Name your Opening Night Starting Lineup

lhsgolf19 · #1 11-12-2008, 01:04 PM

after watching Preseason, I'd go:

G Warren
G M. Johnson
G/F C. Johnson
F Wright
F Huelsman

What do you guys think?

TheDuke2003 · #2 11-12-2008, 02:25 PM

I'll do you one better and go with a depth chart with minute distribution:

PG: London Warren (22 minutes), Rob Lowry (15 minutes), Stephen Thomas (3 minutes)
SG: Marcus Johnson (20 minutes), Paul Williams (12 minutes), Mickey Perry (8 minutes)
SF: Chris Wright (20 minutes), Marcus Johnson (10 minutes), Chris Johnson (10 minutes)
PF: Charles Little (18 minutes), Chris Wright (10 minutes), Luke Fabrezius (10 minutes), Devin Searcy (2 minutes)
C: Kurt Huelsman (25 minutes), Devin Searcy (13 minutes)

Breaking it down:

Chris Wright (30 minutes)
Marcus Johnson (30 minutes)
Kurt Huelsman (25 minutes)
London Warren (22 minutes)
Charles Little (18 minutes)
Rob Lowery (15 minutes)
Devin Searcy (15 minutes)
Paul Williams (12 minutes)
Chris Johnson (10 minutes)
Luke Fabrezius (10 minutes)
Mickey Perry (8 minutes)
Stephen Thomas (3 minutes)

10 guys with 10 minutes or more. Thats a pretty ambitious minute distribution making an extremely deep bench, but I think this squad is versitile enough to make it happen. I think Little starts all year because he is the lone senior, but I will be shocked if he plays more than 20 minutes a game.

lhsgolf19 · #3 11-12-2008, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by TheDuke2003

I'll do you one better and go with a depth chart with minute distribution:

PG: London Warren (22 minutes), Rob Lowry (15 minutes), Stephen Thomas (3 minutes)
SG: Marcus Johnson (20 minutes), Paul Williams (12 minutes), Mickey Perry (8 minutes)
SF: Chris Wright (20 minutes), Marcus Johnson (10 minutes), Chris Johnson (10 minutes)
PF: Charles Little (18 minutes), Chris Wright (10 minutes), Luke Fabrezius (10 minutes), Devin Searcy (2 minutes)
C: Kurt Huelsman (25 minutes), Devin Searcy (13 minutes)

Breaking it down:

Chris Wright (30 minutes)
Marcus Johnson (30 minutes)
Kurt Huelsman (25 minutes)
London Warren (22 minutes)
Charles Little (18 minutes)
Rob Lowery (15 minutes)
Devin Searcy (15 minutes)
Paul Williams (12 minutes)
Chris Johnson (10 minutes)
Luke Fabrezius (10 minutes)
Mickey Perry (8 minutes)
Stephen Thomas (3 minutes)

10 guys with 10 minutes or more. Thats a pretty ambitious minute distribution making an extremely deep bench, but I think this squad is versitile enough to make it happen. I think Little starts all year because he is the lone senior, but I will be shocked if he plays more than 20 minutes a game.

Chris Johnson only 10 minutes are u nuts lol

TheDuke2003 · #4 11-12-2008, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by lhsgolf19

Chris Johnson only 10 minutes are u nuts lol

I haven't seen Johnson play live yet, so I may be underselling him, so my question is: who does he steal minutes from? Mickey Perry getting the Thiago Cordero treatment? Stephen Thomas riding the bench except for blowouts? MJ playingless thatn 30 minutes a game? Willaims playing less (which with his D, I don't see happening)? CJ is likely going to play mostly at the 3, where our best player plays as well. The minutes have to come from somewhere, and i expect that minutes will at least start out like this.

lhsgolf19 · #5 11-12-2008, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by TheDuke2003

I haven't seen Johnson play live yet, so I may be underselling him, so my question is: who does he steal minutes from? Mickey Perry getting the Thiago Cordero treatment? Stephen Thomas riding the bench except for blowouts? MJ playingless thatn 30 minutes a game? Willaims playing less (which with his D, I don't see happening)? CJ is likely going to play mostly at the 3, where our best player plays as well. The minutes have to come from somewhere, and i expect that minutes will at least start out like this.

In my opinion I see CJ taking minutes from CL... as you see from my starting lineup I actually see him starting at the 3 and CW moves to the 4.

