I was watching the UNC-U of I game a few nights ago, and the commentators were commenting (surprise surprise) on UNC's lack of identity/leader. Does anyone think we have the same problem? I feel like there's no strong personality to pull the team together nor any indication as to what kind of team we are.
Regarding personality, who has that strong personality with experience to command the team's attention? Butler is really the only player that could fill the role at this point and I don't see him leading the team any time soon. He comes off as a pretty timid guy when he's not in the paint. I realize the team as whole hasn't been together for a long time so maybe it will just take some time for someone to emerge.
Regarding identity, who is this team on offense (I like to think they're a hard-nosed defensive team, or at least that's their aim). They're no longer that team that's going to kill you in transition and drill 3s. We have bigs now (not a bad thing) that slow down the offense, but also provide the team with more of a threat down low. I guess time will tell, but it's a little unsettling not knowing who this team is and what their capable of (or not capable of).
I think we're continually seeing how difficult it is to replace Lazar's production and leadership. Buzz knew that team leadership was going to be a tough role to fill. Butler has some leadership qualities (probably more prevalent behind the closed doors of the locker room & practice).
I Think Butler will continue to evolve into that role, as will Crowder.
Patience young grasshopper.
We don't have leadership. Butler is not suited to the lead role. He's a supporting actor in this regard. As for others (Crowder, Blue, Buycks, Cadougan, Odom) they are all in new positions which leads to stuttering along until it clicks and then possibly leadership can emerge.
Its why this team has been so inconsistent within every game. When you have a bona fide leader, whether its the star player or a heady Point Guard, oftentimes they can paper over the cracks until the rhythm returns. Buzz knows this and he references it all the time: got to be "us".
Butler is a very unselfish player. He needs to be more ascertive on the court when our offense is stalling. I think Crowder could be a great leader, but I do not see him over stepping Butler. Next year Crowder will be the leader of the team.
Sometime during this season, I think Junior will emerge as a leader. I also think Butler, DJO, and Crowder have potential by the end of the season.
Regarding offensive identity,this team still plays about 1/2 the game without any big on the floor. The half court offense looks very different with a big on the floor and without a big.
Once this team finds its identity, they have the potential to be very good.
Quote from: downtown85 on December 02, 2010, 11:28:20 AM
...I think Junior will emerge as a leader.
+1 Don't know why I think it, but he just seems to have that aura. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced he has the necessary physical tools to be a big time point guard (It's early, of course). A leader, IMO, has to be one of the better players on the floor.
This is exactly how I classified this team when texting with someone during the MU game.
IMO, this team is very inconsistent due to it's overall lack of experience at the D1 level. It is true that this roster is full of newbies, thus they don't have much time playing together, but even the "experienced senior" in Jimmy Butler has only been at MU for 2 full seasons and the likes of DJO and Buycks (our other 2 leaders) have only slightly more than 1 full year at MU. That said, the last 2 years this team has had true 4 year seniors.....which goes a long way in terms of game "readiness" and decision making. This is how I rationalize the inconsistincies and dry spells that this team goes through every night and will unfortunately lead to a relatively unsuccessful season IMHO.
(PS - this is why I'm not totally fond of bringing in JuCo players on a yearly basis.....no offense to them of course. They don't get the 4 year eligibility at the D1 level which is immensely important in player maturation. Afterall, look at how much Cubillan and Acker improved between their Junior and Senior seasons).
It's the "one end of the court" skills of seemingly many players on the team that has me concerned for the season. In line with this thread, without a clear leader and with Buzz needing to tinker with the right combination of what can get the offense going while maintaining his priority on defense, the team is struggling to find a groove that works. I believe it will come, but there will undoubtedly be bumps along the way, especially with an inexperienced team.
The lack of leadership was clearly evident during the second half of the second half of the Bucknell game!
We definitely lack leadership on the court.
DJO is a gunner who doesn't appear to put much effort into making his teammates better.
Buycks looks to involve teammates more than DJO but doesn't seem to provide much direction or focus.
Butler has the spirit and energy but I think his role as "class clown" off the court may hinder his ability to lead on the court.
Cadougan looks like he has the potential to lead and focus the team but is still finding his way as an essential newcomer.
Crowder/Blue/Gardner are new and still finding their way; Crowder and Blue may develop into leaders but Gardner doesn't seem to have the personality for it.
Otule/Fulce don't see the court consistently in crunch time.
The future looks bright but I think this year's team will continue to lack consistency and focus.
Quote from: MUSF on December 02, 2010, 08:42:38 PM
We definitely lack leadership on the court.
DJO is a gunner who doesn't appear to put much effort into making his teammates better.
Buycks looks to involve teammates more than DJO but doesn't seem to provide much direction or focus.
Butler has the spirit and energy but I think his role as "class clown" off the court may hinder his ability to lead on the court.
Cadougan looks like he has the potential to lead and focus the team but is still finding his way as an essential newcomer.
Crowder/Blue/Gardner are new and still finding their way; Crowder and Blue may develop into leaders but Gardner doesn't seem to have the personality for it.
