Anybody as shocked as I am at the improvement in Lance Jones' shot? When he has time to set up, his outside shot is really a thing of beauty. Nice form, good backspin, good arch on the shot! I remember his shot from last year being pretty bad but improving as the season wore on. He leads the team in 3pt. shooting at 40.8% in MVC play , which is excellent (last year 34%). FTs have improved too - 75% MVC (60.9% last year). He gets fouled far more than any other Dawg. He has obviously spent a lot of time working on that shooting. Not sure I agree with those folks that he shouldn't be the point. Too many TOs sometimes but sure makes some great passes at times. Needs to be more consistent.
Also love Filewich's game. He is playing great. Really needs to work on those FTs, though, because a lot of offense is going to run through him the next few years. 46.2% MVC - ouch! He's been rebounding great also.
Banks is another good freshman. 3pt shooting at 33.3%. Needs to work on FTs. just 52%. Been pretty good on the boards too. Gonna be a good one for us!
Trent Brown 3pt shooting 31.6% MVC. His FT shooting has dropped since last year, though. 63.6% - hasn't shot many. Plays tough D and has the 2nd most playing time on the team - almost as much as Jones but I think Banks should be getting more minutes. We need more offense from TB if he's going to play that many minutes.
Verplancken shooting 40% from 3 MVC, 83% FTs (hasn't shot many). Think he has a lot of potential, especially offensively. Needs to work on D.
Harvey shooting 34.2% from 3 MVC, 78.3% FTs . Think he has a lot of potential, especially offensively. Needs to work on D.
DAvanzo hitting just 22.6% MVC from 3 and 50% FTs. 2nd to KF in RBs. Not sure I'd green light him on 3s - been much more effective inside! Needs to work on FTs!!
Call me crazy, but...a player who I think is a real sleeper is Dembele. For one he has really beefed up his upper body, he runs the floor like a deer and he has a tremendous wingspan. For no more total minutes than he has played in his career, due to injuries, I think he has tremendous upside. I believe and Kyler could make quite a duo defending the paint.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
Mentioned this in one of the game threads but Lance Jones is going to have to work on finishing at the rim this offseason. He's shooting 41.9% from 3, which is 173rd in the country but only 33.7% from 2. And that number has gotten worse since Missouri Valley Conference play has started (23-72, 31.9%). The weird thing is, it's something that he actually did well last season. Some of it might have to do with losing Domask and maybe even Barret Benson.
Not sure what happened with Ben Harvey. He was the 2nd best player on the team behind Domask up until the Butler game and then things came crashing down. He needs to be good on offense too because his defense has been extremely poor.
Definitely didn't expect Kyle Filewich to be this good this early. Filewich is 193rd in the country in offensive rebounding % and 141st in the country in defensive rebounding %. In MVC play, he's 5th in offensive rebounding % and 8th in defensive rebounding %. I think they can do a lot of work with him in the weight room as well much like Krutwig from his Freshman year to now so I don't think he's close to a finished product.
Think I and the team expected more from Anthony D'Avanzo this year. He hasn't been terrible by any stretch but I expected better than 27.5% from 3 and that number keeps dropping in Missouri Valley play. I think the drop from Barret Benson last year to D'Avanzo has been noticeable and besides Domask's injury has been the biggest reason for the drop this year. That being said, the Salukis should be ok long-term at the Forward/Center position with Filewich improving and Ebube coming in as well as Muila hopefully being healthy. I will say, the team has looked much better this year with D'Avanzo and Filewich on the court together.
Dalton Banks has been impressive at times this season. He's 149th in the country in effective field goal % and 215th in the country in true shooting %. Along with the great shooting, I've been impressed with Banks' rebounding. Banks has 30 rebounds in his last 7 games and seems like he might be a stat-sheet stuffer going forward with points, rebounds, and assists. The one thing he needs to cut down on is turnovers though as he leads the team with a 26.9 TORate.
Steven Verplancken has gotten noticeably better as the season has gone on. He had the one game against Quincy in the 2nd game of the year where he put up 14 but was otherwise invisible but lately he's been knocking down his 3's and contributing on the defensive end. He's 9th in the Missouri Valley in 3 point shooting % in league play (24-60, 40%) and has scored at least.
Trent Brown's numbers have dropped all over the board since Missouri Valley Conference play started. He still plays great defense as seen on Wednesday when he basically locked down the leading scorer in the Valley in Isaiah Mosley but need more consistency on the offensive end.
