2020 Starting 5 & Bench

[JimHurley]

Just curious, you've said Cole will benefit from better spacing, but at the same time you think he'll play the majority of his minutes with Bouk, Jackson, Whaley, and Sanogo. Nobody is spacing the floor besides hopefully Cole in that lineup.

What I mean by Cole having more space is that the guys on the floor with him will drawn attention from the defense. That didn’t happen at Howard. All the attention was on him and there wasn’t much space to work with. At UConn, he won’t be opposing defense’s priority which will work to his advantage.

 

[Tenspro2002]

To picture, a few years ago we were looking at a starting lineup of:
Akinjo
Emmitt Matthews
Polley (who is a lights out shooter and valuable piece to this team)
Kisunas
Carlton (hoping for more sophomore Carlton)

Jesus. To be fair, Akinjo is a solid player (though an atrocious shooter and easily replaced by the guard talent Hurley has brought in).

But Matthews? Wasn't he recruited to be a shooter? Career 40% from the field and 28% from 3. Yikes. KO sure had a type.

Kisunas was filler. Basically putting up Tyler Olander numbers for Stanford.

The skill, fit, and culture turnaround from 2018 to the present is just breathtaking. And Hurley did it without running anybody -- save 1 -- out of town.

 

[JB75]

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

So then whalley plays the 5 and sanogo sits? Either way it’s a good problem to have. We are crazy deep

 

[Huskyforlife]

What I mean by Cole having more space is that the guys on the floor with him will drawn attention from the defense. That didn’t happen at Howard. All the attention was on him and there wasn’t much space to work with. At UConn, he won’t be opposing defense’s priority which will work to his advantage.

Not sure it will work if teams can leave everyone but bouknight wide open, the type of attention they command is when they have the ball, which will make Coles job easier.

 

[amsterdamjade]

While I've said that Carlton deserves every reason to start...

If the NCAA passes the freebie transfer rule, I don't think it's a crazy thought to think he transfers back home, Wake Forest will have open slots.

Writing is definitely on the wall that he could fall waaaaaaay down in the frontcourt rotation.

I thought i saw they rejected it. They said they deemed it unnecessary at this time.

 

[M.S.G.]

I thought a vote was coming up in the next few weeks? I could totally be wrong though, my brain is scrambled eggs.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I thought i saw they rejected it. They said they deemed it unnecessary at this time.

The vote hasn't happened yet

 

[Umami Zen]

What I mean by Cole having more space is that the guys on the floor with him will drawn attention from the defense. That didn’t happen at Howard. All the attention was on him and there wasn’t much space to work with. At UConn, he won’t be opposing defense’s priority which will work to his advantage.

If Cole's teammates are looking for the open man /back door cuts/ball movement.. Cole will have his share of open jumpers..Unlike at Howard where he was frequently the opposing team's focus.. With his excellent vision/passing skills.. I think we'll be seeing lob passes to his athletic teammates as well. All good.. JG should benefit in a similar way (when he's on the floor)for the same reasons..

 

[JimHurley]

If Cole's teammates are looking for the open man /back door cuts/ball movement.. Cole will have his share of open jumpers..Unlike at Howard where he was frequently the opposing team's focus.. With his excellent vision/passing skills.. I think we'll be seeing lob passes to his athletic teammates as well. All good.. JG should benefit in a similar way (when he's on the floor)for the same reasons..

Right. That's why I say he's going to have a fantastic year. More open jumpers than he saw at Howard (higher FG%) and much more to work with around him, so plenty of assists.

 

[Mooch82]

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

How is that a "beyond brutal" shooting lineup exactly? Cole and Bouk are both good shooters, while Jackson has improved and at least should make enough to keep the defense honest. Your 4 and 5 aren't typically expected to be making a lot of outside shots. I agree that it's not our best shooting lineup, but I don't think it's unplayable by any stretch.

 

[husky429]

How is that a "beyond brutal" shooting lineup exactly? Cole and Bouk are both good shooters, while Jackson has improved and at least should make enough to keep the defense honest. Your 4 and 5 aren't typically expected to be making a lot of outside shots. I agree that it's not our best shooting lineup, but I don't think it's unplayable by any stretch.

In 2020, ideally you have a 4 who can shoot. We'll play our 5 best players regardless, but it isn't ideal. Jackson doesn't shoot well enough to keep defenses honest--not even close.

 

[navery12]

How is that a "beyond brutal" shooting lineup exactly? Cole and Bouk are both good shooters, while Jackson has improved and at least should make enough to keep the defense honest. Your 4 and 5 aren't typically expected to be making a lot of outside shots. I agree that it's not our best shooting lineup, but I don't think it's unplayable by any stretch.

I'm assuming you meant to reply to my post since I said the beyond brutal comment. Cole and Bouknight are good shooters, correct.

