Jalen Cone chooses Va. Tech (as expected)

5,023 Views | 34 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Aston04
aggiejohn
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AG
As expected, Jalen Cone chooses Va. Tech:


wacarnolds
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AG
Cone
Mack
Wheeler
???
LawHall88
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AG
wacarnolds said:

Cone
Mack
Wheeler
???
Mark French.
aggiejohn
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AG
Andre Gordon will be a freshman point guard.

For additional lead guard depth, perhaps Buzz and crew will target Wabissa Bede as a transfer from Va Tech?
Wabissa Bede - Va Tech profile
His name is in the transfer portal, and he just completed his sophomore season. He is really good, but would have to sit out the 19-20 season due to transferring (absent some waiver). There are pictures of him on twitter with the "new" Va Tech team, so he might just stay on their squad...
Gap
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AG
Gordon is a combo guard like Starks and Mitchell. We really need a guy with A++ handles which is something that as of now is missing from our roster. Hopefully, there is a plan and we haven't just missed on all of our targets.
expresswrittenconsent
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Do we really need a guy with "A++ handles"?
Which of our 8 tourney teams over the last 15 yrs had one?
Aston04
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AG
Exactly. Previous staff recruited for that and did not generally work out well. Give me a guy who can shoot, get to rim and is decent with the ball. Couple combo guards can handle a press just fine.
Gap
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AG
Aston04 said:

Exactly. Previous staff recruited for that and did not generally work out well. Give me a guy who can shoot, get to rim and is decent with the ball. Couple combo guards can handle a press just fine.
Isn't that what we had last year with Mitchell and Starks and had trouble initiating our offense when another team put constant pressure on the ball? And playing French for some minutes even at his size improved the situation.
Gap
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expresswrittenconsent said:

Do we really need a guy with "A++ handles"?
Which of our 8 tourney teams over the last 15 yrs had one?
Definitely too many +'s on my original note but that is a pretty fine list of PG's on the listing below from our NCAA tourney teams that you asked about.

2006 - Acie Law
2007 - Acie Law, Donald Sloan
2008 - Donald Sloan
2009 - Donald Sloan
2010 - Donald Sloan, Dash Harris
2011 - Dash Harris
2016 - Alex Caruso, Anthony Collins
2018 - Duane Wilson (after his injury we we from a top 5 team to 0-5 in the SEC)
_lefraud_
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AG
2012 - 2019 was just so depressing outside of about 10 games.
Method Man
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Wilson wasn't an amazing ball handler.
expresswrittenconsent
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All were great Aggies and I hope you get your stars for listing all of our guards from those NCAAT teams. That being said, none were really the kind of guy you've described.
Good news is twofold:
1. That list shows we dont need Steve Nash to win and go dancing.
2. That guy plays for Georgia now and all the games are on TV.
Gap
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AG
expresswrittenconsent said:

All were great Aggies and I hope you get your stars for listing all of our guards from those NCAAT teams. That being said, none were really the kind of guy you've described.
Good news is twofold:
1. That list shows we dont need Steve Nash to win and go dancing.
2. That guy plays for Georgia now and all the games are on TV.
Everyone of those guys is a pure PG and everyone of those guys had great handles with Caruso being the closest to a combo guard. Great handles doesn't mean playing like a Harlem Globetrotter.

Do you think we need a PG? If so, what is the plan? Who are the targets? Are we waiting until the next recruiting class? We can certainly play without one as we did last year.
sincereag
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I believe Starks will be a great PG for us the next two years.
Gap
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AG
I love Starks on our team. He does a lot of things very well. He is super athletic. The thing we asked him to do that he isn't real good at is being the primary PG.

Starks' assists to turnovers:
Freshman:72 assists, 85 turnovers
Sophomore: 94 assists, 103 turnovers

For comparison, here is Alex Caruso who was a great assist guy but many thought had to many turnovers:

Freshman:112 assists, 75 turnovers
Sophomore: 170 assists, 84 turnovers
Junior:182 assists, 100 turnovers
Senior: 185 assists, 87 turnovers

I could add more compares, but most are going to be almost 2:1 assists to turnovers. None are going to have a 0.87 ratio like Starks has through 2 years.

I think Starks has been a heck of a team guy by doing his best to fill the need that he isn't the best at. Starks is a heck of a team guy to do that.
Aston04
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Gap said:

expresswrittenconsent said:

Do we really need a guy with "A++ handles"?
Which of our 8 tourney teams over the last 15 yrs had one?
Definitely too many +'s on my original note but that is a pretty fine list of PG's on the listing below from our NCAA tourney teams that you asked about.

