Andy Katz -Junior Lock at Point

[ATLmarquettefan]

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/37357/3-point-shots-mizzou-tourney-no-lock

"3. Marquette returned Saturday from its three days outside Milwaukee, staying at a campground in log cabins, practicing in elementary and middle schools and bonding in preparation for a Big East top-five run. Roles are being defined and already there were some positive vibes coming out of the experience. Junior Cadougan is the lock at the point, Darius Johnson-Odom is his sidekick and the Golden Eagles are expecting consistent play out of Jae Crowder inside with lot of pressure on 6-foot-11 center Chris Otule, wing Vander Blue and Oregon transfer Jamil Wilson to produce to ensure the Eagles max their potential."

[GGGG]

On related note...Buzz calls Derrick Wilson the best on-ball freshman defender he has had at MU.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rapid-reports/post/15813934

The more I see Vander classified as a "wing," and read these reports about DWilson, I am beginning to think that the former will be basically a switchable while the latter will be the back up at point.  So here is where I think this is heading...

Post: Otule, Gardner
Point: Junior, DWilson
Switchables: DJO, Crowder, Blue, JWilson

TBD: Anderson, Mayo, Jones

[copious1218]

On related note...Buzz calls Derrick Wilson the best on-ball freshman defender he has had at MU.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rapid-reports/post/15813934

The more I see Vander classified as a "wing," and read these reports about DWilson, I am beginning to think that the former will be basically a switchable while the latter will be the back up at point.  So here is where I think this is heading...

Post: Otule, Gardner
Point: Junior, DWilson
Switchables: DJO, Crowder, Blue, JWilson

TBD: Anderson, Mayo, Jones

Hard to argue with that as an 8-man rotation once BE starts. 

[tower912]

I want one more forward.   JA or JJ have to step up.    Even if it is for 10 minutes a game.   

[GGGG]

The only problem I have with it is that you are replacing Buycks and Butler with the Wilsons....and they may not provide enough to replace their offensive numbers.  I am hoping that one of the others could break into the rotation to provide some offense.

[Silkk the Shaka]

I want one more forward.   JA or JJ have to step up.    Even if it is for 10 minutes a game.   

Buzz has often said his ideal rotation would be 9.5 players deep.  I think by Big East play the Jamailman will solidify himself in that 9th slot for ~10/12mpg, while Anderson and Mayo will take turns with the .5 slot as matchups and game situations dictate.

[fanofTR]

My expectations for Juan Anderson have gone down a lot the more I keep reading. Not saying he wont be a good player for us sometime down the road but his offensive game sounds like it needs much improvement and also his body needs to change to be able to compete at a High D-1 level. At first I thought he was the crown jewel of this class and would give his big minutes right away but now after hearing and reading some things this preseason it sounds like Wilson will get the most minutes as a freshman followed by maybe Mayo because of his offensive capabilities and then maybe Juan for a little PT here and there.

Now I havent seen Juan play at all yet in person, does anyone agree with that assesment that we should not expect much from him this upcoming season?

[PGsHeroes32]

The only problem I have with it is that you are replacing Buycks and Butler with the Wilsons....and they may not provide enough to replace their offensive numbers.  I am hoping that one of the others could break into the rotation to provide some offense.

True, but if Dwilson can handle the ball and play D thats a big improvement over Buycks. Jamil has the talent to replace some of butler just not the intangibles or senior experience yet. Even if they dont provide enough on offense......we have DJO, Crowder and even Vander and Gardner who will surpass their offensive production from a year before more than making up for it.

[79Warrior]

My expectations for Juan Anderson have gone down a lot the more I keep reading. Not saying he wont be a good player for us sometime down the road but his offensive game sounds like it needs much improvement and also his body needs to change to be able to compete at a High D-1 level. At first I thought he was the crown jewel of this class and would give his big minutes right away but now after hearing and reading some things this preseason it sounds like Wilson will get the most minutes as a freshman followed by maybe Mayo because of his offensive capabilities and then maybe Juan for a little PT here and there.

Now I havent seen Juan play at all yet in person, does anyone agree with that assesment that we should not expect much from him this upcoming season?

I would never expect to much from a Freshman.

