#3 MOOKIE JONES (Sophomore, 6-6, 220)
Positives:
Mookie is an excellent shooter. When he is open he will knock down the jumper from anywhere on the court. Towards the end of the season he started to show more interest on the defensive end of the court.
Development through his career:
Mookie has not seen significant minutes this season or last (before the injury). Despite this fact the last few times he saw action this season he was much more active on defense. He was jumping out on ball handlers and keeping his hands up, all of which are good signs.
Areas in need of improvement:
If Mookie is going to play the 2, he needs to develop his ball handling skills. Right now he reminds me a lot of Preston Shumpert, a great shooter, but not much else. If Mookie can develop his ball handling skills and continue to improve defensively he will be a great asset to the Orange next season.
2009-10 statistics:
5.8pts/1.6reb/0.8a/0.2blk/0.7stl
2010-11 predictions:
I can see Mookie taking a similar role to what Andy Rautins did his first year or two, a great shooter who can come off the bench and score some points. He won’t be the defender the Andy was, but his offensive game, right down to the lack of ball handling skills is very similar to what Andy was when he arrived at SU. I think if Mookie keeps a positive attitude he can be a very good player for Syracuse in the next few years.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
#00 Rick Jackson 2010-11 Outlook
I am going to post my scouting reports in numerical order.
#00 RICK JACKSON (Senior, 6-9, 240)
Positives:
Rick has become an accomplished low post player for the Orange. He has developed several low post offensive moves, his most effective and consistent being a baby hook. Defenders seem to not realize Rick is left handed and this causes them difficulty when guarding him. Defensively, Rick has developed into a very good rebounder and defender in the 2-3 zone.
Development through his career:
Like many big men before him, Rick has developed a great deal during his time at Syracuse University. During his first two seasons he did not do a great job of keeping the ball high. Many times this would lead to strips and turnovers. His offensive game was non-existent before the 09-10 season. Rick has become more aggressive on both ends of the floor. This has led to more rebounds and points. It has also led to numerous dunks. Before this year he rarely tried to dunk the ball even when he was wide open.
Areas in need of improvement:
Rick needs to be more consistent when grabbing rebounds and passes. There are times when he fumbles the ball out of bounds or to a defender when he would have an easy rebound or basket. Leaving his feet because of a ball fake also is one of Rick’s weaknesses. This leads to some fouls that could and should be avoided.
2009-10 statistics:
9.7pts/7reb/1.7a /2blk/1stl
2010-11 predictions:
While a lot can change between now and next season, I believe Rick will put up very similar numbers. If he improves his hands and is more disciplined on defense, I can see him putting up a line like this 11pts/8reb/2a /2blk/1stl. Everything depends on how often he is the only interior force on the court. His numbers could be even better if Melo, Riley, etc… develop as offensive players.
#00 RICK JACKSON (Senior, 6-9, 240)
Positives:
Rick has become an accomplished low post player for the Orange. He has developed several low post offensive moves, his most effective and consistent being a baby hook. Defenders seem to not realize Rick is left handed and this causes them difficulty when guarding him. Defensively, Rick has developed into a very good rebounder and defender in the 2-3 zone.
Development through his career:
Like many big men before him, Rick has developed a great deal during his time at Syracuse University. During his first two seasons he did not do a great job of keeping the ball high. Many times this would lead to strips and turnovers. His offensive game was non-existent before the 09-10 season. Rick has become more aggressive on both ends of the floor. This has led to more rebounds and points. It has also led to numerous dunks. Before this year he rarely tried to dunk the ball even when he was wide open.
Areas in need of improvement:
Rick needs to be more consistent when grabbing rebounds and passes. There are times when he fumbles the ball out of bounds or to a defender when he would have an easy rebound or basket. Leaving his feet because of a ball fake also is one of Rick’s weaknesses. This leads to some fouls that could and should be avoided.
