Lineups for next year

[Letsroll1200]

Give us your source.  You guessing?  Wishing?  Or do you really have something solid to report?   Also is Kapita completely healthy or does he need more time?  If he needs more rehab/time then how much more?

Kapita will be a Razorback and be on campus this season!!!!

[hawgfan4life]

My source said Yes!  I asked twice most specifically and got the same answer both times.  Magic 8 ball is almost always right.

[The real Hogules]

MikeIrwin, besides Kouassi and Watkins who plays defense?

Whitt will be a solid defensive player, as well as our best scoring guard since we signed another kid from Missouri a few seasons back.

[TRUHOG718]

MikeIrwin, besides Kouassi and Watkins who plays defense?

Is this supposed to be a serious question or are you trolling?

[Biggus Piggus]

I think our line up will be:

Beard - he struggled during tournament play. Shot 11% from 3 and 24% from the field. Durham played a lot better during tournament time.

Whitt - has to get buckets

Watkins -will be much improved. Bell with the second unit for his offense

Williams - will start season but want finish as starter

Kingsley - we need him to be a leader on the floor

Beard was injured. When healthy he is much better.

Durham in tournament time? In five postseason games, Durham shot 0-1 from 2-pt range, 3-7 from 3-pt range, 2-2 at the line, with 6 assists, 2 turnovers, 0 steals and 1 rebound in 30 minutes. Most of his numbers came from the North Carolina game in which he played 16 minutes and had 5 pts, 3 assists. In general -- not very active.

It doesn't make sense to talk about one group of five players, because a lot of different player rotations will be employed.

Point guard minutes -- Beard, Durham, Hannahs.

Two more guard slots -- Bell, Beard, Hannahs, Whitt, Watkins, Durham.

Two big forward slots -- Kingsley, Williams, Kapita, Kouassi, Thompson.

Would not be surprised to see Beard, Hannahs and Whitt playing together. Or Beard, Whitt and Watkins.

Would be surprised to see more than two of the bigs on court at the same time.

[ArkansasI]

So you don't think Miles will see the floor at all?  I know near nothing about the guy, but I like his athleticism and think he can contribute.

When you add him to the mix, I could see three of the following on the floor with two guards:  Kingsley, Williams, Kapita, Miles, Kouassi, Thompson

I don't see Kouassi and Thompson playing together.

[Biggus Piggus]

So you don't think Miles will see the floor at all?  I know near nothing about the guy, but I like his athleticism and think he can contribute.

When you add him to the mix, I could see three of the following on the floor with two guards:  Kingsley, Williams, Kapita, Miles, Kouassi, Thompson

I don't see Kouassi and Thompson playing together.

I very much expect Kouassi and Thompson to see time on court together. Kouassi for defense, Thompson for low post scoring.

[ArkansasI]

Sounds good to me. I didn't know Thompson is a scorer.

[mecoach]

Role Players-Miles and Williams.  Miles if we need more defense, Williams if more offense

Williams for more offense??  You are kidding right? 

[lefty08]

Williams for more offense??  You are kidding right?

It's funny how people get an idea of what a player was and it just sticks in their minds. Williams can score and could average 10 points a game or so pretty easily in my mind

[HoopS]

Williams can score. He needs to really work on his FT shooting. Needs a whole new approach, IMO. I think he could also be a good rebounder for us. Also needs to work on decision making. Not sure if that'll change or if it is more innate.

[jry04]

Williams for more offense??  You are kidding right? 

He will never be our go to player, but can knock down the mid-range pretty consistently. I wouldn't be shocked if he averaged 8-10ppg this season. His shot is ugly, but he has. If he can just improve his FT% to even 60-65% he would probably add a couple of points a game. He averaged 5ppg last season in 16 minutes and shooting 42% from FT.

His decision making, and some of his circus shots are what kept him off the floor at times last season.

[JIHawg]

Williams for more offense??  You are kidding right? 

It's all relative.  With his mid-range jumper, he may wind up being our most offensively productive forward.

[Biggus Piggus]

It's funny how people get an idea of what a player was and it just sticks in their minds. Williams can score and could average 10 points a game or so pretty easily in my mind

Jacorey Williams in SEC games...

2013 -- 48% 2-pt shooting on 29 shots
2014 -- 35% 2-pt shooting on 48 shots
2015 -- 36% 2-pt shooting on 83 shots

Career 2-pt shooting %, all games -- 43% on 350 shots. I'd say he is well tested. Shot selection is very, very important to his future success. The 42% at the line this past season worries me. That was a major divergence from his prior performance. On the positive side, Williams had an excellent turnover rate in SEC play this season. That was a major improvement.

[Biggus Piggus]

It's all relative.  With his mid-range jumper, he may wind up being our most offensively productive forward.

Last season, Williams scored 10+ points against Vanderbilt, Northwestern State, Delaware State and Wake Forest. Those teams ranked 114th, 350th, 296th, and 137th in defensive efficiency (and were all home games).

He scored no more than 7 in the last 21 games. Williams shot under 50% from the floor in 24 of 36 appearances.

