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Rothstein on Campus Today

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With so much "unproven," I lack the courage or hubris to make any predictions as to starting lineups or playing time, but I do wonder how many games in a series of 10 would be won by the 2nd team below, if Polley were added.

And don't sleep on Springs.
Let me help. I would like to see this starting line up. Again as @Hans Sprungfeld said with so much "unproven":

Cole
Gaffney
Akok
Martin
Sanogo

Hoping for Springs this year to break out. He has all the attributes and this will be his 3rd year. This is a quote from him from The Courant on July 22, 2021:

“The greatest lesson I learned is if you’re challenged by something, don’t run away from it, embrace it,” Springs said. “Hurley always said this to me. Like if you’re going through hell, just keep going through it and you’re gonna get out eventually.”
 
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The Springs "breakout" talk is silly, I think he's been a good soldier but I have no doubt in my mind that he's going to transfer next spring because he wants to play. There is not road to playing time with this group and what's coming.
 
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The Springs "breakout" talk is silly, I think he's been a good soldier but I have no doubt in my mind that he's going to transfer next spring because he wants to play. There is not road to playing time with this group and what's coming.
So the "breakout" does not necessarily mean big #'s. He is what 6'9" about 220lbs, been there playing against Sonogo, Akok, Tyrese, Whaley. Who knows right? And he just might transfer next spring but I don't think so.
 

HuskyHawk

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Why should Whaley straight up start if Akok is better than him and Akok must and will play more minutes and valuable minutes than Whaley?

Especially given that Freshman Akok started over Junior Whaley at the 4. I love what Whaley brings, but I do think we overrate his overall game. He’s great at hedging, which I consider something we need to mostly stop doing. Once he is no longer at UConn, I’d be glad to see it removed from the defense almost entirely. We have to protect the rim better and rebound better on the defensive end.

I stand by what I said before, if Akok can’t beat out Whaley at the 4, this team won’t be as good as it can be. We definitely need big minutes from Whaley at 5 and 4, he remains a key player.
 
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Tyrese can play the 2 in an Anthony Mason, point forward sort of way. It would be nice if he could improve his shooting. He’s hot and cold and never in between. He was often our best player. I think we will see a lot of him no matter who else breaks out.

Is there any recent footage of Jackson shooting jumpers? I’d love to see if they overhauled his shot.
 

olehead

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My current thought is if we need a deuce, its a play for Sanogo. If we need a three it’s going to be RJ, Akok, or one of the new guys.
Hopefully there's an offensive jump from Martin that results in a consistent 32-33% from three this year.
 
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<snip>
martin can and will play at the 2, he is one of the 5 best players on the team so he will start
akok is both a better shooter and shot blocker then Whaley if healthy. I think straight up Whaley should start and is a better all around defensive player BUT bottom line akok’s UPSIDE long term is way higher then Whaley’s ever will be.
akok if healthy must and will play more minutes and valuable minutes then Whaley this year, his upside will dictate that.
<snip>
Absolutely right on! Martin must start, and if that means he must play the 2, he will play the 2. And a healthy Akok will sit Whaley down in an instant, as much for his shooting as his shot-blocking.. Rothstein's comment about Akok's 3-point form only confirms what Akok demonstrated at Putnam Academy and what all scouting reports indicated when he signed, namely that he can "spread the floor." Look for Akok to be an agile, athletic, shot-blocking Polley. One should not be fooled by 10 or 12 games of freshman hesitancy, where, as the starting 4, he had far from a green light to toss up threes.
 

HuskyWarrior611

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Would love to chime in on Akok vs Whaley…

The numbers may not support Akok being a better shooter than Whaley but he has way more confidence in shooting it from distance. Akok has a reputation for shooting while that is something Whaley is improving on. To me, that makes Akok a better shooter even if the numbers don’t support it.

EDIT: I just looked it up and Akok made 12 3s his freshman year in just half a season compared to Whaley’s 8 in a full season.

Whaley is a better overall defender without a doubt. What he does on ball, hedging wise, and on the block might be the best we’ve seen overall at his position. Think Akok has a chance to be a better rim protector because of his length and timing though. I’m happy to be able to rotate them both in the game to go along with one of the best low post scorers in the conference. Then we have the super talented freshman behind them learning and competing. So much to like about this squad
 
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Think Polley will have to compete for minutes on defense in order to be out there hoisting up 3's. But he is an upperclassman and it's time for him to step up defensively or his time will go down. Too much talent around now to be one dimensional. Truly wish him the best and hope he catches fire like Whaley did.
I get what you're saying but many of our guys can't shoot from outside. So, someone has to shoot.
 
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The Springs "breakout" talk is silly, I think he's been a good soldier but I have no doubt in my mind that he's going to transfer next spring because he wants to play. There is not road to playing time with this group and what's coming.
We've had several players before who sat on the bench for 2 or 3 years and ended up earning their way onto the court, and they did well. Hilton Armstrong is an example, Gavin Edwards is another.

