Is Reggie Smith a point guard?

[bma725]

MAYBE?  I think that Hutch was also a SG in a PG's body.  He could and did bring the ball up, but I don't think he really ran the offense.  I'm pretty sure that his recruiting didn't become competitive until the spring signing period because almost all the Div I programs saw him as a too short SG in the fall.

Ummm...no.  Hutch was already signed with MU in the fall period, and by that point he'd already established himself as a Top 100 recruit, the best player in Ohio, and a PG.

[willie warrior]

I hope that Buycks can handle the ball this year.  Having a senior playing pg will be nice for us.  If Buzz can start the season with confidence in Cadougan and Buycks as returning players, it makes things that much easier.

If Blue and Smith do not need to be assigned a position/role right away because the experienced players have them, then Buzz can just let them develop into whatever suits them best in November and December.  MU has not had that kind of luxury in a while.  Maybe Smith will play the 2, but his size suggests pg at this level. 

Bucyks at the Point would be like NcNeal at the point--turnover city. He would be picked every time he starts a spin move. That would be a huge mistake.

[LAMUfan]

Totaly agree, I like Buycks a lot but not at PG

[LA]

The player from Cypress springs I was thinking about was Karon Bradley who actually was at Marquette for two years before his transfer to Wichita State. 2001 to 2002 and 2002 to 2003.

Bradley was actually at MU 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. We definitely could have used him after Diener went down that next year.

I think Reggie will be a point guard but it will definitely take time for him to learn the position. I see him getting relief minutes for Junior this year, but he could be a good point guard a few years down the road.

[T-Bone]

Bucyks at the Point would be like NcNeal at the point--turnover city. He would be picked every time he starts a spin move. That would be a huge mistake.

Agreed.  I think the McNeal-Buycks comparison will hold.  There was a lot of speed and it seemed out of control.  I hope by the end of the season we can compare Buycks Senior year to McNeal's Junior/Senior year favorably.  From percentages and efficiency, I don't see him getting near 30 minutes per game.

Might be interesting to look at following the season.
http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=jerel-mcneal&i=1&p1=dwight-buycks

Edit:  But I don't see Buycks at the point. 

[Ready2Fly]

Why is Smith too short to play the 2? What did the Cubillionaire just do all last season? And Smith is a significant upgrade athletically. Whether he can bring the hustle, ball control and 3pt shooting DC did is another thing, but his height is not a deterrent with the speed and quickness he possesses.

[Dawson Rental]

Ummm...no.  Hutch was already signed with MU in the fall period, and by that point he'd already established himself as a Top 100 recruit, the best player in Ohio, and a PG.

I may be wrong, especially considering whose version I'm disputing, but this is my recollection. In the fall, Hutch was not signed, nor was he generally ranked as a top 150 player.  O'Neill was on him soon after the fall signing period, and in the spring his ranking had raised considerablely based on his senior year performance, being know as the best player in Ohio, etc., but he never quite cracked the top 100,  He stayed just outside, similar to Reggie hovering around 105.  But, teams that were looking for a point guard in the spring tried hard to get in on him, but O'Neill landed him due to his earlier interest and need for a PG.

[ATWizJr]

I think I'd go with bma on this  one.

[GGGG]

Yep.  bma's description is how I remember it as well.

[bma725]

I may be wrong, especially considering whose version I'm disputing, but this is my recollection. In the fall, Hutch was not signed, nor was he generally ranked as a top 150 player.  O'Neill was on him soon after the fall signing period, and in the spring his ranking had raised considerablely based on his senior year performance, being know as the best player in Ohio, etc., but he never quite cracked the top 100,  He stayed just outside, similar to Reggie hovering around 105.  But, teams that were looking for a point guard in the spring tried hard to get in on him, but O'Neill landed him due to his earlier interest and need for a PG.

You're wrong on basically every single thing you recall about Hutch and his recruiting:

• Hutch committed to MU on September 21st 1993, and signed a letter of intent in November.  He was not a spring recruit at all.
• Hutch's recruiting took off the summer before his senior year due to his play at a few different AAU tournaments and the famed the Five Star Camp in Pittsburgh.  He outplayed most of the name point guards in the class and that's what started getting him national attention.
• Hutch was ranked in the Top 100 well before signing with MU because of his play at those camps.  Bob Gibbons had him at #72, Dave Kaplan had him at #50, etc. 
• Hutch's ranking actually fell after his senior year.  He stayed in the Top 100, but ended up in the 80s.

[APieperFan3]

Yep.  bma's description is how I remember it as well.

Because it's correct.

[Badgerhater]

Buycks can still get lots of assists as a SG as can Blue.

I know its summer, but people are spending too much time pigeonholing people into a position.  Always remember that Buzz wants athletic basketball players who can dribble, pass and shoot so he has plenty of interchangeable parts to create mismatches or overcome mismatches imposed upon MU.

I suspect that any player who is not a 4 or 5 could find themselves in the "point guard" position at any point during a game....to include Jimmy Butler.

The great thing about all the players available is that Buzz won't have to play any one of them 38 minutes a game unless most of them completely flop.

