Starting 5???

Yeah- Brandon has some work to do. But I am very confident that he can pull it off. I believe the skills are there. He needs the confidence that he can get with ball-handling experience, and overall p/g experience. i have a feeling he is going to get it! And we will be fine. I think you may actually see something different in him, if he has to make the transition. He could shock the CAA. Not a definite. but a real possibility.

If he slides into that role, they can make him more comfortable by letting him know that we will not need 20 points out of him to win. 7-10 would do just fine, with solid decision-making, great perimeter defense, and good, strong ball handling. i think you'll see Brad Burgess step up in a big way if this becomes the scenario. I believe Brad can handle the ball well enough to also help Brandon out, and eliminate a little bit of the pressure. Teams are going to have their hands full with the 2009-2010 VCU RAMS.
 
RamBo said:
Yeah- Brandon has some work to do. But I am very confident that he can pull it off. I believe the skills are there. He needs the confidence that he can get with ball-handling experience, and overall p/g experience. i have a feeling he is going to get it! And we will be fine. I think you may actually see something different in him, if he has to make the transition. He could shock the CAA. Not a definite. but a real possibility.

If he slides into that role, they can make him more comfortable by letting him know that we will not need 20 points out of him to win. 7-10 would do just fine, with solid decision-making, great perimeter defense, and good, strong ball handling. i think you'll see Brad Burgess step up in a big way if this becomes the scenario. I believe Brad can handle the ball well enough to also help Brandon out, and eliminate a little bit of the pressure. Teams are going to have their hands full with the 2009-2010 VCU RAMS.
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You are very optimistic. I am a little less enthusiastic about the idea of Rozzell at the point. He showed poor decision making last year, and that was just as a shooting guard trying to decide when to take a shot. Imagine trying to run the entire offense. :shock: His ball-handling is fine for a 2 guard, but definitely not for point. He was out-of-control more often than not on the fast break and sometimes it seemed like he would be doing things before he thought about why he was doing them. B-Rozz has a ton of heart and wants more than anything to do well and help the team, but he needs to improve in a big way this offseason to be an effective point in the CAA. That's my honest opinion.
 
Starters, day one:

Theus
Rozzell
Burgess
Pishalnikov
Sanders

Starters, 1/1/10:

Theus
Gavin
Burgess
Skeen
Sanders

Lineups for:

Scoring:

Theus
Gavin
Burgess
Skeen
Sanders

Defense:

Theus
Nixon
Ndongo
Gwynn
Sanders

Speed:

Villarino
Theus
Burgess
Saintil
Sanders

Rebounding:

Theus
Nixon
Burgess
Pishalnikov
Sanders

We need Villarino. One point guard is not enough if we are going to wreak havoc.
 
Baller- You make some great points, and it is obvious that you really know your basketball. I agree with most of what you said too. But I'd have to personally disagree with you on the decision-making thing. I would not at all say that Brandon made teribble decisions. i would say that this was a part of his game that needed serious work. But we all have to remember a few things about Brandon Rozzell:

1- He was a sophomore, looking to turn heads.
2- He was vastly improved from year 1- and even improved nicely as the seaosn wore on.
3- He was called on to get in there and score. We needed a 3-baller badly to help Eric out last year.
4- It's a lot of pressure, being asked to come in cold, jack in some 3's, and fire the team up.
5- That was really his role last year. He was so excited when the season started, & when he got in
6- The Jr year is normally very big. Look at Jamal Shuler, and many other VCU greats
7- Playing time will likely not freak Brandon out at this point. He's a man now
8- Running the point is, in itself a pressure-packed job. But if you are capable, it's OK
9- No more pressure than being asked to go in and score. This, of course, is only if he CAN DO IT
0- Call me crazy, but with a ton of work this summer, I believe he can

* It's all a moot point anyway, if Theus turns out to be the P/G some think he can be, right away. Or if we land the one we need. Then Brandon can focus on that control game, and the 3-point consistency we need from him as our super-6, and another ace 2-guard. Hey- I am fine with that. Just thinking ahead, in case we dont land the big time point guard, or if that does not turn out to be Theus's position right away.
 
RamBo said:
Baller- You make some great points, and it is obvious that you really know your basketball. I agree with most of what you said too. But I'd have to personally disagree with you on the decision-making thing. I would not at all say that Brandon made teribble decisions. i would say that this was a part of his game that needed serious work. But we all have to remember a few things about Brandon Rozzell:

1- He was a sophomore, looking to turn heads.
2- He was vastly improved from year 1- and even improved nicely as the seaosn wore on.
3- He was called on to get in there and score. We needed a 3-baller badly to help Eric out last year.
4- It's a lot of pressure, being asked to come in cold, jack in some 3's, and fire the team up.
5- That was really his role last year. He was so excited when the season started, & when he got in
6- The Jr year is normally very big. Look at Jamal Shuler, and many other VCU greats
7- Playing time will likely not freak Brandon out at this point. He's a man now
8- Running the point is, in itself a pressure-packed job. But if you are capable, it's OK
9- No more pressure than being asked to go in and score. This, of course, is only if he CAN DO IT
0- Call me crazy, but with a ton of work this summer, I believe he can

