The 2011 Dilemma

[EastMtnLobo]

Last year I saw a lot of talk about which big men would get the most playing time. This year you have to ask who you play at your 1, 2, and 3 spots.

Curious what the rotation will be.

[Burro lobo]

These will be the most contested spots on the team and I feel it will last most of the season, defense and turnovers will be tested and may affect who gets the crunch time. We have a lot of talent and good size at almost every spot and the athleticism has stepped up too, at the very least we should be able to rotate and keep players fresh.

[Howler]

I think the only absolutely guaranteed starter at the 1,2,3 positions is Kendall. I think that it's extremely likely that Pmac will also be a starter at the beginning of the season (and likely throughout the season, barring injury). The real question, imho, is who will join them.

Personally, I look for the opening game starters at the 1-3 to be Kendall (1), Pmac (2) and Tony (3). I really like Tony in the starting lineup because of his length (good defensive attribute) and his ball-handling skills. We all know that he has great scoring potential, and now that he has a year in the system I look for his defensive awareness to be much improved - as well as his overall confidence.

If Tony isn't a starter at the 3, I look for Pmac to play the 3 with Kendall at the 2. It becomes a fight for the starting point, I think between Hugh and Demetrius. I really look for Jamal and Dominique to get their minutes off the bench - with both seeing significant playing time.

That said, whoever starts at the beginning of the season is going to have to produce big-time in order to hold onto the starting spot because the competition is going to be brutal. And that's a good thing.

[Garishwolf]

Nice to have these problems, a good rotation will bring the cream to the top and assure a hot shooter will be on the floor at any given time. Our deep young team, is going to be fun to watch, and a great challage to our great staff.

Imagine these coming, competetive practices...........oowy can't wait.

[mdanger007]

Jarion can also play the guard or small forward. Our biggest problem this year is the same old story: we don't have enough depth defensively at the 4-5 position. Come tournament time, the lobos might have to collapse our guards and pack in the lane if our bigs get in foul trouble.

[TheLoboMan]

Too me outside of Gordon and Williams it's a crap shoot as to who will get the minutes. Let's wait and see. A lot of talented newcomers are going to push for playing time. Some of the vets will need to step it up and prove themselves all over again.

This isn't a bad thing, it creates a healthy competition and will separate the boys from the men. Great problem to have.

[attydude]

Too me outside of Gordon and Williams it's a crap shoot as to who will get the minutes. Let's wait and see. A lot of talented newcomers are going to push for playing time. Some of the vets will need to step it up and prove themselves all over again.

This isn't a bad thing, it creates a healthy competition and will separate the boys from the men. Great problem to have.

I agree Gordon and Williams are probably locks, and think that Cam will see a lot more action this year.

[Howler]

Jarion can also play the guard or small forward. Our biggest problem this year is the same old story: we don't have enough depth defensively at the 4-5 position. Come tournament time, the lobos might have to collapse our guards and pack in the lane if our bigs get in foul trouble.

I disagree about our lack of depth defensively at the 4-5. That was true last year because 3 of our 4 bigs were in their first year in the system (and 2 of them were in their first year of college ball). Drew, Alex, and Cameron should be much better at the defensive end this year. Our coaching staff knows how to teach defense and our bigs are smart enough to learn.

Drew definitely looked lost on defense at times last year, but it's tough coming into a new system halfway through the year. He looked a lot better on D late in the year than early. Cameron's lapses on D can be attributed to being a freshman more than anything. He has the physical skills, smarts and desire to be a really good defender. Alex has to learn footwork and positioning on "D" and learn not to bite on all the fakes he'll be seeing, but he's a smart hardworking player and I'm sure he will respond to coaching. It's tough as a big guy to look sharp defensively as a freshman.

As far as the MWC goes I'll take our bigs over anybody else in the league, both ends of the court.

[Kenny]

Don't forget Hardeman guys. The guy has been a beast for 3 years now.

[Howler]

Don't forget Hardeman guys. The guy has been a beast for 3 years now.

I definitely didn't forget AJ, just didn't mention him in my comment because I didn't consider him to be a defensive liability last year. I see Drew and AJ as being not just the best starting bigs in the MWC, but as one of the best 4-5 tandems in the country.

[LoboMike]

Yeah, AJ is our best defender and could be in the running for MWC defensive POY. He's going to have a big senior year.

[colt6bt]

I have no favorites for starting positions. As long as the 5 that start have chemistry and the guys who come off the bench are committed to taking on that role full heartedly, I think we'll have a big year. It really simply comes down to numbers, and there are a lot more guards on the team than bigs. You want your best guys out on the court, unfortunately, with the exception of Drew I think our best players might be all guards. Not that AJ, Cam and Alex are slouches, but Kendall, MWC FOY; Hugh, All world U19; Dominique Dunning, depending on who you talk to was better in high school than Kendall; PMAC, highest rated recruit to commit out of high school to NM in last 10 years(hopefully no longer the case next year...no knock on Phil), Demetrius, child basketball prodigy; and don't count out Jamal or Tony who both showed promise last year and should be expected to vie for big minutes.

