Still hopeful furphy is here one more season.... but not counting on it. Kugel is a good insurance plan. He will likely start at the 3 without furphy
If furphy comes back, we suddenly have a lot of guys competing for minutes at the guard spots. Kugel, zeke, elmarko could all start at the 2, but I'd guess zeke.
Then we still have McDowell, philon, and passmore. McDowell should he ahead of the freshies to start, but they are likely more talented. I'd love to see McDowell redshirt and be a 5 year program guy, if that scenario Even exists anymore
We also might be sleeping on zach clemence. Gonna be his 4th year in the program. I'm curious to see how much he improved in his year off. Could play the 4 or 5, and gives us a different look. 6'10 shooter, which is exactly the type of player Gonzaga destroyed us with
Clemence needs to hit shots and get his confidence going, I think he can be a weapon. I really don't give a shit if hunter is around next season. Hunter is useful on offense but a defensive liability. I think clemence could be a better fit with KJ, on both sides of the ball. Clemence is a lot more mobile. Clemence might not be an elite rim protector, but neither was hunter. Clemence would give you more energy and rotate faster on defense, which would improve the teams overall ability to defend the interior and perimeter.
Although hunter clearly is the better low block scorer, hunter was also slow and clogged things up offensively. A confident clemence could be used to open the floor up with his shooting, he has nice touch and can finish when inside too. That could really open the paint up for KJ
We know what we get from hunter. Despite hating watching him lumber around the floor, we probably are better off with him coming back, maybe playing more like 25-30 minutes a game tho instead of 35ish
But I am quite intrigued with what a front court without hunter looks like. A frontcourt of KJ, a 6'10 shooter in clemence, and the freakishly athletic freshman
randylahey wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 1:21 pm
We also might be sleeping on zach clemence. Gonna be his 4th year in the program. I'm curious to see how much he improved in his year off. Could play the 4 or 5, and gives us a different look. 6'10 shooter, which is exactly the type of player Gonzaga destroyed us with
Clemence needs to hit shots and get his confidence going, I think he can be a weapon. I really don't give a shit if hunter is around next season. Hunter is useful on offense but a defensive liability. I think clemence could be a better fit with KJ, on both sides of the ball. Clemence is a lot more mobile. Clemence might not be an elite rim protector, but neither was hunter. Clemence would give you more energy and rotate faster on defense, which would improve the teams overall ability to defend the interior and perimeter.
Although hunter clearly is the better low block scorer, hunter was also slow and clogged things up offensively. A confident clemence could be used to open the floor up with his shooting, he has nice touch and can finish when inside too. That could really open the paint up for KJ
We know what we get from hunter. Despite hating watching him lumber around the floor, we probably are better off with him coming back, maybe playing more like 25-30 minutes a game tho instead of 35ish
But I am quite intrigued with what a front court without hunter looks like. A frontcourt of KJ, a 6'10 shooter in clemence, and the freakishly athletic freshman
Seeing, in Clemence, something more than "Hunter Dickinson if absolutely everything goes right" would seem like the same sort of approach error that would cause one to see Kyle Lowry in Yesufu, or cause one to have to retroactively walk back expectations for Jackson.
Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good?
randylahey wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 2:45 pm
In no way did I say zach would be better than hunter individually. My point was he's been forgotten about, and might be productive for us
Where hunter is painfully slow and unathletic, zach could fit in with our usual type of play better
Idk about you, but I am not a fan of the product we put forth last season
No one accused you of saying Clemence would be better.
Having watched him play, though, he sure plays a LOT like Hunter! Just not as good.
I think you are deluding yourself (like with Yesufu) and setting yourself up for a walkback (like with Jackson) by assuming he is anything more than a smaller Hunter, with similar skills and similar deficiencies.
randylahey wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 2:45 pm
In no way did I say zach would be better than hunter individually. My point was he's been forgotten about, and might be productive for us
Where hunter is painfully slow and unathletic, zach could fit in with our usual type of play better
Idk about you, but I am not a fan of the product we put forth last season
No one accused you of saying Clemence would be better.
Having watched him play, though, he sure plays a LOT like Hunter! Just not as good.
I think you are deluding yourself (like with Yesufu) and setting yourself up for a walkback (like with Jackson) by assuming he is anything more than a smaller Hunter, with similar skills and similar deficiencies.
A walk back with Jackson?
Incase you forgot I was the one who was right about him being raw and had low expectations for his freshman year. Same as mj rice the year before. When the majority of the board was expecting an instant impact type of player
What I am saying is that you are setting yourself up to have to walk this back. I like Clemence and think he can be a good player, much more offense than defense. I think you are deluding yourself if you think he is anything more than Diet Hunter.
DeletedUser wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 4:02 pm
Clemence is slow and awful on defense too. I know it's been a year since we've seen it, but there is a reason he was behind Udeh and Zuby.
So what you are saying is that he is a highly skilled big who has to be guarded out to the perimeter, but for whom "average" on defense would be a good result.
DeletedUser wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 4:02 pm
Clemence is slow and awful on defense too. I know it's been a year since we've seen it, but there is a reason he was behind Udeh and Zuby.
So what you are saying is that he is a highly skilled big who has to be guarded out to the perimeter, but for whom "average" on defense would be a good result.
Well, not exactly.
He has only proven to be a perimeter oriented big who is slow and doesn't knock down the 3 with any proven consistency and who also isn't a great rebounder.
He is a lot closer to Parker Braun and Mitch Lightfoot than he is Hunter Dickinson.
DeletedUser wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 4:02 pm
Clemence is slow and awful on defense too. I know it's been a year since we've seen it, but there is a reason he was behind Udeh and Zuby.
So what you are saying is that he is a highly skilled big who has to be guarded out to the perimeter, but for whom "average" on defense would be a good result.
Well, not exactly.
He has only proven to be a perimeter oriented big who is slow and doesn't knock down the 3 with any proven consistency and who also isn't a great rebounder.
He is a lot closer to Parker Braun and Mitch Lightfoot than he is Hunter Dickinson.
So what you are saying is that he has the potential to be a highly skilled big who has to be guarded out to the perimeter, but for whom "average" on defense would be a good result.
jfish26 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 3:52 pm
What I am saying is that you are setting yourself up to have to walk this back. I like Clemence and think he can be a good player, much more offense than defense. I think you are deluding yourself if you think he is anything more than Diet Hunter.
A walk back like what you had to do with Jackson. Got it