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Post by frombustawithlove on Oct 17, 2012 11:23:15 GMT -5
They only have 4 guys total who have guard skills. Needham, Wade, Jenkins, & Nickerson. 3 of those need to start, 1 is a frosh, and 1 can't shoot. Wade and Needham are streak shooters. If one goes down they are going to be vulnerable. If this is an argument against Fairfield's guard depth, then Siena is extremely exposed at the guard position. Four who have guard skills, two that need to start, and 2 frosh. Fairfield is one of the few teams with talented upperclassmen guards. They should be fine in the back court, it's their front court that could be exposed. With that said, I think in most pre-season polls they are being picked 6th, and I think that's a fair spot for them. FF's starting 3 guards are solid. Wade and Nickerson just need to be more aggressive on offense. They've typically been about as aggressive as Wignot was scoring the ball. But Nickerson is a career 25% 3 pt shooter. I wanted Jenkins for Siena but he's still a frosh. Needham is also coming of a season ending injury. Siena has Hymes, Brookins, Audu, Oliver, Poole, & Burdine. Even Bisping has more all around guard skills than FF's next closest in Marcus Gilbert who is mainly just a defender & dunker, and was a 24% 3pt shooter in HS. And you'll laugh but even walk on Chris Leppanen can at least handle the ball. FF is gonna have trouble with 3pt shooting and inside scoring. Siena and its big zone is the worst matchup for them in the league. Wade was shooting like .189 from three going into January last year and now people are actually going to put more emphasis on defending him since he's the one of just 2 proven 3 pt threats. All I'm saying is people see FF's guards as a strength but overall they aren't that much better than most MAAC teams and one guard injury could cripple them. They take care of the ball and play great D so they'll be in most games. That's good enough for midpack.
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Sienafan
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Post by Sienafan on Oct 17, 2012 11:28:19 GMT -5
In my mind Siena has the talent to win MAAC- but we have a lot of question marks- we lost 3 starters and have a coach who as the head man hasn’t had much success . He has never coached a running team as a head coach. If we run like we did the last two years I expect similar results. If we really run and take advantage of our team speed and depth- play a pressure defense and typical Mitch good half court defense this team can win the MAAC Mitch has repeatedly stated they will run. And when faced with a halfcourt situation, they'll pound it into O.D. In other words, they'll be versatile by scoring in transition on some possessions and looking for O.D. in the halfcourt on others depending on what opposing defenses give them each possession. If O.D. is covered, kick it out to the one of the new 3 point shooters they now have (Oliver hits at a 42% clip). I think it's safe to take Mitch at his word: “I think just because you say you’re going to get it inside doesn’t mean you are not going to run”, says Buonaguro. “I want to get the ball up the floor. We’ve got players that can do it and were going to do it.”
“I think the average basketball person, when you say you’re going to get it inside, understands it’s important as opposed to, oh nah they’re going to slow it down and play lethargically. I’d rather look at it from my perspective that we can do both pretty well.”4guysinblazers.com/coach-buonaguro-previews-the-season/5109
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albanysaint
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Post by albanysaint on Oct 17, 2012 12:04:36 GMT -5
Some points to remember
* Brookins has an injury that could be an issue from day 1. * Martens has an injury that many have not fully recovered from * Audu is a freshman * Oliver is a freshman who suffered a tough injury that could rear it's head again * Bisping is a freshman * Silas is a freshman * Gomis is a freshman * Siena lost a lot of experience
"Mitch has repeatedly stated they will run" - he has said this from day one. "I think it's safe to take Mitch at his word" - time will tell.
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Post by MTS on Oct 17, 2012 12:34:41 GMT -5
Time will tell... but I do believe that Mitch knows what it takes to be successful and knows this is truly his last chance to be a successful head coach at Siena. I also believe he trusts his coaching staff and they add alot to the team.
Siena has big men to go to but they aren't plodders. All of them (OD, Silas, Gomis, Martens etc) all run the floor very well. We can beat teams down the floor by pushing the pace with Hymes and Brookins and get easy hoops inside. We have a lot of speed - time to use it!
Sometimes running the clock and then pounding it inside to get a foul isn't the worst thing..of course that means having a 15-20 point lead with 5 minutes left. One game we started doing it too early and cost us last year was the SPC game at home.
