Enoch & Cobb?

[80shusky]

I do like the idea of an opposing team having a true four out guarding Jackson. Almost all big guys would get worked over with some of his footwork and ball fakes on the perimeter .

Yes offensively he could pull the other teams 4 away from the basket and make them work on defense. He might get beat up a little in the post against bigger teams but that is when you start interchanging the positions some and have some of the bigger guys get minutes at the 4 also.

 

[Pudge]

Just rewatched a piece of the second to last Cincy game and focused on Enoch and was he really missing defensive assignments much more than Brimah and even Facey? I have to say that he stayed with his man and was not worse than Brimah and Facey in the time he was in there. Blocked a shot too. Does he make mistakes? Yes, but our other bigs were not exactly a clinic out there, and in fact both were burned frequently on defense. On offense they mishandled the ball plenty. I'm upbeat on Enoch and glad to have him next year, we didn't lose Emeka.

I also watched Enoch closely in the last 2 games ... and my view was a mixed evaluation. He is a poor defender now. He simply did not move and anticipate the ball or his man coming through the paint. His actions High in hedging and moving to where he was supposed to go was also mechanical and slow. He does seem to have picked up the notion to box out his guy or his zone ... and he probably has that foremost in his mind; I don't think Brimah ever got that. He had more fun doing other things.

Enoch is a decent bet for being much better offensively. The game slowed down for him offensively. I like that he got a rhythm year-end on FTs to knock down so many without a miss.

Cobb? Durham? I am not sure what you are getting on either. Could Durham surprise? Sure. He seems to have a better feel for the game ...

I still think you have to consider that Carlton may just arrive and have the full enchilada of skillsets as a Frosh. None of the other 3 are without worry.

As for playing either Larrier or VJ as the 4, I think you can do that because of the conference we are in. They won't be overmatched.

 

[jibsey]

Maybe Cobb will be something more than a foul absorber but isn't that what we need from him? Let's not expect too much.

 

[PAHusky]

The 4 spot is a big question-mark in my mind. We need at least 2 combinations of players at PF:

1) When we go small -- someone who can create mismatches, stretch the defense, space the floor, but still rebound and defend effectively. Hopefully that's Larrier, but he's more of a 3. Same with Jackson.

2) When we go big -- someone who can bang down low, post up, and rebound against bulkier teams. Not sure a freshman will be the answer here and Diarra is an unknown.​

I'm less concerned about the center spot. Remember, we won it all in 2011 and 2014 with combinations of Oriakhi/Okwandu and Nolan/Brimah at the 5. As long as someone emerges who can defend without fouling and grab boards, we'll be fine. Not sure that Enoch will be that guy, as much as I'd like it to be. He needs to get in better shape so that he can be quicker on his feet when defending. His instincts are there, though.

Oriakhi ended up being a mumu but he was also a McDonald's AA who came up huge for us a bunch of times that year. Nolan was a goofball but he was miles better than anything we got from the 5 this year. Both of them had the luxury of being along for the ride when two of the greatest huskies ever decided to go on March rampages. I don't think we need world beaters at center either, but we need a little more than a warm body down there or we're playing 4 on 5 on offense again without even the luxury of Brimah's interior presence on defense.

 

[Stainmaster]

Oriakhi ended up being a mumu but he was also a McDonald's AA who came up huge for us a bunch of times that year. Nolan was a goofball but he was miles better than anything we got from the 5 this year. Both of them had the luxury of being along for the ride when two of the greatest huskies ever decided to go on March rampages. I don't think we need world beaters at center either, but we need a little more than a warm body down there or we're playing 4 on 5 on offense again without even the luxury of Brimah's interior presence on defense.

I don't know if I'd call Nolan "miles better" than Brimah.

 

[August_West]

I'm surprised people think Cobb will be such a significant contributor. I see the typical lineup next year being mostly small and fast (Larrier at the 4 hopefully), with Enoch being a lock for the starting center position.

I agree 100 percent. We will see some Larrier at 4, some Durham, even Jackson will play 4.

We have 4 great guards. There will be many times that 3 of them are on the floor at once.

(we didnt have the depth this year and we constantly saw Purvis, Vital and Adams together)

On bigger matchups we can swing Larrier and Jackson to the 3. I really like our pieces and options.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

We will be mediocre if we go with 4 guards/wings again next year, no matter how good they are. If Jackson really wants to do the dirty work to be a 4, including rebounding on both ends, then he will get a shot. We will miss Facey more than most of you think.

Enoch has to make a quantum leap. He wasn't good enough to get meaningful minutes on a .500 team that struggled to score inside and had bigs in foul trouble much of the time, and he wasn't a freshman this year. He has to put in some serious work this offseason or we are in trouble. Hopefully Cobb can push Enoch, but I suspect that Cobb will foul a lot at that size and will have trouble staying on the court for more than spot backup minutes.

 

[mauconnfan]

I don't know if I'd call Nolan "miles better" than Brimah.

Stair, not even mau would.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I'm not a betting man but I will wager heavily that we will play at least 15 minutes a game with either three guards, and Larrier or Jackson (along with a center) or two guards, Larrier and Jackson (along with a center). With some opponents it may be more than 15 minutes.

 

[HungryHuskies]

Does Enoch look to put on more muscle this summer? Not saying he has to, but I think his frame could certainly support more muscle.

Ollie should arrange a visit with Drummond or Okafor this summer to meet with Enoch. Get some footwork and defensive tips.

 

[pj]

I'm not a betting man but I will wager heavily that we will play at least 15 minutes a game with either three guards, and Larrier or Jackson (along with a center) or two guards, Larrier and Jackson (along with a center). With some opponents it may be more than 15 minutes.

Include Durham in the Larrier and Jackson group and increase the number of minutes to 40.

 

[jibsey]

Does Enoch look to put on more muscle this summer? Not saying he has to, but I think his frame could certainly support more muscle.

Ollie should arrange a visit with Drummond or Okafor this summer to meet with Enoch. Get some footwork and defensive tips.

Enoch has the physical tools, it would be quicker to just do a Vulcan Mind Meld with Emeka.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

In a perfect world, and lets face it, that does not describe this year, Enoch showing stronger game understanding and quicker feet, and Carlton coming in able to contribute ten to fifteen minutes off the bench would make the Cobb signing unnecessary. In the absence of those capabilities it's absolutely needed.