~Name your starting 5~

**Cloned4Life** · 10-11-2007, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley

Jiri, Wesley, Diante, Rashon, and Sean.

The same as I have, at least initially. Lucca might get the nod eventually at the 2. Sean's tough though and it'll be interesting to see if he can bring it all together on the big stage.

Rahshon won't play 4 and won't guard 4's. Wes will play 4 when Rahshon is in and will guard the opponents 4 due to his talent, size, and rebounding ability. When Rahshon's out, Wes will slide to 3, assuming any combination of Craig, Jiri, Cory, and Alex are in to play the 4 and 5.

Diante is skinny as heck but extremely talented - SO quick and crafty. Marcus will get his minutes too due to his size and strength but hopefully he's improved from the summer because he looked very shaky at times.

Overall, I like our depth in the front court and think the guards will be a big surprise for us. We got a shot to be a bubble team, IMO.

**clonechemist** · 10-11-2007, 02:27 PM

I don't think Rahshon can be penciled in automatically to start every game. That said I think he's still our best defensive stopper, and his PT will be determined by Staiger's ability (or lack thereof) to guard a great 2 or 3 on the opposition, and by our defensive strategies against guard/sf heavy teams with only one real post. I think we'll try to get as much time as possible for Hubalek and Wes, then fill in with the most solid PG, and finish it out with Alex, Staiger, Rahshon and Brackins depending on the opponent and who's playing well.

This hints at what I like most about this team - with the diversity of players we have, we could throw a whole bunch of different looks at teams, and conversely should be able to match up fairly well with any team out there.

**Cloned4Life** · 10-11-2007, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by clonechemist

I don't think Rahshon can be penciled in automatically to start every game.

I agree actually. I think Craig will break the starting lineup quite few times as the season progresses, playing the 4 while Wes slides to the 3.

**ISU_phoria** · 10-11-2007, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Cloned4Life

I agree actually. I think Craig will break the starting lineup quite few times as the season progresses, playing the 4 while Wes slides to the 3.

Still disagree completely.

It's possible (maybe likely) that Rahshon's playing time is reduced if the above scenrio seems to give us a good combination on the floor, but with Clark's defense ability, his leadership, and being a 3 year starter, I really think McDermott will start him all year.

I just can't see a true freshman starting over a senior who has been a starter since day 1. Part of me hopes I'm wrong because that'll mean the new guys are playing well.

**CrossCyed** · 10-11-2007, 02:48 PM

If Sean can translate being a bench player on a JC team averaging under 10 points a game to a starting SG on a Big 12 team, then either things are really bad or he was misused or we have the greatest coach ever ever.

**clonechemist** · 10-11-2007, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by ISU_phoria

Still disagree completely.

It's possible (maybe likely) that Rahshon's playing time is reduced if the above scenrio seems to give us a good combination on the floor, but with Clark's defense ability, his leadership, and being a 3 year starter, I really think McDermott will start him all year.

I just can't see a true freshman starting over a senior who has been a starter since day 1. Part of me hopes I'm wrong because that'll mean the new guys are playing well.

I just don't see Rahshon (or Wes for that matter) going man up on a *true* 4 from another team for 30+ minutes. That means Jiri, Craig, AT and maybe CJ in a rotation at the 4 and 5 spots, with Wes and Rahshon looking to play their "natural" 3 positions. Either of them could probably play out of position at the 2, but that could be disruptive offensively and they'd also be battling Staiger and maybe Haluska for PT there.

But again this only goes for opposing teams with 2 true post players and assumes we don't use zone d. I definitely think Rahshon will start some games, but mostly just when we play a team whose premier scorer is a 3 or a big/physical 2.

**CyCy** · 10-11-2007, 03:28 PM

I don't know if Clark can hold onto the starting spot if he can't get his scoring back to where it was during his sophomore year. I can't remember anybody who saw their scoring fall that far in one year before.
As a soph he scored 13.1 ppg, as a junior 6.4 and his fg shooting, 3-pt shooting and ft shooting were all down at least 10%.
He averaged around 20 min per game and less than 4 ppg in the last 10 games last year. Without the 16 points a game from Taylor I don't know if we can keep a guy in the lineup who only scores 4-6 points.

**CyRide3** · 10-11-2007, 03:49 PM

Clark will start all year. His time might be reduced, but he will keep a starting spot- there has to be some reward for sticking around four years.

**BryceC** · 10-11-2007, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by CyRide3

Clark will start all year. His time might be reduced, but he will keep a starting spot- there has to be some reward for sticking around four years.

What happens to the reward for working hard, competing and beating out people? I really hope the staff doesn't start Clark just because he's a 4 year guy. I hope they start him because he's the best at the position, and if he isn't the best at the position he should come off the bench.

**cmoore_23** · 10-11-2007, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by BryceC

What happens to the reward for working hard, competing and beating out people? I really hope the staff doesn't start Clark just because he's a 4 year guy. I hope they start him because he's the best at the position, and if he isn't the best at the position he should come off the bench.

Really i think he will start all through out too..

- He has done exactly what Coach has wanted him to do
- He is one of the if not the best defensive players n the team
- can be very explosive on offense
- does the small things on the court that do not show up on a stat sheet
- knows the system already and only has room to grow
- And the main reason is he is a leader of this team

Like some one else said, his mins might go down, but im sure he will start most/if not all of the games

**BryceC** · 10-11-2007, 04:47 PM

I don't doubt he will start. I just think it would be a colossal mistake to start somebody just because they've played here a long time. I love Rahshon and am really looking forward to watching him play this year.

**Wx4Cy** · 10-11-2007, 05:05 PM

Clark absolutely starts all year. He is the heart and soul and face of this program right now. He had the class to stay and has been nothing but class since. His numbers, while not bad, are irrelevant. His place and his presence on this team go well beyond the numbers. He embodies this entire coaching regime and single-handedly represents all that is good about this staff, the transition and the future of this program.

That said, he is also the most athletic person on the floor and whether his numbers show it or not, his impact on a game can not be overlooked.

**Cloned4Life** · 10-11-2007, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by BryceC

I don't doubt he will start. I just think it would be a colossal mistake to start somebody just because they've played here a long time. I love Rahshon and am really looking forward to watching him play this year.

Agree....

**cyinthesky** · 10-11-2007, 09:06 PM

Yes ...I agree also.
All this talk about how good we're going to be "with the ball" ...sure hope the same is expected when we are on defense.

**Cyclonepride** · 10-11-2007, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by necromancy

Garrett is ultra-skinny. I don't know if we've had a skinnier player. However, he is also ultra-quick with an excellent handle, which offsets the bulk problem. Defenders will have to play off him in order to not get burned. With McIntosh, defenders could be right in his jock because he didn't have the quickness and handle.

Ever see Ron Virgil? Dude looked like the ant from the old Pink Panther cartoons.