Otule/Fulce don't see the court consistently in crunch time.
The future looks bright but I think this year's team will continue to lack consistency and focus.
I personally think you nailed it. Like what a lot of you said....it is just going to need time. It will be in someones nature to emerge as someone for the team to look up to.
I think in terms of an emotional leader, DJO is the guy who can do it, but the problem is that him leading through his emotion is largely a result of his production on the floor, and we haven't seen it this year. Last year, you could see how pumped he got after a thunderous dunk or a clutch 3 that we simply needed, and when he's hitting those shots, it translates to the rest of the team. He's also a very good defender when he wants to be, I remember Buzz singling him out on one occasion last year for being the reason Marquette won the game by shutting down the opposition's best player despite him having very few points. I think it was the USF game, when they came in red-hot behind Dominique Jones and left with bruised egos.
What's prevented us from seeing that this year has been his cold streak. DJO's entire game rides on confidence, and in our first 6 games, he didn't really seem to have much of it. Hopefully the UW-M game will wake him up in that regard and we'll see a bit more of the passion and presence in the coming weeks.
Who can win the game when it's on the line?
Jimmy should demand the ball. If it's not there--back to DJO.
There's your leader and the spark. This year, these two must define the character of the team and the path to victory. You've got a flash of Jimmy's example already and now DJO has shown up.
Over the next few years, Junior should take this role but not as a shooter. He'll find the shooter. If OX is in the game, watch for the zinger at the knees catch&turnaround. We have not seen that thing of beauty run so well in a long long time.
Quote from: windyplayer on December 02, 2010, 09:52:32 AM
I was watching the UNC-U of I game a few nights ago, and the commentators were commenting (surprise surprise) on UNC's lack of identity/leader. Does anyone think we have the same problem? I feel like there's no strong personality to pull the team together nor any indication as to what kind of team we are.
Regarding personality, who has that strong personality with experience to command the team's attention? Butler is really the only player that could fill the role at this point and I don't see him leading the team any time soon. He comes off as a pretty timid guy when he's not in the paint. I realize the team as whole hasn't been together for a long time so maybe it will just take some time for someone to emerge.
Regarding identity, who is this team on offense (I like to think they're a hard-nosed defensive team, or at least that's their aim). They're no longer that team that's going to kill you in transition and drill 3s. We have bigs now (not a bad thing) that slow down the offense, but also provide the team with more of a threat down low. I guess time will tell, but it's a little unsettling not knowing who this team is and what their capable of (or not capable of).
Totally agreed. Great game by the way, love the 2005 championship matchup. It broke my heart that UofI lost (that time) but I was torn because of also being a closet tarheel....whoops. Looks like UNC may have rectified their situation slightly today (w/ the win over UK), though, eh?
I'm a bit concerned about the leadership issue, but generally concur with the thoughts everyone has re: our youth, etc. Hopefully it will pan out :)
Quote from: brewcity77 on December 03, 2010, 09:13:05 AM
I think in terms of an emotional leader, DJO is the guy who can do it, but the problem is that him leading through his emotion is largely a result of his production on the floor, and we haven't seen it this year. Last year, you could see how pumped he got after a thunderous dunk or a clutch 3 that we simply needed, and when he's hitting those shots, it translates to the rest of the team. He's also a very good defender when he wants to be, I remember Buzz singling him out on one occasion last year for being the reason Marquette won the game by shutting down the opposition's best player despite him having very few points. I think it was the USF game, when they came in red-hot behind Dominique Jones and left with bruised egos.
What's prevented us from seeing that this year has been his cold streak. DJO's entire game rides on confidence, and in our first 6 games, he didn't really seem to have much of it. Hopefully the UW-M game will wake him up in that regard and we'll see a bit more of the passion and presence in the coming weeks.
I don't think any of that really matters because DJO doesn't make his teammates better and when his game is off, he seems to sulk.
That's not what leadership is made of, IMO. Still a great player, maybe our best but not our leader.
As the minutes go up, Jimmy has to be the Senior Stud. Right now, his shot % is 23.8%. It should be closer to 28 or more, especially because he is so efficient. In their last MU years: Wade's was 33.6, Zar=34.2, Jerel=30.2, Diener=30.6. Only Novak, a limited offensive threat, was in Jimmy's range (23.7).
In contrast, Mr. Instant Offense--aka the Ox--is 32.8. DJO is 27.0 and Crowder is 21.8. Jimmy needs to look for his shot more as he often has the match-up advantage. Goodman said he thought Jimmy was perhaps the best player in KC.
When watching yesterday's game with the frequent and large number of replacements in and out - like a hockey game. You get the feeling that it's good and bad. It's good that a lot of players are playing; and it's bad, that the time identity is still up in the air. A depth chart should be established so that everyone understands their roles. Players that don't accept it may leave or wait their turn if the player(s) in front of them are close to graduation. All in all, now is the time to play everyone. Come January 1, the depth chart and team identity should become clear.