Jake Thomas Justification

[Markusquette]

Jake absolutely rejected a 3pt shot at the end of the SH game. That was a pretty awesome play.

It was a very nice play. 

[Blackhat]

Defense first.  Jake is usually in proper position/helpside as is Derrick Wilson.   The freshmen not so much.

[bilsu]

Jake is rarely open, because teams try very hard to keep him covered so he does not hit the three. I am sure part of it is the fact that he is viewed as the only three point threat, so they take him out of the game on offense. What I really like is when Thomas and Mayo are on the floor at the same time. Mayo likes to drive and having Thomas on the floor helps Mayo, because he is pulling a defender away. I will say that I think teams put to much effort into covering Thomas, but as long as they insist on covering him closely he is benefiting players like Mayo by being on the floor. I think if you pay close attention you will see that Mayo is at his best when he is on the floor with Thomas.

[Big Papi]

yeah I do think he is a key part. I just don't like the constant "little things" clamor. It's almost as annoying as the people who refuse to see any contributions of his.

Like I said though, it wouldn't really be putting JJJ in. Mayo would just be getting full time minutes. Which he should now even with Jake. Still think 27 is too low.

Yea and Mayo struggled with his shot yesterday too and has been wildly inconsistent all year long.  

These arguments are getting old and ridiculous.  

It is obvious that Buzz trusts Jake and he must be doing what Buzz wants him to do or HE WOULDN'T BE PLAYING.  And now finally Mayo is starting to earn that trust as well.  At this point in time there is nothing wrong with any of the minutes that of our players are getting.  Buzz has seen them all 10 times over what any of us have seen them and he analyzes film, talks to other coaches, etc., etc.  He is playing the players he feels gives him the best chance to win and considering his track record, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

I am going to guess that a lot of the posters who bashed Lockett's playing time last year are the ones that are bashing Jake and Derrick this year.

[PGsHeroes32]

Yea and Mayo struggled with his shot yesterday too and has been wildly inconsistent all year long.  

These arguments are getting old and ridiculous.  

It is obvious that Buzz trusts Jake and he must be doing what Buzz wants him to do or HE WOULDN'T BE PLAYING.  And now finally Mayo is starting to earn that trust as well.  At this point in time there is nothing wrong with any of the minutes that of our players are getting.  Buzz has seen them all 10 times over what any of us have seen them and he analyzes film, talks to other coaches, etc., etc.  He is playing the players he feels gives him the best chance to win and considering his track record, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

I am going to guess that a lot of the posters who bashed Lockett's playing time last year are the ones that are bashing Jake and Derrick this year.

Mayo was fantastic yesterday. A couple of shots went down and out but he attacked all game. It was a great game by Mayo so your point really doesn't exist.

[Dawson Rental]

Yea and Mayo struggled with his shot yesterday too and has been wildly inconsistent all year long.  

These arguments are getting old and ridiculous.  

It is obvious that Buzz trusts Jake and he must be doing what Buzz wants him to do or HE WOULDN'T BE PLAYING.  And now finally Mayo is starting to earn that trust as well.  At this point in time there is nothing wrong with any of the minutes that of our players are getting.  Buzz has seen them all 10 times over what any of us have seen them and he analyzes film, talks to other coaches, etc., etc.  He is playing the players he feels gives him the best chance to win and considering his track record, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

I am going to guess that a lot of the posters who bashed Lockett's playing time last year are the ones that are bashing Jake and Derrick this year.

I bet that you've hit on something there.

[GGGG]

Sultan, look at his stat line.  For the love of God, will you look at his stat line.

Stat lines really only address one side of the floor so really it isn't all that relevant how one player is doing offensively when the team seems to perform well when he is on the court.

[GGGG]

Yea and Mayo struggled with his shot yesterday too and has been wildly inconsistent all year long. 

These arguments are getting old and ridiculous. 

It is obvious that Buzz trusts Jake and he must be doing what Buzz wants him to do or HE WOULDN'T BE PLAYING.  And now finally Mayo is starting to earn that trust as well.  At this point in time there is nothing wrong with any of the minutes that of our players are getting.  Buzz has seen them all 10 times over what any of us have seen them and he analyzes film, talks to other coaches, etc., etc.  He is playing the players he feels gives him the best chance to win and considering his track record, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

I am going to guess that a lot of the posters who bashed Lockett's playing time last year are the ones that are bashing Jake and Derrick this year.

