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Topic: Lineup changes?
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100%Cat
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Posted: 1/7/2020 12:41 PM
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Is anyone expecting any lineup changes with the folks now cleared to play being available? I know the sample size was small, but I liked what I saw from Connor Murrell both late last season and off the bench at WMU. ANyone expecting him to make his way into the starting lineup? Possibly bring McDay off the bench with Roderick and go with a starting 5 of Preston-Dartis-Ogbonda-Murrell-BVP? Or keep McDay in and bring Murrell off the bench?

Thoughts?
Last Edited: 1/7/2020 12:41:37 PM by 100%Cat
shabamon
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Posted: 1/7/2020 1:35 PM
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The only thing I'm confident happening is that Murrell/Roderick will eat McMurray's minutes.
100%Cat
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Posted: 1/7/2020 1:38 PM
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shabamon wrote:expand_more
The only thing I'm confident happening is that Murrell/Roderick will eat McMurray's minutes.
And Springs.
shabamon
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Posted: 1/7/2020 1:46 PM
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I like Springs and would like to see him play even more. I think his ceiling is pretty high and I like him as BVP's backup for now. He's an above average shooter and could be a rim protecting threat.

I'm still trying to figure out what McMurray does well. Everything he's asked to do, I think Murrell does better.
100%Cat
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Posted: 1/7/2020 2:16 PM
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shabamon wrote:expand_more
I like Springs and would like to see him play even more. I think his ceiling is pretty high and I like him as BVP's backup for now. He's an above average shooter and could be a rim protecting threat.

I'm still trying to figure out what McMurray does well. Everything he's asked to do, I think Murrell does better.
I like Springs, too, but it feels like he's third in line behind Ogbonda and Foster.
Kinggeorge4
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Posted: 1/7/2020 3:11 PM
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Springs is fun to watch. He brings energy when he comes in. I hope he can continue to get minutes to be a bigger factor next season.
GoCats105
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Posted: 1/7/2020 5:16 PM
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Agree with shab on his thoughts.

I think eventually we could end up seeing BRod and McDay flip flop in the starting lineup depending on matchups and I'm confident in either one coming off the bench to provide a spark.

It's hard to cut out Springs simply because of his shooting ability, but even Boals said he's got to get stronger for him to be adequate on the defensive end/rebounding.
Last Edited: 1/7/2020 5:16:50 PM by GoCats105
Bobcat1998
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Posted: 1/8/2020 8:21 AM
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GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
Agree with shab on his thoughts.

I think eventually we could end up seeing BRod and McDay flip flop in the starting lineup depending on matchups and I'm confident in either one coming off the bench to provide a spark.

It's hard to cut out Springs simply because of his shooting ability, but even Boals said he's got to get stronger for him to be adequate on the defensive end/rebounding.
The shift I want to see in the lineup is Foster for Vest. I feel like he has easily passed Ogbonda and sure proved it against the bigs of Eastern. I think Roderick looked scared and a bit slow against Eastern. McDay was not tentative at all.

And I also agree with Shab on Springs. He could have given us 5 minutes against Eastern and been valuable against their zone inside and out.
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Posted: 1/8/2020 8:46 AM
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I continue to be impressed with how Nolan Foster is progressing as a true freshman big. Truly glad he is a Bobcat. I admit that I thought he was probably at best a project as a late signee but glad to say my assumption was wrong. He is becoming a solid contributor now. With continued development and work in the weight room I think he is going to be a real load for our opponents in the future.
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Posted: 1/8/2020 12:45 PM
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More time for Foster over Ogbonda? Not sure I agree with that. Offensively it seems a wash but defensively I think Ogbonda is significantly better. Foster just has zero lateral quickness. Western's freshman big completely ate him up. He will improve and I believe be really solid player in time. Quicker feet & getting stronger will be the key.

Next year's glaring weakness to me is another center. Would be nice to get another 4 year player but has to be someone who can be ready to play 20+ minutes a game and that's not easy to find from an 18 year old kid that's 6'-10".
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 1/8/2020 11:36 PM
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Remember, Foster is still recovering from an ankle injury.
71 BOBCAT
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Posted: 1/9/2020 9:54 AM
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We still need a big that can adequately clog the middle to help slow down players from driving in the lane. PERIOD!




GO BOBCATS
OU_Country
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Posted: 1/9/2020 2:59 PM
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71 BOBCAT wrote:expand_more
We still need a big that can adequately clog the middle to help slow down players from driving in the lane. PERIOD!

