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2022-2023 [Men's] Roster


Jeseph

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11 minutes ago, Jeseph said:

I'll let @Kevin or @DooleyBull06 or somebody else post an assumptive depth chart, I'm too lazy.

My question: Who leads this team?

IMO that question was not answered any of the past 3 seasons. We know we'll field a complete roster, with varying opinions on the talent level. Who leads the team on the floor and in the locker room?

As of now, offense needs to run through Skogman. Jones needs to grow fast and lead as the court general. Lots of missing bodies unknown to know how else it may roll. 

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6 minutes ago, skrabukes said:

Jones needs to grow fast and lead as the court general. Lots of missing bodies unknown to know how else it may roll. 

This is more of what I am referring to. I don't care if the player that fills this role scores 4 or 30 PPG.

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13 minutes ago, Jeseph said:

This is more of what I am referring to. I don't care if the player that fills this role scores 4 or 30 PPG.

My opinion only, but next year's team needs defined roles and everyone bought into them. This year's group and the past few year's groups, have been a collection of players, who played good basketball,  but in the end wanted to be The Guy, especially on offense. The big team, everyone got theirs, but The Guy was CJ, followed by Nick/Harris, and Graves, dontay, davonte and montrell let the offense come to them via The Guy(s). It will be an overhaul of guys that don't have college stats, so they can earn their stripes and may work hard to get them (hopefully earned via practices, games, not given via past performance and seniority). 

I look forward to seeing what the group will look like come fall. Until then, it's just completely guesswork. There's tons of players out there.  We need to find "dogs" that want to fight (a couple of CJs or Dontays who worked and believed in themselves). Need to find hard working D guys. The offense will come via D, that's how all those transition baskets happened in 2019, in addition to that being the gameplan.

Jones is good, not as fast or flashy as Rondo, but an offseason of work and getting the opportunity,  if bought into, could be that guy that becomes the heartbeat at least on offense. Blocker might become the guy who is the big guard scorer. Skogman our big man threat. 

Let's wait and see how the roster shakes out. Until then,  it's UB women all the way tomorrow!

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On 3/11/2022 at 3:05 PM, Jeseph said:

I'll let @Kevin or @DooleyBull06 or somebody else post an assumptive depth chart, I'm too lazy.

My question: Who leads this team?

IMO that question was not answered any of the past 3 seasons. We know we'll field a complete roster, with varying opinions on the talent level. Who leads the team on the floor and in the locker room?

Got you covered:

PG - Jones (SO), Ceaser (FR)

SG - Powell (JR), Blocker (SO)

Wing - None

F - Hardnett (SR), Williamson (R-FR)

F - Mading (SO)

 

Edited by Kevin
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I was going to revive a thread in the Recruiting board, but it's easier to consolidate the conversation here. We have some significant and attractive roles available on what has been a top team in a traditionally quality conference. It's time for Foley to shine and utilize the hefty JUCO rolodex that helped land him the job. Chipola, where he was HC, has three uncommitted guys in the top 100 including #7 Nae'qwan Tolmin (from NYC). As crummy as it is to be thinking about this earlier than we wanted, I enjoy recruiting/drafting almost as much as the games themselves.

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Ok so right off the top I don’t see Williams and Mballa returning. Segu is a question mark but I don’t see him returning either. Brock is finally out of eligibility. Same goes for Brewton and Jack. Fagan, I believe, has eligibility left. I would welcome him back with open arms. I’ve always liked his game, he was just derailed by multiple knee injuries. But he has good court IQ and is one of those guys you need on your team that isn’t a star but can contribute rebounds, defense and scoring. With room for further development. 

Ok now onto the core group:

Jones: I definitely saw growth in his game. Grew and looked more comfy ball handling and handling the speed of the game. I have questions as to whether he is a true PG or more of a shooting guard. I would like to see him become a more assertive shooter and continue to be a floor general that we will desperately need.

Blocker: Looks crazy athletic from the little we saw of him. My assumption is that he was not up to speed defensively. Bc I can’t understand why he never saw the court if that wasn’t the case. We will need him to become a big threat as the SG. A guy who can get to the rim, hit FTs and make outside shots. He’s a piece you build around.

Devin Caesar: Let’s temper expectations on incoming freshman. He is a big recruiting piece and piece for the future but let’s not put it on his shoulders day 1. He’s a 6’1 guard who can be dynamic with the ball in his hands. Let’s hope he comes in and earns playing time. The quicker he develops the better. 

Perry: is he just a guy on the bench or can he be a useful contributor off the bench?

Regardless of who is the PG one thing is for sure…we need better team ball movement next season. 

Skogman: the crown jewel of the team. The only returning player of significance, in terms of scoring and minutes. He is who we build around. His game is super versatile and he probably has the highest on court IQ. He can stretch the floor, score down low, not afraid to rebound and knows the nuisance of passing from the post. A player you can run pick and roll/pop with. We must surround him with good ball handlers and shooters. Are Jones/Blocker/Caesar those guys?