2009-10 statistics:
9.7pts/7reb/1.7a /2blk/1stl
2010-11 predictions:
While a lot can change between now and next season, I believe Rick will put up very similar numbers. If he improves his hands and is more disciplined on defense, I can see him putting up a line like this 11pts/8reb/2a /2blk/1stl. Everything depends on how often he is the only interior force on the court. His numbers could be even better if Melo, Riley, etc… develop as offensive players.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Football Thoughts
Football Thoughts (from 4/9/2010)
This past Friday I was one of the many coaches who attended the Syracuse University Football Coaches Clinic. The staff was very welcoming and was able to have current players demonstrate many drills and techniques.
The sessions I attended on Friday were for the linebackers, defensive backs, defensive line and quarterbacks. I wanted to share my thoughts on these players and additionally on the practice that was Friday afternoon. These thoughts are from the perspective of a fan who happens to be a coach.
LBs
The LBs that demonstrated the drills were: Marquis Spruill, Brice Hawkes, Dan Vaughn, and EJ Carter. Derrell Smith was also present and in full gear, but he did not participate in any of the demonstrations. Carter was definitely the best of the bunch, but Vaughn had good footwork and looked very good going through the drills. Spruill and Hawkes both looked very raw, but very athletic. Once they add 10-15 pounds of muscle I can see them making an impact for the Orange. Coach Conley does an excellent job picking up the little details and coming up with ways to practice them.
DBs
Phillip Thomas, Da’Mon Merkerson, Dorian Graham, Rishard Anderson, Michael Holmes, George Mayes, Ryan Ahern, and Shamarko Thomas demonstrated the drills. My overall feeling about the DBs is that they are extremely athletic. However, based on last season and the overall look of them, most of them are not very physical. If all they had to do is cover someone I think they have the makings of a great group. When you add in having to tackle they become a question mark.
DL
Chandler Jones, Bud Tribbey, Torrey Ball, Andrew Lewis, Chad Battles, and Mikhail Marinovich were the group to demonstrate these drills. Jones and Marinovich are athletes! I fully expect Chandler to be the third member of his family to become a professional athlete along with Jon and Arthur. He has added muscle since I saw him play in high school and maintained (if not gained) his quickness. For the most part I was very impressed with this group of players.
QBs
All four of the quarterbacks on the roster were present to demonstrate: Charley Loeb, Ryan Nassib, James Jarrett and Nick Raven. Out of the four Loeb looked to throw the best ball. Granted this was on a 35 x 15 yard field. While Loeb threw the best, his footwork was more like a dancer than football player. He almost pranced through his drops. Nassib had by far the best footwork of the group. He threw decent, but not as well as Loeb. The other two are just reveling in their time before the freshman arrive and steal the small amount of reps they are getting.
Practice
The defense looked very good. Now keep in mind they probably have 90% of their blitzes in while much of the offensive plays remain basic. When the first eleven are on the field the Syracuse defense looks like it can slow down or stop any offense it faces. Two of the defensive highlights: Nassib would have been sacked about 10 times, Jones made a great diving interception when he was dropping from the DE spot into a zone. The offense has a lot of work to do, but defenses always gel quicker than offenses so this should not come as a surprise. During the drills Nassib threw a very nice ball in the 15-25 yard range. Shorter or longer he did not look good at all! In fact none of the quarterbacks threw a very good deep ball on Friday. Numerous times receivers had their man beat in long patterns by 5-6 yards. On each occasion (regardless of which QB was throwing) the passes were underthrown. On many occasions the pass was severely underthrown.
The Bottom Line
Syracuse looks to have the makings of a good defense. However, if Syracuse is going to compete with the better teams on their schedule their quarterbacks are going to need to improve a great deal. After seeing these guys at their current level, I am surprised it took Paulus the three practices to earn his starting job last year! I don’t want to seem completely negative about the quarterback situation, but on the particular day I was at practice I was not very impressed.
Throughout the next few weeks I will be posting detailed scouting reports on the 2010-11 Syracuse University basketball team. Since this is only my opinion on what I have seen this year and the past few years it is up for debate.
