brianstl Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 As it stands now with Brad's comments I think this will be our starting five to open the season: IV KL TL No comment needed on these three. They are obvious. JJ Brad's comments thus far say he is the starter at the 4. I think many of us would agree that it is not a question of talent, but rather if he has the heart and the ability to keep his head in the game. DP If the team is going to push the ball like the staff says they will, he is your starting pg. The question with him is the ability to hit from mid and long range. His defense, speed, ball handling and ability to run the offense are known. The first off the bench: LM V2.0 We all saw the stabilizing effect he had on the team last year. Will get a ton of minutes. Will be moved into the starting line-up if DP's shooting has not improved. With him as a starter you move TL to the pg spot, but you will not be able to push the tempo as much at either end of the court. I can't wait to see how his new body translates to live game action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenmetz Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 JJ is our big liability. Plus if IV picks up 2 fouls before the under 8 timeout, we're screwed. That means Big Hawkeye has to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 What does it matter who starts? Some say it matters who finishes. I am more interested in who finishes and who finishes what. Marc Ivaroni started. Kurt Rambis started. John Havlicek did not .. not at first. Billy Cunningham didn't start. Vinnie Johnson didn't start. I know that's all pro but so what? I want wins. I want an NCAA berth. I want Ian to be a lottery pick. I want Tommie to be so good, he flirts with going pro. I want JJ to sh*t or get off the pot. I want Bryce to be at least servicable this year, a valued contributor next year. I want all of the three new frontliners to show promise and develop. I want DM to be an additional option to a Can't-Miss-Lisch lock onthe outside. I want to beat UNC, finish Top Four A10, and put the bye to good use come league tourney time. I want brad to go ten deep off the bench as needed. I want Polk to be a viable option. I want DB to find a niche ... any niche would be nice. I want a lot of things. Frankly, if Wendell Bennet starts and I get most of the above, I don't care. Starting is immaterial and highly overrated. Once again, short of speculation, there is nothing to talk about. I guess the rallying cry is "Come On November" or "The Games Can't Get Here Soon Enough." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 finish Top Four A10??? I want to win the conference regular season and tournament championship!!! There's no reason this team can't do that if they stay healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 >We all saw the stabilizing effect &l;Luke Meyer&r; had on the team >last year. Will get a ton of minutes. Will be moved into the >starting line-up if DP's shooting has not improved. With >him as a starter you move TL to the pg spot, but you will >not be able to push the tempo as much at either end of the >court. Put me down as being in disagreement with that notion. Why do you say that Liddell at the point means the team can't run or press? You think Tommie can't run the break? He's a point guard, and he's the team's best decision-maker, so why would he be unable to run the break or pressure the opponents? Is it because he's not a short, jitterbug guard? Magic Johnson was 6-9 -- the size of a power forward -- but he could still run the break. The key to the break is not so much the point guard as the players filling the wings. Last year Polk would beat nearly everyone down the floor but have to pull the ball back out because he didn't have any options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardball Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 The best line-up IMO TL-PG-Best PG on the team-will create matchup problems with other PG's KL-SG-Best Shooter really no other possibbility LM-SF-smart player-has many intangibles-cannot play the 4 though if we want to win big consistantly-he can't log his minutes at the 4 not big enough. JJ-PF-his job to loose until someone else steps forward. If it is even close play the younger players and prepare for next year. Ian-C-the offense better run through Ian every time down the floor. Could be our best passer on the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 Moving TL to the point means you slide LM into the 3. I think you you will not be able to play at the same pace with LM in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 ... is two rebounders and three runners. You need to fill the lanes on the break with the ball in the middle, most times. Look at last year, we had two rebounders. Problem was one was our point guard (TL). Ian will never be a runner, so he's restricted as one of your rebounders. If JJ ain' the second rebounder, its back to TL again which puts Luke, Kevin and Dwayne on the run. Frankly, I've never thought of Kevin and Luke as "finishers" on the break which they will have to be in this scenario. In ost cases, a break is an odd-man advantage ... three on two or two on one. In a two man fall back with the ball in the middle in DP's hand's, I straddle the lane with my two defenders. If I have to cover one with the other on DP and the ball, I'm heading for Lisch until Luke proves anything. To me, the key to running is having the ball and speed in TL's hands. I'm willing to give DP the non-conference part of this season to show me progress from the last two years. Same with DB. If there is no improvement, I'd rather develop the freshman. I'd rather take my hits with AK or HD on the blocks with IV. If the break isn't there with the other three, you pull it our and wait for the bigs to make it to the other end. While I believe BS SAID he wants to run, I'll believe it when I see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 The most important key to running the ball will be someone stepping up at the four who can clean the glass. Next is DP ability to hit the jumper. I also believe that if we do run it will be better for us to have Tommie at the three and Dwayne