How much is MU gonna miss Novak?

[NYWarrior]

OMG this YouTube clips is astonishing.....

http://marquettebasketball.blogspot.com/2006/10/steve-freaking-novak.html

[rocky_warrior]

Holy...awesome.  I have a feeling teams are gonna' regret passing on him in the draft.

Love to see MU's guys doing well in the association.

[WarriorsNow]

I think they're going to miss Novak a lot more than people think. We have a ton of great guards. Unfortunately, none of them can shoot. I really think James was the primary beneficiary of a fantastic perimeter player in that he could penetrate almost at will. I expect teams to try very hard to eliminate that from MU's arsenal. McNeal is another guy who relies almost solely on penetration. Without Novak around, that will be much more difficult. The wild card is Matthews, who is probably the only decent shooter of the "Three Amigos."

[rocky_warrior]

That's a good question to ask about the HH scrimage...how did everyone's shots look?  From the MM recaps it seemed like all the guards + fitz (and Kinsella) were displaying much better perimeter shooting. 

I don't think any one person can replace novak's shooting.  But if we can get 5 different guys to sink an extra 3pt shot per game, that would just about do it - and I think that's how this years team will have to do it.

[spiral97]

Further, I'd almost rather have 5 guys who can shoot an extra 3pt shot per game - that would keep the opponents D honest all the time, not just when a particular player is in the game and happens to be standing at the big arc.  Who you gonna double team in that scenario?

[Big Papi]

I think they're going to miss Novak a lot more than people think.

I don't think we are going to miss him any more than any other decent program who loses a good player.  This is starting to get a little old however that is a good thing.  What I mean by that is that first it was how are we going to replace Wade, than Diener, now Novak, next year James, the year after might be Barro and the year after that will be Matthews and McNeal.  Each year we will be hearing the same thing but with a different player.

No doubt, Novak was a great talent and I feel that TC was able to use him to the best of his abilities but Novak did have weaknesses as well.  As long as TC is around he will continue to  bring in very talented players like a Wade, Diener, Novak, James, etc.   Furthermore, he does a very good job at understanding the teams strengths and weaknesses and puts together great gameplans that help us win. 

[WarriorsNow]

The answer to the question of how we were going to replace Wade was...not very well. We missed the NCAA two straight years after the FF. I don't think we missed Diener at all. I just think it'll be a different story with Novak. He was just such a huge presence.

I agree that it's a nice discussion to be having!

[Big Papi]

The answer to the question of how we were going to replace Wade was...not very well. We missed the NCAA two straight years after the FF. I don't think we missed Diener at all. I just think it'll be a different story with Novak. He was just such a huge presence.

I agree that it's a nice discussion to be having!

Well replacing a player who is probably a top 5 NBA player would be tough to replace for anyone not named Duke, North Carolina and a few others so no we didn't replace him very well but than again Novak is not a top 5 NBA player. 

He was a very good player for us last year but he did have his limitations.  Novak is a phenomenal outside shooter and will not be replaced from that standpoint but his limitations last year at the 4 are now our strengths(athleticism).  Hayward and Fitz have the reputation as good outside shooters and we should expect better outside shooting from Matthews, McNeal and Dom.  Furthermore, it sounds like Fitz and Hayward will more than adequately supply the rebounding of Novak from last year and are definitely better ball handlers.  Novak is a great player but not irreplaceable. 

It is up to TC to develop the gameplan.  I have no doubts he will find a way to open up those lanes and design plays for wide open 3 point shots that any of our 1-4 position players can hit with regularity.   

And yes it certainly is a great discussion to have.

[MUCrisco]

I took a look at the Pitt @ MU game recently.  Previously, I was under the impression that we were going to miss Novak a great deal.  Last year, we had the perfect compliment of players, with Novak opening up the lane for the Amigos, and the Amigos drawing the attention away from Novak.

However, after watching that game again, my opinion has changed.  Marquette is extremely active off of the ball.  We have so many screen the screeners, staggered screens, and double screens, that at many times during our possession, the help defense is lacking because they are chasing after the people they are guarding.  So while Novak helped a great deal in opening up the lane, I think our guards are still going to be able to penetrate.

Also, after watching the two scrimmages, it seems like Marquette will want to play faster than we did last year.  Our offense will come in the open court and off of transition.  I don't think scoring will be a problem for this team.

Rebounding and defense.  That is where we have to get better.

[Big Papi]

If you can, check out the second half of the Alabama game.  We made our big run when Novak was on the bench.  During the second run, Novak did hit back to back 3s within a span of like 10 seconds but he also missed that wide open 3 at the very end.  Novak is a great player but not irreplaceable.

