Predict the 2010-2011 starting line-up

[ZachTheZip]

My starting depth chart would look like this, going as deep as I possibly can:

PG: Alex Abreu, Steve McNeese, Darryl Roberts, Kyle Peterson

At Point Guard, Abreu was brought in to help immediately, and that's the expectations he'll have to live up to. When he's on the court, it opens up McNeese to play as a more natural shooting guard. When he's off the court, we have a proven, capable guard to run the offense in McNeese. Roberts will likely see limited time at point, to provide a change of pace. Peterson plays in clean-up time.

SG: Steve McNeese, Darryl Roberts, Brett McClanahan, Quincy Diggs, Kyle Peterson

At shooting guard, McNeese should be the starter because he's the biggest threat. Darryl Roberts will be his back-up and will see plenty of time when McNeese takes over point guard duties. McClanahan will see about 15 minutes a game. Diggs will play here when we need a taller line-up.

SF: Brett McKnight, Quincy Diggs, Michael Greene, Brett McClanahan, Darrell Blanton, CJ Oldham

McKnight is the obvious choice to start here. Diggs is being converted to a SF for some reason, and will likely be the primary back-up. Michael Greene, if he doesn't redshirt, would also see time at this spot. If Greene can play, then I don't see McClanahan's disaster at forward happening again this season, the guy's a guard and should be used like one. Darrell Blanton is a JUCO walk-on that could earn some time.

PF: Nikola Cvetinovic, Dakotah Euton/Josh Egner, Brett McKnight

Nikola is moving from Center to PF and should be the starter. One of the freshmen PFs will be his back-up, and the other one will redshirt. McKnight plays here when we go small.

C: Zeke Marshall, Mike Bardo, Nikola Cvetinovic Euton/Egner

Zeke is the starter, and should be a force this season. Bardo will see some more time since he's a senior. Nik sees time in a small line-up. One of the freshmen could play here in a pinch. Expect the Zips to run more sets with two centers and three guards this season.

[Quickzips]

I would make a couple of tweeks:

PG: Alex Abreu, Steve McNees, Daryl Roberts, Kyle Peterson

No real argument there. To me, the late recruitment of Abreu represents KD recognizing that he needs a PG on the floor who can create good shots for others. Abreu is that kind of PG. McNees has done an admirable job under the circumstances the last couple of years, but his talents are better suited for the SG position and I think KD realizes this. McNees at SG + Abreu at PG getting him some better looks > McNees at PG and anyone else we have on our roster at SG. Roberts and Peterson should only see time at PG in extreme emergency's.

SG: Steve McNees, Daryl Roberts, Quincy Diggs, Brett McClanahan, Kyle Peterson

Nothing major here, just don't think McClanahan is going to get much playing time at all. I think McNees will be a lot more effective next year playing at SG with a pass first PG next to him. Roberts will be the first guard and probably the first player over all off the bench. I think you will see some lineups with Diggs at SG as well, particularly against teams featuring longer, more athletic SG's. Again, I think McClanahan is going to continue to see his minutes drop. He's never really put it together and save a Conyers like breakout season I don't think he ever will. Peterson will be in there for garbage time and emergency situations.

SF: Quincy Diggs, Josh Egner, Brett McKnight, Brett McClanahan, CJ Oldham, Michael Green(Redshirt)

Diggs was recruited here specifically because of our lack of a SF. I know he played SG most of his career up until now, but in KD's system it looks like he is going to be primarily a SF. I think he will be given the first opportunity at the starting job. I have yet to see Egner play in person, but from what I have heard it sounds like he has all the necessary tools to be a SF for us except for a little more reliable jump shot. I think you will see him split time between SF and PF. McKnight has been tried at SF before on multiple occassions and it really isn't the best place for him. He's more of a PF who can step out and knock down the long J. He might get a few minutes at SF here and there depending on matchups, but I think he will spend most of his time at PF. McClanahan and Oldham are emergency situations. I expect Michael Green to see a redshirt year.