[MerrittsMustache]

My expectations for Juan Anderson have gone down a lot the more I keep reading. Not saying he wont be a good player for us sometime down the road but his offensive game sounds like it needs much improvement and also his body needs to change to be able to compete at a High D-1 level. At first I thought he was the crown jewel of this class and would give his big minutes right away but now after hearing and reading some things this preseason it sounds like Wilson will get the most minutes as a freshman followed by maybe Mayo because of his offensive capabilities and then maybe Juan for a little PT here and there.

Now I havent seen Juan play at all yet in person, does anyone agree with that assesment that we should not expect much from him this upcoming season?

IMO, Juan is going to be the player I (we?/Buzz?) anticipated Erik Williams would become.

[Dr. Blackheart]

I want one more forward.   JA or JJ have to step up.    Even if it is for 10 minutes a game.  

I think we'll see The Ox get some minutes at the 4 as well in certain match-up situations where he is not exposed on the defensive end.  Why? Because J. Wilson can be flexed in so many ways.  Might see a line-up of Otule, Crowder, Ox on the frontline with a DJO and JWilson.  We'd still have three scorers on the floor with quickness, but the height advantage would be tough for certain opponents to deal with in some situations--say a Bucky.

Buzz could have CO set the high pick to take Berggren out (as Bo likes to use his center to delay the dribble on the pick as does Buzz), while Ox posts up Evans or Bruiser.  Gardner could also set the high screen for a pick and pop.  JWilson would own Gasser either inside or out. Buzz couldn't do that last year. Just an example...don't see a lot of minutes for this but it wouldn't surprise me.

[GGGG]

I think we'll see The Ox get some minutes at the 4 as well in certain match-up situations where he is not exposed on the defensive end.  Why? Because J. Wilson can be flexed in so many ways.  Might see a line-up of Otule, Crowder, Ox on the frontline with a DJO and JWilson.  We'd still have three scorers on the floor with quickness, but the height advantage would be tough for certain opponents to deal with in some situations--say a Bucky.

Buzz could have CO set the high pick to take Berggren out (as Bo likes to use his center to delay the dribble on the pick as does Buzz), while Ox posts up Evans or Bruiser.  Gardner could also set the high screen for a pick and pop.  JWilson would own Gasser either inside or out. Buzz couldn't do that last year. Just an example...don't see a lot of minutes for this but it wouldn't surprise me.

Who handles?  DJO?

[brewcity77]

I am in love with JA's game, but I don't expect much from him as a freshman. His creativity is amazing, but his game needs to be refined. He also definitely needs to add muscle. I think he'll see 5-10 minutes during non-con play and that will only dwindle as Big East play starts. But I think he could go from averaging 5 minutes as a freshman to 25 minutes as a super-switchable by his sophomore year.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Who handles?  DJO?

DJO in the Bucky case.  I think Taylor would own JWil, but in other cases, JWilson could play Point Forward and own the match-up.  Buzz has already hinted at using Wilson in this way.  Expect it.

Editing to add that with Nankivil out, who was underrated in the Swing for his athleticism and flexibility, Bo has to post more with Berggren or Anderson as their skill sets are different, allowing the Ox (or Otule) to not get as exposed on the defensive end (read play zone).

[NersEllenson]

My expectations for Juan Anderson have gone down a lot the more I keep reading. Not saying he wont be a good player for us sometime down the road but his offensive game sounds like it needs much improvement and also his body needs to change to be able to compete at a High D-1 level. At first I thought he was the crown jewel of this class and would give his big minutes right away but now after hearing and reading some things this preseason it sounds like Wilson will get the most minutes as a freshman followed by maybe Mayo because of his offensive capabilities and then maybe Juan for a little PT here and there.

Now I havent seen Juan play at all yet in person, does anyone agree with that assesment that we should not expect much from him this upcoming season?

My guess is the Juan's career at MU will very closely parallel Jimmy Butler's in virtually every way.  Juan will be a fan and program favorite.  His character is said to be of Jimmy's caliber.  Juan has a VERY high basketball IQ.  Juan is a tenacious and eager defender.  Juan has a nose for the ball/rebounds.  Juan sees the floor extermely well, and will consistently make "winning" plays/decisions as he matures.