Jackson improved but I think people are looking too much at the surface numbers with his jump shot this year in HS. Jackson shot 45% this year, Gilbert was at 54% his senior year of HS and was far from a good shooter any of his 4 years here. No argument we can play those 5 for short stretches but I don't think it puts Bouk or Jackson in a position to succeed

 

[Umami Zen]

Right. That's why I say he's going to have a fantastic year. More open jumpers than he saw at Howard (higher FG%) and much more to work with around him, so plenty of assists.

We agree on this.. Have been predicting RJ to be one of top assist guys in BE in 2020 in other posts

 

[Captbluefin]

I love it when I see our best shooter bolted to the bench getting 5-10 mins.
Then I hear the same guys say we need a knockdown shooter.
Polley is a knockdown shooter.
Also I am not sold on Cole being a 25min guy. The Big East is going to be a wake up for Cole..

 

[JimHurley]

I love it when I see our best shooter bolted to the bench getting 5-10 mins.
Then I hear the same guys say we need a knockdown shooter.
Polley is a knockdown shooter.
Also I am not sold on Cole being a 25min guy. The Big East is going to be a wake up for Cole..

Yes, because I'm sure Hurley recruited a PG who had to sit out just for him to get a wake up call when he can finally play. I can't take this post seriously. You're pleading for probably the 8th or 9th most talented guy on the team to get more minutes while saying one of the best players won't be a 25mpg guy.

 

[Captbluefin]

Yes, because I'm sure Hurley recruited a PG who had to sit out just for him to get a wake up call when he can finally play. I can't take this post seriously. You're pleading for probably the 8th or 9th most talented guy on the team to get more minutes while saying one of the best players won't be a 25mpg guy.

Agree to disagree. Time will tell. Just like Cole was the best player in practice last year.. Better than Bouk huh ?

 

[JimHurley]

Agree to disagree. Time will tell. Just like Cole was the best player in practice last year.. Better than Bouk huh ?

Yeah I guess the people I spoke to who were in practice every day and all the insiders saying the same thing are all wrong just because you say so. How would you know how either Cole or Bouk looked in practice? I swear some of you are rooting for Cole to be a let down.

 

[Captbluefin]

Cole will be a good player but he is a undersized 2. This team needs a floor general with all the talent that is amassed IMO. Like a T Brown. or dare I say Ollie. a point guard who runs the team first and scoring is second. Cole is a gunner. Who’s job on last team was to score. He is a smaller guard too.

 

[bendm]

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

you have sanogo on the bench? to be clear, i don't have polley starting at PF but he'll obviously get minutes there. i just think we should start big.

Cole (25) Gaffney (15)
Bouk (20) Gaffney (10) Adams (10)
Jackson (20) Polley (10) Bouk (10)
Whaley (20) Polley (10) Springs (10)
Sanogo (20) Carlton (10) Whaley (5) Brown (5)

B-Akok*
RS-Martin

 

[navery12]

you have sanogo on the bench? to be clear, i don't have polley starting at PF but he'll obviously get minutes there. i just think we should start big.

Cole (25) Gaffney (15)
Bouk (20) Gaffney (10) Adams (10)
Jackson (20) Polley (10) Bouk (10)
Whaley (20) Polley (10) Springs (10)
Sanogo (20) Carlton (10) Whaley (5) Brown (5)

B-Akok*
RS-Martin

In the first game of the season yeah, not expecting him to come in and start game 1 freshman year. I'm sure by the end of the year he's starting with Whaley but there's so many things that will happen in between it's impossible to try and predict that now. Hard enough guessing a game 1 lineup

 

[NJHusky]

I thought they changed the rule for redshirting where you could play a certain percentage of games, or was that only for football? Or did I just make that up?

I think you are confusing a medical redshirt with a regular redshirt. you can’t take a medical RS If you play more than x % of games. If you play 5 min you burn your regular redshirt. And a medical must be granted by NCAA it’s not automatic like a regular RS

 

[imno1]

Cole will be a good player but he is a undersized 2. This team needs a floor general with all the talent that is amassed IMO. Like a T Brown. or dare I say Ollie. a point guard who runs the team first and scoring is second. Cole is a gunner. Who’s job on last team was to score. He is a smaller guard too.

Disclaimer: I really haven’t see RJ play much so I can’t predict if he’ll be as great or JH claims or a role player off the bench as other insist. But he’s a pg who averaged about 6 apg his first 2 years. I can’t see how you think he’s an undersized 2

 

[Huskybass]

We’ll see. Point being I’m not burying him by projecting 10 minutes per game. With our depth that’s how I see it shaking out. He has a lot of competition for minutes.

You don't take a transfer who averaged 13 and 7 and play him 10 minutes per game. You just don't. He is going to get at least 15-20 minutes per game, minimum.

