Hoops Insider: What will starting 5 look like vs. BYU?
- Thread starter ChrisMWilliams
- Start date
I would rather have Hogue or Long come off the bench and be an energy spark who can score in double figures. Thomas didn't shoot well the other night, but i thought he did a lot of the little things very well. Everyone we plays knows he is a "pure" shooter and have to keep someone on him which will free up the lane for someone driving and keep the double team away from Niang and Melvin.
I still think Hogue or Long can still see 25-30 min / game coming off the bench with this team really only having a 7 maybe 8 man rotation.
Nothing against Naz as he was one of our 3 best players Sunday night, but reading that quote from him tells me he would embrace the 6th man role and be that huge spark coming in that McGee was last year. I also think Thomas could benefit from staying in the starting lineup to help build his confidence, he hasn't done much to hurt the team and the minutes and experience could help get his shot dropping like it should be
I don't think you can afford to put Long on the bench right now, too good on both ends of the court.
I would think Thomas would be the more logical "6th man" at this stage given he is still struggling defensively but a gun slinger (when he fires) offensivelly. That said it only helps if he isn't so tentative, he will get there but easing him in wouldn't hurt at this point. I also like the idea of using Hogue as a 6th man starting off smaller keeping 1 guard and one forward out off the gate to complete the rotation. Defensively though Hogue is a beast and may be good to slow BYU down early.
Really though, it doesn't matter who starts. Seven guys are going to play 25-30 minutes in Hoibergs system and fouls will dictate who plays more or less than that more than anything else as was evident in the Michigan game. More important is who plays in the final 3 minutes of a game than who starts and no way Naz isn't out there for that for both defensive and offensive reasons.
Really though, it doesn't matter who starts. Seven guys are going to play 25-30 minutes in Hoibergs system and fouls will dictate who plays more or less than that more than anything else as was evident in the Michigan game. More important is who plays in the final 3 minutes of a game than who starts and no way Naz isn't out there for that for both defensive and offensive reasons.
That is a great quote. I love his attitude:
I'm fairly sure the starting 5 will be what we thought it would be for the first game: Kane/Thomas/Hogue/Ejim/Niang
No reason to change it at this point. We have 7 players that will all get 20+ minutes.
That could go either way. Maybe he's pressing too much because he's starting and coming in off the bench will help him relaxed so his shots start falling more often. Only the staff know what's really going on and I trust them to make the right decision.
This ^^^
Matt won the starting spot over Long before the season in practice. There is a reason Fred wanted him there and even with Naz good three games I can't see him making a change already. No worries who ever starts Naz and Matt will ~25 minutes each regardless of who is listed as the offical starter. (same for Hogue is he is the one asked to come off the bench.)
What makes you think he's pressing or struggling? He had one game where his shots didn't fall. That will happen to EVERY player sometime during the year. But he still played 30 minutes of error free basketball. I don't know why you expect anything more from a freshman in his first big-time game.
I highly doubt Hogue will come off the bench as he has been the guy jumping for the opening tip. I would probably sit Thomas as he is the FR and has struggled just a little. But perhaos if they want to go bigger they ciuld also bring Naz off the bench. Really can't go wrong.
Great problem to have and I'm glad I don't have to make the call. I like Kane, Thomas, Long, Niang and Ejim. I like Hogue coming off of the bench for a big and then Morris for a guard. However it shakes out, I'm not worried though.
LOL. And possibly even more importantly he has been the guy getting a bunch of rebounds.
I was very impressed that he played 37 energetic minutes in the game. I expected Kane to lead us in minutes played, but given that Hogue plays the 3 and backs up the post, if he can stay out of foul trouble I could easily see him averaging 33-34 mpg.
I agree with GunnerClone. We need Hogue to start as he's one of our more physical guys. Depending on who the other teams bring in off the bench, using Kane, Thomas, and Long may be a good substitution setup. But I think it's best starting Hogue, Ejim, and Niang as it's a great way to start off strong and physical.
