Media day is tomorrow from noon to 3. Tony Jones shared some info via twitter just now.
-Lenz has improved to the point that he is a starting candidate, per a source.
-Several people have mentioned the Pros when it comes to Delon Wright.
Thought this would be a good place to discuss the coming season.
Delon Wright is the truth. And if Lenz can undergo a Tyler Kepkay-like transformation from junior year to senior year, we can be a legitimate top 4 threat in this league.Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports
I'm still not sold on the center position, although I'm optimistic Olsen can be that guy. If we can get 8 and 6 from him, Lenz really is that much better and Loveridge can play more on the perimeter, we're gonna be a tough out for anyone.
Yeah, I'm falling in like with Brandon Taylor, but a lineup of Olsen/Bach, a fully human with emotions and everything Renan Lenz, Love, Tucker, and Wright sure is long and sassy. If Love can guard on the perimeter and Wright can handle it well enough to run the point, that's a pretty sexy defensive lineup.
I'm optimistic for this team, and also fully prepared for a straight shot right to the baby maker. Or something. Until they are good, they are not good, but I'm hopeful they will be good.
SoCal,
I think 8 and 6 from Olsen is a realistic expectation but I hope it's low. I think he needs to average double figures in points for us to creep into the upper third of the conference. Is 12 and 7 possible. I think Loveridge will be a 15 and 7 player. When you think about scoring for this team I just don't know who is a sure scorer other than Loveridge. Olsen and Wright, in that order, strike me as the most logical. Hence my hope of double figures for Olsen.
My first Ute sports love is basketball, and I always love to see Utebiquitous and Senioritis in this forum.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
It would be long and sassy, but I think Taylore is a prototypical Ute point guard. Know thyself.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
Brandon Taylor averaged about 10ppg after he started getting consistent time. Also shot 42% from 3 for the year. I think he can match that if there's still any kind of low post threat. It all sort of starts with Olsen and Bach. If they can score consistently from the post, Taylor will be able to score.
What can Delon Wright average? To me, that's the question that determines how good Utah can be. Can he average 15? 18? Is there any way he can be on the level of Jahii Carson and Joseph Young from last year? Reports about him are glowing, I just wonder how high the ceiling really is. If he's really that good, Utah can be at-large bid good, methinks. If he's 12ppg, then it's NIT. If he's worse than that, I struggle to see a big step forward from last year.
Washburn's scoring was absolutely massive down the stretch. I hope Wright can exceed Wash's scoring. And I also hope he's a really loud clapper. We are going to miss that.
Yeah, I think this is how it ends up in crunch time - Taylor, Wright, Tucker, Love, Olsen. Taylor isn't long, but he is sassy. He can also turn defensive pressure around, like he did in the road win at Washington last year. And Tony Jones says Taylor now has a college body. I'll bet that means he's pushing 150, up from 140 last year.
That's a pretty bold prediction, one I'd love to see. Being the cynical Ute fan I am though, I'm currently padding my crotch for the shot in the jimblies that Senioritis referred to. I personally think we are at least a year away from that top 4 slot. Middle of the PAC12 and a solid NIT run would be a resounding success in my mind. Top 4 in the PAC is dancing territory, and THAT would be quite a shift.
But if Wright really is 'pro material' then well that fixes a lot of problems.
My projection for Olsen could be construed as low because of one thing: Last year he was incapable of getting to the foul line. Your center is a massive liability on offense if he cannot create enough shot attempts (which will bring fouls) or get other opposing bigs in foul trouble. Last year, Olsen had six FTAs in 207 minutes, or one FTA per 34.5 minutes. That is beyond abysmal.
To give you an idea of how bad that is, take a look at Chris Jackson's senior year. Jackson never had a play run for him, even though he's Utah's all-time leader in FG%. You also didn't want him at the line, where he shot about 40 percent for his career. Yet he still made 56 trips to the line in 463 minutes, or one FTA every 8.2 minutes.
12 and 7 is possible for Olsen if he becomes a 100-125 FTA player for us this year. He's going to need to continue to shoot a high percentage (which he did last year) and he's going to get more rebounds with more minutes. But unlike Washburn, he will not be a focal point of our offense. This offense will go through Wright and Loveridge (whom I expect to combine for 35 PPG) although we need Olsen to be our top inside option on offense.
Basketball is the one sport where teams routinely arrive a year ahead of schedule. We almost did that last year (give us Arizona, UCLA and BYU in the win column and we're that team). We can still be that team this year -- which is why I'm really pissed off about the schedule. We're still of the mindset that this program just needs wins. We need wins against quality teams and I really think we're capable of delivering there.
I totally understand your cynicism. It's been justified for several years. I think the program is at the point now where such a mindset is a bit of a crutch. We should expect this team to field a record several games on the right side of .500.
Seems like he also picked up fouls quickly.
Looking at the players and what positions they can play, we have a lot of versatility.
