: "mishaps" mean "getting caught".
Our problem with Artis as a 3 is when the bad guys have the ball. I really like him WITH the ball against smaller 3s, though. My hope is that somebody up front can defend the rim. 15 fouls in the lane mean we can be more physical this year.

When you mention the Three Stooges, Soupy Sales (showing your age their by the way) and Capt Kangaroo are you referring to actual players, or past Syracuse player's academic Majors?

 

[Jeffburgh]

I gotta believe even JD does not know for sure how this team is going to look.

JROB starting and playing a lot at PG, Artis and Young playing a lot.

Those are the three givens.

Where Young and Artis play, and how much time the new guys get, where Jones plays primarily, etc have to be pretty variable, based in good part on now good the three fifth year guys look.

 

[DT_PITT]

I gotta believe even JD does not know for sure how this team is going to look.

JROB starting and playing a lot at PG, Artis and Young playing a lot.

Those are the three givens.

Where Young and Artis play, and how much time the new guys get, where Jones plays primarily, etc have to be pretty variable, based in good part on now good the three fifth year guys look.

If I had to guess what is closest to the truth, I'd guess that it is exactly this.

 

[Zaratoughda]

Zara,

The writing is on the wall. I don't know why you are denying this. Maia and Nelson-Odoa (and maybe Nix) are going to split the 40 minutes at Center. They both specialize in "Center-type" things (rebounding and shot-blocking). Young's going to play smaller at the 4 and be able to take smaller players in the block. And Artis is going to have to really work on his perimeter O and D at the 3 (though he will also be the backup 4). After missing on Diallo, the Maia/Nelson-Odoa combo is a 1-year short-term fix at the 5. Its the best Jamie could do and honestly, he did well to get those 2. While not world-beaters, they should be an ACC-level combo at the 5 position.

I can see Dixon starting Maia at C, Young at PF, and Artis at SF.... but sitting Maia down early and shifting Young to C and Artis to PF.

I actually like this approach... wear the other team's C down a bit and then letting Young go at him.

I really don't think Dixon is gonna go completely away from playing Young at C... he has been tending in that direction for years.... and I don't think he is gonna back down now.

Also, although Dixon could well start Artis at SF... just to get him into the game... I don't see Dixon playing him many minutes there... he tried that last year and it was a big zero.

Lastly... when Young first came in I remember posting... "Mike Young is a PF and should be playing all his minutes there. Let's not have another situation where you end up playing a PF sized player at C like we had with Zanna."

You may find this yard to believe but we are not talking about what I would do but rather what we expect DIXON to do.

For me, I don't got any problem with whatever Dixon does... as long as it works!

So, we will see what he does at the start of the season and then going into ACC play.

 

[Zaratoughda]

I gotta believe even JD does not know for sure how this team is going to look.

JROB starting and playing a lot at PG, Artis and Young playing a lot.

Those are the three givens.

Where Young and Artis play, and how much time the new guys get, where Jones plays primarily, etc have to be pretty variable, based in good part on now good the three fifth year guys look.

Jeffburgh... I think this is one thing that almost all of us (even SMF) would agree on. I believe Dixon gets like 1 hour a week to work with his players over the summer... and then training camp opens and then he gets to see in much more detail exactly what he has. So, at that point he will start to decide on how he is gonna handle his rotation. But even given that, you gotta see how things go as the season goes on... like last year he moved Jones to the bench and Jeter to start at PF... and this was well into the ACC season.

So, all's we can do here and at this point in the summer, is GUESS what Dixon is gonna do... and this based on not seeing the players every week like Dixon does and not seeing them in training camp, etc.

Yeah... DC and I were joking about this in another thread. But, we are not getting paid for what we say or do on this so... we can speculate all we want.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Jeffburgh... I think this is one thing that almost all of us (even SMF) would agree on. I believe Dixon gets like 1 hour a week to work with his players over the summer... and then training camp opens and then he gets to see in much more detail exactly what he has. So, at that point he will start to decide on how he is gonna handle his rotation. But even given that, you gotta see how things go as the season goes on... like last year he moved Jones to the bench and Jeter to start at PF... and this was well into the ACC season.

