Davidson sucks game thread

[asumike83]

Have to disagree. We lose 30% of our scoring & 28% of our rebounds plus Healy's hustle plays that led to numerous turn overs and run out baskets. Sorry to say I didn't see anyone else on the floor lay it on the line like Nate did. Those are intangibles you can't put a figure on.

Maybe I'm putting too much stock into the strong play over the last 3 games but I tend to think we will be better next season. Healy is certainly a huge loss and Trice came on strong at the end of the season as well but compared to the last few years, the turnover is relatively light.

After 2012, we lost 55% of our scoring, which does not account for Rodey Milum, who left mid-season while putting up just over 8/game off the bench. We also lost 67% of our rebounding and 3 of our 5 starters. Even with all that turnover, I'd say we were a better team at the end of 2013 than we were at the end of 2012.

We will bring back 4 of our 5 starters and 6 of our regular 8-man rotation. The incoming class looks like it could be one of our best in recent years and if just 1 or 2 of those guys can contribute early and Jonathan Frye gets in the mix, I like our chances to get better.

Replacing Healy will be a tall task but I see it as one that can be done by committee. Tevin Baskin is a very talented player and I think he can pick up his scoring as a starter. Canty and Neal will also have to help pick up the scoring. As far as an energy guy, I really like Obacha to fill that role. I think Michael improved a lot throughout the year and plays with great hustle.

It is do or die for Capel in 2014. If nothing else, I think we finished a very inconsistent season with the best 3-game stretch we played all year. Hopefully, that momentum will carry over.

It's more complicated than just who you bring back. Have to look at how the ones you lost forced the opposition to play you. I agree Basking is a talented player but he is nowhere near the 3 point threat of Nate. Healy did so many things that drew attention and opened things up for other guys. The focus was on Donald so much it freed up Carter to make plays. Once Omar was the focus of opposing defenses the results spoke for themselves. Nate's 3 point shot had to be guarded and that brought a front court player away from the basket giving guys inside better rebound opportunities. Obacha has to learn to play within himself. He fouls way to much getting into your bench. Canty has shown a lot of skills but very little drive. We don't have a true point guard and I'd hate to depend on a freshmen to stabilize this team. Just my .02 worth but we'll see starting next December.

Your points about what Healy does for the overall game plan are very valid. We will not have one guy next year who can do what Nate did. Baskin cannot be the 'stretch four' like Healy unless his 3-point shooting improves dramatically. However, I do think he can still draw his defender away from the basket because of his ability to start behind the arc and take his man off the dribble, which is a mismatch for most power forwards.

Replacing his consistent 3-point shooting will be a tall task but hopefully Frye and/or Aaron Scott can help out there, because they both come in with reputations as good spot-up shooters.

The playing time our first and second year guys got this season should pay dividends as well. We have a HUGE hole to fill with Healy leaving but we do return a core group of 6 guys who've spent a lot of time on the court together. Could be wishful thinking on my part but I am cautiously optimistic. Like you said, we'll find out this winter.

[hapapp]

I believe we saw great improvement in the play of Burgess at the point. We at times started two freshmen and two sophomores. One can also assume that players will improve from year to year as they gain experience. Nate Healy was not an all conference player last year and developed into a star this year. It takes hard work and determination to improve but one has to assume that there will be some progression in all the talent that returns. There are no guarantees from year to year but in general one should be able to assume that this team will be better next year. One also has to factor into the equation that the SoCon will generally be better next year as most teams were very young. Davidson was the only senior laden squad in the conference.

[JCline0429]

You graduated from App, so I assume you can read well. Which part of that paragraph do you take issue with?

I'm willing to stick my neck out and state your possible assumption for SS will not happen, how's that?

Do you have a recommendation for a stock purchase on the NYSE?

[WataugaMan]

Will SS leave App under the same circumstances as Fuzz? If you think so (even for a second), then the stock market definately is not your cup of tea.

[hapapp]

As valuable as Nate was to this team, and we would have been much worse without him, down the stretch when we were playing our best ball, it was other players who stepped up their games that made the difference. Jamal Trice was one of those and unfortunately we lose him as well. But, Jay Canty played his best ball on a consistent basis. He actually led the team in scoring down the stretch and in the four games beginning with Samford, he shot 55% from the floor and averaged 4.5 assists. Baskin shot the ball at a 68% clip in that span. Even Mike Neal stepped up his shooting to 46%, well above his average. Nate actually saw his shooting % drop during that time and he shot the three at 28%. And lost in much of this is the improved defensive play. Points allowed, shooting %, turnovers created, and steals all showed improvement.

We will greatly miss Nate Healy and Jamal Trice, who really showed what he was capable of providing down the stretch. However, there is still some quality returning and the class coming in looks like there are a couple of players that can contribute right away. The most important thing, of course, is how much this group works to prepare themselves for next year.

[asumike83]

Hap, you make a great point about Canty's assists down the stretch. It seemed like we really had good ball movement and were taking shots in rhythm for the first time all year and Jay played a large role. He is great at taking the ball off the dribble and when he wasn't scoring, he was kicking the ball out to an open man. Even if he didn't get an official assist, it got the ball moving after he penetrated and drew defenders.

Earlier in the season, he was just putting his head down and going straight to the rim whether the defense rotated or not, which resulted in a lot of charging fouls and missed, contested lay-ups. That is certainly one area where he improved and we'll need him to keep it up next season.

[Kgfish]

Have to disagree. We lose 30% of our scoring & 28% of our rebounds plus Healy's hustle plays that led to numerous turn overs and run out baskets. Sorry to say I didn't see anyone else on the floor lay it on the line like Nate did. Those are intangibles you can't put a figure on.

