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HookEm

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Posts posted by HookEm

  1. I'm sure our defense will slip, but I don't think it will be the end of the world.  We weren't horrible without Bamba this year.  Let's look at the games where he didn't play:

    Okie State - Bamba played 15 min.  We held them to 64 pts, well under their season average of 77 ppg.

    Kansas - Bamba out.  Playing only 7 players in Lawrence, we held Kansas to a point under their season average.

    West Virginia - Bamba out. Again playing only 7 players we held West Virginia to a point under their season average as well.

    Iowa State - Bamba out.  Held Iowa State to 8 points under their average.

    Texas Tech - Bamba only played 5 min. Held Texas Tech to 2 points below their average.

    Now factor in that everyone will be a year older and hopefully better conditioned, I can see the team defense improving over what they were without Bamba this year.  We may not be GREAT, but I can see us being pretty solid.

  2. Regarding depth, I think your strategy depends on the talent differential between your top guys and the bench.  When you have a team like Texas Tech where the #4 guy isn't THAT much better than the #9 guy, it can be a great strategy to play everybody 20 minutes a game. You can keep throwing fresh bodies out there and be disruptive - especially defensively. 

    A side benefit to this strategy is that the #9 guy may someday be your #2 guy and he will have a ton of playing time under his belt by the time he is a senior.  Additionally if there are injuries or  foul problems, you have a ton of players who can step right in and contribute.  If somebody can play 15 min a game, it isn't a big deal to step up and play 25.  On the other hand if you have a guy getting 5 min a game replacing a guy who plays 32 min a game it is going to be trouble.

    All that said, I've coached my son's team and found that a 7-8 man rotation was much easier to manage.  In my case the talent drop-off from 5 to 10 was very steep - especially at the back end.  With a 7 man rotation, you are keeping at least 3 of your best players on the floor at any given time, and often you will have 4-5 of your best players.  With a 10 man rotation, there will be times when you have 4-5 of your worst players out there.  This won't be a winning strategy for most teams. 

    It is also hard to maintain chemistry and momentum for players when they are going in and out all the time.

  3. I have zero problems with starters averaging over 30 minutes a game - especially guards.  Take a guy like Graham at KU.  I guarantee you minutes 30-38 from "tired" Graham are better than those same 8 minutes from "fresh" bench player.  These are supremely conditioned athletes. They can play all day long.  The main reason to sit them is to keep them from fouling out and also to give them a minute or two of coaching.  

    Big men is a different story.  I don't want my post players playing more than 27-28 minutes.  They wear down and foul out.

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  4. Quote

    Judging the roster by experience, Shaka's first class is a bit of a bust with Jacob Young transferring, James Banks on the bench, and Andrew Jones health issues. It means we're still a young team next year as well:

    I wouldn't necessarily say we will be a "young" team.  Starting a 5th year player, two 4 year players, and two sophomores is not bad at all - especially compared to what we have been used to.  Man, if Jones comes back at even 95% that will do so much for this team.

    More importantly, I don't think we will be relying too much on the freshmen.  I will be surprised if any of them average more than 20 min a game next year.  Compare that to:

    • 2017 - Coleman at 34 min, Bamba at 30 min, Sims at 19 min, and Febres at 16 min. 
    • 2016 - Allen at 32 min, Jones at 28 min, and Young at 16 min. 

    Those are BIG minutes by freshmen - I don't care how talented they are.

  5. I generally have a glass of wine every evening once the kids are in bed. We usually buy a box as our daily drinker just due to the simplicity and cost. The best I have found is bota box nighthawk.

    Any other good boxes?

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