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USU78 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 6:10 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 3:40 pm

Yossarian wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:30 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:18 pm

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:16 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:04 pm

I hear McChesney now weighs about the same that Queta did at the end of Queta's Freshman year.

Do you know how much that is? 215? 205?

Between 215 and 220.

He's Canadian - can you convert that to kilos (and in French, please)?

Il pèse ‭53,004.411869477415827439637383375‬ Limoges marces.

Do they still use marcs as a weight?

Sacre merde!

Hey, now!!!

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

Like the comparison, I can see that. Also I’d say he is very crafty around the hoop in his highlights.

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 6th, 2020, 7:03 am

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

Like the comparison, I can see that. Also I’d say he is very crafty around the hoop in his highlights.

My only negative critique would be he doesn’t elevate much on his Catch and shoot jumper. Maybe that is not so bad if he can release quickly, but I like to see some elevation on jumpers.

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 12:46 pm

nvspuds wrote: ↑

May 27th, 2020, 7:09 pm

Hey, if Miller is your biggest problem you are in great shape.

Amen to that.

We always need a scapegoat on here, and we always find one and pile on. Miller's the current one, but it may shift next season.

And just to be clear, I wasn't happy with Miller's overall play last year, but I think he's been getting too much into his own head. He's got the skills to be a good player, he honestly just needs to get a sports psychologist to help him out a bit.

Wished Miller could take the Brian Green role, shoot lights out in a moment of need. Fill that role, do his job and not have to depend on him for consistent shooting to win games. I believe with the depth we have, might just see him in a limited role scenario.

IdaAg93 wrote: ↑ Wished Miller could take the Brian Green role, shoot lights out in a moment of need. Fill that role, do his job and not have to depend on him for consistent shooting to win games. I believe with the depth we have, might just see him in a limited role scenario.

Exactly. Come in fresh and loose and kill.

nswaggie wrote: ↑

June 6th, 2020, 2:28 pm

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 6th, 2020, 7:03 am

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

Like the comparison, I can see that. Also I’d say he is very crafty around the hoop in his highlights.

My only negative critique would be he doesn’t elevate much on his Catch and shoot jumper. Maybe that is not so bad if he can release quickly, but I like to see some elevation on jumpers.

I'm with you on liking to see elevation on jumpers, but Sam Merrill hardly elevates on his shots and he did alright.

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

I agree with this ^^^. To see his production and tape against what I would deem a higher level of competition than what Ashworth or Worster faced is what has me excited. I always think it is harder to judge how good a player will be at the college level when that player is the big fish in a small pond at a lower level. It's sort of the reason someone like Jaycee was passed on by everyone.....incredibly elite numbers?? yes! versus??? Wyoming HS competition? meh. Jaycee obviously proved he could do it at the next level too (and the level beyond that) but his story is overshadowed by the far more common ones like the Riley Bradshaw's and Dantley Walker's of the world.

Aglicious wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:03 am

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

I agree with this ^^^. To see his production and tape against what I would deem a higher level of competition than what Ashworth or Worster faced is what has me excited. I always think it is harder to judge how good a player will be at the college level when that player is the big fish in a small pond at a lower level. It's sort of the reason someone like Jaycee was passed on by everyone.....incredibly elite numbers?? yes! versus??? Wyoming HS competition? meh. Jaycee obviously proved he could do it at the next level too (and the level beyond that) but his story is overshadowed by the far more common ones like the Riley Bradshaw's and Dantley Walker's of the world.

I would argue that ashworth played against the highest level competition when his team went to nationals as he played against multiple draft picks and was part of the all-tournament team. So based off that thought ashworth should have you the most excited.

Not to take away from Shulga, but he did play in the U18 Division B and from the looks of the other teams I don't think we can say that he played against a really high level of competition.

Anyone know how the divisions are determined in the U18 European championship? I would imagine it's the same as most other sports divisions in Europe and the best of the best are A, second best are B and so on. But I don't know.

I think out of Shulga, Ashworth and Worster, I'd say Ashworth holds the bragging rights for steepest competition faced and most baller line against said competition (29 pts, 10 ast, 5 reb, 7-14 3pt shooting, 9-22 FG) but the thing with Ashworth is that was just one game so you have to pump the brakes a bit on how excited you can be.

