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Next year's starting five.


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StlHI, I suspect Mike Crawford — as the others have already proffered — more likely fits into the starting five than any of the incoming freshmen. And then there's the possibility of going big, with Manning, Glaze, and Lancona or Agbeko, along with McBroom and Yacoubou. However, if any of the frosh were to start, the most likely candidate would be Yarbrough, because he's the only true 3-man on the roster.

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I expect Manning, Ash, McBroom & Crawford to be the 4 star locks* to be starters.

I think Agbeko and Lancona will battle it out for the final starting spot.

By the end of the year, I'm pretty confident a freshman will be battling for a starting spot. This is all based on limited-information and lots of speculation but I could see Bartley or Reynolds pushing for a guard spot.

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It will be a much different dynamic next year.

For 2 years we have been used to having two lead guards on the floor at once, and sometimes 3 of them. I could definitely see us next season playing with primarliy 1 point guard on the floor at all times.

I still believe one of the freshman will start. Haven't decided where or who but i think it happens before conference season begins.

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1: McBroom

2: Ash

3: Crawford

4: Lancona

5: Manning

No particular or lengthy explanation, just personal opinion. There are so many different combinations, I honestly think we are going to see a lot of them at the beginning of the season.

Agree. Right now, those are the favorites. I like Lancona's defensive improvement from the 1st game to last.

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1 mcbroom

2 ash

3 mike

4 grandy

5 manning

6 reggie

7 miles (will need another guard in rotation)

8 tanner (tanner and reggie get most minutes still over gg)

9 roby

10 bartley

Wonder if they will try to make mike play more of a 2 guard early in the season.

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Interesting, I guess you guys saw a lot of potential in Crawford in those limited minutes. Glaze started as a sophomore on one of the great SLU teams, why doesnt anyone having starting as a senior?

Crawford averaged about 10 minutes/game during conference play. He shot 44 percent from 3 in those minutes. He also saw a lot of that time in important close games. It would seem that the faith the coaching staff showed in Mike during conference play would indicate them feeling pretty good about him. Seems to make sense that he would get a lot of the minutes that will open up moving forward, especially before the freshmen have a good grasp of the offensive and defensive schemes.

Grandy also averaged just under 10 minutes/game in conference play and his playing time markedly decreased from the beginning of the season. I love Grandy and I like what he brings to the team. But given his limited improvement over three years it would make sense that a guy like Tanner Lancona, who already was taking a lot of his minutes as the season wore down, would perhaps have the edge on him. However, I would not be all that surprised if Grandy started next year. We need him to provide experience and leadership. Of our four upperclassmen next season, only he and Manning will have been in the program more than two years entering next season.

I think it'll be a toss-up between Lancona, Glaze and Agbeko for the minutes at the 4 spot. My gut tells me that Lancona has the edge based on his late-season play. But perhaps one of the three will separate himself before the season begins.

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I could easily see Glaze starting but playing around 10 minutes a game with the majority of the minutes going to Lancona and Agbeko. Similar to when he started 2 years ago.

I don't see how you can start someone over Crawford at the 3. He was the best freshman on the team for the majority of the season. I think Yarbough has a long way to go on the defensive end so I don't really see him starting early in the season.

I think McBroom starts the whole season, but he could easily be surpassed by Reynolds or Bartley.

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It will be a much different dynamic next year.

For 2 years we have been used to having two lead guards on the floor at once, and sometimes 3 of them. I could definitely see us next season playing with primarliy 1 point guard on the floor at all times.

I still believe one of the freshman will start. Haven't decided where or who but i think it happens before conference season begins.

Based on bringing in 3 freshman "combo" guards, I'm not so sure about this. Seems to me Crews likes the idea of having 2 guys who can handle the ball on the court. Although you are probably correct that we will see some 1 PG time (just because of the personnel) which we rarely saw the past 4-5 years.

Here is my prediction:

1. McBroom

2. Reynolds

3. Crawford/Yacoubou (I can't decide on this one)

4. Glaze

5. Manning

In reality the lineup will be very fluid. I could see pretty much anyone except maybe Gillmann (because he is expected to redshirt) getting a start this year. I hope that the guys on the team realize that while there are plenty of available minutes there is also ample competition for them. Therefore, whoever works the hardest will likely get the most minutes especially early on.

