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Laquarious Paige started at SG for us at the beginning of the 2016-2017 season for many games. Lansing is prone to choosing starters at the beginning of the season for reasons that don't always make sense.
 

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I'm not sure Bacote is the guy at PG. He had 27 assists and 21 turnovers in limited action. He shot 32% from 2 and 32% from 3. 0.9 assists per game. I know it was limited action but doesn't sound like he can handle the rock very well. I would assume he's the backup PG.

I think Howard is the starting PG. Neese as the SF and Key at the SG.

While Bacote doesn't give you the warm and fuzzies at being able to take over the offense, nobody else on the roster does, either.

Howard has 118 assists and 108 turnovers in his two college stops, was essentially asked to leave at Towson (if you believe their fan reports), and was just popped for a DUI. Miller has a career 73 assists and 99 turnovers between his two prior stops. On top of that, both of those guys are considered more of a scoring, off guard types.

Howard: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/tobias-howard-1.html
Miller: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/randy-millerjr-1.html

Just adding in the numbers and context since that is important. It should also be noted that who starts isn't very important in the grand scheme as Lansing loves his subs and rotations. I'm more interested in who will be on the floor to close out games and who can step up in the clutch.
 
I'm not sure Bacote is the guy at PG. He had 27 assists and 21 turnovers in limited action. He shot 32% from 2 and 32% from 3. 0.9 assists per game. I know it was limited action but doesn't sound like he can handle the rock very well. I would assume he's the backup PG.

I think Howard is the starting PG. Neese as the SF and Key at the SG.
I agree. I don't think Cam proved himself, but that was last year. I expect Howard, Key and Neese to be our perimeter. If someone else slides in there, that's probably good news except I was hoping Neese would really improve a lot this year as far as scoring.
 
Laquarious Paige started at SG for us at the beginning of the 2016-2017 season for many games. Lansing is prone to choosing starters at the beginning of the season for reasons that don't always make sense.
If you are saying that did not make sense, who was he playing in front of? Some superstar?
 
Based on all of the varying responses to the starting lineups, I don't think anything is set in stone. The good thing is we have depth, so the starters could change game to game.

Also, I'm not sure how you can say a JUCO player would be replacing Neese in the starting lineup. Neese hasn't historically been in the starting lineup. Either he or Stephens would be a new starter.
Neese started 15 games last year and replaces Williams by default.
 
Nov 25th
Cam
Neese
Key
LaRavia
Williams

Jan 1st
Howard
Neese
Key
LaRavia
Williams

I think Cam starts the season at point, but based on last years performance, Howard may get the nod once the season is underway. Although Howard's assist/to numbers are not very good. The depth is very good though outside of the 5, but not too worried there since JLa can slide down there. Then the Juco and Hittle are just depth for maybe 10 min/game. Stephens really seems to be the X factor. If he can lock down the opponents 3/4 type players and rebound at a high rate, he most likely takes the 3 spot if Neese isn't doing enough.

Again starting lineup doesn't matter as much as the overall depth chart.

Cam/Howard/Miller
Key/Miller/Neese/Hankins
Neese/Stephens/Cobie
LaRavia/Stephens/Cobie
Williams/Ndaw/LaRavia/Hittle
 

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If you are saying that did not make sense, who was he playing in front of? Some superstar?

You seem much more passionate about this topic than I, so I will defer to your fervor. I agree with others than overall minutes played and who is in at crunch time is more important. I agree that Neese will play more minutes that Stephens.

Just know, Q Paige once forgot to put his jersey on in the locker room before a game and didn't realize it until he was about to go in. He was not a very good player at all. Although we may not have had any superstars on the roster to take his place (although he did start over Jordan Barnes for most of that year), we had better overall players. Lansing chose Q to start because of his defense and ability to switch on any guard for the other team.

I think he starts Stephens at the beginning of the season for the same reasons.
 
They didn't bring in two grad transfers for them to come off the bench and play spot minutes.

It's a pretty deep roster - if someone doesn't play well they will find themselves out of minutes pretty quick.

I understand what you're saying about the minutes, but in Lansing's 11th season are you saying he's NOT going to Platoon players in and out, even if they deserved minutes early in the season? He's always let lot's of players see minutes, even when they shouldn't have even seen the floor. For example: Lucas Eitel and Brandon Burnett...who were teammates!!! Sorry if I'm stepping on toes, good young men, but just NOT Division I material and should have only seen the floor on Senior Day, or some crazy blowout win.

