Any Actual Thoughts from Open Practice?

[MU gimp ONE]

i love how in the open practice thread there are about two posts about the practice then 63 about ben's boot or michigan state....

Anyone who went have some actual thoughts on the players?  Chase Ross has been most talked about...  Apparently Oso was hitting 3's yesterday prior to official practice, did we see any shot other than a dunk in practice? Tre Norman was rumored to be most ready freshman, but Zaide seemed garner praise.

TIA for keeping it on topic.

[Uncle Rico]

i love how in the open practice thread there are about two posts about the practice then 63 about ben's boot or michigan state....

Anyone who went have some actual thoughts on the players?  Chase Ross has been most talked about...  Apparently Oso was hitting 3's yesterday prior to official practice, did we see any shot other than a dunk in practice? Tre Norman was rumored to be most ready freshman, but Zaide seemed garner praise.

TIA for keeping it on topic.

Chase Ross is going to take a leap. 

Oso real O/U on 3’s attempted during the season is set at 10.5

Ben in a boot is an important discussion

Frosh will see limited minutes barring injuries once Big East play starts and that’s ok

Joplin will be talked about years from now as one of the guys that set the foundation.  He is taking a leap this year as well

[We R Final Four]

Oso’s form on 3s is…..well not good. He may take one in a game if no one is within 10’.

Also, Zaide went 3-3 from deep during a later scrimmage….and had a monstrous tomahawk dunk that got the attention of the crowd.

Al missed some layups and never shot again, will be great development for him having to defend a stronger, quicker, Oso.

Sean looked lightning fast again and more able.

Stevie, Oso and Kam look bigger.

Jop made like 9 of 10 3s in a deep drill.

But yes, Chase looked fantastic. More confident on closeouts and 3s.

Tyler was tuning up players young and old on where he wants them.

Maybe it was one scrimmage, but Tre didn’t look good last night.

[Coleman]

Oso’s form on 3s is…..well not good. He may take one in a game if no one is within 10’.

Also, Zaide went 3-3 from deep during a later scrimmage….and had a monstrous tomahawk dunk that got the attention of the crowd.

Al missed some layups and never shot again, will be great development for him having to defend a stronger, quicker, Oso.

Sean looked lightning fast again and more able.

Stevie, Oso and Kam look bigger.

Jop made like 9 of 10 3s in a deep drill.

But yes, Chase looked fantastic. More confident on closeouts and 3s.

Tyler was tuning up players young and old on where he wants them.

Maybe it was one scrimmage, but Tre didn’t look good last night.

Good stuff. Overall, is the development of returning players where you expected to see it? Behind? Ahead?

[Goose]

I liked what I saw from Zaide. My biggest takeaway, I loved the excitement surrounding the program. Very nice turnout for a Wednesday at 5pm.

[We R Final Four]

Good stuff. Overall, is the development of returning players where you expected to see it? Behind? Ahead?

It was obvious to me that they are the leaders……they are instructing the new guys on positioning etc.

Alot if made 3s last night.

The coaches seem to be working quite a bit with the young guys.

[brewcity77]

Oso & TK were as expected. They are the leaders of this team. Oso's three is repeatable, but so slow to develop. If it's reliable enough to keep defenses honest, it's not hard to defend. TK's shot looks even better. He starts his motion higher. Tyler just oozes confidence.

Kam was solid, looks most improved on the defensive end. Had a block on TK at the rim, and later they did one on one drills where Kam denied first Joplin then Kolek from getting to the hoop. I thought back to the first public practice at Fiserv in 2021 where Kam was matched with Morsell in a number of drills. Seeing him take a defensive lead was encouraging.

Stevie was fine, biggest difference was some better and more creative passing.

Jop was better on defense than offense. His shooting was inconsistent, though he showed more willingness to pass. He had a lot of excitement for the defensive end, though. Had some nice blocks and active hands. He also took Oso much of the time as Amadou was more a center field rim protector.

Chase looks to have made the biggest leap. Far more confidence on his shot, still has the driving ability but he was more creative finishing, not always looking to make a poster. Solid defense as well.

