Team News (current roster)

#601
#601
Helton1 said:
The disrespect to Ticket. Hollywood is our best defender, he'll be on the floor this year...well, oh yeah we have many great players. okay, hear me out. I hope Ticket is on the floor more than 6 minutes a game this year.
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Wouldn't the SEC Defensive POY be our best defender? Or did you just mean of the guards? I like Gaines, but if he's averaging much more than 6mpg, either he's improved lightyears in the offseason, or something has gone horribly wrong, and I fear it'd be the latter.
 
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#602
#602
Helton1 said:
The disrespect to Ticket. Hollywood is our best defender, he'll be on the floor this year...well, oh yeah we have many great players. okay, hear me out. I hope Ticket is on the floor more than 6 minutes a game this year.
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I don't because it means someone else has really disappointed if he is. And that isn't a knock on Gaines.
 
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#603
#603
wtmvol said:
Anyone foresee them putting out a lineup of Vescovi, Johnson, Springer, and JJJ to go along with 1 of the 3 main posts? Obviously this wouldn't be the main lineup, but a change of pace. JJJ should be able to hold his own down there on D against most teams.
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Yes, I think we may see a lot of this line up
 
#605
#605
Ghost of Archvol said:
barnes has so many options. we could essentially roll out two different squads and wear folks down.

22 minutes:
pg scovi
sg keon j.
g/w jjj
sf pons
pf/c fulky

12 minutes:
pg bailey
sg springer
gw e.j. anosike
f walker/nkamhoua
c uros

6 minutes:
pg springer
w gaines
f ?
f walker/nkamhoua
f pember
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If healthy I believe JJJ will play closer to 30 minutes than he will 22. Fulky will be above 25 I think. Regardless of how good the newcomers are and unless Pons has improved quite a bit i think our offense and leadership is going to run through JJJ and Fulkerson, someone I was never high on but he's made a believer in me. JJJs versatility is going to allow Barnes to have the luxury of all the different lineups we run out there as he's a big need in our small, big and defensive lineups. Barnes is a defensive guy, Vescovi is an offensive spark who is not as good defensively as are the newcomers, that's why I see his minutes drop a slight bit and he's used to provide instant offense coming off the bench. Our small lineup of Vescovi, Keon, Springer, JJJ and Pons is going to really be able to get out and run and put up points, our defensive lineup is going to be our top minute guys I believe with those being Springer, Johnson, JJJ, Pons and Fulkerson. That lineup will give us rebounding in Anosike/Big O/Uros, instant offense in Vescovi and decent offense in Bailey/Pember and Walker and defense in Gaines/Bailey/Big O/Uros all coming off the bench. Our depth should be the best in the league.
 
#606
#606
wtmvol said:
Anyone foresee them putting out a lineup of Vescovi, Johnson, Springer, and JJJ to go along with 1 of the 3 main posts? Obviously this wouldn't be the main lineup, but a change of pace. JJJ should be able to hold his own down there on D against most teams.
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I think you add Pons to those 4 and you've got our small lineup. You'll see it towards the end of halves when we need instant offense. That's going to be a really good run and gun group when we are in that lineup.
 
#607
#607
volball57 said:
That's actually probably a really good comparison. I didn't know/reslize his stats were as low as they were until all of the Jordan vs Lebron talk came out. (They were still good) Pippen has also been given a lot of credit recently for being the main ball handler/assists leader for the 92 DreamTeam.
This is the statistics for the DreamTeam. I never thought of it before, but these stats look very similar to what a college team would look like.
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I wish we had a Charles Barkley type guy this year as he dominated when he was surrounded with all that talent. I think that ON/Anosike can be the type of guys you see benefitting the most when surrounded by the talent they are about to be playing with. JJJs versatility pretty much puts him on the floor with every different type of lineup that Pruitt will have at his disposal.

