@mr_woogers I could not agree more. Rupert, Hornecker, and Ebube are the kind of recruits we have wanted at SIU forever. Now we have them and we do not play them starter's minutes and their major role on offense is setting ball screens. I fear that come April, 2023 they see the prospect of sharing 40 minutes of PT at the 5 spot (Not even counting D'Amico) 3 ways and decide to transfer.
I think Ebube will still make an impact this season. From all reports, it sounds as if his injury was pretty straight forward for injuries of that nature. If he heals as he should, his presence will be felt for the stretch run.
Muila is a mystery to me. He's currently out with a back injury, but seems like he's moving normally from what I've seen of him on the bench. That tells me he's probably close to a return, but who knows? Offensively he certainly leaves something to be desired, but he makes a difference on defense and has the physicality to match opposing posts in the MVC. We'll need him if SIU is to be the best version of themselves. I've already seen all I want to see of Troy being worn out at the 5.
--Insert something witty here--
Troy D’Amico at the 5 is a really good emergency plan in case of foul trouble or wanting to mix things up. Not sure why it would be Plan A. His defense is solid but he’s certainly not much of an inside scoring threat and he hasn’t been hitting his open looks from 3, either.
We’ll see where it goes with Cade in the mix and hopefully having more options as the season goes along.
Don't expect Cade to be a big difference maker right away. The center position is the biggest adjustment for incoming college players, especially for a true freshman! Footwork, speed, defense, etc. constitute a huge learning curve. Muila will still be a much better defender this year than Cade if he comes back. Cade obviously has a way bigger offensive upside. I expect Cade's minutes to continue to be under 10 a game, but if used correctly he can be an asset with the right match-ups. It will be nice to see him develop.
Don't expect Cade to be a big difference maker right away. The center position is the biggest adjustment for incoming college players, especially for a true freshman! Footwork, speed, defense, etc. constitute a huge learning curve. Muila will still be a much better defender this year than Cade if he comes back. Cade obviously has a way bigger offensive upside. I expect Cade's minutes to continue to be under 10 a game, but if used correctly he can be an asset with the right match-ups. It will be nice to see him develop.
Generally agree with this, especially against some of the tougher opponents coming up. Rupert is the guy I think they need more from in the short term.
Don't expect Cade to be a big difference maker right away. The center position is the biggest adjustment for incoming college players, especially for a true freshman! Footwork, speed, defense, etc. constitute a huge learning curve. Muila will still be a much better defender this year than Cade if he comes back. Cade obviously has a way bigger offensive upside. I expect Cade's minutes to continue to be under 10 a game, but if used correctly he can be an asset with the right match-ups. It will be nice to see him develop.
We have to get out of this guard first mentality. That's a recipe for a crappy season. We don't have two outside guys that are averaging 30 ppg each.
CH should certainly be getting more than 10 minutes a game, as should Rupert. With some experience and good coaching, he could be another Pippen.
Muila is a decent defender, but he's not 7', and he's such an offensive liability, opposing teams should just hack-a-shack him.
My fear coming into this season was Coupet was actually a good scorer last year and we didn't really replace him. Xavier Johnson was a much-needed piece but he's really struggled to score. Newton hasn't really done much either, especially in the middle 2 games. There's still so much strain on Domask and Jones to score or you get what we saw in the Southern Indiana game. If SIU played a decent opponent on Thursday, they would have lost that one to.
Defense does travel and if the shots fall in St. Louis, maybe you pull out 3-4 wins. Naturally this team will be better in the Valley because it's a bit weaker this year (although I think it might be stronger top to bottom than most anticipated) but I don't know how much better this team actually is from last year.
I don't see this support to play Muila - I agree with Mr_Woogers. He has almost no offense and shoots FT's at 30% (Hornecker swished his only 2 on Thursday). Johnson & Banks seem to be near equal at #1 and can relieve each other. Jones @ #2 (how about Wonders as a backup - he is an excellent shooter or Ferguson). Domask @ #3 (Newton or Ferguson as backup). D'Amico or Rupert at #4, and Hornecker or Rupert at #5. Like others have said, we have to have more scoring than just from #2 & #3.
Don't expect Cade to be a big difference maker right away. The center position is the biggest adjustment for incoming college players, especially for a true freshman! Footwork, speed, defense, etc. constitute a huge learning curve. Muila will still be a much better defender this year than Cade if he comes back. Cade obviously has a way bigger offensive upside. I expect Cade's minutes to continue to be under 10 a game, but if used correctly he can be an asset with the right match-ups. It will be nice to see him develop.
