Lineup prediction.....

[TeaJackrabbit]

The starting lineup gets too much hype. ALot of times your best guys aren't the starters, it's just the makeup of your team.

Like I said before, I think we're going to see more than a few different starting lineups next year as we have alot of new guys and alot of possible combinations.

My prediction.......

PG - Callahan (6'1 SR) - unless Wolters or White really impress he's the safest bet to start the year.
SG - Sargent (6'3 JR) - like Cal, Kai and Cordova, should be a lock most of the yr.
SF - Rader (6'7 rFR) - if he can drain the trey like we hear, he could start. Plus, do we really want that many young guys coming off the bench?
PF - Williams (6'6 SR) - lock - I just hope Fiegen and/or Rader and/or Pederson and/or someone else is good enough so Kai can play the 3 a little more this year.
PF - Cordova (6'7 JR) - lock - thee key to this team. Without AC in the middle we'd be in trouble.

bench:
G/F - Moss (6'4 JR) - come off the bench to play 1, 2 or 3.
PF -Fiegen (6'7 FR) - should be first big off bench.
PG - Wolters (6'3 FR) - could work his way into the starting lineup...but if he's legit it would still be nice to have him comong off the bench.
G/F - Grif-Cal (6'4 SO) - hopefully he's busting his butt this summer and ready to drain some 3's!
G/F - White (6'6 FR)- like Moss, could play a number of positions.
PF - Pederson (6'8 rSO)/Engen (6'11 SR)/Cassaday (6'6 rSO) - gonna need another big to grab at least a few minutes

Starting lineup would have 4 guys who can drop a trey on you at anytime!

Bench is deeper and longer than we've been in years! Definetly since going D-1! If just two guys besides Moss can establish themselves off the bench (hopefully Wolters and Fiegen) we'll be pretty solid.

Darkhorse: Rader. Long player who can fill it up. His shooting could really help spread the floor.

Longshot: Pederson and Cassaday. Pederson is also a scorer but is also 6'8 and hopefully has been groomed to play inside. A NAIA transfer, so it's not realistic to expect greatness, but I think the kid is athletic enough to provide a few decent minutes. Cassaday lacks real length, but, the kid has a good body and is a real blue collar guy who now has 3 years in the program. I think he could be a nice player off the bench who will come in and do what it takes. He's could be up to 240 by the start of the season. A very good rebounder for 6'6.

Most improved: Williams. Last year he had to log alot more minutes at the 4. And he went from being the leading scorer the previous two years to the 4th leading scorer last year and hitting a career low three-pointers. I think with the addition of Fiegen nd even Rader and Pederson and the development of Cassaday and Engen he could go back to his natural 3 spot a little more.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

You omitted Michael Palarka. He's the most likely starter at point guard. Sargent, Wolters and White are possibilities for PG time, too.
Garrett Callahan is a shooting guard and is a sure bet to start.
Throw in Sargent or Moss, and you could have a three guards starting.
Anthony Cordova and Kai Williams are locks to start.
Rader, Fiegen, Cassaday, Griffin Gallahan, Mark Engen and Peterson will deserve court time. With increased competition for minutes, Payton Tivis probably won't play as much as he did last year. Fiegen is the most intriguing question mark. It would be great to see him earn a lot of court time as a freshman (like Kai Williams).
This all assumes that postman Anthony Davis will be gone because of injury, and that Braydon Carlson redshirts.
My dream lineup would have Fiegen and either Wolters or White starting. Maybe Davis, too. More realistically the starters will be Palarka, Garrett Galahan, Sargent, Williams and Cordova.

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

I just don't see Palarca getting alot of minutes. I see Tivis getting even fewer (he's a 20/20 guy). I could very well be wrong about Palarca. Let's say for instance Rader starts, can handle playing inside and is a good scorer. That moves Kai to the 3 and gives us good scoring and means we a guy like Palarca can step on the floor, play dee, run the offense and not worry about scoring. Again, alot of options this year. Competition is good. Let's tip it up!!!

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

My guess is that the starting lineup could change a lot depending on who we are playing. Others have mentioned that.

I expect that we will see a 3-guard system most of the time because that is where we are really deep.