Hardnett: had a confusing season. Was he injured? Did he forget how to play? Then the last two games was great off the bench. We need him to be a veteran leader next year along with Skogman. Will they form our front court? I’m gonna need more from Hardnett next season. 

Mading: Very raw. Would he have benefitted from a redshirt season? Or was sitting on the bench good for him? He has potential as a lengthy player who can alter shots defensively. I don’t know what his game offensively is. I don’t judge by cut up highlight reels. He’s a thin big man who needs a lot of seasoning. We are gonna need him to grow much like Skogman has. 

Williamson: Was he redshirted this season? I assume he was. He is a beefy tweener. Looks like he can bring the muscle that we are going to lack down low. We are gonna need that. I expect him to be a banger down low. 

That’s the roster. Very young. Inexperienced. A team that has no star. A lot of questions. Who will be the PG, where will the scoring come from, will we rebound like we’ve come to expect. Where will the blue collar come from? But lots of potential. Lots of players that need off season development. 

Obviously expectations will be low. Middle of the MAC pack fighting for a lower seed go get to Cleveland. I looked around the MAC and other than Ohio losing Van der Plaas and Carter…we are being gutted by graduation. Akron, Kent, Toledo are all returning pretty much everyone. Barring the portal of course. Ball state and CMU should be improved. So you can see where we fit in the mix. 

Finally: what do we need? We desperately need wings and shooters. A nice 6’7 wing would be nice. And a shooter who can hit at a higher % than Brewton’s 27% would be nice. 

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3 hours ago, DooleyBull06 said:

Seems like according to their social media post, both Segu and Jeenathan are moving on. Not unexpected. Wish them well. Hope to hear about them playing pro ball wherever that may be.

I wonder if Segu and Williams will make an appearance in the TBT. That would be fun. 

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19 minutes ago, mikescherrer8 said:

I wonder if Segu and Williams will make an appearance in the TBT. That would be fun. 

They would need to adjust their style to hang with that crew. Perkins is now a beast leading his teams in Europe, graves is a highlight reel and CJ is still money.

Edited by UBinMD
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I know we did not perform as well as we all expected this year, but I have watched a lot of games in conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament and I’m not sure we were the only ones. There is some dreadful basketball being played. Most everyone I’ve seen does nothing but jack 3s and try circus shots in the lane (pretty similar to the stretches we had during the year). I also notices many of the teams had less half court offensive sets than we did. Maybe this is how college basketball is now. If so, not a fan. At least our team was exciting to watch most of the time. I was at the second round games at Key Bank and those four teams were terrible. The shooting was awful, outside a couple Providence guys. Richmond was 1-22 from 3 and 40% FT! For New Mexico St and Arkansas I didn’t think either would make it to 50! It was not due to stifling defense either. Nobody can hit a mid range jumper.

end of rant, but I feel like if we keep playing our style and get guys to buy in to the process on both ends of the court, we can be exciting to watch and win a lot of games. We need those guys with a little chip on their shoulders with something to prove and are willing to play in a system where all teammates can benefit in their roles. 

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19 minutes ago, UBinMD said:

I know we did not perform as well as we all expected this year, but I have watched a lot of games in conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament and I’m not sure we were the only ones. There is some dreadful basketball being played. Most everyone I’ve seen does nothing but jack 3s and try circus shots in the lane (pretty similar to the stretches we had during the year). I also notices many of the teams had less half court offensive sets than we did. Maybe this is how college basketball is now. If so, not a fan. At least our team was exciting to watch most of the time. I was at the second round games at Key Bank and those four teams were terrible. The shooting was awful, outside a couple Providence guys. Richmond was 1-22 from 3 and 40% FT! For New Mexico St and Arkansas I didn’t think either would make it to 50! It was not due to stifling defense either. Nobody can hit a mid range jumper.

end of rant, but I feel like if we keep playing our style and get guys to buy in to the process on both ends of the court, we can be exciting to watch and win a lot of games. We need those guys with a little chip on their shoulders with something to prove and are willing to play in a system where all teammates can benefit in their roles. 

I agree there have been some bad shooting performances. Wisconsin today was like 1-17 from 3. Yes the game has changed a lot. But look at some of the teams in the sweet 16. Nova, Texas Tech, Houston, Providence…all have culture and an identity. All play hard defense and hound the glass. Then you have your obvious 1 seeds. I’ve been impressed by Iowa state’s defensive abilities. And if the Miami score holds up, they too play scrappy in your face defense. Notice a theme here. To your point about bad shooting, if you play defense you will go far. UB needs its defensive identity back. 

Furthermore, Akron won the MAC because they were the better defensive team. 

Edited by DooleyBull06
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3 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said:

I agree there have been some bad shooting performances. Wisconsin today was like 1-17 from 3. Yes the game has changed a lot. But look at some of the teams in the sweet 16. Nova, Texas Tech, Houston, Providence…all have culture and an identity. All play hard defense and hound the glass. Then you have your obvious 1 seeds. I’ve been impressed by Iowa state’s defensive abilities. And if the Miami score holds up, they too play scrappy in your face defense. Notice a theme here. To your point about bad shooting, if you play defense you will go far. UB needs its defensive identity back. 

