Preseason Team MVP?

[FOTP]

So I know when you talk about the Hoyas the obvious answer to team MVP is Jeff Green. Maybe Big Roy right behind him. Green is awesome and multi-talented and Roy is a match-up nightmare.

However, in my mind MVP is not best player, but the player who if you lost that person the team would be much worse than with them.

Based on the team make-up right now...including injuries both short (Jessie) and maybe a little longer term (Rivers) is it really possible that the most valuable player on the team right now is J Wallace?

As I see it we really don't have a back-up PG right now. Jessie is really more of a two anyway and Rivers is both hurt and a freshman trying to learn the offense.

I look at it this way. If we lost someone for the year due to a freak accident would we be better off due to our depth at the 3 and 4 position to lose Green than Wallace?

I know the gods will come strike me down, but Wallace might be our best outside shooter and only real PG on the roster this year.

Just something I was thinking about. Pretty amazing for a former walk-on who was going to go to Princeton to go to potentially the MVP of a Final Four potential team.

[hoya73]

I'd agree with your analysis if GU played an offense where the point guard was the primary "quarterback" throughout most offensive possessions. With the Princetown offense, the point guard is the primary ballhandler only until the possession has been established in the offensive court. Then the primary ballhandler becomes the high post. Jeff Green, rather than the point guard, is likely to be the most important assist man. So, when Wallace comes out for a breather, or foul trouble, (don't jinx us by talking about losing a player long term),
the role that Jesse or Rivers has to perform is not quite as challenging as the traditional point guard role. Having said that, there will be games when John W is our mvp, also games when Jeff or Roy is, and who knows, maybe games when someone like Patrick Jr. is. JT III said he was the mvp of several games while in street clothes on the bench last year for his infectious enthusiasm.

[FOTP]

I fully understand the Jeff as point forward idea, but someone has to bring the ball up. If I'm another team if Wallace was out I'd full course press us every time. We'd get killed.

No matter what people say Wallace gets us into the offense. The first pass goes to Green, but someone has to bring the ball up.

It just scares me that we don't have a real back-up. I know help is on the way...but...

[hoya73]

I don't expect Sapp or Rivers or, for that matter, Summers to be a "deer in the headlights" when they inevitably play the role of bringing the ball up. Wallace isn't going to play 40 minutes per game, so you better be wrong that we can't handle a press whenever he comes off the floor.

[Eurostar]

fotp said:

So I know when you talk about the Hoyas the obvious answer to team MVP is Jeff Green. Maybe Big Roy right behind him. Green is awesome and multi-talented and Roy is a match-up nightmare.

However, in my mind MVP is not best player, but the player who if you lost that person the team would be much worse than with them.

Based on the team make-up right now...including injuries both short (Jessie) and maybe a little longer term (Rivers) is it really possible that the most valuable player on the team right now is J Wallace?

As I see it we really don't have a back-up PG right now. Jessie is really more of a two anyway and Rivers is both hurt and a freshman trying to learn the offense.

I look at it this way. If we lost someone for the year due to a freak accident would we be better off due to our depth at the 3 and 4 position to lose Green than Wallace?

I know the gods will come strike me down, but Wallace might be our best outside shooter and only real PG on the roster this year.

Just something I was thinking about. Pretty amazing for a former walk-on who was going to go to Princeton to go to potentially the MVP of a Final Four potential team.

Good point. I totally understand where you're coming from. Losing either Jeff or Roy would obviously be awful, but we would still have the other one and a ton of frontcourt depth. Losing Wallace or Sapp I think would be much harder for us to rebound from this year because of our lack of depth at the guard position... especially ballhandlers. We had trouble breaking the press last year and we still had Ashanti. If I was an opposing coach this year, I would press the Hoyas a lot and then drop back into zone in the half court... this would be especially effective if one of our guards were to get injured.

[FOTP]

Absolutely. Pressing the Hoyas should be a no-brainer and then settling back into a zone.

Ashanti was a big help last year handling some of the ball handling duties on the press and the offense.

It's my biggest fear this year.

[hoyaboy1]

I don't see it. Roy and Jeff are just so much more talented than Wallace that the loss of either one would be much more crippling.

I don't see any reason why Sapp is less of a PG than Wallace, and I think Rivers could handle some backup PG minutes. Now, this isn't to say we could easily afford to lose Wallace - we certainly couldn't. We don't have much depth there and he is our best shooter. But let's not overstate his ability; he doesn't make many mistakes (or great plays), he can hit open 3s, and he plays mediocre defense.

I do agree about the press though, and mentioned it in another thread. Wallace never seemed that comfortable breaking it himself - Sapp is actually probably better at that. Crawford, Ewing and Summers will have to show good handles or else we will get pressed a lot.

[williambraskyiii]

when has JSapp's handle been questioned? From what I recall, although jessie was classified as a SG, there were never any questions about his dribbling skills. While he wasnt asked to deal with this too much last year, we are worried about replacing ashanti? I think both JWall and JSapp will have equal or better skills than ashanti is press-breaking - do you know remember 'Shanti dribblin off his legs twice in the UConn game during the BE tourney? I mean he wasn't flawless is my only point.

Hell, even nodak classifies JSapp as a PG in his song! hoyablue.tripod.com/id8.html

all i am saying is that, let's not act like we only have one guy that can bring up the ball and break the press...and before people jump on me and say "did you even read my post?" - the answer is no

[SFHoya99]

Let me get this straight...Wallace is the MVP because if Jessie goes down AND Wallace goes down, and Rivers' injury is a long term problem, then we're in trouble.

Sapp is an excellent ball-handler and will be the backup PG even if he starts with Jon. Unless Rivers wows, we won't play a minute of ball without at least one on the floor.

[GIGAFAN99]

sfhoya99 said:

Let me get this straight...Wallace is the MVP because if Jessie goes down AND Wallace goes down, and Rivers' injury is a long term problem, then we're in trouble.

Sapp is an excellent ball-handler and will be the backup PG even if he starts with Jon. Unless Rivers wows, we won't play a minute of ball without at least one on the floor.

I agree. Note to self, when picking teams for basketball it's OK to let FOTP go first.

There is not a single player anywhere in college basketball who is more of an MVP than Jeff. Anywhere.

[coloradohoya]

gigafan99 said:

There is not a single player anywhere in college basketball who is more of an MVP than Jeff. Anywhere.

No question about it. When I think about how many passes go through Jeff and how many times each and every game last season he found the open man, I don't how you could say anyone else.

Even with our system, his leadership and more importantly his decision making are irreplaceable.

[Eurostar]

i think the point of this post was to show that wallace and sapp are very important to this years team. its not a slight to jeff or roy. obviously if you are picking a player to build a team around, you would pick jeff. but on this years team, given the depth of big men and the relative inexperience of guards not named jon wallace, said guard will be very important to our success this year and losing him due to injury would suck.

[lichoya68]

jeff nuff said ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D