The Bench.

[Uncle Rico]

I gotta say.

I do about 50 double takes when Rico drops serious replies

Listen, the amount of bad real takes on this board makes that really hard.

Tre and Zaide are going to take a lot of heat this year and next.  New Jop and Ben.

The kids have the athleticism and talent to be real good players.  The growth might be rough at times and that'll be frustrating but, man, what does this staff have to do to earn trust? 

They'll have misses and maybe these two end up as misses but discarding them a year and 8 games into their second season is simply stupid 

[tower912]

Preach.

[PGsHeroes32]

Listen, the amount of bad real takes on this board makes that really hard.

Tre and Zaide are going to take a lot of heat this year and next.  New Jop and Ben.

The kids have the athleticism and talent to be real good players.  The growth might be rough at times and that'll be frustrating but, man, what does this staff have to do to earn trust? 

They'll have misses and maybe these two end up as misses but discarding them a year and 8 games into their second season is simply stupid 

Hey,

for 1 I wasn't complaining. Love to see it mixed in with the bits.

Completely agree on trusting Shaka. ANd I still remain a Zaide confidant even with the non existent O this year. Probably not as much as Ners but, still.

Norman has me fully on edge tho. Hoping as you said the Shaka trust factors puts that to bed.

[Uncle Rico]

Hey,

for 1 I wasn't complaining. Love to see it mixed in with the bits.

Completely agree on trusting Shaka. ANd I still remain a Zaide confidant even with the non existent O this year. Probably not as much as Ners but, still.

Norman has me fully on edge tho. Hoping as you said the Shaka trust factors puts that to bed.

I know, you're good.

I'd tell you Norman is playing hurt and none of us know how hurt.  Is he playing more than he would have had Jones been healthy? 

He needs to be better.  Let's see how it plays out 

[Zog from Margo]

This is a good take.  He needs to trust himself on the offensive end. 

A related quote from Shaka in the JS game article:

" "We have continue to build our bench," Smart said. "We have to continue to build an understanding that when you come off the bench, there has to be a singular focus on helping your team get stops."

Shaka isn't looking for scoring off the bench. What gets and keeps those guys in games at this stage will be D.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Listen, the amount of bad real takes on this board makes that really hard.

Tre and Zaide are going to take a lot of heat this year and next.  New Jop and Ben.

The kids have the athleticism and talent to be real good players.  The growth might be rough at times and that'll be frustrating but, man, what does this staff have to do to earn trust? 

They'll have misses and maybe these two end up as misses but discarding them a year and 8 games into their second season is simply stupid 

Exactly. As long as Shaka is here, I have zero concerns about what the future holds. It's going to be great.

[PGsHeroes32]

A related quote from Shaka in the JS game article:

" "We have continue to build our bench," Smart said. "We have to continue to build an understanding that when you come off the bench, there has to be a singular focus on helping your team get stops."

Shaka isn't looking for scoring off the bench. What gets and keeps those guys in games at this stage will be D.

Bench D is the key. Shaka doesn't want someone out there clueless on that end.

But he definitely will still go to a scoring punch.

Kam played like 20 min as a freshman and in Kams own words Shaka told him his D would keep him off the floor.

Shaka knows what he's doing. But also what he's doing is not trying to make our bench a worse version of Penn State v Wisconsin back in the day. Jop used to be a very blahhhh defender at best. He also was 6th man of the year.

[Lennys Tap]

I gotta say.

I do about 50 double takes when Rico drops serious replies

That's because they're so rare. Too bad, he can bring a lot to the discussion when he wants to.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Rico understands Scoop more than anyone.

[Lennys Tap]

Rico understands Scoop more than anyone.

What's to understand? It's not a Joyce novel or quantum physics.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

What's to understand? It's not a Joyce novel or quantum physics.

Yet you struggle...

[PGsHeroes32]

Not to incriminate myself

But wtf is a Joyce novel

[Newsdreams]

Rico understands Scoop more than anyone.

Knows 🏀

[Lennys Tap]

Not to incriminate myself

But wtf is a Joyce novel

You just did.

[Nukem2]

Not to incriminate myself

But wtf is a Joyce novel

James Joyce is an Irish author and most of his stuff is rather esoteric. Hated reading his stuff.

[Markusquette]

For a team that's playing this well despite a lack of bench scoring is certainly nice to see, however it is a legitimate concern and very reasonable thing to bring up for discussion. Neither Lowery or Norman has elevated their game as we would have hoped. I can see them falling below Owens quickly on the depth chart.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

For a team that's playing this well despite a lack of bench scoring is certainly nice to see, however it is a legitimate concern and very reasonable thing to bring up for discussion. Neither Lowery or Norman has elevated their game as we would have hoped. I can see them falling below Owens quickly on the depth chart.