GO BOBCATS
Serious question though: How many MAC teams this year, or Bobcat teams in the last 10 years have consistently had such a player? My feeling is that a player like that is a rarity for a MAC team.
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Posted: 1/10/2020 2:42 PM
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OU_Country wrote:expand_more
We still need a big that can adequately clog the middle to help slow down players from driving in the lane. PERIOD!

GO BOBCATS
Serious question though: How many MAC teams this year, or Bobcat teams in the last 10 years have consistently had such a player? My feeling is that a player like that is a rarity for a MAC team.
I wouldn't label either as Shaq-type dominant ... but DeVaughn Washington and Jon Smith were two good rim defenders during the two NCAA runs.

Maurice N'Dour might be a stretch ... but he did have 55 blocks in '14 and 68 in '15. Antonio Campbell had 63 in '16. Doug Taylor 61 in '18.

I know none of those guys are "big that can clog the middle" but they were decent rim protectors.

Ogbonda hasn't been quite that ... and most likely won't (although he certainly plays a very valuable role on this team).

But I agree ... dominant bigs in the MAC have been few and far between ... James Thompson at EMU ... Zeke Marshall and Isiah Johnson at Akron ... Richaun Holmes at BG ... Javon McCrea at Buffalo .... go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU

The position has certainly changed ... but those are guys that recently come to mind that were pretty good lane defenders/rebounders
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Posted: 1/10/2020 3:09 PM
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bshot44 wrote:expand_more
go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU
"Go WAAAY back", I guess, is all relative. To Alan Swank, going way back would be Alan Rayhorn at Northern Illinois. For OCF, going way back would be the great Nate Thurmond at BG.
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Posted: 1/10/2020 3:11 PM
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Not a starting lineup change, but Boals went with the following lineup about 8 minutes into the EMU game: junior Murrell with true frosh Foster, McDay, Roderick and Brown.
shabamon
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Posted: 1/10/2020 3:14 PM
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bobcatsquared wrote:expand_more
Not a starting lineup change, but Boals went with the following lineup about 8 minutes into the EMU game: junior Murrell with true frosh Foster, McDay, Roderick and Brown.
I remember that stretch. It was very short-lived.
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Posted: 1/10/2020 5:55 PM
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Additionally, I don't believe Roderick nor Brown saw the floor in the second half.
longtiimelurker
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Posted: 1/11/2020 2:49 PM
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bshot44 wrote:expand_more
We still need a big that can adequately clog the middle to help slow down players from driving in the lane. PERIOD!

GO BOBCATS
Serious question though: How many MAC teams this year, or Bobcat teams in the last 10 years have consistently had such a player? My feeling is that a player like that is a rarity for a MAC team.
I wouldn't label either as Shaq-type dominant ... but DeVaughn Washington and Jon Smith were two good rim defenders during the two NCAA runs.

Maurice N'Dour might be a stretch ... but he did have 55 blocks in '14 and 68 in '15. Antonio Campbell had 63 in '16. Doug Taylor 61 in '18.

I know none of those guys are "big that can clog the middle" but they were decent rim protectors.

Ogbonda hasn't been quite that ... and most likely won't (although he certainly plays a very valuable role on this team).

But I agree ... dominant bigs in the MAC have been few and far between ... James Thompson at EMU ... Zeke Marshall and Isiah Johnson at Akron ... Richaun Holmes at BG ... Javon McCrea at Buffalo .... go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU

The position has certainly changed ... but those are guys that recently come to mind that were pretty good lane defenders/rebounders
Thought about this as I watched Miami last night. That mountain they have in the middle clogs the lane just with size. The fact that he is instinctual and can move his feet does not hurt.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 1/11/2020 11:26 PM
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bobcatsquared wrote:expand_more
go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU


"Go WAAAY back", I guess, is all relative. To Alan Swank, going way back would be Alan Rayhorn at Northern Illinois. For OCF, going way back would be the great Nate Thurmond at BG. 

I really like it when you channel me! wink coolcheeky

OU_Country
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Posted: 1/13/2020 12:20 PM
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bshot44 wrote:expand_more
I wouldn't label either as Shaq-type dominant ... but DeVaughn Washington and Jon Smith were two good rim defenders during the two NCAA runs.

Maurice N'Dour might be a stretch ... but he did have 55 blocks in '14 and 68 in '15. Antonio Campbell had 63 in '16. Doug Taylor 61 in '18.

I know none of those guys are "big that can clog the middle" but they were decent rim protectors.