PF: Brett McKnight, Nikola Cvetinovic, Josh Egner, Dakotah Euton(Redshirt)

Again, I think McKnight gets the majority of the minutes at PF. He's a senior, and he's pretty much the best returning scorer on our roster. Nikola will see a lot of minutes as well, but will split them between PF and C. As has been the case with him the last couple of years, his minutes will depend a lot on how well he is harnessing his emotions. If his emotions start getting the best of him, his minutes will go down. If he is playing controlled yet passionate, he will get more of a run. Egner will take some minutes here as well. I would like to see what Euton can do, but right now he kind of looks like an odd man out as far as minutes go this year.

C: Mike Bardo, Nikola Cvetinovic, Zeke Marshall

Just kidding

C: Zeke Marshall, Nikola Cvetinovic, Mike Bardo, Dakotah Euton(Redshirt)

Of course Zeke will be starting here. This is probably the easiest starting spot on the team to pencil in. Zeke has been working hard all summer, has added muscle and looks to be ready for a breakout year after getting his feet wet last season. Nikola should see the majority of the backup minutes here, but I expect that KD will carve out a few minutes for the senior Bardo. Mike isn't going to give you a lot, but he's good for 5-10 minutes a game throwing his body around and taking a couple fouls.

[ZippyforPresident]

What about McNees and Roberts on the floor at the same time in some variation? Either McNees at the 1 and Roberts at the 2 or vice versa. I'm pretty sure Coach D used that combo at some points during the '09 tourney season. That would be a very experienced backcourt. Although, I am excited to see Abreu live and in action and from the looks of what Alex can do he should be able to really contribute and will get to see playing time right off the bat.

Also, I want to see Brett McClanahan have a huge year. He has really good size for a 2 guard (especially for the MAC) and it would be great to see him catch fire this year. I'm looking for a big contribution from Nitro this year.

I don't really know a lot about Quincy Diggs' game but from what I understand he is a pretty "athletic" type of player. I agree that he will probably find some time between the 2 and 3 spots.

There's no doubt that Brett McKnight is going to play big minutes as a senior and has the opportunity to really take things over this year. He's well suited as a power forward during MAC play and has the range to play the 3 role as well. We all know how Brett has the ability to take over a game. Consistency is the name of his game and I think we're gonna see a very sharp and focused Brett in his senior season.

The rest of our front court seems to be pretty loaded. I think we will see a lot of Nikola at PF, unless Egner just breaks out with his huge vertical and athleticism taking over. Needless to say, I don't think Egner will redshirt. To me Egner seems like the kind of player that would have no problem playing either the 3 or the 4. If he develops an outside game I see him playing a part very similar to Nate. Although if he doesn't, he really does play above the rim and may be a little more ferocious inside than Nate used to be. Dakotah sort of seems to be the wildcard to me. He could either be a really great forward or he could be another guy that had a lot of hype about him and ends up redshirting and not really seeing a lot of playing time. To me it seemed like Dakotah had a lot of hype surrounding him early in high school and then a lot of it seemed to kind of die off. Dakotah is a little older than the average incoming freshman though, so maybe that will work to his advantage. Either way, I hope he does well here.

Center obviously belongs to Zeke. Although, I think that Mike, even with the limited time he saw last season, seemed to have improved his game a great deal from prior seasons. Mike seemed a lot quicker and much more decisive and aggressive. I can't help but wonder if at some point we really needed a BIG lineup, we might not see Zeke in the middle and Mike at the 4. I know, probably not, but that would be a lot of size and a very imposing defensive lineup with those two at the 4 and 5. That's what's fun about the off season, all of the speculation, scheming, and constructing of interesting lineups.

I think we have a good shot at having another really good season. If we get some really good play from the underclassmen, especially a guy like Egner in the front court and Abreu in the back court, we really could have a very special season.