Well said.

[MU82]

Jake is rarely open, because teams try very hard to keep him covered so he does not hit the three.

I'm down with that many times. But Jake was 1-for-6 from 3-point range yesterday and 3 of the misses were on very open looks. One of 'em was that ugly thing that practically broke the backboard.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

One thing I found interesting about Jake Thomas. He is 3 for 23 from three at home against decent competition this year (OSU and BEast home games). Is there such a thing as hom court disadvantage?

[MU82]

I'm going to use one of your quotes from the Derrick Dawson argument.

Buzz sees both JJJ and Jake in practice every day. Buzz obviously sees something in Jake that he can't get from Trey J. Does Trey J have a higher ceiling? Absolutely. But right now, Jake is earning those minutes over him.

Big difference: I did not try to claim that JJJ should be starting or even playing as many minutes as Jake. I actually acknowledged that Buzz obviously feels more comfortable with Jake "and that is understandable." What I also said was: "The team's No. 1 recruit couldn't even find 3 minutes of playing time while the walk-on got 34 minutes ... "

Even if I agree that Jake does everything better than JJJ -- and I don't -- it seems absurd that we can't find a few minutes to play our No. 1 recruit. Especially considering that our starting 2G had 6 pts on 2-for-7 shooting with 0 assists and 0 steals.

I always think Dawson, Burton and Taylor should get at least a few minutes every game, too. Our starters have not proven to be so good that we should be denying any viable PT to the future of the program.

That's all. Ners says Dawson should be starting and playing 30 minutes while Derrick rides the pine. I said something very different about Jake/JJJ. Please don't try to compare the two positions.

[Newsdreams]

I'm down with that many times. But Jake was 1-for-6 from 3-point range yesterday and 3 of the misses were on very open looks. One of 'em was that ugly thing that practically broke the backboard.

Even Ray Allen goes on slumps (not comparing Jake to Allen!!). But even while he was having a terrible shooting night, his man kept guarding him closely all over the floor. Go ahead and look at the games, as much as they sag off Wilson they always keep a man on Jake. Plus his D is what keeps him on the court.

[MU82]

Even Ray Allen goes on slumps (not comparing Jake to Allen!!). But even while he was having a terrible shooting night, his man kept guarding him closely all over the floor. Go ahead and look at the games, as much as they sag off Wilson they always keep a man on Jake. Plus his D is what keeps him on the court.

Is it wrong for a Marquette fan to wish that we had a better 2G? We are a program that is coming off a S16-S16-E8 run and I'd like a shooting guard who shoots better than 34% and averages more than 7 pts and 1 ast in his 27 mpg. That's all.

[jesmu84]

Is it wrong for a Marquette fan to wish that we had a better 2G? We are a program that is coming off a S16-S16-E8 run and I'd like a shooting guard who shoots better than 34% and averages more than 7 pts and 1 ast in his 27 mpg. That's all.

Nope. Not at all. I'd personally like one too. But for some reason or another, Buzz doesn't like what the other options do with their time on the court.

[Superfan]

How do future recruits look at the lack of playing time our Frosh get?  I see a lot of freshmen on other teams getting minutes and developing.  It would be nice if ours got some meaningful time too.

[jesmu84]

How do future recruits look at the lack of playing time our Frosh get?  I see a lot of freshmen on other teams getting minutes and developing.  It would be nice if ours got some meaningful time too.

I imagine that Buzz is up front and honest with them when he's recruiting them. If they asked about a current specific player or situation, I'm sure, again, Buzz would be up front and honest with them, or as honest as he could be. Up to the player and the player's "posse" at the point.

Buzz seems to be doing just fine with recruiting. I think that whatever Buzz is saying to them is working. Does it really matter as long as they come here?

[BenCat12]

I imagine that Buzz is up front and honest with them when he's recruiting them. If they asked about a current specific player or situation, I'm sure, again, Buzz would be up front and honest with them, or as honest as he could be. Up to the player and the player's "posse" at the point.

Buzz seems to be doing just fine with recruiting. I think that whatever Buzz is saying to them is working. Does it really matter as long as they come here?

I agree he is doing fine in getting them here.  But there is more to it than that.  It is not just a matter of getting them here.  Keeping them here 4 years or until they turn pro and having them live up to expectations is important for recruiting as well.  In other words, for every Vander there has been an Erik Williams.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

In other words, for every Vander there has been an Erik Williams.

