...that this season, we'd end up missing Stuckey Mosley more than Nathan Boothe? Hear me out.

Last season, Boothe averaged:

31.5 minutes per game
19 points per game
9 rebounds per game
Shot 49% from the field and 82% from the FT line

This season, Steve Taylor, Jr. is averaging:

32.7 minutes per game
16 points per game
12 rebounds per game
Shooting 52% from the field but only 47% from the FT line

Even with Boothe, we finished 8-10 in the MAC last season. We have a shot at finishing no worse this season, although that collapse last night didn't help. And while Boothe did some other things that Taylor doesn't/can't, I think the stat line shows that Taylor has been an adequate fill-in for Boothe.

Now...Mosley. Yes, he had his shortcomings--ones that I complained about (to me, he was the basketball "Corey Jones"--he would make a really nice play, which you would then forget about because he would make a costly decision, and then in between be a decent contributor).
Last season, he started, with an average of 30.5 minutes per game, and contributed 10 points and almost 5 rebounds per game. And, he shot 78% from the FT line. Not a great point guard, though. He leaves, and TK replaces him with not 1 but 2 JUCO guards...neither of whom are even here anymore (well, Antunez is, but for all practical purposes may as well not be).

If Mosley had stayed...TK has repeatedly said--loudly--that he recruited Sanford as a point guard. Fair enough. Then, there's no reason why Sanford couldn't still have been transitioned to the starting PG role this season, with Mosley being a key contributor off the bench to spell either Sanford or Jon Jon. Instead of relying on a true freshman as the only guard bench player for 5-6 minutes a game, we'd have an experienced junior, to complement Navigato coming off the bench. That duo would have made a nice bench. Then, for giggles sake, imagine Garber didn't injured, and we add Knapke to that bench.

I think we'd have a couple more MAC wins at this point, and be talking about a realistic shot at the #4 seed.

I agree. Not sure/don't remember why Stuckey left.

(02-22-2017 11:10 AM)Screwball Wrote:  I agree. Not sure/don't remember why Stuckey left.

The old "closer to home" thing.

(02-22-2017 11:13 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 11:10 AM)Screwball Wrote:  I agree. Not sure/don't remember why Stuckey left.

The old "closer to home" thing.

Wonder if Coach K would like to be "closer to home"?

Why did Daniel D..... (sp.?) leave? Why is Fred Johns Jr. gone? etc., etc. Stuckey went to a smaller school closer to home even though he's from Orlando. Maybe the coach has something to do with it? I'm surprised Adway and Sanford stayed. Adway barely plays and Sanford is out of position. We were lucky to get them to begin with. We are REAL, REAL lucky to get Fletcher (ESPN Top 150) and Missouri transfer Jackson. Regardless, I will be there Friday and root for them like I have since 1969. GO ROCKETS !!!

(02-22-2017 11:23 AM)Michigan Rocket Wrote:  Why did Daniel D..... (sp.?) leave? Why is Fred Johns Jr. gone? etc., etc. Stuckey went to a smaller school closer to home even though he's from Orlando. Maybe the coach has something to do with it? I'm surprised Adway and Sanford stayed. Adway barely plays and Sanford is out of position. We were lucky to get them to begin with. We are REAL, REAL lucky to get Fletcher (ESPN Top 150) and Missouri transfer Jackson. Regardless, I will be there Friday and root for them like I have since 1969. GO ROCKETS !!!

Newbie huh?

I don't think some of these kids are that interested in being part of a "team" or taking time to work and develop. They are only interested in being the big fish in ANY pond. If a year or two go by and they don't feel like the big fish, they just hop into a smaller pond. I know some are not satisfied with Coack K's recruiting, but getting basketball players to commit has to be a really difficult job to do.

It seems to me UT needs a change at the point guard position, especially after last night. The problem UT appears to have is depth. Sanford is doing a fine job at point, but where it appears UT needs him more is to provide depth at shooting guard or small forward position. He is a play maker, and if there is a glue player on the team it is Sanford.

Just like last year, the depth is causing the team to be exhausted. Fifteen point leads disappear routinely in the 2nd half late in the year, because the guys are exhausted. I suggest giving the point to Roberts. Williams, Sanford, and Navigato, and Lauf can spell each other to address the depth. With the depth and exhaustion issue, something must be done.

After last night's loss it became clear a successful season will need to be ground out. This will be even more exhausting. Moving Roberts to point is a solution. Gordon should have been used this year, because of depth issues. The other guards on the bench could spell Roberts, as could Sanford.

