Hill

[Marqus Howard]

Vander averaged 19 MPG, on a better team.

I don't know if that is true. That team barely made the tournament. They had more stars in Jimmy, DJO, and Jae, but top to bottom, this year's team is probably better.

[Otule's Glass Eye]

I don't know if that is true. That team barely made the tournament. They had more stars in Jimmy, DJO, and Jae, but top to bottom, this year's team is probably better.

Our 7-5 record so far says otherwise. This team should be good, but we have no leader. Jamil has yet to step up. He thinks he's a guard. He needs to be more aggressive and drive to the basket rather than taking contested jump shots all game. Gardner can't be as good when he can't get as many paint touches due to the non-threat that is Derrick Wilson. Can't count how many times I see Derrick standing unguarded on the perimeter. He should be taking hundreds of shots every day trying to develop a decent jump shot.

That 2010-2011 team we are speaking of was 9-3 through twelve games, and finished a modest 22-15, but in a Big East that was absolutely stacked that year.

[MU82]

I don't know if that is true. That team barely made the tournament. They had more stars in Jimmy, DJO, and Jae, but top to bottom, this year's team is probably better.

Based on what we have seen, there is zero proof that this is the case.

[CTWarrior]

Id say no. Different styles though. Jake is more conservative obviously and doesn't get caught out of position as much as JJJ would. However, JJJ is a playmaker and has the ability to block shots and intercept passes that lead to easy baskets which jake doesn't have the ability to do.

Buzz seems to have a relatively complicated defensive scheme that requires everyone to do their part.  I imagine JJJ will be an excellent defender before his time at MU is through, but until he has the defensive rotations down pat, he is a downgrade defensively from JT on this team, simply because Jake has been practicing this stuff for years and at a minumum knows where he and everyone else is suppsoed to be. 

[GGGG]

I also read somewhere (here?) that JJJ's high school team played almost entirely zone defense.  Accordingly, a lot of the "simple" stuff might be fairly new to him. 

[Dawson Rental]

I agree with this and didn't take it into consideration. Is Jake Thomas really that much of a better defender than JJJ, though?

I'll take the opinions of those who see both of them every day in practice.