2020 Starting 5 & Bench

[JB75]

Whalley is going to do more than start, I think he's going to be one of our best players. The switch went off, he really gets it now. And he has the physical tools to act on his knowledge.

Whalley is 100% starting as is bouk and most likely Cole. If sanogo and Jackson aren’t starting from jump , they will be by big East play unless Carlton and polley enter the season as monsters

 

[navery12]

what narrative? i don't think that anyone would consider him an ideal 2020 power forward, but he started at the 4 in a string of successful games at the end of the season. he finished all of those games at the 5, and it's easy enough to imagine the same thing happening this season. it's not really a narrative if it was reality for an extended period of time...

He started at the 4 when we had 7 and 8 players, and even then he barely played the 4. In 2020 you cannot have 2 bigs who can't shoot on the floor for extended minutes. The narrative I'm talking about is that multiple people have said he's the ideal 4 for 2020, those are the people I'm talking about

 

[Jbirdp5]

I just can’t think of a justification for anyone starting Polley? He will have a role but I’d think Jackson is a lock at the 3 and Whaley is a lock at the 4.

For all those saying Hurley likes senior leadership starting over freshman: he never pulled in this type of talent at URI. Akok started at the 4 as a freshman simply because he was the best 4 on the team. Jackson is the best 3 on the team. Sanogo will be a head and shoulders above the rest at the 5. They’re not going to not start just because there’s upperclassmen that also play their position.

I think the talent gap will really hurt Polley this year. He has way too many deficiencies in his game to make up for his one very good skill

 

[navery12]

in a perfect world i'd agree, but like you said, that's assuming martin can play. if martin sits then it comes down to either polley or whaley starting at PF since we can't pencil springs in for heavy minutes yet.

polley started to break out last year as a SF but hasnt proven he can play stretch 4 at all. i'm also a big proponent of having our 5 best players on the floor which would mean: cole/bouk/aj/whaley/sanogo even if it means a lack of shooting....so yeah i'm trying to talk myself into this lineup incase martin sits.

I would start Polley over Whaley at the 4 without a second thought. I get those are likely to be our 5 best players (Cole/Bouk/Jackson/Whaley/Sanogo) but that is a beyond brutal shooting lineup. I don't see how that works for more than a few minutes

 

[Jbirdp5]

This narrative that Whaley is a 4 really needs to end

Didn’t you say in the sanogo thread that you will not complain about going big anymore?

 

[JimHurley]

I think the talent gap will really hurt Polley this year. He has way too many deficiencies in his game to make up for his one very good skill

Agree. I see him being a 10-15 minute guy to give us a spark off the bench and to hit some 3's. I see Jackson taking up the majority of the minutes at the 3 and Whaley/Akok taking the majority of the minutes at the 4.

 

[JimHurley]

He started at the 4 when we had 7 and 8 players, and even then he barely played the 4. In 2020 you cannot have 2 bigs who can't shoot on the floor for extended minutes. The narrative I'm talking about is that multiple have said he's the ideal 4 for 2020, those are the people I'm talking about

I think he CAN be a 4 when Sanogo is on the floor. The problem was starting him and Carlton gave us no offense in the front court. Sanogo might not be able to shoot be he can put his back to the basket and has a nice touch around the rim. I do think Whaley's position in Hurley's system is a 5 but I think Whaley/Sanogo can coexist on the floor together whereas Whaley/Carlton, not so much.

 

[bendm]

I would start Polley over Whaley at the 4 without a second thought.

i think it deserves a second thought because polley was absolutely brutal playing the 4 as a sophomore so hurley had to shift him down to SF last year. if he doesnt change his approach he might be the worst rebounder on the team outside of cole and gaffney. not to mention he's coming off a torn acl

 

[navery12]

Didn’t you say in the sanogo thread that you will not complain about going big anymore?

Kind of, I didn't go into all the detail there but I think it's a lot more understandable for someone to argue for Whaley/Sanogo than Whaley/Carlto. Even if I hate both of those lineups and can't see how they work

 

[navery12]

i think it deserves a second thought because polley was absolutely brutal playing the 4 as a sophomore so hurley had to shift him down to SF last year. if he doesnt change his approach he might be the worst rebounder on the team outside of cole and gaffney. not to mention he's coming off a torn acl

I'm not putting him out there for his rebounding, it's for his shooting so that doesn't concern me. Especially since we have lots of great rebounders around him. Obviously Polley at the 4 isn't ideal but between him and Whaley one is a lot easier to shift and hide there

 

[bmayuc]

I'm unfamiliar with him and don't trust the highlights, is he also a distributor? I liked Gaffney starting for that particular reason. However if Cole has assists in his package, then he would be awesome fit.

Just saying, I would prefer a low key, point guard willing to distribute first, but still have the offensive arsenal. Gaffney to me would be a better version of Taliek, in that he seems to be fine giving others shine, but posing a more offensive threat. Either way leadership and running this team will be paramount, so the PG will need to be trusted and respected.

Cole averaged 6.4 assists and had a 2:1 Assist to turnover ratio.

