We cannot beat a team as good as Louisville, especially on the road, without getting exemplary play from our point guard. That obviously didn't happen yesterday.
I know that analyzing Junior's play is a popular topic on this board. I usually have defended him because he has worked hard, has made some big plays, has become a leader and has a big heart. But he wasn't good enough yesterday and it significantly reduced any chance Marquette had to stay with Louisville.
His poor play certainly wasn't the only reason we lost. I mean, I think Louisville got three more offensive rebounds while I typed this sentence! Jamil was invisible (again), Gardner was a nonfactor, Steve Taylor got a lesson in how tough life in big-time college hoops can be, etc., etc.
Still, Junior probably is our most important player just because he has the ball in his hands so much. It is his job to run the team and when he doesn't do it at a high level, well, we saw what happened.
Going forward ...
As I watched the second half, one thought that went through my mind a few times is that I sure hope Duane Wilson comes in ready to play some serious minutes at a high level, a la Dominic James. Because Derrick Wilson simply doesn't cut it as a starting major-program point guard. If in 2013-14 he averages much more than the 15 minutes he's getting this season, it will not be a good thing. He's fine as a defensive change-of-pace and as an insurance policy, but a team can't win consistently with a PG that shoots 32% from the floor and 47% from the line and is a total non-scoring threat.
OK, end of semi-rant.
I have defended Junior (at this point, anybody can defend Junior....), but it was not lost on me that Vander and Mayo were frequently bringing the ball up yesterday. Siva owns Junior. No getting around it.
VB is our best point guard and he is not a point guard. Not sure what the answer is but PG is definitely a weak spot in our rotation. I simply do not understand how or why they are so sloppy with the ball. Our overall passing sucks IMO, do many lazy one handed passes.
The thing with Junior is that he is best in transition. Siva totally takes that away from him. Oh well, Siva is gone for next season along with Junior. Hope we see 'Ville at the BC next year if the BB7 leaguedoes not start until 2014.
MU82,
I agreed up until your last part about Derrick. Sure he doesn't shoot the ball the greatest, but Junior didn't shoot hardly at all until this year. I don't think Buzz wants D throwing up a bunch of shots. One play in particular stood out to me yesterday. Derrick had the ball stolen from him, and he stayed with i believe it was Russ Smith through the whole break away, eventually making a difficult shot for him, and getting the rebound, which led to a quick 2 pts for MU. I think Derrick will be much improved next year, and he will probably get about 25-30 mins a game being our starting pg.
I like Derrick a lot, and i'm excited for him.
Quote from: JDuquaine on February 04, 2013, 10:18:29 AM
MU82,
I agreed up until your last part about Derrick. Sure he doesn't shoot the ball the greatest, but Junior didn't shoot hardly at all until this year. I don't think Buzz wants D throwing up a bunch of shots. One play in particular stood out to me yesterday. Derrick had the ball stolen from him, and he stayed with i believe it was Russ Smith through the whole break away, eventually making a difficult shot for him, and getting the rebound, which led to a quick 2 pts for MU. I think Derrick will be much improved next year, and he will probably get about 25-30 mins a game being our starting pg.
I like Derrick a lot, and i'm excited for him.
That was a very nice play from Derrick Wilson that you mentioned, he is a great defender and a good change of pace point guard, but if he is getting 25-30 minutes next season, I think we will be in trouble. I don't think you can survive in the big east with a point guard that provides little to no offense. I know Junior doesn't provide a whole lot either, but he has still shown that he can be a scoring threat (8 games so far in double figures) Junior also provides us with a much better feel for the game and passing ability than Derrick. Hopefully MU can find an answer next year at PG, maybe Duane Wilson?
Junior runs the offense, DWil not so much. DWill seems to mostly just avoid turnovers. I felt the same way about Acker is junior year but he was much better his senior year at initiating offense, so maybe when the offense belongs to Wilson he'll rise to the occasion. It is hard to know right now. Junior gets into the lane, causes defense to rotate, etc. a lot more than Wilson. The biggest problem with Junior is his total lack of a left hand. It is amazing he is as effective as he is without using it. It it so strange for a major college PG to be so single-handed.