2006 - Acie Law
2007 - Acie Law, Donald Sloan
2008 - Donald Sloan
2009 - Donald Sloan
2010 - Donald Sloan, Dash Harris
2011 - Dash Harris
2016 - Alex Caruso, Anthony Collins
2018 - Duane Wilson (after his injury we we from a top 5 team to 0-5 in the SEC)
the studs on that list weren't the stereotypical "A+ handles" recruits...

A+ handles guys- Dash and Caldwell come directly to mind. One disappointing to say the least and the other total bust.

Sloan, Law, and Caruso don't fit that mold and we were better for it.
Gap
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AG
So our best PG's that play/played the position in the NBA, didn't have good handles? You never let me down Texags. It seems you guys seem to want to make good handles into a player that is a dribbling fool who can't shoot.
ironmanag
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AG
Gap said:

expresswrittenconsent said:

Do we really need a guy with "A++ handles"?
Which of our 8 tourney teams over the last 15 yrs had one?
Definitely too many +'s on my original note but that is a pretty fine list of PG's on the listing below from our NCAA tourney teams that you asked about.

2006 - Acie Law
2007 - Acie Law, Donald Sloan
2008 - Donald Sloan
2009 - Donald Sloan
2010 - Donald Sloan, Dash Harris
2011 - Dash Harris
2016 - Alex Caruso, Anthony Collins
2018 - Duane Wilson (after his injury we we from a top 5 team to 0-5 in the SEC)
None of these players were A++ ball handlers. Every year we expected the next big guard recruit to be that guy and it never happened.
According to the Biden White House, what Joe Biden says does not represent the official position of the Biden administration.
bobinator
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AG
Starks is an "A++ handles guy." His ability to handle the ball isn't why he's been hit and miss as a point guard.

Hopefully Buzz can mold him into a better decision maker, because he has all of the tools to be one, he just hasn't had the mentality of one. I think the big question is how much of Starks' struggles at point guard were him not really having the mindset of a point guard and how much were our trash offense we were trying to run.

The only really good point guard we had in the entire Kennedy era was Caruso who's one of the smartest basketball players I've ever seen. And also was a very good ballhandler, I'm not sure why some people think he wasn't.

I'm not willing to give on Starks as a point guard yet. I also think we could run a system where having a primary ballhandler isn't as big of a concern as it was last year.
Pumpkinhead
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Buzz and his staff definitely preferred to add another guard to the 2019 recruiting class, who could play some PG. His 2019 signees to Virginia Tech were Anthony Harris, Emanuel Miller, Andre Gordon, and Yeezy Gultekin, where Harris and Gordon were both combo-guards who could play either off the ball or at lead guard.

Buzz brought three of those 4 VT commits over to A&M (Miller, Gordon, & Gultekin). He then also added Cashius McNeilly and Quenton Jackson to A&M's roster but those two players are 'off the ball' types all the way.

After arriving at A&M, Buzz took a look at Wheeler and met with him. But pretty clear at this point based on how things played out that Buzz was at best lukewarm on Wheeler. Whatever the reason, there must have been something he didn't like, because it appeared the Wheelers were initially open to talking to Buzz and then things moved on quickly. They then instead took a shot at Cone and Mack.

What will they do from here?

They got 10 of the scholarship spots out of a possible 13 spots filled. The remaining three spots, they appear to be looking at that Jalen Thomas center recruit - who my impression would be a likely redshirt developmental sort of project. They absolutely will add a grad transfer big who can play right away...the top choice obviously being Kerry Blackshear. But if Blackshear doesn't happen then I'd be shocked if they don't bring in a Plan B grad transfer big. And that 13th scholarship spot? Hard to say. Could be a grad transfer or they could go and fill that spot with a transfer who they really like but has to sit out a year.

Next season, if they don't add any more guards, then presumably what you will see is Mitchell, Starks, and Gordon playing the lead guard spot at times, with Starks probably the bulk of the time if him and Buzz are on the same page.

Note that last season, I watched Buzz have to play 12 conference games in the ACC with only about 7 scholarship players - and their PG Justin Robinson unavailable due to a foot injury. They still won their share of games on gritty defense and effort. That is one nice thing that it seems you can always count on with Buzz teams...they play hard and you'll consistently see good motors running out there.
expresswrittenconsent
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Gap said:

So our best PG's that play/played the position in the NBA, didn't have good handles? You never let me down Texags. It seems you guys seem to want to make good handles into a player that is a dribbling fool who can't shoot.

Dont blame texags when you pop off with idiocy and get called on it. You made poor points, were given a chance to explain yourself and instead tried to blame others. Caruso, Sloan, and Law played several years each in the NBA and none of them are A++ ball handlers. Caldwell and Dash were pretty good with the ball and one was a complete bust and the other was one of the worst offensive players in major college hoops getting starter minutes.
Isaih Smollett
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How's TJs shoulder? Hope he's building confidence in that jumper
Tango_Mike
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Donald Sloan was a 100% SG. To remind you of his "A++ handles," watch the ISO plays Turgeon would call as a last possession. At least half the time Sloan would dribble it off his foot or get it stripped. He was a fantastic college guard, but not Iverson's handles.

