How is MU any better next season?

[ChicosBailBonds]

I know chicos lives out in Cali so do you have any opinion of Juan Anderson if you've seen him ball?  Think he could be a contributor next year?

He's a Nor Cal guy, never seen him play.  I hope he can contribute, but Buzz doesn't seem to like playing Freshman much and the one that is playing somewhat (Vander) has struggled.  So who knows.

[MikeyT42]

This year DJO is having to create his own 3 PT shot. Last year he had Lazar and Mo Acker/ Cubillian to spread his (DJO's) man on a help defense situation. The problem this year is that his man is still able to close out because Junior's man and JB's man don't have to extend defense to 21 feet. thus not forcing extra help. Those defenders just have to react to dribble drive (for Junior) and have to close out to 16 feet (for JFB). The extra pass becomes useless.

Last year DJO was the beneficiary of the "extra pass." Now that extra pass doesn't result to a wide open three, instead it is a contested 3 or a pump fake 3, and another dribble drive.

Marquette needs another shooter to spread defenses to create open looks for DJO or the other shooters on the floor.

Sadly, Vander Blue and more minutes for Junior don't fit that bill.

[silverback]

We won't be because we'll still have that bald, Karl Pilkington clone as our bumbling head coach.

His teams DO NOT play major college level defense and the word is out on his "paint touch" nonsense offense.

[wyzgy]

I've used to be annoyed with a lot of your posts. Today, and recently I have really been impressed, and find myself universally agreeing with the way you are thinking.

just cuz chico isn't status quo; independant thinkers not welcome?  everyone knows chico needed this to pull out of his slump-great confidence builder

[GGGG]

I frankly can't see how we would be significantly better.  However, I really hope that Buzz takes a different look at the defensive end of the floor and how we can improve there.  If we come in with the same basic scheme, it isn't going to work.

[oshkoshbgosh]

Buzz needs to bring in two point guards -- not shooting guards who play the point. JC has the attitude for the job, but not sure he has the skills.

[T-Bone]

Our success next season really rests on a lot.  Will someone be able to step up early and emerge as a true leader? 

This is the biggest thing.  I think there's a lot of great leadership by the senior class off the court (from what I read), but in-game it seems to be lacking the way Lazar put it together last year. 

We got some games to win before we'll find out.

[NavinRJohnson]

Cadougan and Blue are the keys...

- Cadougan has shown obvious improvement.
- Outside of the fact he can't shoot, Blue is probably playing as well as anyone right now.
- Crowder has been good all year (except the last 2 games). No reason to think he won't be good again.
- Buycks is addition by subtraction.
- We should have a legitimate backup PG, if not 2.
- Jones, Williams, Gardner should all be a year better (Jones is the guys that intrigues me most).
- Jamil Wilson...tough to say, but seems he could be a potential difference maker.

The year of experience and off-season work for a number f these guys will be critical. Can they find a go to guy between now and next season? With all respect due Jimmy Butler, the simply did not have one this year, and it showed up often. The opportunity is there for anyone who wants to step up and be the man.

[GGGG]

Buzz needs to bring in two point guards -- not shooting guards who play the point. JC has the attitude for the job, but not sure he has the skills.

This is not a good idea.  What are three point guards on the roster going to do for MU right now?

[nathanziarek]

I agree with the leadership posts. Last year you had a clear hierarchy (Lazar, Acker, Cubes) of three guys that would take a leadership role depending on personnel on the floor.

This year should be JFBs, but he has only stepped up to it in small spurts. That's left a weird little void where Jimmy wasn't doing it and no one else would step up because it was Jimmy's. Maybe there's some addition by subtraction here.

Junior, Vander and Crowder all have the poise to do it. Will they? We have a whole off-season to debate that.

In terms of games played for MU, will Junior be the most experienced player on the team next year?

[mugrad2006]

Echoing the sentiments of many folks on here, I think PG play is the key to next season.  Lets remember that DB was never really a true PG, and Junior's basically a freshman. 

We were all jacked up to have Junior coming to MU, salivating over the highlight reel's, but then the reality of being a freshman PG in the Big East set in.  Give him his first healthy offseason with the staff, and a year's worth of BEast play, and I expect him to make a huge jump next year.  Although not where we'd like him to be, I think he's made a lot of progress in the last 3 weeks, and expect an even higher trajectory to continue.

