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My Starting Lineup for the Q


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I really liked how Harney handled the ball and O for the couple minutes in the second half before he fouled out.

PG - Harney

SG - Walsh

SF - Gilliam

PF - Treadwell

C - Zeke

I also think Carmelo played well but Can't just played off and doubled the post when he was in there due to a lack of shooting threat. I still think Carmelo should play 20 minutes+ but I like him coming off the bench and bringing the defensive intensity.

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I really liked how Harney handled the ball and O for the couple minutes in the second half before he fouled out.

PG - Harney

SG - Walsh

SF - Gilliam

PF - Treadwell

C - Zeke

I also think Carmelo played well but Can't just played off and doubled the post when he was in there due to a lack of shooting threat. I still think Carmelo should play 20 minutes+ but I like him coming off the bench and bringing the defensive intensity.

Walsh or Reggie at PG. Harney is not a PG. He is too loosey goosey with the ball.

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I really liked how Harney handled the ball and O for the couple minutes in the second half before he fouled out.

PG - Harney

SG - Walsh

SF - Gilliam

PF - Treadwell

C - Zeke

I also think Carmelo played well but Can't just played off and doubled the post when he was in there due to a lack of shooting threat. I still think Carmelo should play 20 minutes+ but I like him coming off the bench and bringing the defensive intensity.

Good to see I'm not the only one who was intrigued by Harney's couple of trips up the floor as the PG. I thought he at least "looked the part" more than anyone tonight.

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Harney can bring the ball upcourt in a pinch. But he's not a great ball distributor, and his outside shot is not reliable. He would have a rough time at the point. Walsh usually has a good outside shot (though not tonight). But he has no history of playing the point and is uncomfortable doing it. Coach Dambrot tried Walsh at the point last season when Abreu's knee was injured, and it did not work. That's what resulted in Deji's redshirt being burned. But Deji is not effective at the point, either.

By process of elimination, McAdams is the logical backup at the point. He played PG (or point forward) in HS, including the state championship game in which he almost singlehandedly shot and dished out enough assists to nearly lead his team to victory over a powerhouse team that just barely squeaked out the win. Melo showed tonight that he can't play much more than 20 minutes without cramping up. The Zips desperately need an effective backup PG for the Q. It's a really tough challenge for anyone to take on with just a week of practice. If it's anyone other than McAdams I will be shocked.

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Harney can bring the ball up court in a pinch. But he's not a great ball distributor, and his outside shot is not reliable. He would have a rough time at the point. Walsh usually has a good outside shot (though not tonight). But he has no history of playing the point and is uncomfortable doing it. Coach Dambrot tried Walsh at the point last season when Abreu's knee was injured, and it did not work. That's what resulted in Deji's redshirt being burned. But Deji is not effective at the point, either.

By process of elimination, McAdams is the logical backup at the point. He played PG (or point forward) in HS, including the state championship game in which he almost single handedly shot and dished out enough assists to nearly lead his team to victory over a powerhouse team that just barely squeaked out the win. Melo showed tonight that he can't play much more than 20 minutes without cramping up. The Zips desperately need an effective backup PG for the Q. It's a really tough challenge for anyone to take on with just a week of practice. If it's anyone other than McAdams I will be shocked.

I, also, like the idea of running the point through Reggie McAdams. Thirty games into the season Reggie is no longer a

freshman. He has some experience and delivers. While KD appears to be reluctant to run the point with a tall player, I am not.

I also think that cramping up three times in 27 minutes of action is more a reflection on poor conditioning than lack of ability.

The trainers need to monitor Betancourt's fluid intake for a couple of hours before the game. Also make sure he drinks at

each time out. Carmelo did not prepare himself adequately for the role he has been thrust into. He is getting a quick lesson

in basketball. I think that by next Friday he will have a much better appreciation for his opportunity.

I WANT AKRON OUT OF THE MAC

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I think Carmelo is going to be very good for this program in the long run. I just don't know that he is experienced enough to lead the offense at the level we have played all season yet. I actually think he is a better passer and distributor than Abreu. Of course, Alex was much more of a scoring threat and that is probably the biggest difference. Betancourt as a freshman actually reminds me of another freshman guard the Zips had a few years back, a guy whose critics said he tried to do too much and had too many turnovers. That guy was Steve McNees. I don't know that Carmelo will ever develop into the type of shooter that McNees eventually became but I do think he is quicker and has the potential to a much better defender than Steve ever was.

Ironically, when I watch Carmelo on the bench now, especially since the North Dakota State game, I see him chatting to coach Steve McNees more than any other coach. In my opinion, this can only be a good thing.

For now, I'd like to see more minutes for McAdams at the PG than he has gotten all season as he splits time at the position, but I truly believe Carmelo is the PG of the future.

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I also think that cramping up three times in 27 minutes of action is more a reflection on poor conditioning than lack of ability.

I agree it is conditioning, but I want to come at it from a slightly different angle. The best way to get in shape is to play in games and get a lot of playing time. Back up players don't get that so they aren't in as good of shape as starters. One week isn't enough to get the kid in game shape.

