Last spring, I stated that Arizona would not be so good because they would be overstocked on bigs and understocked on ball handling guards. This was based on the idea that transfer PG McConnell would not be up to the task, and that SG Nick Johnson would be all by himself, allowing other teams to pressure them into a folly of turnover mistakes. Boy was I wrong. Clearly, it was wishful thinking.

Also, Mathews was viewed as an afterthought, superfluous, recruit for some future moment after Bird went NBA. Wrong again.

Finally, I suggested that Cal would be better than last year. Well, I guess the jury is still out on that, especially after last night.

My prediction for next year is that Rorie will be the starting PG, at least by conference, if not sooner. I see Wallace as, clearly, a combo guard rather than the lead 40 minute ball handler. Too lose of a handle - but a great player nonetheless. The interesting thing will be to see how we dish out minutes between: Rorie, Wallace, Mathews, Bird, Kreklow at the 1-2-3 positions. Perhaps Kreklow will have to revive his 4 position again, with Kravish at the 5 and Behrens, Diallo, and Rooks, still not ready for prime time. Who hear thinks we could see Diallo as a significant minute contributor at the 5 as a true freshman? I guess it's not much of a stretch to see both Rorie and Diallo in the starting lineup! I'm more inclined to give Diallo the nod rather than going small with Kreklow and the skinny (but shot blocking) Kravish, or putting Rooks or Behrens in there full time.

Okay: 2014-15:
Rorie, Wallace, Singer
Wallace <-?-> Mathews
Bird, Kreklow
Kravish, Kreklow, Behrens, <--? Moute
Diallo, Rooks

...debate that as you like - but I think the most interesting development will be to see if Mathews can supplant Wallace at the 2. I think he can, and it could happen sooner rather than later! Mathews is a better shooter from everywhere except on fast breaks, cuts to the hole, and rebounding/putbacks; and Wallace has gotta be a better defender at this point with his length, height, and athleticism.
Also, I think I see much more potential for Moute than sitting 4th at the 4.

But, yeah, regarding #1 Arizona, WRONG! We'll see if the lack of a 3rd ball handling guard catches up with them deep in the tournament. You know the axiom: Guards Win in College Basketball.

concordtom;842259066 said:

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Last spring, I stated that Arizona would not be so good because they would be overstocked on bigs and understocked on ball handling guards. This was based on the idea that transfer PG McConnell would not be up to the task, and that SG Nick Johnson would be all by himself, allowing other teams to pressure them into a folly of turnover mistakes. Boy was I wrong. Clearly, it was wishful thinking.

Also, Mathews was viewed as an afterthought, superfluous, recruit for some future moment after Bird went NBA. Wrong again.

Finally, I suggested that Cal would be better than last year. Well, I guess the jury is still out on that, especially after last night.

My prediction for next year is that Rorie will be the starting PG, at least by conference, if not sooner. I see Wallace as, clearly, a combo guard rather than the lead 40 minute ball handler. Too lose of a handle - but a great player nonetheless. The interesting thing will be to see how we dish out minutes between: Rorie, Wallace, Mathews, Bird, Kreklow at the 1-2-3 positions. Perhaps Kreklow will have to revive his 4 position again, with Kravish at the 5 and Behrens, Diallo, and Rooks, still not ready for prime time. Who hear thinks we could see Diallo as a significant minute contributor at the 5 as a true freshman? I guess it's not much of a stretch to see both Rorie and Diallo in the starting lineup! I'm more inclined to give Diallo the nod rather than going small with Kreklow and the skinny (but shot blocking) Kravish, or putting Rooks or Behrens in there full time.

Okay: 2014-15:
Rorie, Wallace, Singer
Wallace <-?-> Mathews
Bird, Kreklow
Kravish, Kreklow, Behrens, <--? Moute
Diallo, Rooks

...debate that as you like - but I think the most interesting development will be to see if Mathews can supplant Wallace at the 2. I think he can, and it could happen sooner rather than later! Mathews is a better shooter from everywhere except on fast breaks, cuts to the hole, and rebounding/putbacks; and Wallace has gotta be a better defender at this point with his length, height, and athleticism.
Also, I think I see much more potential for Moute than sitting 4th at the 4.

But, yeah, regarding #1 Arizona, WRONG! We'll see if the lack of a 3rd ball handling guard catches up with them deep in the tournament. You know the axiom: Guards Win in College Basketball.

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I think Diallo will see significant minutes but not at center. Cal has been pretty specific with him about recruiting him as a 4. I suspect Rooks is going to play a lot next year if we play a true center.

I was somewhat skeptical about Arizona but they are for real. Which is good - brings more attention back to the conference and they can't take everyone. Or can they?