So, all's we can do here and at this point in the summer, is GUESS what Dixon is gonna do... and this based on not seeing the players every week like Dixon does and not seeing them in training camp, etc.

Yeah... DC and I were joking about this in another thread. But, we are not getting paid for what we say or do on this so... we can speculate all we want.

I mean, of course, the only 3 "givens" are that Robinson, Young, and Artis will start and play the most minutes.......but in graduate transfers, you almost know what you're going to get with Maia and ANO. Maia is a rebounder. Yea, the Ivy isnt very good but he did lead the league all 3 years. You can't tell me the best rebounder in the Ivy can't rebound in the ACC. Surely, he can. And ANO was an "ok" Center in the A10, a good league. There's no reason why he can't be an "ok" Center in the ACC. While it may not be a "given," its very close to a "given" that our Center is Maia/ANO.

 

[Zaratoughda]

I mean, of course, the only 3 "givens" are that Robinson, Young, and Artis will start and play the most minutes.......but in graduate transfers, you almost know what you're going to get with Maia and ANO. Maia is a rebounder. Yea, the Ivy isnt very good but he did lead the league all 3 years. You can't tell me the best rebounder in the Ivy can't rebound in the ACC. Surely, he can. And ANO was an "ok" Center in the A10, a good league. There's no reason why he can't be an "ok" Center in the ACC. While it may not be a "given," its very close to a "given" that our Center is Maia/ANO.

I agree with you on Maia... a rebounder and a BRUISER (albeit... 245 as compared to Gary's 265)... and I am now thinking starting him at C with Young at PF and Artis at SF... and then after a while sitting Maia and shifting Young to C and Artis to PF... and bringing in Jeter or Jones at SF... might be what Dixon decides.

The thing here to me... is it is clear Dixon realizes Young is getting worn down playing at C all the time... and tried various ways to deal with it at the end of last season... and what I state above is a common way of dealing with it and was the way Wichita State was dealing with a similar situation when we played them.

But, on ANO, I am not so sure. As best I can tell from looking at the box scores he was the 3rd man in inside for Richmond (was a #1 seed in the NIT) and he is 6'9" and 235... almost exactly the same size as Young. So, to me it is unclear if he is better playing C or PF. Seems athletic enough to play PF.

But, the bottom line on all this is Dixon is gonna see how players are looking come training camp and going into the season... before making any decisions on rotation. The thing is... you don't really know what to expect until you get to that point. For example... in the time MY played PF last year... and most of his freshman year... he did not seem to excel at all... and then of course last year the idea of playing Artis at SF was just a big zero.

So, IMO we are just gonna have to wait and see what Dixon is going with coming out of training camp. There is no way we can get anything at all on how players are looking compared to what Dixon sees... and with the new inside players this is more exaggerated than it is usually.

So, again, looks like we are just gonna have to wait and see... 5 months from now and that is a long time.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I agree with you on Maia... a rebounder and a BRUISER (albeit... 245 as compared to Gary's 265)... and I am now thinking starting him at C with Young at PF and Artis at SF... and then after a while sitting Maia and shifting Young to C and Artis to PF... and bringing in Jeter or Jones at SF... might be what Dixon decides.


So, again, looks like we are just gonna have to wait and see... 5 months from now and that is a long time.

I can tell you one thing. These 3 grad transfers have me real excited, if for no other reason, I am intrigued by what they MAY be able to do, the fact that they all have specialties, and the fact that we have at least a chance to be pretty good. Without them, whether its right or wrong, I thought we were NIT at best. With them, again I may be way off, I feel like we at least have a chance for one of those seasons where we greatly overachieve.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

If the two big grad transfers come in and can play both Nix and Luther should and will red shirt. The only way this doesn't happen is that Nix is way better than we're being led to believe or the grad transfers aren't as good as we're being led to believe. With the difficulity in recuirting a real center why would you waste a year of Nixs eligibility on p/t duty when it gives him an additional year to further his skills and conditioning?

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Z--You say-- But, on ANO, I am not so sure. . . . he is 6'9" and 235... almost exactly the same size as Young. So, to me it is unclear if he is better playing C or PF. Seems athletic enough to play PF.

