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Post by oldfox on Sept 15, 2014 15:19:59 GMT -5
www.hoopspulse.com/home/2014-15-maac-preview-9th-placebut evidently not the Marist front court. "…… nearly useless down low". Have to admit I'm not sure I've ever read a pre-season assessment of a teams front court stated quite like that. And Marist was picked 9th! They must characterize the Canisius and Niagara rosters as the walking dead. Time for a 5 guard line up according to these guys. LOL
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fox94
MAAC POY
Posts: 2,926
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Post by fox94 on Sept 15, 2014 17:30:39 GMT -5
On a positive note, there is Nowhere to go but up for the front court.
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Post by oldfox on Sept 15, 2014 21:36:24 GMT -5
On a positive note, there is Nowhere to go but up for the front court. Yup. Coil, McClenaghan, Momah, Brooks, Lawrence and Troug. There must be 3 "useful" ones among 'em, right?
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Post by yankee on Sept 15, 2014 22:17:12 GMT -5
Brooks is the guy who has the most potential to step up. If he doesn't Marist needs to play 4 guard/forward lineups regularly.
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Post by madzillagd on Sept 16, 2014 11:52:03 GMT -5
I wouldn't be too put off by it because just based on the comments the author really doesn't have a clue on how the front court is really going to be used. Mike Mayer was the best player in DIII by the end of last year and guess what, he rarely demanded a double in the post either because he rarely posted up in a traditional fashion. There is so much movement in Maker's offense the bigs are going to be asked to be able to catch, pivot, look for back door cutters, take a dribble or two, hand the ball off, roll to the hoop, etc. This isn't back to the basket, dump it down low style of basketball. The bigs that will have success are the ones that have good hands, can catch balls on the move, put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket from the 3 pt line. Especially welcome is a big that can knock down the 3.
Maker will post players in his offense but he will post the best post players regardless of which position/size they are. Mayer happened to be an excellent post scorer so he got the ball down low a lot off of curls etc, but Williams also posted up 6'4 Epley a lot because he was much stronger than most 3s guarding him, the same for PG 6'2 Rooke-Ley, and often 6'6 SG Wohl because he had a size advantage against the 2s guarding him. On the flip side, the back up center was a 6'7 3 pt specialize who wasn't particularly big so he almost never got the ball in the post.
Maker will typically play a 4 guard/fwd lineup with 2-4 being interchangeable parts for the most part. The success of this team will be more dependent on whether guys can knock down the 3 pt shot. If they run the offense effectively they will get open looks, it's just a matter of capitalizing on those open looks. McClenaghan looks like a kid that Maker would have gone after himself. Can put the ball on the floor a little, appears to be a good passer and the question will be can he hold his own on defense and not get pushed around too much. Wouldn't surprise me if he gets a bit of time this year.
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ggaff
MAAC POY
Posts: 3,210
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Post by ggaff on Sept 17, 2014 16:20:23 GMT -5
I think Coil and McClenaghan are both perfect for his offense. Both have great strokes and pass really well. It's almost like Bower got hired to recruit for Maker.. lol I'd like to see Lawrence and Brooks improve..
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Post by petagay77 on Sept 17, 2014 19:55:03 GMT -5
When are we going to recruit some true/real Athletes to replace Lewis and counter Hart's talent. Damn I wish Lewis had Maker a year or two earlier ... Either way, We're gonna shock the MAAC this season!
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ggaff
MAAC POY
Posts: 3,210
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Post by ggaff on Sept 18, 2014 6:19:20 GMT -5
Lee is a true athlete. They need a 6'5 slasher to replace Lewis. It seems like Maker will go the route of shooter/passer more than the explosive athlete route. Hopefully, he'll find a guy that's a little of both. Imagine if Lewis could shoot?? Still can't believe he never changed the mechanics..
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Post by nomar33 on Sept 18, 2014 8:09:07 GMT -5
I think they only need players that can succeed in Maker's system - whether they are considered a "true" athlete or not - shoot the ball well, have a good basketball mind, hustle, unselfish, etc - i.e Larry Bird (no "true" athlete there! LOL)
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Post by madzillagd on Sept 18, 2014 11:15:27 GMT -5
There were 4 or 5 guys that played in the Williams rotation the last couple of years that were not shooters and all had very limited success in the offense in terms of their own stats. Couple were very good defenders and that's how they earned time on the floor. The PG from 2 years ago was by far the most successful because he had such a great handle on the offense and got a lot of back door cuts or slips to the basket, but even then he managed only 9 pts in 34 mins a game. The backup center from a couple years ago couldn't shoot a lick but could jump out of the gym and averaged about 4 pts in 10 mins. 3 different backup wings last year all played 9-11 mins/game and they all averaged less than 3 pts. Not saying an exceptional slasher couldn't be successful but I think Nomar33 is on the right track in terms of shooters having more success.
What tends to happen is slashers get scouted, especially for those league games when you are seeing teams multiple times, and defenses know to play off of them and try and prevent the drive and/or back door cuts. Some of those guys that only averaged a couple points a game did have games of 15-20 pts against non-conference opponents that hadn't spent as much time scouting them. They key for them to get time is to execute the offense efficiently. Maker will play a guy if he helps the offense run smoothly and can play D even if they can't shoot.
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ggaff
MAAC POY
Posts: 3,210
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Post by ggaff on Sept 18, 2014 16:37:38 GMT -5
Great points Mazillagd. I probably used slasher when I meant to say a guy who can create his own shot when things break down. I definitely see them giving teams fits with his offense. Teams don't like working hard for 40 minutes on d..
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fox94
MAAC POY
Posts: 2,926
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Post by fox94 on Sept 18, 2014 18:07:51 GMT -5
Madzillagd I'm looking forward to seeng coach's system.
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Post by toad22 on Sept 18, 2014 18:28:25 GMT -5
I think you guys are going to love Maker's system. It is fun to watch. This year, particularly early, things will probably be more difficult, as players learn what they can and can't do, and learn the nuances. Don't give up, by the end of this year, and even more next year, I think you will see the power of the offense. Hopefully, this year's recruiting will go well, and Maker can bring in some players who fit the system, and who can be impact players in the league. I am a complete believer in Maker's offense, and also a complete believer in his ability to recruit. Last year's Williams team had the best player in D3, Mike Mayer, a center now playing in Spain, and the national rookie of the year, now recruited away to Michigan. Maker is a helluva recruiter. I think he will succeed in bringing some seriously good basketball players to Marist.
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Post by pearl777 on Sept 18, 2014 22:00:18 GMT -5
Hey toad22 looking forward to the season Coach Maker seems like the real deal. Had to chime in a little on the D3 best player. One of my kids who played for me named Aaron Walton was d3 player of the year dont know if you guys played against cabrini but thats whohe plays for. He is easily better than half of the d1 starting pg's. He is something else. Anyways I to believe marist will surprise some after being picked 9th league will be good this year though.
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Post by toad22 on Sept 18, 2014 23:21:59 GMT -5
Pearl777 - Sorry, Walton is a great player, and was the POY. In the D3 NCAA tournament, I (and many others around the country) thought that Mayer was the dominant player. I took a bit of literary license. No slight to Walton intended.
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