Edit: Barnes not Pruitt! :)
 
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#608
#608
PulaskiVolFan said:
I wish we had a Charles Barkley type guy this year as he dominated when he was surrounded with all that talent. I think that ON/Anosike can be the type of guys you see benefitting the most when surrounded by the talent they are about to be playing with. JJJs versatility pretty much puts him on the floor with every different type of lineup that Pruitt will have at his disposal.
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JP coaching a little round ball now. Might be spreading him a little thin.😁
 
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#611
#611
ESPN Way Too Early Top 25:

i

11. Tennessee Volunteers
Previous: 10
I'm a bit higher on Tennessee than most people, but the Volunteers are absolutely loaded in the top eight and might be even deeper than that, too. Admittedly, they struggled last season, finishing 17-14 overall and 9-9 in the SEC -- they wouldn't have made the NCAA tournament. But four starters are back from that group, including frontcourt stalwarts Yves Pons and John Fulkerson, and guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James. What has me excited for Rick Barnes' team, though, are the newcomers. Five-star Jaden Springer was the highest-ranked of the Vols' freshmen, but Keon Johnson is drawing rave reviews in the preseason. Multiple people around college basketball are talking about Johnson as a one-and-done lottery pick type of player. Sacred Heart graduate transfer E.J. Anosike was a double-double machine in the NEC and will bring toughness and rebounding, while Oregon transfer Victor Bailey Jr. has flown under the radar and should quietly make an impact after sitting out last season.
Projected starting lineup:
Santiago Vescovi (10.7 PPG, 3.7 APG)
Jaden Springer (No. 16 in ESPN 100)
Josiah-Jordan James (7.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG)
Yves Pons (10.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG)
John Fulkerson (13.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG)

Also had UK jump up to No5.
 
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#612
#612
ESPN is the absolute worst with analysis. So this guy says Keon Johnson is a potential lottery pick, but he isn't even in their projected starting lineup? Ridiculous.

I think 11 is a fair assessment. I would say we're a Top-10, if not Top 5-7 team, but it's mostly irrelevant in the pre-season. It doesn't surprise me Kentucky jumped that far. ESPN is always looking for a way to hype them up early in the season, even when Calipari has proven year after year that Kentucky's worst part of the season is the early portion. He always struggles to get his true freshmen to gel early on and they drop a game or two early until those young guys mature. But hey, let's place them in the Top 5 because we have to.
 
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#613
#613
TheMookieMonster said:
ESPN is the absolute worst with analysis. So this guy says Keon Johnson is a potential lottery pick, but he isn't even in their projected starting lineup? Ridiculous.

I think 11 is a fair assessment. I would say we're a Top-10, if not Top 5-7 team, but it's mostly irrelevant in the pre-season. It doesn't surprise me Kentucky jumped that far. ESPN is always looking for a way to hype them up early in the season, even when Calipari has proven year after year that Kentucky's worst part of the season is the early portion. He always struggles to get his true freshmen to gel early on and they drop a game or two early until those young guys mature. But hey, let's place them in the Top 5 because we have to.
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Shows how biased and overpaid their stupidity is. I’ve ignored them for so long now. I wouldn’t even turn to their channels if it weren’t for games being played on them. Even then, they can’t go more than ten mins without polishing blue blood program’s knobs long enough to commentate the game
 
#614
#614
TheMookieMonster said:
I've also seen Katz do the Top-20 PG's and I believe PF as well. No, I don't expect Keon to average 15 PPG. He could, but it's not what I expect. I never said that he would either. I'm not even saying we NEED to have players on these lists, I am merely commenting that I think it's a bit odd a Top-10 team doesn't seem to have any one on the awards watch lists I've seen.
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Just did SF’s and Pons is on the list, he hasn’t done PF’s yet, he’s going in order.

15 contenders for the Julius Erving Award as the nation's best small forward
 
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#619
#619
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#620
#620
Per Rob Lewis, said ORN would be 2nd backup post behind Anosike, and he thinks 3rd guy off the bench depending on whether it’s guard or post. Has said he thinks Johnson/Springer/Pons/Fulk start with Vescovi and JJJ fighting for other spot, so that’s your first 6. Then Bailey, Anosike, ORN in some order as next 3 depending on who is subbing out.
 