[LoboCubs23]

So non conference:

Jamal
Kendall
Pmac
Drew
AJ

By conference:
Hugh
Kendall
Pmac
Drew
Jarion

Then Next year
Hugh
Kendal
DD
Alex* Depending on new recruits
Jarion

[Mark]

This is who I think Alford will Start. Hugh, Kendall, Phil, AJ, Drew. Don't forget. Alford his huge on senior leadership and is very loyal to his seniors.

[loboray]

I will be more interested to see who finishes in close games than who starts. That will tell you who coach trusts in crunch time. By conference time that group should be well seasoned and tough closers.

[Roob]

This is who I think Alford will Start. Hugh, Kendall, Phil, AJ, Drew. Don't forget. Alford his huge on senior leadership and is very loyal to his seniors.

Kendall played like a senior last year. If Hugh does the same this year, and the other 3 seniors play to their capabilities, this will be a special team. This starting 5 is last year's starting 5 with Hugh swapping in for Dairese. The difference between last year and this year is that this will be a more veteran team - you'll see much more consistency from Pmac, Drew, and AJ. All 3 of these guys will play at a high level all year, barring injury. Last year Pmac had the early injury that made his play inconsistent through much of the year. AJ got himself into some kind of a strange funk in the 1st half of the year before recovering to play at a high level. Gordon started slowly and finished at a much higher level by the time he found his game legs. Get all 5 of these guys meshing well together early in the season, and this will be a special team. The supporting cast will also be stronger this year with the extra year of experience and with DD, Walker, and Jarion joining the mix. It will be interesting to see how quickly this team develops good chemistry and a strong identity.

[Lobo_for_life]

This is who I think Alford will Start. Hugh, Kendall, Phil, AJ, Drew. Don't forget. Alford his huge on senior leadership and is very loyal to his seniors.

That's mine also. Hugh's U19 performance shows that he should step in immediately.

[LoboMike]

This is who I think Alford will Start. Hugh, Kendall, Phil, AJ, Drew. Don't forget. Alford his huge on senior leadership and is very loyal to his seniors.

That would be my starting five also. Though I would expect PMac to get a major push from Tony and Jarion (if eligible).

Cam would be my guess to see the biggest jump in minutes and role.

[abqpianist]

This is who I think Alford will Start. Hugh, Kendall, Phil, AJ, Drew. Don't forget. Alford his huge on senior leadership and is very loyal to his seniors.

Totally agree..especially about the senior leadership thing.

But just reading through this thread...sheesh! I get so excited! This team is going to be amazing to watch and it will not matter who comes in off the bench at any point in time...it's just plain going to be exciting!

Some of those guys coming off the bench will throw in the spark just when it's needed and it will be amazing! Remember some of those times when Jamal came off the bench and everything went nuts! Some of these new guys will do that this year, too!
Almost too much for me to think about already and the season has not started! How will I survive it? LOL!

[EastMtnLobo]

1. Fenton/Hugh/Demetrius (Fenton will be in a tough fight to keep this spot though. And don't forget about Demetrius here either. Not sure we will know until conference starts who won...)
2. Kendal/Dunning (P.Mac could get time here when Kendal is resting)
3. P.Mac/Snell/Jarion
4.Gordon/Baristow
5.AJ/KIRK (Do you want athletic or BIG? Both get lots of time.)

[txlobo95]

Hugh's had a good summer. Depending on how quickly he picks up the offense, I can see him running the point from day 1, much like Pmac came in and started at the 2 day 1. Hugh may get subbed out early, but if he's projected to be the starter at year's end, they will get him acclimated in that role early on, even if other players play more minutes there initially. Over time his minutes would increase as he shows he can handle the additional responsiblities.

Jamal brings in a ton of energy off the bench to spark the team. I would expect him to continue filling that "Jet Terrry" 6th man role.

[wolf1960]

Who is our lockdown defensive players and who will be our knockdown 3 point shooters ??

[BoRealist]

Who is our lockdown defensive players and who will be our knockdown 3 point shooters ??

Good question: I'll say PMac for both. His D is totally underated and a healthy elbow + senior steadiness should lend themselves to a return to shooting form for Phil. He's going to be great this year.

I think Tony Snell and AJ are a couple awesome defenders also and from all accounts this is a Dunning area of expertise also.

Defense and brains get you on the court when you play on Alford's Lobo team.