Ogbonda hasn't been quite that ... and most likely won't (although he certainly plays a very valuable role on this team).

But I agree ... dominant bigs in the MAC have been few and far between ... James Thompson at EMU ... Zeke Marshall and Isiah Johnson at Akron ... Richaun Holmes at BG ... Javon McCrea at Buffalo .... go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU

The position has certainly changed ... but those are guys that recently come to mind that were pretty good lane defenders/rebounders
This is kind of where I was going...the idea that there haven't been all that many players like Thompson, Zeke, etc. that truly "clogged the lane" in recent years in the MAC. Even Tony Campbell, or Maurice, to me, weren't lane cloggers.
bshot44
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Posted: 1/13/2020 12:41 PM
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OU_Country wrote:expand_more
I wouldn't label either as Shaq-type dominant ... but DeVaughn Washington and Jon Smith were two good rim defenders during the two NCAA runs.

Maurice N'Dour might be a stretch ... but he did have 55 blocks in '14 and 68 in '15. Antonio Campbell had 63 in '16. Doug Taylor 61 in '18.

I know none of those guys are "big that can clog the middle" but they were decent rim protectors.

Ogbonda hasn't been quite that ... and most likely won't (although he certainly plays a very valuable role on this team).

But I agree ... dominant bigs in the MAC have been few and far between ... James Thompson at EMU ... Zeke Marshall and Isiah Johnson at Akron ... Richaun Holmes at BG ... Javon McCrea at Buffalo .... go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU

The position has certainly changed ... but those are guys that recently come to mind that were pretty good lane defenders/rebounders
This is kind of where I was going...the idea that there haven't been all that many players like Thompson, Zeke, etc. that truly "clogged the lane" in recent years in the MAC. Even Tony Campbell, or Maurice, to me, weren't lane cloggers.
In reality ... those players aren't super visible in high major hoops either. The era of the Shaq-type dominant big man is almost gone. We're more in the Anthony Davis era of big men who can handle and stretch the floor. The game has evolved past the "dump it in the post" game. Just look how Villanova and Virginia won the past few national titles. No dominant bigs in the traditional sense.
GoCats105
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Posted: 1/13/2020 1:58 PM
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Really when you're thinking about the current "bigs" on this roster, they all have a flaw.

BVP: big, but not quite big enough, probably more suited for 3-4 combo rather than a strictly 4 or sometimes 5.

Ogbonda: even coming from GT, just simply doesn't have the court time, awareness or skill to really give Ohio what it needs. It's too bad he's a grad transfer because another summer of ball would do wonders for him.

Springs: excellent outside shot, great length, just not strong enough to compete night in and night out; also inexperienced

Foster: needs some bulk and more experience, but I like his overall game so far. Seems to be pretty heady and gets to the correct spots, albeit a step slow.

It's gonna take a while to get a seasoned "big" on this team. We probably won't see it this season so we'll have to rely on the guards, especially when it comes to team rebounding.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 1/13/2020 6:56 PM
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bshot44 wrote:expand_more
I wouldn't label either as Shaq-type dominant ... but DeVaughn Washington and Jon Smith were two good rim defenders during the two NCAA runs.

Maurice N'Dour might be a stretch ... but he did have 55 blocks in '14 and 68 in '15. Antonio Campbell had 63 in '16. Doug Taylor 61 in '18.

I know none of those guys are "big that can clog the middle" but they were decent rim protectors.

Ogbonda hasn't been quite that ... and most likely won't (although he certainly plays a very valuable role on this team).

But I agree ... dominant bigs in the MAC have been few and far between ... James Thompson at EMU ... Zeke Marshall and Isiah Johnson at Akron ... Richaun Holmes at BG ... Javon McCrea at Buffalo .... go WAAAY back and you have Chris Kaman at CMU

The position has certainly changed ... but those are guys that recently come to mind that were pretty good lane defenders/rebounders
This is kind of where I was going...the idea that there haven't been all that many players like Thompson, Zeke, etc. that truly "clogged the lane" in recent years in the MAC. Even Tony Campbell, or Maurice, to me, weren't lane cloggers.
In reality ... those players aren't super visible in high major hoops either. The era of the Shaq-type dominant big man is almost gone. We're more in the Anthony Davis era of big men who can handle and stretch the floor. The game has evolved past the "dump it in the post" game. Just look how Villanova and Virginia won the past few national titles. No dominant bigs in the traditional sense.
Agreed, and that type of player is going big time. The days of a slow lane clogger are past.
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