Bach- 5
Fields -2,3
Kovacevic- 5
Lenz- 4,5
Loveridge- 3,4 (down to 215 pounds, per TJ)
Ogbe- 1,2,3
Olsen- 4,5
Onwas- 3,4
Taylor- 1
Tucker- 2,3
VanDyke- 1,2
Wright- 1,2,3
There is a lot you can do with a team like that.
SoCal,
Revealing stat - hadn't even thought about that. I think his catches in the post go way up this year and therefore FTAs will go up naturally; but 100-125 attempts is a high number given that Loveridge will be the number one option.
Will Loveridge be the No. 1 option? He's not going to create for Wright, but Wright will create for Loveridge. Loveridge very well might lead the team in scoring, but it won't be by much over Wright. Personally, I think Wright is an 18-20 PPG player. He would average less with more proven post threats, because he's more than willing to give up the ball. And when we need a bucket in the clutch or the shot clock is winding down, the ball is going to be in Wright's hands the majority of the time.
EDIT: Also, Olsen's 12 and 7 that you would like to see is almost identical to the 11.6/6.6 we saw from Luke Nevill as a redshirt freshman. Nevill's FTAs that year? 155, which led the team. He was also third on the team in scoring.
Last edited by SoCalPat; 09-24-2013 at 05:35 PM.
When was the last time we had a guy like that? A guy who you put the ball in his hands with the game on the line?
I saw Coach Krisco at the Utah-Oregon St. football game. I had just heard about some of the recruits we had landed and felt the urge to go and give him a hug for helping our Basketball program get back on a good path. Instead, I just said "good job coach" as I walked by, and he acknowledged by saying "thanks."
I know. Cool story. But I do like that he is getting involved with the university, and going to stuff like Utah football games, without begging for attention in the process. I think it goes a long way to be involved in that stuff, and not so much as a publicity stunt the way Boynton did. I also saw Boynton at a few of the football games, but I felt he was there campaigning for the bball team moreso than actually taking an interest in the University as a whole. I feel that coach K goes to the games to be involved (And probably courting recruits), but would rather use success on the court as a way to get people to come to the game.
I am interested in seeing the attendance statistics over the past 3 years, and especially after this upcoming year. I bet that he has it on an upward trend, which would be huge.
There's a pretty good relationship between our major sports coaches right now...probably better than it's ever been. Every football game you'll see gymnastics and basketball on the sidelines before the game.
I can't help but feel like no one ever fully vetted Kodiak's microphone screaming skills and now here we are, making excuses as to why he just sits on the sidelines not drawing embarrassing attention to himself. Another dropped ball by Chris Hill if you ask me, and I know you did.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Some interviews from Runnin' Ute media day:
http://espn.kall700sports.com/larry-...ll-hc-9-25-13/ (Larry K on Bill and Hans)
http://espn.kall700sports.com/parker...tball-9-25-13/
http://espn.kall700sports.com/delon-...tball-9-25-13/
http://espn.kall700sports.com/larry-...rence-9-25-13/
Enjoy!
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Second in conference. Obviously, people will leapfrog us as the big name programs start to get commitments from the top teams. But I think unless we have a decommit, we won't fall below 35, which for us would be monumental.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Talk about committed to defense.
I'm not convinced we'll drop that far. Most often what happens is the rich (i.e., those ahead of us) get richer.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
Tidbit: Kenneth Ogbe has grown an inch since he committed in the spring. He's just a hair under 6'7" now. I wonder if he will play 2 or 3?
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I'm really curious to see how PG shakes out. We have one very traditional PG on the roster, and then no one else who is even close to being what we would consider to be a classic PG. What's also interesting is that the one traditional PG is also probably the team's best shooter who could benefit from some time playing off the ball. I'm curious to see 1) how much time Taylor is getting, or if he loses any PT to any of the new guys, 2) when Taylor's out, do we change up our offensive system significantly, or do we just plug in someone else at the 1 and ask them to do the same things that we're asking of Taylor, 3) if we ask someone to run the offense the way Taylor runs it, who will it be (supposedly, Van Dyke, Wright, and Ogbe could all be that guy), and 4) if we run something different when Taylor's out, what will it look like.
Ogbe's physical growth is really interesting, because I had kind of pegged him as the most likely backup to Taylor and possibly even someone who could steal some primary PG minutes over the next few years. He was the one guy who it felt like we were bringing in as a PG. Everyone else who can play point feels like they were brought in as a wing who could also play a little point. Now, everything I read about Ogbe sounds like he won't be playing PG. Should be interesting to see how it plays out.
My money is on Taylor. I'm betting on that horse. I think his minutes will increase.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
I saw Jim Soto Friday and he said Taylor has hardened up his body quite a bit and (Jim thinks) remains the go-to guy when a three-pointer is needed. Someone else (I forget who) says that with the added muscle Taylor's more fearless than ever, and much harder to push around. I agree with you that Brandon will be the guy.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
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