Sean was good. You forget how fast he is. Definitely ran the offense for the Gold team. Very active hands, considering his size the number of deflections he gets is impressive. Don't love his jumper, though. Imagine at some point they'll rework that. But he gets to the rim reliably.

Of the freshmen, Zaide looked the best. Really nice three point stroke and consistently made shots. Also had a great pump fake, drive, and dunk that was reminiscent of freshman Chase. The consistent talk has been around Tre, but Zaide was better yesterday. Norman was pretty nondescript. Not very assertive on offense, defense was fine but didn't stand out. Amadou is athletic but very raw. He tried some passing that looked like Oso in intent but not execution. Had one bunny he missed off a beauty of a pass from Stevie, then missed the follow. Later, TK served him on a platter and he dunked it, so that was better. Defense definitely isn't there yet.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Steele had this on Chase:But the player who looked like he had made the biggest leap in the off-season is 6-foot-5 guard Chase Ross.
Ross flashed his talent as a freshman, but he shot 20 for 62 on three-pointers. He looked way more confident beyond the three-point line on Wednesday, spotting up in the corners and nailing the majority of his attempts.
"Just getting in the gym," Ross said. "Getting extra work. Getting shots up. Just getting the routine and more confidence from last year."
Ross even had a play where he pump-faked to get his defender in the air, then side-stepped with one dribble to knock down another triple.
"Chase is probably the most improved player on our team from last year to this point right now," MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "Obviously we still have a few months until we play.
"For us, we want to continue to grow as much as we possibly can. That's every guy on our team. But Chase has really taken a step with his maturity, his confidence and some of the basketball-specific areas like shooting, finishing. Excited about him going into Year 2."

[Milkshakes]

Steele had this on Chase:But the player who looked like he had made the biggest leap in the off-season is 6-foot-5 guard Chase Ross.
Ross flashed his talent as a freshman, but he shot 20 for 62 on three-pointers. He looked way more confident beyond the three-point line on Wednesday, spotting up in the corners and nailing the majority of his attempts.
"Just getting in the gym," Ross said. "Getting extra work. Getting shots up. Just getting the routine and more confidence from last year."
Ross even had a play where he pump-faked to get his defender in the air, then side-stepped with one dribble to knock down another triple.
"Chase is probably the most improved player on our team from last year to this point right now," MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "Obviously we still have a few months until we play.
"For us, we want to continue to grow as much as we possibly can. That's every guy on our team. But Chase has really taken a step with his maturity, his confidence and some of the basketball-specific areas like shooting, finishing. Excited about him going into Year 2."

I was pretty darn excited about Chase last year. If he and Jop make big leaps on both sides of the floor….  Well, I don’t know what but I’m pumped. 

[mugrad_89]

Steele had this on Chase:But the player who looked like he had made the biggest leap in the off-season is 6-foot-5 guard Chase Ross.
Ross flashed his talent as a freshman, but he shot 20 for 62 on three-pointers. He looked way more confident beyond the three-point line on Wednesday, spotting up in the corners and nailing the majority of his attempts.
"Just getting in the gym," Ross said. "Getting extra work. Getting shots up. Just getting the routine and more confidence from last year."
Ross even had a play where he pump-faked to get his defender in the air, then side-stepped with one dribble to knock down another triple.
"Chase is probably the most improved player on our team from last year to this point right now," MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "Obviously we still have a few months until we play.
"For us, we want to continue to grow as much as we possibly can. That's every guy on our team. But Chase has really taken a step with his maturity, his confidence and some of the basketball-specific areas like shooting, finishing. Excited about him going into Year 2."

I see Chase as the X factor that can get the team to the next level, much in the way OMax did last season.

[pbiflyer]

Oso’s form on 3s is…..well not good. He may take one in a game if no one is within 10’.

I think you are ignoring the fact that Marquette is ensuring that Oso is getting advice and help from Marquette's most accurate three point shooter ever......Theo John. 

[MU82]

I love that quote from Shaka about Chase. If he is excited about Chase's potential for this season, we all should be. If Ross is "SOtG-worthy," it brings a new dimension to the team.

[JakeBarnes]

I liked what I saw from Zaide. My biggest takeaway, I loved the excitement surrounding the program. Very nice turnout for a Wednesday at 5pm.

