Breaking: Pons returning to Tennessee

#51
#51
Joe Dirt said:
Vescovi, to me, is just way too reckless for CRB to give extensive minutes to if there is another option. I think he will improve a lot in that area, though. In the limited amounts I've seen VB he looks like diet John Wall. Elite speed, good shooter and good distributer. Vescovi could be an excellent #2 PG to give us a spark off the bench.
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I could be wrong, but I don't think we'll see much of Vescovi at PG this year unless there is an emergency. He is clearly much more comfortable as an off-ball shooter and not a distributor. He is way too prone to turnovers. My assumption is Bailey will be the #1 PG and then you'll see Springer act as the backup. Josiah has also proven he can be an effective distributor, so you could see him spend a few minutes at PG this year in some moments where Bailey and Springer are catching their breath.
 
#53
#53
TheMookieMonster said:
I could be wrong, but I don't think we'll see much of Vescovi at PG this year unless there is an emergency. He is clearly much more comfortable as an off-ball shooter and not a distributor. He is way too prone to turnovers. My assumption is Bailey will be the #1 PG and then you'll see Springer act as the backup. Josiah has also proven he can be an effective distributor, so you could see him spend a few minutes at PG this year in some moments where Bailey and Springer are catching their breath.
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I tend to agree with this, but I will be interested to see if he has grown out of some of those bad tendencies that led to the TOs. He was at a real disadvantage last year, coming in from international ball to the American game, learning Barnes' system, and then being thrown to the wolves all at once. He didn't really have a lot of time for the game to slow down for him.

I'm curious if he has worked on those tendencies to dribble into trouble, leave his feet with no option but to throw the ball away, or to force a pass that isn't there. Those are the kinds of things a fall camp and a normal offseason would have afforded him, and he didn't have the advantage of either one. He still hasn't had an offseason program, but hopefully some guidance from the staff as he worked on his own, and the addition of fall camp this year will allow him to cut down on some of those mistakes.

That said, I stated last year I believed Springer would play PG, and Vescovi SG, primarily, this year. If Bailey steps in and gets the majority of PG minutes, then that's a good problem to have. Too many PGs is never a problem.
 
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#55
#55
I too think some of you guys are being pretty unfair to Santiago. He shows up in the U.S. at mid-year, expecting to paly a back-up role to LaMonte, and after arriving, trying to figure out college life, get to know his teammates, get used to the SEC and oh btw 17 y/o freshman, here's the keys...go run the team. Did he make some mistakes? Of course he did, what the heck could anyone reasonably expect from him? As the season progressed he adapted and got better and better to the point that at the end of the season he was doing a pretty solid job as our point guard. Not bad for a baby faced kid fresh of the boat, so to speak.
 
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#56
#56
StrangeVol said:
I too think some of you guys are being pretty unfair to Santiago. He shows up in the U.S. at mid-year, expecting to paly a back-up role to LaMonte, and after arriving, trying to figure out college life, get to know his teammates, get used to the SEC and oh btw 17 y/o freshman, here's the keys...go run the team. Did he make some mistakes? Of course he did, what the heck could anyone reasonably expect from him? As the season progressed he adapted and got better and better to the point that at the end of the season he was doing a pretty solid job as our point guard. Not bad for a baby faced kid fresh of the boat, so to speak.
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I don't think anyone is down on him like... objectively. I appreciate his contribution. There are better options now
 
#57
#57
Glad he's back. Maybe the year will give Pons some time to work on his athleticism.
 
#58
#58
StrangeVol said:
I too think some of you guys are being pretty unfair to Santiago. He shows up in the U.S. at mid-year, expecting to paly a back-up role to LaMonte, and after arriving, trying to figure out college life, get to know his teammates, get used to the SEC and oh btw 17 y/o freshman, here's the keys...go run the team. Did he make some mistakes? Of course he did, what the heck could anyone reasonably expect from him? As the season progressed he adapted and got better and better to the point that at the end of the season he was doing a pretty solid job as our point guard. Not bad for a baby faced kid fresh of the boat, so to speak.
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Wasn’t CRB telling us SV would most likely red shirt until LT went down?
 
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#59
#59
walkenvol said:
With this type of depth it seems playing a faster pace would be beneficial
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Barnes for sure will go back to playing defense like they did when they had Daniels, Turner, and Bone. The defense will really pressure the ball coming up the court, push the initiation of the offense back further on the court than the offense calls for, make passes to the wing very difficult, and make teams start their offense late in the clock.
 
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#60
#60
StrangeVol said:
I too think some of you guys are being pretty unfair to Santiago. He shows up in the U.S. at mid-year, expecting to paly a back-up role to LaMonte, and after arriving, trying to figure out college life, get to know his teammates, get used to the SEC and oh btw 17 y/o freshman, here's the keys...go run the team. Did he make some mistakes? Of course he did, what the heck could anyone reasonably expect from him? As the season progressed he adapted and got better and better to the point that at the end of the season he was doing a pretty solid job as our point guard. Not bad for a baby faced kid fresh of the boat, so to speak.
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I don't think there is a single person here down on Vescovi. The only thing being said is he isn't a PG. He's got the potential to be a REALLY good 2 or 3. That's not an insult. Pons and Fulky also aren't a C yet they played that role a lot last year because we were a small team.