I'm really not all that concerned. The bench isn't being asked to do much besides give good energy and defense. If an injury thrusts one of them into a starting role, then we will see who steps up, but barring that, I think they're fine.

[tower912]

I remember when Oso sucked and was a wasted scholarship.
I remember when Kolek sucked and would never be a point guard.
I remember when Omax sucked and fell down too much.
I remember when Stevie was soft and just a guy.
I remember when Kam was a conscience free checker.

And that is just Players under Shaka.

Remember when Butler looked lost?  When Crowder had to come off the bench because he fouled too much?


Patience is a virtue.   Enjoy watching these kids develop.  Remember that at least a couple of them are working through injuries.   

Speaking of which, it will be surprising but nice if Sean can play this season.  If/when he returns, you are setting yourself up for more disappointment if you expect instant big minute difference making.  He is going to need time to get up to game speed.

[Newsdreams]

I remember when Oso sucked and was a wasted scholarship.
I remember when Kolek sucked and would never be a point guard.
I remember when Omax sucked and fell down too much.
I remember when Stevie was soft and just a guy.
I remember when Kam was a conscience free checker.

And that is just Players under Shaka.

Remember when Butler looked lost?  When Crowder had to come off the bench because he fouled too much?


Patience is a virtue.   Enjoy watching these kids develop.  Remember that at least a couple of them are working through injuries.   

Speaking of which, it will be surprising but nice if Sean can play this season.  If/when he returns, you are setting yourself up for more disappointment if you expect instant big minute difference making.  He is going to need time to get up to game speed.

Stevie was Dung recently and then there is Goooold Briiiiiick

[tower912]

Ben started the season shooting poorly.  He did not let it effect his defense.  Shaka has been saying that as soon as Ben believes he is as good as the coaching staff knows he is, he is going to be a different player.   

Savor watching him become that.

[muwarrior69]

That's because they're so rare. Too bad, he can bring a lot to the discussion when he wants to.

Yeah! We should file Rico charges against the uncle.

[wisblue]

Whether it's a concern or just a question mark, there is an issue that MU currently has virtually no scoring punch on the bench. Parham has been able to contribute a bucket or two, but that's about it.

That can be an issue in tight games when the starters need a rest or have foul trouble. What happens if one of them has to miss games with an injury is another issue.

I'm looking forward to the two games this week when hopefully the team can avoid a CMU or St. Thomas type game  and let the scholarship bench players get more extended playing time. It might give us more confidence that they can fill in effectively if they have to play more than 4 or 5 minutes in a game because of injury or foul trouble.

I was disappointed that Owens missed a few weeks of practice and the first few games because his performance in the open practice made me think he could provide a spark off the bench that Norman and Lowery haven't. Hopefully he has recovered enough to play 15 or 20 minutes in these games to see what he can do.

[Goose]

At this point I have very little concern in regard to the bench play. They are six games into the season and the top freshman started the season out injured. IMO, we likely will see either Norman or Zaide step it up a bit once they get some floor time and start to relax, my bet is it will be Zaide. Owens will become a regular contributor in the upcoming weeks and hopefully Sean Jones does return this season.

Last year I got caught in the trap of putting much emphasis on the November games and it cost me as a fan and missed some of the enjoyment of the conference schedule. Right now, it has been a very good start to the season, and they were looking like they will be ready for BE play. I am taking a wait and see approach to the bench and expecting game by game improvements from the bench guys.

Will add, if the bench does improve this team might be better positioned come tournament time than the two previous years. Many on here thought MU was easy to scout and may have been right to some degree. If the defense continues to stay patient and relentless that is far harder to scout, imo. The defense should protect them from any scoring droughts that may happen this season.

[GoldenEagles03]

I think the bench will be just fine. The talent is there.

Once Sean is fully cleared he will help the rest of the bench just with his presence in the 2nd unit in practice. Royce is awesome. Damarius is awesome, just needs more time...and I fully trust Tre and Zaide defensively.

[tower912]

Marquette is easy to scout because the offense is basically the same.  5 man out motion.  More pick and pop than pick and roll.  If the threes are landing, MU is very tough to beat. 
  MU'S defense is fundamentally unchanged.  Aggressive on the ball, aggressive traps, try to turn the offense over.  A full court press to take time off the clock.  A 3-2 zone that either stays static or switches to man halfway through the shot clock as the other team starts their cuts, having stood still for 5 second and then gone into their zone action.

How well is MU shooting 3s and how effective is their pressure?