Rosiak on Next Year's Starting Five

[GGGG]

From today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he projects:

C:  Otule or McMorrow
F:  Hayward and Maymon
G:  Buycks and Cadougan

He says that Acker may start at PG at the beginning but will likely be Cadougan's by the end of the year.  The center job will be won over the course of the summer and fall.  Butler still coming off the bench.

He also thinks that we need another guard because he believes that E. Williams, Fulce and Butler project at the 3 rather than the 2.

[Nukem2]

I concur with Todd.

[lab_warrior]

Absolutely.  The next scholarship has to be a PG or combo guard, for sure.  We need that depth.

[77ncaachamps]

Looks like he's been reading MUScoop.

[SCdem@MU]

From today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he projects:

Link for people that want one:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/40322577.html

[GGGG]

Are we even recruiting another guard for next year though?  My guess is that with the Riley recruitment, Buzz thinks a big is leaving.  My guess is Hazel.  Maybe Cubes backs up the 2 next year.

[bma725]

Are we even recruiting another guard for next year though?  My guess is that with the Riley recruitment, Buzz thinks a big is leaving.  My guess is Hazel.  Maybe Cubes backs up the 2 next year.

We're recruiting more guards for next year than we are bigs.  Riley is the only big but MU is in on Darius Smith, Vee Sanford, Vincent Williams and other guards for 2009.

[Hards Alumni]

Great Minds think alike.

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=13169.0

/flex

[Ari Gold]

I would like to see Otule and McMorrow start. Jimmy and Lazar and then Junior at the PG.  It's a slower line up, probably built more for Little 11 basketball but maybe that would work until Maymon and Buycks are able to play their way into starting. I am not against playing a slower basketball.

Either way with Otule, Jimmy and Aker coming off the bench (as projected) we'll still have a great team for the future. I am excited to see what a big player or two could do for this team.

[The Man in Gold]

I would like to see Otule and McMorrow start. Jimmy and Lazar and then Junior at the PG.  It's a slower line up, probably built more for Little 11 basketball but maybe that would work until Maymon and Buycks are able to play their way into starting. I am not against playing a slower basketball.

Either way with Otule, Jimmy and Aker coming off the bench (as projected) we'll still have a great team for the future. I am excited to see what a big player or two could do for this team.

Its pretty safe to say we haven't seen anything from O'Tule or Mcmorrow to suggest they are Big East calibur starters at this point in their career.  It doesn't make a lot of sense to start both.  When we can bring a second 7 footer of the bench as needed will be sweet.

[tower912]

With all of the newcomers coming in next year, it will be interesting to see his rotations.   He acknowledged Monday that he plays he best players the most.  (with a chuckle)    So, with Butler, Fulce, Williams, Maymon, Lazar all doing variations of the same thing, will he only play 3 of them?   Will he dare start a freshman in front of Lazar if the freshman shows more talent?   If he only plays 6-7-8 next year, do we end up with wholesale transfers?     I predict Acker starts the first game of the year, but Junior is the starter by conference play.   Liam starts at the 5.    Lazar, JB, and Buycks start the year as the wings, Maymon starts, replacing JB by conference play.  EWill is the wild card.   

[SWARM!]

What is all this "replacing them by conference play" talk?  I know it happens once in a while, but some people are acting like there's an automatic rule that upper classman will start in front of newcomers simply because they're upper classmen.  Am I missing something here?  I am confident Cadougan and Maymon start from day 1.  There's no magic line come conference season where we all of a sudden switch 2 or 3 people out of our starting lineup because, hey, it's conference season.  Buzz will make Maymon and Cadougan "earn it" in practice, but he's not going to default them to a reserve role because they are freshman.  Same goes with Buycks, who will likely start over Butler.

And Maymon starting ahead of Lazar (if he "shows more talent" than Lazar in November)?  Are you serious?  Lazar is a second team All Big East Forward, and you are envisioning a scenario where he comes off the bench next year? Maymon will start, and it will be alongside Hayward.

Otule and McMorrow both starting? Some of you have some wild imaginations.  It's already been said: neither have shown ANYTHING to indicate that they are D1 caliber players, let alone good enough to start in the Big East.   I wouldn't be surprised if neither start.

"I am not against playing a slower basketball"

Are you really a Marquette fan? 

[Hards Alumni]

What is all this "replacing them by conference play" talk?  I know it happens once in a while, but some people are acting like there's an automatic rule that upper classman will start in front of newcomers simply because they're upper classmen.  Am I missing something here?  I am confident Cadougan and Maymon start from day 1.  There's no magic line come conference season where we all of a sudden switch 2 or 3 people out of our starting lineup because, hey, it's conference season.  Buzz will make Maymon and Cadougan "earn it" in practice, but he's not going to default them to a reserve role because they are freshman.  Same goes with Buycks, who will likely start over Butler.