[lefty08]

Last season, Williams scored 10+ points against Vanderbilt, Northwestern State, Delaware State and Wake Forest. Those teams ranked 114th, 350th, 296th, and 137th in defensive efficiency (and were all home games).

He scored no more than 7 in the last 21 games. Williams shot under 50% from the floor in 24 of 36 appearances.

Increased minutes and increased shots should make a big difference

[Biggus Piggus]

Increased minutes and increased shots should make a big difference

Why would you give a non-perimeter shooter more shots when he has a career 2-pt % of 43% and shot 35-36% in conference play the past two years? It is not something I have seen before.

[HoopS]

Depends on what kind of shots. Long 2's? Those are possibly the worst shot in the game. He took too many, if my memory serves me. 15 and in is where helps need to primarily come from.

[-Blu]

Why would you give a non-perimeter shooter more shots when he has a career 2-pt % of 43% and shot 35-36% in conference play the past two years? It is not something I have seen before.

I think what Lefty is saying, with an increased role on the team his numbers could get better.  It wouldn't be the first time someone shooting percentages increased with more minutes/bigger role.  Ky Madden went from a .200 3 point shooter his first couple of years to a .400 3 pointer shooter with increased minutes and role his junior year. 
Keep in mind numbers don't always tell the whole story.  Those numbers don't factor in to how hard someone will work in the off-season, how much more comfortable they'll play with a bigger role, etc. 

Williams knows he will be needed a bunch this year, that should give him motivation to get in the gym and really work on improving his shooting.  And I'm not saying he's going to be an All-SEC player, but he did show significant improvement from his sophomore to junior year, expecting him to improve even more his senior year doesn't seem unreasonable.

[Biggus Piggus]

Naw, not gonna let you get away with that. Williams is going to be a senior. He has three seasons behind him. Madden made a great leap in outside shooting from sophomore to junior season. He also shot over 70% at the line in his first two years, which showed he had something to work with.

Williams worked hard last summer and was supposed to be all fixed up. He took 79 more shots and made 33 more baskets. Consistent 40% shooter, which hurts the team. Taking more shots did not improve his shooting. In my view, he should shoot primarily at short range not from 15-18 feet.

The last guy I remember improving his scoring game late in his career by a significant margin was Leroy Sutton. Sutton was recruited as a long-bomb shooter then trained to be a defensive specialist. By the end of his career, Sutton had no shooting touch from outside or the line. But he shot 70% from the floor as a junior, 67% as a senior. Sutton did everything right around the basket. Thing was, Sutton never had a season where he shot 40%. He just wasn't a factor at all until he was a junior.

Williams should be playing a short-range game like Sutton, but it's probably too late for that.

[JIHawg]

Last season, Williams scored 10+ points against Vanderbilt, Northwestern State, Delaware State and Wake Forest. Those teams ranked 114th, 350th, 296th, and 137th in defensive efficiency (and were all home games).

He scored no more than 7 in the last 21 games. Williams shot under 50% from the floor in 24 of 36 appearances.

That's why I said it's relative.  Of the four forwards, Kapita-don't know if he will be here or be ready to be a scorer, Miles-defensive specialist-Thompson-hasn't shown any offensive propensity yet, that leaves Williams, who will at least take some shots.  On any other team, he wouldn't be an offensive go to forward.  In ours, he may be the only game in town.

[lefty08]

I think what Lefty is saying, with an increased role on the team his numbers could get better.  It wouldn't be the first time someone shooting percentages increased with more minutes/bigger role.  Ky Madden went from a .200 3 point shooter his first couple of years to a .400 3 pointer shooter with increased minutes and role his junior year. 
Keep in mind numbers don't always tell the whole story.  Those numbers don't factor in to how hard someone will work in the off-season, how much more comfortable they'll play with a bigger role, etc. 

Williams knows he will be needed a bunch this year, that should give him motivation to get in the gym and really work on improving his shooting.  And I'm not saying he's going to be an All-SEC player, but he did show significant improvement from his sophomore to junior year, expecting him to improve even more his senior year doesn't seem unreasonable.

Thanks blu. Biggus knows exactly what I mean....

[-Blu]

The last guy I remember improving his scoring game late in his career by a significant margin was Leroy Sutton. Sutton was recruited as a long-bomb shooter then trained to be a defensive specialist. By the end of his career, Sutton had no shooting touch from outside or the line. But he shot 70% from the floor as a junior, 67% as a senior. Sutton did everything right around the basket. Thing was, Sutton never had a season where he shot 40%. He just wasn't a factor at all until he was a junior.

Williams should be playing a short-range game like Sutton, but it's probably too late for that.

I think we have different definition of the word significant improvement when we are talking about JaCorey Williams.  I think most of us that are being realistic think a significant improvement for him would be probably averaging anywhere from 7-9 PPG and giving us 4-5 rebounds per game.  If he can do that I would say he had a significant improvement from his junior to senior year and that would be an amazing year for him.  And like I said something like that wouldn't be unheard of guys get better and improve their stats every single year, especially if they have a bigger role and play more.  Your making it seem as if JaCorey is hopeless and he can't improve, I don't believe that, he came back better from sophomore to junior year, no reason to believe he can't get in the gym and do the same thing from junior to senior year.