I think Glaze is really being overlooked. I know most people are down on him and view him as just an "energy guy" who is prone to making tons of mistakes. However, in reality he is our only proven rebounder and inside scorer going into the year. Manning should score inside as well, but his rebounding is pretty awful for a 7 footer and he is definitely softer than Glaze. I seem to recall most of Lancona's buckets coming either in transition or from outside. Agbeko is expected to score inside and rebound, but the jury is still out. Jolly & Gillmann have been billed as "skilled bigs" who play more away from the basket. That leaves Grandy as the only inside presence and rebounder that I have any faith in. GG also seems to be a tireless worker so I expect him to improve over the summer.

IMO Grandy didn't fit well last year because both Evans and Jett were guys who scored at the rim. GG was the same way, so having him in there with those 2 caused problems on offense. With them gone, I expect Grandy will play more because we will have shooters on the floor at those other spots (McBroom, Crawford, Ash, Reynolds, Yarbrough, Lancona) and it will free him up to score inside / get the "garbage" buckets on rebounds.

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1. Miles

2. Ash

3. RA

4. TL

5. JM

6. MY

7. MC

8. GG

9. Roby

10. AM

11. ?

12. ?

We are going big...guess those who know do know and those who don't do not know. No senior loyalties allowed....only able bodies will see time. No locks for GG or AM going forward. They will have to battle for time.

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1. Miles

2. Ash

3. RA

4. TL

5. JM

6. MY

7. MC

8. GG

9. Roby

10. AM

11. ?

12. ?

We are going big...guess those who know do know and those who don't do not know. No senior loyalties allowed....only able bodies will see time. No locks for GG or AM going forward. They will have to battle for time.

Semi-serious question: did you watch any games last year?

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After three years of stability, lineup combinations will be a big topic in the offseason and throughout the season. I expect lineup combinations and playing time will be shifting throughout the year. Going to a 10-11 man rotation like Dayton may not be a bad idea, because I don't think there will be much difference between our top players and bench players.

5 - Manning is the clear choice to start. Back-up, Jolly could get some minutes, but I expect it is more likely we play stretches with no true center - with Agbeko or Lancona.

4 - Good battle between TL, GG and RA. I expect all three to get plenty of minutes and I think two of the three will often be on the floor together at the same time.

3 - IMO, the most interesting position battle - MC, MY and DR would seem to be the most likely candidates. This is the spot where we are most likely to have a freshman starter, although MC may be the guy. MY seems to have the size to be the prototypical 3, but is his defense good enough? Crawford has more experience, but does he have the size or defense? If JC wants to go with more defense at the position, Roby might be the guy. It's nice that we have a lot options with different skillsets.

2 - AY is our most likely starter this year. At backup, the three freshmen and possibly Crawford could see time there.

1 - AM is the starter almost by default. His experience gives him the edge initially. Ideally AM is a 6th man. Hopefully a month or two into the season, MB can take over as the starter. I think point guard play is potentially our biggest weakness. I have gone back and read some scouting reports on MR and he is described as a combo guard - capable of playing the point, so I feel a little bit better about it, however, in the few times I saw him on the tube, he looked more like a 2 guard than a point.

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At the start of the season it will be McBroom, Ash, Glaze, Manning, and probably Reggie. I expect Tanner gets a lot of minutes filling a Cody role as the first gut off the bench. I think the roles of Glaze and McBroom will grow smaller as the season progresses. McBroom doesn't excite me as a pg, but will be the best option when the season starts. PG role will eventually be filled with combo of Bartley and Roby. I eventually see McBroom settling into a role backing up Ash at the 2 over the next two seasons and even falling behind Reynolds leaving McBroom as a 3 point guy off the bench.

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Cant Glaze and Lancona start together with Glaze guarding the better big on defense and Lancona playing away from the basket like Loe?

I think they can. When you have a stretch 4, we have seen how effective it can be to have an interior 3. Some people thought I was nuts for suggesting GG could see time at the 3 when Lancona is on the floor. :ph34r: Lancona as the stretch four, with GG on the inside taking advantage of smaller 3s - kinda like CE and DE. Another combo with TL would be to pair him with DR... a player who supposedly likes to slash to the basket.

On the flip side, when we have RA or GG at the 4, pairing them with a perimiter-oriented 3 like MC, MY or AY could work well.

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I think they can. When you have a stretch 4, we have seen how effective it can be to have an interior 3. Some people thought I was nuts for suggesting GG could see time at the 3 when Lancona is on the floor. :ph34r: Lancona as the stretch four, with GG on the inside taking advantage of smaller 3s - kinda like CE and DE. Another combo with TL would be to pair him with DR... a player who supposedly likes to slash to the basket.

