Next years starting 5 & bench

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
1 - Baker (Sr)
2 - Mathis (Jr)
3 - McConnell (Jr)
4 - Harper (Jr)
5 - Johnson (RS Jr)

Bench:
Young (RS Sr)
Mulcahy (So)
Reiber (Fr) / Omoruyi (Fr) / TBD (??) (backup for Johnson)
Mag (Fr) / Palmquist (Fr) (depending on who's ahead of who)
Doucoure (RS Jr)

My thought on this is that McConnell is no longer our backup PG, or really even in the 3 deep at that position. Baker has pretty much settled in as our starting point, and as a senior will almost certainly be "running the show" as the floor general. Behind him will be Young and Mulcahy, who are also capable of running the point. That leaves McConnell at 6-7 looking for minutes at the 2 or 3 spots.

I really think that if he focuses next season on stepping into Yeboah's role, he can seize the starting 3 spot. He'd need to put on some weight with S&C to get up over 200... but he's a 6-7 player who has shown strong ability to rebound, plays solid defense, and hit shots from the midrange and outside. He slumped hard through the last part of the season, but I'm wondering if that was because he was playing "out of position" vs. what he had expected coming into the year and wasn't comfortable being off-ball so much. If he could step up and claim that starting spot at the 3 through improved performance and a refocus on a different role, I think we'd be really well positioned next year to ease the freshmen along.
 

YoucancallmeRay

All-Conference
Nov 3, 2015
1,790
1,905
113
Thoughts?

1-Mulcahy
2- Baker
3- Mathis
4- Harper
5- Johnson

Bench:
- Young
- McConnell
- Palmquist
- Mag
- Reiber
- Grad Transfer (center) --- MUST GET!
- Cliff?
Agree with starters. Doucore backs up Myles along with the other bench guys (not counting on Omoruyi or a grad transfer at this point).
 

dpwhite

All-American
Jan 21, 2003
2,952
7,127
103
If we only have one transfer, I’m going to go out on a limb, with no inside info, and 100% guarantee we don’t get a grad transfer. We might not even chase one.

I think the targets are:

Cliff
JUCO if we don’t get Cliff
Sitout transfer if another scholarship opens (Like Kiss transferring we might chase Jalen Carey who is rumored to leave Cuse)

If we have two transfers...I still don’t think we chase a grad transfer unless one falls in our lap.
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
Hoping its

1.Baker, Mulchay
2.Mathis, Young,
3. McConnell, Palmquist, (rs)Mawot
4. Harper,, Grad transfer, (rs) Reiber
Johnson. Omoruyi, Doucure

If we get a strong 4/5 Grad transfer AND Omoruyi, I could see Reiber maybe redshirting.

Right now, we have returning:
4 - Harper
5 - Johnson, Doucoure

Doucoure still has a long way to go before being a serviceable #2 center, imo - there was a definite dropoff after Carter this year in that area.
Reiber at 6-10/230 (per 247) would likely be Doucoure's competition for minutes - either as the #2, or as the #3 if Omoruyi commits.
Palmquist/Mag will probably also see time at the PF spot, too, at 6-8/210.

The heights/weights are a bit variable between services right now, too, so we'll have to see what their measurables are once they hit campus. There's a difference between, say, 6-7/205 and 6-8/215.
 

RuNutz

Senior
Aug 17, 2006
666
504
93
1 - Baker (Sr)
2 - Mathis (Jr)
3 - McConnell (Jr)
4 - Harper (Jr)
5 - Johnson (RS Jr)

Bench:
Young (RS Sr)
Mulcahy (So)
Reiber (Fr) / Omoruyi (Fr) / TBD (??) (backup for Johnson)
Mag (Fr) / Palmquist (Fr) (depending on who's ahead of who)
Doucoure (RS Jr)

My thought on this is that McConnell is no longer our backup PG, or really even in the 3 deep at that position. Baker has pretty much settled in as our starting point, and as a senior will almost certainly be "running the show" as the floor general. Behind him will be Young and Mulcahy, who are also capable of running the point. That leaves McConnell at 6-7 looking for minutes at the 2 or 3 spots.

