Alonzo Edwards

[foutsrouts]

Josh is the most important player out there. If you think putting him on the bench is best for this team, I think you sir are nuts. He may not always be the best on any given night, but he brings so much more than points and assists... What about poise, clutch plays, energy, etc... I think you are way off the mark here.

Nuts or not, I think Josh should have a bit of a different role next season. I don't think anyone is saying to bench him, it's just that this team will likely have a diffent chemistry next season, and I don't see that playing White pretty much from start to finish again is the way to go. Defense is a part of the game you know, and I'm sure that a lot of the PT will be based on matchups. I also agree with another poster that this is probably a moot point, because I think it is very unlikely that Josh won't be a starter again next year. Regardless, I suspect a healthy DOM means less minutes for White no matter how the minutes are structured, and I don't think I want too many minutes taken away from TT based on the way he played down the stretch. With a little improvement in a couple of areas, I wouldn't be surprised if TT gets a serious look at the next level.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

Agree 100%. Watching him play his conference tournament this year was a really fun experience. I think he grew a lot in Hot Springs and we'll see the payoff next year, however he's used.

I completely agree. Tramiel leaving will help turn Tristan into a star in the Belt. Now that Eric has left we need a #1 scoring option and I think the ability for Tristan to get to the basket and shoot from range makes him the premiere player for that role. At times he gets out of control and gets frustated easily, but he really showed in the Belt tourney that when it comes to crunch time he has ice in his veins. I think he and George should be 1st team All Sun-Belt at year's end.

[Keith7]

Unless I'm forgetting someone...in a decade of JJ basketball I don't recall the use of a small forward at any point...and I'd say between Jermaine Green, Michael DeGrate and Harold Stewart he's had that 6'7"-6'9" 200-220 player who would fit the bill and they all played the 4 here.

So despite what Edwards may be saying, JJ's system has been 2 bigs and 3 guards...so myself and others are projecting Edwards at the 4 based on 10 years of history rather than the word of the player. Whether or not it happens...we'll see come November

He may very likely play the 4 spot but what I was trying to say (which I did very poorly) is that he will play more like a 3. Not like a back to the basket 4 or an Eric Tramiel like I think many are expecting.. Of course this is all me guessing based on why he transferred from Nebraska. I have never seen him play irl so I digress and we will see in November

[Censored by Laurie]

He may very likely play the 4 spot but what I was trying to say (which I did very poorly) is that he will play more like a 3. Not like a back to the basket 4 or an Eric Tramiel like I think many are expecting.. Of course this is all me guessing based on why he transferred from Nebraska. I have never seen him play irl so I digress and we will see in November

Very true...it seems he has more of Holmen/DeGrate-esque skill set.

I like the idea of a big with range to the 3 point line, but the head to stay 15 feet and in...hope he and Holmen develop the latter.

[MeanGreenTexan]

So if Edwards is at the 4, we should expect a Shawn Marion-type of 4? More of a wing type, drive to the basket player, not really a post guy?

Tramiel was definitely a good post player and alot of our offense came from him with his back to the basket, whether they were his points, or offensive rebounds that lead to points. It doesn't sound like Alonzo wants to play in that role though. If Alonzo doesn't, then we'll need Hogans to, because I didn't see much post play from Holmen either. Holmen could bulk up and learn post play eventually (I hope he does).

[UNT90]

PG. White - 10, Johnson - 25, Williams - 5

SG. Thompson - 15, White - 20, Johnson - 5

SF. Shorter - 15, Thompson - 15, Mangrum - 10

PF. Edwards - 20, Hogans - 15, Holmen - 5

C. Odufuwa - 30, Spencer - 5, Edwards - 5

I like this, but with the following adjustment:

PG. White - 5, Johnson - 30, Williams - 5

SG. Thompson - 20, White - 20

Small doses of Josh at the point spells success for this team.

[Censored by Laurie]

I like this, but with the following adjustment:

PG. White - 5, Johnson - 30, Williams - 5

SG. Thompson - 20, White - 20

Small doses of Josh at the point spells success for this team.

