point guard

[nyg]

Too many fans don't give Derrick enough credit. He's currently the back-up PG. He's going to play 12-15 minutes per game and basically be in charge of not screwing up. It's like putting in a back-up QB - the gameplan and play-calling are different when he's in the game.

Derrick has played nearly 600 minutes in his MU career and has just 24 TOs, which is an incredible stat. To put that into a little bit of perspective, Junior has played 534 minutes this season and has 50 TOs, Gardner has played 421 minutes at a position that handles the ball much less than a PG and has 29 TOs. Derrick is very good at his role this year but his role will likely be different next year and he's going to surprise some people.

I hope he only plays 12 minutes a game next year, but who knows.  Yes his turnover ratio is outstanding and deserves the credit there, but in the eight BE games this year he has a total of six points (.75 ppg), and that includes the 31 minutes he played against PITT.  In that game, he did exactly what a role player was to accomplish and MU just got by with the win.  I hope he does surprise, but lest see how Duane Wilson does when he comes to town.  Should be interesting.

[avid1010]

what worries me is that derrick wilson is of the same mold.  what was obvious in the louisville game was that we didn't have a pg capable of controlling the position (let alone the game) on either side of the ball.  hopefully duane wilson brings a different type of pg to mu because we haven't had one since buzz has been recruiting them to mu, and that doesn't make sense with the style of ball he plays.  i had really hoped vander would be getting minutes at pg this year, and next year he'd be our starting pg....buzz obviously knows better, but i worry about how good mu can be with derrick wilson and a freshman at the point next year with an otherwise very experienced and talented team....

[Skatastrophy]

Funny, I'm really excited about Derrick Wilson.  He's so raw, but he's really steady.  I think he'll surprise people next year.

[avid1010]

Funny, I'm really excited about Derrick Wilson.  He's so raw, but he's really steady.  I think he'll surprise people next year.

you think he'll be better than junior at some point in his career?  i watched louisville pressure the heck out of both of those guys and challenge them to go to the hoop.  i think buzz could have done a better job of allowing dribble penetration from the weak side, but i don't see derrick having a mid-range game or being able to finish inside next year...that worries me. i hope i'm wrong, but right now i'd be thrilled if he could just hit an open shot.

he's serviceable, and we've seen that in games this year, but when playing against louisville type talent...it's not pretty.  in my opinion...not athletic or talented enough.  i hope i'm wrong because it's the only position we'll lack depth at next year. 

[JD]

Funny, I'm really excited about Derrick Wilson.  He's so raw, but he's really steady.  I think he'll surprise people next year.

Agree Skat

I'm a lot more worried about J, than D Wilson.  Jamil has definitely been the biggest upset, and if things continue the path they're going down i wouldn't be surprise to see J riding the pine while McKay takes his minutes. 

Look at how much Van has grown, i think Derrick takes a huge step next year.  But Jamil is a lot more concerning to me then Derrick at this point.

[96warrior]

True, but Derrick Wilson still has not shown any sort of offensive ability. Junior Cadougan as as sophomore was at least showing some flashes of his offense that led me to believe that he could one day contribute on the offensive end.  Derrick has just not shown anything offensively. Unless he improves his offensive, he does not deserve to get the majority of the PG minutes next year.

As long as D Wilson can create for others and take care of the ball, I'll take any baskets he makes as gravy. I thought being a point guard was actually less about getting the points and more about directing traffic. There are other scorers on the team that are more reliable, because that's what they're supposed to be doing. D Wilson is supposed to be taking care of the ball and getting it to his teammates.

I'm a lot more worried about J, than D Wilson.  Jamil has definitely been the biggest upset, and if things continue the path they're going down i wouldn't be surprise to see J riding the pine while McKay takes his minutes. 

Look at how much Van has grown, i think Derrick takes a huge step next year.  But Jamil is a lot more concerning to me then Derrick at this point.

Agree 100% about this. J Wilson really is a head scratcher.

[keefe]

You think they're going 4 on 5?

We did in 2003-04 & 2004-05. It was hard to believe we had just been to the Final Four

[MerrittsMustache]

We did in 2003-04 & 2004-05. It was hard to believe we had just been to the Final Four

Well played.

[MU82]

Too many fans don't give Derrick enough credit. He's currently the back-up PG. He's going to play 12-15 minutes per game and basically be in charge of not screwing up. It's like putting in a back-up QB - the gameplan and play-calling are different when he's in the game.

Derrick has played nearly 600 minutes in his MU career and has just 24 TOs, which is an incredible stat. To put that into a little bit of perspective, Junior has played 534 minutes this season and has 50 TOs, Gardner has played 421 minutes at a position that handles the ball much less than a PG and has 29 TOs. Derrick is very good at his role this year but his role will likely be different next year and he's going to surprise some people.

That's an interesting analogy, and not especially a favorable one for Derrick. Being the backup QB is the best job in the NFL. You get paid to stand there with the clipboard and the fans love you because you haven't screwed up yet. But all too often, when the backup becomes the starter, he simply can't hack it. Which is why he was the backup.

For every Tom Brady, there are a dozen Jonathan Quinns and Moses Morenos.

[ATL MU Warrior]

That's an interesting analogy, and not especially a favorable one for Derrick. Being the backup QB is the best job in the NFL. You get paid to stand there with the clipboard and the fans love you because you haven't screwed up yet. But all too often, when the backup becomes the starter, he simply can't hack it. Which is why he was the backup.

For every Tom Brady, there are a dozen Jonathan Quinns and Moses Morenos.

EDIT.  figured out how to read since my orginal post.