[UNMerciful_1]

My starting lineup would be:
1. Kendall
2. Tony
3. Phil
4. Drew
5. AJ

I don't know if I'm being the voice of reason or unreason, but I would caution everybody about putting such huge expectations on Hugh. I know he was "all-world", but he was playing with players he has played with for over 2 years. He was also playing in a system he has played in for 2 years. When he comes here, he's going to have to learn the players and the system. While other players he'll be competing with for time (Tony and Demetrius specifically) already know both. Go back a year ago and read some of the threads and expectations people were putting on Alex. There were definitely some unrealistic ones out there concerning him.

[LoboMike]

It's much more common for a guard to come in and hit the ground running (a la Kendall) than a big like Alex. A lot of the bigs haven't been used to playing against guys who are just as big as them and the transition is tougher and takes longer. I remember plenty of tempered expectations for Alex, along with the excitement. That's still the case.

While Hugh might not set the world on fire right away for us, I think his vast international experience and the fact that he is a guard bode well for an immediate impact. There is no denying the guy's talents at this point and those talents fit the system, even if it is somewhat different from other systems he's played in.

My starting lineup would be:
1. Kendall
2. Tony
3. Phil
4. Drew
5. AJ

I don't know if I'm being the voice of reason or unreason, but I would caution everybody about putting such huge expectations on Hugh. I know he was "all-world", but he was playing with players he has played with for over 2 years. He was also playing in a system he has played in for 2 years. When he comes here, he's going to have to learn the players and the system. While other players he'll be competing with for time (Tony and Demetrius specifically) already know both. Go back a year ago and read some of the threads and expectations people were putting on Alex. There were definitely some unrealistic ones out there concerning him.

[UNMerciful_1]

It's much more common for a guard to come in and hit the ground running (a la Kendall) than a big like Alex. A lot of the bigs haven't been used to playing against guys who are just as big as them and the transition is tougher and takes longer. I remember plenty of tempered expectations for Alex, along with the excitement. That's still the case.

While Hugh might not set the world on fire right away for us, I think his vast international experience and the fact that he is a guard bode well for an immediate impact. There is no denying the guy's talents at this point and those talents fit the system, even if it is somewhat different from other systems he's played in.

With Alex last year I think it was about a 50/50 split. Half of us were expecting him to come in and dominate right away, and the other half expected that he would need a big adjustment period to be ready for the college game. With Hugh, it seems like I am the lone holdout. And I'm not saying that I don't think he can't come in and be a significant contributer right away. I think he can. I just don't think he will start with the quality of players we have returning.

[Howler]

With Alex last year I think it was about a 50/50 split. Half of us were expecting him to come in and dominate right away, and the other half expected that he would need a big adjustment period to be ready for the college game. With Hugh, it seems like I am the lone holdout. And I'm not saying that I don't think he can't come in and be a significant contributer right away. I think he can. I just don't think he will start with the quality of players we have returning.

I'm with you, Daddylobo. I'm not seeing him as a starter at the beginning of the season, I think it's going to be 3 seniors and 2 sophomores initially.

That said, Hugh obviously has a tremendous upside, and if he is the starting point when the season gets underway it will be because he earned it in practice. That's one reason I'm so looking forward to RPS's scrimmage and practice reports, especially after Hugh and Jarion show up. Isn't it about time for another report from the Davalos, RPS?

[18,018]

I know I'm out by myself on this one, but I still feel like we'll see Fenton in the starting line-up for the first exhibition game:

1. Fenton
2. Williams
3. Pmac
4. Gordon
5. Hardeman

Hugh may start after a few games, but I know the only thing Alford loves more than multiple PG's on the floor is multiple upper-classmen PG's on the floor.

Then again, I've still yet to physically watch Hugh or Demetrius or DD play, so I could be way off here.

[LoboCubs23]

I know I'm out by myself on this one, but I still feel like we'll see Fenton in the starting line-up for the first exhibition game:

1. Fenton
2. Williams
3. Pmac
4. Gordon
5. Hardeman

Hugh may start after a few games, but I know the only thing Alford loves more than multiple PG's on the floor is multiple upper-classmen PG's on the floor.

Then again, I've still yet to physically watch Hugh or Demetrius or DD play, so I could be way off here.

Im with you 18018 see my post earlier. I have the same starting 5, but I do think by Christmas or at least by conference we see Hugh take over for Jamal at least and maybe Jarion filling in for AJ . That is a front line. Jarion and Drew up front would have to scare anyone in the league, and if Phill can hit 45-50% we will be unbeatable.

[abqpianist]

not sure about Fenton starting (I love seeing his energy come off the bench), but agree about everything else you say. Don't really believe Hugh will start right off the bat; has to get ingrained into our system first...but I don't think it will take him long to get there. Exciting any way you look at it!