It would be hard for me to imagine not wanting to have Garret Callahan, Sargent, Williams, and Cordova out there as much as possible. I think those four are good bets to start. Who knows outside of that. As I said in the point guard thread, if we identify a true point that can shoot the 3, take it to the rack, and distribute the ball the entire team will get better. I envision Callahan and Sargent on the floor but not playing the point.

Nice options to have!

GB, GB, GJ!

SUPERBUNNY

[JackMan]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

PG- Palarca- good defense for his size. okay shooter and improving decision making.
G- Ga. Callahan- leader and scorer
G- Sargent
F- Williams
F- Cordova- developed a presence inside last season. Must improve on FTs.

Others that could start: Moss, Wolters, Rader, and possibly White.
Bench
Cassaday- could provide some solid minutes of the bench in the front court. For some odd reason I really like his game.
Gr. Callahan- good rebounder and shooter coming off the bench.
Fiegen and Pedersen- if they can contribute that would give the front court alot of depth.

[JackrabbitGuy]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

It would be a dream is either Wolters or White would step up so much that they couldn't be denied the starting point guard job at any point during this upcoming season. That being said, I don't see it happening - the hardest places to transition quickly into Division I basketball have to be point guard and center for completely different reasons. Post being more of a physical issue of just bieng able to handle the physical nature of the DI game, and point guard being more of an adjustment from a quickness, ball protection and leadership standpoint.

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

I think a huge key is Fiegen. Imagine if he is good enough to start nd log 25+ minutes and contribute? That would allow Kai to go back to the 3. Suddenly we have two solid bigs and a 6'6 3 who can rebound and hit the trey. To take it a step further, if we could also get at least one big to play 10 minutes a game and do a good job.

I'm not worried about the guards. We have 3-4 veteran guys back there and a few youngsters. Between the 7 we should get 4 who stand out. The front court worries me. We have like two guys 6'8 or taller and really one proven true big (AC).

[jack power]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

The starting lineup gets too much hype. ALot of times your best guys aren't the starters, it's just the makeup of your team.

Like I said before, I think we're going to see more than a few different starting lineups next year as we have alot of new guys and alot of possible combinations.

My prediction.......

PG - Callahan (6'1 SR) - unless Wolters or White really impress he's the safest bet to start the year.
SG - Sargent (6'3 JR) - like Cal, Kai and Cordova, should be a lock most of the yr.
SF - Rader (6'7 rFR) - if he can drain the trey like we hear, he could start. Plus, do we really want that many young guys coming off the bench?
PF - Williams (6'6 SR) - lock - I just hope Fiegen and/or Rader and/or Pederson and/or someone else is good enough so Kai can play the 3 a little more this year.
PF - Cordova (6'7 JR) - lock - thee key to this team. Without AC in the middle we'd be in trouble.

bench:
G/F - Moss (6'4 JR) - come off the bench to play 1, 2 or 3.
PF -Fiegen (6'7 FR) - should be first big off bench.
PG - Wolters (6'3 FR) - could work his way into the starting lineup...but if he's legit it would still be nice to have him comong off the bench.
G/F - Grif-Cal (6'4 SO) - hopefully he's busting his butt this summer and ready to drain some 3's!
G/F - White (6'6 FR)- like Moss, could play a number of positions.
PF - Pederson (6'8 rSO)/Engen (6'11 SR)/Cassaday (6'6 rSO) - gonna need another big to grab at least a few minutes

Starting lineup would have 4 guys who can drop a trey on you at anytime!

Bench is deeper and longer than we've been in years! Definetly since going D-1! If just two guys besides Moss can establish themselves off the bench (hopefully Wolters and Fiegen) we'll be pretty solid.

Darkhorse: Rader. Long player who can fill it up. His shooting could really help spread the floor.

Longshot: Pederson and Cassaday. Pederson is also a scorer but is also 6'8 and hopefully has been groomed to play inside. A NAIA transfer, so it's not realistic to expect greatness, but I think the kid is athletic enough to provide a few decent minutes. Cassaday lacks real length, but, the kid has a good body and is a real blue collar guy who now has 3 years in the program. I think he could be a nice player off the bench who will come in and do what it takes. He's could be up to 240 by the start of the season. A very good rebounder for 6'6.

