WAYY Too Early Impressions

[muwarrior69]

Thoughts...

• Offense will be a challenge, but 72 of the 74 shots were either threes or twos in the paint. Those are high percentage shots. Both mid-range shots were missed, which will help Nevada Smith reinforce the threes and dunks/layups offensive plan. I don't think this is a great offensive team, but a great offensive strategy will minimize their deficiencies.[/color]
  
• The defensive intensity was something else. Totally different than Wojo. They were still pressuring and diving with a 40+ point lead. I saw Joplin go to the floor with about 4 minutes left. Once they get the team concepts, they'll be really good.
  
• Kur Kuath is a difference maker. Uses his length well, smart shot blocker, tries to dunk everything. He's never averaged more than 17 minutes, but he platooned with a very good Brady Manek last year. I'm hoping he can average 25 mpg. In games where he played 25+ mpg, Kuath averaged 9.2 ppg/4.7 rpg/2.5 bpg with 4/6 games at a 119 ORtg or better.
  
• The most ready freshmen on this team are Wojo's recruits. Both Mitchell & Jones look like day one contributors. Joplin, Ellis, & Itejere (RS) aren't there yet.
  
• O-Max needs to find consistency. He was average at best last night after being great in the open practice. He started, so I assume he is at least showing flashes in practice too.
  
• This team is fun to watch. The quick inbounds, constantly looking for a good shot, pushing the pace, creating turnovers, this team plays the modern game, just need the experience and talent to deliver results.

I realize we played a D2 team, but scoring 90+ points does not appear to be a team that is offensively challenged; or is it that our perimeter game needs to improve. I hope Kolek can find his shot.

[mileskishnish72]

Well, 5 of 8 from downtown isn't too shabby.

[MU82]

I realize we played a D2 team, but scoring 90+ points does not appear to be a team that is offensively challenged; or is it that our perimeter game needs to improve. I hope Kolek can find his shot.

That game was about getting on the court and getting a sense of each other while competing against players who aren't your teammates.

Statistically and artistically, nothing that happened in the game matters.

I'm glad they got to run around and play some hoops. And I'm glad nobody got hurt.

Reality starts tomorrow night. For that matter, it might be 2 weeks -- after Illinois and Charleston -- till we get a sense of whether this team can be any good. And even then, I like to think this will be a team that improves as the season goes along.

[muwarrior69]

That game was about getting on the court and getting a sense of each other while competing against players who aren't your teammates.

Statistically and artistically, nothing that happened in the game matters.

I'm glad they got to run around and play some hoops. And I'm glad nobody got hurt.

Reality starts tomorrow night. For that matter, it might be 2 weeks -- after Illinois and Charleston -- till we get a sense of whether this team can be any good. And even then, I like to think this will be a team that improves as the season goes along.

Absolutely! I was just wondering why Tower thinks the team will be offensively challenged base on what he saw in that game.

[MUfan12]

I thought I read/heard during the radio broadcast that MU never once fed the post.    Is this accurate?

Not entirely accurate. But they got so much off of transition it was hard to tell what they are gonna do in the halfcourt.

That said, with guys like Lewis and O-Max, they should be actively hunting switches and getting those dudes posted up on smaller guards.

[tower912]

Absolutely! I was just wondering why Tower thinks the team will be offensively challenged base on what he saw in that game.

Didn't 'see' the game.   Bowie state was a macaroon.   Not even a cupcake, just higher sugar content.

[avid1010]

Not entirely accurate. But they got so much off of transition it was hard to tell what they are gonna do in the halfcourt.

That said, with guys like Lewis and O-Max, they should be actively hunting switches and getting those dudes posted up on smaller guards.