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#622
#622
bleedingTNorange said:
Per Rob Lewis, said ORN would be 2nd backup post behind Anosike, and he thinks 3rd guy off the bench depending on whether it’s guard or post. Has said he thinks Johnson/Springer/Pons/Fulk start with Vescovi and JJJ fighting for other spot, so that’s your first 6. Then Bailey, Anosike, ORN in some order as next 3 depending on who is subbing out.
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I don't know how anyone thinks that JJJ, if healthy, isn't going to lead us in minutes played. He fits into every different type lineup that Barnes is going to run out there, not to mention he's likely our most consistent rebounder. JJJ/Keon/Springer/Pons/Fulkerson is our best defensive lineup and will be on the floor together the most. Our "big" lineup will certainly have JJJ in it and when Barnes goes small I suspect we'll see JJJ at the 4. I don't think JJJs minutes will drop and I believe he definitely starts. My guess is that Vescovi is going to be used as an offensive spark coming off the bench. He's the weakest of all the guards when it comes to rebounding and defense and we'll need his offense with the 2nd unit that will often consist of Big O, Anosike and Bailey, none of which are dynamic on the offensive end. I think Vescovi, Springer, Keon and Bailey will share minutes between 2 spots while JJJ will pretty much be on the floor anytime he's not tired or in foul trouble. He and Fulkerson will be the only two that are basically on the floor at all times I feel.
 
#623
#623
PulaskiVolFan said:
I don't know how anyone thinks that JJJ, if healthy, isn't going to lead us in minutes played. He fits into every different type lineup that Barnes is going to run out there, not to mention he's likely our most consistent rebounder. JJJ/Keon/Springer/Pons/Fulkerson is our best defensive lineup and will be on the floor together the most. Our "big" lineup will certainly have JJJ in it and when Barnes goes small I suspect we'll see JJJ at the 4. I don't think JJJs minutes will drop and I believe he definitely starts. My guess is that Vescovi is going to be used as an offensive spark coming off the bench. He's the weakest of all the guards when it comes to rebounding and defense and we'll need his offense with the 2nd unit that will often consist of Big O, Anosike and Bailey, none of which are dynamic on the offensive end. I think Vescovi, Springer, Keon and Bailey will share minutes between 2 spots while JJJ will pretty much be on the floor anytime he's not tired or in foul trouble. He and Fulkerson will be the only two that are basically on the floor at all times I feel.
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I agree with a lot of this, except that part about Vescovi being a weak rebounder. Weak defender, yes, weak rebounder, no
 
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#625
#625
PulaskiVolFan said:
I don't know how anyone thinks that JJJ, if healthy, isn't going to lead us in minutes played. He fits into every different type lineup that Barnes is going to run out there, not to mention he's likely our most consistent rebounder. JJJ/Keon/Springer/Pons/Fulkerson is our best defensive lineup and will be on the floor together the most. Our "big" lineup will certainly have JJJ in it and when Barnes goes small I suspect we'll see JJJ at the 4. I don't think JJJs minutes will drop and I believe he definitely starts. My guess is that Vescovi is going to be used as an offensive spark coming off the bench. He's the weakest of all the guards when it comes to rebounding and defense and we'll need his offense with the 2nd unit that will often consist of Big O, Anosike and Bailey, none of which are dynamic on the offensive end. I think Vescovi, Springer, Keon and Bailey will share minutes between 2 spots while JJJ will pretty much be on the floor anytime he's not tired or in foul trouble. He and Fulkerson will be the only two that are basically on the floor at all times I feel.
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I think this is fairly spot on. However, we haven't seen Vescovi in quite some time. He was thrown in under less than ideal circumstances. Reports say he is greatly improved. His body definitely looks like it has transformed some. So that could change things if he moves better and makes better decisions.
 
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