Most improved: Williams. Last year he had to log alot more minutes at the 4. And he went from being the leading scorer the previous two years to the 4th leading scorer last year and hitting a career low three-pointers. I think with the addition of Fiegen nd even Rader and Pederson and the development of Cassaday and Engen he could go back to his natural 3 spot a little more.

Callahan hasn't played pg the last two years, i don't know why he would start this year. Also, i don't recall Dale playing very much at all last season. He played it some his freshman year, but not last year.

All i know about Wolters is from watching him play with the team this summer. I think he looks very good. Has very good handles, great passer, and ok shooter. I think he will get some good minutes this year. With that said, i would not count out Palarca. He came on strong the second half of the year. You can't beat experience.

As far as Radar, after watching some practices last year and free play this summer, he appears to have put on some good weight and improved his skill level a bit. That said, he would have to make dramatic improvement by November to garner minutes, let alone start.

Starters:
1. Wolters/Palarca ( could see them sharing minutes)
2. Callahan
3. Sargent
4. Williams
5. Cordova

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

I think a huge key is Fiegen. Imagine if he is good enough to start nd log 25+ minutes and contribute? That would allow Kai to go back to the 3. Suddenly we have two solid bigs and a 6'6 3 who can rebound and hit the trey.

I'll probably get blasted for saying this, but:

I'm not sure Kai is a 3, especially in the offense we ran last season. He rebounds, runs the floor, and plays the half court set like a 4--even when he is the small forward. He can shoot the three, which works really well in our offense--its nice to have a 4 that can shoot to spread the defense thin on the interior which could be a major reason AC had such a big year last season.

Typically, a 3 is a shooter/slasher type player. Kai fits the shooter bill, but he doesn't penetrate nearly as well as Dale, Clint, or Garrett do. And he doesn't handle the ball or pass in driving situations as well as any of those three, either. I think he could be a great 3 in a more of a 2 or 3-post offense, something we most definitely do not have the personnel for--at least for long stretches at a time.

I think we all (myself included) saw Kai's length, height, athleticism, and shooting ability four years ago and thought he would be a perfect 3. However, he has not developed into that player, but has developed those skills into a great 4 skill set--rebounding, defense, hitting contested mid range jumpers and open threes. He is a pretty solid 4 for our league, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Blast away.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

Kai is kind of a hybrid 3/4, which probably is fitting for a team that often has three 1's and 2's on the court at the same time. He's kind of had the 4 role thrust upon him, and he's handled it well. That's my take.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

I'll probably get blasted for saying this, but:

I'm not sure Kai is a 3, especially in the offense we ran last season. He rebounds, runs the floor, and plays the half court set like a 4--even when he is the small forward. He can shoot the three, which works really well in our offense--its nice to have a 4 that can shoot to spread the defense thin on the interior which could be a major reason AC had such a big year last season.

Typically, a 3 is a shooter/slasher type player. Kai fits the shooter bill, but he doesn't penetrate nearly as well as Dale, Clint, or Garrett do. And he doesn't handle the ball or pass in driving situations as well as any of those three, either. I think he could be a great 3 in a more of a 2 or 3-post offense, something we most definitely do not have the personnel for--at least for long stretches at a time.

I think we all (myself included) saw Kai's length, height, athleticism, and shooting ability four years ago and thought he would be a perfect 3. However, he has not developed into that player, but has developed those skills into a great 4 skill set--rebounding, defense, hitting contested mid range jumpers and open threes. He is a pretty solid 4 for our league, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Blast away.

I have to agree with you for the most part. We have a ton of players that can play the 1, 2, and 3. Where we are short on experienced players is at the 4 and post. Kai can play either place and he is probably needed more as a 4 because of his athleticism and rebounding ability/

What we really need is for Kai to become a much more aggresive/consistent player for his senior year. He has the abilitiy to be a first-team all-conference player but has had a very inconsistent season. He's a great kid and I hope he makes this year his best!

GB, GB, GJ!

