Morehouse Exhibition Game

Northeast Stinger

Helluva Engineer
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For what it’s worth I don’t think Howard not scoring means teams with good Bigs are going to eat us alive. He moved well in the exhibition and looks to be at least a a decent defender. The issue is going to be how many players we can play who are not offensive threats
Cremins had some good teams where most of the scoring came from guards and forwards and the 5 spot was mainly for defense and rebounds.
 

MtnWasp

Ramblin' Wreck
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989
I think we all agree that is better to have scoring threats from every position. I'm not convinced that we will have zero scoring threats from the 5. It is too early to throw in that towel.

But for argument sake, I don't think it kills us if we don't have a major scoring threat from the 5. In a half court set with a standard post up, any opposing 5 still has to defend a player with the ball close to the basket. If they leave a Center with the ball in the paint to go double another player then even a non-scorer can score with a strait undefended path to the rim.

But we typically run our offense through the 5 at the elbow. They get the ball and cutters come around the screen for a pick and go. If the opposing 5 does not come out to show for a switch, then he is chasing the cutter in the paint.

Either way, the opposing 5 has to step out and cover our 5 in the offense. The opposition trying to sag off of a non-scoring 5 to cover our perimeter players is a mismatch in our favor. Opposing Centers have to anchor the paint defensively whether or not our Centers are scoring options. By example, even AD Gueye commanded double teams from ACC teams and he averaged ~6ppg.
 

YlJacket

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Two issues we will have to deal with - First is can we be effective with 2 minimal scoring threats in the starting lineup. Howard is one at the 5 but last year and in the exhibition K Moore was a non threat on the offensive end - including a couple of `really bad perimeter shots in the exhibition game. I am not sure we can run any offense with 2 non offensive players getting starter minutes. Getting the balance right between offense and defense with the starters and major minutes is going to be a major strategic decision for CJP.

The more tactical issue is that in the modified Princeton offense we run, there is no or minimal switching of the other team's 5 on any of our other players on the perimeter. We don't run pick and roll so there isn't much switching at the elbow. With Banks we saw opposing 5's simply back off the elbow into the lane and clog our cutters without having to worry about Banks hitting a 15 footer. We will go back to that reality. When we put Banks on the baseline and ran sets to penetrate and dump to him. That is what we will eventually have to do with Howard as ACC coaches will play off of him.

Saba is a better option in the Princeton but isn't ready on the D end yet (at least what I saw in the exhibition). So I expect Howard starts and plays starter minutes (long as he stays out of foul trouble which is no small improvement on his part). I do think we will play both Howard and Saba - and that we will go small at times with really no 5 - especially if we can effectively press our opponents. But it will be matchup dependent.
 

Rzunz

Jolly Good Fellow
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146
How many games does Kahlid Moore start over Deebo?
I think Khalid will be the sixth (or seventh or eighth) man. He’s super important for this team. He brings a lot to the table and will get plenty of minutes.
 

lv20gt

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How many games does Kahlid Moore start over Deebo?

Probably depends on the team dynamics and personalities. It doesn't really matter who starts but rather who plays more, which will probably come down to whether we feel we are struggling to score or not. I could see us starting with Moore and then having Coleman come off the bench when the offense starts to stutters or we want to put pressure (via scoring) on the other team. Of course in the long run Coleman may play too good to not have him start and we use Khalid as a defensive guy to put on a player who gets hot for the other team.
 

D-man44

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By the end of the season if Deebo isn’t regularly 3rd-4th in minutes somebody else either stepped up or he isn’t what we thought he was
 

MtnWasp

Ramblin' Wreck
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989
To this point I think I’d be a little surprised if it isn’t clear relatively early that Deivon, Devoe, Deebo, Usher, Howard is the best lineup
Oooh, it's the Killer Ds or the D3UH lineup.

I have to admit, having three natural scorers on the floor and two wings with deep range sounds like a good idea to me. Providing Deebo is ready to D-up, of course. But the players will work that all out with their play.
 

New Old Guy

Jolly Good Fellow
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319
I have read all the speculation in this thread, and agree with many comments. But I think at this point, after only one exhibition, against a clearly overmatched opponent, it is kind of premature to make a lot of conclusions about our players. We have a lot of pieces, and I think they will be good together, with time. To me, the only sure starters are Mike and Ush. I certainly don’t dismiss Kyle at the point, although having Deivon makes the position much stronger.
All the freshman are impressive, so far. We have three 5’s who can play. It will be a fun team to watch as they develop.
 
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