Don't sell Wallace short. Yes, Mathews went off yesterday. But Tyrone has the kind of game that excels in college (and particularly under Monty) - a guy that is able to come off curls from the top and either finish, draw contact, or likely by next year, stop and pop. Another year to grow and lift should turn him into even more of a Monster. I seem to remember ANOTHER guard, about 6'3" who in his Sophomore year everyone said "Well a nice change of pace guy and he defends well because of his energy but....wow...not very good offensively". I seem to remember him winning a pac-12 player of the year and having a pretty good offensive senior year Just Saying ;-)

socaltownie;842259089 said:

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Don't sell Wallace short. Yes, Mathews went off yesterday. But Tyrone has the kind of game that excels in college (and particularly under Monty) - a guy that is able to come off curls from the top and either finish, draw contact, or likely by next year, stop and pop. Another year to grow and lift should turn him into even more of a Monster. I seem to remember ANOTHER guard, about 6'3" who in his Sophomore year everyone said "Well a nice change of pace guy and he defends well because of his energy but....wow...not very good offensively". I seem to remember him winning a pac-12 player of the year and having a pretty good offensive senior year Just Saying ;-)

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Tyrone can play anywhere from PG to SF, and you can expect his handle to tighten up and his play to be headier. He's good guy to have, no doubt. I wouldn't put huge expectations on Rorie to be the starter immediately - he'll be a freshman and they tend to have trouble running a team against college competition early on.

bluesaxe;842259101 said:

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Tyrone can play anywhere from PG to SF, and you can expect his handle to tighten up and his play to be headier. He's good guy to have, no doubt. I wouldn't put huge expectations on Rorie to be the starter immediately - he'll be a freshman and they tend to have trouble running a team against college competition early on.

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Despite his current struggles, I would not sell Singer short.

We have not seen the best of him and he will have had more experience and be more comfortable at this level by next season.

Ditto for Tyrone, who is already with his warts an invaluable part of this team.

Go Bears!

bluesaxe;842259076 said:

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I think Diallo will see significant minutes but not at center. Cal has been pretty specific with him about recruiting him as a 4. I suspect Rooks is going to play a lot next year if we play a true center.

I was somewhat skeptical about Arizona but they are for real. Which is good - brings more attention back to the conference and they can't take everyone. Or can they?

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I see a likely starting front line of Kravish and Diallo, with Kravish nominally the 5 and Diallo nominally the 4, but with us playing a lot of man defense with assignments based on match-ups. (Though admittedly that may be wishful thinking about Diallo's readiness).

Rooks, Behrens, Moute or maybe Kreklow provide depth at the 4/5.

The 1/2/3 positions seem wide open with Bird, Kreklow, Wallace, Mathews Singer and Rorie all in the mix.

Yeah, Tyrone often conjures images of a bigger, perhaps more athletic Jorge.

Yeah, I think I also made a thread about how Wallace had suddenly become my new favorite Bear, and I said in another post how Bird was the most exciting thing to come to Berkeley in a long time. So, I take my ranging comments with a grain of salt. But Wallace's outside shot is still not where it needs to be. If Mathews is going to be ONIONS from the outside, then that's going to put pressure on Wallace.

Did anyone else notice MM getting all excited and wanting to jump out onto the court to pat Mathews' butt after that 2nd half 3? He's like, "You go, boy!" Mathews was like, "yeeaaaah, buddy! But who you callin' boy?!"
Honestly, I think Mathews is exactly what MM wants in a player. Tough, focused, not prone to error (though inbounds and blow by defense duly noted last night), and a strong shooter with confidence. Teacher's pet.

Good stuff is brewing with this development, no doubt. If Bird comes back and rocks the Haas, if Kravish and Solo stay out of foul trouble, look out.

calumnus;842259126 said:

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I see a likely starting front line of Kravish and Diallo, with Kravish nominally the 5 and Diallo nominally the 4, but with us playing a lot of man defense with assignments based on match-ups. (Though admittedly that may be wishful thinking about Diallo's readiness).

Rooks, Behrens, Moute or maybe Kreklow provide depth at the 4/5.

The 1/2/3 positions seem wide open with Bird, Kreklow, Wallace, Mathews Singer and Rorie all in the mix.

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I haven't seen Diallo live, but one thing seems clear - his body is ready for the college level. Big, fast and strong with hops. I don't expect much on offense but he seems like a guy who could come in and defend and defend the hoop. I'm sure he's raw and there will be ups and downs, but I'm really glad we landed him.

south bender;842259109 said:

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Despite his current struggles, I would not sell Singer short.

We have not seen the best of him and he will have had more experience and be more comfortable at this level by next season.

Ditto for Tyrone, who is already with his warts an invaluable part of this team.

Go Bears!

