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Could this be Jakai's breakout year

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Pentagon Cane said:
That is categorically not true. He plays freshmen. He does not necessarily start them unless he thinks they are ready. Newton, Huell, the list is pretty long. For instance, Lykes had starts on an NCAA team.
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To properly understand my point, you really have to post the entire recruiting class for each year and show the contribution of each freshman.
For every Newton, Huell, Brown and Lykes there is a Palmer, Watson, Aire, Miller, Gak and etc who didn't play much as a freshman.
My definition of freshman contribution would be 5 to 10 minutes in over 80% of the games during their freshman season.
 
Da_Lucky_One said:
To properly understand my point, you really have to post the entire recruiting class for each year and show the contribution of each freshman.
For every Newton, Huell, Brown and Lykes there is a Palmer, Watson, Aire, Miller, Gak and etc who didn't play much as a freshman.
My definition of freshman contribution would be 5 to 10 minutes in over 80% of the games during their freshman season.
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Palmer is a bad example for you. He played 13 minutes per game his true freshman year and started a handful and played in 38. Miller and Gak are bad examples because they never should have been offered or like Aire it was clear they at best were projects and were going to be role players. Miller barely played as a 6th year senior. Gak played 127 minutes as a senior.

Who was Watson taking minutes from? Beverly? If a kid is lost you cannot put him on the court. Back to my point, there are plenty of examples where true freshmen were in the rotation and even started more than a handful of games. The assertion that Larranaga does not play freshmen is bull****.
 
AmherstCane said:
I’m conflicted because two fundamental features of Coach L appear (not actually are, but only possibly appear) to be in tension.

1) L does not sell false promises to players. All of the transfers out this year got an honest eval from the staff and acted accordingly. Not saying they were all told to transfer (they weren’t), but they were told the truth. For example, Bev wanted a feature/starring role and he was not likely going to get that here next year.

2) I have not heard L talk much about Jakai. The lack of hearing about Jakai would make it somewhat surprising for him to jump into a large role in the rotation (as compared to - for example - Watson, who L has talked about and, as you said, really likes).

You’d think if Jakai was totally buried with no hope of contributing that (in this day and age) he’d take a ride in the portal to a place/level where he could see game action. OTOH there haven’t been many signs or tea leaves to suggest Jakai is seriously contending for a spot in the rotation.

Will be interesting. I think he’s a really good kid so I’m pulling hard for a good surprise.
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Didn't Coach L lump Watson and Casey together as players who still aren't really comfortable in the offense? Until they build more confidence in their shot, I don't see either playing a lot.

When I watched their limited action last season, I did not see three point capability from either (which is OK as we have that covered), nor did I see confidence in a mid-range shot. Never saw Watson down low but Casey seemed very much overmatched inside. He rushed easy putbacks and showed few moves.
 
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hotshot said:
Didn't Coach L lump Watson and Casey together as players who still aren't really comfortable in the offense? Until they build more confidence in their shot, I don't see either playing a lot.

When I watched their limited action last season, I did not see three point capability from either (which is OK as we have that covered), nor did I see confidence in a mid-range shot. Never saw Watson down low but Casey seemed very much overmatched inside. He rushed easy putbacks and showed few moves.
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I don’t think he lumped them together. Their assessments had some overlap for sure… but I think he also sees Watson as a potentially significant contributor this year. L doesn’t want either of them to press offensively because the team already has 4 elite offensive options. Watson might end up being a star, but he has to demonstrate the ability to score efficiently at the college level before getting the privilege to take whatever shot he feels like taking.
 
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