I'm not sure what they do with Sekou Dembele going forward. On one hand, he's looked pretty good in his limited minutes. On the other hand, he doesn't seem like a player that's ever going to be able to play huge minutes. You can tell the injuries have had a toll on him as he's always running around gingerly on the court, props to him he seems like a tough kid.
Gonna guess they expected more out of Jakolby Long this year who hasn't looked good at any point but has also battled numerous injuries.
Not sure at all what they're expecting out of Eric Butler. Maybe they expected him to be a developmental project that would take a few years but he can't get on the court at all right now and when he has, he hasn't looked very good. Following his recruiting last year, there wasn't much information on him at all. He was on one of the best high school teams in the country and really took a backseat in the name of winning but he did cap of the season with a great effort in their Championship win. You wonder if a kid from Florida is gonna stick around past this year to sit on the bench though.
Agree LJ has not been making those shots at the rim like he did last year. Of course, almost all are contested and he's just 6' 1". A lot of them look unmakeable - too many trees around - and he's looking to get fouled, which he often does. He's already made more FTs in MVC play than all last MVC season. 42 - 56 vs 39 - 64. No other Saluki has been to the line nearly as much. Seems to me he gets fouled a lot (as in knocked to the floor on some misses) driving to the basket and it's not getting called as often as it should. Making more of those layups would sure help!
Dembele looks like an athletic guy who has done some good things but not sure he'll ever develop without more playing time. Definitely has potential.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SIU mbb coach Bryan Mullins says Marcus Domask may possibly play Wednesday night against Missouri State. Domask is practicing but talks every day with their athletic training staff about his pain level/tolerance. If not Wed., maybe vs. Valpo this weekend? We’ll see. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Salukis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Salukis</a></p>— Todd Hefferman (@THefferman) <a href="https://twitter.com/THefferman/status/1361719417340645376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2021</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
"pain level/tolerance"! Don't aggravate an existing injury or risk his future on the court. This season is a wash anyway. Sit him down.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SIU mbb coach Bryan Mullins says Marcus Domask may possibly play Wednesday night against Missouri State. Domask is practicing but talks every day with their athletic training staff about his pain level/tolerance. If not Wed., maybe vs. Valpo this weekend? We’ll see. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Salukis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Salukis</a></p>— Todd Hefferman (@THefferman) <a href="https://twitter.com/THefferman/status/1361719417340645376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2021</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
"pain level/tolerance"! Don't aggravate an existing injury or risk his future on the court. This season is a wash anyway. Sit him down.
Only way he should be on the court is if he's 100% healthy
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SIU mbb coach Bryan Mullins says Marcus Domask may possibly play Wednesday night against Missouri State. Domask is practicing but talks every day with their athletic training staff about his pain level/tolerance. If not Wed., maybe vs. Valpo this weekend? We’ll see. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Salukis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Salukis</a></p>— Todd Hefferman (@THefferman) <a href="https://twitter.com/THefferman/status/1361719417340645376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2021</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
"pain level/tolerance"! Don't aggravate an existing injury or risk his future on the court. This season is a wash anyway. Sit him down.
Marcus has been cleared to play and is day-to-day based on how he feels and conversations with the medical staff. When Heff asked Mullins if Marcus would play on Wednesday, Mullins first words were "Probably not." Hefferman's post is very misleading in my opinion.
@salukifan32 I agree that the young man needs to be 100% healthy.
Don't like the sound of that. If he still has any pain, if it doesn't feel absolutely normal after practicing, he shouldn't come back.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SIU mbb coach Bryan Mullins says Marcus Domask may possibly play Wednesday night against Missouri State. Domask is practicing but talks every day with their athletic training staff about his pain level/tolerance. If not Wed., maybe vs. Valpo this weekend? We’ll see. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Salukis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Salukis</a></p>— Todd Hefferman (@THefferman) <a href="https://twitter.com/THefferman/status/1361719417340645376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2021</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
"pain level/tolerance"! Don't aggravate an existing injury or risk his future on the court. This season is a wash anyway. Sit him down.
Marcus has been cleared to play and is day-to-day based on how he feels and conversations with the medical staff. When Heff asked Mullins if Marcus would play on Wednesday, Mullins first words were "Probably not." Hefferman's post is very misleading in my opinion.