On another note, I think DJO should be shooting first, asking questions later to open up the rest of the game.  I don't care if he goes 2-12 in a game, just go in with the mentality of bombing treys.

[NavinRJohnson]

On another note, I think DJO should be shooting first, asking questions later to open up the rest of the game.  I don't care if he goes 2-12 in a game, just go in with the mentality of bombing treys.

I tend to agree with this. As good as that pump fake is, if you don't end up getting a good shot off of it, which happens often, you're better off jacking the three.

[tower912]

We are better if somebody steps up and decides to be the man.   Whether it is Crowder, Wilson, Cadougan, DJO....somebody has to be the coach on the floor, the one that demands the ball, the one who wants to guard the other team's best player, the one who wants to take the big shot, the one who calls his teammates into a huddle at the foul line and chews ass.     Other than JB 40% of the time, this year's team lacks that.   If a true leader emerges, we are better.   If one doesn't we are worse.   I missed yesterday's game due to familial obligations, but when against Cinci, when you are down two possessions with a minute to go and your two leading scorers pass on open 3's..... that is on the player's not seizing the moment. 

[NavinRJohnson]

but when against Cinci, when you are down two possessions with a minute to go and your two leading scorers pass on open 3's..... that is on the player's not seizing the moment. 

Bingo! There was not a more defining moment for this season, that that one.

[willie warrior]

We are better if somebody steps up and decides to be the man.   Whether it is Crowder, Wilson, Cadougan, DJO....somebody has to be the coach on the floor, the one that demands the ball, the one who wants to guard the other team's best player, the one who wants to take the big shot, the one who calls his teammates into a huddle at the foul line and chews ass.     Other than JB 40% of the time, this year's team lacks that.   If a true leader emerges, we are better.   If one doesn't we are worse.   I missed yesterday's game due to familial obligations, but when against Cinci, when you are down two possessions with a minute to go and your two leading scorers pass on open 3's..... that is on the player's not seizing the moment. 

We will need somebody to be that man next year. Not knowing any of the players personally I would say it will have to be DJO or Otule, they will have been in the system the longest. Don't know if otule is capable of taking the Big Shot, so by default it looks like it will have to be DJO.

[mugrad2006]

... but when against Cinci, when you are down two possessions with a minute to go and your two leading scorers pass on open 3's..... that is on the player's not seizing the moment. 

I was confused by that one as well, and discussed it with a couple of friends.  Did they pass up the shots because they're not 'the man' or because Buzz preaches the pump fake and paint so much that they couldn't overcome that instinct?  Or did Buzz coach something else in the huddle?  Those two passed up three's were just gut wrenching, I just can't figure out why they did it when everyone in the BC was screaming 'Shoot!' in their minds.

[NavinRJohnson]

I was confused by that one as well, and discussed it with a couple of friends.  Did they pass up the shots because they're not 'the man' or because Buzz preaches the pump fake and paint so much that they couldn't overcome that instinct?  Or did Buzz coach something else in the huddle?  Those two passed up three's were just gut wrenching, I just can't figure out why they did it when everyone in the BC was screaming 'Shoot!' in their minds.

I hear that. When you preach making the extra pass all year long, it can be tough to adjust, but I look at it this way...Would Lazar Harward have passed up that shot? Mo Acker? Wes Matthews? Jerell McNeal? No chance.

[tower912]

Add Steve Novak, Travis Diener or even (shudder imagining the nearly inevitable clanging) Dominic James. 

[deep vacuum]

We will need somebody to be that man next year. Not knowing any of the players personally I would say it will have to be DJO or Otule, they will have been in the system the longest. Don't know if otule is capable of taking the Big Shot, so by default it looks like it will have to be DJO.

Otule?  Not sure if he can command the ball with his sight limitation.  I think with better PG play he could develop into one of the top guys but he needs to be feed the ball properly.  DJO?  When you're the "man", you don't consistently pass up open looks and dish out to covered teammates.  The "man" helps make his teammates better players.  I'll get trashed for this but I wish we had David Cubillan over DJO for this current season for a variety of reasons.