* It's all a moot point anyway, if Theus turns out to be the P/G some think he can be, right away. Or if we land the one we need. Then Brandon can focus on that control game, and the 3-point consistency we need from him as our super-6, and another ace 2-guard. Hey- I am fine with that. Just thinking ahead, in case we dont land the big time point guard, or if that does not turn out to be Theus's position right away.
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I think he is capable. It remains to be seen if he will. I'd rather have him being a devastatingly efficient marksman from the outside like he was recruited to be. That's just me though. :) Hey we can disagree here and still be civil. Discussion is what this forum is all about. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
 
One of the most frustrating things for me watching Brandon play was the fact that he never,never, ever gave the ball up on the break. Not a good attribute for a PG IMHO and not even a good attribute for playing within a team concept.
 
Rambob said:
One of the most frustrating things for me watching Brandon play was the fact that he never,never, ever gave the ball up on the break. Not a good attribute for a PG IMHO and not even a good attribute for playing within a team concept.
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Yup. I agree 100%. He does not have a point guard's mentality at all and you don't just develop it all of a sudden. If we have Brandon running the offense at the point, I think realistically we will not be as good as we all hope to be. Theus has the pass-first mentality that is essential in your point guard. Vilarino also is a great point guard at the CAA level. We'll be more than okay with the both of them. With just Theus, we'll be okay, but once he's off the floor, we will have a lot more trouble running the offense. Not to mention the fact that Theus is just a freshman and will undoubtedly make mistakes. It's very rare to see a freshman take the league by storm.
 
Yeah I don't think I like the idea of Brandon playing point guard. His ball-handling is wayyyyy too shaky for that. He's pretty out-of-control a lot of the time. If anything I could see Ed Nixon maybe taking on the ballhandling duties. Maybe use that amazing ability to split defenders and get to the basket to draw defenders away from Larry and dish it off. He's got a pretty tight dribble, good size and great athleticism. He gives up a lot from the outside, but he can get to the basket seemingly whenever he wants. It would be interesting to see.
 
Rozzell
TJ or Ed (this is based defense is Smart's focus)
Brad
Larry
Skeen (when eligible)

From what I'm hearing Gavin is ONLY a shooter with weak ball handling and defensive skills. I think he will be the spark off the bench when we need a basket and/or a breather.

I agree Grant had his favorites and we will see a different Rozzell in the Smart system. Maybe an exageration on the out of control and bad decision making status. B Rozz had a total of 30 turnovers for the season which is probably is the least amount of all the guards other than Nixon because he didn't handle the ball as much.

This may have already been posted but I also G. Smith (eventually Dr. Smith :D ) won't be on the team next year.
 
Blackmagic804 said:
Rozzell
TJ or Ed (this is based defense is Smart's focus)
Brad
Larry
Skeen (when eligible)

From what I'm hearing Gavin is ONLY a shooter with weak ball handling and defensive skills. I think he will be the spark off the bench when we need a basket and/or a breather.
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I don't think there's any way Gavin doesn't start next year. He's too important for us offensively. He will be the best perimeter shooter we have next year. You may be right on Rozzell, I just didn't see much that makes me optimistic he can handle ball-handling responsibilities. He doesn't read the defenses very well and tends to throw the ball away more often than not. He's not very subtle with passing, by which I mean he is easily readable as to where he's going with the ball. I dunno, just some of my impressions. I could be wrong. We are VERY vulnerable at the point guard spot next year. We NEED Vilarino in a bad way. I will breathe a lot easier if he makes the commitment to become a Ram. Him and Theus would be an inexperienced, but capable point guard tandem.
 
districtballer said:
Blackmagic804 said:
Rozzell
TJ or Ed (this is based defense is Smart's focus)
Brad
Larry
Skeen (when eligible)

From what I'm hearing Gavin is ONLY a shooter with weak ball handling and defensive skills. I think he will be the spark off the bench when we need a basket and/or a breather.
Click to expand...

I don't think there's any way Gavin doesn't start next year. He's too important for us offensively. He will be the best perimeter shooter we have next year. You may be right on Rozzell, I just didn't see much that makes me optimistic he can handle ball-handling responsibilities. He doesn't read the defenses very well and tends to throw the ball away more often than not. He's not very subtle with passing, by which I mean he is easily readable as to where he's going with the ball. I dunno, just some of my impressions. I could be wrong. We are VERY vulnerable at the point guard spot next year. We NEED Vilarino in a bad way. I will breathe a lot easier if he makes the commitment to become a Ram. Him and Theus would be an inexperienced, but capable point guard tandem.
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I understand what you are saying but I just don't see two freshmen coming in a running a team, hey but anything is possible. I've never seen either recruit play so I really don't know. I do have a feeling that Smart will focus on defense and a run and gun type offense. I expect some high scoring games next year. This style will probably help with the PG situation.