[GoZips]

The less McNees is playing the point, the better this team will be.

All of Steve's time should come in the shooting guard spot. And, Steve should get the bulk

of the minutes. I like Darryl Roberts a lot. However, Darryl has never shown that he can

sit McNees down.

The freshmen and new comers can vie for the power forward and wing. Its time for Brett to

play his butt off or sit. Got that, big guy? Play hard; play defense; knock down the shots;

make the free throw line your sacred ground. The only alternative is to sit.

Looking for Zeke to be the MAC Player of the Year. He can do it with ease.

[ZippyforPresident]

The less McNees is playing the point, the better this team will be.

All of Steve's time should come in the shooting guard spot. And, Steve should get the bulk

of the minutes. I like Darryl Roberts a lot. However, Darryl has never shown that he can

sit McNees down.

The freshmen and new comers can vie for the power forward and wing. Its time for Brett to

play his butt off or sit. Got that, big guy? Play hard; play defense; knock down the shots;

make the free throw line your sacred ground. The only alternative is to sit.

Looking for Zeke to be the MAC Player of the Year. He can do it with ease.

Brett McKnight was actually one of the best free throw shooters on the team last season @ 76.5%. Better than both Steve McNees and Brett Mclanahan in fact. I think B. McKnight has been working hard and is going to, like I said, have a very sharp and focused Senior campaign. I don't think we have too much to worry about at the Forward spot this season. I think our front court is pretty deep. Some may be inexperienced, but I think Brett will lead the way. It's the depth of the back court that really seems to be a little bit of a concern (well, at this juncture in the off season anyway). We know the upperclassmen are solid, but the new guys (Abreu and Diggs) are going to have to provide at least some quality minutes.

I do agree with your prognosis of Zeke, with all of his talent and upside the MAC Player of the Year is easily ascertainable for him.

[skip-zip]

The staring lineup will be Steve M., Darryl, Nik, Zeke, and Brett.

And isn't the "McNees can't play point" really a futile comment at this point? His floor leadership got us one MAC championship, and nearly single-handedly willed us to another. Would you really expect our coach to suddenly change his mind about him during his senior year?

[GoZips]

The staring lineup will be Steve M., Darryl, Nik, Zeke, and Brett.

And isn't the "McNees can't play point" really a futile comment at this point? His floor leadership got us one MAC championship, and nearly single-handedly willed us to another. Would you really expect our coach to suddenly change his mind about him during his senior year?

It just might be food for thought that our coach thinks so highly of Steve's floor leadership (sic)

abilities that he scrambled to bring on board a tested, ready to lead and play point guard.

Steve worship wont cut it with me. Steve is a good shooting guard and a weak point guard. Play

Steve where he shows his best.

[Quickzips]

The staring lineup will be Steve M., Darryl, Nik, Zeke, and Brett.

And isn't the "McNees can't play point" really a futile comment at this point? His floor leadership got us one MAC championship, and nearly single-handedly willed us to another. Would you really expect our coach to suddenly change his mind about him during his senior year?

Can McNees play point guard? Yes. He can. We all know he can. But he does it as a shoot first point guard and his assist numbers over his career back that up. Now that is fine if you are playing with a few other guys on the floor who can create their own shot, but the Zips don't have that luxury. About the only other guy on this team that can create his own shot is Brett McKnight. So McNees becomes a little bit of a liability at times because his strength isn't getting his teamates involved. Defenses can key in on him and McKnight and force those two to try and beat us. Now you put McNees at SG with a PG whose strength is creating good looks for his teamates and not only does McNees become more effective, but there is a trickle down effect to the rest of the team. It is why Abreu was brought in this summer and it is what I expect to see a lot more of next season.