Maybe I'm putting too much stock into the strong play over the last 3 games but I tend to think we will be better next season. Healy is certainly a huge loss and Trice came on strong at the end of the season as well but compared to the last few years, the turnover is relatively light.

After 2012, we lost 55% of our scoring, which does not account for Rodey Milum, who left mid-season while putting up just over 8/game off the bench. We also lost 67% of our rebounding and 3 of our 5 starters. Even with all that turnover, I'd say we were a better team at the end of 2013 than we were at the end of 2012.

We will bring back 4 of our 5 starters and 6 of our regular 8-man rotation. The incoming class looks like it could be one of our best in recent years and if just 1 or 2 of those guys can contribute early and Jonathan Frye gets in the mix, I like our chances to get better.

Replacing Healy will be a tall task but I see it as one that can be done by committee. Tevin Baskin is a very talented player and I think he can pick up his scoring as a starter. Canty and Neal will also have to help pick up the scoring. As far as an energy guy, I really like Obacha to fill that role. I think Michael improved a lot throughout the year and plays with great hustle.

It is do or die for Capel in 2014. If nothing else, I think we finished a very inconsistent season with the best 3-game stretch we played all year. Hopefully, that momentum will carry over.

It's more complicated than just who you bring back. Have to look at how the ones you lost forced the opposition to play you. I agree Basking is a talented player but he is nowhere near the 3 point threat of Nate. Healy did so many things that drew attention and opened things up for other guys. The focus was on Donald so much it freed up Carter to make plays. Once Omar was the focus of opposing defenses the results spoke for themselves. Nate's 3 point shot had to be guarded and that brought a front court player away from the basket giving guys inside better rebound opportunities. Obacha has to learn to play within himself. He fouls way to much getting into your bench. Canty has shown a lot of skills but very little drive. We don't have a true point guard and I'd hate to depend on a freshmen to stabilize this team. Just my .02 worth but we'll see starting next December.

Your points about what Healy does for the overall game plan are very valid. We will not have one guy next year who can do what Nate did. Baskin cannot be the 'stretch four' like Healy unless his 3-point shooting improves dramatically. However, I do think he can still draw his defender away from the basket because of his ability to start behind the arc and take his man off the dribble, which is a mismatch for most power forwards.

Replacing his consistent 3-point shooting will be a tall task but hopefully Frye and/or Aaron Scott can help out there, because they both come in with reputations as good spot-up shooters.

The playing time our first and second year guys got this season should pay dividends as well. We have a HUGE hole to fill with Healy leaving but we do return a core group of 6 guys who've spent a lot of time on the court together. Could be wishful thinking on my part but I am cautiously optimistic. Like you said, we'll find out this winter.

Considering Frye's health issues I'm not sure he will be much of a factor. The young man is fortunate to just be back on the floor. Counting on freshman to make an impact is a scary prospect.

[Goapps15]

Kgfish,

We have relied on freshman contributions for awhile now. This year Burgess and Obacha, last year Neal and Hamilton, etc etc. it is the story of being a mid major program. The class we brought in this year is as strong a class as we have had in recent memory. All of these players could easily contribute to next years club. We especially need help in the way of a true PG which we are getting in the Broughton kid. I think we will continue to get better and will gel even better next year. We will see in December.

[Saint3333]

Tyson and DJ played a lot as freshman.

[Kgfish]

Kgfish,

We have relied on freshman contributions for awhile now. This year Burgess and Obacha, last year Neal and Hamilton, etc etc. it is the story of being a mid major program. The class we brought in this year is as strong a class as we have had in recent memory. All of these players could easily contribute to next years club. We especially need help in the way of a true PG which we are getting in the Broughton kid. I think we will continue to get better and will gel even better next year. We will see in December.

Prior to Hamilton & Neal the last freshmen that were actually relied on were D Sims & J Clayton in 07-08. But when you lose / run off / 8 of your 9 recruited players during a three year stretch (08-09 thru 10-11) you have to use freshmen and transfers. You rarely see Davidson rely on freshmen for major minutes. If you build the program correctly you don't have to rely on freshmen for extensive minutes.

[T-Dog]

The outlook of this team is the best it has been under Capel.

One huge area of improvement over just the last two weeks has been the active hands on defense. Putting a hand in the shooter's face, keeping him honest with the ball and having court vision. All around a major thumbs up.

As far as replacing Healy, it's going to have to be distributed to different players. I can see Rantavious Gilbert doing some good things next year. Spagnolo gained confidence in the sparse time he did play and we get Dustin Clarke as well, plus the idea of Obacha and Baskin playing together is exciting.

[Cincy App]

Prior to Hamilton & Neal the last freshmen that were actually relied on were D Sims & J Clayton in 07-08. But when you lose / run off / 8 of your 9 recruited players during a three year stretch (08-09 thru 10-11) you have to use freshmen and transfers. You rarely see Davidson rely on freshmen for major minutes. If you build the program correctly you don't have to rely on freshmen for extensive minutes.

Kentucky has done pretty well relying on freshmen the past few years

[ASUMountaineer]

Prior to Hamilton & Neal the last freshmen that were actually relied on were D Sims & J Clayton in 07-08. But when you lose / run off / 8 of your 9 recruited players during a three year stretch (08-09 thru 10-11) you have to use freshmen and transfers. You rarely see Davidson rely on freshmen for major minutes. If you build the program correctly you don't have to rely on freshmen for extensive minutes.

Kentucky has done pretty well relying on freshmen the past few years

If we can recruit freshmen with the same skills as Kentucky does, then I'm all in!

[asumike83]

Well, we do have at least ONE thing in common with Kentucky's basketball program: