Next years Center

[MUfan12]

Should he be OUT at any point due to injury, the defense would take a noticable hit. He's very impactful defensively and his presence alone helps this team regardless of the numbers he's accumulating.

I've defended Ben a bunch on here, but this hasn't been accurate the past few games. He's clearly having trouble moving, and it's affected his ability to guard a switch and close at the rim.

[GoldenEagles03]

The only thing that really works for shin splints is rest. DePaul & SHU at home with the weekend bye looks like the perfect time for some recovery.

I'd be fine with him getting rest, but if he's available, he's going to be starting is all.

[Jay Bee]

The only thing that really works for shin splints is rest.

What about high-powered drugs??

(I've battled shin splints and it's dreadful)

[BCHoopster]

Should rest him this week, get him healthy for March. He has shown he can not play with his issues, playing 2 bad teams this week so why not?

[jfp61]

Sean Jones is not a spot player. He will be one of the best PGs in the league.

Stop it.

Why do you say this with any certainty? He was the the 8th or 9th best player on the team last year before tearing his ACL. He has two memorable games and one of them was the result of Creighton sagging off of him while he banked in threes.

He is 5'9" and shoots under 29% from three.

[MUfan12]

Why do you say this with any certainty? He was the the 8th or 9th best player on the team last year before tearing his ACL. He has two memorable games and one of them was the result of Creighton sagging off of him while he banked in threes.

He is 5'9" and shoots under 29% from three.

He was 4/28 from three going into that Creighton game where he hit three of them. Two of them were big shots, at Illinois and the game winner against UCLA, but I think many are exaggerating how good he actually was.

That said, he absolutely would have helped this team.

[GoldenEagles03]

Why do you say this with any certainty? He was the the 8th or 9th best player on the team last year before tearing his ACL. He has two memorable games and one of them was the result of Creighton sagging off of him while he banked in threes.

He is 5'9" and shoots under 29% from three.

Because he was a part of the lineups that closed games against good teams last year for a top 10 team. His impact on winning was huge.

Elite ball pressure, elite space creation on offense. He has unteachable skills and Shaka raves about him being so.

[Scoop Snoop]

Because he was a part of the lineups that closed games against good teams last year for a top 10 team. His impact on winning was huge.

Elite ball pressure, elite space creation on offense. He has unteachable skills and Shaka raves about him being so.

Sean kept driving to the hoop, often with 2-3 opponents waiting for him to strip the ball or draw a foul. His speed is not only a great asset, but also a liability when not used judiciously. I see plenty of upside once he learns to choose just the right times to hit the accelerator.

[GoldenEagles03]

Sean kept driving to the hoop, often with 2-3 opponents waiting for him to strip the ball or draw a foul. His speed is not only a great asset, but also a liability when not used judiciously. I see plenty of upside once he learns to choose just the right times to hit the accelerator.

He has 22 more assists than turnovers in his young career playing as a backup PG. He had 15 steals in 16 games last year and shot 55% from inside the arc. His size wasn't a problem for him, but his speed is a problem for others.

If you can't tell, I'm more excited to see him than any other player on the roster, but I'm more excited to see how the rest of this season plays out. I'll worry about that other part in April.

[MU82]

I've never been on the "Ben Gold is an NBA player" bandwagon. For him to play in the association, given his many limitations, he'd have to be not just an OK 3-point shooter but a Hauser-like 3-point threat.

Having said that, I've generally been a BG defender here on Scoop because he's been a solid defensive player when healthy. He also was shooting 44% from deep during a more-than-2-month stretch until he started becoming a non-factor 4 games ago, assumably due to injury. He averaged 28 mpg during that stretch and did well against the likes of Kalkbrenner, Crowl and Dixon.

If healthy, it's hard to imagine him not starting next season and being a key contributor. In my mind, he and Ross are the only locks to start, though Parham is pretty close (unless Shaka chooses to make Parham a 25-30 mpg sub who plays both 4 and 5).

To those who say Gold is not really a "center," positions are interchangeable in today's college basketball, and there aren't any Shaqs or Ewings out there. I mean, Theo was a "true center" - is that what you want?

As for the rest of next season's starters ... to me it depends on a few players' development and health. If Lowery and Owens improve during the offseason as much as so many other players have under Shaka, I definitely can see them becoming good Big East starters. Sean Jones is a wild-card; I still view him as more of a change-of-pace 10-20 minute player than as a starting PG, but we'll see how his health and playing level are progressing.

And what if James is a stud? I generally agree with tower on not even considering freshmen, but Marquette might have a need at his position and maybe he blows away the competition over the summer and fall. At the least, I'd think he'd be a rotational piece. And given our desperate need for shooting if we're gonna run this offense, maybe the other two freshmen will find spots in the rotation, too.

Finally, Shaka has had players transfer out to move down a level, so Amadou (and maybe even Norman?) leaving wouldn't be some kind of outlier if it happens.

It's fun to talk about this stuff, even though I still believe this season's story has yet to be written. Most of us are capable of talking about this season while also speculating about next.

[Scoop Snoop]

He has 22 more assists than turnovers in his young career playing as a backup PG. He had 15 steals in 16 games last year and shot 55% from inside the arc. His size wasn't a problem for him, but his speed is a problem for others.

If you can't tell, I'm more excited to see him than any other player on the roster, but I'm more excited to see how the rest of this season plays out. I'll worry about that other part in April.

Thanks for posting this. And yes, I can tell. Good stuff here. I stand by my comments about decision making though. Now that should be the easiest thing to fix, don't you think?