Canonball · #6 11-12-2008, 02:37 PM

Chris Johnson at this point will be getting rotated into whatever you want to call our guard/forward slot ... he's actually outplayed Marcus (in terms of statistics) at this point. Paul Williams is still recovering and is a question mark in terms of collegiant play ... beyond that I don't see anybody who's going to take sub minutes away from CJ. To tell you the truth I kind of see him starting as was speculated on the first post.

TheDuke2003 · #7 11-12-2008, 02:40 PM

I just don't see BG giving his lone senior less than the 18 minutes a game I have listed, and will probably start him all year because he is that lone senior, even if he doesn't even play more than half of the game.

Canonball · #8 11-12-2008, 02:46 PM

That's the sole reason Charles starts and I'm fine with that but I be the minutes come out about even between CJ and CL if not tilting towards CJ.

We don't lose anything in defense and rebounding with CJ versus CL ... we gain offense. His stroke from the free throw line looks good even if the numbers are iffy right now. He has shown he can make the mid-range jumper. We know what CL does on the line and with mid-range jumpers and I don't imagine that's changing this year. Keep in mind that CL will also be competing with Fab for minutes as a forward. He's between a rock and a hard place with the way players have been rotating thus far. He'll get his minutes but he'll be splitting them with the 3 hungry freshman and having a coach that might be looking to the future.

The X factor on this deal for me is what do we have with Paul Williams.

Medford · #9 11-12-2008, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by TheDuke2003

I just don't see BG giving his lone senior less than the 18 minutes a game I have listed, and will probably start him all year because he is that lone senior, even if he doesn't even play more than half of the game.

Didn't start his lone senior on Tuesday night.

I'm going with:

London, Marcus, Chris Johnson, Wright, Huelsman.

Pretty similar to what I thought would be the best lineup heading into the offseason when I proposed the 3 gaurd lineup of PG (london or Lowry), Marcus, another gaurd type (I figured Perry or Williams would get the nod), Wright & Huelsman. Johnson certainly looks to fill the roll based upon preseason play.

San Diego Flyer · #10 11-12-2008, 03:06 PM

If Gregory started JB for a year as a senior, do you really believe that he would not provide the same respect this year to his lone senior, Little, who has significantly more impact on the game.

The Coach is going to point to his upperclass leaders to start the season, same as the Capitol game.

This conjecture leads back to the real debate---Should you start your five best players regardless of tenure??

Some places it might work that way, but not at UD under Brian. Let us not forget we need firepower, energy, and balance off the bench too. Thankfully, it looks like we have it.

Besides, Chris Johnson (showing considerable talent) has proven nothing yet except that along with several others we can look forward to some exciting subs.

San Diego Flyer · #11 11-12-2008, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by Medford

Didn't start his lone senior on Tuesday night.

.

And he started Stephen Thomas too. Last time we will see that lineup.

Figgie123 · #12 11-12-2008, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer

If Gregory started JB for a year as a senior, do you really believe that he would not provide the same respect this year to his lone senior, Little, who has significantly more impact on the game.

The Coach is going to point to his upperclass leaders to start the season, same as the Capitol game.

I had to verify for myself that JB started all year, and I'll be darned he did. As did Brian Roberts. Sandoval, on the other hand, only started 23 games. He came in after Wright got injured. Is it important, though, that Binnie actually started 15 games his junior year, and Little started NONE? Little's last starts were the last 6 games of 2006/2007, and that's because Monty Scott got injured, otherwise it would have been 2006/2007 game 17.

Figgie

TheDuke2003 · #13 11-12-2008, 03:57 PM

I guess my first post was more what I think BG is going to do, while the thread is named what I would do, so here is how I would do it, not caring about anybodies feelings, or senior loyalty:

PG: London Warren (22 minutes), Rob Lowery (17 minutes), Stephen Thomas (1 minute)
SG: Paul Williams (16 minutes), Marcus Johnson (20 minutes), Mickey Perry (4 minutes)
SF: Marcus Johnson (10 minutes), Chris Johnson (16 minutes), Chris Wright (14 minutes)
PF: Chris Wright (16 minutes), Charles Little (14 minutes), Luke Fabrezius (10 minutues)
C: Kurt Huelsman (25 minutes), Devin Searcy (15 minutes)

Chris Wright (30 minutes)
Marcus Johnson (30 minutes)
Kurt Huelsman (25 minutes)
London Warren (22 minutes)
Rob Lowrey (17 minutes)
Paul Williams (16 minutes)
Chris Johnson (16 minutes)
Devin Searcy (15 minutes)
Charles Little (14 minutes)
Luke Fabrezius (10 minutes)
Mickey Perry (4 minutes)
Stephen Thomas (1 minute)

I'd take away minutes from Perry and Little, and give them to Williams and Johnson. 3rd PG's don't play that much, so there go most of Thomas' minutes. While it may be best for CW's NBA aspirations to play the 3, i'd split him almost evenly between the 3 and the 4 since that is what would be most effective for the team. If CW can hit 3's at a 33+% clip, then i'd let him play SF full time.