I really think that if he focuses next season on stepping into Yeboah's role, he can seize the starting 3 spot. He'd need to put on some weight with S&C to get up over 200... but he's a 6-7 player who has shown strong ability to rebound, plays solid defense, and hit shots from the midrange and outside. He slumped hard through the last part of the season, but I'm wondering if that was because he was playing "out of position" vs. what he had expected coming into the year and wasn't comfortable being off-ball so much. If he could step up and claim that starting spot at the 3 through improved performance and a refocus on a different role, I think we'd be really well positioned next year to ease the freshmen along.

What about the possibility of another year for Yeboah and Carter?
 

blockm2

Senior
Jul 9, 2001
4,354
584
0
This ...I'm pretty sure JY will be starting at PG as a senior

for whatever it is worth, Young just finished one of the least efficient offensive seasons in recent history of major college hoops. Of players that played >40% of minutes in a season and used at least 25% of possessions while on the court, he had the 10th lowest offensive rating since 2007-8 season combining terrible shooting inside and outside with a low assist rate and too many turnovers.

He is definitely energetic and plays hard on defense, but doesn't seem like the type of player you want primarily handling the ball for a large number of possessions for your team.
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
for whatever it is worth, Young just finished one of the least efficient offensive seasons in recent history of major college hoops. Of players that played >40% of minutes in a season and used at least 25% of possessions while on the court, he had the 10th lowest offensive rating since 2007-8 season combining terrible shooting inside and outside with a low assist rate and too many turnovers.

He is definitely energetic and plays hard on defense, but doesn't seem like the type of player you want primarily handling the ball for a large number of possessions for your team.

Young was a much more efficient player over the second half of the season.

12 games prior to Caldwell:
19.9 min, 6.3 points (.343 eFG% - .326 FG, .417 2P, .115 3P), 2.3 rb, 2.0 ast, 2.8 tov, 0.8 stl, 1.8 pf

17 games after Caldwell:
22.0 min, 9.2 points (.479 eFG% - .437 FG, .463 2P, .353 3P), 2.6 rb, 1.5 ast, 1.6 tov, 1.3 stl, 1.2 pf
 

Knights 1212

All-American
Sep 9, 2003
27,558
8,494
113
We finished as # 28 in Kenpom, # 29 in Segarin and # 30 in The Net and Bart rankings. Those are all higher than where SHU completed its season in 2019. They were ranked about # 12 or so in most preseason rankings this year. We should be ranked in the TOP 25 going into next season. We only lose Carter who averaged 3+ ppg and Yeboah who averaged 9.7 ppg out of our top 9 players. We add Mag, Reiber, Palmquist and maybe Omoruyi and maybe even one more power player. We should anticipate a favorable and fun season.
 
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RutgersRaRa

Heisman
Mar 21, 2011
19,087
31,437
113
1 - Baker (Sr)
2 - Mathis (Jr)
3 - McConnell (Jr)
4 - Harper (Jr)
5 - Johnson (RS Jr)

Bench:
Young (RS Sr)
Mulcahy (So)
Reiber (Fr) / Omoruyi (Fr) / TBD (??) (backup for Johnson)
Mag (Fr) / Palmquist (Fr) (depending on who's ahead of who)
Doucoure (RS Jr)

My thought on this is that McConnell is no longer our backup PG, or really even in the 3 deep at that position. Baker has pretty much settled in as our starting point, and as a senior will almost certainly be "running the show" as the floor general. Behind him will be Young and Mulcahy, who are also capable of running the point. That leaves McConnell at 6-7 looking for minutes at the 2 or 3 spots.

