https://twitter.com/siu_basketball/status/1674808520850513920?s=46&t=7s0hTttieSER8wqRSA0LoA
Not a ton of substance to this but good to hear Miller is looking pretty good on defense and should be effective at both ends of the floor. If that’s the case I expect Johnson and Miller on the floor together quite a bit alongside one of the many longer wing options at the 3.
I heard over the weekend that Ebube has lost weight. I noticed he was listed at 273lb on the official roster. I am assuming he lost some of that.If I had to guess who might be able to score in double figures at least at times this year I would pick Johnson, D'Amico, Rupert, Ferguson, Miller, McGee, Stulic and Davis. I'm not saying any of those players will consistently score in double figures, but I believe they all have the skills to score in double figures at times at this level. I would guess D'Amico, Johnson, Rupert and Miller would be our leading scorers initially.Yeah, if this season is going to go well, they’re going to need a pleasant surprise/big step forward from at least one guy in each of the categories of their roster: returnees who have played a fair amount (Rupert, D’Amico, Johnson, Brown) ; returnees who played little (Ebube, Hornecker, Ferguson); portal guys (Miller, Hensley, McGee, Stulic) and freshmen (Davis, Sharp).
Need several of these guys to play above expectations to be a surprise team this year.
If Ebube gets in good enough condition to play near 20 minutes a game and improves his footwork a bit, I could see some 12 point, 8 rebound type outings from him. Half on dunks.
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I haven't heard any confirmations but in the clips he was included on in the recent videos it definitely looked like he had lost weight and looked in much better shape !!!
I haven't heard any confirmations but in the clips he was included on in the recent videos it definitely looked like he had lost weight and looked in much better shape !!!
The article suggests D’Amico could emerge as Southern’s top scorer next season. Can’t rule it out because there is no obvious player to be that guy, but he would have to show A LOT more in terms of his skill set and offensive mindset. And he’s not the most athletic dude.
I do like his versatility and grittiness that he’s shown, and think he’ll score more with Domask and Jones gone, but it seems more realistic that he’d bump up to like 8-9 ppg than, say, 14 ppg. I do think he’s one of those guys that Mullins really loves and trusts, so I expect him to play heavy minutes this year, even with all the available depth in the frontcourt.
I would argue that their point is not that he will be the leading scorer but that he will be the focal point of the offense, due to his skill set of passing and reading defenses in addition to teams having to respect his shot. If you can cut to the basket, Troy will find you.
The article suggests D’Amico could emerge as Southern’s top scorer next season. Can’t rule it out because there is no obvious player to be that guy, but he would have to show A LOT more in terms of his skill set and offensive mindset. And he’s not the most athletic dude.
I do like his versatility and grittiness that he’s shown, and think he’ll score more with Domask and Jones gone, but it seems more realistic that he’d bump up to like 8-9 ppg than, say, 14 ppg. I do think he’s one of those guys that Mullins really loves and trusts, so I expect him to play heavy minutes this year, even with all the available depth in the frontcourt.
Troy is one of the safe bets to be one of our top 3 leading scorers; 14 or 15 ppg isn't out of the question, but agree on somewhere between 8-10 is likely. What I love about Troy is that he is really well-rounded offensively: he can shoot the three, free throws, and is a pretty effective driver and has a good presence down low. If he can just up the aggressiveness factor he really could be an awesome player, so I'm excited to see what he does this year.
My dream is that two of our top three leading scorers this upcoming year are BIGS, from either Rupert, Ebube, or Hornecker. To me that means the progression is there and we potentially start to use and lean on a two-big lineup.
I like him, but if he plays more than 10 minutes this whole season at the 5, I'm done.
(Inflammatory political snark)
If D’Amico can up his aggressiveness and Ebube put on some muscle during the off season those two could be a very tough combination. I want to see Mullins adapt this offense to be more adept at throwing the ball inside and working from the inside out. If he’s also willing to play two true bigs on the floor at the same time it will show some evolution in the coaching ability.
I like him, but if he plays more than 10 minutes this whole season at the 5, I'm done.
With Hornecker, Ebube, Rupert, and 6'8" Hensley, there is absolutely no reason Troy should play a single minute at center unless the aforesaid all have the flu. Like last year. That said, I bet you will see it.
If D’Amico can up his aggressiveness and Ebube put on some muscle during the off season those two could be a very tough combination. I want to see Mullins adapt this offense to be more adept at throwing the ball inside and working from the inside out. If he’s also willing to play two true bigs on the floor at the same time it will show some evolution in the coaching ability.
Genuinely curious what two true bigs means for you…is it purely about height/physicality? Do they have to be of a certain skill set (e.g. back to the basket guys)? You won’t find many teams playing two back to the basket bigs anymore.
Mullins has stressed an inside out approach for awhile now (listen to any interview where he talks about offense). That doesn’t always mean scoring in the post just touches. Don’t get me wrong, the offense needs work, but from a philosophical approach I think he’s right in line with your thinking.
