Those are his UM-ES stats (on ~20 attempts all season). I believe in Paul’s article, he mentioned that his JUCO 3 pt. %age was much better (44%).
Agreed those stats aren't very impressive but, it is a very small sample size, 5 of 20 attempts. The previous year, at JC, he made 44% from the 3 on 52 attempts.
Agreed those stats aren't very impressive but, it is a very small sample size, 5 of 20 attempts. The previous year, at JC, he made 44% from the 3 on 52 attempts.
He said that it wasn’t his place to shoot threes on the team last year. I would have to assume that if UMES coaches thought they had a guy that could shoot 35%+ from three, they would have made it his place to shoot threes. So it is a little concerning.
Devon looks like a solid player that fits the physical description we are looking for in a guard. However, our two biggest weakness last year were 3 point shooting and interior defense. So far we haven’t addressed those unless coach really believes in Manyang and McNair to come in and solve them day 1. I would like to see us address those issues still, and unless a new spot opens up, we can’t address them both via transfer.
Ellis also was below or right at 70% FT which doesn't indicate high end shooter. I also agree that the biggest in my opinion issue was interior defense and, too often, any defense. So it's possible that Ellis shores that up over a guy like Edwards who was in one word very soft. He appears to be a role player at best.
Powell spent the latter part of the season in PCs talking about how he's going to hit the portal hard, didn't have that opportunity last year, etc. etc. He didn't say anything about any incoming freshman or redshirts. The implication was very strong that some of the guys on the roster were going to be replaced through the portal. Maybe that's coming in the future. We can't change the narrative now to its ok because we have these 3 guys at hand that we don't need help from the portal just because it hasn't happened.
Well it seems the formatting has gotten screwy again so assume I am Quoting jd24 here. Ultimately its still early on in the portal cycle. As for Ellis. He was able to hold his own offensively and defensively against high level talent as seen in the highlight reels of his games against P6 opponents. He has a 3 ball, but it just seems he wasn't utilized as a 3 ball shooter. I am also concerned that some of our "dead weight" hasnt been lifted yet, but we have players coming in that either have proven, or could most likely prove to be able to compete at a high level.
I believe that someone mentioned that Darius is committed to staying at some point a few weeks back, but I do worry that he played himself into a potential upgrade, if he wanted to do so. If Lexus Williams can play and find success in the MWC at Boise State, Darius could definitely do the same, as he proved that he could find a shot. Manyang intrigues the heck out of me. He looks like a potential beast in the paint. Powell keeps talking up Scroggins as our best defender, so he could be that Ben Wallace-sized Center to complement Cooper, allowing him to play a more natural PF position.
Darius' issue is going to be defensively. He's a good on ball defender but once anywhere near the basket he becomes a liability with any guard who's either or both of bigger or more physical.
Scroggins may be a good defender however I'm not sure about any Ben Wallace comp. He appears to be a stringbean and is listed as 20lbs lighter than Cooper at the same listed height.
Need I remind the faithful that even though Ellis shot only 25% on only 25 shots, that is still better then Connor Barrett's 22.5% on 90 attempts! 
Darius is not our answer to a top flight point guard...while he did show a few times some shooting ability, in general he is not a threat to score with any consistency. He could be a big addition to lower level competition but I would guess any top level point guard addition would ease D out of a starting position at Valpo. His size is a big detriment to his potential success...he is not strong enough to get to the bucket or defend bigger guards. I must say however one cannot fault his desire and hard work ethic and attitude. The point guard position will be a key to our success next season.
Scroggins may be a good defender however I'm not sure about any Ben Wallace comp. He appears to be a stringbean and is listed as 20lbs lighter than Cooper at the same listed height.
Word has it that Scroggins grew two inches and gained twenty-five pounds over the season.
Need I remind the faithful that even though Ellis shot only 25% on only 25 shots, that is still better then Connor Barrett's 22.5% on 90 attempts!
A nugget of positivity!
If he is 6'9" to 6'10" now, he can be a true big for us. My Ben Wallace comparison was keeping in mind his potential to bulk up, similar to how Jubril Adekoya and Urule Igbavboa developed at Valpo. Jubril was able to play some very solid C for us at 6'7" and athletic.
The activity is here so my reminder for the NIT championship game will be deliberately misplaced here.
Tonight 6PM Central Indiana St vs Seton Hall ESPN If any of you forget then I will verbally slap you with my next post!
One more thing. Remember that we just finished with 6 wins and Roger Powell wants to rebuild the right way with a stable foundation of players eager to return. He can not magically carry this out and make the 24-25 season much better than .500 if that. Getting to 17 or 18 wins might earn him the "Valley Coach of the Century" award so let us try to stay realistic about the kids we have and are getting.
Darius is not our answer to a top flight point guard...while he did show a few times some shooting ability, in general he is not a threat to score with any consistency. He could be a big addition to lower level competition but I would guess any top level point guard addition would ease D out of a starting position at Valpo. His size is a big detriment to his potential success...he is not strong enough to get to the bucket or defend bigger guards. I must say however one cannot fault his desire and hard work ethic and attitude. The point guard position will be a key to our success next season.
Eric Buggs, Keith Carter, Lexus Williams. Remember those guys? When people characterize great Valpo point guards of the last decade or so, these are guys they mention. All are the same height (or shorter) and build as DD. DD now holds the #3 highest all-time season assist record, far surpassing them. And in just one full season plus parts of others he is also in the top 17 for career assists. He plays tough on-ball D. His A/TO ratio (2:1) is a strength. He surprised us all with his ability to make clutch shots and keep opponent defenses honest (#2 on the team on 3pt. %age). Will he be smothered if dragged down low and isoed? Yes, but so were the three mentioned above. Every game DD makes each of his teammates better by his presence and command of the game. I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to bench him in favor of someone who may not have developed all of the dimensions DD has shown
@justducky I have tickets to the game actually. The perks of being a university student in Indianapolis.
I beg to differ. There is no “dead weight” on this team. To label anyone as dead weight is to assert that they are worthless. It’s impossible to know that about college freshmen or even sophomores who never played at this level before. There were people on this board who labeled Darius as dead weight - before he wasn’t. This is not professional basketball where players are who they are. Many of our guys are still in their teens, forced into early playing time out of necessity, playing against teams with players 4 and 5 years older, who probably weren’t any more accomplished than our guys at the same age. I wish people would stop with the wishing certain young guys would leave the program. Recruiting freshmen to your program and promising to develop them over time only to push them out after 1 year is a stupid program growth strategy, in fact it’s not strategic at all. It’s a shortsighted game of musical chairs that leads to mediocrity at best. We should be praising our young players for staying the course, not insulting them by calling them dead weight.
