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Another CJ Massinburg (CJ Buckets) Appreciation Thread


Jeseph

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But the advanced numbers are even higher on Massinburg. Buffalo scores 110.2 points per 100 possessions as a team. With Massinburg in the game, that figure spikes to 148.3. That would easily be the best offense in the country. Massinburg is one of the top offensive players in the game, regardless of conference.

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I know CJ gets plenty of love but man is he good. I'm starting to think we can confidently say he's the best 4 year player we've ever had.

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Trip down memory lane.

Evans is gone -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16151.0.html
We feel betrayed.

Navigato is gone -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16134.0.html
We start to worry.

O'Field is gone -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16148.0.html  
We lose our minds

CJ is signed -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16173.0.html
An afterthought.  We think he's a scrub.

Moss is expelled -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16245.0.html
All hope is lost.  We must drop D1 sports.

Season starts and CJ's 4 year career begins.  Rest is history.

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Also two things pointed out to me by my wife concerning CJ during the Marist game.

 

1. After a whistle he grabbed the broom and swept up the lane.

2. At half time, when the teams came out to warm-up, he noticed that the ball rack wasn't out there so he went and got it. Removed two balls and rolled them to Marist and then two more to his teammates.

He does it all!

 

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I wanna jump in on the love.  CJ is a gamer.  You look at him and nothing jumps off the page about him, but then you watch him play and you see a leadership, tenacity (as evident by his rebounding) and a joyful exuberance.  Not to mention he's got game.  From his shooting to his handle to his rebounding and defense, every year he has grown as a player.  Which is a testament to both him and the coaching staff. Lets enjoy his senior season and hope he has some more big buckets along the way.

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9 minutes ago, Just some guy said:

Also two things pointed out to me by my wife concerning CJ during the Marist game.

 

1. After a whistle he grabbed the broom and swept up the lane.

2. At half time, when the teams came out to warm-up, he noticed that the ball rack wasn't out there so he went and got it. Removed two balls and rolled them to Marist and then two more to his teammates.

He does it all!

 

Do agree. Our family has had a chance to meet and talk to CJ  and he is a very polite kid.  He does have a down to earth demeanor and does not come across as being full of himself. Just a joy to watch him play and see this team compete. Go Bulls!!!!

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9 hours ago, admin said:

Trip down memory lane.

Evans is gone -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16151.0.html
We feel betrayed.

Navigato is gone -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16134.0.html
We start to worry.

O'Field is gone -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16148.0.html  
We lose our minds

CJ is signed -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16173.0.html
An afterthought.  We think he's a scrub.

Moss is expelled -> http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,16245.0.html
All hope is lost.  We must drop D1 sports.

Season starts and CJ's 4 year career begins.  Rest is history.

Tremendous! Don’t forget Blake Hamilton, Willie Conner and Nick Perkins all huge contributors. 

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Might as well keep giving it...

In a game he didn't factor as much into and looked a bit more injured down the stretch... he hits the clutch FTs at a time we needed them and when everyone else was missing. 

Ive been all about CJ since his first year. You could just see what he had in him despite all the players ahead of him on the chart. Guy can drive, splash 3s, and be clutch when needed. Definitely after all is said and done will be one of my favorite Bulls of the last 15 years.

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1 hour ago, ubmae86 said:

I wonder if he'll make it into the NBA. I know he's a bit small, but his work ethic and sitting ability has to help his chances.

It's funny because based on the name it seems like a simplistic comparison, but he reminds me a lot of CJ McCollum, just with a slower release. Great scorer that can do more than he should probably. Very similar sized players too. 

CJ's efficiency is truly remarkable. To handle the ball as much as he does and only average 1 TO per game is such an incredible asset to have. 

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1 hour ago, BrazenBull said:

Tough call. I would say let him rest, but I don't think we want to chance a loss to LeMoyne. 

UB should honestly crush them with just the bench. But the truth is Oats should and will approach this as a real game. You play everyone until the game is out of hand then you rest guys.

