MBB 2018-19

[valpotx]

No one can ever question Micah's work ethic.  He has always been a gym rat, based on what we have seen.  He just hasn't translated that work into in-game success on a consistent basis.

[VUGrad1314]

I'm rooting for him. I hope he has a breakout year. He's more than earned it with all his hard work over the years.

[SanityLost17]

What ever happened with his court case?   I know they changed the charges.  Did they ever get dropped?   I take it he will miss the 1st 2 games of the season? 

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/PeterTheEditor/status/1029499169441017856

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmefkwiHaiy/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=19zlubb51tlxo

[FieldGoodie05]

https://twitter.com/PeterTheEditor/status/1029499169441017856

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmefkwiHaiy/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=19zlubb51tlxo

Markus makes it look easier though he is 6'6" vs 6'2" of Javon...

So what's more impressive?

[bbtds]

https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1025019135883988994

Reggie Redbird is killing the Crusader right now. Our mascot could use a lot of help from the Valpo faithful.

Voting ends at 4:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Central

So our alumni based is going to defeat a state school?

Not if we give up at the beginning if we perceive a handicap for our favored side.

[VU2014]

Micah getting some work in.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1030225057069576193

[vu72]

Micah getting some work in.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1030225057069576193

Wow!  I'm tired just watching that workout!

[FieldGoodie05]

Micah getting some work in.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1030225057069576193

Wow!  I'm tired just watching that workout!

During the video the instructor commented that a few of his step backs were NBA or more.  Had to laugh a bit, because that was the Micah we all knew and dreaded his freshmen year.  Have to say I was glad to see him take vastly better shot selection as a sophomore and can definitely say I saw progression with his IQ in the game.  If he can develop a 35% mid-range step back jumper and sink FT around 72% then we have a heck of a serviceable player in Micah.

OklahomaMick can attest that I wanted him to transfer after his freshmen year.  Thought I admit now that I was just being emotional and angry at his dumb freshmen shot selection.  What else could we really expect from a freshmen who got so many minutes early on?

Who gets minutes at PG for us this year early on?  Bakari as a starter possibly, but I like him better as a SG.  So I think Micah is really our minutes winning PG early on (after any suspension is served).  For a time last season, I think that Micah and Sorolla seemed to be the best energy guys we had on the court offensively.  I still think their games lend well to the pick-n-roll style they flashed last year.

[VU2014]

During the video the instructor commented that a few of his step backs were NBA or more.  Had to laugh a bit, because that was the Micah we all knew and dreaded his freshmen year.  Have to say I was glad to see him take vastly better shot selection as a sophomore and can definitely say I saw progression with his IQ in the game.  If he can develop a 35% mid-range step back jumper and sink FT around 72% then we have a heck of a serviceable player in Micah.

OklahomaMick can attest that I wanted him to transfer after his freshmen year.  Thought I admit now that I was just being emotional and angry at his dumb freshmen shot selection.  What else could we really expect from a freshmen who got so many minutes early on?

Who gets minutes at PG for us this year early on?  Bakari as a starter possibly, but I like him better as a SG.  So I think Micah is really our minutes winning PG early on (after any suspension is served).  For a time last season, I think that Micah and Sorolla seemed to be the best energy guys we had on the court offensively. I still think their games lend well to the pick-n-roll style they flashed last year.

That horrendous shot selection was still there during the OOC of last season, but there was a very noticeable 180 turn in his shot selection midseason and he transition from "scorer" to distributor. He was excelled in that role as a distributor. The jump shot never really found any consistency but he free throw shooting noticeably improved towards the end of the season. Micah has a had a somewhat rough first 2 seasons but he definitely made adjustment later in the season and showed some promise. I just hope the offseason hype is real this time. I'm not expecting him to be the player we hoped he could be when he was a recruit coming in but I'm hoping he could be a strong PG capable of knocking down the open shot and just being efficient. He did have great chemistry with Jay coming off the bench.

My guess is that Micah will play the back PG but still get significant minutes. Bakari will be the starter at the 1 with JFL playing the 2 but Bakari will slide into the 2 when JFL is on the bench and him and Micah will play together. I don't see any scenario where Bakari isn't a starter.

I'd actually like to see our bigs start setting some strong picks and screens this season and start allowing our wings to get more separation. I know those things come together with experience and chemistry, so I'm looking for that to be much improved this season.

[VULB#62]

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

[FieldGoodie05]

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Absolutely, but when the defense slackens and KNOWS the pg cannot score, well there in lies the issue.

[VULB#62]

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Absolutely, but when the defense slackens and KNOWS the pg cannot score, well there in lies the issue.

As I recall that was the criticism of Buggs, yet after his VU playing days, many posters retrospectively gave him great praise for how he ran the point.

[FieldGoodie05]

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Absolutely, but when the defense slackens and KNOWS the pg cannot score, well there in lies the issue.