It's pretty clear that Chase/Zaide are the type of player that Shaka is looking for to establish at the 2/3 spot. Started with Morsell, but this is probably the evolution when you add in the offensive end.

Excited to hear that players are taking some big steps for us. I am already kinda amped about basketball season and we've got a ways to go.

[duanewade]

The question is does Shaka and the staff have the temerity/guts to actually move Stevie Mitchell and/or Joplin to reserve rolls to instead give Chase Ross the minutes his elite talent deserves? 

Stevie Mitchell is definitely a glue guy, great defense and amazing basketball intelligence as he gets tons of steals based on guessing on passing lanes vs having elite quickness and athletic ability. 

Joplin is a nice player but he is also limited athletically and is a turnover/defensive lapse waiting to happen.  At times he gets hot and is a game changer but most games he's just a nice guy to come off the bench to spell a stud like OMax. 

Well we have another stud in Chase Ross... are we really going play politics by giving older players his minutes and keep him at 10 to 15 minutes a game again?  He needs to be playing close to 25 minutes a game for us to be the best we can be. 

I certainly hope the staff realizes this or we won't be as good and he'll be gone after this season.  🤷‍♂️

[MuMark]

“Well we have another stud in Chase Ross”

Potential stud……..we will see. He looked good last night but let’s not overreact to one practice.

Stevie has already proven his worth and deserves his minutes……I don’t see his role diminishing.

I’m not worried about  Shaka’s “guts”.

[Its DJOver]

Stevie averaged 23 mpg, Jop 19, Chase 16.  Stevie will likely be getting none of OMax's departing 29 mpg.  Jop will get some, Chase will get some, the Fresh will get some. What's the magic number for Chase next year? IDK, but I trust the staff to figure it out more than I do someone who doesn't even know how much he played last year. 

[MU82]

The question is does Shaka and the staff have the temerity/guts to actually move Stevie Mitchell and/or Joplin to reserve rolls to instead give Chase Ross the minutes his elite talent deserves? 

Stevie Mitchell is definitely a glue guy, great defense and amazing basketball intelligence as he gets tons of steals based on guessing on passing lanes vs having elite quickness and athletic ability. 

Joplin is a nice player but he is also limited athletically and is a turnover/defensive lapse waiting to happen.  At times he gets hot and is a game changer but most games he's just a nice guy to come off the bench to spell a stud like OMax. 

Well we have another stud in Chase Ross... are we really going play politics by giving older players his minutes and keep him at 10 to 15 minutes a game again?  He needs to be playing close to 25 minutes a game for us to be the best we can be. 

I certainly hope the staff realizes this or we won't be as good and he'll be gone after this season.  🤷‍♂️

Silliness.

[tower912]

I have little doubt that the coaching staff will do what they think is best for the team.

[jfp61]

The question is does Shaka and the staff have the temerity/guts to actually move Stevie Mitchell and/or Joplin to reserve rolls to instead give Chase Ross the minutes his elite talent deserves? 

Stevie Mitchell is definitely a glue guy, great defense and amazing basketball intelligence as he gets tons of steals based on guessing on passing lanes vs having elite quickness and athletic ability. 

Joplin is a nice player but he is also limited athletically and is a turnover/defensive lapse waiting to happen.  At times he gets hot and is a game changer but most games he's just a nice guy to come off the bench to spell a stud like OMax. 

Well we have another stud in Chase Ross... are we really going play politics by giving older players his minutes and keep him at 10 to 15 minutes a game again?  He needs to be playing close to 25 minutes a game for us to be the best we can be. 

I certainly hope the staff realizes this or we won't be as good and he'll be gone after this season.  🤷‍♂️

Yes, shooting 50% from three in one practice means Chase Ross is now going pro, and is the best player on the team. He will surely get drafted over Oso and Kolek playing the way he plays during his "10 to 15 minutes a game". Ross already played 16.4 minutes per game last year as a freshman, so i can't wait to see them reduce his minutes. Ross will play a few more minutes than that this year. He wasn't good enough offensively to play more than that.

Lastly of  the two, Joplin is significantly more likely not to start than Mitchell is.