All this said, I don't expect much of anything from Juan as a freshman.  His body and offensive game will likely improve significantly over the next 12 months at MU to where he is ready to contribute as a sophomore.  He very likely will turn out to be the crown jewel of this recruiting class, which in my view, may go down as Buzz's best yet - even though it was ranked the worst of his previous 3.

[GGGG]

Editing to add that with Nankivil out, who was underrated in the Swing for his athleticism and flexibility, Bo has to post more with Berggren or Anderson as their skill sets are different, allowing the Ox (or Otule) to not get as exposed on the defensive end (read play zone).

I was actually talking to my brother the UW-alum about this over the weekend.  He is actually concerned because he doesn't belive they have the inside-out players that Leuer and Nankivil were.  Brusewitz can do some of that, but Bergerren cannot.  He feels that someone is going to have to step up from a recent recruiting class...Brust, Dukan, etc. 

[lab_warrior]

Buzz has often said his ideal rotation would be 9.5 players deep.  I think by Big East play the Jamailman will solidify himself in that 9th slot for ~10/12mpg, while Anderson and Mayo will take turns with the .5 slot as matchups and game situations dictate.

Agree, I am pretty confident Jamail will play very well in this role, knock down some 3s, step it up on D, and give some valuable minutes this year.  He showed some flashes at the end of last year of being a really solid player.  

IMO, Juan is going to be the player I (we?/Buzz?) anticipated Erik Williams would become.

Disagree, I think Juan has a WAY higher ceiling than EWill.  I think he is probably as good as EWill right now, but maybe that's what you meant.  

[Dr. Blackheart]

I think Juan and DWilson both earn PT with their defense.

[DienerTime34]

Anderson will help on offense, I hear he is very good at taking guys Juan-on-Juan.

[MattyWarrior]

I think Juan Anderson will suprise us all. He's got a nose for the ball and loves to spread the ball around. I think he's all about team
and willing to do the dirty work, defend,rebound and play team defense. He just sounds like he's a little more mature to me..

[DienerTime34]

I think Juan Anderson will suprise us all. He's got a nose for the ball and loves to spread the ball around. I think he's all about team
and willing to do the dirty work, defend,rebound and play team defense. He just sounds like he's a little more mature to me..

Agree, he definitely won't leave us Juanting for effort.

[tower912]

If DG plays at the 4 for more than a few experimental moments against cupcakes, I will be stunned.   He and Otule could a great team at the.    Playing both at the same time creates the potential for needless foul difficulties, and defensive matchup issues.   Which one is going to defend 20 ft from the basket?

[jeffreyweee]

If DG plays at the 4 for more than a few experimental moments against cupcakes, I will be stunned.   He and Otule could a great team at the.    Playing both at the same time creates the potential for needless foul difficulties, and defensive matchup issues.   Which one is going to defend 20 ft from the basket?

Zone

[brewcity77]

I was actually talking to my brother the UW-alum about this over the weekend.  He is actually concerned because he doesn't belive they have the inside-out players that Leuer and Nankivil were.  Brusewitz can do some of that, but Bergerren cannot.  He feels that someone is going to have to step up from a recent recruiting class...Brust, Dukan, etc.

Taylor, Brusewitz, and Gasser can all step outside a bit. But they certainly don't have the wealth of options they had a year ago with Leuer, Nankivil, and even Jarmusz. I don't know about their other recruits, but they may have to have their 4 and 5 be more conventional bruiser types.

I think the guy who will be the unexpected impact for most is Evan Anderson. He fits the bruiser role down low. He's going to be a space eater and should make things difficult on us for the next four years. Having a year to prime himself for a role should do the kid well. I'm not looking forward to seeing him in a Badger uniform at all.

[bilsu]

I think Juan Anderson has hugh upside, but I do not expect him to play a lot this year. He has two problems, the biggest of which is he is way to thin. He is not ready to play in Big East. The second one is he tries to get too creative with the ball. He needs to learn to do fundamently sound things. However, I have concluded from watching him play at Marquette Madness with/against Matthews, Hayward and Butler that he has their quickness and athleticism. I also notice that Crowder does not. Crowder will not play in the NBA, but Anderson can, if he works hard. I do think Gardner will play several minutes at the four this year. He is MU's best offensive player and I am not forgetting about DJO. DJO will score more, but that is because DJO will take more shots.