[Daniel]

Would much rather bank on the experience of Cadougan and Buycks than try to rely too much on the incoming freshmen like Vander and Reggie.  I think Junior gets the bulk of the minutes, perhaps Reggie gets some bench minutes, but come crunch time, I'd rather have Cadougan/Buycks handling the point.  Let Vander develop at the 2 without having to worry too much about distributing the ball, turnovers, etc.

+1.  I think this is exaclty what we will see - Junior starting at point, with Buycks as a back up, an d Smith in when we have a cushion.  The ball in the hands of experience will be mroe valuable to Buzz I think.  That said, Buzz will not tolerate much int he way of turnovers - that could kill a game easily. 

[d6]

Hutchins holding his own (winning the matchup?) against Steve Nash and beating newly ranked Santa Clara at one of the few regular season games at the Mecca when I was an undergrad. Great game to attend.....

[GGGG]

Buycks can still get lots of assists as a SG as can Blue.

I know its summer, but people are spending too much time pigeonholing people into a position.  Always remember that Buzz wants athletic basketball players who can dribble, pass and shoot so he has plenty of interchangeable parts to create mismatches or overcome mismatches imposed upon MU.

I agree with you regarding pigeonholing....with the exception of point guard.

My understanding of Buzz is that he wants an identified point guard on the floor.  That is why Acker's return was so important last year considering Junior's injury.  That is why figuring out who will be point is so important.  (I personally think Junior and Buycks will start this year, with Junior running the point and Buycks taking it over when Junior subs out.  When Smith or Blue are on the floor, it will be as an off guard.)

Outside of that, it is basically the best four he can put on the floor.  (Balanced for size, defense, etc.)  So yeah...positions 2 through 5 really don't mean anything.

[wadefan#1]

I think that DJO could be are point guard if JC doesn't perform. Let's not forget that DJO went to a Chris Paul camp for point guards.

[MUUWUWM]

I'll give my 2 cents worth. Blue is nowhere near being a point at this time, he can develop but not now...DB is better at this time.

[Marquette84]

The one perspective I haven't seen yet is the importance of court vision and playmaking versus speed & athleticism.

If it were easy to train a quick or athletic player to become a great PG, you'd see a lot more teams/coaches doing it.  I think the more challenging characteristic is the ability to mentally manage 9 other players on the court, know where they're likely to go, and be able to get the ball to your man when he's open to shoot.

If it were easy to do that, outstanding point guards would truly be a dime a dozen. 

Guys like Travis Diener or Steve Nash or Tony Miller become effective points not because of their physical skills, but because they can process all the moving parts and get the ball where it needs to be at the exact moment it needs to be there.

[Dawson Rental]

You're wrong on basically every single thing you recall about Hutch and his recruiting:

• Hutch committed to MU on September 21st 1993, and signed a letter of intent in November.  He was not a spring recruit at all.
• Hutch's recruiting took off the summer before his senior year due to his play at a few different AAU tournaments and the famed the Five Star Camp in Pittsburgh.  He outplayed most of the name point guards in the class and that's what started getting him national attention.
• Hutch was ranked in the Top 100 well before signing with MU because of his play at those camps.  Bob Gibbons had him at #72, Dave Kaplan had him at #50, etc.  
• Hutch's ranking actually fell after his senior year.  He stayed in the Top 100, but ended up in the 80s.

Now wait a minute, I got the head coach at the time he was recruited right.

Sometimes the only way to figure out how far off base you are is to throw your recollection out there, and watch it get squashed.  Thanks for the memory adjustment bma725, I promise not to abuse the privilege.

[syscokid]

My 2 cents is this. I have been to the pro-am 3 times. Every time I go, my #1 guy to watch is reggie smith. I saw him on the first day of camp and was blown away. he can play both the point and the 2. an earlier post said he may be the best athlete MU has seen in a long long time. i agree! he is almost iverson quick. has springs for legs, and handles the ball very well already. he may be the most unheralded of our frosh this year, but may be the best in this class. for what it's worth, vander has not impressed me yet.

[bilsu]

+1

[NersEllenson]

My 2 cents is this. I have been to the pro-am 3 times. Every time I go, my #1 guy to watch is reggie smith. I saw him on the first day of camp and was blown away. he can play both the point and the 2. an earlier post said he may be the best athlete MU has seen in a long long time. i agree! he is almost iverson quick. has springs for legs, and handles the ball very well already. he may be the most unheralded of our frosh this year, but may be the best in this class. for what it's worth, vander has not impressed me yet.

+1 - Freak athleticism has a way of making a player, a big time player...give me a guy who can break someone down off the dribble everytime..over a guy who is challenged breaking down a defense off the dribble.  Diener and Tony Miller weren't exactly the best at breaking guys down off the dribble..but they did have a very good sense of the floor/spacing/passing angles, etc..to be effective.  Now, combine this trait with a freak athlete, and you have a Dwyane Wade type of player.  If Reggie can eventually see the floor like Wade did...off the charts future..even though he is only 6'0"