It's true that ANO is 6-9 235 which is the same as Young's height and weight. However, ANO has, I believe, a bigger wingspread (in the Richmond video that was measured at 7-4; that's a D'Juan Blair--like wingspread = the reach of a 7-footer) and better, quicker hops than Young (at least it appeared so in highlight film; kinda Talib Zanna--like hops). That might, in theory, translate to ANO being a better option at C on the defensive end of the floor. Young clearly has more offensive skills than ANO (based on comparative scoring histories).

Bottom line is that ANO seems to me to be the kind of player who will be a defensive force but will only get baskets on put backs of other players' misses plus fast break dunks (i.e., he won't create his own offense). Not sure whether this overall skill set (if I am correct about it) translates better to C or to PF.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If the two big grad transfers come in and can play both Nix and Luther should and will red shirt. The only way this doesn't happen is that Nix is way better than we're being led to believe or the grad transfers aren't as good as we're being led to believe. With the difficulity in recuirting a real center why would you waste a year of Nixs eligibility on p/t duty when it gives him an additional year to further his skills and conditioning?

I agree. I wouldn't waste playing them a couple minutes at the end of the game. I'd keep their redshirt on unless we need them later in the season, similar to how we burned Gary McGhee's RS midway through the season when we had some injuries.

 

[Zaratoughda]

Z--You say-- But, on ANO, I am not so sure. . . . he is 6'9" and 235... almost exactly the same size as Young. So, to me it is unclear if he is better playing C or PF. Seems athletic enough to play PF.

It's true that ANO is 6-9 235 which is the same as Young's height and weight. However, ANO has, I believe, a bigger wingspread (in the Richmond video that was measured at 7-4; that's a D'Juan Blair--like wingspread = the reach of a 7-footer) and better, quicker hops than Young (at least it appeared so in highlight film; kinda Talib Zanna--like hops). That might, in theory, translate to ANO being a better option at C on the defensive end of the floor. Young clearly has more offensive skills than ANO (based on comparative scoring histories).

Bottom line is that ANO seems to me to be the kind of player who will be a defensive force but will only get baskets on put backs of other players' misses plus fast break dunks (i.e., he won't create his own offense). Not sure whether this overall skill set (if I am correct about it) translates better to C or to PF.

Here's the thing I am looking at on this....

In his freshman year, Mike Young started at PF... and played some at C spelling Zanna. But, he did not have a great season... and in fact when he tried posting up, he just got his shot blocked back into his face. Seemed to happen every time he tried to post up. Over and over again.

But, this past year, he was starting and playing most of his time at C... and he was able to post up and score... and do it in no uncertain terms. That is what his forte was offensively.

Now, that was a big leap for Mike... as far as posting up and scoring. And I would think at least part of it was due to him effectively losing 10 (or more) pounds during the offseason... was really trimmed down hardly looking like the same player.

But... I am not sure that completely explains THAT big a jump.

And the thing is... when Mike is playing at C, he may be at a slight size disadvantage, but he probably has a quickness advantage over almost every C he comes up against... and THAT is how MY scored a lot of his points on opposing Cs... outquicking them and scoring.

So, if you put MY at PF... he is not gonna have the quickness advantage against opposing PFs to the extent that he has against opposing Cs, and may not be able to post up and score to the extent he can do so at C.

But... we really don't know... and I am sure nobody knows and Dixon won't be making any decisions on this until he gets a chance to see everyone in practice.

So, we will just have to see what Dixon comes out of training camp with... and he might in fact be making significant adjustments well into the OOC schedule.

 

[NTOP]

Here's the thing I am looking at on this....

In his freshman year, Mike Young started at PF... and played some at C spelling Zanna. But, he did not have a great season... and in fact when he tried posting up, he just got his shot blocked back into his face. Seemed to happen every time he tried to post up. Over and over again.

But, this past year, he was starting and playing most of his time at C... and he was able to post up and score... and do it in no uncertain terms. That is what his forte was offensively.

Now, that was a big leap for Mike... as far as posting up and scoring. And I would think at least part of it was due to him effectively losing 10 (or more) pounds during the offseason... was really trimmed down hardly looking like the same player.

But... I am not sure that completely explains THAT big a jump.

And the thing is... when Mike is playing at C, he may be at a slight size disadvantage, but he probably has a quickness advantage over almost every C he comes up against... and THAT is how MY scored a lot of his points on opposing Cs... outquicking them and scoring.