Generally agree with this, especially against some of the tougher opponents coming up. Rupert is the guy I think they need more from in the short term.
This is a crappy, crappy take, and barkeep, please feel free to delete this.
I think most of us have been around long enough to remember Jamaal Foster, a skinny but long (6' 10") big during the glory days. At one point in his career--I think it was in the '05-'06 season--he had a great game: blocked a couple of shots, grabbed a few boards, and scored some points. The board (including me) was abuzz: this kid has ARRIVED.
Sadly, that one game was pretty much it for him.
The point: was Rupert's game against Purdue in the tourney just his "Jamaal Foster moment"?
I have no idea, and I certainly hope that is not the case; however, it does happen.
Dunno what I'm on about, except to say that maybe we're expecting too much from this kid.
(Inflammatory political snark)
Nice article on Cade Hornecker. I believe I read he was a 73% FT shooter in HS. Has a nice stroke.
"Hornecker’s four points and two rebounds over seven minutes in a 57-44 win might not sound like much impact, but here’s a number that speaks more to how he helped the team: In his minutes, the Salukis outscored the Tigers by 10 points."
Don't expect Cade to be a big difference maker right away. The center position is the biggest adjustment for incoming college players, especially for a true freshman! Footwork, speed, defense, etc. constitute a huge learning curve. Muila will still be a much better defender this year than Cade if he comes back. Cade obviously has a way bigger offensive upside. I expect Cade's minutes to continue to be under 10 a game, but if used correctly he can be an asset with the right match-ups. It will be nice to see him develop.
Generally agree with this, especially against some of the tougher opponents coming up. Rupert is the guy I think they need more from in the short term.
This is a crappy, crappy take, and barkeep, please feel free to delete this.
I think most of us have been around long enough to remember Jamaal Foster, a skinny but long (6' 10") big during the glory days. At one point in his career--I think it was in the '05-'06 season--he had a great game: blocked a couple of shots, grabbed a few boards, and scored some points. The board (including me) was abuzz: this kid has ARRIVED.
Sadly, that one game was pretty much it for him.
The point: was Rupert's game against Purdue in the tourney just his "Jamaal Foster moment"?
I have no idea, and I certainly hope that is not the case; however, it does happen.
Dunno what I'm on about, except to say that maybe we're expecting too much from this kid.
Have to say I don't agree at all. He only started the last 6 games for Saint Peters - remember he was a true freshman. I like what I see from him. For a 6'8" guy, he's quick, can handle the ball and dribble like a guard, and can play D. He's inexperienced at this level, but IF he gets more minutes of game time, he will be a good player for us.
8 or 9 minutes a game is ridiculous. I've always thought putting a guy in for very short stretches doesn't really allow him to get into the flow (unless he's an experienced veteran).
He actually got to play 14 against Little Rock and led the team in rebounds - 8rbs in 14 minutes and scored 9 pts.
He has talent - no Jamaal Foster.
Bucky must not have seen the game or he would have known that the field goal was a jump shot, not a layup. It’s all about credibility.Nice article on Cade Hornecker. I believe I read he was a 73% FT shooter in HS. Has a nice stroke.
"Hornecker’s four points and two rebounds over seven minutes in a 57-44 win might not sound like much impact, but here’s a number that speaks more to how he helped the team: In his minutes, the Salukis outscored the Tigers by 10 points."
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
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Nice article on Cade Hornecker. I believe I read he was a 73% FT shooter in HS. Has a nice stroke.
"Hornecker’s four points and two rebounds over seven minutes in a 57-44 win might not sound like much impact, but here’s a number that speaks more to how he helped the team: In his minutes, the Salukis outscored the Tigers by 10 points."
You could tell he certainly affected shots down low while he was in.
He did change the game when he was in. There were several times that they had the ball inside but didn't shoot because of him. I don't expect huge numbers from him this year as a true freshman but he will be a game changer when in the game. I think there should be very few minutes that either Cade, Rupert, or Ebube when he comes back are not on the floor. We need at least one of them in the game.
I also like what I've seen from Rupert. Fouls might be limiting him a bit, but he does so many things well, plays extremely hard and is nasty on defense. I don't know that he'll ever be a big time scorer, but the intangibles he brings to the table in so many facets are extremely valuable. He needs more minutes.
On Cade, anyone watching the game could easily see how he impacted it on both ends. We certainly need a LOT more of that.
Call me crazy, but I think SIU has looked their best so far when either Ebube or Cade has been in the lineup, caliber of opponent notwithstanding.
--Insert something witty here--