 

[JimHurley]

You don't take a transfer who averaged 13 and 7 and play him 10 minutes per game. You just don't. He is going to get at least 15-20 minutes per game, minimum.

Listen man if he earns more than 10 minutes a game then we’re going to be better than even I expect. I WANT the guy to be good. But at the same time he’s a 3/4 in our system. He will be competing with Bouknight and Jackson for minutes at the 3 and with Akok and Whaley at the 4. I can’t pencil him in for 20+ minutes when he’s going up against competition like that. 2021-22 is a different story. I could easily see him getting 25 minutes when Bouk and Whaley are gone. But to say he’ll get 15-20 minutes minimum for next season if he’s eligible is a little much. If he plays next season those 15-20 minutes are coming from Bouknight, Jackson, Whaley, and Akok...

 

[Umami Zen]

Cole will be a good player but he is a undersized 2. This team needs a floor general with all the talent that is amassed IMO. Like a T Brown. or dare I say Ollie. a point guard who runs the team first and scoring is second. Cole is a gunner. Who’s job on last team was to score. He is a smaller guard too.

In my opinion.. At Howard ..RJ had to be both the floor general and be a scoring guard due to their roster.. He has consistently outplayed 4 and 5 star D1 talented players while in HS.(on a HS team nationally ranked)..And on the AAU circuit.. He has also shown that he can perform vs BE and Big 12 guards at the college level when the opposing team is "focusing " on him.. trying to stop him.. His HOF HS coach said he consistently out-performed these 4*/5* in the biggest games.. Dan Hurley does not need him to score a ton of points.. He needs a floor general..Along with JG.. I think we're in great shape at the point.. I see RJ as a left handed KEA with a jumper..

 

[huskyrob1]

I wanted to put Gaffney as a starter over Jackson, and I think that's likely the lineup early if Jackson is on the same path as Bouknight where he gets slowly integrated.

But definitely agree that the minutes with 2 bigs have to be limited. The Sanogo addition doesn't change the ideal lineups I want as much as it makes me a lot more comfortable that we can go big when needed and won't have a talent dropoff

Definitely agree, Gaffney starts next year.

 

[Waquoit]

Cole is a gunner. Who’s job on last team was to score. He is a smaller guard too.

You don't know this any more than I do. And I say Cole is a team player and will do what it takes to win. That's why he is here, to win games at a higher level; not being content to be the big fish in a small pond. His last team needed the scoring, this team will need him to move the ball around. His maturity will give him an edge in the starting PG competition.

 

[JimHurley]

In my opinion.. At Howard ..RJ had to be both the floor general and be a scoring guard due to their roster.. He has consistently outplayed 4 and 5 star D1 talented players while in HS.(on a HS team nationally ranked)..And on the AAU circuit.. He has also shown that he can perform vs BE and Big 12 guards at the college level when the opposing team is "focusing " on him.. trying to stop him.. His HOF HS coach said he consistently out-performed these 4*/5* in the biggest games.. Dan Hurley does not need him to score a ton of points.. He needs a floor general..Along with JG.. I think we're in great shape at the point.. I see RJ as a left handed KEA with a jumper..

I’ve tried making all these points for the last 6 months but nobody wants to listen I guess. Everything you said is true, and a lot of people are going to look dumb when RJ lights it up for us.

 

[BlueMAB]

Cole will be a good player but he is a undersized 2. This team needs a floor general with all the talent that is amassed IMO. Like a T Brown. or dare I say Ollie. a point guard who runs the team first and scoring is second. Cole is a gunner. Who’s job on last team was to score. He is a smaller guard too.

You have no idea what you're talking about. Taliek Brown and RJ Cole are the same height.

“But when you watch RJ play, there’s not a whole lot of ways we can help him,” Dan Hurley said. “He’s a high-IQ player, so it’s not like we come in here and work on his decision making. He throws the ball to the places you’d want your guards to throw the ball, when you want them to throw the ball. So for him, it’s nuance, little things, like develop a relationships with your teammates.

“He’s going to be really good for us. Knowing we’ve got him in our back pocket, it’s not going to make me feel better this November, but knowing you’ve got a guy waiting with his feel and IQ and ability to raise everyone around him - that feels good.”

“R.J. is a tremendous offensive player,” Hurley, the former Seton Hall guard and onetime Rutgers assistant coach, said Thursday. “I compare him to a quarterback who gets the ball out on time. He just sees the floor, is a tremendous pick-and-roll, ball-screen player. Tremendous court vision and just very, very efficient offensive player that I think has the ability to make everyone around him better because of the way that he sees the floor, just how efficient he is in terms of how he uses his dribble.

 

[JimHurley]

Definitely agree, Gaffney starts next year.

I could get around this to start. Cole, Gaffney, Bouknight, Whaley, Sanogo with Jackson as our 6th man. Only thing is that leaves us with no ball handlers off the bench.