People forget that Springs is going into his Sophomore year. When he goes into his Junior year, Sanogo will be gone, as will Polley and Whaley. Johnson and Clingan will share the center spot with Johnson getting some run at PF.

In other words, Springs has a chance to have 2 full seasons as a key player.
 

CL82

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I get what you're saying but many of our guys can't shoot from outside. So, someone has to shoot.
All of our guys can shoot from outside. How many of those shots will go in in the question.
 
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We've had several players before who sat on the bench for 2 or 3 years and ended up earning their way onto the court, and they did well. Hilton Armstrong is an example, Gavin Edwards is another.

People forget that Springs is going into his Sophomore year. When he goes into his Junior year, Sanogo will be gone, as will Polley and Whaley. Johnson and Clingan will share the center spot with Johnson getting some run at PF.

In other words, Springs has a chance to have 2 full seasons as a key player.
RS has 4 years of eligibility left
 

Rico444

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I think we're worrying way too much about who's going to start. We have three really good players for two spots in the frontcourt. All three will rotate in and out and there's also foul trouble to consider. It won't be a problem whatsoever.
 

CL82

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I think we're worrying way too much about who's going to start. We have three really good players for two spots in the frontcourt. All three will rotate in and out and there's also foul trouble to consider. It won't be a problem whatsoever.
Yep our depth is the key to this season.
 

Chin Diesel

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Figuring out a starting line up is such a crap shoot right now. As is the case every year, injuries and other unforeseen circumstances have an amazing way of paring the rotation down to 8-9 players by March and all of us fans clamoring for more depth.

Start

Cole
Gaff
Jackson
Akok
Sanogo

Bench

Diggins
Hawkins
Polley
Martin
Whaley

Need ball handling and shooting. I'm stuck with no way Cole or Sanogo are not in starting line up. I'm not the biggest Cole fan due to his lack of athleticism and size but he can shoot, and has Hurley's confidence. I wish there was a better known solution at the PG but there isn't someone who is a bit bigger and faster, so I can live with Cole. Sanogo has to start and I'm not convinced he was at his best when paired with Whaley. I think Akok is actually more comfortable and feels natural on the perimeter, dribble drive and moving towards the hoop. Jackson is too talented with speed and disrupting passing lanes that he has to start in my book. Gaff is obviously the oddity here but the other four players need one more ball handler and another shooter and Gaff can do that. Plus, he has more size than Cole for guarding bigger guards.

So, how the hell do you come up with a starting lineup that has two starters from last year's coming off the bench? Hurley brings them in and gets them to buy in as a unit that the three veterans on the frontcourt mentor and develop the two young guards. Convince Martin, Polley and Whaley that they're upper classmen, they can enjoy all the fun of college they didn't get second semester of 2019 and all of 2020 and they can be key contributors- they'll get 15-20 minutes a game. Some games may be 25 minutes, some may be 10. But this is their best chance to go far and have more success than they have experienced in college so far. If anyone gets injured or isn't productive, they get right back in the lineup.

Martin is such a hard nosed competitor but he was just so inefficient finishing around the rim last year. He's great when he has a straight line to the hoop but gets too complicated when he has to adjust. And I don't trust his shooting. It would be so difficult to play him at the 2 or the 3 without having shooters at every other position. It's really tough to put Martin and Jackson on the floor at the same time because out of the PG, SG, SF and PF, those two take up two of those spots and the other two have to be lights out shooters and at least one needs to be the primary ball handler. I could see a Cole, Jackson, Martin, Akok and Whaley lineup out there. Just enough shooting from Cole, Akok and Whaley. At least I'd hope. But that keep Sanogo out of the game.

Could I see Hawkins start? Sure. Put Cole, Hawkins, Jackson, Akok and Sanogo on the floor. Looks great. Wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the lineup that starts by March. I don't know if they need to put that much pressure on Hawkins right away.

Having Polley come of the bench doesn't seem like a mega stretch. He did it last year. Convincing Whaley to come off the bench would have to be hardest sell. But who knows, maybe all he wants to do is win and have fun. Carlton was able to accept it last season.
 
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Figuring out a starting line up is such a crap shoot right now. As is the case every year, injuries and other unforeseen circumstances have an amazing way of paring the rotation down to 8-9 players by March and all of us fans clamoring for more depth.

Start

Cole
Gaff
Jackson
Akok
Sanogo

Bench

Diggins
Hawkins
Polley
Martin
Whaley
this is the lineup/depth chart that i am hoping to see to start the year, although i wouldn't be shocked if whaley was our starting 4. if akok is healthy, i like whaley off the bench because he can spell either akok or sanogo after the first foul. would love to see hawkins take gaff's spot midway through the season. so much versatility and size with him in there.
 

