Team off-season goals

[david coxxx]

I remember hearing last off-season that Larry was trying to put on weight, but didn't quite fully achieve his goal of something like 25 lbs(but still put on valuable pounds nevertheless).

Any word on other players plans this off-season?

 

[districtballer]

I remember hearing last off-season that Larry was trying to put on weight, but didn't quite fully achieve his goal of something like 25 lbs(but still put on valuable pounds nevertheless).

Any word on other players plans this off-season?

Larry Sanders: He must put on weight. He knows that and we all know that. His lack of bulk hurts him when he's trying to post up bigger players. Our style of play has mitigated the effects of his slight frame, but with Maynor gone, he's going to be the main option and defenses will be collapsing on him. He needs to get stronger. He's 6'10, 220 right now, he's trying to put on at least a good 10-15 pounds of muscle. He did it last offseason going up from 205 to 220. At 6'10, 235 he would have a decent build to take the beating he will in the low post. He also needs to work a lot on his back to the basket moves. As much as we want to play in transition and the fast break, he needs to work on his back-to-the-basket moves a lot. He has not shown much in that department and he will need to work on his footwork and his post moves. I honestly think he develops a jump hook shot, he would be deadly. He is still not all there with his bball IQ, especially being as new to the game as he is. He needs to work on his fundamental understanding of the game. I'm sure Rhoades will work with him on this as he has a great mind for the game. He knows it inside and out. Larry will be staying in Richmond this summer (as last) for the most part and he knows this is his team next year. He's going to be working hard.

Brad Burgess: As young as he is, Brad is going to have to make the jump next year. He showed unbelievable poise for a freshman last year, hitting game-saving 3's late in several key games for us last year. He is pretty mature physically at this stage of his career and has a great basketball IQ. He just makes the right play. His role is changing this year however. He will need to step up and be far more assertive within the offense. He was passive at times and deferred to others which he should not do next year. With the game on the line, Burgess is going to be one the players who should expect to take the shot. His conditioning at this point is excellent and his knowledge of the game is commendable. He will be working a great deal on his handle and driving to the basket as that is a part of his game he hasn't developed well to this point. While he is a perimeter player to this point, we'll need him to mix it up with the trees every once in a while to draw defenders away from Larry. Penetrating and dishing out to Larry as the defense collapses on him will be essential to our offensive game-plan succeeding.

I'll put up more as I get the time.

 

[Rambunctious]

Thanks DB. I would like to hear thoughts on Rozzell and Ndongo - - a couple of guys that risk getting overshadowed by the newcomers IMO. I guess I can see Burgess or Rozzell really breaking out next season, but there seems to only be room for one of them to do so. I mean, how many guys can reasonably average double figures? Larry is a given IMO as is Skeen I presume. After that the scoring order looks to be Burgess, Gavin, Rozzell (pick the order) then a few 4-6 ppg guys.

Who do look for to be the sleeper? As a freshman I don't think anyone expected Burgess to be the player he was his first year. I was surprised by that. Who will surprise us this year if they meet their off-season goals?

 

[districtballer]

Jay Gavin: Jay has great expectations to meet next year. He's been talked up quite a bit by VCU fans and he's got to back it up this season. Gavin will immediately step in and be one of the top pure shooters in the CAA from day 1. He's very proficient from behind the 3 point line and he should start at the 2 guard this season. His offensive pedigree is excellent. He averaged 12.3 points per game (leading scorer) coming off the bench for Marist on his way to garnering Rookie of the League honors for the MAAC. He should definitely be a double-digit scorer for VCU. That said, Gavin has to work on his defense. His commitment to defense is lackluster for the most part. He's got to take pride in his defense and containing his defensive assignment. He also needs to work on his handle as well and taking the ball inside. He was not very good at that at Marist. Once teams figured out he couldn't dribble out of trouble, they'd simply double him when he got the ball and made him pass it away. While he tried to take the ball to the basket, he'd usually end up getting stripped. He has to have a better handle to make him a dual threat for next year. Being a one-trick pony only works so long as the defense hasn't figured out that it's your only trick. Gavin is well aware of this and has made considerable progress over his redshirt year. Work still remains to be done in that regard however.

Jamie Skeen: Jamie comes into the program as a scorer. He knows how to put the ball in the basket and has a nice 3-point shot to boot. However, with a 6'8, 250 pound frame, don't expect to see Skeen lounging out around the perimeter. We need his size on the low blocks and that's where he'll be in the half-court offense. In transition and on the fast break, you will see him pulling up for 3's. He needs to work on his footwork as well. He has decent post-moves that can still use refining as he was a face-up player in high school. He's trying to slim down a bit and lose a little bit bulk so he can be faster and run the floor better. Shaka is going to have this team blazing up and down the court, and Skeen is going to have to work on his conditioning to get us there. Skeen has also been known in the past to be a ball-hog. He needs to understand his role on the team and play within the system and offensive scheme that Coach Smart is implementing.