On the flip side, when we have RA or GG at the 4, pairing them with a perimiter-oriented 3 like MC, MY or AY could work well.

I worry about turnovers in this lineup. Wouldn't you agree that we rarely played with Cody at the 3 when he was here? I don't remember many lineups with Cody, Glaze and Loe (or another big) on the floor at the same time.

Also, we are used to having two guards who can run the point on the floor (AM, JJ, MM, & dating back to Kwa). However, I don't see Ash or Crawford as being able to handle that much. That's part of the reason I expect the 3 to more often than not be someone like MY, MC or AY—a player who can handle the ball in a pinch. I do hope that as our underclassmen mature, we can see some more creative lineups like having Lancona operate more on the perimeter as you mention.

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I worry about turnovers in this lineup. Wouldn't you agree that we rarely played with Cody at the 3 when he was here? I don't remember many lineups with Cody, Glaze and Loe (or another big) on the floor at the same time.

Also, we are used to having two guards who can run the point on the floor (AM, JJ, MM, & dating back to Kwa). However, I don't see Ash or Crawford as being able to handle that much. That's part of the reason I expect the 3 to more often than not be someone like MY, MC or AY—a player who can handle the ball in a pinch. I do hope that as our underclassmen mature, we can see some more creative lineups like having Lancona operate more on the perimeter as you mention.

We rarely if ever played CE at the 3 and that's not what I'm suggesting for TL. CE was paired with a 3 (DE) who did his damage inside. That's what I see as a possibility with TL/GG.

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Interesting, I guess you guys saw a lot of potential in Crawford in those limited minutes. Glaze started as a sophomore on one of the great SLU teams, why doesnt anyone having starting as a senior?

Because he isn't as good as most of the other players-all he offers is energy and a few rebounds.

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After three years of stability, lineup combinations will be a big topic in the offseason and throughout the season. I expect lineup combinations and playing time will be shifting throughout the year. Going to a 10-11 man rotation like Dayton may not be a bad idea, because I don't think there will be much difference between our top players and bench players.

5 - Manning is the clear choice to start. Back-up, Jolly could get some minutes, but I expect it is more likely we play stretches with no true center - with Agbeko or Lancona.

4 - Good battle between TL, GG and RA. I expect all three to get plenty of minutes and I think two of the three will often be on the floor together at the same time.

3 - IMO, the most interesting position battle - MC, MY and DR would seem to be the most likely candidates. This is the spot where we are most likely to have a freshman starter, although MC may be the guy. MY seems to have the size to be the prototypical 3, but is his defense good enough? Crawford has more experience, but does he have the size or defense? If JC wants to go with more defense at the position, Roby might be the guy. It's nice that we have a lot options with different skillsets.

2 - AY is our most likely starter this year. At backup, the three freshmen and possibly Crawford could see time there.

1 - AM is the starter almost by default. His experience gives him the edge initially. Ideally AM is a 6th man. Hopefully a month or two into the season, MB can take over as the starter. I think point guard play is potentially our biggest weakness. I have gone back and read some scouting reports on MR and he is described as a combo guard - capable of playing the point, so I feel a little bit better about it, however, in the few times I saw him on the tube, he looked more like a 2 guard than a point.

I really like your logic in this post.

What I see is much like what you wrote.

5---JM (no other real option) Backed up by Jolly if he is ready or RA/TL if necessary, as JM continues to get himself in foul trouble.

4---TL/RA (from limited exposure last year, I really like both of these guys and see them splitting most of the #4 time). I do see JC starting GG at least at the beginning of the year due to his loyalty to seniors and in recognition of GG's loyalty/unselfishness, but even then I see RA and TL getting the bulk of the minutes.

3---MC with MY getting more than crumbs. A big factor in how much MC plays is how well he shoots. I was impressed with him, especially how he improved his defense as the season progressed. I see him as a very similar player to Scott Highmark. One of my few complaints about the coaching staff last year is the blind loyalty showed to Jake, when I think MC was equal to or better than Jake. MC should have gotten more time at the #3 to help position him for the future. I also think TL will get some minutes at the #3, based on his perimeter shooting ability.

2---AY (25 min/game with the rest split between DR and MR)

1---AM for first 10-15 games then MB for the rest of the season.

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