Post Season Reflections

[wadesworld]

Marquette had 7 players play over 13 mpg.  Florida just won a national title with 7 players playing over 13 mpg.  Nova won two national titles with a tiny rotation.  Etc. etc.  Depth in college basketball is overrated.  They're 18-22 (usually...25 these past couple years) year olds who are getting 2-6 nights off between games, outside of Conference Tournaments.  What we lacked was shooting and talent.  I don't blame Shaka for the shooting.  Kam and Jop had always been much better shooters than they were this year.

[MarquetteBasketballfan69]

Hmmmmmm

I agree, Something to contemplate!

[MU82]

Marquette had 7 players play over 13 mpg.  Florida just won a national title with 7 players playing over 13 mpg.  Nova won two national titles with a tiny rotation.  Etc. etc.  Depth in college basketball is overrated.  They're 18-22 (usually...25 these past couple years) year olds who are getting 2-6 nights off between games, outside of Conference Tournaments.  What we lacked was shooting and talent.  I don't blame Shaka for the shooting.  Kam and Jop had always been much better shooters than they were this year.

I agree with this, though I also acknowledge that lack of quality depth can bite a team if there are injuries.

[Markusquette]

Great point guards get you good looks from 3. MU didn't have any point guard last year. Kam just played it out of necessity.

[tower912]

And made second team all American doing it.

[The Sultan]

Great point guards get you good looks from 3. MU didn't have any point guard last year. Kam just played it out of necessity.

We had plenty of good looks from 3. And Kam lead the BE in assist percentage.

He's no Tyler Kolek, but he was plenty good.

[MU82]

Great point guards get you good looks from 3. MU didn't have any point guard last year. Kam just played it out of necessity.

That's just plain dopey.

Did you watch any Marquette basketball this past season?

[hawk]

I had hoped for more success last season but they didn't miss by much.  I expected more from Gold.  I didn't think it would be a stretch for him to be a 14 and 7 kind of guy but he was half that.  I thought Stevie should have taken point and let Kam score 20+ per game.  Playing the point hurt his shooting down the stretch.  The bench was always going to be an issue even if Sean came back.  I thought if one of them could get 10 a game MU would have been a sweet 16 team, but they didn't.  It was a solid year considering all the crying in here.  Next season could be a struggle but perhaps not.  I think if everybody is just decent and Shaka can get 9 or 10 deep it could be a good year.  It looks like he signed some shooters, I like Parham a lot and expect Owens to show up big.  Gold might still be a wild card but Ross and Lowery could be dynamic.  Regardless of next season the eagles will soar in the following year and prbably be solid for 3 or 4 more years.

[Markusquette]

That's just plain dopey.

Did you watch any Marquette basketball this past season?

Yeah and I watched his 3-point percentage dip by almost 10 percent as a result of having to play point. He racked up some assists but MU was still lacking a true point guard so he could continue to play off ball at times.

[The Sultan]

Yeah and I watched his 3-point percentage dip by almost 10 percent as a result of having to play point. He racked up some assists but MU was still lacking a true point guard so he could continue to play off ball at times.

"Some assists." Head lead the BE in assist percentage. Honestly this desire to have a "true point guard" is thinking straight out of 1988.

[JTJ3]

"Some assists." Head lead the BE in assist percentage. Honestly this desire to have a "true point guard" is thinking straight out of 1988.

Right?  All someone had to do was watch the final 4 to see none of those teams had a "true PG" on their roster.  You need multiple guys who can handle and create, putting the ball just in the hands of a true PG completely limits what you can run offensively.

Anyone who uses the true PG term I automatically assume is stuck in pre-2010s basketball.

[MU82]

Yeah and I watched his 3-point percentage dip by almost 10 percent as a result of having to play point. He racked up some assists but MU was still lacking a true point guard so he could continue to play off ball at times.

Kam was an outstanding PG, a second-team All-American for crissakes.

I agree that having to be on the ball for most of every game contributed to his decline in 3-point percentage, but that doesn't mean he was anything other than an outstanding PG.

I thought Stevie should have taken point and let Kam score 20+ per game.

I loved having Stevie on our team, one of my faves, but he was no PG. He lacked court vision, he never showed himself to be a particularly good passer, and he had a loose handle. The role Shaka had him play was perfect for Stevie.

[Nukem2]

Kam was an outstanding PG, a second-team All-American for crissakes.

I agree that having to be on the ball for most of every game contributed to his decline in 3-point percentage, but that doesn't mean he was anything other than an outstanding PG.

I loved having Stevie on our team, one of my faves, but he was no PG. He lacked court vision, he never showed himself to be a particularly good passer, and he had a loose handle. The role Shaka had him play was perfect for Stevie.

Totally agree with you. The issue was not having a backup in place to spell Kam and/or let him move off the ball for a break.

[Markusquette]

Totally agree with you. The issue was not having a backup in place to spell Kam and/or let him move off the ball for a break.

That's more of what I'm speaking to. MU had to take their best scorer and shooter who was perfect off-ball and make him create for others. As a result, he ended up having to force too much when trying to get his own looks, especially as the season progressed. He did an excellent job all things considered.

I know it's been discussed ad nauseam at this point, but having Sean would have benefitted Kam and made the offense flow more naturally throughout the entire game. There really wasn't another guy who could step in and do anything remotely close.

[MU82]

That's more of what I'm speaking to. MU had to take their best scorer and shooter who was perfect off-ball and make him create for others. As a result, he ended up having to force too much when trying to get his own looks, especially as the season progressed. He did an excellent job all things considered.

I know it's been discussed ad nauseam at this point, but having Sean would have benefitted Kam and made the offense flow more naturally throughout the entire game. There really wasn't another guy who could step in and do anything remotely close.

This I can agree with.