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Jon Rothstein 2020-21 Predictions

Mklein13 said:
Other than that, I doubt our joke of an AD will schedule anyone worth a **** in non conference since the ACC is always a tough go.
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In sports other than football, the schedule is done by the head coach and not the AD.

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Da_Lucky_One said:
Thanks for posting.

I have to be honest, that lineup looks good but it is flawed. I may be the only person who noticed this but Isaiah Wong is more effective when he is not on the floor with Chris Lykes. No, I did not say he is a better player than Lykes, I said more effective.
Between Lykes, McGusty and Wong, all three prefer to play with the ball in their hands and they like to dribble the ball. Sometimes too much. None of the three are catch and shoot type of players and all three are at best, average defenders. With that being said, I think it would be in the best interest of the team if Isaiah comes off the bench, this allows him to be the focal point of the offense.
I know, it sounds crazy but all of Wong's best games and moments came when Lykes was injured or on the bench. Yes, against Va Tech both played but Lykes was on the bench when Wong was making those contested clutch shots.
The fifth starter should be Earl Timberlake as he is the best defensive player on the team. The other four starters will be seniors because Coach L loves older teams. I don't necessarily agree with it but Coach L is Coach L. That means Lykes, McGusty, Sam and Rodney will start. I know all of the reasons why it should not happen but there is one reason why it will happen. Coach L is loyal to his seniors. Lyke it or not.
The bench would be really good with Wong, Beverly, Cross, Walker and Brooks along with Gak and two other scholarship players. The only person who can stop them is........ Coach L. Especially if he only wants to play 7 guys for 30 minutes per game.
Ultimately, Coach L will decide how good next season will be.
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Wong is a starter ... 'Nuff said.
 
I would be very surprised if the rotation isn't:

Lykes/Wong
Wong/Beverly
McGusty/Timberlake
Sam/Walker/Cross
Brooks/Gak/Miller

  • McGusty and Timberlake are interchangeable IMO and will both play big minutes but I see the early nod going to McGusty, who is better from 3. Timberlake is likely the first player off the bench in super-sub role by could very well starting by conference play.
  • Wong played quite well in ACC games off of Lykes and I see that transitioning into next year. He'll then shift to backup PG when Lykes is out/Beverly is in, but I would have liked to see us recruit another ball handler, as Wong's decision making can be suspect at times.
  • Sam gets the nod at PF, and while this will probably **** many folks off, remember that he is probably our best outside shooter on the roster post-DJ. Having a banger down low in Brooks should also free him up on the perimeter, where he is most effective.
  • The bigs rotation behind Sam and Brooks should be interesting to watch. If healthy (big if), Gak's ability to protect the rim makes him a no brainer to be the first big off the bench. Cross' ability to make shots and Walker's versatility (can play 3-5) both make them important bench pieces as well, so that likely leaves Miller as the odd man out.
 
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t.co

Virginia up, Kentucky down in college basketball's Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2020-21

Virginia, Kansas and Wisconsin are among the teams that climbed in the Way-Too-Early Top 25 in men's college basketball for 2020-21.
t.co t.co

Miami probably will not be ranked to start the season but with the right non-Conference schedule along with some quality wins, Miami should be ranked by the time they start playing conference games.
 
HubSpotCane said:
I would be very surprised if the rotation isn't:

Lykes/Wong
Wong/Beverly
McGusty/Timberlake
Sam/Walker/Cross
Brooks/Gak/Miller

  • McGusty and Timberlake are interchangeable IMO and will both play big minutes but I see the early nod going to McGusty, who is better from 3. Timberlake is likely the first player off the bench in super-sub role by could very well starting by conference play.
  • Wong played quite well in ACC games off of Lykes and I see that transitioning into next year. He'll then shift to backup PG when Lykes is out/Beverly is in, but I would have liked to see us recruit another ball handler, as Wong's decision making can be suspect at times.
  • Sam gets the nod at PF, and while this will probably **** many folks off, remember that he is probably our best outside shooter on the roster post-DJ. Having a banger down low in Brooks should also free him up on the perimeter, where he is most effective.
  • The bigs rotation behind Sam and Brooks should be interesting to watch. If healthy (big if), Gak's ability to protect the rim makes him a no brainer to be the first big off the bench. Cross' ability to make shots and Walker's versatility (can play 3-5) both make them important bench pieces as well, so that likely leaves Miller as the odd man out.
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Sam can't be chosen as a starter on the basis of 3 point shooting. He shot 13-52 (25%) in all games last season, and an even more horrible 7-35 (20%) in ACC games. And that was with DJ getting most of the opponent's 3 pt defense directed at him. If Sam were the player the defense focused on, I'd hate to see those results.
 
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hotshot said:
Sam can't be chosen as a starter on the basis of 3 point shooting. He shot 13-52 (25%) in all games last season, and an even more horrible 7-35 (20%) in ACC games. And that was with DJ getting most of the opponent's 3 pt defense directed at him. If Sam were the player the defense focused on, I'd hate to see those results.
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I completely agree with you about Sam. His play does not say starter but Coach L loves seniors so I fully expect him to start along with Lykes, McGusty and Miller or Brooks.
My fifth starter is Earl Timberlake because of his ability and willingness to play defense along with the toughness he brings to those other four guys.
I still feel Wong will be a better player coming off the bench as this prevents him from playing with Lykes and it keeps the ball in his hands giving him more shots and more opportunities to create for Beverly, Cross, Walker and whoever does not start between Miller and Brooks.
Miami still needs to use those last two scholarships even if it is on two guys who redshirt this season to prepare for next season.
Let's keep an eye out on how many kids reclassify from the 2021 class to the 2020 class. Those two scholarships could be very helpful with the right player.
 