Furthermore, Akron won the MAC because they were the better defensive team. 

Agreed, defense is the key. That sometime is where the breakdown comes with these highly rated recruits. We need to be ok with some defensive specialists on the squad, the ones that don’t have the highlight reel stuff. Also, Perkins was our greatest 6th man because of the role he embraced. I really would like to see us get back to that and not worry about the number of stars.

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20 minutes ago, UBinMD said:

Agreed, defense is the key. That sometime is where the breakdown comes with these highly rated recruits. We need to be ok with some defensive specialists on the squad, the ones that don’t have the highlight reel stuff. Also, Perkins was our greatest 6th man because of the role he embraced. I really would like to see us get back to that and not worry about the number of stars.

Oats found the cheat code for bench production. Maybe something Whitesell should’ve done with Mballa for example. But again, Whitesell is more of a player coach than a drill sergeant.

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10 hours ago, UBinMD said:

I know we did not perform as well as we all expected this year, but I have watched a lot of games in conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament and I’m not sure we were the only ones. There is some dreadful basketball being played. Most everyone I’ve seen does nothing but jack 3s and try circus shots in the lane (pretty similar to the stretches we had during the year). I also notices many of the teams had less half court offensive sets than we did. Maybe this is how college basketball is now. If so, not a fan. At least our team was exciting to watch most of the time. I was at the second round games at Key Bank and those four teams were terrible. The shooting was awful, outside a couple Providence guys. Richmond was 1-22 from 3 and 40% FT! For New Mexico St and Arkansas I didn’t think either would make it to 50! It was not due to stifling defense either. Nobody can hit a mid range jumper.

end of rant, but I feel like if we keep playing our style and get guys to buy in to the process on both ends of the court, we can be exciting to watch and win a lot of games. We need those guys with a little chip on their shoulders with something to prove and are willing to play in a system where all teammates can benefit in their roles. 

It is all analytics.  Watch the Sue Bird interview from 60 minutes last night, where she champions the mid-range jump shot.

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After watching a number of games in the NCAA Tournament, the majority of the teams (both men and women) winning play excellent on the ball defense with their guards.

The UB women guard were excellent on defense, the UB men were below average, and not due to effort, but due to size (Segu) and athleticism (Jack). 

It looks as if championships are still built with defense and end of game execution. 

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“As crummy as it is to be thinking about this earlier than we wanted, I enjoy recruiting/drafting almost as much as the games themselves.”


I do agree with this. There’s some excitement to a clean slate in terms of roster construction. It falls on the coach as well but it never felt like the graduating core put it all together. We had 3 solid high usage guys, but it felt like the team always lacked a level of connective tissue that made it all work.

I like Jones as a high feel passer and shooter that isn’t going to force offense. I like Hardnett as a garbage man who finishes well and plays hard defense (although gotta get the fouls under control). I thought Blocker showed good scoring instincts and could be a microwave scorer off the bench. Skogman has the ability to be one of the key cogs of the next generation. Where some see players that aren’t ready to step up, I see guys that play a role already and transfers can be dropped into to soak up usage (which will be attractive to them). It comes down to finding the right pieces, but it’s exciting to think about. Maybe that’s just the undying optimist in me lol

Edited by trueblue32
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16 hours ago, DooleyBull06 said:

I agree there have been some bad shooting performances. Wisconsin today was like 1-17 from 3. Yes the game has changed a lot. But look at some of the teams in the sweet 16. Nova, Texas Tech, Houston, Providence…all have culture and an identity. All play hard defense and hound the glass. Then you have your obvious 1 seeds. I’ve been impressed by Iowa state’s defensive abilities. And if the Miami score holds up, they too play scrappy in your face defense. Notice a theme here. To your point about bad shooting, if you play defense you will go far. UB needs its defensive identity back. 

Furthermore, Akron won the MAC because they were the better defensive team. 

Houston is the ideal model for "our style" resulting in consistent success imo. Granted they're a program with a rich history, a borderline HOF coach, and now they're back to getting 4 & 5 star guys. But they play passionate team ball, have a deep roster with guys who buy into roles, play fierce man defense, and while their pace is super slow, they run an offense that encourages guys to run/shoot/flow. It's unlikely we ever get to their level, but we can dream on someday being AAC rivals. In the meantime, I'm pulling for them in the tournament.

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8 hours ago, Sportsfan said:

After watching a number of games in the NCAA Tournament, the majority of the teams (both men and women) winning play excellent on the ball defense with their guards.

The UB women guard were excellent on defense, the UB men were below average, and not due to effort, but due to size (Segu) and athleticism (Jack). 

It looks as if championships are still built with defense and end of game execution. 

To this point, I enjoyed watching Wisconsin change up their defense to better guard Colgate at the 3-point line...and it worked well.

Houston is a balanced team.   Their matchup with Arizona will be good to watch.

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