Buzz asks: "Who on our team would you deem a shooter?"

[MU82]

Here's one of the things Buzz said at his press conference after the Seton Hall game:

Entering today we were second in the league in field-goal percentage and nobody thinks we can shoot, and for the most part they're right. But we're second in the league in field-goal percentage. And who on our team would you deem a shooter?

I would deem nobody on the team "a shooter," because when I think of a shooter I think of a Stephon Curry or a Steve Novak or a Reggie Miller. Or at least a Darius Johnson-Odom.

Vander has made himself a much more efficient scorer because he is being patient, taking better shots and making more of them. But you're not "a shooter" when you barely hit 30% of your 3s (which Buzz also pointed out in later comments).

Gardner is a scorer against the right defenses (and if he gets the calls from the refs so he can spend much of his time at the FT line). But he's hardly "a shooter," as he showed yesterday when left open for 2 long set-shots. Otule has a wonderful .700 FG pct but that doesn't make him a shooter, as we all know. Some folks here think Mayo is a great shooter but the numbers certainly don't support that.

The closest thing we have to "a shooter" is Jamil, who has great form and definitely has the ability to get hot. He is hitting 42.6% of his treys, though only 35.5% in conference play. Overall, he's shooting 44.7% in league play. He also  has a tendency to coast for long stretches, though he has played with more intensity lately.

Despite his coyness, Buzz knows exactly why we are second in the league in shooting percentage. (Actually, updating with last night's stats, we rank third in all games at .466 and first in league games at .455.) When we are executing our offense -- especially against the less-adept defensive teams -- we get lots of layups, lots of wide-open jumpers and lots of free throws. It certainly isn't because we knock down 3s against zone defenses.

So what does this mean going forward? As Michael Hunt said in his game story:

Marquette is going to face much tougher competition in the tournament, where the Golden Eagles will have to make jump shots to win.

That was true last year, when we would have beaten Florida if we shot even 40%, and it will be true again in 2013.

[NavinRJohnson]

So this begs the question for me, was Jake Thomas brought in to be that shooter, and simply failed to live up to Buzz's expectations, or was he brought here to be a practice player? As much time as he got early in the year, I suspect it may be the former. You add that element to this team, and they would be awfully tough to beat.

[Big Papi]

So this begs the question for me, was Jake Thomas brought in to be that shooter, and simply failed to live up to Buzz's expectations, or was he brought here to be a practice player? As much time as he got early in the year, I suspect it may be the former. You add that element to this team, and they would be awfully tough to beat.

He was brought in as a walk-on so a practice player as coaches don't brings in walk-ons to contribute in games. 
The only reason he ended up getting any minutes was because we had one guard leave in the summer and Mayo ended up getting suspended.  Thomas by circumstance was thrust into a situation where he had his chance to contribute in an area we were sorely lacking but then again there was a reason he came here as a walk-on compared to a scholarship player.  As soon as Mayo was eligible, Thomas was on the bench permanently. 

[79Warrior]

So this begs the question for me, was Jake Thomas brought in to be that shooter, and simply failed to live up to Buzz's expectations, or was he brought here to be a practice player? As much time as he got early in the year, I suspect it may be the former. You add that element to this team, and they would be awfully tough to beat.

There is no question. Thomas is not a BE player.

[77ncaachamps]

Dylan flood

[Windyplayer]

Vander has made himself a much more efficient scorer because he is being patient, taking better shots and making more of them. But you're not "a shooter" when you barely hit 30% of your 3s (which Buzz also pointed out in later comments).

Calling Vander a "much more efficient scorer" really devalues what kind of player he is this year and what he means to the team. The label of "efficient scorer" makes it sound as if he's only taking wide open shots and scoring 8 or 9 game. Some of the mid range to long jumpers Blue is taking and draining this year are nothing short of NBA material. If he were taking those shots last year--with a hand in his face and with time remaining on the shot clock--and clanking them, the board would be ripping into him and rightly so (for inefficiency). So though I agree he's letting the game come to him-no question about it, he gets it now, I wouldn't say that he's an efficient scorer. He's just become a flat-out stud and is drilling a lot of the shots he took earlier in his MU career that weren't falling for a variety of reasons. In addition, he still has that jaw-dropping athleticism with a silky smooth touch around the rim. If we get to the Elite Eight this year, you can expect to hear VB's name called on Draft Day next year.

I know this is slightly off topic, but Blue deserves all the credit in the world for this team's success. And I thought calling him an "efficient scorer" somewhat took away from what he's done this year especially in BEast play.

[tower912]

Vander has gotten stronger around the rim, just like JFB did.   He has learned to finish drives with his left hand, which makes him much more difficult to defend.  

[MU82]

Calling Vander a "much more efficient scorer" really devalues what kind of player he is this year and what he means to the team. The label of "efficient scorer" makes it sound as if he's only taking wide open shots and scoring 8 or 9 game. Some of the mid range to long jumpers Blue is taking and draining this year are nothing short of NBA material. If he were taking those shots last year--with a hand in his face and with time remaining on the shot clock--and clanking them, the board would be ripping into him and rightly so (for inefficiency). So though I agree he's letting the game come to him-no question about it, he gets it now, I wouldn't say that he's an efficient scorer. He's just become a flat-out stud and is drilling a lot of the shots he took earlier in his MU career that weren't falling for a variety of reasons. In addition, he still has that jaw-dropping athleticism with a silky smooth touch around the rim. If we get to the Elite Eight this year, you can expect to hear VB's name called on Draft Day next year.

I know this is slightly off topic, but Blue deserves all the credit in the world for this team's success. And I thought calling him an "efficient scorer" somewhat took away from what he's done this year especially in BEast play.

windy:

You are reading far too much into what I said. I was never a Vander-basher and I'm really enjoying the way he has matured and taken ownership of this team. If you feel I didn't go far enough in praising him, OK, that's your opinion.

But this thread is about answering Buzz's question, and as well as Vander has played this season, he still isn't what one would "deem a shooter."

Unless you define "shooter" different than Buzz and I do.

[NotAnAlum]

MU has a high shooting % because they score from the low post or drive.  In a drive many shots that woulld have been misses are ruled fouls and therefore don't count as misses.  And for MU's part they make their free throws and therefore score on what would otherwise have been misses.  As Buzz would say "that's the way we are built".  If an opponent can stop MU's low post game and stop the drive so that we have to rely on outside shooting our % will go down more than even most teams and we will lose.  Our team has not suddenly become better shooters.  They have just been better at executing the 2 things they do well.
If this team had better shooters they would truely be almost impossible to defend because you can sometimes take away 2 things but its almost impossible to take away 3.  As it is we have one big weakness but then so do almost all teams.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Vander's midrange game is the best I've seen at MU in quite some time. He's got that 12-18 footer down cold. So while not a dead-eye 3pt shooter (yet), he has become an excellent midrange shooter. Jamil is hot and cold with the midrange game too.

[keefe]

Vander's midrange game is the best I've seen at MU in quite some time. He's got that 12-18 footer down cold. So while not a dead-eye 3pt shooter (yet), he has become an excellent midrange shooter. Jamil is hot and cold with the midrange game too.

Agree. What's more is that he now nails a pull open. That really makes his dribble drive that much more effective.

[JakeBarnes]

Vander's midrange game is the best I've seen at MU in quite some time. He's got that 12-18 footer down cold. So while not a dead-eye 3pt shooter (yet), he has become an excellent midrange shooter. Jamil is hot and cold with the midrange game too.

His midrange game is what I kept hoping to see Wes develop. It's pretty awesome.

[keefe]

The most famous Shooter of all-time. Unfortunately, he is a Hoosier