[rocky_warrior]

Novak is a great player but irreplaceable.

is that what you meant to say  ???  The rest of your post seemed to indicate that you thought we'd miss him, but that we'd play differently without him in there (which would make up the difference).

[HoopDreams]

"I don't think we missed Diener at all. I just think it'll be a different story with Novak. He was just such a huge presence."

Let us all keep in mind that Travis Diener was the reason this program continued after the 2003 Final Four..and for the record Diener played all four years at Marquette..Novak was relatively nonexistant his sophomore and junior years. Novak's development from a set shooter in his early MU career to a more versatile off guard with a mid/long range shot off the dribble allowed for him to spread out defenses and Crean structured our offense to cater to his presence on the perimeter. Novak showed great improvement in his senior year and is playing in the NBA because of his performance in his senior season. Diener, I would argue, had a better overall career in his four years playing at Marquette and possessed greater defensive ability. The loss of Diener's presence in his senior season due to injury was the difference between a winning and losing basketball program. While one might argue, that the loss of any starting point guard would jeopardize a team's play, Diener was an exceptional player, and one of the best point guards MU has had, particularly in his shooting ability. Novak without a good point guard in his career at MU (Diener or James) would not have seen the same success as a player.

As for missing Novak this season, I believe we will be seeing alterations in transition and set offensive plays. Look for a much quicker offense focusing more on penetration than looks on the perimeter. Surely, Novak's shooting and ability to spread out defenses will be missed, but the points and rebounds will be allocated elsewhere. Programs experience changes each season, this year will be no different. Marquette will look to play its strengths on offense  and hopefully see growing contributions in the paint. What this team lacks in size will be compensated with speed and quickness on the offensive and defensive ends. This is still a young developing team, but a team that excels in athleticism. This Marquette team is poised to become leaders in the Big East and will continue to grow throughout the season. As stated by Jay Bilas.."when the young Eagles learn to fly, they will have the chance to soar..."

[Big Papi]

Novak is a great player but irreplaceable.

is that what you meant to say  ???  The rest of your post seemed to indicate that you thought we'd miss him, but that we'd play differently without him in there (which would make up the difference).

I forgot the "not" and did edit my previous post.  Novak is a phenomenal shooter and I don't know if we will ever see a player who can shoot the rock the way he shot it at MU but he also had some deficiencies particularly on the defensive end and ball handling ability.  I think Hayward and Fitz are definitely quicker defensive players at the 4 position.  That will allow us to trap and play a more aggressive defense that should create a ton of turnovers and easy points for us.  Also, I am not worried about our outside shooting as I think we have enough shooters who can hit the 3 this year albeit not as well.  Finally, Fitz and Hayward are also better ball handlers and should be able to take it to the hole more often than Novak did as he was mostly 1 dimensional.  We should easily have 4 players and maybe 5 on the court at the same time with the skill set of taking it to the hole and dishing for the easy shot or finishing strong.

[WarriorsNow]

rjm - I don't disagree with you at all about the relative merits of the careers of Diener and Novak. Travis clearly had the better MU career. I just think Novak will be more difficult to replace!

[Murffieus]

I think SN can not be replaced----it will be a long tome again before we have a 6' 10" on the perieter with as quick a release as he has-----and who can hit 46% on treys with defenders hanging all over him! He was the most productive player in America last year (points per shot taken).

Fitz could be a poor man's SN----but he doesn't look for the trey----looks to pass or drive first.

IMO the best lineup will have Kinsella at the #4 position----very accurate from 15 feet and can take it to the hoop!

[rocky_warrior]

We're hearing a lot of good things about Kinsella out of the 2 early scrimmages.  Based on the video we have, He looks confident shooting, and will hopefully be able to bring tough D too.

I'm just crossing my fingers he got all his bad karma / illnesses out of the way!

btw...welcome Murff.  We've had a few people ask about you.  You've got a few more to get to post #14,000+, but I know you've got it in you

[spiral97]

Welcome to the board Murf!!! Great to have you!

I will agree that it will be a looong time before we replace novak's contribution... with a single player.  But I believe we can replace his portion with a team effort.

[marqrocks]

Anytime you lose someone of his consistency and accuracy, it hurts to a degree.  However they have so many ways to score now, especially with LH cleared.  It makes them a much more dangerous team, in my mind

[LastWarrior]

Murf - wouldn't playing Kinsella at the 4 weaken our rotation at the 5 with Barro?  I always thought we should run a rotation of Barro & Kinsella at the 5 as they both have big question marks... Kinsella with injuries and Barro with fouls.