Shulga IMO gets the nod for consistent competition playing in FIBA. Yes, it's Division B, but from watching the teams I'd say its definitely tougher than playing against public schools, especially in terms of the length all teams have. But the other thing is that Shulga only played 8 games at the 2018 tournament so more small sample size.

Honestly, I've flipped between which of the three I'm most excited about several times. There are a lot of things to like for each and hopefully at least one of them can make it happen as a true freshman.

As far as most physically ready, I give the nod to Worster. Dude is put together for as young as he is. Also my Montana bias may be playing a part in that selection. Got burned by Bradshaw.

Small sample size always causes one to pump the brakes.

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:40 am

Aglicious wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:03 am

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

I agree with this ^^^. To see his production and tape against what I would deem a higher level of competition than what Ashworth or Worster faced is what has me excited. I always think it is harder to judge how good a player will be at the college level when that player is the big fish in a small pond at a lower level. It's sort of the reason someone like Jaycee was passed on by everyone.....incredibly elite numbers?? yes! versus??? Wyoming HS competition? meh. Jaycee obviously proved he could do it at the next level too (and the level beyond that) but his story is overshadowed by the far more common ones like the Riley Bradshaw's and Dantley Walker's of the world.

I would argue that ashworth played against the highest level competition when his team went to nationals as he played against multiple draft picks and was part of the all-tournament team. So based off that thought ashworth should have you the most excited.

I am excited for Ashworth. Just more excited for Shulga at this point based on the reasons I described above. You're free to be the most excited for whichever one you like.

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 8:59 pm

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:40 am

Aglicious wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:03 am

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

I agree with this ^^^. To see his production and tape against what I would deem a higher level of competition than what Ashworth or Worster faced is what has me excited. I always think it is harder to judge how good a player will be at the college level when that player is the big fish in a small pond at a lower level. It's sort of the reason someone like Jaycee was passed on by everyone.....incredibly elite numbers?? yes! versus??? Wyoming HS competition? meh. Jaycee obviously proved he could do it at the next level too (and the level beyond that) but his story is overshadowed by the far more common ones like the Riley Bradshaw's and Dantley Walker's of the world.

I would argue that ashworth played against the highest level competition when his team went to nationals as he played against multiple draft picks and was part of the all-tournament team. So based off that thought ashworth should have you the most excited.

I am excited for Ashworth. Just more excited for Shulga at this point based on the reasons I described above. You're free to be the most excited for whichever one you like.

You must not understand that the point of an online forum is to fight. Can't be so passive and just allow others to have an opinion that differs from yours.

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 8:59 pm

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:40 am

Aglicious wrote: ↑

June 10th, 2020, 10:03 am

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 2:38 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:37 pm

treesap32 wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 1:02 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

May 28th, 2020, 11:56 am

I going to go out on a limb and say this might be the deepest team we've ever had at Utah State. I feel great about the upcoming season.

You could be right. It's just hard to say when we haven't seen anything from the majority of our incoming players. I remember being EXTREMELY excited when we recruited Quincy Bair, Marcel Davis, and Riley Bradshaw a few years back. Davis was the only one that played more than a game or two for us, and transferred after two seasons.

I'd place our incoming players into the following categories:

Very High Confidence
Anthony - Coach already stated he was one of the best "Gets" in recruiting he's had and that he'll play a ton of minutes for us

High Confidence
Shulga - Yes, I LOVE what I've seen from this kid
Zapala - Lots of hype and big time offers
McChesney All reports are that he's a lights out shooter and freak athlete for as tall as he is

Medium Confidence
Ashworth - Was probably higher on him shortly after he committed but it's been so long and team transformed so much under Coach Smith that I'm in a wait and see phase
Worster - Could be very good for us, but it's yet to be seen. I was burned by Riley Bradshaw so I'm hesitant to go all in just yet.

It's going to be interesting to see how we handle redshirts this coming year. I think at least a couple of the guys above should redshirt. Obviously Anthony and McChesney won't and I doubt that Zapala does... My guess is that Ashworth and Worster redshirt, but if one of them is good enough to play I'll be very happy with that outcome.

I like how you separated this out into categories.

