Who should start at point?

[TexasTiger 12,800]

No great options at the moment, but I don't think the Bowers experiment worked.

New Williams?

[NoALtiger 3,849]

Williams and the walk-on combo.

[jared52 4,354]

I agree. Time for New to get lots of minutes unless his knee can't take it.

[AU64 10,122]

No great options at the moment, but I don't think the Bowers experiment worked.

New Williams?

I rag on CB but I sure don't think yesterday was about him. The team shot 25% and missed about 15 shots in a row on two occasions. He only had 1 turnover .......and still managed to shoot close to normal and got some rebounds. And of course Spencer fouling out after only 10 minutes of total playing time.....that's crazy.

The problem is.....with Canty gone, there is no one who can be counted on to shoot a reasonable percentage from anywhere on the floor....lay-ups to 3 pointers. This is the poorest offensive team I've ever seen.

[mustache eagle 2,388]

i did not see a single second of this game ... but if bowers played the point and still got a double double ... he must have played with some effort. CBP does not shy away from the truth and he was generally complimentary to bowers and the tough spot he was put in.

[TexasTiger 12,800]

i did not see a single second of this game ... but if bowers played the point and still got a double double ... he must have played with some effort. CBP does not shy away from the truth and he was generally complimentary to bowers and the tough spot he was put in.

Bowers played hard-- not faulting him at all. He had a double-double, but only one assist.

[AuburnEagle79 2,163]

Play an actual guard. Cim played his rear off, and yesterday wasn't his fault, but why take a guy playing a position that we are thin at, and move him to a position that we have a few options at?

[AU64 10,122]

i did not see a single second of this game ... but if bowers played the point and still got a double double ... he must have played with some effort. CBP does not shy away from the truth and he was generally complimentary to bowers and the tough spot he was put in.

Bowers played hard-- not faulting him at all. He had a double-double, but only one assist.

You only get an assist if the player receiving the pass is able to score. The number of missed lay-ups was beyond counting...and many of them cost someone an assist. The entire team only had about 7 assists....evidence of how poorly AU shot.

CB is not a point guard but I expect BP got as much out of him as he expected ....or hoped for.

[FoundationEagle 637]

I have to give props to CB for playing point period. Wanna talk about having to play out of position? CB playing point is about as out of position as someone could get. He played admirably and I truly respect his effort.

[Mikey 16,545]

I have to give props to CB for playing point period. Wanna talk about having to play out of position? CB playing point is about as out of position as someone could get. He played admirably and I truly respect his effort.

Spot on.

[TexasTiger 12,800]

I have to give props to CB for playing point period. Wanna talk about having to play out of position? CB playing point is about as out of position as someone could get. He played admirably and I truly respect his effort.

Spot on.

I agree-- but do you name him your starting PG and keep him there?

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

CB played great. As a point Forward he scored, rebounded and made some nice passers that should have been assists but players missed layups. He did everything asked of him and more. All year he has played hard with effort sometimes he has not played smart but during this game he also played smart. If New Williams knees are ok we need to get him in more and see if he can play PG. During the game the few times he played PG as soon as he crossed half court line he gave up the ball. I never saw him actual try starting the offense. With his jumps I would like to see him penetrate and dish or go to the basket. If Williams can be a real PG when Canty comes back he might be able to play as a true SG helping his game also.

[Tiger 8,817]

I know Bryce Brown is not a PG, nor does he have the ball handling skills to be one, but IMO it wouldn't be a bad thing to encourage and try to develop his PG skills because due to his height it is unlikely he will be able to be effective at the next level at SG (I know we are a long way off from thinking anybody that has played on the roster this year has next level ability), but it could be beneficial for AU and for Brown himself to attempt to transition into a combo guard. Because at 6'2/6'3 we should be able to trust his ball handling a bit more than we do. I know he's just a true FR so maybe that is in the plans.

How come we don't run Canty or Brown off of more off-the-ball screens to get open 3s?

[AU64 10,122]

I know Bryce Brown is not a PG, nor does he have the ball handling skills to be one, but IMO it wouldn't be a bad thing to encourage and try to develop his PG skills because due to his height it is unlikely he will be able to be effective at the next level at SG (I know we are a long way off from thinking anybody that has played on the roster this year has next level ability), but it could be beneficial for AU and for Brown himself to attempt to transition into a combo guard. Because at 6'2/6'3 we should be able to trust his ball handling a bit more than we do. I know he's just a true FR so maybe that is in the plans.

How come we don't run Canty or Brown off of more off-the-ball screens to get open 3s?

Good point but Canty seems to prefer one-on-one....even when he has a possible screen. Otherwise, Brown has not found his shooting eye...shooting 35% from wherever he takes a shot. Dunans the only one shooting over 50% and team average is just 40%, Nobody to go to for scoring on a consistent basis.

[Tiger 8,817]

^ True. It has been rough all around but seems like getting Lang, Brown, or Canty coming off stagger screens for a catch and shoot jumper could add something to the offense. But BP knows how to utilize his talent I was just wondering why we haven't seen more "sets" to take advantage of our shooters

[AU64 10,122]

^ True. It has been rough all around but seems like getting Lang, Brown, or Canty coming off stagger screens for a catch and shoot jumper could add something to the offense. But BP knows how to utilize his talent I was just wondering why we haven't seen more "sets" to take advantage of our shooters

Lang has been pretty good at that...I recall him setting up in the corner and hitting some pretty good shots. He has a good FG % on the 3s getting good playing time but for some reason, he seems to be the 3rd choice to take a 3 and is not an aggressive shooter...not that many shots for the minutes he has played. He has played more minutes than Brown and has taken half as many shots.