[Zip Watcher]

Still a deep & pretty experienced roster. Gut reaction today:

PG: Abreu

SG: McNees

SF: B. McKnight

PF: Nikola

C: Zeke

Second Team:

PG: McNees / Roberts

SG: Roberts / McClanahan

SF: Diggs / Egner / Green

PF: Euton

C: Bardo

Assuming that Abreu takes the starting PG job from Steve, I think that Steve moves over to be a SG. However, due to the depth issue, I think this is a situation where the substitutions will be done in a way that there's minimal minutes where both Abreu and McNees are sitting. So when Abreu sits, McNees moves over. Foul trouble and injuries in the back court may push Roberts into emergency PG duties at times. The attrition at the PG spot this off season could be an issue.

[GoZips]

Still a deep & pretty experienced roster. Gut reaction today:

PG: Abreu

SG: McNees

SF: B. McKnight

PF: Nikola

C: Zeke

Second Team:

PG: McNees / Roberts

SG: Roberts / McClanahan

SF: Diggs / Egner / Green

PF: Euton

C: Bardo

Assuming that Abreu takes the starting PG job from Steve, I think that Steve moves over to be a SG. However, due to the depth issue, I think this is a situation where the substitutions will be done in a way that there's minimal minutes where both Abreu and McNees are sitting. So when Abreu sits, McNees moves over. Foul trouble and injuries in the back court may push Roberts into emergency PG duties at times. The attrition at the PG spot this off season could be an issue.

ZW, I really like your starting line up. It puts four proven players on the floor to start the

game/season. Abreu needs to be backed up by an under class man. Putting Steve back on the

point will eventually lead to the same break down the Zips suffered last year. You do not develop

players by letting them sit.

One or two incoming players are likely to be red shirted.

[Quickzips]

Still a deep & pretty experienced roster. Gut reaction today:

PG: Abreu

SG: McNees

SF: B. McKnight

PF: Nikola

C: Zeke

Second Team:

PG: McNees / Roberts

SG: Roberts / McClanahan

SF: Diggs / Egner / Green

PF: Euton

C: Bardo

Assuming that Abreu takes the starting PG job from Steve, I think that Steve moves over to be a SG. However, due to the depth issue, I think this is a situation where the substitutions will be done in a way that there's minimal minutes where both Abreu and McNees are sitting. So when Abreu sits, McNees moves over. Foul trouble and injuries in the back court may push Roberts into emergency PG duties at times. The attrition at the PG spot this off season could be an issue.

ZW, I really like your starting line up. It puts four proven players on the floor to start the

game/season. Abreu needs to be backed up by an under class man. Putting Steve back on the

point will eventually lead to the same break down the Zips suffered last year. You do not develop

players by letting them sit.

One or two incoming players are likely to be red shirted.

Problem being that we don't have another underclassman that is capable of running the point when Abreu is out. Our guard situation looks like this:

Abreu: Underclassman PG

McNees: Senior Combo-Guard

Roberts: Senior SG who can play emergency minutes at PG if needed

McClanahan: Junior SG who can play SF at times but by no means should be playing PG

Diggs: Sophomore SG/SF who probably isn't equipped to play SG

Peterson: Sophomore walk-on SG

Unless you are going to play Peterson the backup minutes at PG which I doubt is a good idea you are going to have an upper classman playing those minutes and the most likely candidate is McNees.

[Dr Z]

Putting on my KD hat, I'm betting on Steve to start at PG at the beginning of the season.

I'm hoping that Abreu impresses so much in practice that KD is forced to start him at PG.

"The decision" has raised my Zips basketball interest because my Cavs interest is lowered.

[Dave in Green]

I'm with Dr Z. McNees at the point until someone proves to KD that they can earn the job away. Most of us thought that Hitchens or Steward were going to do exactly that. But they never were able to convince KD they could do the job better than McNees.

I think we all agree that the Zips become a better team if Abreu can play the point better overall than McNees, which allows McNees to spend more time at shooting guard.

One does not have to be a McNees "worshipper" to acknowledge that he has done a good job as a combo guard filling in at the point in the absence of a true point guard with the ability to earn the position away.