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time separating out hype from reality with incoming freshman, and (perhaps because of this), I'm a lot bigger on Ashworth and Worster than on Shulga. Ashworth sounds amazing, as does Worster. So, why are you much more confident in Shulga than the other two?

Shulga's highlight videos remind me a lot of Matthew Dellavedova. Kid looks like a baller to me. His shooting stats are obscenely good, he's got good handles, good passer, great defender that can get a high amount of steals, and even a good rebounder. He's played well at an U18 international level. Coach was comparing him a lot to Diogo Brito saying that he's a "jack of all trades" and a "swiss army knife" and an elite shooter which is a quality we're sorely in need of. He seems pretty excited to get him. From the minute I saw him in his highlight videos I thought that this kid was going to be a baller for us.

But again, it's hard to say on incoming freshmen. I could be way off. But I think this is a sleeper signing that we are going to LOVE in years to come.

I agree with this ^^^. To see his production and tape against what I would deem a higher level of competition than what Ashworth or Worster faced is what has me excited. I always think it is harder to judge how good a player will be at the college level when that player is the big fish in a small pond at a lower level. It's sort of the reason someone like Jaycee was passed on by everyone.....incredibly elite numbers?? yes! versus??? Wyoming HS competition? meh. Jaycee obviously proved he could do it at the next level too (and the level beyond that) but his story is overshadowed by the far more common ones like the Riley Bradshaw's and Dantley Walker's of the world.

I would argue that ashworth played against the highest level competition when his team went to nationals as he played against multiple draft picks and was part of the all-tournament team. So based off that thought ashworth should have you the most excited.

I am excited for Ashworth. Just more excited for Shulga at this point based on the reasons I described above. You're free to be the most excited for whichever one you like.

Likewise Sap. And your analysis above was fantastic. Let’s hope that at least one of the three is ready to contribute next year.

If it helps with the debate, I am not excited by any of them.

Ashworth will be a great Aggie...I'm really looking forward to watching him play. I think I will enjoy watching any Craig Smith-coached team.

newhouse9 wrote: ↑

June 11th, 2020, 9:02 am

Ashworth will be a great Aggie...I'm really looking forward to watching him play. I think I will enjoy watching any Craig Smith-coached team.

I will admit I have a man crush on Coach Smith. He is an awesome ambassador of the program, I can listen to his interviews all day. With him at the helm I have no doubt we can stay close to the top of the conference (already been at the top 2 years in a row) consistently going forward..

Got to see some of the guys play recently. Worster is going to impress. If he doesn't start I will be surprised.

NewUSUfan wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 11:49 am

Got to see some of the guys play recently. Worster is going to impress. If he doesn't start I will be surprised.

Thanks for your post! The direct connection to Worster is obvious, but I love the contribution anyway. Please give us whatever info you've got. We're all ecstatic to see Worster play next year and are excited he's an Aggie.

Assuming no changes, our roster is now fully built. It's exciting and Karson seems like a great get.

I know there had been discussion of picking up a grad transfer PG, but that did not occur. It looks like Karson is a shooting guard. What does our depth at the 1 look like? Does Marco start at the 1 until we can get some of the freshman up to speed, then he transitions to 2? Is Marco a lock at the 1? Because I thought he was more of a 2.

Are we gonna be rolling with Bairstow and Marco at the one?

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:15 pm

Assuming no changes, our roster is now fully built. It's exciting and Karson seems like a great get.

I know there had been discussion of picking up a grad transfer PG, but that did not occur. It looks like Karson is a shooting guard. What does our depth at the 1 look like? Does Marco start at the 1 until we can get some of the freshman up to speed, then he transitions to 2? Is Marco a lock at the 1? Because I thought he was more of a 2.

I think Smith’s system is less structured than a traditional 1-5 team. Honestly, Marco should be a significant step closer to a true pg than porter was, at least in terms of athleticism. I thought porter was great for us, but he definitely wasn't the ultra-quick, traditional pg.

Dkdavis wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:31 pm

Are we gonna be rolling with Bairstow and Marco at the one?

Bairstow, Anthony, Worster and Ashworth can all play the 1.

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:15 pm

Assuming no changes, our roster is now fully built. It's exciting and Karson seems like a great get.