If we have one Vander for every E Will....that would make us the most successful program of all time.

[Big Papi]

Mayo was fantastic yesterday. A couple of shots went down and out but he attacked all game. It was a great game by Mayo so your point really doesn't exist.

THANK YOU!!  Your response made my point.

Its not just about points or stats but how they contribute in a team effort.  Mayo did play well and Thomas did his job even if his shot wasn't falling down.  To call out Thomas because he couldn't knock down his shots is ridiculous. Thomas plays to the game plan and creates better spacing on the offensive end for his team.  That is why Buzz plays him. 

[WarriorFan]

Jake does one thing none of you have mentioned.

He keeps the other team in man to man defense. 

Our offense against zone sucks.  We need to play against man.  Notice that as soon as teams switch to zone, he gets a look and makes a shot, and it's back to man. 

Plus he plays good D.

My criticism?  I think he needs to drive more.  It will open up his shot a bit.

[GGGG]

Is it wrong for a Marquette fan to wish that we had a better 2G? We are a program that is coming off a S16-S16-E8 run and I'd like a shooting guard who shoots better than 34% and averages more than 7 pts and 1 ast in his 27 mpg. That's all.

I completely agree with this statement.  However perhaps Buzz feels that the guy you reference above is his best option available at this point in time.

[mileskishnish72]

Got to the Pru the other night and kind of made it a point to watch Jake. He played solid D and was totally with the team concept on D. He is really unable to create his own shot and is a little slow getting his shot off - what looks like it will be pretty much uncontested often becomes a shot with a hand up there and the results were not pretty the other night. Driving is not his strong point, either. Appreciate what he's done for MU but am looking forward to next year at the 2 spot. Buzz's track record indicates that it will likely be Todd's job, at least to start.

[willie warrior]

I'm not saying jake is irreplaceable. I think by next year we will forget he was even here. I just think that right now he is part of the most consistent unit buzz pus on the floor and that simply taking him out and putting JJJ in doesn't necessarily mean improvement.

Yeah Sultan, Jake consistently adds to the consistent unit by consistently launching threes that brick. He has about three shots this year that have not been threes. I agree with Hayward above that the accolades thrown out there for guys like Jake and Juan are why out of proportion to what they contribute--the looking for the silver lining syndrome. I like both Jake and Juan--they seem like good kids and hustle which are some of the qualities we want of MU players. You go out of your way to praise these guys--a good thing but then you and some others also go in reverse to dump on Gardner and Mayo--don't like their attitude, or demeanor or lazy, etc.--which doesn't make sense. Yes, I have jumped on Mayo also--he is the height of inconsistency on this team--and IMO hogs the ball too much, but he has stepped up big in a number of games for us, as has Gardner. Without those two, we would not be 14-10, we would be about 9-15.

Now really, the bottom line is, Buzz recruited all these guys, and if guys like Juan and Jake are playing over guys like JJJ and Burton, because they are not ready--that is on Buzz--for not having those other guys ready--and for not further developing Juan and Jake. Hell, Jake came in with a big time rep of being a stud three point shooter, and Juan was about a top 70 recruit. And now they have been with Buzz for three or 4 years, and are about the same as when they arrived. I do not hate any of these guys, just feel like there are some developmental issues with some of our players that Buzz has brought in. Is it all Buzz's fault--No! Asst. Coaches and probably some analysis errors, and other factors. The problem is this years team seems to be much more exposed for the weaknesses than prior teams.

[GGGG]

willie...I don't go out of my way to praise guys like Jake and Juan.  I defend how and why they are being used.  I agree that we need better production out of both positions if we are to be a better team however.

And as for Todd and Davante, I said that both should start weeks ago....along with Jamil, Derrick and Jake.  (And look at the line up that has been producing late in both games.  Yeah I know...blind squirrel and all that.)

[frozena pizza]

I really wish JJJ played better defense so we could see more of him.  But right now he is nowhere near as good as Jake as a defender and he is not going to earn minutes on his offense alone.  He'll get it eventually.

By the way, the "Buzz sees them in practice every day and knows more about basketball than you" might be true but it's also the dumbest and laziest argument for justifying his coaching moves.  Just because it's his job it doesn't mean he can't be questioned.