at the point. Tommie with at a doubt is the teams best and probaly only true finisher. Danny has shown flashes, but only a few flashes of being a finisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I agree. Our best running lineup is Polk, Lisch (can nail the jumper as the trailer), Liddell, Dixon (he's the fastest SLU big man I've ever seen) and IV (rebounding and outlet). Now will that lineup ever start? Don't know but during the course of game those five will likely be on the floor at some point due to substitutions. I'm guessing that's where most of the easy transition buckets will come from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Majerus Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Thanks to Nark for the use of the Billiken 2 comments about Monday's practice: Here is one drill: a coach bangs a shot off the rim and 5 guys fast break to the other rim; as soon as a basket is made, another coach at that end fires a different ball to a coach at midcourt who fires it to the cross corner and another coach: all five guys are expected to be in defensive position when the guy in the corner gets the ball. LM did not slow down this process. Brad said they would be running this drill every day until it's second nature to all. I doubt that we'll see Polk downcourt with nobody to pass to. Brad told the team that, without exception, the 1 & 2 drop back on defense as soon as a shot goes up; 345 hit the boards. I don't think the starting lineup is key with Brad's plan; it'll be more important to keep a rotation that can continue to run run run. He committed to the run this year a long time ago, and the off season conditioning was predicated on it. I hope the different guys that go to practice continue to comment on the running progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I agree, the TL/KL/LM/JJ/IV unit is our most productive unit at both ends of the court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Luke is probably one of the faster and more athletically players on the team; he may not be Polk, but he is definitely not slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I think Luke will be fine on the break ... he will always run hard, he is strong and he is not afraid to go to the rim. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheA_Bomb Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I think that when we hear that SLU will "run" this year people should get Louisville out of their head. "Run" for Brad will mean that we run a quicker tempo offense with some transition baskets as opposed to our slow it down offense with very few transition baskets. I could care less as long as it (meaning the offense) is well executed and we can win games. The experience of one year of starting for TL and KL should help us in those close ones that we lost last year. I like to see precision and execution with minimal turn overs. In the past that meant that because of the athleticism/talent/experience of the players our offense was executed at a slower pace. Now we can execute it at a faster pace and have more scoring opportunities while still playing tough defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 No not because he is white, but because he is not as fast as Polk when on or off the ball. Polk is one of the fastest players in college ball. Luke does not have the court vision Polk has. Polk is much better at forcing turnovers. Polk is much better at beating the press. With Polk not on the floor Tommie has to run the point and you lose an option as a finisher. I didn't say you couldn't run with Luke, but that the tempo would slow. Nice of you to try to turn it into a race issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 however, polk is so small he gets over powered by many opposing athletic guards and/or gets posted up, polk will never be mistaken for a rebounder, while you claim he has better court vision, polk really hasnt given me the impression he will replace the likes of h waldman or even charlie newberry when it comes to passing the ball. you say tommie is a finisher, i say no better way to let him finish than to put the ball in his hands asap. there is no rule he has to pass off. that said, tommie is the best passer and does have h waldman like court vision. as to beating the press, using one player to dribble through the press is probably the worst way to beat a press. good teams pass in front of the traps and can turn a run thru a press into an offensive advantage, that will never happen with one person dribbling down the floor. as to luke finishing, i agree with davidnark, luke is very athletic and runs the floor very well. there is a better chance that luke can score on the outlet with one man between him and the basket than polk. however, i recognize that polk does indeed have superior speed and might have beaten that same defender before he ever got the ball. last, luke is the absolute best free throw shooter on the team. if the opposing team in desparation fouls luke on the break, that is almost as good as two points in a shooting situation. polk is a coin flip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 Roy said "however, polk is so small he gets over powered by many opposing athletic guards and/or gets posted up, polk will never be mistaken for a rebounder, while you claim he has better court vision, polk really hasnt given me the impression he will replace the likes of h waldman or even charlie newberry when it comes to passing the ball." I maybe be wrong but I can't remember anybody overpowering Polk last year. He maybe short but he is pretty damn strong. Also, the staff kept him out of situations where he would get posted up. He may not have shown the court vision of H yet, but H did't get here till his jr year. Polk also averaged more assist per minute than Tommie, who you later say is the best passer and has H like court vision. Roy said "as to beating the press, using one player to dribble through the press is probably the worst way to beat a press. good teams pass in front of the traps and can turn a run thru a press into an offensive advantage, that will never happen with one person dribbling down the floor." You need multiple ways to beat the press. Sometimes the