 

[bendm]

I'm not putting him out there for his rebounding, it's for his shooting so that doesn't concern me. Especially since we have lots of great rebounders around him. Obviously Polley at the 4 isn't ideal but between him and Whaley one is a lot easier to shift and hide there

yes but we had an absolutely atrocious rebounding team with polley at the 4 that hurley had to give up on. Now you're essentially swapping vital and whaley out of the starting lineup for aj and sanogo (polley, bouk, and a PG remain)

vital (6.3 rebs/game) and whaley (8.2 rebs/game when he played over 20 mins) were our best rebounders, so even if aj and sanogo combine for 15 rebs/game that's a break even

 

[Kitaman]

If Whaley's play last year does not deserve him the starting nod going into this new season, it would be very disrespectful and not a good look (i.e. coach). Kid worked his butt off, took advantage of the opportunity and made contributions defensively and offensively, and opened a lot of opponents eyes. Its exactly what coaches look for and reward.

He and Bouk to me are the 2 locks.

 

[JimHurley]

If Whaley's play last year does not deserve him the starting nod going into this new season, it would be very disrespectful and not a good look (i.e. coach). Kid worked his butt off, took advantage of the opportunity and made contributions defensively and offensively, and opened a lot of opponents eyes. Its exactly what coaches look for and reward.

He and Bouk to me are the 2 locks.

Agree. One of the better success stories I can remember. 2 months before the season ended he was a DNP vs. Nova. He finished the year as our best front court player by a country mile.

My locks are Cole, Bouk, and Whaley. Jackson 90% lock but not 100%.

 

[navery12]

yes but we had an absolutely atrocious rebounding team with polley at the 4 that hurley had to give up on. Now you're essentially swapping vital and whaley out of the starting lineup for aj and sanogo (polley, bouk, and a PG remain)

vital (6.3 rebs/game) and whaley (8.2 rebs/game when he played over 20 mins) were our best rebounders, so even if aj and sanogo combine for 15 rebs/game that's a break even

There's definitely things to worry about for next year but rebounding isn't one of them. We're bringing in great rebounders with Springs and Sanogo, and more minutes for those 2 and Whaley instead of Carlton is a net positive for rebounding

 

[Umami Zen]

There's definitely things to worry about for next year but rebounding isn't one of them. We're bringing in great rebounders with Springs and Sanogo, and more minutes for those 2 and Whaley instead of Carlton is a net positive for rebounding

AJ and TM (if playing) will also grab some boards to help the Bigs.. Those guys can get up

 

[bendm]

AJ and TM (if playing) will also grab some boards to help the Bigs.. Those guys can get up

There's definitely things to worry about for next year but rebounding isn't one of them. We're bringing in great rebounders with Springs and Sanogo, and more minutes for those 2 and Whaley instead of Carlton is a net positive for rebounding

i was strictly discussing a starting lineup with polley at the 4...of course there are other personnel combinations that will make for a good rebounding lineup. the point is none of them involve polley at the 4

 

[Jholla2183]

Cole
Gaffney
Bouk
Whaley
Sanogo

To start the season.

 

[navery12]

i was strictly discussing a starting lineup with polley at the 4...of course there are other personnel combinations that will make for a good rebounding lineup. the point is none of them involve polley at the 4

If the goal is to just field a good rebounding lineup then sure Polley isn't the ideal 4. But that's not the discussion, he's playing for his shooting not his rebounding

 

[JB75]

Great thread but I'm a little disappointed that there's so many disagreements but no one is calling anyone an idiot.
I'm hoping that by the end of the regular season our starting lineup is RJ, Bouk, Jackson, Whaley, and Sanogo. It would mean Whaley has added to his offensive game and Jackson is a advertised. This starting five has the potential to be devastating. I'm assuming even if Akok comes back his minutes will be limited.

I’m assuming everyone wud love this starting 5. Maybe throw akok in there too But wow.

 

[bendm]

If the goal is to just field a good rebounding lineup then sure Polley isn't the ideal 4. But that's not the discussion, he's playing for his shooting not his rebounding

it is the discussion. even when polley's playing SF he's still only out there for his shooting....but he's such a bad rebounder for a stretch 4 that his shooting cant make up for it and he becomes a liability.

 

[JB75]

I would start Polley over Whaley at the 4 without a second thought. I get those are likely to be our 5 best players (Cole/Bouk/Jackson/Whaley/Sanogo) but that is a beyond brutal shooting lineup. I don't see how that works for more than a few minutes

No way I wud start polley over whalley. Whalley brings way more to the court. Cole and bouk are enough offense for that lineup.

 

[navery12]

No way I wud start polley over whalley. Whalley brings way more to the court. Cole and bouk are enough offense for that lineup.

It's not Polley over Whaley, it's Polley with Whaley

 

[navery12]

it is the discussion. even when polley's playing SF he's still only out there for his shooting....but he's such a bad rebounder for a stretch 4 that his shooting cant make up for it and he becomes a liability

Moving on because we're never going to agree. I don't think his rebounding is a liability when he's surrounded by good rebounders

 

[bendm]

Moving on because we're never going to agree. I don't think his rebounding is a liability when he's surrounded by good rebounders

he just hasnt demonstrated otherwise yet. if he shows up having gained ~5 lbs i'll reconsider. at 6'9 210 he should be able to play stretch 4