Jamal Branch, Marquette still a possibility

[GGGG]

I never understood why E. Williams started last year.  I would have no understanding why Juan should start now.

[We R Final Four]

I never understood why E. Williams started last year.  I would have no understanding why Juan should start now.

The reason E Will started last year was to prohibit Jae from picking up a foul in the first 4 minutes of the game, which he was prone to do.

[forgetful]

The reason E Will started last year was to prohibit Jae from picking up a foul in the first 4 minutes of the game, which he was prone to do.

Exactly, I think Juan could work similarly.  Also, as opposed to E. Will, Juan is a high quality on ball defender, he might just not be strong enough yet.

[GGGG]

The reason E Will started last year was to prohibit Jae from picking up a foul in the first 4 minutes of the game, which he was prone to do.

I understand why we were told that...it just made no sense to me.  And since Jae doesn't seem to be prone to picking up dumb fouls early, I think it would make even less sense to start Juan now.  That's just silly.

[MU B2002]

I understand why we were told that...it just made no sense to me.  And since Jae doesn't seem to be prone to picking up dumb fouls early, I think it would make even less sense to start Juan now.  That's just silly.

Jae seems more prone to pick up a "make up foul" as in damn I missed the layup so I am going to be over aggressive and pick up a foul reaching for a steal in the back court.

[We R Final Four]

I understand why we were told that...it just made no sense to me.  And since Jae doesn't seem to be prone to picking up dumb fouls early, I think it would make even less sense to start Juan now.  That's just silly.

Jae is prone to picking up dumb fouls early and late, and since the number of fouls allowed per person is limited, if he is not in the game in the first 4 minutes he cannot pick up a foul potentially extending his time on the floor.

[MUcookie30]

What if we just don't play Jae?  That way he will never foul out!!!

[gmhfordham1015]

Vander Blue could possibly at his best be a player very similar to Iman Shumpert who is 6'5, extremely athletic, and can shoot the 3. Hes now playing PG for the Knicks who are awful at the position and brings great energy as he drives hard and plays D. Vander can do that and at his best will be just like him.

[esotericmindguy]

Vander Blue could possibly at his best be a player very similar to Iman Shumpert who is 6'5, extremely athletic, and can shoot the 3. Hes now playing PG for the Knicks who are awful at the position and brings great energy as he drives hard and plays D. Vander can do that and at his best will be just like him.

You're delusional, sorry.

[THEultimateWARRIOR]

Still doesn't solve the head scratcher of top point guard and Wilson in the same sentence.

Maybe this will help with the head scratching? Its called player development.

Interesting article from way back.

ST. LOUIS - There were a number of talented 2011 prospects at the Nike Hoop Jamboree, and none were more impressive than combo guard Austin Rivers.

Guards

Austin Rivers- Looks to be the complete package as a combo guard. Rivers handles with savvy, scores multiple ways and has the length and athleticism to defend and rebound his position. The son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers simply has a whole lot of game and has the potential to be a dominant player as he gets physically stronger.

Nick Johnson- Maybe not quite the point guard that Rivers is, Johnson shares the same qualities as Rivers. A strong two foot jumper, Johnson is a serious scoring threat in the midrange area with his advanced repertoire of shots.

Derrick Wilson- Built like a running back, Wilson has a highly skilled game to go along with his explosive strength. A force around the rim as a scorer and rebounder, Wilson can also score the ball effectively from the outside and has the basketball IQ to run a team.

Jamal Branch- A smooth athlete with a dose of athleticism, Branch is oozing with upside. He scores the ball well off the dribble, shows instincts on the defensive side of the ball and will only get better as he gets stronger.


http://cleveland.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1072&CID=818638

[GGGG]

The problem is that article is from 2008.  My recollection is that D Wilson dropped a bit as his recruitment went on, because he was playing out of position on his AAU team.  He had a number of high majors inquiring about him, but those went away.  MU stuck with him.

I clearly think the jury is still out on him simply because he hasn't asserted himself at all offensively.  For a guy who came out with a combo guard rep, he seems to project nothing but a point guard at this level.

[madtownwarrior]

seems to happen at least every other game - so frequently - I tell people watching the game with me as soon as Jae misses a layup, watch for a Crowder foul in the next 20 seconds...

Jae seems more prone to pick up a "make up foul" as in damn I missed the layup so I am going to be over aggressive and pick up a foul reaching for a steal in the back court.

[bilsu]

I think Vander would be more effective at 1 than the 3. However, I disagree with him replacing Cadougan. Cadougan is not a superstar, but he is tough. Look who scored the last bucket for MU to tie the game. It was Cadougan taking it to the hole. I did not see anyone else trying to keep us from losing that game. There is no way Blue scores on that drive. I prefer not to use a three guard linup, but given our shortage of bigmen we have to. Besides that Blue missed two drives during our meltdown on on a third drive, realizing he could not score by taking it all the way to the basket, he threw away a pass when he should of just pulled up and shot a 5 footer. I do not see playing Blue as a plus. Although, I have to give him credit for hitting two free throws when we were melting down. Blue would be the one I would replace in this linup, but there are not many options. Jamil would be the best, but that would mean playing all three of our semi-big guys at once. Mayo would give us a lot more scoring puch, but we would lose something on the defensive end. However, maybe that would not be so bad, since Blue is too small to play effective half court defense in Big East anyways.

[GGGG]

I think Vander would be more effective at 1 than the 3. However, I disagree with him replacing Cadougan. Cadougan is not a superstar, but he is tough. Look who scored the last bucket for MU to tie the game. It was Cadougan taking it to the hole. I did not see anyone else trying to keep us from losing that game. There is no way Blue scores on that drive. I prefer not to use a three guard linup, but given our shortage of bigmen we have to. Besides that Blue missed two drives during our meltdown on on a third drive, realizing he could not score by taking it all the way to the basket, he threw away a pass when he should of just pulled up and shot a 5 footer.

Just to point out, you picked out the one good thing Junior did in that game, and the couple of bad things that Vander did in that game.  I think it was pretty obvious that Vander played an all around better game than Junior did on Wednesday.

[brewcity77]

Regardless, Junior is gone after next year. Branch being able to suit up as a sophomore next January would be a great addition, but there will have to be a subtraction as well, and it won't address our length issues. However, we would have Otule (hopefully healthy), Gardner, Steve Taylor, and Durley, plus Wilson with more experience playing in the post, which would help a lot with our length problems.

Having Blue, Branch, and DW as options at the point in 2013-14 wouldn't be a bad problem at all to have, and I'd love to have Branch as an extra ball-handler or backup point next season.

[UticaBusBarn]

Well fans, this is the core question. Setting the rotation is key to the Warriors playing like a team, as opposed to a gathering of talented guys.

This fan thinks Coach Williams might have it close to right, with Davante Gardner and Mayo coming off the bench. The one open question is the point guard as correctly pointed out. It probably is worth the risk to try Blue. We will see.

Coach Williams "fixed" the midget team of two years ago by going even smaller. Last year he "fixed" the team down the stretch by playing Jimmy Butler on the opposing team's star.

Coach Williams will get it right again this year - sooner than later, one would hope.