I was not a hUge fan of Angel Rodriguez, since I thought he largely hogged the ball Kobe-wannabe style way too much, and his shots went South as well as North a lot. Sure, he had many bright moments and outshone others at times...

...but he seemed to perform best when Coach L switched him off frequently with JaQuan Newton (another Kobe-wannabe shooter). I think they both passed more and took more thoughtful shots when pushed a bit mentally by the competition of sorts. Angel of course had lapses much attributed to mind over manner and was in the sports psychologist office a lot. (Both could be quite awful and make wins tough to come by.)

That being said, the idea of Lykes and Wong having a dual-shared role as the folks above suggest, sounds great to me, perhaps for the same reasons as Jaquan-Angel.
 
jkdood said:
I was not a hUge fan of Angel Rodriguez, since I thought he largely hogged the ball Kobe-wannabe style way too much, and his shots went South as well as North a lot. Sure, he had many bright moments and outshone others at times...

...but he seemed to perform best when Coach L switched him off frequently with JaQuan Newton (another Kobe-wannabe shooter). I think they both passed more and took more thoughtful shots when pushed a bit mentally by the competition of sorts. Angel of course had lapses much attributed to mind over manner and was in the sports psychologist office a lot. (Both could be quite awful and make wins tough to come by.)

That being said, the idea of Lykes and Wong having a dual-shared role as the folks above suggest, sounds great to me, perhaps for the same reasons as Jaquan-Angel.
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That is a great example and a great point. Thanks for reminding me of that. That is a perfect example of what I am talking about.
 
jkdood said:
I was not a hUge fan of Angel Rodriguez, since I thought he largely hogged the ball Kobe-wannabe style way too much, and his shots went South as well as North a lot. Sure, he had many bright moments and outshone others at times...

...but he seemed to perform best when Coach L switched him off frequently with JaQuan Newton (another Kobe-wannabe shooter). I think they both passed more and took more thoughtful shots when pushed a bit mentally by the competition of sorts. Angel of course had lapses much attributed to mind over manner and was in the sports psychologist office a lot. (Both could be quite awful and make wins tough to come by.)

That being said, the idea of Lykes and Wong having a dual-shared role as the folks above suggest, sounds great to me, perhaps for the same reasons as Jaquan-Angel.
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Ahhh the days of good and bad Angel. He was unbelievable for the first half of his junior year then he looked like complete **** the last half. I think his senior year was much more consistent. He owned Wichita State in the second round of the tournament. Definitely his best game as a Cane. Jaquan was solid up until his suspension before the tournament soph year. Dude ****ed me off so much with his inability to pass the ball and his lazy defense.
 
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Da_Lucky_One said:
I completely agree with you about Sam. His play does not say starter but Coach L loves seniors so I fully expect him to start along with Lykes, McGusty and Miller or Brooks.
My fifth starter is Earl Timberlake because of his ability and willingness to play defense along with the toughness he brings to those other four guys.
I still feel Wong will be a better player coming off the bench as this prevents him from playing with Lykes and it keeps the ball in his hands giving him more shots and more opportunities to create for Beverly, Cross, Walker and whoever does not start between Miller and Brooks.
Miami still needs to use those last two scholarships even if it is on two guys who redshirt this season to prepare for next season.
Let's keep an eye out on how many kids reclassify from the 2021 class to the 2020 class. Those two scholarships could be very helpful with the right player.
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My issue with Sam starting (as projected in HubSpot's post above) had more to do with the 3 point rationale. I mean, I guess a case could be made that he should perhaps start because of his size (and hopefully improved inside play).
 
hotshot said:
My issue with Sam starting (as projected in HubSpot's post above) had more to do with the 3 point rationale. I mean, I guess a case could be made that he should perhaps start because of his size (and hopefully improved inside play).
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Size and being a senior are the only reason why he starts. His inside play lacks toughness because when he should dunk, he lays the ball up and he often does not finish.
I still hope he figures it out.
 
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Mklein13 said:
Ahhh the days of good and bad Angel. He was unbelievable for the first half of his junior year then he looked like complete **** the last half. I think his senior year was much more consistent. He owned Wichita State in the second round of the tournament. Definitely his best game as a Cane. Jaquan was solid up until his suspension before the tournament soph year. Dude ****ed me off so much with his inability to pass the ball and his lazy defense.
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Just gonna throw this out there: to me, Wong looks an awful lot like JaQuan with a slightly more accurate (though equally grotesque) jumper.
 
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Definitely have similar style of play, but I think Wong has both a little more court vision and basketball IQ.
See Wong as having a much larger upside.
 
Ultimately, what decides the Newton/Wong comparison is whether or not Wong learns how to play PG.
Which without being disrespectful, Newton was not able to do at Miami.

That also supports my belief that Wong would be better if he comes off the bench and plays PG this season so next season, he can have a full year of PG experience when he becomes the full time starter with the graduation of Lykes.
 
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Da_Lucky_One said:
Ultimately, what decides the Newton/Wong comparison is whether or not Wong learns how to play PG.
Which without being disrespectful, Newton was not able to do at Miami.

That also supports my belief that Wong would be better if he comes off the bench and plays PG this season so next season, he can have a full year of PG experience when he becomes the full time starter with the graduation of Lykes.
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Beverly is the point guard in waiting, not Wong
 
Da_Lucky_One said:
Ultimately, what decides the Newton/Wong comparison is whether or not Wong learns how to play PG.
Which without being disrespectful, Newton was not able to do at Miami.

That also supports my belief that Wong would be better if he comes off the bench and plays PG this season so next season, he can have a full year of PG experience when he becomes the full time starter with the graduation of Lykes.
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That's my issue, Newton had tunnel vision and a bad jumper. Wong shares exactly those weaknesses.
 
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