Reply To: Offseason Hoops Speculation

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Offseason Hoops Speculation Reply To: Offseason Hoops Speculation

#18899

LU08
Participant

Hello all! I am a graduate who likes to keep up with the team. I make the games that I can and read the blog to feel informed when work intervenes. Now that our season has ended, I wanted to give my “1 cent” on the season : ).

I believe this year, LU had the strongest roster in the league. We had the rookie of the year and the MVP of the league. On top of that, we boasted 3 big men that could compete with the best of any team (a convenience that not many mid-majors can say).

We had 5 guards that deserved minutes every game (KR, AP, CS, BA, MS). KR did a great job this year but honestly, I believe we give him too much of a load. First we expect him to play one of the highest minutes in the league. Next, we expect him to be the sole handler of the basketball and make more assists than turnovers in a pretty stagnant offense. Lastly we expect him to score and knock down his free throws (mostly at the end of games). I don’t believe any other freshman in college basketball was given this type of responsibility and his production this year greatly warrants the accolades.

With the other 4 guards: AP, CS, BA, MS I believe we had 4 guards that are better than any 4 in the league. However, I question substitutions and lineups. We had an unimpressive year last year with AP and CS and after starting this season slow (0-4) and starting the conference slow (1-5) it is intriguing that we never attempted to change the starting lineup. Doc changed JG for JC after a very low shooting percentage by JC and JG was playing one of the best in the league (leading league in blocks and shooting over 60% from field). However, we never changed our starting guard lineup in 2 years. AP is a skilled shooter but a volume shooter whose percentage doesn’t warrant the multitude of 3s taken and the lack of production anywhere else on the court. Doc has not found a way to emphasize his skill as a set shooter. I love who CS is- A guy who will bleed Lehigh Brown. You always know you are getting his best! However his lack of production this year was embarrassing. As a senior he averaged 4.7 points in 25 minutes and his average and percentage dropped come conference play. CS played 241 more minutes than BA and BA scored 11 more points on the season. MS averaged .5 less points than CS in 9 minutes less playing time per game (Conference Play)….As younger players we never allowed one of these guys to grow. BA scored 11 points in first half in Stabler and Miles lead the charge with 18 points in the 103 win over Army (only 100 point PL win since 2010).

In our final game we got no production, offensively or defensively from AP or CS. 1/9 for AP (before last .5 second where he made another 3) and 0/2 from CS (0 points in last 45 minutes of his career).

With CS gone and AP now a junior. It will be interesting to see what lineups we will play next year. I do not see any of the freshman leaving with the optimistic future expectations of the team.

GO HAWKS!!