Heff ? Really ? Neverrrrrrrrr 🙄
Who knows what is going to happen with next year and the additional scholarships based on everyones eligibility not counting this year.
seniors
D'Avanzo has his bright spots. I think for the most part in the valley he needs to play the 4 he doesn't have the strength to compete with some of the better 5s in the league. With Domask also being a 4 , there isn't alot of minutes available at that spot.
Long - physical guard, but he is struggling to get on the court much this year, really don't see him back next year.
Juniors
Muila - who knows, looks as if Health may be an issue for him as he has dealt with injuries in the past. Has the potential to be a good center for us I think if he could be a 10/8 guy for us next year we will be in real good shape.
sophomores
Domask - stud who will only get better. Needs to become a little better rebounder
Jones- very good has a high ceiling has to stay away from the low lows. When he is good he is real good. Too many games though that he disappears, he is too good to not affect the game in some way.
Brown - obviously a hard worker. maybe better suited to be someone that comes off the bench. What frustrates me is the amount of times he drives to the hoop and never even looks at the basket.
Harvey - Needs to get a little better on D. has been overmatched when he ends up at the 4. Has to get better at finishing around the rim.
Verplancken - Needs to continue to get better also needs work on finishing around the rim.
Dembele -I hope he can continue to stay healthy. Has shown some nice moves in limited time. going forward with a healthy Mulia the ,development of Filewich and Ebube arriving on campus next year, minutes at the 5 are gonna be real hard to come by.
Freshman
Banks - Bright future , just needs to keep getting better
Filewich - gonna be a real nice player, needs to get better defensively and rebounding
Butler- Hasn't really gotten much of an opportunity, he is clearly pretty low on the depth chart.
Wonders - Looks like a more physical version of Harvey
Ebube - has the athleticism we need in the paint
D'amico - I haven't really seen much of him so I am not sure what to expect.
As many have mentioned we could use more athleticism. We could use someone like Clay from Valpo. Another thing I would like to see going forward is Harvey/Brown/Verplancken doing a better job finishing close to the hoop. It drives me crazy to see one of those guys get a step or a half step on their man and get to the hoop, only to do another move for fear of getting their shot blocked I guess.
Rebounding has been a problem for us for a couple years now , hopefully improvement from Marcus on the boards and a healthy Mulia solves that issue.
5) Muila, Filewich, Ebube
4) D'Avanzo, D'Amico
3) Domask, Verplancken
2) Wonders, Harvey, Brown
1) Jones, Banks
If Dembele, Long, & Butler can't get minutes this year, there's no way they're seeing the court next year. I don't see Wonders having much trouble jumping Harvey, Brown, & Verplancken for playing time. And D'Avanzo & Muila are just placeholders for the talented Freshman bigs.
I guess what I'm saying is we'll be bigger, deeper, & slightly more athletic next year. I don't see us finishing bottom of the league again. And we'll still be young, so we could be really good in a couple years. I'm trying to remain optimistic here in spite of the horrible year we are having. 😀
Everybody does realize that The Men's Basketball program is out of scholarships until the 2023-2024 season unless one or more current players leave the program. I keep reading members posts hoping we pick up an athletic wing or athletic grad-transfer for next year. There was only going to be one scholarship available (Muila) for the 2022-2023 season but it is all but guaranteed that JD will receive a medical red shirt for this year. This also means that Muila will join the Senior class of Domask, Jones, Brown, Harvey, Verplancken, and Dembele.
I am hoping that Anthony D'Avanzo will return next year. He is in the MBA program and that can take at least 4 semesters. It would be intriguing to have him available to play some minutes at the 4 in relief of Domask and D'Amico. He could also provide a presence at the 4 to let Domask and D'Amico play the 2 or 3 spots. I believe with Filewich, Muila, Ebube, and Dembele playing the 5, D'Avanzo would not be needed to play out of his natural 4 position for minutes at the the 5 spot next season.
Has anyone else noticed that Domask appears to be closer to 6'8 than 6'6. From video he appears taller than both Dembele and Keller who are listed at 6'7. He is pretty close to the same height as D'Avanzo. I also realize both D'Avanzo and Filewich heights could be less than what they are listed at 6'8 and 6'9.
Everybody does realize that The Men's Basketball program is out of scholarships until the 2023-2024 season unless one or more current players leave the program. I keep reading members posts hoping we pick up an athletic wing or athletic grad-transfer for next year. There was only going to be one scholarship available (Muila) for the 2022-2023 season but it is all but guaranteed that JD will receive a medical red shirt for this year. This also means that Muila will join the Senior class of Domask, Jones, Brown, Harvey, Verplancken, and Dembele.
I am hoping that Anthony D'Avanzo will return next year. He is in the MBA program and that can take at least 4 semesters. It would be intriguing to have him available to play some minutes at the 4 in relief of Domask and D'Amico. He could also provide a presence at the 4 to let Domask and D'Amico play the 2 or 3 spots. I believe with Filewich, Muila, Ebube, and Dembele playing the 5, D'Avanzo would not be needed to play out of his natural 4 position for minutes at the the 5 spot next season.
Has anyone else noticed that Domask appears to be closer to 6'8 than 6'6. From video he appears taller than both Dembele and Keller who are listed at 6'7. He is pretty close to the same height as D'Avanzo. I also realize both D'Avanzo and Filewich heights could be less than what they are listed at 6'8 and 6'9.
I agree with all your points 100% but the way I understand this year’s rules with COVID, this year of eligibility just doesn’t count at all. Meaning everyone’s eligibility and status remains frozen on what it was before this season. Domask, Harvey, Dembele, Brown, Jones, and Verplanken will all still be sophomores with three years to play. Banks, Butler and Filewich will remain freshmen. Muila will return as a junior with two years to play. So that does keep some balance in a way, even though it does get crowded with adding the three freshmen. I suspect at least 3 players will have to leave to clear up room.
Everybody does realize that The Men's Basketball program is out of scholarships until the 2023-2024 season unless one or more current players leave the program. I keep reading members posts hoping we pick up an athletic wing or athletic grad-transfer for next year. There was only going to be one scholarship available (Muila) for the 2022-2023 season but it is all but guaranteed that JD will receive a medical red shirt for this year. This also means that Muila will join the Senior class of Domask, Jones, Brown, Harvey, Verplancken, and Dembele.
I am hoping that Anthony D'Avanzo will return next year. He is in the MBA program and that can take at least 4 semesters. It would be intriguing to have him available to play some minutes at the 4 in relief of Domask and D'Amico. He could also provide a presence at the 4 to let Domask and D'Amico play the 2 or 3 spots. I believe with Filewich, Muila, Ebube, and Dembele playing the 5, D'Avanzo would not be needed to play out of his natural 4 position for minutes at the the 5 spot next season.
Has anyone else noticed that Domask appears to be closer to 6'8 than 6'6. From video he appears taller than both Dembele and Keller who are listed at 6'7. He is pretty close to the same height as D'Avanzo. I also realize both D'Avanzo and Filewich heights could be less than what they are listed at 6'8 and 6'9.
I agree with all your points 100% but the way I understand this year’s rules with COVID, this year of eligibility just doesn’t count at all. Meaning everyone’s eligibility and status remains frozen on what it was before this season. Domask, Harvey, Dembele, Brown, Jones, and Verplanken will all still be sophomores with three years to play. Banks, Butler and Filewich will remain freshmen. Muila will return as a junior with two years to play. So that does keep some balance in a way, even though it does get crowded with adding the three freshmen. I suspect at least 3 players will have to leave to clear up room.
If everyone comes back, and with 3 incoming freshman we will have 15 scholarship players and only 13 scholarships to give. 2 players on the current roster HAVE to leave. I would think Long and D'Avanzo are strong possibilities to not be back next year, since they are already grad transfers. They can technically come back, but may not be invited. Long most certainly won't return given his injuries and lack of PT. If D'Avanzo stays, then at least 1 other player will have to leave. Butler and Dembele would be the next, most logical transfers. Dembele due to injuries that have sidelined his potential and playing time. Before his injuries I think he could have been a good player for us. He had great rebounding instincts and was very athletic. It's a shame, he could have been a Bola type center for SIU. Butler never saw the floor in any meaningful situations, which clearly illustrates he is not showing the coaches in practice that he can contribute at this level. The writing is definitely on the wall and I would anticipate he transfers to a lower D1, D2 or Juco.
My personal preference would be to have Butler, Long, Dembele and D'Avanzo not come back opening 2 scholarships for very athletic Juco's and/or grad transfers who could infuse some length and athleticism immediately! If the coaches think D'Avanzo is good enough to play ahead of D'Amico at the 4 next year, or if they feel D'Avanzo can hold his own at the 4 in order to move Domask to the 3, which is Domask's more natural position I am ok with that. If D'Avanzo returns next year he should not spend 1 second at the 5 position. If 3 leave and D'Avanzo stays that makes it even more important to get a super athletic, instant impact, upper classman transfer for next year.
