Starting 5 predictions:
- Johnson
- Jones
- Domask
- Newton
- Rupert
That would be my guess as well. And if so, I think it's probably a slam dunk that D'Amico, Banks and Brown get decent PT off the bench. Assuming Muila is still out (I didn't hear his name come up at all on media day?), Ebube should get plenty of minutes as well.
My biggest point of curiosity from a playing time standpoint is how Wonders and Ferguson are used. Is Mullins going to go 11 guys deep? I'm guessing he'd like to give both guys a look, but it's hard to play that many guys, especially if Domask is playing his usual 35sh minutes.
I think we will go 11 deep in this game with both Ferguson and Wonders getting minutes. Coach seems to be pretty high on Ferguson. He may stay in the rotation. His height and athleticism is something we could really use!
I think these first few weeks will include heavy rotation as they try to figure out the best lineup combinations, but that starting lineup is so small. Undersized 3, an undersized 4 and honestly a bit of an undersized 5. We already struggle mightily to rebound. I know Newton has been a good rebounder for his size, but against bigger more athletic teams we are going to struggle (see the Alabama game where we were absolutely hammered on the boards).
I really hope at some point Wonders or Ferguson are able to slot in at the 3 more often, especially when we play bigger teams. I think Newton would be fine at the 3 for teams with a smaller lineup, but we have to have a counter for that. At this point, I've given up Domask ever being able to play the 3 for any extended amount of time, where I think he would be a match-up nightmare.
Excited for the first game, hopefully the guys come out hungry and put it on this Little Rock team.
Another potential option if they wanted a little more size out there would be to have D'Amico at either the 3 or the 4 alongside Domask (probably interchangeable, position-wise).
If they do go with the starting five of Johnson, Jones, Newton, Domask and Rupert, it's notable that 3/5 starters would be courtesy of the transfer portal. It shows how much work this roster needed as of last spring to (hopefully) move beyond being a .500 team. Looking forward to seeing what all the newcomers bring to the mix and hopefully noticeable improvement from some of the returnees.
D'Amico at the 4 would allow Domask to slide to the 3 and would have been my preferred lineup, but I think the plan is for D'Amico to spell Domask when he needs rest and starting them together could complicate that. Ferguson could theoretically play that role, but I think there is going to be a learning curve for him transitioning to D1. He's also probably a 3 given his current size. I was hoping they were going to get a stretch 4 in the offseason to allow Domask to slide to the 3 and maybe that's what Rupert turns in to eventually, but right now I think Rupert plays the 5 for most of his minutes.
Do we know if there are kids already at the Arena for the game? I know they were going to have a drawing for free tuition if they had over 2,000 kids in the Dawg Pound tonight.
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
Seems like Muila is out with a bad back.
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
I know starting lineups don't matter much, it matters who finishes and this team has a lot of depth but 🤮
I've got beers in the fridge, snacks in the pantry, and Salukis on the hardwood... let's GO!!!
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
CAVEAT ALERT........we haven't played a single minute, but this is not the best case scenario for the other big guys, specifically Ebube and Cade. I think we may see Rupert quite a bit at the 4 so I'm not so worried he isn't starting.
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
CAVEAT ALERT........we haven't played a single minute, but this is not the best case scenario for the other big guys, specifically Ebube and Cade. I think we may see Rupert quite a bit at the 4 so I'm not so worried he isn't starting.
I think besides Domask, Jones, and maybe Johnson there's gonna be substitutions throughout games. I'm a little worried about the scoring to start games though if this is gonna be the starting lineup going forward.
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
my guess is these are the 5 players who earned the right in camp. bryan wouldn't have it any other way.
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
CAVEAT ALERT........we haven't played a single minute, but this is not the best case scenario for the other big guys, specifically Ebube and Cade. I think we may see Rupert quite a bit at the 4 so I'm not so worried he isn't starting.
I think besides Domask, Jones, and maybe Johnson there's gonna be substitutions throughout games. I'm a little worried about the scoring to start games though if this is gonna be the starting lineup going forward.
I’m gonna wait and see how they look before I comment on it. But I’ll admit I’m a bit surprised.
Rodney is raving about D'Amico being being the most important player on this year's team. Pretty excited to see the progress he's made.
SIU starting really small. Johnson, Jones, Brown, Domask, D’Amico
That is a lineup I would not have predicted
Reis said about 60% of the student section is full, seems like it'll be a good crowd at least for students