I really think that if he focuses next season on stepping into Yeboah's role, he can seize the starting 3 spot. He'd need to put on some weight with S&C to get up over 200... but he's a 6-7 player who has shown strong ability to rebound, plays solid defense, and hit shots from the midrange and outside. He slumped hard through the last part of the season, but I'm wondering if that was because he was playing "out of position" vs. what he had expected coming into the year and wasn't comfortable being off-ball so much. If he could step up and claim that starting spot at the 3 through improved performance and a refocus on a different role, I think we'd be really well positioned next year to ease the freshmen along.
Caleb had the odd situation in that he grew about three inches from the prior year and no longer could handle the ball the way a 1 or 2 needs to, and the offensive scheme didn't seem to be designed for dribble-drive penetration and kick it out to a wing, which he has essentially become. I'm not sure what adjustment will be made to the offense with the change of personnel that each new season brings, especially if we get Omoruyi. But Caleb has a sweet shot and if we set him up on the wing and allow him to crash the boards rather than get back on D, he will contribute points and minutes.
 
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RutHut_rivals

All-Conference
Aug 11, 2017
4,483
4,903
0
Young was a much more efficient player over the second half of the season.

12 games prior to Caldwell:
19.9 min, 6.3 points (.343 eFG% - .326 FG, .417 2P, .115 3P), 2.3 rb, 2.0 ast, 2.8 tov, 0.8 stl, 1.8 pf

17 games after Caldwell:
22.0 min, 9.2 points (.479 eFG% - .437 FG, .463 2P, .353 3P), 2.6 rb, 1.5 ast, 1.6 tov, 1.3 stl, 1.2 pf
^this. Numbers don't lie.
 
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RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
Caleb had the odd situation in that he grew about three inches from the prior year and no longer could handle the ball the way a 1 or 2 needs to, and the offensive scheme didn't seem to be designed for dribble-drive penetration and kick it out to a wing, which he has essentially become. I'm not sure what adjustment will be made to the offense with the change of personnel that each new season brings, especially if we get Omoruyi. But Caleb has a sweet shot and if we set him up on the wing and allow him to crash the boards rather than get back on D, he will contribute points and minutes.

He grew one inch from the prior season, from 6-6 to 6-7... and he started off the season much, much better than he finished it. So, it's unlikely the extra inch of height had anything to do with it. I think it was more the rise in minutes form Young and Mulcahy taking the minutes at the PG spot that pushed him more off the ball, and he wasn't as comfortable on the wing.

First 19 games:
22.7 min, 7.4 pts (.513 eFG%, .453 FG, .389 3P), 4.3 rb, 2.1 ast, 1.6 tov, 0.9 stl, 1.6 pf

Last 12 games:
19.3 min, 5.7 pts (.342 eFG%, .342 FG, .000 3P), 2.8 rb, 0.7 ast, 1.2 tov, 0.7 stl, 1.6 pf
 
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Apr 8, 2002
15,537
26,790
113
Young was a much more efficient player over the second half of the season.

12 games prior to Caldwell:
19.9 min, 6.3 points (.343 eFG% - .326 FG, .417 2P, .115 3P), 2.3 rb, 2.0 ast, 2.8 tov, 0.8 stl, 1.8 pf

17 games after Caldwell:
22.0 min, 9.2 points (.479 eFG% - .437 FG, .463 2P, .353 3P), 2.6 rb, 1.5 ast, 1.6 tov, 1.3 stl, 1.2 pf
Thank you for putting into context so others can have a better understanding of the situation.

What you just did was shoot holes in his agenda.
 

Myrtleknight

Senior
Mar 25, 2006
661
481
0
A: if you don't think young is going to get 80% of the minutes at pg next season I don't know if you actually watched the last month and a half.
B: I have no idea what this infatuation is with Caleb. Not going to dig deeper.
C:. Harper must hit the weight room hard if he has any chance at the next level.
 

RUBOB72

All-American
Aug 5, 2004
23,385
7,924
0
Predict we will be pre season between 28-32... maybe less ... we deserve a top 25 but even in our conference I have this feeling the will pick us around 8-9...each season is different when your RU.
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
A: if you don't think young is going to get 80% of the minutes at pg next season I don't know if you actually watched the last month and a half.
B: I have no idea what this infatuation is with Caleb. Not going to dig deeper.
C:. Harper must hit the weight room hard if he has any chance at the next level.