NorthwestFlyer · #14 11-12-2008, 04:25 PM

I'm not sure why everyone thinks Williams is going to be good enough this year to warrant 15 or so minutes. The spot he is going for is highly competitive and we really have yet to see him play. From the scouting, he should be the best of the incoming Freshman, but he still hasn't gotten into game shape. It will be a while before he gets his minutes and he is behind the rest of the squad and has a hill to climb. I am looking forward to seeing him play and I certainly liked what I saw against Capital.

Judging by BG's loyalty to Seniors that have been on the squad from the beggining, I think we will see
LW
MJ
CW
CL
KH

CJ and DS will be the first off the bench.

San Diego Flyer · #15 11-12-2008, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Figgie123

I had to verify for myself that JB started all year, and I'll be darned he did. As did Brian Roberts. Sandoval, on the other hand, only started 23 games. He came in after Wright got injured. Is it important, though, that Binnie actually started 15 games his junior year, and Little started NONE? Little's last starts were the last 6 games of 2006/2007, and that's because Monty Scott got injured, otherwise it would have been 2006/2007 game 17.

Figgie

Little is not a 5,3,2, or 1.
Gregory had Roberts, Warren, Marcus, Binnie, and Wright starting the year.

The only senior missing was Sandoval who underachieved his Junior year because of injury and/or being overweight and out of shape (take your pick).

Wright went down and BG went with a reinvigorated and slimmer senior--Andres Sandoval. Why? Because he was a good sized body, could shoot from outside (sometimes) and could guard bigger bodies if necessary, and was his only missing senior from the starting lineup. He filled a need.

Sophomore Charles Little started 23 games in Jimmy Binnie's Junior year.
Where do you get that he started none?

Flyer1407 · #16 11-12-2008, 04:51 PM

1-L. Warren
2-M. Johnson
3.C. Wright
4-C. Little / C. Johnson
5-K. Huelsman

I would start Charles to start out the season, but maybe the guy just plays better coming off the bench. Whoever Gregory starts at the 4 is ok by me.

daytonflyers · #17 11-12-2008, 05:00 PM

dont know how you can give paul williams 16 minutes at this point. i would say <10mpg for him unless he starts to make more of an impact.

we need chris johnson on the court. he is a hungry player who is ALWAYS around the ball.

while i love the depth, i do hope gregory doesnt spread the minutes too evenly. i want london to play more than 22 minutes a game. if lowery proves to be the better option, then i want him to play more than 22 minutes. i dont think it is good to have your starting PG only play half the game.

its sad to think some of these talented guys wont get many minutes. but i do think we have to widdle down the rotation some--we cant go 12 deep with all playing considerable minutes.

PG--thomas will likely be odd man out unless the other two just cant produce on a given night. i say 26 minutes for london at PG and 14 for lowery.

SG is where we are log-jammed. marcus needs 27+ mpg (with say 22 coming at SG). so the other 18 minutes should go to perry/johnson/williams. i would say give 5 or so to johnson and the rest to EITHER perry or williams. i would rather have one of those guys playing 13 mins than both of them getting token minutes.

SF will have wright for around 16 minutes. if 5 are taken by marcus, and 17 for chris johnson (giving him 22 total). maybe 2-3 of these minutes to williams/perry.

PF--wright should play an addition 13 minutes at PF. fabrizius plays 10-12 minutes here with charles playing the other 15-17.

C--Kurt should play 22-25 minutes. searcy should play 12-15. i think charles should also play here for 3-5 minutes a game (giving him 20mpg total).

result:
warren 26
lowery 14
mjohnson 27
cjohnson 22
williams/perry 13-15
wright 29
little 20
fabrizius 10-12
kurt 23-25
searcy 12-15

i think it is important that williams and perry dont split their 15 mins in half. one of them has to win the job. when you only play 5 minutes, you dont feel as much a part of the game as if you play 12-15. its sad because both seem to be good players, but i think we would be better off if one beat out the other. not that the 'loser' doesnt get to play, but that he plays 3-5 and the other plays 10-15.

