RE: 20-21 BBall schedule
Article on DeJulius:
At Michigan, guard David DeJulius played alongside All Big Ten point guard Zavier Simpson, who had the ball in his hands more often than any other point guard in college basketball last season. DeJulius knew his role would change when he came to UC.
Junior guard David DeJulius has only been on campus at the University of Cincinnati for a few months. He still hasn’t played a game for the Bearcats.
But head coach John Brannen has already seen enough to believe DeJulius can become UC’s point guard of the future.
“The thing with (DeJulius) is that he’s insanely competitive,” Brannen said. “He may have the best work ethic I’ve ever coached. His work ethic is off the charts.”
When the Bearcats started recruiting DeJulius this spring out of the transfer portal, the coaching staff already knew what he did best. When DeJulius played at the University of Michigan, DeJulius was a hard worker and a talented scorer.
UC’s coaches knew he spent time in the gym polishing his three-point shot as he became a 36-percent three-point shooter. And they knew he was a great point guard, even if he didn’t get to show it at Michigan.
With the Wolverines, DeJulius played alongside All Big Ten point guard Zavier Simpson, who had the ball in his hands more often than any other point guard in college basketball last season. Simpson ran dozens of ball screens every game, and there weren’t many chances left for DeJulius to run the offense. As a result, DeJulius averaged just 7 points and 1.5 assists per game last season.
In April, DeJulius transferred to Cincinnati knowing his usage would change.
“(Coach Brannen) talked to me about my ball screen actions and handoff actions, but also just playing in space,” DeJulius told The Enquirer. “Getting out transition when the defense forces you to do something else. When I come up, I try to pressure the big man. My ability to make that cross-court pass allows the defense to worry about me making a pass. Then when I get to that area, it sets up my floater.”
l
In other words, the Bearcats offense is banking on DeJulius becoming a dangerous pick-and-roll threat.
Ever since he was in high school, scoring off a ball screen was what DeJulius did best. He scored at every level and was efficient pulling up for a three-point shot, scoring from the mid range or attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. DeJulius also has a floater that has already made his UC teammates wonder how he does it.
That skill-set is something that the Bearcats have rarely had over the last 15 years.
“I anticipate him playing a lot of point guard. He does a great job of running the team and making the right plays," UC assistant coach Sean Dwyer told The Enquirer about DeJulius.
“I anticipate him playing a lot of point guard,” UC assistant coach Sean Dwyer told The Enquirer. “He does a great job of running the team and making the right plays. He executes what the coaches want, he really can be your point of attack defensively applying pressure on the basketball. And then his competitiveness sets the tone.”
Since 2005, the Bearcats have only had three point guards average more than 10 points per game –– Deonta Vaughn, Cashmere Wright and Troy Caupain. Wright was the only player in that group who averaged double figures while shooting above average from three-point range.
Last season, the Bearcats started defensive-minded Chris McNeal at point guard for the first 10 games before replacing him with Mika Adams-Woods, who averaged just 5 points and 1.6 assists per game. Forward Jarron Cumberland was the de-facto floor general, and almost a third of UC’s plays were run for him.
DeJulius is planning for the Bearcats offense to look a lot different when the 2020-21 season starts.
“That’s not my style, I like getting ahead in transition and allowing other guys to be aggressive,” DeJulius said. “We have a lot of weapons, and Coach Brannen prides himself on that. You’ll see a lot of guys capable of getting numbers.”
Last season, Jarron Cumberland often was running the offense, but this season transfer David DeJulius should be handling that. “He’s passionate about making other people better,” head coach John Brannen said. “If you have those qualities, you’re going to transition to whatever position we need. And we certainly need him to be able to handle the ball.”
So far in practice, DeJulius has demonstrated that he’s capable of leading an up-tempo offense. He’s shown that he can change speeds quickly to blow by defenders, and he’s made a habit of exploding off a ball screen and getting to the basket.
“He does a crossover into a scoring move and he’s gone,” Dwyer said. “(DeJulius) walked in and instantly had command of the room.”
Playing for a team that needed a spark at point guard last season, DeJulius is wrapping up the process of learning UC’s offense.
When the Bearcats take the floor for the first time this season, the ball is going to be in his hands.
“He’s passionate about making other people better,” Brannen said. “If you have those qualities, you’re going to transition to whatever position we need. And we certainly need him to be able to handle the ball.”
(This post was last modified: 11-14-2020 11:15 PM by dsquare.)
|
/
20-21 BBall schedule