This past Friday I was one of the many coaches who attended the Syracuse University Football Coaches Clinic. The staff was very welcoming and was able to have current players demonstrate many drills and techniques.
The sessions I attended on Friday were for the linebackers, defensive backs, defensive line and quarterbacks. I wanted to share my thoughts on these players and additionally on the practice that was Friday afternoon. These thoughts are from the perspective of a fan who happens to be a coach.
LBs
The LBs that demonstrated the drills were: Marquis Spruill, Brice Hawkes, Dan Vaughn, and EJ Carter. Derrell Smith was also present and in full gear, but he did not participate in any of the demonstrations. Carter was definitely the best of the bunch, but Vaughn had good footwork and looked very good going through the drills. Spruill and Hawkes both looked very raw, but very athletic. Once they add 10-15 pounds of muscle I can see them making an impact for the Orange. Coach Conley does an excellent job picking up the little details and coming up with ways to practice them.
DBs
Phillip Thomas, Da’Mon Merkerson, Dorian Graham, Rishard Anderson, Michael Holmes, George Mayes, Ryan Ahern, and Shamarko Thomas demonstrated the drills. My overall feeling about the DBs is that they are extremely athletic. However, based on last season and the overall look of them, most of them are not very physical. If all they had to do is cover someone I think they have the makings of a great group. When you add in having to tackle they become a question mark.
DL
Chandler Jones, Bud Tribbey, Torrey Ball, Andrew Lewis, Chad Battles, and Mikhail Marinovich were the group to demonstrate these drills. Jones and Marinovich are athletes! I fully expect Chandler to be the third member of his family to become a professional athlete along with Jon and Arthur. He has added muscle since I saw him play in high school and maintained (if not gained) his quickness. For the most part I was very impressed with this group of players.
QBs
All four of the quarterbacks on the roster were present to demonstrate: Charley Loeb, Ryan Nassib, James Jarrett and Nick Raven. Out of the four Loeb looked to throw the best ball. Granted this was on a 35 x 15 yard field. While Loeb threw the best, his footwork was more like a dancer than football player. He almost pranced through his drops. Nassib had by far the best footwork of the group. He threw decent, but not as well as Loeb. The other two are just reveling in their time before the freshman arrive and steal the small amount of reps they are getting.
Practice
The defense looked very good. Now keep in mind they probably have 90% of their blitzes in while much of the offensive plays remain basic. When the first eleven are on the field the Syracuse defense looks like it can slow down or stop any offense it faces. Two of the defensive highlights: Nassib would have been sacked about 10 times, Jones made a great diving interception when he was dropping from the DE spot into a zone. The offense has a lot of work to do, but defenses always gel quicker than offenses so this should not come as a surprise. During the drills Nassib threw a very nice ball in the 15-25 yard range. Shorter or longer he did not look good at all! In fact none of the quarterbacks threw a very good deep ball on Friday. Numerous times receivers had their man beat in long patterns by 5-6 yards. On each occasion (regardless of which QB was throwing) the passes were underthrown. On many occasions the pass was severely underthrown.
The Bottom Line
Syracuse looks to have the makings of a good defense. However, if Syracuse is going to compete with the better teams on their schedule their quarterbacks are going to need to improve a great deal. After seeing these guys at their current level, I am surprised it took Paulus the three practices to earn his starting job last year! I don’t want to seem completely negative about the quarterback situation, but on the particular day I was at practice I was not very impressed.
Throughout the next few weeks I will be posting detailed scouting reports on the 2010-11 Syracuse University basketball team. Since this is only my opinion on what I have seen this year and the past few years it is up for debate.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Wesley Johnson and his Future
Many Cuse fans have been debating recently whether or not Wesley Johnson is going to go pro or come back for his last year of eligibility. Personally, I do not think there is a very good chance of Wes returning next season. I also think that would be the right choice for him to make. There are arguments that can be made on each side.