I feel coach K should take these last games and build for next year. The current plan is not working, and it is due to fatigue not talent.

Just my take after witnessing sure win go South, or actually West.

I very much agree with the original post that the loss of Stuckey was a killer. If you have Jon-Jon, Sanford, Lauf, and Stuckey to share the 120 minutes available at the 1, 2, and 3 spots, then that's an average of 30 minutes per player. Nobody would be overused, and all four of those guys are quality players. Also, if Sanford is being guarded by a super-quick defender who's disrupting our offensive sets, you just let Stuckey initiate the offense. Having two point guards on the floor isn't a bad thing.

The loss of Garber hurts, but we still have three capable players to share the 80 minutes available at the 4 and 5 spots. With Stuckey, that would give us a seven-man rotation instead of the current 6 1/4-man rotation. In a pinch, you could even give Lauf minutes at the 4 against most MAC teams. Our rebounding certainly would have been fine with Taylor, Lauf, and Mosely on the court together.

I would still choose Boothe over Taylor, but not by much. Taylor has done a great job of at least coming close to filling those big shoes.

I agree. Fatigue is the common denominator not lack of talent. How else do explain losing 6 out of 8 OT games. It's fatigue that got us to the OT games to begin with.

On the bright side: they set a record for OT games. :-)

Which is the last thing this team needs.

I wonder if Garber will be back at all. His boot is off but he was still gimping around in what little I caught him. If he is expected to help, he should be close to practicing now. I'm guessing that's not happening. I admit, I didn't catch much, but it looked that way. Maybe someone from campus can fill us in on how he is moving/walking.

(02-22-2017 12:53 PM)Screwball Wrote:  On the bright side: they set a record for OT games. :-)

Which is the last thing this team needs.

I wonder if Garber will be back at all. His boot is off but he was still gimping around in what little I caught him. If he is expected to help, he should be close to practicing now. I'm guessing that's not happening. I admit, I didn't catch much, but it looked that way. Maybe someone from campus can fill us in on how he is moving/walking.

I guess if there's any "silver lining" here it's that Knapke has seen more playing time, and we can't really miss Garber too much next season since he hasn't been able to play in what seems like forever now...

(02-22-2017 12:26 PM)PTLROCK Wrote:  It seems to me UT needs a change at the point guard position, especially after last night. The problem UT appears to have is depth. Sanford is doing a fine job at point, but where it appears UT needs him more is to provide depth at shooting guard or small forward position. He is a play maker, and if there is a glue player on the team it is Sanford.

Just like last year, the depth is causing the team to be exhausted. Fifteen point leads disappear routinely in the 2nd half late in the year, because the guys are exhausted. I suggest giving the point to Roberts. Williams, Sanford, and Navigato, and Lauf can spell each other to address the depth. With the depth and exhaustion issue, something must be done.

After last night's loss it became clear a successful season will need to be ground out. This will be even more exhausting. Moving Roberts to point is a solution. Gordon should have been used this year, because of depth issues. The other guards on the bench could spell Roberts, as could Sanford.

I feel coach K should take these last games and build for next year. The current plan is not working, and it is due to fatigue not talent.

Just my take after witnessing sure win go South, or actually West.

I wonder if Friday will become an audition opportunity for several players--Roberts, Adway, maybe even Antunez? Heck, if Gordon is showing ANYTHING in practice, I'd give consideration to burning his red-shirt, even this late in the season, as long as I did right by him and gave him 10 minutes of court time each game that's left. Time to figure out who should realistically stay for next season. We have 3 key contributors coming back: Sanford, Navigato & Knapke. Add in 5 newcomers, with possibly another scholarship to give yet. You have to figure the 2 transfers get lots of playing time--so our "bench" either becomes all incoming freshmen, or somebody steps up from the group above.

(02-22-2017 01:15 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 12:53 PM)Screwball Wrote:  On the bright side: they set a record for OT games. :-)

Which is the last thing this team needs.

I wonder if Garber will be back at all. His boot is off but he was still gimping around in what little I caught him. If he is expected to help, he should be close to practicing now. I'm guessing that's not happening. I admit, I didn't catch much, but it looked that way. Maybe someone from campus can fill us in on how he is moving/walking.

I guess if there's any "silver lining" here it's that Knapke has seen more playing time, and we can't really miss Garber too much next season since he hasn't been able to play in what seems like forever now...

No, he's done for the season. The bone is healing, with his weight and size, it will take longer for him to recover. They are going to try and get a red-shirt for him for this season, and hope the NCAA will approve it. Who knows.