At What Point Do We Use TJ Bell

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SycamoreStateofMind

SycamoreStateofMind

The Odum Level
Supporter
Is TJ Bell that far behind Kitch and Moore? I don't see it, Moore has struggled to shoot the ball the last couple games and I'm not really sure what Kitch gives us - he can stretch the floor a little bit but he's not a real outside shooter persay.

I just think that you've got a SR in Kitch and a JC JR in Moore - let your redshirt frosh get some mins. Sure he is going to struggle at times but that didn't stop Lansing from playing Brown last year.

I am suggesting that he cut the minutes of Kitch and Moore in half and let Bell play - that is what I would like to see. I don't even know what Bell does or doesn't do well at this point because he hasn't got a shot. He runs the floor well and surely he can give us some energy off the bench!!

On top of that, he needs to decide right now if Eitel is going to play more than 4 mins. a game - if not then don't play him at all. A player can't possible get settled into a game in 4 mins. If that's all he's going to play then don't play him at all. Same can be said for Burnett. I'm in support of playing fewer guys unless we have someone in foul trouble or hurt and that is about it.

It's not like this is a team that presses or gets up and down the floor real hard - let your best players play basketball. He is so worried about wearing his team down after last year we got a bunch of kids that are soft and coming out every 5 to 8 mins.

Bottom line, I'd rather lose to Tulsa with a red shirt frosh on the floor than a JC transfer and a SR.
 
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I see where you are coming from, but Bell is a freshman. There is no hurry to get him on the floor. (By the way, Kitch is a JR) I can go either way on Eitel.
 
Isn't Kitch a Junior by RS? ....by every other standard...he's a Senior and will be graduating this year.....

P.S. You guys be careful critiquing The Coach.
 
I agree with the last part but that's about it. Lansing subs out his hot players 2 often. Many times guys are just getting in a flow and boom they come out after only like 4-5 minutes. Hell players get a tv TO every 4 minutes so our guys should have no problem going 8-10 minutes in a row if they are rolling. Now if a guy is struggling or not making much of a difference sure use your regular sub patterns but when lets say K.Smith,Arop or Brown are on one of their hot streaks let them play that out.

The rest of it I don't agree with. First off if im pointing the finger for the Tulsa loss im starting somewhere other than Kitch who had a nice game or Moore who played like 5 minutes. Anyways, Bell has shown next to nothing in his limited time so far. Not saying Moore and Kitch have been amazing or anything but they both can hit a jump shot and are all around better offensive players at this point. Defensively im not sure any of them are too spectacular at this point.

Bell should find minutes this season at some point but I don't want to throw him out there just because he is a FR and has room to grow. Earn that PT in practice and your limited game minutes (Had an opp. with Kitch out at Belmont but picked up 3 fouls in 5 minutes). As for Moore, JC transfers usually take at least half a season to get their feet wet (see myles), so im not going to give up on him. Look at your boy Cummings. Much improved in his second season from JC. Game slows down and they find their roles. Ive at least seen glimpses of Moore's potential with a couple nice post moves and he has hit a couple J's. Major problem for him is he has to learn how to stay out of foul trouble yet still being effective on D.

Kitch is a bigger body and the closest thing we have to a defensive C in the post. He can hit a jumper and boards it decently. Has his limitations for sure but not ready to give his minutes to a FR who is not ready yet. Were not playing for next year or the year after. We are trying to win now so the learning on the job thing is not the best approach. If your looking for a big to take minutes from it would be Burnett. Coach plays him at the 4 and other than one good half a ND he has been pretty pedestrian. I still think he is ahead of Bell at the moment but at 6'5'-6'6 Burnett is a perimeter 4 that has only hit one perimeter shot all year (lucky bounce too).

If your argument is Bell can give us more production on the floor this year compared to Kitch and Moore then sure that's your opinion and who knows that might be valid by jan or feb if Bell is putting in the work, but as of right now he has looked lost out there in his brief stints. I just don't like the whole he is a FR and they are upperclassmen so play him in game minutes even if he cannot produce right now. As for the Eitel thing he is getting 11 minutes a game. Id like to see that number a touch smaller but since Scott is redshirting I guess that is about right.

Oh and is Kitch a SR? Your not the only one who has said that but he is only a redshirt JR in eligibility. So is he forgoing his final season? If so we have another scholarship to fill for next season.
 
If you can tell by the limited chance you've got to see Bell play that he "looks lost" then you've got a better eye for the game than me...

Reasonable point about Moore adjusting - I told you Cummings was going to be fine all along, never came off that stance much.

Do I think Bell can out produce Moore and Kitch? I don't have any idea, but hell - it couldn't hurt to try could it? They aint giving us that much between the two of them. Nothing gained, nothing lost - besides a loss to Tulsa... Oh wait we already did that.

At no point did I say - play him if he didn't produce. You make a long post all you want, but don't re-organize my thoughts in the process. I contend that your not getting much from Moore or Kitch so why not give Bell a try? If he doesn't produce then hey let him sit.

I didn't watch the Belmont game so I will leave it up to you to decide - from what I gathered we got beat real bad on dribble drive? Was it him getting beat or did the guards put him in a bad position? Not really worried about the answer at this point - just throwing that out.

I doubt he gets a look. I'm just saying that I want to see what he has to offer, if not much then oh well back to Moore and Kitch.
 