 

[districtballer]

Thanks DB. I would like to hear thoughts on Rozzell and Ndongo - - a couple of guys that risk getting overshadowed by the newcomers IMO. I guess I can see Burgess or Rozzell really breaking out next season, but there seems to only be room for one of them to do so. I mean, how many guys can reasonably average double figures? Larry is a given IMO as is Skeen I presume. After that the scoring order looks to be Burgess, Gavin, Rozzell (pick the order) then a few 4-6 ppg guys.

Who do look for to be the sleeper? As a freshman I don't think anyone expected Burgess to be the player he was his first year. I was surprised by that. Who will surprise us this year if they meet their off-season goals?

Double figures? At the very most I'd think 3. In a full-court pressure system ideally the scoring will be spread all around so I doubt you see anyone with the high scoring averages that we saw from Maynor the past couple of years. I can see a couple of 11-13 point per game players, with several others in the single-digits. Everyone will be involved in our offense simply for the reason that is created off of our defense and the subsequent fast breaks.

You really can't predict who the double-digit scorers will be (although I'm confident Larry and Gavin should be there), it all depends on how hard guys work in the offseason and how much they improve. Burgess could absolutely explode, and I wouldn't be surprised based on what I saw from his freshman campaign. Rozzell I think will play the 6th man role next year off the bench and provide a real spark for us. Think Shu his junior year. Rozzell really came on towards the end of the season and played far more consistently than the beginning when he just shot the ball whenever he got it. B-Rozz will need to bulk up as well (he's still a stick!). However his speed and athleticism is perfect for Shaka's system of full-court pressure. Brandon always goes 110% and in the past the coaching staff has had to rein him in a bit to play at the same pace as the other guys on the court. He certainly has the will and ability to contribute, and I think he will take major steps this offseason to being a solid rotation player next year. He's the first one in the gym in the morning, shooting jumpers and often the last one out. He wants to be great, and his work ethic shows it.

I don't think Ndongo is going to be overshadowed by anyone this year, if only for the reason that he is so important on the defensive end. His length at the top of the press is what basically put us in a position to win the Duke game. He is wildly athletic and fast for his size and one of the best defenders on this team. He also has 3-point range and has gotten better at it in his redshirt year. I think we'll see the same defensive tenacity this year, but with some surprising offensive skills that we haven't seen from him before. He absolutely will be a rotation player and contributes to the very deep team we have. We have a lot of players who can play.

 

[ramathon74]

Thanks DB, you continue to be a bright beacon whether on this board or the old one. Your spot on analysis is greatly appreciated by me and I'm sure the other Ram fans.

 

[Mercury]

Yeah, Brandon did get better towards the end of the year. It seemed as if he stopped settling for the jumper and would either take it to the rack or look for the mid range shot. But I wish he would be more aggressive at times though.

 

[districtballer]

Yeah, Brandon did get better towards the end of the year. It seemed as if he stopped settling for the jumper and would either take it to the rack or look for the mid range shot. But I wish he would be more aggressive at times though.

Brandon showed some diversity in his game towards the end of the year, no doubt. He developed a very nice pull up 17 footer that was money most of the time. Trust me, the coaching staff was trying to KEEP Brandon from being too aggressive out there. Brandon's mind is ahead of his body many times down the court and he needs to learn to play with poise and composure while still not compromising his speed and fluidity. He needs to work on his 3-point jumper consistency, which he has been since he's set foot on campus. I think he'll make a very Shuler-like progression over his career and should be a heck of a player by his senior year. In the meantime, he's got a ton of work to do.

 

[districtballer]

Ed Nixon: Nixon is an enigma. The highly touted 1st-team all state wing from Florida has not met expectations thus far. His athleticism is jaw-dropping and it is amazing how adept he is at getting to the basket. For all of his speed and ability, he has not shown the ability to finish the play that he starts. He is maddeningly inconsistent. Even if he's never a proficient jump shooter, he has skills that we can use in a full-court pressure system. He is a tenacious defender and his drives to the basket would be much better remembered and lauded once he learns to put the ball in the bucket afterwards. He needs to bulk up a bit so that he can have the strength to finish on the inside among the trees where he often loses the ball or throws the ball away. He could be a solid contributor based of the free throw attempts he would garner off of his drives alone. He needs to make better use of his natural abilities, but I don't think there is any reason to write Nixon off just yet. He's got too many redeeming qualities for that. Let's hope he puts it together and that Shaka can motivate him and perhaps unlock a few mental keys for Nixon that are keeping him from being all that he can be.