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Username Post: Squad Emerges        (Topic#19329)
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
09-29-16 10:09 PM - Post#211013    

Just saw the annual team photo which seems to be outside the B-school again. Zena starting to look smaller surrounded by freshmen Towns, Welsh, Baker and Lewis. Lewis and Zena look like bookends.

Bassey and Juzang are big strong guards as well.

Siyani looks very very happy, while Z looks focused.

https://twitter.com/HarvardBBall/status/7 815756020...

 
iabhoops88 
Sophomore
Posts: 107

Loc: Los Angeles
Reg: 01-26-13
Re: Squad Emerges
09-30-16 08:01 PM - Post#211078    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

I noticed Bryce Aiken is wearing #11, which was Chris Egi's uniform number the previous two seasons.

 
H78 
PhD Student
Posts: 1458
H78
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 01-06-11
Re: Squad Emerges
10-01-16 03:52 AM - Post#211088    
    In response to iabhoops88

And Egi is wearing Jonah Travis' old #24. Hopefully the Travis Touch will inspire Egi. Or, perhaps it was Egi's HS #?

 
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
Squad Emerges
10-01-16 09:54 AM - Post#211091    
    In response to H78

Looking at the photo underscored how young this team is! 13 of the 20 are Freshmen or Sophomores. The 3 seniors in top 10 rotation this year (Zena, Siyani, Corbin) will be missed, but there are only 2 juniors (Egi, Chatfield) and they're going to be fighting for playing time. It would be great if Chris and Andre can emerge. Both have 3* potential (and ratings).



Edited by HARVARDDADGRAD on 10-01-16 09:55 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

 
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
10-03-16 04:12 PM - Post#211130    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

Just received my basketball season tix!

Lost a little enthusiasm when I opened the envelope and tickets to a game against Fisher College were on top. I owe Dartmouth followers an apology as I see Fisher actually lost to Pine Manor last season. Actually, I suspect Fisher scheduled Harvard as a warm up for the following evenings tilt against Lesley! Puts them in Cambridge already, although it's likely cheaper to hop the T back to Fisher's Beacon St. campus then it is to find a Cambridge hotel.

As expected, no real big OOC games at Lavietes this year. Maybe next year.

 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
10-03-16 04:48 PM - Post#211134    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

Yeah - the real positive is not having to deal with more RPI-wrecking home games. Aside from Bryant, all of the road/neutral games should be Tier A or Tier B (site-adjusted Top 50 or Top 100 games), which is good when it comes to testing the team.

If Harvard is the team many think it is, it should have no trouble going 6-0 at home in the non-conference. And if it's the team many thinks it is, it really should only be an underdog in 2 or 3 non-conference games (most likely at Vermont and at Houston and probably in the Stanford China game).

 
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
10-03-16 05:44 PM - Post#211136    
    In response to mrjames

I don't mean to jinx this squad or take anything for granted, but they could have a very impressive record entering league play.

 
Tiger69 
Postdoc
Posts: 2801

Reg: 11-23-04
10-04-16 11:22 PM - Post#211180    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

Fisher???

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3578

Reg: 02-15-15
10-05-16 04:06 PM - Post#211186    
    In response to Tiger69

Is it a bad omen that the team picture features the flag at half staff?

 
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
10-05-16 07:33 PM - Post#211194    
    In response to PennFan10

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee"

 
bradley 
PhD Student
Posts: 1842

Age: 74
Reg: 01-15-16
Re: Squad Emerges
10-10-16 08:36 PM - Post#211407    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

I would not be surprised if upper classmen get significantly more playing time than some have projected in 2016-17. There have been very few freshmen who have made major impacts in their Ivy League freshmen season although one or two of the Crimson may break the mold this year. There might be a greater likelihood that some will be contributors but not dominant players in their freshmen year. Fortunately, Harvard has Chambers, Zena, Miller, Johnson and McCarthy to lead the charge and mix in the freshmen for the 2016-17 season,

Someone shared with me that he had watched one of the top recruits for more than 25 high school games. He shared with me that the player probably has significant potential down the road but he will need seasoning and maturity to be a contributor and he thought unlikely in his freshmen year. Time will tell.

 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
10-10-16 08:53 PM - Post#211408    
    In response to bradley

It's always tough with Tommy to predict starters, but I'd be very surprised if at least three freshmen weren't in the rotation. Possibly more.

 
SRP 
Postdoc
Posts: 4894

Reg: 02-04-06
10-11-16 12:54 PM - Post#211420    
    In response to mrjames

If they can guard people, TA will let them play. Anyone besides Chambers who can handle the ball against ball pressure also ought to get a look, based on last year.

 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
10-11-16 01:18 PM - Post#211422    
    In response to SRP

The big variable here - Tommy prioritizes defense over offense in many cases. That's why with the loss of two strong defensive players (Cummins and Okolie), I think we could see more new blood in the rotation as, aside from Z, the returning players that could challenge for rotation minutes are all much stronger offensively than defensively.

 
bradley 
PhD Student
Posts: 1842

Age: 74
Reg: 01-15-16
10-11-16 03:10 PM - Post#211426    
    In response to mrjames

I agree that three or more freshmen in the rotation is a very good possibility. My prior post, not very clear, was attempting to raise the issue if one or two of the elite recruits could come into the Ivy League and dominate. With the exception of Boudreaux and Morgan (limited upper class talent at Dartmouth and Cornell), very few freshmen have been major contributors in their freshmen year -- Chambers being another exception over the past 10+years. Thinking of Saunders, Sears, Lo, Bray, Edosomwan etc. and the roles that they played as freshmen. I think that the taller you are, the less likely that you will make a big splash as a frosh.