SUPERBUNNY

[91jack]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

The question is what's best for Kai and the team. Is him playing a 4 on defense effecting his offense? He can rebound with the best of them but his shot wasn't there last year. He can always knock down the FT's(70-75% clip) but his FG and 3-PT % were down last year.
His field goal % went from 50%(fr), 49%(soph) to 40% last year.
His 3 point FG% went from 33%(fr), 37%(soph) to 27% last year.
I think with more team depth, those will go up drastically this year.
I'm hoping that either Rader or Fiegen will be able to fill in at the 4 so Kai can either rest on the bench or play a perimeter player so he's not banging down low all game.
I think with Wolters playing the point some and Rader or Fiegen down low, this team will be much better. The whole team will get some rest and play better. I hope you don't think I'm picking on Kai. I'm just saying that even though he could be a 4(defense and rebounding), I think if effects his offensive game. When Clint got hurt, the team struggled to fill that hole.
Then there will be players like Dale, White, Griffen, Michael and even Pederson(very few minutes) that will give the starters rest.
I'm pretty sure the starting lineup will be something like
Sargent
Moss
Callahan
Williams
Cordova
I would like it to be something like-
Wolters
Callahan
Sargent
Williams
Cordova
The team shouldn't get tired this year like I THINK they did in several games last year.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

The good news is he isn't going to have to play the kind of minutes he did last year. Who knows what effect the extra minutes, playing the 4, or any other factors had last year?

He's a senior this year and you always expect big things out of an experienced senior such as Kai. Things will work out for the positioning according to what is best for the team overall.

I'm not saying this because I have anything against Kai, quite the contrary. He's a really fine young man and has a ton of ability. My hope is his senior season is sucessful for both the team and individually. If he gives a consistent performance every night then we are a lot better team.

Isn't it cool that we have some of these issues? Been a long time comin'!

GB, GB, GJ!

SUPERBUNNY

[Nidaros]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

The summer is slow in terms of Jack sports, and we would not be ourselves if we eliminated the "coach" in our thinking but here is what I think.

I think the way Nagy plays the game, being a starter means you get your name yelled over the loudspeaker before the game starts and thats about all. Oh yes you get to high five the pinky of an adorable Junior Jack. Like Tea said in the first post, the starters often are not the best players.
We see guys coming and going around that scoring table. So being a starter is no big deal and its going to be less this year with more depth on the roster. Since the coaching staff is paid, I think they have the wisdom to spot mismatches and substitute when they are spotted. Also if turnovers are minimized by yanking the person who committed turnover, then that works too. I am waiting for the day when Scot Nagy turns around and asks the students behind him who should start. Maybe thats the day I will stop buying tickets and stop supporting the Jackrabbit Club, little chance that will happen though.

The guys I feel sorry for are the ones sitting in warmups and sit their for the entire game. You always wonder what is their story, but I only have to come here to get my theories and rumors. So no lineup prediction from me.

Maybe a better prediction would be the minutes played by each player. Now that would take some skill and research.

[91jack]

Re: Lineup prediction.....

The summer is slow in terms of Jack sports, and we would not be ourselves if we eliminated the "coach" in our thinking but here is what I think.

I think the way Nagy plays the game, being a starter means you get your name yelled over the loudspeaker before the game starts and thats about all. Oh yes you get to high five the pinky of an adorable Junior Jack. Like Tea said in the first post, the starters often are not the best players.
We see guys coming and going around that scoring table. So being a starter is no big deal and its going to be less this year with more depth on the roster. Since the coaching staff is paid, I think they have the wisdom to spot mismatches and substitute when they are spotted. Also if turnovers are minimized by yanking the person who committed turnover, then that works too. I am waiting for the day when Scot Nagy turns around and asks the students behind him who should start. Maybe thats the day I will stop buying tickets and stop supporting the Jackrabbit Club, little chance that will happen though.

The guys I feel sorry for are the ones sitting in warmups and sit their for the entire game. You always wonder what is their story, but I only have to come here to get my theories and rumors. So no lineup prediction from me.

Maybe a better prediction would be the minutes played by each player. Now that would take some skill and research.

I think this is put a lot better than I could put it. I think the "predicted" starters will start but Wolters, Rader, Fiegen will be playing 1/3 to 1/2 of the game and Moss, Michael, Griffen, White and even Pederson will be playing some. Everybody should be fresher and play better.
Of course, this is from a guy that hasn't seen Wolters or Rader play. I haven't seen Pederson play in 3 years and I've only seen White and Fiegen play 5 times. One of those games was the "stalling" game in Volga. I can't really see what anybody could do when both teams held the ball for a couple minutes at a time.