[nwahogfan1]

Increased minutes and increased shots should make a big difference

Lefty,  You make no sense on your evaluation of Williams. You are giving out hope for this guy like you are his agent.

IMO, Williams is a nice role player.  His role should be Senior leadership, toughness, defense and rebounding.  He should take maybe 3-5 shots a game and hopefully score 5-7 PPG.  No shots past 12-15 feet.  I even hope he doesn't get fouled because he is horrible at the line. 

Best part of Williams game is he is a SENIOR.

[lefty08]

Lefty,  You make no sense on your evaluation of Williams. You are giving out hope for this guy like you are his agent.

IMO, Williams is a nice role player.  His role should be Senior leadership, toughness, defense and rebounding.  He should take maybe 3-5 shots a game and hopefully score 5-7 PPG.  No shots past 12-15 feet.  I even hope he doesn't get fouled because he is horrible at the line. 

Best part of Williams game is he is a SENIOR.

Borderline player bashing there. I love the guys energy. He is set to get 10 more minutes a game minimum on this squad, all you guys thinking he can't marginally improve his stats just arent thinking straight.

Some of you guys think we will average in the 60s in scoring this year because a lot of the guys we will rely on this year haven't even had the opportunity to show what they can do. I say give them a chance before bashing them

There is actually a thread on will miles actually contribute this year. You numbskulls realize he has been eligible for 1 year and was behind one of the greatest razorbacks ever. Also a guy like Williams, who has shown flashes. In the out of conference schedule last year There were several posts of people singing his praises. Even some saying he was the most improved guy on the team. Now Williams can't get 10 points a game? You guys are more wishy washy than my ex. Take some prozac and just enjoy being a fan for once. All the doom and gloom idiocy can't be good for your health

[770john111]

I thought Hannahs had to sit out this year

[Big Nasty 34]

Hannahs sat out the 2014-15 season making him eligible in 15-16

[770john111]

Good deal thx

[mhuff]

Naw, not gonna let you get away with that. Williams is going to be a senior. He has three seasons behind him. Madden made a great leap in outside shooting from sophomore to junior season. He also shot over 70% at the line in his first two years, which showed he had something to work with.

Williams worked hard last summer and was supposed to be all fixed up. He took 79 more shots and made 33 more baskets. Consistent 40% shooter, which hurts the team. Taking more shots did not improve his shooting. In my view, he should shoot primarily at short range not from 15-18 feet.

The last guy I remember improving his scoring game late in his career by a significant margin was Leroy Sutton. Sutton was recruited as a long-bomb shooter then trained to be a defensive specialist. By the end of his career, Sutton had no shooting touch from outside or the line. But he shot 70% from the floor as a junior, 67% as a senior. Sutton did everything right around the basket. Thing was, Sutton never had a season where he shot 40%. He just wasn't a factor at all until he was a junior.

Williams should be playing a short-range game like Sutton, but it's probably too late for that.

Ky actually was shooting around 90% from the FT line at one point in the season. His senior year Ky shot 3p like he did in h.s. He just never developed that pull up 12' jump shot.

On  the other hand Williams' FT % went down like the Titanic last year.
If Williams could shoot elbow jumpers with accuracy, he would be of great service to his team. He started out great last year and then faded. Too many players could not hit the rim last year..... I am not talking about swishes either.

I am hoping Durham and Bell will improve. Neither are performing at an acceptable level from 2p land. Both were round 50% in h.s. or N.E. Oklahoma on 3p shots.

[Big Nasty 34]

Well, I'm going with:

Durham
Whitt   
Bell     
Miles   
Kingsley

[mhuff]

Ky actually was shooting around 90% from the FT line at one point in the season. His senior year Ky shot 3p like he did in h.s. He just never developed that pull up 12' jump shot.

On  the other hand Williams' FT % went down like the Titanic last year.
If Williams could shoot elbow jumpers with accuracy, he would be of great service to his team. He started out great last year and then faded. Too many players could not hit the rim last year..... I am not talking about swishes either.

I am hoping Durham and Bell will improve. Neither are performing at an acceptable level from 2p land. Both were round 50% in h.s. or N.E. Oklahoma on 3p shots. Actually Durham shot 44%.

[Iwastherein1969]

Well, I'm going with:

Durham
Whitt   
Bell     
Miles   
Kingsley

that lineup may win 15 games...may...and they will win no more than 5 games in the SEC....Hog basketball is "Back To The Future"....I hear Pel will be doing post game pressers again

[TheRazorback500]

Well, I'm going with:

Durham
Whitt   
Bell     
Miles   
Kingsley

Kinda what I was thinking, but I'd consider starting Hannahs over Whitt because of the experience factor, for the first few games, anyway. As Jimmy gets assimilated iinto what the team is trying to do, he could start and we could bring in Dusty as a sixth man. Willy K and Thompson could then sub in for Kingsley and Miles, and Watkins could relieve one of the guards if they get tired or their shots aren't falling. We need to have great team chemistry and be in top-notch condition because the better players we have left are going to have to play a lot of minutes.

:razorback:

[TejasPete]

Hopefully Mizzou is still worse than us