You have a lot of knowledge about the team, is Gavin capable of getting himself free fo the jumper or can he just drain em with someone in his face? Other than the 3 ball any other offensive threats?
 
Blackmagic804 said:
districtballer said:
Blackmagic804 said:
Rozzell
TJ or Ed (this is based defense is Smart's focus)
Brad
Larry
Skeen (when eligible)

From what I'm hearing Gavin is ONLY a shooter with weak ball handling and defensive skills. I think he will be the spark off the bench when we need a basket and/or a breather.
Click to expand...

I don't think there's any way Gavin doesn't start next year. He's too important for us offensively. He will be the best perimeter shooter we have next year. You may be right on Rozzell, I just didn't see much that makes me optimistic he can handle ball-handling responsibilities. He doesn't read the defenses very well and tends to throw the ball away more often than not. He's not very subtle with passing, by which I mean he is easily readable as to where he's going with the ball. I dunno, just some of my impressions. I could be wrong. We are VERY vulnerable at the point guard spot next year. We NEED Vilarino in a bad way. I will breathe a lot easier if he makes the commitment to become a Ram. Him and Theus would be an inexperienced, but capable point guard tandem.
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying but I just don't see two freshmen coming in a running a team, hey but anything is possible. I've never seen either recruit play so I really don't know. I do have a feeling that Smart will focus on defense and a run and gun type offense. I expect some high scoring games next year. This style will probably help with the PG situation.

You have a lot of knowledge about the team, is Gavin capable of getting himself free fo the jumper or can he just drain em with someone in his face? Other than the 3 ball any other offensive threats?
Click to expand...

We are going to need those freshmen to step up big time. This is why a lot of other fans think we won't be as good as next year. I think they may be just right. You're right, freshman are not usually impact players. We are going to need ours to be though. We are going to go through a lot of growing pains with new, inexperienced guys at the point, especially with the tough OOC schedule we have this season. I'd rather have inexperienced guys who have played point all their careers than a guy who's never really played point guard in his life and is doing so out of necessity.

Gavin can definitely hit with defenders in his face. He gets his shot off very quickly. He can drive to the basket but isn't nearly as proficient at that. His handle needs work. He can hit the mid-range jumper too, but he's mainly a 3-point specialist. I think Brad is capable of taking the ball inside and showed glimpses of it last year. I think it will help the offense that much more if he can cut to the basket and draw defenders from the interior. The fact that he is a great 3-point shooter should have defenses off-balance already, and when he makes the move to the basket, his defender will already be on his heels. We have guys with different weapons. There is no one guy with an all-around offensive arsenal, we just have to play to each players strength to operate as a single, effective, offensively lethal unit.
 
We would have to be in dire straits for Brandon to start at the point. His specialty is 3-ball shooting and while he is good at that he isn't a starter at his natural position (SG) yet - - and won't be next year IMO. I do think he will be the first or second guy off the bench though. He's just not a point guard - - he has a high, hard dribble and he's not a great ball handler or passer. I honestly don't understand why some of us think we would be fine at the point with Brandon.
 
RamBo said:
I would just add this comment: That's my starting 5. But the more important issue is this- our depth will be stupendous. Not only in terms of quality players, in numbers, but if you look at the numbers more closely, we are stacked at every spot. Never happened before this way, in VCU history. Sure- we've had better starting 5, but never with this kind of quality, experienced depth behind them. In more detail:

1- Theus / Rozzell / 3rd Guy (GJ??)
2- Gavin / Rozzell / Theus
3- Burgess / Nixon / Gwynn
4- Skeen / Saintil / Gwynn / Ndongo / KP
5- The Landlord / KP / Saintil

Sheesh- We really are loaded. For the better part of the past few years, we've been talking a lot about our depth, but with a lot of guys plugged into the equation, that were very young, inexperienced, and unproven, though athletic and somewhat heralded coming in. This group is a different story all together. I believe we have got solid, quality depth at every postion, that is proven. Except for one.

GJ- do you hear that? Except for 1!!!! Still, I think we're going to befine with what we've got. But getting a really big time point guard would just complete the picture. If not, then Brandon & Darius will do it.
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Depth is everything for the Rams next year....our starting 5 is kind of moot considering the pressure Shaka wants to employ. Of course Larry will be a fixture...as Skeen and Gavin will be before it's all said and done. The key will be how Coach Smart either dictates the style of a game OR who he'll put on the floor to scheme our way to a victory. This'll be his first HC gig....so he'll need to get as many players as possible to buy into his philosophy and build up that stamina. I think we'll see 10-11 guys avg. double digit minutes.
 
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