I've seen MU play bully ball a few times with different players...not necessarily looking to post up...but to get points in the paint with your back to the basket.  They've done it out of the high post or in isolation.  As someone referenced it will be 3's and lay-ups/paint points...which makes perfect sense.  A lot is being made of Kolek being more than just a shooter and being able to make plays with the ball in his hands.  IMHO, if he can do this against BE level talent MU will exceed expectations.   I always love watching scrimmages because guys know how to defend their teammates (watching Wade in practices/scrimmages was unreal).  Kolek struggled a bit in the scrimmage.  That could have been a bad day, or it could be a sign as to what is going to happen when he plays against teams that are well prepared for him/MU and athletic.  I think we know what we have in Lewis, Morsell, and Kuath...if OMP and Kolek have a strong year...we're in good shape.  Greg should eventually give us some additional 3pt shooting...the freshmen and Oso need to be "stars in their roles." 

Having a coach that doesn't call for an intentional foul a the end of the game when the score is tied should be icing on the cake...  Can't wait for tomorrow night!

[MU82]

I've seen MU play bully ball a few times with different players...not necessarily looking to post up...but to get points in the paint with your back to the basket.  They've done it out of the high post or in isolation.  As someone referenced it will be 3's and lay-ups/paint points...which makes perfect sense.  A lot is being made of Kolek being more than just a shooter and being able to make plays with the ball in his hands.  IMHO, if he can do this against BE level talent MU will exceed expectations.   I always love watching scrimmages because guys know how to defend their teammates (watching Wade in practices/scrimmages was unreal).  Kolek struggled a bit in the scrimmage.  That could have been a bad day, or it could be a sign as to what is going to happen when he plays against teams that are well prepared for him/MU and athletic.  I think we know what we have in Lewis, Morsell, and Kuath...if OMP and Kolek have a strong year...we're in good shape.  Greg should eventually give us some additional 3pt shooting...the freshmen and Oso need to be "stars in their roles." 

Having a coach that doesn't call for an intentional foul a the end of the game when the score is tied should be icing on the cake...  Can't wait for tomorrow night!

Good stuff. And I laughed at your reference to the intentional foul ... even if it wasn't very funny at the time!

[brewcity77]

I realize we played a D2 team, but scoring 90+ points does not appear to be a team that is offensively challenged; or is it that our perimeter game needs to improve. I hope Kolek can find his shot.

brew, not tower

I don't think it will be nearly as easy to do what we did last week against legit competition. Strictly from an offensive standpoint, there were a number of times we bullied them going inside, either with physical force or blow-by speed. That will be a lot harder against teams that have D1 strength and quickness. While a number of players have some solid offensive attributes (Kolek can shoot, Morsell can drive, etc) I'm not sure anyone other than maybe Justin Lewis has a versatile offensive package that will make them tough for other D1 defenses to guard.

With the two I mentioned above, if you know Kolek is trying to get free at the arc, or you know Morsell is going to be doing everything he can to get inside, that makes it easier to guard them than someone with a diverse skillset. That's why Markus Howard was so amazing. He could hit the spot-up three, create space with the step-back, blow by you to the rim, or pull up and hit the mid-range. While Markus was a generational scorer, I think this team will be an easier scout for D1 teams and until these guys prove their versatility, offense will be a challenge.

I do think that limiting them to high percentage looks (the 72/74 shots being paint or threes is encouraging) should help the offense along, but right now you know what pretty much every Marquette player is going to try to do on each possession, outside of Lewis and maybe Mitchell and Jones.

I also think it's worth looking at the 16 steals, 35 points off turnovers, and 41 points on the fast break. D1 teams aren't going to give us that many easy opportunities most nights, so a lot of the defense-to-offense will be more difficult to come by. We will need to be better in the half-court if we are going to have offensive consistency. On the plus side, in the past 11 years, Shaka has had a top-100 offense 8 times. 7 of those 8 were NCAA Tournament teams and the outlier won the NIT. So if we can manage a top-100 offense, there seems to be a decent chance we will keep playing after the Big East Tournament is over. But personally, I think the biggest thing to watch with this team is the offense. I don't expect much, but if they can be top-100 in adjusted efficiency along with meeting Shaka's annual top-40 defense, we'll be pretty good.