Young definitely came on over the last 10 games as a distributor (and especially over the last 5 games), and dramatically increased his total assists and assist/turnover ratio. If he can keep that up consistently, he could definitely demand 25+ minutes at the PG spot. Baker, though, thrives best with the ball in his hands, rather than as an off-ball shooter, and was still a better distributor than Young was over the last 10 games. He'll also be the senior leader captain of the team, and almost certainly be bringing up the ball the majority of the time.

Last 10 games:
Young: 22.6 min, 1.9 ast, 1.3 tov (1.42 ast/tov)
Baker: 30.3 min, 3.4 ast, 1.7 tov (2.0 ast/tov)

It's entirely possible that Baker starts at 2G next year, but right now I think he stays as starting PG. That may mean we get a starting line up of Baker/Young/Mathis/Harper/Johnson, where Baker/Young share duties at PG and alternately play on- and off-ball... but I think having Young/Mathis on the floor at the same time limits our 1-2 punch of defense against the best opposing guard.

As for McConnell, I really don't know what happened to him starting with the Nebraska game on 1/25. From the restart of B1G play last year (19 games) through the first 19 games of this season, he was 30/77 (.390) from 3P range and was one of our best deep threats.... then over the final 12 games of this year he went 0/14. He hesitated when he got the ball, struggled with turnovers.... I don't know if he had the yips, he wasn't able to transition to an off-ball role, he was frustrated with the rise of other players, defenses had figured him out, or if something else was going on. He definitely has talent and can play at this level, and I hope he can turn it around next year. At this point, I think he'd be fighting with Mag, Palmquist, and Mathis for minutes on the wing. IF he can become a productive SF, we could be really good next year. If he can't, I think he's going to struggle for minutes with the PG door largely closed.
 

RU677381

Senior
Apr 21, 2010
383
629
45
It is not fair to take Young's entire season and label him a failure He was a vastly improved team player at the end of the year compared to the beginning.

Interesting in the second Purdue game he was guilty of two defensive errors within five minutes. The first was not blocking Hunter out and then fouling him with 2.7 seconds left. The second was the foul on Sasha's three point shot in overtime. Each of them, especially the first, could have cost us the game.
 

RuNutz

Senior
Aug 17, 2006
666
504
93
Say all seniors around the country get another year, does that mean Eugene Omoruyi has to sit another year too?:Laughing:Laughing:Laughing

Funny.... I was selfishly imagining for a quick moment, if this pandemic had to happen, why couldn't it have happened next year. This classy, well deserving RU team would have seen their true destiny play out, and EO would have never played in the dance. The sole reason he ditched his team as a seasoned captain. I know, a selfish and immature thought. Oh well.
 

scarletrat

All-Conference
Aug 28, 2003
10,990
1,048
0
we need another stretch 4 grad transfer like Yeboah next season. he was the perfect piece, not just his play, stretching the floor and ability to defend in blocks, but maturity...so starting lineups are hard to say until we see full roster...as of now, based on who is coming back, JY, Geo, Harper, Johnson, Mathis. Caleb and Mulcahy first off bench. Don't know which frosh can step in and contribute...
 
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GoodOl'Rutgers

Heisman
Sep 11, 2006
123,974
19,586
0
While I love Young coming off the bench if he really wants to start I think we should honor that. I actually think he is more valuable to the team coming off the bench.

We could have 3 guys come off the bench getting more PT that the starters..

Geo
McConnell
Mulcahy
Harper
(backup center)

off the bench

Young
Mathis
Myles

any or all of them could start.. but my preference would be for them to come in when the opponent's starters go out... and to pressure and push tempo with opponents bench players in the game. I want opponents to fear taking their starters out and to rush them back in and tire them out so we clean up in the late game.

The new guys will prove where they belong in practice and in early season.
 
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