Chin Diesel

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this is the lineup/depth chart that i am hoping to see to start the year, although i wouldn't be shocked if whaley was our starting 4. if akok is healthy, i like whaley off the bench because he can spell either akok or sanogo after the first foul. would love to see hawkins take gaff's spot midway through the season. so much versatility and size with him in there.

20 different posters on here can come up with 20 different combos and almost all would have a valid justification. Bottom line is it's a zero sum game for minutes.

200 minutes total. I listed 10 players. If they all got even time, it's 20 minutes each. So, if someone thinks Cole is getting 25 minutes, you have to pull 5 minutes away from another player. And that goes for every player and the positions. Nice thing is several players can play multiple positions so they may get to 20 mpg by playing 15 minutes at one position and 5 at a different position.
 
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Figuring out a starting line up is such a crap shoot right now. As is the case every year, injuries and other unforeseen circumstances have an amazing way of paring the rotation down to 8-9 players by March and all of us fans clamoring for more depth.

Start

Cole
Gaff
Jackson
Akok
Sanogo

Bench

Diggins
Hawkins
Polley
Martin
Whaley

Need ball handling and shooting. I'm stuck with no way Cole or Sanogo are not in starting line up. I'm not the biggest Cole fan due to his lack of athleticism and size but he can shoot, and has Hurley's confidence. I wish there was a better known solution at the PG but there isn't someone who is a bit bigger and faster, so I can live with Cole. Sanogo has to start and I'm not convinced he was at his best when paired with Whaley. I think Akok is actually more comfortable and feels natural on the perimeter, dribble drive and moving towards the hoop. Jackson is too talented with speed and disrupting passing lanes that he has to start in my book. Gaff is obviously the oddity here but the other four players need one more ball handler and another shooter and Gaff can do that. Plus, he has more size than Cole for guarding bigger guards.

So, how the hell do you come up with a starting lineup that has two starters from last year's coming off the bench? Hurley brings them in and gets them to buy in as a unit that the three veterans on the frontcourt mentor and develop the two young guards. Convince Martin, Polley and Whaley that they're upper classmen, they can enjoy all the fun of college they didn't get second semester of 2019 and all of 2020 and they can be key contributors- they'll get 15-20 minutes a game. Some games may be 25 minutes, some may be 10. But this is their best chance to go far and have more success than they have experienced in college so far. If anyone gets injured or isn't productive, they get right back in the lineup.

Martin is such a hard nosed competitor but he was just so inefficient finishing around the rim last year. He's great when he has a straight line to the hoop but gets too complicated when he has to adjust. And I don't trust his shooting. It would be so difficult to play him at the 2 or the 3 without having shooters at every other position. It's really tough to put Martin and Jackson on the floor at the same time because out of the PG, SG, SF and PF, those two take up two of those spots and the other two have to be lights out shooters and at least one needs to be the primary ball handler. I could see a Cole, Jackson, Martin, Akok and Whaley lineup out there. Just enough shooting from Cole, Akok and Whaley. At least I'd hope. But that keep Sanogo out of the game.

Could I see Hawkins start? Sure. Put Cole, Hawkins, Jackson, Akok and Sanogo on the floor. Looks great. Wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the lineup that starts by March. I don't know if they need to put that much pressure on Hawkins right away.

Having Polley come of the bench doesn't seem like a mega stretch. He did it last year. Convincing Whaley to come off the bench would have to be hardest sell. But who knows, maybe all he wants to do is win and have fun. Carlton was able to accept it last season.
That's my same starting lineup with Hawkins eventually starting over Gaffney.
 
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20 different posters on here can come up with 20 different combos and almost all would have a valid justification. Bottom line is it's a zero sum game for minutes.

200 minutes total. I listed 10 players. If they all got even time, it's 20 minutes each. So, if someone thinks Cole is getting 25 minutes, you have to pull 5 minutes away from another player. And that goes for every player and the positions. Nice thing is several players can play multiple positions so they may get to 20 mpg by playing 15 minutes at one position and 5 at a different position.
This doesn't even include Richie Springs and Samson Johnson who will both be competing for minutes as well. We are CRAZY deep. Not a bad problem to have but finding minutes for everyone (and keeping everyone happy) will be a challenge for DH.
 

Chin Diesel

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That's my same starting lineup with Hawkings eventually starting over Gaffney.

Agree. That's why I said towards the end of my post I could see Hawkins starting by March. I just expect Gaff to be way ahead on knowing schemes and sets in November.
 
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Just for the record, who starts doesn't matter but....

Sanogo,
Whaley,
Polley
Jackson
Cole

I think that is how Hurley starts the season. Akok will be eased into the season. Although he could start ahead of Sanogo or Whaley, Akok will still get plenty of minutes. As we move along, he will start youngsters that need seasoning as he did Sanogo last year.

Early season blowouts are important to give the youngsters as much on court time as possible.
 

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