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Post by JohnJacquesLayup on Jun 20, 2005 12:45:05 GMT -5
With such an important role being played by sophomores this coming season, has anyone else been dreading the possible sophomore slump? I think JG's work ethic and will power could help him push through a slump, but is there a likelihood that Wallace or big Roy perform at a lower level than their freshman seasons? I have yet to see our incoming freshman play in person, so I could not say whether any of them would be able to adequately fill in for a struggling starter.
I know I'll probably be banished for possibly jinxing us, but the sophomore slump does happen in college athletics. Thoughts?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2005 12:55:36 GMT -5
I started to post this same thing last week with the Brandon and DJ announcements, but thought better of myself for the same reasons. You're a brave soul, JJL.
I don't think it will take much for Green to statistically go into some kind of slump this coming year. There will be more talent around him, presumably Hibbs and others will be a bit better... he may not get as many touches as he did last year, and thus in the eyes of the national media be in a slump (as co BE-ROY, non-followers will expect BETTER numbers this year). But we're all (I assume) smart enough to know the other contributions Green makes on the court. He was more than just your traditional frosh who's brought in to score, help out on D a bit... he did it all and his value is in more than what the media will tell us it is.
As for Hibbs and Wallace, Hibbs can ONLY get better (not to say he was bad last year, but a sophomore slump would be odd for a guy who didn't play a WHOLE lot), and Wallace tailed off so badly at the end of last year - plus all our incoming backcourt players - that I think he's got nowhere to go but up. So for both of them, won't happen in my opinion.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 20, 2005 13:13:24 GMT -5
the sophomore slump does happen in college athletics. Thoughts? Josh Wright Dayshawn Wright (wait, are they even still with the team?) Rudy Gay Ronald Ramon Kyle Lowry Yeah, that'll do... |
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Jun 20, 2005 15:08:26 GMT -5
last year we were worried about being too reliant on freshmen.
I''m not more worried about those freshmen now that they are sophomores.
They'll be fine.
Wallace may be in a big battle for PT.
Green may not have to play as many minutes.
Hibbert needs to make significant progress from last year.
Crawford will also have to battle for minutes.
No, I think our rising sophs will be fine.
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the_way
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Post by the_way on Jun 20, 2005 15:29:00 GMT -5
I think this team will go as far as Hibbert's improvement goes. Hibbert is the X factor in all this. He show signs last year of being a heavy contributor and then other times he didn't. He cannot regress next year, and I don't think he will. Wallace has the experience and can be the calm in the storm of a close, pressure-situation ball-game running the offense. I'm not worried about Jeff at all. He is fine. Crawford, can go nowhere but up. But I think if Hibbert improves to the point where his play demands JTIII to play 25 minutes or more on the court, this team is definitely NCAA tournament bound next year.
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JimmyHoya
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Post by JimmyHoya on Jun 20, 2005 16:33:34 GMT -5
the sophomore slump does happen in college athletics. Thoughts? Josh Wright Dayshawn Wright (wait, are they even still with the team?) Rudy Gay Ronald Ramon Kyle Lowry Yeah, that'll do... Wasn't Lowry a soph last year? I would be absolutely tickled to see Rudy Gay suck it up next year. ;D I'm most intriuged by Tyler Crawford's play and/or lack of play. Of him, Hibbs, and Wallace, I am most worried, but also most excited about his prospects. |
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hoyadrummer
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Post by hoyadrummer on Jun 20, 2005 16:36:20 GMT -5
I think this team will go as far as Hibbert's improvement goes. I disagree. I love Roy, I think he is going to improve, I hope he becomes great, but this team should go to the NCAAs even if he performs worse than he did last year. What I'm hoping Roy can do this year: 1. Make teams pay for double-teaming Green by being able to consistently grab the ball and go up for the quick dunk. 2. Gain muscle weight - I'm told he's already done this, way to go Roy if that's the case. 3. Have the quickness and understanding of our offensive and defensive schemes that he is never a liability on the court. 4. Block shots without jumping - he's so tall he doesn't always need to, and jumping just enables defenders to draw fouls. Sure, sometimes you have to jump, but sometimes you don't. JG - I think in terms of total stats it would not be surprising for JG to appear to dip this year, but I would be surprised if points/rebounds/assists per minute went down. I just see a deep rotation this year, allowing us to play that old style 80s defense. |
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the_way
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Post by the_way on Jun 20, 2005 18:13:45 GMT -5
I think this team will go as far as Hibbert's improvement goes. I disagree. I love Roy, I think he is going to improve, I hope he becomes great, but this team should go to the NCAAs even if he performs worse than he did last year. What I'm hoping Roy can do this year: 1. Make teams pay for double-teaming Green by being able to consistently grab the ball and go up for the quick dunk. 2. Gain muscle weight - I'm told he's already done this, way to go Roy if that's the case. 3. Have the quickness and understanding of our offensive and defensive schemes that he is never a liability on the court. 4. Block shots without jumping - he's so tall he doesn't always need to, and jumping just enables defenders to draw fouls. Sure, sometimes you have to jump, but sometimes you don't. JG - I think in terms of total stats it would not be surprising for JG to appear to dip this year, but I would be surprised if points/rebounds/assists per minute went down. I just see a deep rotation this year, allowing us to play that old style 80s defense. I'm not saying our success TOTALLY depends on Hibbert. But he will have to do more next year if we want to get over the hump in the Big East. The deep rotation thing, I agree with because that is what JT2 teams were known for depth. Multiple # of guys at every position. |
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Jun 21, 2005 6:14:45 GMT -5
If there is a sophomore slump, I think it will less affect individual players but more the team. In the first year of a coach's reign, teams tend to outperform for some reason, then come back to earth a bit in year two. I don't think our success last year was predicated on superhuman effort or other teams not taking our team seriously (except maybe that Pitt win), but it is something both GU and St. John's should worry about somewhat.
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SaxaCD
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Post by SaxaCD on Jun 21, 2005 7:07:42 GMT -5
Maybe, but I also think our system is so different from what it used to be that any sophomore slump will pale in comparison to moving up the learning curve.
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Post by hoyalove4ever on Jun 21, 2005 10:01:26 GMT -5
I sure don't like any talk of Jeff getting less touches this coming year. He got way too few touches last year. Jeff should develop into our go-to guy this year. He needs to call for the ball when he has a mismatch and we need to run some isolations for him. I can't tell you how many times last year we were just messing around on offense and I was screaming at the TV, "Throw Jeff the ball and get out of the way!" Irregardless of how good the team as a whole may get this year, there will be times when we need one dominant player to step up. Jeff has to be that player.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Jun 21, 2005 10:12:56 GMT -5
Maybe, but I also think our system is so different from what it used to be that any sophomore slump will pale in comparison to moving up the learning curve. I agree with that. And, the increased depth PLUS the return of virtually the entire team! how often does that happen? Especially at GU where we have had so much roster turnover. I expect Roy to improve, but even if he stayed the same I'd still expect the team to improve and make the tourney anwyay because of all the reasons stated above. Finally, as for a "go to" guy, it could be Jeff. It could also be Brandon. Or a combination of the two. The two most interesting aspects to me for this coming year are: 1. The improvement we'll see from the entire returning team with a year under JT3's system. 2. The ability of the incoming class to make an impact. Last year, we had HUGE contributions from freshmen. I expect there will be significant freshmen contributions this year too, though not quite as much as last year on a relative basis. |
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hoyaboy1
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Post by hoyaboy1 on Jun 21, 2005 10:13:23 GMT -5
Most players make their largest improvements between freshman and sophomore years. I'm not worried at all - excited is more like it.
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