FLORIDAFLYER · #18 11-12-2008, 06:28 PM

How does BG justify starting a player who coasts when he is instilling the go-go, do or die, give 110% mentality in the rest of the team. While there is a certain amount of loyality to the senior, it goes both wqys. Where is CL's loyality to BG and the team if he is a coaster. Play the best five. If CL is one of them fine, if not have him come off the bench. We have a lot of young talent on the team, and being a senior counts for something but not everything. Right now CJ should start.

NorthwestFlyer · #19 11-12-2008, 06:45 PM

Little didn't play horribly in exhibition. He improved his foul shooting tremendously grabbed a few boards and put 16 points up (same as CJ). If CJ keeps up the good numbers and activity, then he will earn the spot, but so far we haven't seen him play against any Div 1 talent. At the moment I would rather stick with Little, he won't make the mistakes that CJ may make at the beginning of the game that could put us behind to start.

Canonball · #20 11-12-2008, 07:36 PM

I think Little probably starts but magically ends up with less minutes than CJ at the end of the year.

CL's problem is that he's a one dimensional player on a team that is designed to have interchangeable parts at his position. Next, he doesn't present any mismatch issues that coaches are going to have to think about like Fab seems to already be presenting. As someone pointed out he is not a 1,2,3 or 5. He is what he is and if we get 8 and 5 from him we're doing well and that's valuable. He's just competing with guys that can play 2,3,4 on any given night ... each of whom can play just as tough on defense and can board just as well as CL. I just want to see some fire from him. Who knows being a starter might just be the thing he needs to stoke that fire. Time will tell.

San Diego Flyer · #21 11-12-2008, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Canonball

I think Little probably starts but magically ends up with less minutes than CJ at the end of the year.

.

In the end, this is where I also think the story goes. Start--play fewer minutes, unless he provides some unexpected dimension on a regular basis.

Gilchrist's Autograph 2 · #22 11-12-2008, 09:45 PM

Starting Line-up:
Huelsman
Wright
C Johnson
M Johnson
Warren

Minutes:
Center - Huelsman-23, Searcy-14, Little-3
P Forward - Wright-15, Little-16, Fabrizius-9
S Forward - C Johnson-19, Wright-13, M Johnson-8
S Guard - M Johnson-22, Perry-8, Williams-8, Lowrey-2
P Guard - Warren-20, Lowrey-17, Thomas-3

Totals:
M Johnson-30
Wright-28
Huelsman-23
Warren-20
Lowrey-19
C Johnson-19
Little-19
Searcy-14
Fabrizius-9
Perry-8
Williams-8
Thomas-3

DaytonDecibelDungeon · #23 11-12-2008, 09:51 PM

IMO, it doesn't matter who starts. As often as BG subs players in and out and keeps legs fresh, it's not a concern. Odds are it is LW, MJ, CW, CL, KH for about 4mins and then it's a new rotation. If this is our biggest debate, we're in GREAT shape

Figgie123 · #24 11-13-2008, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer

Little is not a 5,3,2, or 1.

Yes, he's a 4, but it seems at times that BG puts him in at the 5. Like this matters 100% anyway, because they sometimes have 3 guards and 2 forwards out there, and don't play a center. Or take a forward to play the center spot.

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer

Gregory had Roberts, Warren, Marcus, Binnie, and Wright starting the year.

Actually, Warren did not start, it was Huelsman in the lineup. So, PG=Roberts, SG=Marcus, C=Huelsman, SF=Binnie and PF=Wright. Wright can slip to the SF and put Little in a PF. So, when Wright goes down, you put Sandoval in at PF? Or did you slip Binnie into PF and put Sandoval at SF?

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer

Sophomore Charles Little started 23 games in Jimmy Binnie's Junior year.
Where do you get that he started none?

I was attempting to compare Junior years, not use Binnie's Junior year. Little did not start any games his Junior year, whereas Binnie started 15 games his Junior year. So, let's look at Little's starts per years. Freshman = 6 games, Sophomore = 23 games, Junior = 0 games. So, his Junior year, 2 upperclassmen (not him), and 3 underclassmen start the year.

Figgie

daytonflyers · #25 11-14-2008, 05:00 PM

Anyone worried about too much depth? Good teams dont usually go 11 deep. We all know gregory likes to spread the minutes around...

San Diego Flyer · #26 11-14-2008, 05:22 PM

I'm to the point where I don't care how many players he uses to win. But when and if the losing starts I would hope the rotation begins to tighten. Also, it's not likely that we have 11 multi-dimensional experienced players. We have a lot of unproven potential--which is not a bad thing.