If Muila is a starter this is a Thursday night team.
If Muila is a starter this is a Thursday night team.
I’m sure I’ll get a sarcastic answer for this but I’m going to ask anyway.
Are you an actual fan of SIU basketball or are you this cynical with the rest of your life as well? It’s difficult to tell…
Newton averaged 12.7 ppg and was Evansville's leading rebounder. Good FT shooter - 78%. That team won 6 games all year, so I don't know that these stats mean anything. Somehow won 4 MVC games and almost beat us! ☹️
If Muila is a starter this is a Thursday night team.
I’m sure I’ll get a sarcastic answer for this but I’m going to ask anyway.
Are you an actual fan of SIU basketball or are you this cynical with the rest of your life as well? It’s difficult to tell…
That isn't really cynical. Mulia is nice as a foul prone guy off the bench for a few minutes a game to give others rest. But he is not particularly good defensively nor that good of a rebounder and he is horrid offensively. If you are a team with aspirations of challenging for a league title or a tournament berth he can't be a player that starts or even gives you big minutes.
Rupert, Ebube, and Hornecker all hopefully step up.
I think Muila can start on a good team but I can't see him and Rupert starting together, not enough offense
I expect Newton and Johnson to start alongside Marcus and Lance, but as for the 5 slot that is still a toss-up - could be a 3-headed monster situation again this year until one of the three really solidifies themselves offensively (and defensively of course). If I had to guess I'd say Muila begins the season at 5, but then Rupert begins to log the most minutes.
Completely forgot about Newton. My guess, he will see major minutes regardless of whether he starts or not....
Starting Lineup could indeed be:
Jones, Domask, Xavier, Newton, Rupert, but probably Muila to start. But as stated several times....no way to know and it really doesn't matter who starts. Its about who plays . Lots of depth for the first time in Bryan's tenure.
If anyone read the SIU preview of the College Basketball Almanac that came out today, I think SIU has bigger plans for Muila than most think
I am really annoyed about the whole "we can only have one big in the game at a time" mindset. Learn. Grow. You recruited multiple bigs: effing learn how to use more than one at a time.
Maddening.
I really hope things will change, and maybe they will. Otherwise why would you have all these big guys on the roster?
Figure this out, BM.
(Inflammatory political snark)
No offense to women, but many of the people who post on this board would make great wives.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
If anyone read the SIU preview of the College Basketball Almanac that came out today, I think SIU has bigger plans for Muila than most think
Haysoos I hope not!! I agree with Spike that Muila is not the big that gets the minutes on a team that challenges for the MVC title.
Those early games are the ones where Ebube, Rupert, and Hornecker should be learning on the job. Muila is such a liability on offense (and the worst FT shooter I've ever seen).
We can't depend on our outside guys to score enough to win games like we have that last couple of years. In that scenario, when we don't shoot well, we lose. Need an inside threat.
I don't see Muila playing 30 minutes a game this season (think there's going to be a heavy rotation among the bigs and don't think anyone on this team will play huge minutes besides Domask & Jones and maybe Johnson) but I really think Muila is going to start this year and get more minutes than people think.
The College Basketball Almanac mentions Muila a few times including this note:
Mullins’ other key returning rotation players all have valuable starting experience. Muila is a mountain of a man at 6-8, 240 pounds. He reportedly had a great offseason and will serve as a rock in the middle of SIU’s stingy defense.
For those that didn't buy the College Basketball Almanac, I highly recommend it if you're interested in college basketball. Lot of good stuff and they talked to every D1 head coach so a lot of the preview is what Mullins thinks.
Muila literally lost his spot in the starting lineup because he just wasn't very good. Even as a starter his minutes were progressively cut leading up to him not starting anymore. He is mediocre defensively and just an average rebounder. Opposing posts tended to eat him up to the point where he couldn't defend without constantly fouling. And that isn't even taking into account how poor he is offensively.
I doubt those magazines really know much. They looked and saw a 5th year senior who started 24 games and are making assumptions.
Anyone who actually watched him realized he is a guy who shouldn't be first or even second on the depth chart. With the depth SIU has he shouldn't be more than a 4 to 5 minute a game guy.
Spike, I think we've established by now where you stand on Muila. 😆
I do think he's going to have a hard time replicating his impressive total of forced lane violations during free throws from last year.
But yeah, how the big-man mix (Muila, Ebube, Rupert, Hornecker) plays out to me is one of the more interesting questions going into the season. Need improved play in the paint, particularly from an offensive standpoint.