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I will start my reply with the following: I live in El Paso, TX and only get to see the team when they hit regional TV or the, "spotty-at-best-SycamoreVision." With that out of the way, here is what I've experienced as someone who grew up in the Luke Gross and Dion Campbell days of ISU basketball (even before Dewayne Brown and Eddie Bird): Lansing's recruits over the last few years have tended to get a little longer in wingspan and overall more athletic than what has been the ISU norm.

Kitch is the only guy on the roster that has shown a willingness to body-up / throw weight around in the middle. Moore is a nice player, but doesn't have the Kante/Walker muscle inside to move anyone off the block. I think Bell and Burnett will see the floor more as conference season more when we get up against teams like SMS and Southern who like to run / drive the ball.

As for Eitel, he might be the one guy on the roster who is catch-and-shoot-ready (but not a ball handler or defensive stopper). The other perimeter players seem to need the comfort dribble to find their shooting pocket (i.e. Manny one to the left and rise).

Once Odum finds his stroke, these guys will be dynamic offensively. Defensively? Probably not.

I am not sure I addressed any of the above items, but it was nice to share an opinion. Have a great day.

kw
 

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I also have a problem with subbing guys just when they get in the flow of the game.Pretty sure they can all play more than 5 minutes at a time espsecially if they are playing well.If a guy is struggling then sub for him but sometime we lose continuity during the game.Guys don't know who's in the game or who to look for when passing into certain positions on the floor.
As far as Bell goes,he has to earn playing time in practice.I'll defer to coach to make that decision.Same goes for Burnett,he's way soft on defense IMO.Eitel gives rest to all three guards and doesn't hurt too much on defense and coach subs him when certain guys are on the floor for the other team,some he just can't guard.
Kitch is a junior by eligibility and I assume he will be back.He's paid his dues and also isn't a liability on the floor in certain situations.

I also think Bell has the potential to be very good.Bodywise he looks much more mature and developed already for his age.He can be really good in the next 3 years.
 
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He has looked lost. That doesn't mean he wont figure it out but when hes been out there so far I haven't seen anything that warranted him going back in the game again. We're only a handful of games into the season so im sure he will get more looks but my thing is when 42 is called to go in he has to do something to make coach want to keep him in the rotation. Otherwise he is going to defer to the more seasoned players. He has gotten a couple looks so far and they haven't gone real well. He will get more looks this season and beyond but he has to be ready to seize the opportunity.
 
Not to sound smart, but, SSOM, what makes you think that Coach, after watching Bell practice for over a year and watching him go against Kitch and Moore every day in practice, doesn't know who to put in the game?
 
Not to answer for him but what I am reading into his posts is with the lack of production we are getting from the other two why not try something else and that something else would be TJ. I do not disagree with his position in fact I agree . We have 2 bigs that play the 5 and production on both sides of the ball from both players have been awful . Just a question at the start of the season JO had a calf injury , with his struggles to keep any consistant play this year does anyone know if this is a possible factor in his struggles?
 
Daveinth said:
Not to answer for him but what I am reading into his posts is with the lack of production we are getting from the other two why not try something else and that something else would be TJ. I do not disagree with his position in fact I agree . We have 2 bigs that play the 5 and production on both sides of the ball from both players have been awful . Just a question at the start of the season JO had a calf injury , with his struggles to keep any consistant play this year does anyone know if this is a possible factor in his struggles?
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If JO is still having calf problems, I hope it gets better soon.
Most of us have coached teams. In my opinion, if he can't get it done in practice, he can't do it in the game. You put the better players out there and game experience helps them get better.

I know some are better in games than practice, but you still have to earn your pt in practices.
 
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sycamorebacker said:
Not to sound smart, but, SSOM, what makes you think that Coach, after watching Bell practice for over a year and watching him go against Kitch and Moore every day in practice, doesn't know who to put in the game?
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Well... Fair question and not to sound smart myself - I recall Jake Odum not being a starter for the first 5 or so games of his RS Frosh year no? And when they gave him the spot he never gave it back.

Not suggesting Bell is along the same lines development wise, just suggesting that just because Bell isn't playing doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve to play.

Truth be know and I said it before the year - Coach doesn't think he needs Bell this year with Moore, Kitch, Gant and possibly Samules. So my point being, his mind was already made up on Bell.

But your question is well stated - hopefully my answer helps you understand my thought process.
 
Daveinth said:
Not to answer for him but what I am reading into his posts is with the lack of production we are getting from the other two why not try something else and that something else would be TJ. I do not disagree with his position in fact I agree . We have 2 bigs that play the 5 and production on both sides of the ball from both players have been awful . Just a question at the start of the season JO had a calf injury , with his struggles to keep any consistant play this year does anyone know if this is a possible factor in his struggles?
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This ^
 
I guess it's how you define production too. Moore and Kitchell together are averaging 8.1 pts and 5.6 reb in 25.6 minutes.
That's a few less points and more rebounds than JO, Gant or Arop.
 
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sycamorebacker said:
I guess it's how you define production too. Moore and Kitchell together are averaging 8.1 pts and 5.6 reb in 25.6 minutes.
That's a few less points and more rebounds than JO, Gant and Arop.
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With 2 D2 games on the books so far I certainly wouldn't work too awfully hard to define those numbers as productive myself.
 

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