I know there had been discussion of picking up a grad transfer PG, but that did not occur. It looks like Karson is a shooting guard. What does our depth at the 1 look like? Does Marco start at the 1 until we can get some of the freshman up to speed, then he transitions to 2? Is Marco a lock at the 1? Because I thought he was more of a 2.

Positionless basketball. It does not matter who dribbles the ball 2/3 of the way up the floor.

aggies22 wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:49 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:15 pm

Assuming no changes, our roster is now fully built. It's exciting and Karson seems like a great get.

I know there had been discussion of picking up a grad transfer PG, but that did not occur. It looks like Karson is a shooting guard. What does our depth at the 1 look like? Does Marco start at the 1 until we can get some of the freshman up to speed, then he transitions to 2? Is Marco a lock at the 1? Because I thought he was more of a 2.

Positionless basketball. It does not matter who dribbles the ball 2/3 of the way up the floor.

no but during pressure if you don't have at least one that can break it, it does confound the problem

aggies22 wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:49 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:15 pm

Assuming no changes, our roster is now fully built. It's exciting and Karson seems like a great get.

I know there had been discussion of picking up a grad transfer PG, but that did not occur. It looks like Karson is a shooting guard. What does our depth at the 1 look like? Does Marco start at the 1 until we can get some of the freshman up to speed, then he transitions to 2? Is Marco a lock at the 1? Because I thought he was more of a 2.

Positionless basketball. It does not matter who dribbles the ball 2/3 of the way up the floor.

I know we play positionless basketball, and I even considered changing my phrasing to "primary ball handler" instead, but chose not to.

I agree; it doesn't really matter who brings the ball down the court. I guess rather than asking about traditional roles, let me ask this: who is going to be the primary distributor? To whom will we pass the ball when we want to reset? Or will we be seeing significant rotation during plays where any of the guards can be at the top of the key, setting screens, and looking to cut without one in particular who fills that void?

But, perhaps my question is inherently stuck in the traditional system. From what I recall, each of those 4 guards (Bairstow, Anthony, Ashworth, Worster) is a shooting threat, so whether they're handling/distributing or running a set play to score probably doesn't matter.

Side question: we ran a lot of offense through Queta last year. It seemed like his offensive game really increased compared to his freshman year, and he's such a great passer. Are his capabilities part of why we don't need a dedicated distributor?

NewUSUfan wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 11:49 am

Got to see some of the guys play recently. Worster is going to impress. If he doesn't start I will be surprised.

Any of the other guys impress you? I am very excited to have Rollie in Logan. Gonna be a great aggie!

My use of the term PG is synonymous with primary ball handler/distributor.

“PG’s typically have strong situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. Shorter players tend to be better dribblers since they are closer to the floor, and thus have better control of the ball while dribbling.

After an opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. Passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are crucial. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. Another major evaluation factor is assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot.”

Based on this description, I’d say Abel and Sam performed most of these PG duties last season.

Marco Anthony may be able to handle the ball but he doesn't look like the point guard/walk the ball up the court guy to me. In fact he was recruited as a forward out of high school. My guess is that he is taking Sam's spot at the two and even some time at the three if some of the other guys don't improve.

It would be awesome to have Ashworth and Worster come in and make an impact right away. I feel like Bairstow is most effective with the ball in his hands as well.

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 2:33 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:49 pm

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 1:15 pm

Assuming no changes, our roster is now fully built. It's exciting and Karson seems like a great get.

I know there had been discussion of picking up a grad transfer PG, but that did not occur. It looks like Karson is a shooting guard. What does our depth at the 1 look like? Does Marco start at the 1 until we can get some of the freshman up to speed, then he transitions to 2? Is Marco a lock at the 1? Because I thought he was more of a 2.

Positionless basketball. It does not matter who dribbles the ball 2/3 of the way up the floor.

I know we play positionless basketball, and I even considered changing my phrasing to "primary ball handler" instead, but chose not to.

I agree; it doesn't really matter who brings the ball down the court. I guess rather than asking about traditional roles, let me ask this: who is going to be the primary distributor? To whom will we pass the ball when we want to reset? Or will we be seeing significant rotation during plays where any of the guards can be at the top of the key, setting screens, and looking to cut without one in particular who fills that void?