 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
10-11-16 04:52 PM - Post#211431    
    In response to bradley

Maybe - and there's certainly something to that post player analysis... not prepared to say for certain there's a pattern there, but at some point, it becomes a real concern.

The issue is that our best teams often are our best recruiting teams. Even if you're recruiting really well, it's hard for freshmen to displace talent on a Top 50 team. Also, five of our top 10 highest rated recruits of all time (AI era) are coming into the league in this class alone, so history isn't as useful a guide here.

This year becomes an interesting test case, though. Those top five players are coming into teams with legitimate holes (much like Chambers did in 2012-13). Bruner will get EVERY chance to be a star at Yale as a frosh, and I believe he will be Ivy ROY. Harvard has a 1 and a 5, but should see competition at all other spots. That might keep Bryce Aiken and Chris Lewis's minutes down more than they might see otherwise, but still Robert Baker and Seth Towns should have every chance to play major minutes.

It's just an odd perfect storm of a next level set of recruits and teams that actually have questions to answers that makes me think past trends aren't necessarily relevant to what we'll see in 2016-17.

 
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
10-15-16 11:54 AM - Post#211550    
    In response to mrjames

Watched Crimson Madness on ESPN3. I believe it's still on there for a week. Click on Event Schedule and then Replay.

This squad is ridiculously deep. Coaching staff will have its hands full. A few observations:

Siyani is back, looks healthy, but admits he's rusty and not in shape yet. Drove to the hoop often and didn't avoid contact. Bryce Aiken is ridiculously quick. Probably quicker than Siyani ever was. That'll help get Siyani in game shape and, for the first time since Brandon Curry, provide Siyani with some rest.

McCarthy will be a SG. He almost never brought the ball up in the 24 minute scrimmage, and led his squad with 13 points. He's a scorer and a good shooter.

Speaking of shooting, this squad is LOADED with 3 point shooters. In the three point shooting competition Siyani finished 7th and last year's winner (Yoshor) finished 6th. Corbin beat Corey in the final but the nice surprise (not to those who follow him) was that 6'7" forward Seth Towns can really shoot 3's. Add McCarthy and Aiken and this squad is dangerous. Fact that last two years competitions included Perez and Steve puts the improvement in perspective. Expect Siyani to work off the rust and improve.

I wonder if any Ivy squad ever had this level of depth inside. Zena looked great on offense and he now has Chris Lewis, Baker and Egi to practice against. Although Zena led all scorers with 14 points on efficient shooting, Lewis' physicality caused Zena to have to give the ball up on numerous occasions. Lewis may be ahead of where Zena was as a freshman. Egi has bulked up, but still is unidimensional and probably shouldn't play at the same time as Zena or Lewis. Dragovich has bulked up also. 6'10" Robert Baker has great skills, agility and enthusiasm, and really seemed to be enjoying himself with a big smile. Hope he can bulk up. Henry Welsh and Weisner Perez add depth, but - like Dragovich - could have trouble finding playing time, this year.

By the way, Baker really beat Egi and Edosomwan in the slam dunk competition, but Zena was allowed back into the finals and won. Zena jumped completely over Baker, Lewis and Welsh for one of his dunks.

Andre Chatfield could be a pleasant surprise. The squad's best defender was much more involved on offense. I recall three drives/pullups for buckets. He's very smooth and quick, especially on the break. Justin Bassey didn't seem to get much time or get into the flow. Clearly, Corey, Corbin, Andre and Tommy will get the playing time.

Finally, I was glad to finally see Seth Towns. He is going to be a STAR. On offense, he's smoother and a better shooter than Wes Saunders, and 6'7". Not as good on defense or the boards, yet. I believe he was his team's second leading scorer. He's lanky and can make his own driving shots plus hit from 3. When he recognized a mismatch he played with his back to the basket and dropped in 5-10 foot shots. He will be a matchup problem for opponents.






 
HARVARDDADGRAD 
Postdoc
Posts: 2685

Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
10-15-16 12:00 PM - Post#211551    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

Highlights:

http://gocrimson.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/v ideos/20...

 
H78 
PhD Student
Posts: 1458
H78
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 01-06-11
10-17-16 03:47 AM - Post#211580    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

Thanks for this great info/analysis. I'm just starting to watch the ESPN3 video, and noticed 2 quick things:

1. Players now have their names on the backs of their uniforms. When Scott Sudikoff was interviewing Coach TA during the Slam Dunk contest, Coach TA did indicate this will be part of the new uniform design.

2. Potential first 10 guys on the court: If the lineups for the Crimson and the White teams are any indication, here may be the first 10 by Position/Starter/Backup--

PG: Chambers/Aiken
SG: Miller/McCarthy
Wing: Johnson/Towns
PF: Baker/Perez
F/C: Edosomwan/Lewis

Any thoughts?

 
H78 
PhD Student
Posts: 1458
H78
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 01-06-11
Squad Emerges
10-17-16 04:40 AM - Post#211581    
    In response to HARVARDDADGRAD

Further thoughts on Crimson Madness (perhaps building on HGD's fine insights):

  • Lewis, Towns, Baker and Aiken all appear ready to step up for serious court time.

  • Corbin finally looks in great shape.

  • Agree on your comment re: Lewis. He's like Z was as a 2nd year player, now.

  • Baker plays with a joy and enthusiasm that's infections. Impressed with his skill set and his air! Big upside if he can bulk up.

  • Towns does remind me of a bigger Wes. Time will tell what his upside is.

  • Aiken will absolutely get Siyani to play his best. Aggressive defense and good court sense on offense.

  • Huge bump in team's 3-pt. shooting prowess. This will really help spreading the court, opening up all sorts of options for better post play and dribble drive action.

  • Practices must feel like the ones in 2013-14, when Brandyn and Kyle returned to the team!




 
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