[MU82]

brew, not tower

I don't think it will be nearly as easy to do what we did last week against legit competition. Strictly from an offensive standpoint, there were a number of times we bullied them going inside, either with physical force or blow-by speed. That will be a lot harder against teams that have D1 strength and quickness. While a number of players have some solid offensive attributes (Kolek can shoot, Morsell can drive, etc) I'm not sure anyone other than maybe Justin Lewis has a versatile offensive package that will make them tough for other D1 defenses to guard.

With the two I mentioned above, if you know Kolek is trying to get free at the arc, or you know Morsell is going to be doing everything he can to get inside, that makes it easier to guard them than someone with a diverse skillset. That's why Markus Howard was so amazing. He could hit the spot-up three, create space with the step-back, blow by you to the rim, or pull up and hit the mid-range. While Markus was a generational scorer, I think this team will be an easier scout for D1 teams and until these guys prove their versatility, offense will be a challenge.

I do think that limiting them to high percentage looks (the 72/74 shots being paint or threes is encouraging) should help the offense along, but right now you know what pretty much every Marquette player is going to try to do on each possession, outside of Lewis and maybe Mitchell and Jones.

I also think it's worth looking at the 16 steals, 35 points off turnovers, and 41 points on the fast break. D1 teams aren't going to give us that many easy opportunities most nights, so a lot of the defense-to-offense will be more difficult to come by. We will need to be better in the half-court if we are going to have offensive consistency. On the plus side, in the past 11 years, Shaka has had a top-100 offense 8 times. 7 of those 8 were NCAA Tournament teams and the outlier won the NIT. So if we can manage a top-100 offense, there seems to be a decent chance we will keep playing after the Big East Tournament is over. But personally, I think the biggest thing to watch with this team is the offense. I don't expect much, but if they can be top-100 in adjusted efficiency along with meeting Shaka's annual top-40 defense, we'll be pretty good.

Outstanding, thorough look. Thanks, brewski.

[wadesworld]

brew, not tower

I don't think it will be nearly as easy to do what we did last week against legit competition. Strictly from an offensive standpoint, there were a number of times we bullied them going inside, either with physical force or blow-by speed. That will be a lot harder against teams that have D1 strength and quickness. While a number of players have some solid offensive attributes (Kolek can shoot, Morsell can drive, etc) I'm not sure anyone other than maybe Justin Lewis has a versatile offensive package that will make them tough for other D1 defenses to guard.

With the two I mentioned above, if you know Kolek is trying to get free at the arc, or you know Morsell is going to be doing everything he can to get inside, that makes it easier to guard them than someone with a diverse skillset. That's why Markus Howard was so amazing. He could hit the spot-up three, create space with the step-back, blow by you to the rim, or pull up and hit the mid-range. While Markus was a generational scorer, I think this team will be an easier scout for D1 teams and until these guys prove their versatility, offense will be a challenge.

I do think that limiting them to high percentage looks (the 72/74 shots being paint or threes is encouraging) should help the offense along, but right now you know what pretty much every Marquette player is going to try to do on each possession, outside of Lewis and maybe Mitchell and Jones.

I also think it's worth looking at the 16 steals, 35 points off turnovers, and 41 points on the fast break. D1 teams aren't going to give us that many easy opportunities most nights, so a lot of the defense-to-offense will be more difficult to come by. We will need to be better in the half-court if we are going to have offensive consistency. On the plus side, in the past 11 years, Shaka has had a top-100 offense 8 times. 7 of those 8 were NCAA Tournament teams and the outlier won the NIT. So if we can manage a top-100 offense, there seems to be a decent chance we will keep playing after the Big East Tournament is over. But personally, I think the biggest thing to watch with this team is the offense. I don't expect much, but if they can be top-100 in adjusted efficiency along with meeting Shaka's annual top-40 defense, we'll be pretty good.