That being said, CJ shouldn't play at all if hes even 90%. You don't need him this game, you need him for the games after.

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A lot of speculation here it seems.  Does anyone have info about what his condition is. If it isn’t 100% or nearly so have him sit or play him sparingly if only to get his legs under him after long trip. If he’s anywhere near 100% then he should play as much as he would normally in such a game. 

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1 hour ago, UB85 said:

A lot of speculation here it seems.  Does anyone have info about what his condition is. If it isn’t 100% or nearly so have him sit or play him sparingly if only to get his legs under him after long trip. If he’s anywhere near 100% then he should play as much as he would normally in such a game. 

Mild knee sprain, in which he aggravated in the SF game. He just needs to stay off of it as much as possible and let it heal. He should not be playing Wednesday, it would be stupid. CJ is needed on Saturday. 

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2 hours ago, ubmae86 said:

I don't know how many people on here have ESPN+, but they have a good article about how big stars ended up at small schools and CJ was one of the highlighted players.

Here's the link for anyone interested.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/25503203/how-college-stars-ended-mid-major-programs

He's the third one down

CJ Massinburg, Buffalo

Now: Massinburg has slowly improved during his four seasons at Buffalo and is the best player for perhaps the best mid-major team in the country. He is averaging 17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season, and has come up with his best performances in the biggest games. Massinburg, a 6-3 shooting guard, went for 43 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists in a win at West Virginia earlier this season, and had 19 points and 6 rebounds in Buffalo's first-round win over Arizona in last season's NCAA tournament.

Only a handful of high school seniors play on the grassroots circuit after their senior season ends, and Massinburg was one of them in the spring of 2015.

The Texas native didn't have too many options. San Francisco had been the favorite, but the Dons received a commitment from another player before Massinburg was prepared to make a decision. At the time, Massinburg seemed likely to go to junior college for a year before heading to the Division I level.

That's where Buffalo comes in. Nate Oats had just taken over from Bobby Hurley and needed players. A couple guys had transferred out, and Oats suddenly needed five or six players to fill out the roster. Former Louisiana Tech assistant Dusty May, who is now the head coach at FAU, called Oats and mentioned Massinburg as a player he might want to check out, considering he was still available in late April.

Oats told assistant coach Jim Whitesell to watch Massinburg while he was in Indianapolis for the live recruiting period.

"I liked his size and I liked that he could do a lot of things," Whitesell said. "Handle the ball, play some point if you needed him to. A lot of toughness; he wasn't afraid of sticking his nose in there. And he had a little more physical build than some of the younger kids out there."

Whitesell reported back to Oats and they brought Massinburg on campus for a visit. The only other school in the mix at the time was Prairie View A&M, so Oats laid his cards on the table.

"When Nate sat down and talked to him, 'Hey look, here's the situation. We've got a senior guard back, we've got a freshman point guard back who was all-rookie team. There's no guarantee you're gonna play at all, and I may think about redshirting you,'" Whitesell said. "It was a straightforward conversation.

"And C.J. said, 'All I want is an opportunity.'"

Perhaps the biggest adjustment for Massinburg was going from Texas weather to the harsh upstate New York climate.

"I think he adjusted pretty well to it," Whitesell said. "Now he's got all the gear, all the winter clothes."

And the talk of redshirting Massinburg his freshman season? That didn't last long.

"[It ended] pretty quick," Whitesell said with a laugh.

Next game: Saturday vs. Southern Illinois (2 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Game to watch: Tuesday at Syracuse (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

NBA draft report: "He's a really physical wing with deep range on his jumper. Love the way he rebounds and how smart and tough he is overall. Wish he was a little more dynamic as an athlete or shot-maker. Jumper takes too long to get off and he doesn't create very much for himself or others. You'd hope to see him be able to play-make some at his size, but he's really more of a catch-and-shoot, close-out guy for them. He's a big-time college player, but he'll need to add more to his game to stick on a team down the line, I think." -- Jonathan Givony, ESPN

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