[GoldenEagles03]

Thanks for posting this. And yes, I can tell. Good stuff here. I stand by my comments about decision making though. Now that should be the easiest thing to fix, don't you think?

I think his decision making will only get better as he gets older with experience. I also think seeing him do more of what he already did (with the expanded minutes) will be an eye opener as to how good he is and already was.

Not necessarily easy to control a game as a point guard, and especially a young point guard, with limited backup minutes. I think his fingerprints will be all over every game he plays in as a starter.

[The Sultan]

I think his decision making will only get better as he gets older with experience. I also think seeing him do more of what he already did (with the expanded minutes) will be an eye opener as to how good he is and already was.

Not necessarily easy to control a game as a point guard, and especially a young point guard, with limited backup minutes. I think his fingerprints will be all over every game he plays in as a starter.

The bolded doesn't make a lot of sense to me - the idea that if a player will do better if they play more. That's usually not the case. And there usually is a good reason why their minutes were limited in the first place.

[NCMUFan]

Marquette hasn't had a center in a decade.  Don't expect one next year.

[GoldenEagles03]

The bolded doesn't make a lot of sense to me - the idea that if a player will do better if they play more. That's usually not the case. And there usually is a good reason why their minutes were limited in the first place.

Idk how you're reading this, but my point is that what he did was already good. Getting more of what he already did will only show how valuable he already was. 25 minutes of Sean Jones is better than 15 minutes of Sean Jones.

The good reason for limited minutes is that Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones are All American talents and NBA players, so sure. That's a good reason in my book.

[The Sultan]

Idk how you're reading this, but my point is that what he did was already good. Getting more of what he already did will only show how valuable he already was.

Again, you are taking a very positive look on Sean without looking at his obvious short-comings.

[GoldenEagles03]

Again, you are taking a very positive look on Sean without looking at his obvious short-comings.

I think I addressed them already. People are worried about his size, is that it? He shot 55% from inside the arc and takes more 2s at the basket than 3s.

[willie warrior]

Ben is decent at best when he is grabbing rebounds and knocking down 3s. He's been a zero lately. I don't get the Ben hype on this board like he's some stud. Ben gold is not the reason this team is top 25

Gold is a backup at best. Never understood the hype for him either.

[MU82]

I think I addressed them already. People are worried about his size, is that it? He shot 55% from inside the arc and takes more 2s at the basket than 3s.

Many of the size concerns are about his defense. We switch everything. Our guards often end up on wings and sometimes end up on the opposing center. There's a big difference between Ross or Lowery being in that situation vs. a tiny kid like Sean Jones.

I also think you are forgetting how often Sean would drive into no-man's land at full speed and either fire up a shot that had no chance to go in or turn it over. That's certainly something he can avoid in the future with better decision-making.

I agree with you that Sean can be a nice contributor if he's healthy. I just don't see how you or anyone else can look at his body of work so far and conclude that he'll be a star PG. I'd love to see it, but to say it with such certainty as you have really takes good imagination.

[The Sultan]

I think I addressed them already. People are worried about his size, is that it? He shot 55% from inside the arc and takes more 2s at the basket than 3s.

He had the lowest EFG of any returning player last season prior to injury. The only current player that he shoots better than is Tre Norman.

Look, I like the guy. But it feels like your projection for his performance is over-the-top - especially since he is coming off an injury.

[jesmu84]

He had the lowest EFG of any returning player last season prior to injury. The only current player that he shoots better than is Tre Norman.

Look, I like the guy. But it feels like your projection for his performance is over-the-top - especially since he is coming off an injury.

Not just the projection, but the review of past performance seems over the top as well

[Scoop Snoop]

a tiny diminutive kid like Sean Jones.

 often Sean would drive into no-man's land at full speed and either fire up a shot that had no chance to go in or turn it over. That's certainly something he can avoid in the future with better decision-making.

1st line. C'mon Mike! You know how easily Muggsy gets his panties in a knot over disrespecting diminutive people.

Your comment about decision making echoes mine. I think Sean has a ton of potential and am optimistic that he will reach it, but every time he took off at full speed towards the basket with no brakes applied drove me crazy. He's a sports car. Really good brakes are essential for a sports car if you want to avoid a crash.

Why should Willie be the only guy who gets to rename players.? I'm going with Miata Sean.

[BrewCity83]

Why do you say this with any certainty? He was the the 8th or 9th best player on the team last year before tearing his ACL.

Well, if Sean really was 8th or 9th best as a Sophomore on last year's team, then he was behind Kolek, Oso, Jop, Stevie, and Kam, who will all be gone next year.  That makes him 3rd or 4th best of what's left.  And next season he'll be two years older, more mature, and had two more years of practice/learning under his belt.  Add to that the things Shaka has been saying about his development and how he's practicing.  Not unreasonable to expect him to start.

[Its DJOver]

Well, if Sean really was 8th or 9th best as a Sophomore on last year's team, then he was behind Kolek, Oso, Jop, Stevie, and Kam, who will all be gone next year.  That makes him 3rd or 4th best of what's left.  And next season he'll be two years older, more mature, and had two more years of practice/learning under his belt.  Add to that the things Shaka has been saying about his development and how he's practicing.  Not unreasonable to expect him to start.

Start? Sure, he's one of the 6  or 7 players I think will compete for a starting role. (5 upperclassmen + DO and RP). GE03 said that he will be one of the best PGs in the league. I think it's very fair to question that considering where his skillset was, as well as the fact that he will be coming off a major injury.

[Jockey]

I could see Lowrey starting over Owens.

Jones at PG. Gold at C.

Agree with this. Owens or Norman will be 1st off the bench unless one of the freshmen really shine.