only way to beat it is to take it yourself. Polk also can beat any defender down court for a quick outlet pass. Roy said "as to luke finishing, i agree with davidnark, luke is very athletic and runs the floor very well. there is a better chance that luke can score on the outlet with one man between him and the basket than polk. however, i recognize that polk does indeed have superior speed and might have beaten that same defender before he ever got the ball." Did you forget about the times DP broke down his man and got to the hoop. Roy said "last, luke is the absolute best free throw shooter on the team. if the opposing team in desparation fouls luke on the break, that is almost as good as two points in a shooting situation. polk is a coin flip." Luke is not the best FT shooter. The teams best FT shooter is JJ. JJ shot 85.2% from the line. LM shot 82.8% from the line. Also, I was shocked by this, DP had a slightly better FG% than LM last year. DP hit 32.8% of his shots. LM hit 32.7% of his shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 >however, polk is so small he gets over powered by many >opposing athletic guards and/or gets posted up, polk will >never be mistaken for a rebounder The discussion is about who is the best fit for playing uptempo. Luke is clearly the better choice for grinding it out in the halfcourt. while you claim he has >better court vision, polk really hasnt given me the >impression he will replace the likes of h waldman or even >charlie newberry when it comes to passing the ball. We're not discussing Polk vs. Waldman. We're discussing Polk vs. Meyer. >you say tommie is a finisher, i say no better way to let him >finish than to put the ball in his hands asap. there is no >rule he has to pass off. He's not going coast to coast in transition very often either. This isn't high school. that said, tommie is the best >passer and does have h waldman like court vision. He's also our best finisher. I'd rather have Polk finding Tommie in transition than Tommie finding Luke Meyer. >as to beating the press, using one player to dribble through >the press is probably the worst way to beat a press. The best thing about having a player who can beat a press by himself is that teams don't press as often when Polk is in the game. It's just a waste of energy. >as to luke finishing, i agree with davidnark, luke is very >athletic and runs the floor very well. there is a better >chance that luke can score on the outlet with one man >between him and the basket than polk. As you intimated later on, the chances are actually better that Polk will simply run past that one man. >last, luke is the absolute best free throw shooter on the >team. if the opposing team in desparation fouls luke on the >break, that is almost as good as two points in a shooting >situation. If somebody is fouling our players in desperation during a fast break situation, then chances are we're already ahead by a comfortable margin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikan Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I think you are out of town so you have not seen the team in person much but you are mistaken about Kevin and Luke as finishers. They both run the court extremely hard and can finish in traffic. My guess is that we will start the "big" team with Tommie at point against most opponents and Polk will play a number of minutes, particularly if the other team has a guard that is 6' or less in height. DP can be muscled around by bigger guards but he is an excellent defender against guards who are even close to his size. Anyone who suggest that Luke is slow is mistaken. Obviously, he is not as fast as DP but he can run well. The key is the mindset of the team on defense. If we have our big guys really rebound well on the defensive end and then look quickly and make the outlet pass to the right person in the right position to run we have the players to run the break. If Tommie gets the rebound I can see him, like Magic, immediately turn and run to take the ball coast to coast. However, with all of this talk about running the bottom line is the same as last year--Can we shoot the ball? We missed a ton of layups last year and many short jumpers on the break. If we can hit shots our fast break will flow better and the kids will build confidence. Maybe our best runner on the wing, DB, had terrible turnover and missed shot problems last year. If he can hit shots and stop turning it over the fast break will also be much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 When has Luke ever shown flashes of being a finisher. Don't tell me in summer scrimages and pratices. In summer scrimages and practices JJ has looked like a top power forward for three years and we have yet to see it in games. DP has looked like a great shooter in these and we have yet to see it in the games. They are two different beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRaginCajun Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 To anyone who has any kind of player evaluation ability, JJ has never looked like a player in any form in any arena other than a layup line. In my opinion Luke can be a very quality finisher and just has not shown it to this point on the college level. I have seen him play enough to believe that he has the ability and will show it this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 Cajun are you serious? Have you ever seen JJ in the Bonner League or at the summer scrimmages. He has the ability. His problem is if he has the heart to play at this level and if he can keep his head in the game long enough to succeed on this level. After the last two seasons I doubt he will. But then again maybe you are a better talent evaluator than anyone on the coaching staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majerus Magic Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 V time is that you? Talking about the Bonner league, defending DP.... hating on Luke.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 I am NOT Vtime. LOL. I was not hating on luke either. I said I think he will be the first guy off the bench and get a ton of minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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