As I recall that was the criticism of Buggs, yet after his VU playing days, many posters retrospectively gave him great praise for how he ran the point.

I understand where you are coming from, however, pg that can't shoot decent % hurt the offense, imo. For comparison purposes...

Data taken from each players real 2nd year, Buggs must've been injured in his true soph year if memory serves.

Buggs FG 42% 3-pt 18% FT 32%
Micah FG 34% 3-pt 27% FT 49%

Difference being Micah took 162 FG to Buggs' 95 and at a significantly lower %.  So on the surface Micah shoots and Buggs distributes which make them different PG types.

They both distribute with the same A/TO rate but Buggs was a distribute first pg where Micah is a shoot first pg.

Buggs 109 assists to 58 TO (1.88)
Micah 69 assists to 38 TO (1.82)

Then if we look at Buggs' final year which is where a good bulk of the good vibes we have for him derive from...

Buggs FG 54% 3-pt 16% FT 51%

He was shooting FG% that makes a C blush combined with over 120 assists.  I just think the Buggs comparison (although both PG) is not apples to apples in archetypes.

[vu72]

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

I think that guy will be Daniel Sackey, although he is also a very good shot.  Buggs was a great ball handler but a terrible shot.  The combo of both skills was best covered by a guy like Keith Carter.

[FieldGoodie05]

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

I think that guy will be Daniel Sackey, although he is also a very good shot.  Buggs was a great ball handler but a terrible shot.  The combo of both skills was best covered by a guy like Keith Carter.

You make a solid point regarding PG and distributors.  But the old style of feed it into the paint with strong back-to-the-basket play is changing to where G shoot more than before.  So a PG that can distribute is required, but in this style of play they cannot be terrible shooters either.

I think what we currently have (without our freshmen factored in) is a bunch of shoot first PG.  Bakari and Bradford are far better skilled play makers than many of our previous PG with the exception of Keith Carter being balanced. 

I also hope that Daniel Sackey has a distribute first mindset and that his assist-turnover ratio is edging up near 2.0+.  Because on last years team we had a lot of cohesion problems in the first 2/3 of the season.  If I leave the emotion out of it, I think a lot of that came with distribution of the basketball and was amplified with having no serviceable PF or SG for much of the middle part of the season.  Bakari took over that role over time when Tevonn was trying to get his legs back underneath him, but even Tevonn was a bit of a nightmare offensively as the go-to-guy.

I am equally excited to see how Daniel Sackey performs as I am Javon Freeman-Liberty.  I think we have talented SG/SF players so the need is much more established at PG.

[VU2014]

Love hearing that Coach Lottich is being active with the student body and will get to meet the freshman class.

https://twitter.com/CoachLottich/status/1030796547557076993

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1030885953806655488
https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1030825477408141312

[Chairback]

Bakari and Bradford are far better skilled play makers than many of our previous PG with the exception of Keith Carter being balanced. 

I'm sorry but you cannot include Bradford in this.  He is not a play maker and he is not even close to previous PG's at Valpo.  I'm betting Sackey takes almost all of his minutes before conference season starts.  Lavender was an insurance policy for Bradford also.

[FieldGoodie05]

Bakari and Bradford are far better skilled play makers than many of our previous PG with the exception of Keith Carter being balanced. 

I'm sorry but you cannot include Bradford in this.  He is not a play maker and he is not even close to previous PG's at Valpo.  I'm betting Sackey takes almost all of his minutes before conference season starts.  Lavender was an insurance policy for Bradford also.

You are correct, that's what I get for typing that post up in the Jewel Osco parking lot.  I was trying to say "far better at play making than distributing" when compared to other VU PG's.  Meaning they are suboptimal as distributors.

aka Ball hogs.

[justducky]

I'm sorry but you cannot include Bradford in this.  He is not a play maker and he is not even close to previous PG's at Valpo.  I'm betting Sackey takes almost all of his minutes before conference season starts.

I strongly suspect that you could be wrong about Bradford's future contributions but I am also totally unwilling to place any bets against your conclusion.   .   

[VU2014]

Possible schedule announcement.

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1032277759102517248

[vu72]

So a really tough road schedule, at West Virginia, at Texas A & M, at GW, and at UNLV.  The home schedule?  Not so much.    Hopefully we have arranged a few good rematches at home next year.

[IrishDawg]

So a really tough road schedule, at West Virginia, at Texas A & M, at GW, and at UNLV.  The home schedule?  Not so much.    Hopefully we have arranged a few good rematches at home next year.

It's actually a really good schedule, albeit none of the good games are at home (neutral site tourney against WKU is another good one).  I believe only GW is making a return trip next year, but rumor also has it that's when the Vandy game at Valpo will take place too.

[VU2014]

No surprise here but it's being reported that Matt Bowen has joined the Valpo Coaching Staff. An excellent addition to the staff. He brings a ton of coaching experience.

https://twitter.com/WisBBYearbook/status/1032094970667298816