I'm running under the assumption we'll see the White-Thompson-Shorter back court starting at least at the beginning of next season...figure that would mean you'd run DJ out there at the under 12...that would pretty much be the extent of Josh on the ball...though I would like a way to have DJ on the floor, but off the ball for a short stretch. Maybe a Alzee-DJ-Mangrum line-up.

[UNT90]

I'm running under the assumption we'll see the White-Thompson-Shorter back court starting at least at the beginning of next season...figure that would mean you'd run DJ out there at the under 12...that would pretty much be the extent of Josh on the ball...though I would like a way to have DJ on the floor, but off the ball for a short stretch. Maybe a Alzee-DJ-Mangrum line-up.

We still have the huge defensive problem of having 2 guys under 5'10" on the floor for at least ten minutes together. I really don't like this scenerio (unless the other team is just as small).

[CMJ]

We still have the huge defensive problem of having 2 guys under 5'10" on the floor for at least ten minutes together. I really don't like this scenerio (unless the other team is just as small).

We'll probably be quicker than just about anyone we'd play tho. DJ especially is fast as hell. So there'd be match-up problems both ways. I felt we used both well 2 years ago

Edited March 26, 2010 by CMJ

[TheTastyGreek]

We'll probably be quicker than just about anyone we'd play tho. DJ especially is fast as hell. So there'd be match-up problems both ways. I felt we used both well 2 years ago

One thing I've been thinking about is the possibilities if we bring in this Donald Edwards guy from Antelope Valley. He's 6'5" and seems to spend all his time camped out on the perimeter.

There were many times, particularly late in the season once Richard Thomas fell out of favor and then left, where we had Shorter bring the ball up court.

Imagine the possibilities if we start with a Dom/Josh/Tristan backcourt, but we have a completely different configuration we can throw out. Shorter (6'4" and built thick enough to play inside when needed) handling the ball, Tristan and Williams (both 6'5") at the other two guard spots, Holmen and Odufuwa (or Alonzo Edwards) at forward.

We'd have a size advantage at almost every position, most of them being pretty significant. Tristan, Williams, Edwards, and Holmen are all capable of nailing 3's. Shorter could handle the ball and, since he's a slasher instead of a 3-point guy... He could drive the lane for open layups or dish outside to any of the other four guys depending on who gets a clean outside look.

I wouldn't want to press Shorter into a ton of point guard service (maybe use Alzee in that configuration instead? Still 6'4" and still a great defender)... But is there any team in our conference that could handle both the small/quick lineup and the large/3-point lineup?

We'd be a matchup nightmare for everyone on the schedule, Sun Belt or otherwise.

[NT03]

Imagine Babb & Williams just sitting behind each side of the arc waiting to drop bombs... but in a good way

Edited March 27, 2010 by NT03

[NT03]

Did you guys skip reading the article that started this thread in the first place?? The guy transferred from Nebraska because he didn't want to play forward.. I see him caving in and playing some PF at times but he will likely play more like a SF.. So even though he has the body of Eric Tramiel he doesn't have the same skill set like I think a lot of you are thinking

I'm willing to bet that playing the 4 in the Big XII is just a little bit different than playing the 4 in the Sunbelt.

Edited March 27, 2010 by NT03

[TheTastyGreek]

Imagine Babb & Williams just sitting behind each side of the arc waiting to drop bombs... but in a good way

That would be a year away... But I didn't even consider Mangrum (6'5" and solid from outside) in the scenario next year.

We could have another "line change" roster where the second line is potentially more explosive (in terms of scoring) than the starters, and the size gives us a huge matchup advantage.

[MeanGreenSoHo]

That would be a year away... But I didn't even consider Mangrum (6'5" and solid from outside) in the scenario next year.

We could have another "line change" roster where the second line is potentially more explosive (in terms of scoring) than the starters, and the size gives us a huge matchup advantage.

I am just imagining all the multiple lines we can and will have! I would not want to be anyone playing us next year...

[MeanGreenTexan]

One thing I've been thinking about is the possibilities if we bring in this Donald Edwards guy from Antelope Valley. He's 6'5" and seems to spend all his time camped out on the perimeter.

There were many times, particularly late in the season once Richard Thomas fell out of favor and then left, where we had Shorter bring the ball up court.