Stevie Mitchell is actually good. Calling him a "glue guy" because we have offensive monsters on this team, is reductive. He gets a ridiculous amount of stats when he is called upon. He generates turnovers the best, on the team, and he turns it over the second least on the team behind Kam Jones. Stevie is the 4th best player on this team pretty clearly. He generated to the box score the 4th most.

He might have been the 6th contributor offensively. But he is easily the number 1 defensive contributor.

(you can argue for Oso or Ross but i think Oso was more of a factor because of our lack of defense for out backup bigs, and Ross just went for steals and committed fouls, fouling at the highest rate.)

[We R Final Four]

“Well we have another stud in Chase Ross”

Potential stud……..we will see. He looked good last night but let’s not overreact to one practice.

Stevie has already proven his worth and deserves his minutes……I don’t see his role diminishing.

I’m not worried about  Shaka’s “guts”.

Agreed….Stevie isnt going anywhere.

[Lennys Tap]

Stevie averaged 23 mpg, Jop 19, Chase 16.  Stevie will likely be getting none of OMax's departing 29 mpg.  Jop will get some, Chase will get some, the Fresh will get some. What's the magic number for Chase next year? IDK, but I trust the staff to figure it out more than I do someone who doesn't even know how much he played last year.

You’re forgetting Ben Gold - he gets some of OMax’s minutes too.

[The Equalizer]

I think you are ignoring the fact that Marquette is ensuring that Oso is getting advice and help from Marquette's most accurate three point shooter ever......Theo John. 

Theo John? Mike Kinsella might have a thing or two to say about that.

[We R Final Four]

I have little doubt that the coaching staff will do what they think is best for the team.

Exactly….go figure.

[Mu8891]

Ross will not start.  He will be the 6th man, play 20+ mins a game. 

And … I would say OSO takes less than 10 3 pt shots this year.  As someone said, he really looks ( literally ) uncomfortable shooting it.

Overall, prob the most athletic team I have seen at MU.

[We R Final Four]

I liked what I saw from Zaide. My biggest takeaway, I loved the excitement surrounding the program. Very nice turnout for a Wednesday at 5pm.

Yes Goose……there was a different energy this time from practices in the past. I felt fortunate to be walking into the AL yesterday.

[marqfan22]

Joplin was 6th man of the year in the Big East!

Joplin is a nice player but he is also limited athletically and is a turnover/defensive lapse waiting to happen.  At times he gets hot and is a game changer but most games he's just a nice guy to come off the bench to spell a stud like OMax. 

[lawdog77]

Joplin is a nice player but he is also limited athletically and is a turnover/defensive lapse waiting to happen.  At times he gets hot and is a game changer but most games he's just a nice guy to come off the bench to spell a stud like OMax. 

Bulletin Board Material

[PointWarrior]

Joplin was 6th man of the year in the Big East!

I think we will look back after the season  and say that was one of the dumbest posts of the year. 

[pbiflyer]

Theo John? Mike Kinsella might have a thing or two to say about that.

Get back to me when Mike shoots 75% from three point land for his career like Theo did. 

[Shooter McGavin]

I liked what I saw from Zaide. My biggest takeaway, I loved the excitement surrounding the program. Very nice turnout for a Wednesday at 5pm.

The kid just looks fluid and smoothe with everything he does on the court.  Love the upside of him.  Looks like he could be a high level player at the college level.  Hell of a get by Shaka.

[rgoode57]

For anyone to suggest that Stevie Mitchell not start is just silly. He is an all-around hell of a player and the kind of player you want on the floor as much as possible.

[brewcity77]

For anyone to suggest that Stevie Mitchell not start is just silly. He is an all-around hell of a player and the kind of player you want on the floor as much as possible.

I don't think it's silly. I think the reality is we probably have 6 starting level players, but only 5 will be on the floor for the opening tip. If what we saw from Chase at the open practice is indicative of who he will be in on a nightly basis, then he should be one of those 5. If that was an outlier performance then it could certainly be someone else. But if we're talking about someone not starting, there are 3 returning players that were between 16-24 mpg, and it's likely those three competing for two spots.

And I say that as a huge Stevie Mitchell fan who feels his contributions are routinely underrated.