If Wes leaves after this season:
There is a very good chance Wes will go in the first 5 picks. This will guarantee him a substantial amount of money. Worst case scenario Wes goes in the top 12 picks. I am not an NBA scout, but I would be shocked if he dropped the way Donte Greene did when he left SU. If Wes is picked number 5 in the draft he would get a guaranteed contract of 9 million over 3 years. If Wes fell as low as 12 he would still get almost 5.5 million over 3 years. Any way you look at it Wes is going to make a lot of money regardless of how much or well he plays.
There are areas Wes can improve upon. Many fans have been quick to point out that Wes is not very good taking defenders off the dribble. This is an area that he could improve upon. It has also been said that Wes is not selfish enough. To me these are two small things. Given the opportunity to improve while making between 1 and 3 million
Another thing that Wes needs to consider is his age. NBA teams draft players based on potential. For every player like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony who make immediate impacts, there are players who don’t develop until years down the road. Wes is already older than many of the members of the last three draft classes. If he comes back for a year and is even older when he enters the NBA Draft teams may not see his potential upside. They may see him as a player who is not going to get better. That would still lead to a good NBA career, in my opinion, but his draft stock would drop.
If Wes comes back next season:
Wes may be able to help Syracuse have the type of season they had this year. He may also be able to improve on the two small parts of his game that many fans think need to be improved upon. Wes seems to enjoy college life. He seems to get along wonderfully with his teammates.
There is a chance Wes could sustain an injury. There is also a chance Wes’s draft stock could fall. The NBA Draft is different each year. Who is to say that Wes would be a top 10 pick after next season?
Final Thoughts:
I am a huge Syracuse Orange fan. I graduated from SU in 2002. Even before going to Syracuse I was a huge fan of the football and basketball teams. My points being that it would be easy for me say Wes should stay another year because of selfish reasons. However, I don’t think that would be the best decision for him. Wes can improve his game while being paid big bucks. Why would he come back? His love of college life and his teammates may make his decision tough (as it did with Carmelo and Jonny), but I think when it is all said and done Wes will make the decision to enter the NBA draft.
Syracuse fans will always think highly of Wes, regardless of his decision. Wes gave us a lot of memories and we should wish him the best in his NBA career.
If Wes leaves after this season:
There is a very good chance Wes will go in the first 5 picks. This will guarantee him a substantial amount of money. Worst case scenario Wes goes in the top 12 picks. I am not an NBA scout, but I would be shocked if he dropped the way Donte Greene did when he left SU. If Wes is picked number 5 in the draft he would get a guaranteed contract of 9 million over 3 years. If Wes fell as low as 12 he would still get almost 5.5 million over 3 years. Any way you look at it Wes is going to make a lot of money regardless of how much or well he plays.
There are areas Wes can improve upon. Many fans have been quick to point out that Wes is not very good taking defenders off the dribble. This is an area that he could improve upon. It has also been said that Wes is not selfish enough. To me these are two small things. Given the opportunity to improve while making between 1 and 3 million
Another thing that Wes needs to consider is his age. NBA teams draft players based on potential. For every player like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony who make immediate impacts, there are players who don’t develop until years down the road. Wes is already older than many of the members of the last three draft classes. If he comes back for a year and is even older when he enters the NBA Draft teams may not see his potential upside. They may see him as a player who is not going to get better. That would still lead to a good NBA career, in my opinion, but his draft stock would drop.
If Wes comes back next season:
Wes may be able to help Syracuse have the type of season they had this year. He may also be able to improve on the two small parts of his game that many fans think need to be improved upon. Wes seems to enjoy college life. He seems to get along wonderfully with his teammates.
There is a chance Wes could sustain an injury. There is also a chance Wes’s draft stock could fall. The NBA Draft is different each year. Who is to say that Wes would be a top 10 pick after next season?