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Post by frombustawithlove on Oct 17, 2012 12:53:59 GMT -5
Some points to remember * Brookins has an injury that could be an issue from day 1. * Martens has an injury that many have not fully recovered from * Audu is a freshman * Oliver is a freshman who suffered a tough injury that could rear it's head again * Bisping is a freshman * Silas is a freshman * Gomis is a freshman * Siena lost a lot of experience "Mitch has repeatedly stated they will run" - he has said this from day one. "I think it's safe to take Mitch at his word" - time will tell. Evan Hymes was a freshman. Brookins was a freshman. It didn't stop them from being our best guards. Ironically, Siena is tied with Marist for the least roster turnover in the MAAC this year. 3 frosh. That means 9 guys know the system from the get go. That's as opposed to 0 in year 1 with new coach, and just 4 of 7 last year. They might as well be 300 year old mythical wizards compared to recent years.
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Sienafan
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Post by Sienafan on Oct 17, 2012 12:59:42 GMT -5
Some points to remember * Brookins has an injury that could be an issue from day 1. * Martens has an injury that many have not fully recovered from * Audu is a freshman * Oliver is a freshman who suffered a tough injury that could rear it's head again * Bisping is a freshman * Silas is a freshman * Gomis is a freshman * Siena lost a lot of experience "Mitch has repeatedly stated they will run" - he has said this from day one. "I think it's safe to take Mitch at his word" - time will tell. Some counterpoints to remember: Brookins, Oliver and Marten's prior injuries are 100% healed. They have no current injuries. Now, could they re-aggravate those prior injuries? Sure. But injuries are part of the game, that's why you recruit depth - which Siena now has. Yes, Siena has a bunch of first year players. So what? So were Moore, Brookins, Hasbrouck, Franklin, and Hymes among others when then they started kicking ass from day one. Siena has a pretty good history of placing first year players on the all-rookie team each season. So what's your point? Siena indeed lost experience - 3 experienced role players. What they lose in experience, they gain in pure talent. That said, with the possible exception of the 5 position, every projected starter will have played a least a season of Div. 1 ball. They may have lost 3 players with experience, but they are getting back from injury 3 others with experience who figure to be an upgrade.
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SaintMisbehavin
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Post by SaintMisbehavin on Oct 17, 2012 13:17:58 GMT -5
Siena indeed lost experience - 3 experienced role players. I think this is an important point to remember. While it's difficult to replace experience, I don't think there is a dip in quality in replacing any of the three graduating seniors, and they are each swapped out with rising sophomores. The 2012 class is the first since the '08 graduating class (which consisted solely of specialist Tay Fisher) to never have a player win 1st 2nd or 3rd team MAAC honors.
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albanysaint
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Post by albanysaint on Oct 17, 2012 13:35:06 GMT -5
some of you have got it all worked out. A title is in order then. 20+ wins without batting an eye against this type of schedule.
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Post by frombustawithlove on Oct 17, 2012 13:41:49 GMT -5
Besides talent, I think the biggest advantage Siena has is something Mitch has said.
They can play uptempo AND in the half court. They can defend AND should put points on the board.
So many teams in the MAAC are limited to one style and are prone to style mismatches or matchup problems so they drop games here and there because of that.
If even just some of these guys like Audu, Oliver, Burdine, Poole and Bisping shoot decently, Siena matches up well with everybody. That's why I think they'll be very good. I mean Siena beat the #1 team 2 out of 3 LAST year. Saints got 5 of their 9 MAAC wins against the top 5 teams and they're better this year and aren't one dimensional anymore.
Plus, at an athletic 6-6, Burdine is now the longest true small forward in the league. If he all of sudden gets his groove on, Siena is not easy for any team to defend OR score against. And Hymes is already the fastest individual in the league. How do teams beat a team that is faster and taller than you consistently?
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Sienafan
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Post by Sienafan on Oct 17, 2012 15:32:59 GMT -5
some of you have got it all worked out. A title is in order then. 20+ wins without batting an eye against this type of schedule. They had 14 wins last season with just six players while shooting terribly from 3 and could have gotten more if they hadn't been so dreadful on the road. So another 6 wins with a full roster and some 3 point shooters is hardly a stretch.
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Sienafan
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Post by Sienafan on Oct 17, 2012 15:38:16 GMT -5
Plus, at an athletic 6-6, Burdine is now the longest true small forward in the league. If he all of sudden gets his groove on, Siena is not easy for any team to defend OR score against. And Hymes is already the fastest individual in the league. How do teams beat a team that is faster and taller than you consistently? With good perimeter shooting. Siena's starting backcourt may be faster, but isn't going to be taller than anyone. If Siena has a glaring weakness this season, it will likely be perimeter defense with opposing 6'3 guards simply shooting over Brookins and Hymes. If it happens too often, an adjustment may have to be made that ends the Brookins/Hymes at the same time backcourt experiment.
