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62dog wrote:

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In an effort to get away from the current acrimony --please consider: Many times late last season I wanted to see Brad turn to a player in the latter stages of the game and say "take over this game". For the most part it did not happen or did not consistently happen. Why? Clearly we have several talented players who could. What was holding back that player? Youth (probably)? Personality? Position (probably needs to be a guard Or a primary ball handler)? Talent (I can think of 2 or 3 players, Zach for example who could do it but may lack physical skills, height, strength, shot, etc) ? I have to admit that all along I have thought Shelvin WOULD be that player, and he still may be (youth). Certainly Gordon and a few others qualify-- or maybe a newcomer? What does everyone think? Hope this topic is not too far out & I certainly do not want to slam any player--we have a wonderful group of kids & a great coaching staff. Look forward to everyone's thoughts. jmo

Hopefully it was youth last year holding the team back and not anything else. I would say out of all the players with the best personality for the job from last year would probably be Zach or Matt. Unfortunately neither can really create anything off the dribble, and it wasn't all that often that I would trust a Matt Howard jump shot. Veasley also has a good personality for it, but the more into the season we got, the more his shooting fell off, but I still think he's a good option if for nothing else other than I've never seen a kid hit so many hanging in the air shots in the lane with someone hanging on him, which is what you tend to see in those late game situations. Mack and Hayward would probably be the best options, but last year in those situations they would tend to turn the ball over (hopefully it was just youth). In our offense, which really relies on either good ball movement or good dribble penetration to get the defense to collapse, Nored or Vanzant would be perfect candidates, but at this point I trust Mack in that situation more right now. The real issue here is what situation the player's in, because like you said 62, we do have options. Here's my top 5 of who I'd want taking a jumper at the buzzer, taking a shot in the lane at the buzzer, who I want taking the ball up the floor to set up a last second shot and who I want inbounding the ball for the last play.

Jumper at the buzzer:
1. Hahn
2. Hayward
3. Mack
4. Veasley
5. Butcher/Howard/Jukes (just depends who's in the game at that point, although I think Butcher has the best shot out of the three of them)

Shot in the lane
1. Howard
2. Veasley (depends on the set up, if he's faced up on the dribble, I would put him #1)
3. Hayward (he could move up if he gets stronger)
4. Mack
5. Nored/Vanzant

Bringing the ball up the floor for the final play
1. Mack
2. Hayward
3. Veasley
4. Nored
5. Vanzant

Inbounding the ball (they always say the inbounder's the most dangerous person on the floor in these situations)
1. Hayward
2. Butcher (mostly just because he's 6'7 and teams tend to put taller defenders on the inbounder)
3. Mack
4. Veasley
5. Howard (I would really rather have him on the floor)

Overall
1. Hayward (I think he and Mack are very similar, but Gordon's height I think gives him an edge)
2. Mack
3. Veasley
4. Howard
5. Hahn

Sorry for the length, but that's how I tend to analyze things. Hopefully everyone can stay healthy this summer and gain some valuable experience to aid the team in their next season!

riksmits4prez wrote:

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GREAT topic and should lead for an interesting discussion. I'm disappointed it took 7 replies to get to Matt. He is without question one of the top 3 players and arguably the best on the team. If the Dawgs are down 1 with the final possession, Matt HAS to get at least one touch if not take the final shot. The ability to have a great post player gives the rest of the team an opportunity to get an open shot. Not to mention he has the ability to get to the line as much as anyone in the country (can't remember who posted that stat in another post but it was a great one nonetheless).

For those who think leadership is overrated (yes the term might get used a lot), the UNC teams of the past 2 years are a good example. And not to compare the NBA to the college game, but the NBA Finals this year showed why leadership is needed to win a championship. That series could have EASILY been 3-1 Magic after 4 games and likely crowning the Magic as champs had they been able to close games. But Superman's (Coincidence he's also a Howard?) lack of experience vs. Kobe's proved the difference imo. The term might get used by analysts a bit too much but to say it's overvalued is a bit ridiculous.

I don't disagree that Matt should be touching the ball, but in a last second, last shot situation, the officials aren't going to be calling a foul, so unless Matt can get in great position down in the post, I would much rather have Gordon or Shelvin taking the last shot with Matt fighting for that last ditch tip in. Matt is a beast underneath, but he's not as likely to create an opening on his own as Gordon or Shelvin, and unless Brad gets better at those out of bounds plays it'll come down to a 1 on 1 situation in which I want someone who can handle the ball creating something and either getting a shot off or dishing it to Howard down low or Hayward/Hahn (possibly Stigall if his long ball is good) on the perimeter.