Derrick Wilson starts at the beginning of the year...but the number of minutes he plays and if he continues to start will be entirely dependent on his progress vis-a-vis someone else's.
Quote from: flash on February 04, 2013, 10:28:10 AM
That was a very nice play from Derrick Wilson that you mentioned, he is a great defender and a good change of pace point guard, but if he is getting 25-30 minutes next season, I think we will be in trouble. I don't think you can survive in the big east with a point guard that provides little to no offense. I know Junior doesn't provide a whole lot either, but he has still shown that he can be a scoring threat (8 games so far in double figures) Junior also provides us with a much better feel for the game and passing ability than Derrick. Hopefully MU can find an answer next year at PG, maybe Duane Wilson?
You're comparing Junior's senior year performance to Derrick's sophomore year performance. I have really liked what I have seen from Derrick this year. His improvement from freshman to sophomore year was marked and significant. Buzz has said he should be starting this year. Who knows what happens next year, it'll be "a new house" so competition for minutes will be different, but I like Derrick.
And I like Junior a whole lot, too. I think we'll miss his leadership a lot more than we realize next year. Yesterday was a horrible game for him, but for just about everyone else, too. On the whole, he's been great for us.
Better hope some of the incoming freshmen/juco are gametime ready right out of the chute. Serious lack of big time college talent on this roster.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on February 04, 2013, 11:12:23 AM
Derrick Wilson starts at the beginning of the year...but the number of minutes he plays and if he continues to start will be entirely dependent on his progress vis-a-vis someone else's.
Wouldn't be surprised to see MU play extended minutes with a line-up having no "true PG"...
Blue
Mayo
JWilson
Taylor
Gardner
Quote from: MerrittsMustache on February 04, 2013, 11:46:00 AM
Wouldn't be surprised to see MU play extended minutes with a line-up having no "true PG"...
Blue
Mayo
JWilson
Taylor
Gardner
Fixed.
I was hoping Junior would have a better showing against Siva this year but I guess not. Just a bad matchup for Junior.
I am hoping that next year Derrick Wilson can be the style of player that Dom James and Acker became. Note that I am not saying he will be as good as either of them as he does not have the athleticism of James or the shooting ability of Acker. But I think he can be a solid defender that doesn't turn it over much, can hit the open shot when needed and provides leadership. We will have guys that can penetrate, so I'm not too worried that its not a strength for DW.
I think very wishful thinking when it comes to D Wilson for next year. I am not even sure he is good backup let alone making any comparisons with James or Acker. We need serious upgrade in PG position next season and believe it will have to be a new guy or guys.
Quote from: Goose on February 04, 2013, 09:29:13 AM
VB is our best point guard and he is not a point guard. Not sure what the answer is but PG is definitely a weak spot in our rotation. I simply do not understand how or why they are so sloppy with the ball. Our overall passing sucks IMO, do many lazy one handed passes.
I agree with this. Too many times a lazy pass is intercepted and taken the other way for a score.
Couple of thoughts...
Siva has owned JC throughout their respective careers. Not Junior's fault; Siva is simply that good. That's one reason Louisville is a national championship threat. MU is simply not in that league.
D Wil has made HUGE strides this year as a Sophomore. Let's recall that Junior really couldn't score much until this year. So I'm not ready to write off D Wil as inadequate.
Our overall point guard play is probably middle of the pack for BEast play. It's good enough to take us dancing but not to the Final 4. Now is Duane Wilson 'the man'? We may see next year.
Quote from: 96warrior on February 04, 2013, 11:38:54 AM
You're comparing Junior's senior year performance to Derrick's sophomore year performance. I have really liked what I have seen from Derrick this year. His improvement from freshman to sophomore year was marked and significant. Buzz has said he should be starting this year. Who knows what happens next year, it'll be "a new house" so competition for minutes will be different, but I like Derrick.
And I like Junior a whole lot, too. I think we'll miss his leadership a lot more than we realize next year. Yesterday was a horrible game for him, but for just about everyone else, too. On the whole, he's been great for us.
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. Unfortunately it looks like our only other option is an unproven freshman Duane Wilson.
Since we're talking about DWil...
He's a stout, defensive PG.
He has taken it to the rack a few times but isn't explosive by any means.
He hasn't shown a consistent j, but if Vander can show us that he can do it, so can DWil.
He's tenacious as a defender.
It drives me nuts how many of his entry passes are intercepted, tipped, are late, or just aren't on the money.
In transition, he's dangerous just not lethally deadly.
Duane is explosive, can shoot the ball well, and runs the transition.
I am sorry I really do not see any real upside from D Wilson moving forward. IMO that is the most glaring area to improve for next year. He looks to me to be a bit role player if on very good team. MU has limited choices at PG for remainder of year and need to ride the two guys they have. If I were Buzz I would be recruiting JUCO PG's big time right now.
Quote from: flash on February 04, 2013, 02:53:18 PM
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. Unfortunately it looks like our only other option is an unproven freshman Duane Wilson.
Programs have given the "key to the bus" to freshman point guards, and off the top of my head I can think of this year: PITT with Robinson, Oklahoma State with Marcus Smart, UCLA with Anderson, NOVA with Archimeda (sp), etc. Probably alot more, maybe others can chime in.
Look at the BE over the last few years and you had Siva at UL, Council at Providence, Napier at UCONN, Collins at USF Wright at Cincy, etc. The majority of them started as freshmen and continued on.
D. Wilson averages 1.8 points a game and has taken only 35 shots this year, to include one for five from three point land. Yes, some will say it is not a point guard's role to be a big scorer, but I say there has to be some more scoring than less than two ppg. Sure D. Wilson plays good defense, but he also makes too many aggressive fouls on the perimeter. Not to be a downer on him, but at this point is he a BE starting PG?
I agree with some of the others that Wilson probably gets the start, but if Duane Wilson can bring some speed , height and offensive ability to the pg position, he gets the minutes going into the BE season. It is just too important, probably the most important position on a team in college b-ball.
I don't believe MU is unfortunate to have Duane Wilson coming in and hopefully he can prove himself well.
Derrick Wilson is a nice 10-12 minute/game point guard. Any more than that and this team is struggling.
Quote from: nyg on February 04, 2013, 03:15:46 PM
I agree with some of the others that Wilson probably gets the start, but if Duane Wilson can bring some speed , height and offensive ability to the pg position, he gets the minutes going into the BE season. It is just too important, probably the most important position on a team in college b-ball.
I don't believe MU is unfortunate to have Duane Wilson coming in and hopefully he can prove himself well.
I really think Duane Wilson is the real deal. I know that the competition level masks deficiencies, but talent is talent. That cat can ball.
It will be good for him to have Derrick there while he gets his sea legs. Once that happens, giddy up.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on February 04, 2013, 11:12:23 AM
Derrick Wilson starts at the beginning of the year...but the number of minutes he plays and if he continues to start will be entirely dependent on his progress vis-a-vis someone else's.
I agree with this, Sultan. Buzz values loyalty and he'll unabashedly, admittedly favor Derrick. But Buzz wants to win, just like any coach, and if Duane deserves the minutes, he'll get the minutes. It's kind of like with Otule this year. Buzz obviously loves the guy, but Otule plays only as many minutes as Buzz thinks will help the team; Buzz doesn't play him just because he likes him.
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.
Quote from: MerrittsMustache on February 04, 2013, 03:38:06 PM
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.
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....
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.
Quote from: Skatastrophy on February 04, 2013, 04:09:34 PM
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.
Quote from: Skatastrophy on February 04, 2013, 04:09:34 PM
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.
Quote from: flash on February 04, 2013, 02:53:18 PM
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.
Quote from: JDuquaine on February 04, 2013, 04:45:59 PM
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.
Quote from: MerrittsMustache on February 04, 2013, 12:58:08 PM
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
Quote from: keefe on February 04, 2013, 08:40:36 PM
We did in 2003-04 & 2004-05. It was hard to believe we had just been to the Final Four
Well played.
Quote from: MerrittsMustache on February 04, 2013, 03:38:06 PM
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.
Quote from: MU82 on February 04, 2013, 10:39:26 PM
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.
Quote from: MU82 on February 04, 2013, 10:39:26 PM
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.
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.
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.
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.
Quote from: bilsu on February 05, 2013, 07:49:39 PM
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.
Quote from: MUfan12 on February 04, 2013, 03:26:37 PM
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.
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.
Quote from: monkeyman34 on February 05, 2013, 09:09:19 PM
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.
Quote from: monkeyman34 on February 05, 2013, 09:09:19 PM
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.
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.
Quote from: Goose on February 06, 2013, 06:20:42 AM
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.
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.
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.
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.
Quote from: PTM on February 05, 2013, 09:18:02 PM
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.
Quote from: Goose on February 07, 2013, 07:08:12 AM
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.
Agree
More of a 1.5: ie Russell Westbrook.
Vander has many of the skills to play point and I agree with brew that he would have a much better shot in the NBA to do so. However, I also share brew's doubts about Vander's passing and game-management skills.
Passing, court vision, game managment, etc. -- unlike shooting or some other physical skills -- are more innate skills. Either a guy is a great passer with great vision or he isn't. It's difficult for me to see Vander being any better as an NBA point guard prospect than McNeal has been.
Westbrook, Parker and numerous others have a "scorer's mentality," but they are still very good passers. As much as he has improved in so many phases, Vander hasn't shown that.
It would be great if we could put out a lineup next year with no player smaller than 6-3 or 6-4, but I too believe that Derrick Wilson will get the lion's share of PG time, at least at first. I am hoping Duane Wilson lives up to the hype and steals a lot of those minutes at the point, because I have yet to see anything from Derrick that suggests he is a Big East caliber, 25-30 mpg point guard.
As for Junior, I really like how he played last night. Though the same can be said of most players because USF offered so little resistance, we need more of the same from him.
Vander has the physical skills to play PG. Watching him for 3 years, it is my opinion that he does not yet see the floor well enough and would also have difficulty deferring and letting other have the shots first.
MU needs a PG that put pressure on the D side and ebility to push the ball on the O side. Neither Jr. nor D Wilson can do this against top level talent. Game has changed and PG has to be the most athletic or most talented guy on a team. VB should play more PG this year and start there next year. As for his passing, he sees court extremely well, especially in transition.
Wasn't it RJax55 who last year evaluated Vander as far as his inability to stay low with his dribble? I recall him suggesting it Was partly due to his physical superiority at the HS level and deceloping bad habits. I'd be interested in hearing how he thinks he's improved in that regard. It seems to me, besides his obvious improvement in putting the ball in the basket, he is making fewer unforced or glaring turnovers. Could be just increased confidence. I still don't see him as a point guard, though.
Quote from: PuertoRicanNightmare on February 07, 2013, 11:18:08 AM
Wasn't it RJax55 who last year evaluated Vander as far as his inability to stay low with his dribble? I recall him suggesting it Was partly due to his physical superiority at the HS level and deceloping bad habits. I'd be interested in hearing how he thinks he's improved in that regard. It seems to me, besides his obvious improvement in putting the ball in the basket, he is making fewer unforced or glaring turnovers. Could be just increased confidence. I still don't see him as a point guard, though.
Yes, I thought Vander dribbled far too upright. Because of that, it allowed less athletic defenders to stay with him and he had a nasty habit of using his off-hand to try to clear space. Using the off-hand in that way, led to a number of offensive fouls.
I definitely think he is playing lower to the ground, and it is certainly a factor in his development on the offensive end. His first two seasons, he had trouble driving the basketball from the wing. Defenders would force Vander baseline and he couldn't turn the corner. He would then be trapped, which caused him to make a difficult pass, which many times led to a turnover. Overall, the improvement in his body control has been amazing.