[steeleagle 2,945]

LAng has trouble getting open, and it takes him a long time to get his shot off (even Pearl mentions this), so he hestitates to shoot or he has trouble getting an open shot, especially without a true and experienced PG to help him get open shots.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

What you have now is:

Lang

Williams

Granger

Bowers

Spencer

Brown

Kiem

7 guys. Honestly, it's really 6. So you have to get some sort of production out of whoever you can. This is why the job is so hard right now.

Right now, all you can do is go:

PG- Kiem

Sg-Williams/Brown

SF-Granger/Lang

PF-Bowers/Waddel

C-Spencer

That's just about all we've got. So either you put your walk ons in and concede the game or you find ways to save your starters' legs as much as possible. One of the ways to do this when you're so short-handed is slow, rhythmic half court offense. This makes me wonder about Bowers being at PG. Not sure why it's not New Williams. Yeah he's a freshman but Kiem, although he's putting out a bunch of effort, just doesn't quite have it. He gets pick-pocketed by some of the best defenders in the country, because that's what walk-ons do. Pearl, before anything, has to get the ball up the floor. I'll say this, Bowers can get the ball up them floor, but tends to turn it over when he gets in the front court if he's out of control. I guess If you have to get past square one to even have a chance at the second step, you've got to put forward your best foot for step 1. Bowers did fine at PG. It's just odd for him and for fans. If we had made shots the other day, we would've been in that game with a chance to win. Pretty good coaching by Pear IMO. We'll see but there's just not much to do

[Mikey 16,545]

I have to give props to CB for playing point period. Wanna talk about having to play out of position? CB playing point is about as out of position as someone could get. He played admirably and I truly respect his effort.

Spot on.

I agree-- but do you name him your starting PG and keep him there?

Only if that's your best option. Without attending practices we cannot begin to know what the best lineup is.

[FoundationEagle 637]

What you have now is:

Lang

Williams

Granger

Bowers

Spencer

Brown

Kiem

7 guys. Honestly, it's really 6. So you have to get some sort of production out of whoever you can. This is why the job is so hard right now.

Right now, all you can do is go:

PG- Kiem

Sg-Williams/Brown

SF-Granger/Lang

PF-Bowers/Waddel

C-Spencer

That's just about all we've got. So either you put your walk ons in and concede the game or you find ways to save your starters' legs as much as possible. One of the ways to do this when you're so short-handed is slow, rhythmic half court offense. This makes me wonder about Bowers being at PG. Not sure why it's not New Williams. Yeah he's a freshman but Kiem, although he's putting out a bunch of effort, just doesn't quite have it. He gets pick-pocketed by some of the best defenders in the country, because that's what walk-ons do. Pearl, before anything, has to get the ball up the floor. I'll say this, Bowers can get the ball up them floor, but tends to turn it over when he gets in the front court if he's out of control. I guess If you have to get past square one to even have a chance at the second step, you've got to put forward your best foot for step 1. Bowers did fine at PG. It's just odd for him and for fans. If we had made shots the other day, we would've been in that game with a chance to win. Pretty good coaching by Pear IMO. We'll see but there's just not much to do

Wait a minute...You listed 7 guys at first, claimed it was really 6, then set a lineup with 8

[AU64 10,122]

In theory...and reality...7 or 8 is enough if you have the right guys. Duke only played 7 last night in their win over Louisville and Coach K typically only plays 7 or 8. We could almost get by with this if one of them did not foul out before he even gets a sweat worked up.

JMO but Spencer's inability to stay in the game is the real problem with our short-handed squad.

[alexava 6,972]

What you have now is:

Lang

Williams

Granger

Bowers

Spencer

Brown

Kiem

7 guys. Honestly, it's really 6. So you have to get some sort of production out of whoever you can. This is why the job is so hard right now.

Right now, all you can do is go:

PG- Kiem

Sg-Williams/Brown

SF-Granger/Lang

PF-Bowers/Waddel

C-Spencer

That's just about all we've got. So either you put your walk ons in and concede the game or you find ways to save your starters' legs as much as possible. One of the ways to do this when you're so short-handed is slow, rhythmic half court offense. This makes me wonder about Bowers being at PG. Not sure why it's not New Williams. Yeah he's a freshman but Kiem, although he's putting out a bunch of effort, just doesn't quite have it. He gets pick-pocketed by some of the best defenders in the country, because that's what walk-ons do. Pearl, before anything, has to get the ball up the floor. I'll say this, Bowers can get the ball up them floor, but tends to turn it over when he gets in the front court if he's out of control. I guess If you have to get past square one to even have a chance at the second step, you've got to put forward your best foot for step 1. Bowers did fine at PG. It's just odd for him and for fans. If we had made shots the other day, we would've been in that game with a chance to win. Pretty good coaching by Pear IMO. We'll see but there's just not much to do

Wait a minute...You listed 7 guys at first, claimed it was really 6, then set a lineup with 8 :dunno:/>

harrris?