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+1

I'd like to see more of Singer; from some of the earlier threads, it seemed like he was more of a pure PG. As a result, his skills aren't as well-suited to our team's present needs (namely a backcourt scorer) with Bird on the IR and Ty not as consistently effective from midrange and behind the arc.* Whereas Justin's scoring ability (which is not to devalue his veteran leadership) paired with Mathews is a good backcourt scoring tandem.

By next year, however, I predict that under Monty's tutelage, Ty will be much more of an effective scoring threat from the 2. Pair him with Bird on the wings at the 3 and we should have enough midrange and distance scoring so that Singer's abilities as a pass-first PG will shine. This is even more true with DK playing the high post and Rooks** set up in the low post (where he'll hopefully have developed a couple of go-to moves and be more of a lane-clogging defensive presence).

If all this pans out as anticipated, that means Rorie will be a good change of pace PG off the bench (since by all accounts he's quicker than Singer). Along that line, Mathews will be a high-energy player who can effectively spell Bird/Ty without any noticeable dropoff in level of play. Though I am a little concerned about our front court as Diallo (true freshman with limited-to-no Div I and/or Pac-12 experience) and Roger (an athletic true sophomore who is unlikely to have come into his own just yet) will be tagging in for Rooks and DK.

*This is not really to fault Ty, rather, I think other teams have focused more on him in their scouting reports and are consequently turning up the defensive pressure to force him into lesser efficiency.

**Although I fully expect Rooks to become a low-post beast by his senior year, I doubt he'll achieve that level by next year. Though I do expect him to move better in the low post and to learn to use his size better on both ends of the floor.

concordtom;842259066 said:

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Last spring, I stated that Arizona would not be so good because they would be overstocked on bigs and understocked on ball handling guards. This was based on the idea that transfer PG McConnell would not be up to the task, and that SG Nick Johnson would be all by himself, allowing other teams to pressure them into a folly of turnover mistakes. Boy was I wrong. Clearly, it was wishful thinking.

Also, Mathews was viewed as an afterthought, superfluous, recruit for some future moment after Bird went NBA. Wrong again.

Finally, I suggested that Cal would be better than last year. Well, I guess the jury is still out on that, especially after last night.

My prediction for next year is that Rorie will be the starting PG, at least by conference, if not sooner. I see Wallace as, clearly, a combo guard rather than the lead 40 minute ball handler. Too lose of a handle - but a great player nonetheless. The interesting thing will be to see how we dish out minutes between: Rorie, Wallace, Mathews, Bird, Kreklow at the 1-2-3 positions. Perhaps Kreklow will have to revive his 4 position again, with Kravish at the 5 and Behrens, Diallo, and Rooks, still not ready for prime time. Who hear thinks we could see Diallo as a significant minute contributor at the 5 as a true freshman? I guess it's not much of a stretch to see both Rorie and Diallo in the starting lineup! I'm more inclined to give Diallo the nod rather than going small with Kreklow and the skinny (but shot blocking) Kravish, or putting Rooks or Behrens in there full time.

Okay: 2014-15:
Rorie, Wallace, Singer
Wallace <-?-> Mathews
Bird, Kreklow
Kravish, Kreklow, Behrens, <--? Moute
Diallo, Rooks

...debate that as you like - but I think the most interesting development will be to see if Mathews can supplant Wallace at the 2. I think he can, and it could happen sooner rather than later! Mathews is a better shooter from everywhere except on fast breaks, cuts to the hole, and rebounding/putbacks; and Wallace has gotta be a better defender at this point with his length, height, and athleticism.
Also, I think I see much more potential for Moute than sitting 4th at the 4.

But, yeah, regarding #1 Arizona, WRONG! We'll see if the lack of a 3rd ball handling guard catches up with them deep in the tournament. You know the axiom: Guards Win in College Basketball.

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You are still an idiot!!!! (just kidding)

You just like to draw big conclusions. Hell, it's a message board, have fun with it.

IMO, you will always get burned making pronouncements about teams like UA. They live off young talent rather than experience and cohesion. Thus, gelling is a huge factor between being top ten or NIT bound.

I think you are seriously getting ahead of yourself with Mathews having one monster game. Not sure why people keep downgrading Wallace. I said in the off season (when a certain poster was all over Kreklow's jock) Wallace started last year and did well. I'll believe he leaves the starting lineup when I see it. He is now starting and is a darned good player. No, he will never drain threes like Mathews, but he does a lot more other things that Mathews doesn't do yet. As far as I'm concerned, I see Wallace starting until he leaves, and I won't believe otherwise until someone takes that away.

south bender;842259109 said:

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Despite his current struggles, I would not sell Singer short.

We have not seen the best of him and he will have had more experience and be more comfortable at this level by next season.

Ditto for Tyrone, who is already with his warts an invaluable part of this team.

Go Bears!

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++++++ Could not agree more. Wallace is almost there, Singer is on his way. Get back Bird, bring in Rorie, and Diallo, and let Rooks season along Solo lines and wallah..