Vescovi now has the ability to play to his strengths since we aren't requiring him to be our facilitator. I expect he will excel in a role he is more comfortable in and the team will be better for it.
 
#61
#61
Vols All Day said:
Barnes for sure will go back to playing defense like they did when they had Daniels, Turner, and Bone. We will really pressure the ball coming up the court, push the initiation of the offense back further on the court than the offense calls for, make passes to the wing very difficult and make teams start their offense late in the clock.
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I hope your right as I enjoy watching that type of play!
 
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#62
#62
Vescovi is too good of a playmaker to not get serious minutes. Him at the 2 makes perfect sense. Less time with the ball in his hands than when he was forced into action at PG last year. He’ll be able to move off the ball, which he does very well, make shots and creat for others. We’re in for a fun year, fellow Vol fans!
 
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#64
#64
TheMookieMonster said:
I don't think there is a single person here down on Vescovi. The only thing being said is he isn't a PG. He's got the potential to be a REALLY good 2 or 3. That's not an insult. Pons and Fulky also aren't a C yet they played that role a lot last year because we were a small team.

Vescovi now has the ability to play to his strengths since we aren't requiring him to be our facilitator. I expect he will excel in a role he is more comfortable in and the team will be better for it.
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While I believe he can thrive at either the 1 or 2, I think his physical attributes speak to him being a PG better than SG. Not saying his skillset does. He did perfectly fine given the situation last season and I think he'd be a starter (solid role player) on many college teams at either spot. Not sure we have enough data to make a decisive long term call on his position yet. PG is where we've seen him most. I feel like when he was playing SG last year any it was simply because he wasn't as versed in that portion of the offense or JJJ was just better at that particular option.
 
#65
#65
StrangeVol said:
I too think some of you guys are being pretty unfair to Santiago. He shows up in the U.S. at mid-year, expecting to paly a back-up role to LaMonte, and after arriving, trying to figure out college life, get to know his teammates, get used to the SEC and oh btw 17 y/o freshman, here's the keys...go run the team. Did he make some mistakes? Of course he did, what the heck could anyone reasonably expect from him? As the season progressed he adapted and got better and better to the point that at the end of the season he was doing a pretty solid job as our point guard. Not bad for a baby faced kid fresh of the boat, so to speak.
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I agree. Name someone else who came in WHEN he did with basically 3 practices and performed well. There is always a learning curve, and he trained during live SEC games. He got better as the season progressed although there were areas where he needed to get better. His vision and no look passes were impressive. His free throwing shooting was good, and he is a shooter, which is ultimately what basketball is all about. Also, his defense improved a lot over the course of the season. I have no idea where he will play this year, as it would be conjecture only, but Barnes will put him in the best position to help the team.
 
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#68
#68
JelloPuddinPup said:
While I believe he can thrive at either the 1 or 2, I think his physical attributes speak to him being a PG better than SG. Not saying his skillset does. He did perfectly fine given the situation last season and I think he'd be a starter (solid role player) on many college teams at either spot. Not sure we have enough data to make a decisive long term call on his position yet. PG is where we've seen him most. I feel like when he was playing SG last year any it was simply because he wasn't as versed in that portion of the offense or JJJ was just better at that particular option.
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To your point, I think he has the mindset of a PG and the skill set of a SG. He can play both, but I wonder where he is best-suited. We haven’t seen him play much SG, but I think it’d be an added bonus to have another ball-handler with a good shot on one of the wings. Someone who can get to the paint and distribute without that being their primary responsibility and having to facilitate the offense.
 
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#72
#72
TheMookieMonster said:
I don't think there is a single person here down on Vescovi. The only thing being said is he isn't a PG. He's got the potential to be a REALLY good 2 or 3. That's not an insult. Pons and Fulky also aren't a C yet they played that role a lot last year because we were a small team.

Vescovi now has the ability to play to his strengths since we aren't requiring him to be our facilitator. I expect he will excel in a role he is more comfortable in and the team will be better for it.
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His point was people labeling him as turnover-prone, bad decision-making player even as his situation as a player was obvious. The point was that his identity as a player should not be decided on the 15 games he played as a seventeen-year-old. This guy as a sophomore/junior/senior will be a totally different player.
 
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#74
#74
I feel like there is a lot of over-confidence in here regarding next year's team. We definitely have talent and depth, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
 
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#75
#75
VolforFootball said:
I feel like there is a lot of over-confidence in here regarding next year's team. We definitely have talent and depth, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
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Welcome to Volnation. If you think we’re over-confident try spending sometime in the Football Forum where we’re pre-season dark horse national title contenders every year, lol.
 
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