[MerrittsMustache]

That's an interesting analogy, and not especially a favorable one for Derrick. Being the backup QB is the best job in the NFL. You get paid to stand there with the clipboard and the fans love you because you haven't screwed up yet. But all too often, when the backup becomes the starter, he simply can't hack it. Which is why he was the backup.

For every Tom Brady, there are a dozen Jonathan Quinns and Moses Morenos.

If you look at it in terms of college back-up QBs, it's quite different. Most back-up QBs are biding their time on the bench waiting for the starter to graduate so he can step in. Just about every star college QB spent a season or two as a back-up, handing the ball off and throwing check-downs. Derrick is doing the equivalent of that now. He may go on to be a quality starter or he may be nothing more than a back-up. We just don't know right now...but Buzz does.

[Stretchdeltsig]

The point is that whether you play point guard, forward or center, you've got to play so well that the coach doesn't want to take you out.  You've got to make the most out of your time on the floor to prove how good you are.  The great players prove early how good they are and that's why they earn more playing time. 

[BCHoopster]

The bottom line on DWil in the future will be his ability to score, you can not play 4 on 5 in college, maybe in the pros, but you need a double digit scorer as the point guard has
the ball in his hands 60-65 % of the time.  His shot has improved but he is not explosive enough to the hoop to score.  Watching Duane Wilson, he can dunk with both hands, is
explosive.  John Dawson has the same things, big hops.  I hope the best for Derrick, but unless we are stacked at the other 4 positions, I do not see him getting more PT in the future.

[bilsu]

First of all we did not lose the game because of turnovers. We had 17 and Louisville had 16. I believe Louisville averages creating 20+ turnovers a game, so we actually were better than average. We lost to Louisville and Cincy, because they ganged rebounded us to death. That is not going to change next year. We have a very good rebounder coming in in McKay, but I fear he simply will not be strong enough to hold off teams with multiple rebounders like Florida, Cincy and Louisville. Second of all, while Wilson is playing point for Dominican, he is no more of a point guard than Buycks was. They are both offensive players who need the ball in their hands. My hope lies with Dawson, who I have never seen play.

[Dr. Blackheart]

First of all we did not lose the game because of turnovers. We had 17 and Louisville had 16. I believe Louisville averages creating 20+ turnovers a game, so we actually were better than average. We lost to Louisville and Cincy, because they ganged rebounded us to death. That is not going to change next year. We have a very good rebounder coming in in McKay, but I fear he simply will not be strong enough to hold off teams with multiple rebounders like Florida, Cincy and Louisville. Second of all, while Wilson is playing point for Dominican, he is no more of a point guard than Buycks was. They are both offensive players who need the ball in their hands. My hope lies with Dawson, who I have never seen play.

Those 17 UL turnovers led to 32 points...typically it is a point per turnover.  It was the uncontested nature of the turnovers that were the difference...and the rebound disadvantage led to a 42-20 points in the paint deficit.  Lots of things wrong but the nature of the turnovers and offensive rebounds that killed MU.  As I said before, MU couldn't even inbound the ball. 

[mug644]

It will be good for him to have Derrick there while he gets his sea legs. Once that happens, giddy up.

Go Marquette Sea Horses! Do they swim or do they run?! I admit that I haven't seen Duane Wilson play, so I don't know where he 'stands' on the issue.

[monkeyman34]

Vander would be an awful PG.  He can barely dribble the ball without turning it over one way or another.  He has no handle while under pressure.

[🏀]

Vander would be an awful PG.  He can barely dribble the ball without turning it over one way or another.  He has no handle while under pressure.

Uh...Vander brought the ball up against Louisville quite often without turning it over. He did it better than our starting PG actually.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Vander would be an awful PG.  He can barely dribble the ball without turning it over one way or another.  He has no handle while under pressure.

Blue has a turnover rate of 17.2% versus Junior's 25.4%. Blue has a gold medal at PG. Time for a starting line up change.

[Goose]

VB is currently our best PG. He can handle ball with both hands, has size and speed. Would love to see him play more PG, he can make things happen.

[brinsler]

VB is currently our best PG. He can handle ball with both hands, has size and speed. Would love to see him play more PG, he can make things happen.

This is so untrue. Cadougan is a real PG while VB is a 2. It is crazy to see VB as a PG. It would hamper his strengths as a SG.

[brewcity77]

I do think Van could play the point and excel. The only concern is that he doesn't have Junior's passing vision. While I expect Derrick to take the reins next year, it would probably be in Vander's best interest to push for the PG role as he has a much better chance of getting minutes at the next level as a PG rather than a SG. I'm just not sure he's enough of a game manager, whereas it's clear that is how Buzz usually likes his (non-Buycks) PGs to play.

Considering the jump Vander has made this year, I think he could handle the point as a senior, but it's probably largely contingent on Todd coming back. As much as I like the idea of the length we'd have with Jamil, Juan, and Steve as our switchables on the court at the same time, if Van moves to the point we don't really have anyone to slash and drive to the hoop.

[Goose]

brinsler

Just because VB is playing SG does not mean he is SG. Vander is far better with ball in his hand and room to move. Watching him go to coast to coast after D rebound is fun to watch. He knows how to push the ball, with either hand, and does it in different speed than others. Like L Ellis said last night, Vander can take over a game. I 100% am convinced he is a PG playing out of position.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Watched Derek closely last night and thought he played very well.  He showed great hands to grab the ball for tie ups or to steel it and as an excellent dribbler.  He will do well as our starting point guard next year.

[forgetful]

Uh...Vander brought the ball up against Louisville quite often without turning it over. He did it better than our starting PG actually.

Junior's turnovers weren't from him bringing up the ball it was in the half court set.  So Vander couldn't have done it better.