I'd also like to come at the PG position from a different angle as well. A game consists of 200 minutes per team (5 positions x 40 minutes). 40 of those minutes are played by the point guard. So, to me, this isn't a question about who starts, but one of how many minutes per person given the limited playing time of some of the players. It will be interesting to see how the Zips deal with this challenge.

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Can't State packed in the paint on Treadwell/Zeke because Walsh was the only threat in the starting unit. Opposing teams will give Carmelo/Deji three pointers all game long. Having Abreu prevented this because they had to respect him as a deep threat. With yesterday's starting unit of Melo/Walsh/Harney/Tree/Zeke, only Walsh is a real threat from outside, and he's not playing at 100%. He was 1-5 from 3 point range last night, 1-8 overall.

Both McAdams and Walsh are capable of bringing the ball up and setting up the offense. Both, even if they aren't shooting well, have a solid enough reputation that they'll keep defenses honest.

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@MommaZeke is one smart lady. :) I sure do hope that getting Melo more hydrated will help him avoid the cramps. But I also saw him fairly early in the game down on his haunches in the middle of the court trying to catch his breath. I just don't see a 9-minute per game backup PG who's obviously not in physical condition to play long minutes suddenly becoming fully effective for more than about 20 minutes per game. Even if he doesn't cramp up, he'll still get winded, and that will likely lead to careless errors. Here's the way I see each position's starter, backup and approximate minutes at the Q:

Zeke ~30; Forsythe ~10

Tree ~35; Kretzer ~5

Harney >20; Kretzer/Gilliam <20

Walsh ~25; Kretzer/Gilliam ~15; Deji if needed

Melo ~20; McAdams ~20

McAdams running the point has some major potential benefits to the team. At 6-7, he's a nightmare matchup for opponents. He'll have great court vision over shorter opposing guards. If they lay off of him at all, he can pop up at any time and shoot the 3. If opponents put their tallest guard on him, that puts their shorter guard on the Zips' taller shooting guard. At least one time this season I want to see on the floor at the same time 6-7 McAdams at the 1, 6-7 Kretzer at the 2, 6-8 Harney at the 3, 6-7 Tree at the 4 and 7-0 Zeke at the 5.

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I'm giving Carmelo a break with the whole conditioning thing. If he had walked the ball up the court and taken off on D like recent PG's cramps probably wouldn't have been and issue. Personally I liked the flow of the game with him in there....a few made 3's would have changed the whole outcome

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I think Carmelo did an OK job being the position he was in. Can he get in better shape in just a week to play a heavy load of minutes? Something I noticed: Can't was not worried about Melo on the offensive end at all. When he started the offense, after he made the first pass, his defender would actually leave him to double the guy he passed to.

I am in the same boat as the OP- I think Harney looked the best at point in his limited time. Start Krezter/Gilliam/whoever in his spot at the 3, IMO.

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I'm sure it will surprise nobody that I would start Chauncy and bring Harney off the bench. Nick just seemed to be a better player in that role. Chauncy's jumper has not been going in sohe can best be used by spreading the floor, allowing him to drive the ball to the hole or kicking it out. Same with Nick as well. The couple of times that #23 drove the last two games some good things resulted.

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how about walsh at the one and reggie at the 2 ??

I like that too. If they're both out there they can be interchangeable depending on the situation. Really I just want to see more Reggie in general. Kid can play. I've liked him all year. Time to shine at the Q!

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Walsh at the PG, does not have enough quickness, and it would wear on his shooting, and he is struggling with that now. Gilliam has the quickness to help out at PG.

Agreed on Walsh. Not sure about Gilliam running the offense. I think he works better when somebody else sets things up.

I think our best bet at PG is McAdams, if we can't get Melo in condition quickly.

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I'll repeat what I said earlier. Walsh began last season as the Zips' backup PG, but was unable to adequately fill the role when Rico was having his knee problem. That resulted in Deji's redshirt being burned and trying him at the point. That didn't work, either. That's how Q ended up being the backup PG last season. Even though he had no experience at that position, Q developed over the course of many games into a decent backup PG. The Zips do not have a number of games to develop someone with no experience at the point into an adequate backup. There's only one player other than Melo on the current Zips' roster who played the point at a high level in HS, including a state championship game exactly one year ago, and that's Reggie McAdams. Anyone other than Reggie is a wild gamble considering that a single loss sends the Zips to the NIT instead of the NCAA tournament.

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\

This.

And I really hate to say it but no more Deji the rest of the year. I'm taking like 0 minutes a game.

:wave: I am in favor of carmelo starting. He really has a nice athletic look on the court. Expect big things from him in the future.

One more thing, to the team I say focus focus focus.

Bad things do happen and we have to rise above it if we want to succeed.. YOU will succeed because you have GRIT and CHARACTER

I appreciate what KD said about AA and supporting him. That is his choice but right now it has to be focus on the MAC and ONLY the MAC Time for that later

As a mental health professional and a loyal Zips fan----- JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!

You have a Zips community behind you, all of you!

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