Final Thoughts:
I am a huge Syracuse Orange fan. I graduated from SU in 2002. Even before going to Syracuse I was a huge fan of the football and basketball teams. My points being that it would be easy for me say Wes should stay another year because of selfish reasons. However, I don’t think that would be the best decision for him. Wes can improve his game while being paid big bucks. Why would he come back? His love of college life and his teammates may make his decision tough (as it did with Carmelo and Jonny), but I think when it is all said and done Wes will make the decision to enter the NBA draft.
Syracuse fans will always think highly of Wes, regardless of his decision. Wes gave us a lot of memories and we should wish him the best in his NBA career.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Fab Melo and SU Basketball Thoughts
I know everyone been eagerly waiting to read my thoughts! (That is sarcasm for those of you who lack the ability to understand humor.)
FAB MELO
Nonetheless, here are some of my thoughts about Fab Melo and Syracuse basketball in general. After watching the McDonald’s All American Game last night I came away very impressed with Fab Melo. Even though he didn’t set the world on fire with scoring, mainly because he never got the ball, he did do a lot of things that I believe will help him contribute next year as a freshman.
The main thing that Melo can bring to the 2010-11 Syracuse Orange is athleticism at the center position. From what I saw Melo moves in all directions better than the two centers that saw significant time this past season (Jackson and AO). I couldn’t believe how quickly Melo made it up and down the court. On many occasions he was the first guy back on defense even though he was playing offense below the foul line.
MELO ON OFFENSE
Melo impressed me with his movement on offense. He was constantly setting screens and trying to get into position to rebound. Melo needs to improve his ability to anticipate where the rebounds are going. He was working hard, but on many occasions working to a spot where there was very little chance the ball would end up. The few times he shot he looked to have good shooting form. I was a little disappointed that he was stripped (although it looked like a foul) before he could shoot from three point range.
MELO ON DEFENSE
He seemed very good at getting in position and trying to help out when other players’ defense lacked. He also consistently looked for someone to box out when a shot went up. Based on what I saw last night I expect him to do an excellent job manning the middle of the 2-3 next season.
OVERALL
Coming into the game I had only seen Melo on YouTube. From what I saw he has greatly improved his quickness and looks leaner and more muscular now than he did in the past. Based on the YouTube clips I didn’t think Melo could be a solid contributor as a freshman. I thought he was a project that would need a few years to develop. After seeing him last night, I think he can play a lot as a freshman. When he plays at his best I can see him putting up 15-20 points, 8-12 rebounds and 2-3 blocks. When he plays like a freshman (which any real fan knows is going to happen at times) I still think he can put up 8-10 points, 5-7 rebounds and a 1-2 blocks. I am not realistic enough to think he is going to come in and be a superstar for us every game like the other Melo. However, I do think that at times he can play as a superstar next year.
SYRACUSE TEAM THOUGHTS
One of the reasons I am excited about Fab Melo is because of his athleticism. That is something that Syracuse has lacked recently even on some of the better teams. Now before you start to plan your rebuttal, I am not saying we don’t have athletes, I am saying we have athletes who don’t use and/or show their athleticism consistently in games. Let’s take a look at last year’s starting seven (I put them in order of least to most athletic):
Rick Jackson (Big, strong, not overly athletic!)
Arinze Onuaku (see Rick Jackson)
Brandon Triche (strong for a guard, but didn’t show athleticism this season)
Andy Rautins (very quick, great shooter, not overly athletic)
Scoop Jardine (very quick off the dribble, not a great overall athlete)
Kris Joseph (very quick off the dribble, pretty athletic)
Wes Johnson (quick, great shooter, very athletic)
Syracuse was successful this past season because they played well as a team and many of them were very good basketball players. Being a good basketball player doesn’t always mean you are a good athlete. Just like being tall doesn’t always mean you are a good basketball player.
Our lack of athleticism became apparent when I was at the East Regionals watching Kentucky play. Kentucky had 8-9 athletes who were also pretty good basketball players. They had 6-9, 6-11 guys who moved unbelievably well. Kentucky, like Syracuse, did not make the Final Four. Good teams have a mixture of good basketball and good athletes. It is tough, not impossible, but tough to win it all with just one or the other.
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