And Maymon starting ahead of Lazar (if he "shows more talent" than Lazar in November)?  Are you serious?  Lazar is a second team All Big East Forward, and you are envisioning a scenario where he comes off the bench next year? Maymon will start, and it will be alongside Hayward.

Otule and McMorrow both starting? Some of you have some wild imaginations.  It's already been said: neither have shown ANYTHING to indicate that they are D1 caliber players, let alone good enough to start in the Big East.   I wouldn't be surprised if neither start.

"I am not against playing a slower basketball"

Are you really a Marquette fan? 

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[tower912]

All I am doing is playing the 'what if'? game.   And to deny the possibility that in November Acker will have a better grasp of the offense than Junior, or JB better than Jeronne, but that the frosh will figure it out during November and December, leading to a change in the starting lineup is short sighted.   And I highly doubt any of them is more ready to play than Lazar, again tossing out what ifs.   And finally, if the talent is closely bunched with a young team, does Buzz play 10, or does he play 6-7 again, leading to transfers?

[Ari Gold]

What I meant was, if what I said I would like to see comes to fruition with Otule, Liam starting we'll be sacraficing speed for height, I'm not opposed to that. What we've usually heard from critics over the past season or two is "How will they guard the big man?" Well I think it'd be cool to turn the tables on those teams and force them to guard 2 big men. Add Jimmy and Lazar and you have yourself a very tall team. even Junior is 6'2''.

Granted they probably won't use line up to start, so I could settle for us using that combonation during some games. I'll conscede that Otule hasn't shown that he deserves to start BUT who knows what will happen this summer and early non-con games.  I think that Junior and Jeronne (who could be the second Wes) will have to play their way into the starting line up, which they will do by Mid-November/December. I don't think determining which freshman start about level of talent as much as it is trasitioning.

First Game starting 5
Aker
Jimmy
Lazar
Liam
Buycks(?)

By Early December:
Lazar
Liam
Junior
Jeronne
Buycks/Jimmy (depending opposition)

Off the bench would be Otule, Mo, Jimmy. So he'd be playing 7-8 minmum.

[SWARM!]

All I am doing is playing the 'what if'? game.   And to deny the possibility that in November Acker will have a better grasp of the offense than Junior, or JB better than Jeronne, but that the frosh will figure it out during November and December, leading to a change in the starting lineup is short sighted.   And I highly doubt any of them is more ready to play than Lazar, again tossing out what ifs.   And finally, if the talent is closely bunched with a young team, does Buzz play 10, or does he play 6-7 again, leading to transfers?

I understand that, but if you're playing that game, you have to expect/be ready for a little criticism from people like me who think you are way off.  Sure, there's a chance some of your scenarios play out, but I'm simply pointing out that they are unlikely. I'm just getting tired of everyone defaulting Acker and Butler into starting roles because it just feels right since, afterall, the newcomers haven't earned their stripes and can't be handed a starting role.  Also, Buzz does not run a very complex offense, and as long as Junior and Jeronne come in and show effort on D, they should start.  There is no way Maurice Acker is a better option than Cadougan, based purely on ability.  You could be right about JB starting, as he seems to really be a favorite of Buzz, but I have a strong feeling that a starting spot is Maymon's to lose - he's super talented and has a pretty high basketball IQ from what I've seen and read about him.  JB thrived in the 6th man role, so I would like to see him do it again.

I think you are on to something with the playing time next year.  Since the talent will clearly be more deep and balanced, he better not get into a habit of playing favorites and letting certain players rot on the bench.  I am confident our rotation will be completely different next year and he'll go 9 or 10 deep.  We simply don't have the talent or depth this year, despite 100 threads about an (injured) Fulce, (injured) Cubillan, (injured) Otule, and Hazel deserving more PT.

[bma725]

Also, Buzz does not run a very complex offense,

Buzz does not run a complex offense right now because it doesn't fit the talent currently on the team.  That doesn't mean it will be the same offense next year. 

MU has gotten away from a lot of the motion/continuity offense tendencies that were talked about early in the season because it doesn't fit this team.  With his own recruits there's a good chance that the offense will look more like what he ran at UNO, or what he learned as an assistant under Gillespie and Layer...both of whom ran variations of a motion offense.

[swimmer]

I refuse to speculate on next year's team until after the season is over.  A) I'm enjoying the ride with this special group of seniors.  B) We'll have plenty of time to pound this subject into oblivion over the long summer months.