So, if you put MY at PF... he is not gonna have the quickness advantage against opposing PFs to the extent that he has against opposing Cs, and may not be able to post up and score to the extent he can do so at C.

But... we really don't know... and I am sure nobody knows and Dixon won't be making any decisions on this until he gets a chance to see everyone in practice.

So, we will just have to see what Dixon comes out of training camp with... and he might in fact be making significant adjustments well into the OOC schedule.

Mike battled a bad back his entire frosh year. No explosiveness at all. Limited his PT quite a bit, forcing Lamar into some time at PF. I think he'll be better this year if the bigs can clear some space for him & Jamel.

 

[rgross83]

I believe Ano will help team D with his shot blocking/altering ability. However, we will have JR and ???? trying to cover ACC guard tandems. We lost Wright, who many thought was our best perimeter defender. Going back to close man to man D without guards who can stop the drive and open looks from 3 is unfortunately going to produce more of the same.

I hope someone steps up and can become that Brad W or Julius P type of defender. Until someone can, we will still struggle on D even with the inside help coming in.

 

[NTOP]

I believe Ano will help team D with his shot blocking/altering ability. However, we will have JR and ???? trying to cover ACC guard tandems. We lost Wright, who many thought was our best perimeter defender. Going back to close man to man D without guards who can stop the drive and open looks from 3 is unfortunately going to produce more of the same.

I hope someone steps up and can become that Brad W or Julius P type of defender. Until someone can, we will still struggle on D even with the inside help coming in.

No doubt we need that perimeter stopper, but JD's defense always seemed to be inside-out. Run the hedge and recover in time. That discourages dribble-drive action. A rim defender covers a lot of those weaknesses. We had NONE last year. That's why the failed gamble with Haughton.
Man, the combo of Page outside & nasties inside was really great. Brad was OK, but Julius was outstanding.

 

[So Much to Say]

Here's the thing I am looking at on this....

In his freshman year, Mike Young started at PF... and played some at C spelling Zanna. But, he did not have a great season... and in fact when he tried posting up, he just got his shot blocked back into his face. Seemed to happen every time he tried to post up. Over and over again.

But, this past year, he was starting and playing most of his time at C... and he was able to post up and score... and do it in no uncertain terms. That is what his forte was offensively.

Now, that was a big leap for Mike... as far as posting up and scoring. And I would think at least part of it was due to him effectively losing 10 (or more) pounds during the offseason... was really trimmed down hardly looking like the same player.

But... I am not sure that completely explains THAT big a jump.

And the thing is... when Mike is playing at C, he may be at a slight size disadvantage, but he probably has a quickness advantage over almost every C he comes up against... and THAT is how MY scored a lot of his points on opposing Cs... outquicking them and scoring.

So, if you put MY at PF... he is not gonna have the quickness advantage against opposing PFs to the extent that he has against opposing Cs, and may not be able to post up and score to the extent he can do so at C.

But... we really don't know... and I am sure nobody knows and Dixon won't be making any decisions on this until he gets a chance to see everyone in practice.

So, we will just have to see what Dixon comes out of training camp with... and he might in fact be making significant adjustments well into the OOC schedule.

This is basically a perfect example of the point I was trying to make with the original post. Young no matter who is paired with him is going to remain your best low post scorer. Just because you have Ano or Maia in the game you're still going to give Young the majority of the post touches. So whoever you call the C or PF isn't terribly meaningful. Having another legitimate big in the line up will help Young offensively. You come of your man to double Young and we are going to be very successful on the offensive glass. Just because we call him a PF doesn't necessarily mean he going to become a jump shooter.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

This is basically a perfect example of the point I was trying to make with the original post. Young no matter who is paired with him is going to remain your best low post scorer. Just because you have Ano or Maia in the game you're still going to give Young the majority of the post touches. So whoever you call the C or PF isn't terribly meaningful. Having another legitimate big in the line up will help Young offensively. You come of your man to double Young and we are going to be very successful on the offensive glass. Just because we call him a PF doesn't necessarily mean he going to become a jump shooter.

Yep. Yep. Yep. Being "alone" down low hurts Young's game.