[Jay Bee]

Good chance Stevie’s minutes are pushed. He’s gonna have to fight for PT. Whether it’s 18 or 23 or 27, he’ll be all in every second. Not a terrible thing that we have an improved Chase, year 2 & healthier Sean, and frosh ready to compete.

[MuggsyB]

Ross will not start.  He will be the 6th man, play 20+ mins a game. 

And … I would say OSO takes less than 10 3 pt shots this year.  As someone said, he really looks ( literally ) uncomfortable shooting it.

Overall, prob the most athletic team I have seen at MU.

How does Ross look on the blowby dribble?  DId he drop any dimes?

[MuggsyB]

Good chance Stevie’s minutes are pushed. He’s gonna have to fight for PT. Whether it’s 18 or 23 or 27, he’ll be all in every second. Not a terrible thing that we have an improved Chase, year 2 & healthier Sean, and frosh ready to compete.

We're seriously loaded in the backcourt. I wouldn't be surprised if we see 4 guard line-ups in stretches. 

[StillAWarrior]

For anyone to suggest that Stevie Mitchell not start is just silly. He is an all-around hell of a player and the kind of player you want on the floor as much as possible.

I don't think it's silly. I think the reality is we probably have 6 starting level players, but only 5 will be on the floor for the opening tip. If what we saw from Chase at the open practice is indicative of who he will be in on a nightly basis, then he should be one of those 5. If that was an outlier performance then it could certainly be someone else. But if we're talking about someone not starting, there are 3 returning players that were between 16-24 mpg, and it's likely those three competing for two spots.

And I say that as a huge Stevie Mitchell fan who feels his contributions are routinely underrated.

Stevie Mitchell was my favorite player on the team last season. The "I'm not leaving" exchange with Boum stands as one of my all-time favorite Marquette basketball moments. Ever. Seriously.

And I don't think it's "silly" to suggest he might not start. Don't misunderstand - I think he likely will start and will be perfectly happy if he does. But this team has a lot of talent and a lot of guys who are going to earn minutes. I don't think it's unthinkable at all that Jop and/or Chase (or maybe even someone more unexpected) might get some starts this year. I trust that Shaka will start the guys who he thinks give the team the best chance to win.

[MU82]

starting no matta

[Uncle Rico]

starting no matta

Yuuuuuuuuuup

Multiple lineup options sounds like a heckuva problem.  Say what you will about Buzz but the way he substituted and used his roster was brilliant

[mug644]

starting no matta

Yes. And at the same time, Shaka used only 1 starting lineup for all 36 games last season. Along with being lucky that there were no injuries, maybe that's because Joplin and none of the freshmen really earned it. Yet maybe it could be that, again barring injury, Shaka likes having the stability and the accompanying clarity of roles that goes along with a consistent starting lineup.

[MuggsyB]

Yuuuuuuuuuup

Multiple lineup options sounds like a heckuva problem.  Say what you will about Buzz but the way he substituted and used his roster was brilliant

I think the real question is whether Chase, Stevie, or Kam can guard bigs vs certain teams and spell Jop at the 4?  Can they rebound well enough?  What I do know is I feel very good about our top 7 if we're healthy. 

[lawdog77]

starting no matta

To whom? I am sure many kids would get butt-hurt if their starting spot was taken away. Not sure if it applies here.

[Herman Cain]

There are 29 minutes to allocate from O Max to Chase,  Jop and The Freshman. Chase and Jop played meaningful minutes last season , so while their minutes can still go up , there is also still plenty of room for The Freshman to get some 4 minute segments .

Stevie operates at full intensity all game. I think he is at the max minutes his body ( or any body)can give at his extreme hard working style of play.

[tower912]

Several, if not most, of Omax's minutes are going to Ben and Jop.   I figure 28 for Jop, 21 for Ben, 5-6  for Amadou.   4 guards only for fouls, injuries, and the occasional match up.

[MU82]

To whom? I am sure many kids would get butt-hurt if their starting spot was taken away. Not sure if it applies here.

Absolutely, some basketball players take it very personally if they think they deserve to start but they don't get to. I was talking more about from the overall team perspective.