Personally, I would hope that no more 9 players see the floor this year to finish above UNI, Loyola and Southern Illinois, to get the #1 seat in the MVC tournament. An example of only the good players getting minutes, is the 2013 - 2014 Final Four, Wichita State team. I bet a small group of hardcore MVC fans could name Cleanthony Early, Tekele Cotton, Ron Baker, Fred Vanvleet, Shaquille Morris...but after that, could anyone name one other Shocker player on that team?. I think that's how this team should be remembered because....there's a lot of talent and only the best need to see the hardwood. Hopefully they have a good run, and ten years from now people say....remember that ISU team of Key, Laravia, Williams and fill in the blank with two more names..

So in the spirit of the thread....there's my starters....LOL!

Key
Laravia
Williams
And two players that step up to the aforementioned three's level, of potential play.
 
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Sorry guys but write it down:

PG-Howard, he was brought in to run the pt., will have time to get out of the dog house, who can hold drinking against anyone in TH.
SG-Hankins, with a smaller line -up they use often, a 6-4 guard for defense is needed. All freshman valley team!
SF-Key, this is where he ends up in the smaller line-anyway. Should have a great senior run, all valley first team.
PF-Laravia, this is his team, hope his back is OK. The sky is the limit.
C-Williams needs to stay aggressive. Keep shooting and play big defense.

Also non-solicited TRUMP 2020, also write it down, thanks!
 
I certainly hope Howard is as good as everyone expects him to be. He didn’t play in 2019-2020, and Towson fans seemed very comfortable with him leaving the program. Like, happy-he-is-gone comfortable.

I’m all for giving a kid a 3rd chance (now 4th if you count his DUI in Terre Haute), but I just don’t see him being given the keys to the offense day-1 without earning it on the court in a Sycamore uniform.

Now, Hankins starting is an interesting prospect. I think a lot of us have heard very good things about him, so there’s a chance that could happen if he plays defense.
 
In light of C's unsolicited political comment......please keep this site politics free. That is something you write down. Thanx
 

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Sorry guys but write it down:

PG-Howard, he was brought in to run the pt., will have time to get out of the dog house, who can hold drinking against anyone in TH.
SG-Hankins, with a smaller line -up they use often, a 6-4 guard for defense is needed. All freshman valley team!
SF-Key, this is where he ends up in the smaller line-anyway. Should have a great senior run, all valley first team.
PF-Laravia, this is his team, hope his back is OK. The sky is the limit.
C-Williams needs to stay aggressive. Keep shooting and play big defense.

Also non-solicited TRUMP 2020, also write it down, thanks!
Sorry, but we all know that Neese, Barnes or Miller would start before Hankins. I think he has a future, but not now.
 
I think we all know this team only goes as far as Key, LaRavia and Williams take it. Everyone else needs to play defense, rebound, be smart with the basketball, and hit open shots when he has one. Whether that is Howard, Miller, Stephens, Neese, Hankins, Bacote, or anyone else on the roster, we need our big 3 to carry us this season.

I’m excited for this season because I think those three will be ready to do so.
 
In light of C's unsolicited political comment......please keep this site politics free. That is something you write down. Thanx

Please, just ignore those TRUMP 2020 comments by child. Because the more someone recognizes those comments on here, the more fellow bloggers will be commenting about it like just what happened, keeping his TRUMP 2020 comments alive.

But back to the subject. There was a lot of WOW FACTOR when both Hankins and Cobie Barnes committed to the Sycamores. So the X-Factor for this season is probably Hankins. It's going to be hard to keep a talent like him who can sky, shoot the three, and will be our first player since Dwayne Latham, who is talented enough to complete the alley-oop play.
 
I know this has been brought up before, but is there any info on Ndaw? he is still listed on the roster...
 

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Yep, sure looks like it. He also has a photo on the roster now. I'm pretty sure it was a blank card previously.

 
There has been a ton of positive buzz about Julian Larry from the summer to now. Could we see Julian Larry play a bigger role than some (at least I) previously thought? Miller and Howard I still contend are more SG’s, so Bacote and Larry may be the only true PG’s on the roster.

I would find it very hard to believe that Larry starts the year at PG, but if he’s truly as good at running the offense, being a leader, and if he can take care of the basketball he may get some decent minutes as a freshman.

 
There has been a ton of positive buzz about Julian Larry from the summer to now. Could we see Julian Larry play a bigger role than some (at least I) previously thought? Miller and Howard I still contend are more SG’s, so Bacote and Larry may be the only true PG’s on the roster.

I would find it very hard to believe that Larry starts the year at PG, but if he’s truly as good at running the offense, being a leader, and if he can take care of the basketball he may get some decent minutes as a freshman.


If his jumper progresses he is probably the best man for the job. If not he might be too much of a liability when it comes to spreading out the defense to start...If they feel confident enough to eventually start him you could even see Miller/Howard and Key out there with him. There is no guarantee that Neese is a starter this year.
 
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