While individual players on this team may be easier to defend than a Markus Howard (duh, the guy was literally the best scorer in the history of the best basketball conference ever created), having a team concept on offense should help offset some of the "specialization" of the individual players.

[brewcity77]

While individual players on this team may be easier to defend than a Markus Howard (duh, the guy was literally the best scorer in the history of the best basketball conference ever created), having a team concept on offense should help offset some of the "specialization" of the individual players.

I think the optimistic take for this offense is top-100. I think the pessimistic take is around 150. I'm hoping the focus on high efficiency shots will have us in that 75-100 range, which (if Shaka's defense delivers) will have us fighting for a bid. But I also think anyone looking at the Bowie State game and thinking "the offense is good" is very misguided.

[wadesworld]

I think the optimistic take for this offense is top-100. I think the pessimistic take is around 150. I'm hoping the focus on high efficiency shots will have us in that 75-100 range, which (if Shaka's defense delivers) will have us fighting for a bid. But I also think anyone looking at the Bowie State game and thinking "the offense is good" is very misguided.

Agreed. I take nothing away from the exhibition. I love the staff's focus on athletic long big men who look to dunk everything. I hope it results in them drawing many fouls.

[muwarrior69]

brew, not tower

I don't think it will be nearly as easy to do what we did last week against legit competition. Strictly from an offensive standpoint, there were a number of times we bullied them going inside, either with physical force or blow-by speed. That will be a lot harder against teams that have D1 strength and quickness. While a number of players have some solid offensive attributes (Kolek can shoot, Morsell can drive, etc) I'm not sure anyone other than maybe Justin Lewis has a versatile offensive package that will make them tough for other D1 defenses to guard.

With the two I mentioned above, if you know Kolek is trying to get free at the arc, or you know Morsell is going to be doing everything he can to get inside, that makes it easier to guard them than someone with a diverse skillset. That's why Markus Howard was so amazing. He could hit the spot-up three, create space with the step-back, blow by you to the rim, or pull up and hit the mid-range. While Markus was a generational scorer, I think this team will be an easier scout for D1 teams and until these guys prove their versatility, offense will be a challenge.

I do think that limiting them to high percentage looks (the 72/74 shots being paint or threes is encouraging) should help the offense along, but right now you know what pretty much every Marquette player is going to try to do on each possession, outside of Lewis and maybe Mitchell and Jones.

I also think it's worth looking at the 16 steals, 35 points off turnovers, and 41 points on the fast break. D1 teams aren't going to give us that many easy opportunities most nights, so a lot of the defense-to-offense will be more difficult to come by. We will need to be better in the half-court if we are going to have offensive consistency. On the plus side, in the past 11 years, Shaka has had a top-100 offense 8 times. 7 of those 8 were NCAA Tournament teams and the outlier won the NIT. So if we can manage a top-100 offense, there seems to be a decent chance we will keep playing after the Big East Tournament is over. But personally, I think the biggest thing to watch with this team is the offense. I don't expect much, but if they can be top-100 in adjusted efficiency along with meeting Shaka's annual top-40 defense, we'll be pretty good.

Thank Brew and my apologies to Tower.

[Shooter McGavin]

Thank Brew and my apologies to Tower.

Finally game day! For those of us on EST. Looking forward to see the boys play.  Hopefully it's an exciting team that develops over the course of the season.  Lets do this!   

[rocky_warrior]

Finally game day! For those of us on EST. Looking forward to see the boys play.  Hopefully it's an exciting team that develops over the course of the season.  Lets do this!

I'm technically still waiting for game day, but earlier today when I realized in 24 hours I could turn on the TV and watch college hoops, it made me happy.  I'd like Marquette to be successful, but I'll accept progress (and a bunch of other good hoops).

I'm thinking tomorrow is a half day of work though...