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Post by frombustawithlove on Oct 17, 2012 15:49:00 GMT -5
Plus, at an athletic 6-6, Burdine is now the longest true small forward in the league. If he all of sudden gets his groove on, Siena is not easy for any team to defend OR score against. And Hymes is already the fastest individual in the league. How do teams beat a team that is faster and taller than you consistently? With good perimeter shooting. Siena's starting backcourt may be faster, but isn't going to be taller than anyone. If Siena has a glaring weakness this season, it will likely be perimeter defense with opposing 6'3 guards simply shooting over Brookins and Hymes. If it happens too often, an adjustment may have to be made that ends the Brookins/Hymes at the same time backcourt experiment. You're right. What I meant was both faster on the perimeter and better in the frontcourt. Anosike isn't the biggest either, he just plays the biggest. Audu and Burdine are plus speed for their positions as well. Oliver is average speed as a SG and Poole has only ok speed for a SF. Our 3 PFs are plus speed for guys their size but there are a lot of quick undersized guys there. Silas and Gomis are pretty quick for centers.
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Post by Tony on Oct 17, 2012 17:52:41 GMT -5
I think most unbiased observers believe Siena should be picked anywhere from 3rd thru 5 or 6th- Siena has as many question marks as any of the contenders not named Manhattan or Loyola- it’s a big jump from a mid-pack MAAC team to the top team. Having said that if Mitch plays the way he says he will I have no doubt they can do it. Given his track record easy to see why many will say show me don’t tell me. I want to see when Siena comes down the court 4 on 3.. 3 on 2… whatever and one of our shooters is open on the wing and set—I want to see him shoot the ball( something Mitch hasn’t allowed his 1st two years) in the half court when we are trying to pound the ball into OD and he is double or triple teamed … I want to see team recognize that and have a shooter ready to shoot and with green light to shoot 15 seconds into possession. All too often we have seen Siena pass the ball around the perimeter for 30 seconds trying to pound ball into Rossiter a few years ago and OD last year then see a guard take a low percentage shot that is well guarded as shot clock expires and you guys say—see they can’t shoot that isn’t Mitch fault.
Basically I want to see the team score points... the last few years( and all his time at FF) if the opposing team scored more than 65 points a Mitch B coached team normally loses. We dont have to avg 90 points but no reason why we cant be scoring 70+ a game this year
And 1 final thought-- its not where you are picked pre season that counts-- its where you finish that counts!!No doubt Siena has the pieces to be a very good team this year
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Sienafan
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Post by Sienafan on Oct 17, 2012 19:39:44 GMT -5
I think most unbiased observers believe Siena should be picked anywhere from 3rd thru 5 or 6th- Siena has as many question marks as any of the contenders not named Manhattan or Loyola- it’s a big jump from a mid-pack MAAC team to the top team. Having said that if Mitch plays the way he says he will I have no doubt they can do it. Given his track record easy to see why many will say show me don’t tell me. I want to see when Siena comes down the court 4 on 3.. 3 on 2… whatever and one of our shooters is open on the wing and set—I want to see him shoot the ball( something Mitch hasn’t allowed his 1st two years) in the half court when we are trying to pound the ball into OD and he is double or triple teamed … I want to see team recognize that and have a shooter ready to shoot and with green light to shoot 15 seconds into possession. All too often we have seen Siena pass the ball around the perimeter for 30 seconds trying to pound ball into Rossiter a few years ago and OD last year then see a guard take a low percentage shot that is well guarded as shot clock expires and you guys say—see they can’t shoot that isn’t Mitch fault. Basically I want to see the team score points... the last few years( and all his time at FF) if the opposing team scored more than 65 points a Mitch B coached team normally loses. We dont have to avg 90 points but no reason why we cant be scoring 70+ a game this year And 1 final thought-- its not where you are picked pre season that counts-- its where you finish that counts!!No doubt Siena has the pieces to be a very good team this year Have you seen this team's perimeter shooting percentages the last couple of years? You can't blame Mitch for reigning in outside shot attempts in favor of higher percentage shots by O.D. Now that they actually have (hopefully) reliable 3 point shooters, I think you'll see more action on the perimeter. As for scoring points, they'll start two quick guards who will average double figures in scoring and you know O.D. is gonna get his. They'll also get better production out of the 3 position, they now have an actual bench, and lastly they now have three point shooters. It's pretty much a lock they'll score more even if one were to believe Mitch is lying about running.
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Post by MTS on Oct 17, 2012 19:46:22 GMT -5
Fran's teams averaged 74.4, 76.2, 76.9, 77.4, 75.1
Mitch's teams so far have averaged 67.8 and last year 63.7
Of course last year there was a good reason to slow the tempo down because of the lack of numbers.
While I don't expect Siena to average the points they did during the Fran era; I don't think a range of 71-73 PPG is too much to expect. That said, just win baby... if we win every game 65-55 I don't care but IMHO to win big and to win the MAAC championship you need to be in the 70's.
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