It didn't matter that John Havlicek, Kevin McHale, Vinnie Johnson, Jae Crowder and David Joplin came off the bench for their teams - they still contributed big to the team's success when they played, and they often (in some cases, usually) played more than the starter did.

One could argue that it made those teams better that such outstanding players didn't start. Individually, maybe it motivated certain players to play better.

After TK, Oso and Kam, MU will have a lot of switchable parts. Shaka can mix and match, go with the hot hand, turn up defensive pressure, go small, try to exploit certain matchups, whatever the game calls for.

starting no matta!

[Hards Alumni]

To whom? I am sure many kids would get butt-hurt if their starting spot was taken away. Not sure if it applies here.

culture.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I think the real question is whether Chase, Stevie, or Kam can guard bigs vs certain teams and spell Jop at the 4?  Can they rebound well enough?  What I do know is I feel very good about our top 7 if we're healthy.

I think we will see Ross at the 4 a lot this season

[Viper]

Absolutely, some basketball players take it very personally if they think they deserve to start but they don't get to. I was talking more about from the overall team perspective.

It didn't matter that John Havlicek, Kevin McHale, Vinnie Johnson, Jae Crowder and David Joplin came off the bench for their teams - they still contributed big to the team's success when they played, and they often (in some cases, usually) played more than the starter did.

One could argue that it made those teams better that such outstanding players didn't start. Individually, maybe it motivated certain players to play better.

After TK, Oso and Kam, MU will have a lot of switchable parts. Shaka can mix and match, go with the hot hand, turn up defensive pressure, go small, try to exploit certain matchups, whatever the game calls for.

starting no matta!

brah, you just put Havlicek and McHale in a sentence with Crowder and Jop? But…I get what you are sayin’.

[Milkshakes]

Last year we had one starting lineup.  I’ll be interested to see if that is true this year (injuries aside). Maybe it will be but I won’t be surprised if that changes. Either way I know Shaka isn’t going back to havoc but it sure feels like we can have a lot of fresh bodies moving in and out to keep the intensity at 11 and really wear teams down.   

[GoldenEagles03]

This is no doubt Shaka's toughest minutes crunch, but it's a great problem to have.

I think all 3 Freshman are the real deal and Zaide Lowery might be pretty similar to what Chase was last year.  My guess on minutes is something close to below. I paired each of the 6 bench players and allocated a group of minutes to each pairing.

Kolek - 28
Kam - 28
Stevie - 20
Joplin - 20
Oso - 28

Chase & Zaide - 30
Ben & Al - 24
Sean & Tre - 22

[jfp61]

I don't think it's silly. I think the reality is we probably have 6 starting level players, but only 5 will be on the floor for the opening tip. If what we saw from Chase at the open practice is indicative of who he will be in on a nightly basis, then he should be one of those 5. If that was an outlier performance then it could certainly be someone else. But if we're talking about someone not starting, there are 3 returning players that were between 16-24 mpg, and it's likely those three competing for two spots.

And I say that as a huge Stevie Mitchell fan who feels his contributions are routinely underrated.

He would jump Joplin well before he would Mitchell.

That's the issue with it.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

He would jump Joplin well before he would Mitchell.

That's the issue with it.

This

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Bold prediction time, Joplin is gonna lead the team in scoring next year.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Bold prediction time, Joplin is gonna lead the team in scoring next year.

This

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Bold prediction time, Joplin is gonna lead the team in scoring next year.

Next year? As in 23-24? I highly doubt it. The year after that? Maybe, but I still doubt it. Kam and TKO should both outscore Jop and there's a chance both are still here in 24-25.

If Gold's injury ends up being significant, than maybe Joplin will get enough minutes to compete with Kam and TKO. I think his defense will limit his minutes too much to be our leading scorer.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Tired: Leading the team in scoring 

Wired: Leading the team in points produced

Kolek's combination of scoring and assists makes the leading scorer debate irrelevant  in my mind.

[Jay Bee]

Next year? As in 23-24? I highly doubt it. The year after that? Maybe, but I still doubt it. Kam and TKO should both outscore Jop and there's a chance both are still here in 24-25.

I’ve got Jop over Tyler in points scored…