Acie and Caruso were excellent college PGs, but not because they were breaking ankles with a crossover
bobinator
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AG
What exactly are we considering good ball handling?

Caruso didn't score a lot off the bounce, and neither did Acie really, but both of them could easily get to pretty much anywhere on the floor and get the offensive moving.

Neither of them were blow-by guys like Starks is, but I'd consider both of them very good ballhandlers.
Tango_Mike
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All 3 were more than adequate ballhandlers, but they're nowhere near "A++" level, which sounds like Iverson or Nash or Lonzo Ball. I have nothing bad to say about any of them, but they were certainly not "elite" ballhandlers
MarcAg
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Starks is a PG and Gordon is a PG. Mitchell can handle the ball fine. I'm not worried about lack of a PG.
wacarnolds
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MarcAg said:

Starks is a PG and Gordon is a PG. Mitchell can handle the ball fine. I'm not worried about lack of a PG.

The counter to this would be:
-Starks has been pretty awful for 2 years (insert whatever your preferred reason why)
-Gordon is a lightly recruited freshman
-Mitchell is our starting 2 guard and did not put up good numbers when playing as lead guard

I think the team overall will be better last year (hard be any worse) but it's hard to be confident in the quality of PG play we'll see.
Aston04
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Gap said:

So our best PG's that play/played the position in the NBA, didn't have good handles? You never let me down Texags. It seems you guys seem to want to make good handles into a player that is a dribbling fool who can't shoot.
What a horrible post. We were merely talking about TYPES of point guard prospects. Ironically, my point was the type you like weren't labeled as A+ handler types during the recruiting process and worked out great at point.. That's exactly it.. We don't need to have a guy that fits that stereotype during his recruitment to run the offense. So the guys Buzz has signed- labeled as "combo guards," may work out great.

Another guy that was a disappointment that fit the A+ handles mold from recruiting was Arob. Although that looks like in hindsight BK gave up too quick on that one.

Your post was a complete swing and miss.

Gap
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AG
For simplicity, no labels. We need a point guard who can get where he wants on the court and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. Our NCAA history says we need one (most every outstanding team has one). Do we have that kind of guy on the team now? If he is already on our roster, who is he?
Pumpkinhead
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AG
Gap said:

For simplicity, no labels. We need a point guard who can get where he wants on the court and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. Our NCAA history says we need one (most every outstanding team has one). Do we have that kind of guy on the team now? If he is already on our roster, who is he?
Of the returning players, Starks certainly can get to any where he wants on the court...he is as 'elite' at doing that as anyone we have ever had in College Station IMO. The issue is the second part of your question: whether his decision making will improve as a junior - 3rd season in D1 - and under a different coaching staff.
DTP02
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AG
We won't be running the same offense this season. Buzz wants to put at least four players on the court who have enough offensive skill to handle, shoot and pass at least decently well. He's all about versatility on both ends of the court. That takes some of the load off the PG.

Also, this latest version of the Va Tech team ran a lot of the offense thru the high post. I'm not sure how much we can do that unless we land Blackshear, but the bigger point is that we aren't likely to be putting all of our handling and initiating responsibilities on one guy- by design not just personnel.

If Buzz was convinced he needed another pure PG, we would have pushed more for Wheeler IMO.
DukeMu
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expresswrittenconsent said:

Do we really need a guy with "A++ handles"?
Which of our 8 tourney teams over the last 15 yrs had one?
BCG's 2007 squad had a low TO%, while 2nd in the nation on defense in creating TOs. It's the differential that really counts.

DukeMu
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DTP02 said:

We won't be running the same offense this season. Buzz wants to put at least four players on the court who have enough offensive skill to handle, shoot and pass at least decently well. He's all about versatility on both ends of the court. That takes some of the load off the PG.

Also, this latest version of the Va Tech team ran a lot of the offense thru the high post. I'm not sure how much we can do that unless we land Blackshear, but the bigger point is that we aren't likely to be putting all of our handling and initiating responsibilities on one guy- by design not just personnel.

If Buzz was convinced he needed another pure PG, we would have pushed more for Wheeler IMO.

Today's game doesn't necessarily have set positions. Better with 4 really good handles that don't make TOs rather than a single A++ handle and 4 crappy handles.

Gap
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AG
Because there were people pushing for 4 players with crappy handles to be on the floor at all times.
aggiejohn
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wacarnolds said:

Cone
Mack
Wheeler
???


Maybe Jimmy Whitt will transfer to TAMU as a graduate PG:
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