But, perhaps my question is inherently stuck in the traditional system. From what I recall, each of those 4 guards (Bairstow, Anthony, Ashworth, Worster) is a shooting threat, so whether they're handling/distributing or running a set play to score probably doesn't matter.

Side question: we ran a lot of offense through Queta last year. It seemed like his offensive game really increased compared to his freshman year, and he's such a great passer. Are his capabilities part of why we don't need a dedicated distributor?

So here's what I'd say my answers are to each of these questions, even though you weren't asking me.

1. Who is going to be the primary distributor?

I wouldn't really say the Aggies have had "primary" distributor as much as they've had three guys capable of distributing the past couple of seasons: Abel, Sam and Diogo. You can see it in the assist averages, they're all pretty close to each other, especially last season where they're all within basically one assist of each other. Many of the plays the team ran could and did end up having any one of the three as the guy who makes the key pass.

As for this year, I'd expect to see a similar dynamic between Bairstow and Anthony, assuming those are the two starters, and whoever among the four freshman that win out for rotation minutes will also join the distributing party. Any one of the rotation guards will be used to initiate a play, similar to the last two years. Obviously someone is going to get the most looks as a passer, Merrill has been that guy for three seasons and I think Anthony will wind up being that guy this year, but as I said, I don't think it'll be because he's a primary distributor in a traditional sense. It's just running the offense through the best player.

2. Who gets the ball on a reset?

You pretty much nailed this one yourself. When plays have reset they usually don't kick the ball out to the PG who steps back 10 feet from the 3pt line to call another play, they just go right into a more freelance system that has baseline concepts but nothing scripted. When the reset itself happens, the first pass could go to anybody though Porter/Merrill/Brito were obviously the main suspects in initiating offense after the reset.

I think this season Anthony could get quite a few looks on reset plays but I think that's mostly because he has more ability to bail out teams with his isolation scoring and that's something this team hasn't seen from its perimeter players in a few years.

3. Queta's distribution

Utah State doesn't run plays to have Queta pass to others. Yes, it's a tool in his bag and formations/plays are set up to capitalize on the fact that he can find and hit the open shooter/cutter but when they ran plays for him it was to get him in the post with good position to score, passing was secondary. Smith isn't using Queta like Nikola Jokic.

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 3:54 pm

NewUSUfan wrote: ↑

June 12th, 2020, 11:49 am

Got to see some of the guys play recently. Worster is going to impress. If he doesn't start I will be surprised.

Any of the other guys impress you? I am very excited to have Rollie in Logan. Gonna be a great aggie!

This guy named Neemi was there too. He was all right. Kept hitting his head on the rim. Man, he is going to be a monster this year.

slcagg wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 12:38 pm

AggiesForever wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2020, 12:17 pm

I was told by a very experienced coach who saw McChesney on defense last year before he got sick/hurt, that he was the quickest guy he had ever seen guarding from the block out to the perimeter. If this is true, Liam could have a future at the 3. He might be tall, but his body is a "3" body. And he's a tremendous outside shooter.

Imagine a lot of this has to do with his length?

It actually has to do with his length AND athleticism. For 6-9 he is very athletic and quick. Im really excited to see him on the court this year.

My current thoughts on the depth chart. In addition, I see this as more of a mid-season expectation after play has shifted around and everyone has settled into where they'll be at year-end.

1: Marco, Ashworth, Bairstow
2: Shulga or Vedischev, Bairstow, Shulga or Vedischev
3: McChesney, Bairstow, Miller, Stastny
4: Bean, Anderson, Zapala, McChesney
5: Queta, Zapala, Kuba, Dorius
RS: Worster, Wickizer

Sorry for going crazy on the guards... without defined positions, it made it a bit tricky. So, I put Bairstow in all 3 positions, because he can play all over the court like that. I've put in bold the players that I think will start the season as starters.

Will we have another guard RS? We're really deep with our big guys, but 22 said Zapala is too good to redshirt, and Kuba/Dorius can't redshirt. Plus, I want Dorius getting time so that next year he and Zapala are ready to take the reigns.

The future looks very bright! Having recruits that are “too good to redshirt” is a great problem to have. How many years have we been able to say that?