Imagine the possibilities if we start with a Dom/Josh/Tristan backcourt, but we have a completely different configuration we can throw out. Shorter (6'4" and built thick enough to play inside when needed) handling the ball, Tristan and Williams (both 6'5") at the other two guard spots, Holmen and Odufuwa (or Alonzo Edwards) at forward.

We'd have a size advantage at almost every position, most of them being pretty significant. Tristan, Williams, Edwards, and Holmen are all capable of nailing 3's. Shorter could handle the ball and, since he's a slasher instead of a 3-point guy... He could drive the lane for open layups or dish outside to any of the other four guys depending on who gets a clean outside look.

I wouldn't want to press Shorter into a ton of point guard service (maybe use Alzee in that configuration instead? Still 6'4" and still a great defender)... But is there any team in our conference that could handle both the small/quick lineup and the large/3-point lineup?

We'd be a matchup nightmare for everyone on the schedule, Sun Belt or otherwise.

If Alzee is on the point in this scenario, then I'm on board with that! Bring in the Californian!

[THOR]

We could have another "line change" roster where the second line is potentially more explosive (in terms of scoring) than the starters, and the size gives us a huge matchup advantage.

kinda like the green team of dickey's last year???

that would be cool...those guys performed well and provided a spark

[GrandGreen]

Did you guys skip reading the article that started this thread in the first place?? The guy transferred from Nebraska because he didn't want to play forward.. I see him caving in and playing some PF at times but he will likely play more like a SF.. So even though he has the body of Eric Tramiel he doesn't have the same skill set like I think a lot of you are thinking

He transferred from Nebraska because he was not getting any playing time not because he didn't want to play under the basket. I can't believe anyone thinks JJ signed Edwards to play the wing. Edwards averaged 6 points on a mediocre juco, why would anyone thing he is an outside offensive threat? If that performance coach had mentioned in his article that Alonzo really wants to play the point, some of you would be predicting less playing time for White and Johnson.

Edwards was a very good high school player, physical and with some skills. I would think that JJ and apparently other coaches believe with his physical ability he can become a force around the basket based on his high school promise and ignoring what he has done since. The interesting thing is that he was signed during the juco season and his numbers were only slightly better than at the end of the year. I thought he was a strange choice for NT's only ship at the time but he was signed to replace Tramiel at the 4. Tramiel was a first team juco All American, Edwards was not closed to being all anything. I do think that the coaching staff sees a little of Odufuwa in Edwards. Odufuwa in his sophomore year was a strong re-bounder but very limited offensively. Maybe Edwards can be a player that gives you adequate defense and 8 ppg and 6 rbg next year.

[Keith7]

Edwards averaged 6 points on a mediocre juco, why would anyone thing he is an outside offensive threat?

He also averaged 3 rebounds, why would anyone THING he is a low post threat?

[BleedGreen]

PG - Josh White (30), D Johnson (10)

SG - Tristan Thompson (25), Alzee Williams (10), D Johnson (5), New kid would be a redshirt Freshman

SF- Shorter (25), Mangrum (10), Thompson (5)

PF - Edwards (15), Hogans (15), Holjmen (10)

P - Odufawa (25), Spencer (10), Edwards (5)

In this scenario, the 10 minutes for Johnson, Williams, Mangrum, Holmen and Spencer would be for your 2nd 5 platoon lineup.

[foutsrouts]

PG - Josh White (30), D Johnson (10)

SG - Tristan Thompson (25), Alzee Williams (10), D Johnson (5), New kid would be a redshirt Freshman

SF- Shorter (25), Mangrum (10), Thompson (5)

PF - Edwards (15), Hogans (15), Holjmen (10)

P - Odufawa (25), Spencer (10), Edwards (5)

In this scenario, the 10 minutes for Johnson, Williams, Mangrum, Holmen and Spencer would be for your 2nd 5 platoon lineup.

I feel that Johnson and Hogans are probably worthy of more than 15 minutes a piece, but I guess we'll have to see how they look coming off of their injuries. Edwards at 20 seems a bit heavy to me based on his recent JC performance, but I don't think we really know what we've got there yet. Hope these guys are ready to work their butts off in the off season, because they've got to know there's going to be some serious battles in the Fall for minutes.