Your Zags Starting Lineup

[BobZag]

PG: Stockton or Pangos (a real dogfight between these two)
SG: Bell
SF: Carter
PF: Harris
C: Sacre

Dower can replace a guard and Harris can slide out for three bigs and two guards. Pangos can play with Stockton, with Bell, and Bell can play PG with Carter at SG. A three-guard attack with three of Stockton, Carter, Bell, Pangos can be on the floor and effective while a three-bigs attack can be employed with three of Sacre, Harris, Dower, Olynyk/Spangler.

Positives: Lots of versatility and quality depth.
Negative: It might take Few 3/4s of the season again to figure out best combinations.

[MBZags]

Is Landry anywhere close to that Starting 5?

[Hogan]

My thoughts also. No true 3 in Bob's rotation at all, unless you count Elias.

[gamagin]

this year is going to be a real test, imo

for the coaches. All of them. Especially Few.

After a decade of coaxing a potentially excellent quorum into Zag uniforms, the quintessential test may not be filling clear voids and shoring up weak spots, but, rather, making the key decisions to put in the best five players into the game and letting them play long enough to gel and become a team. A real force.

The differences in talent, performance and contribution appear to be thinner and thinner. So the intangibles are going to become more and more important, imo.

Like leadership. Which players inspire confidence in their teammates and which need more time to grow and mature ? Who wants the ball when the game is on the line and who can deliver ?

Who gets the boards consistently and who doesn't ?

IF the answer is not the usual suspect, will the coaches be quick to adapt ? Make a change ? Or do they owe so and so another season in which to develop ?

We'll soon see, imo. Because we appear to be 2 and sometimes 3 deep in places. And there are more choices. This is what we recruited to be able to do. But will we do it ?

And as I watch, I think I'm going to be thinking more about the coaching decisions than the individual players. Because "someone" has to determine if so and so has maximized his improvement and perhaps, with the current crop, someone else is ready to take his place.

And it won't be up to me to make that decision, although we all will be watching to see a team emerge.

It will be the coaches.

[webspinnre]

Is Landry anywhere close to that Starting 5?

I've got to think he'll be one of several guys to get playing time as a backup "3" depending on matchups, particularly against teams that feature a strong, athletic scorer at the position. I think similar questions will be ask about the role of the Mathii. Keita some at the 2 and 3, and Monninghoff at the 3 when we need some shooting.

[MDABE80]

BZ's proposed lineup is about right for the beginning of the season. In Few's world, many of our players are interchangable. There are some unique kids who bring extra talent to the system though. Forget the guards. Those 4 kids for the two spots out front are pretty much set.

I do think there are two kids who will rise for us. One is Spangler and the other is Edi. Spangler will get lots of minutes and he's unique in that, as a frosh, he'll clean the boards and score lots of points if given minutes. He's a rare one.

The other one id Edi. WHile less known to me, he's got athletic talents that borders on shocking. If he plays defense like Errol did , he'll get lots of time. IF he makes his shots, he'll get lots of minutes....rewarding minutes. From the notice from Bleacher is accurate (I don't know how they know that), he's an unusually good defender as well. Keep your eyes on this kid. Wear shades too. He's kinda electrifying.......one of those " Jeeeebbus did you see that!!" type of kids. Verdict's still out for now. Time will tell. He'll need to drift to the "consistency" good players are known for.

[cjm720]

PG: Stockton or Pangos (a real dogfight between these two)
SG: Bell
SF: Carter
PF: Harris
C: Sacre

Dower can replace a guard and Harris can slide out for three bigs and two guards. Pangos can play with Stockton, with Bell, and Bell can play PG with Carter at SG. A three-guard attack with three of Stockton, Carter, Bell, Pangos can be on the floor and effective while a three-bigs attack can be employed with three of Sacre, Harris, Dower, Olynyk/Spangler.

Positives: Lots of versatility and quality depth.
Negative: It might take Few 3/4s of the season again to figure out best combinations.

This is what I envision too. The biggest weaknesses is Carter out of position really, playing the 3. Gray was much stronger and more rounded than Carter. But that's where our versatility helps.

[roxdoc]

Gamagin

+!

You hit the nail right on the head. We are loaded with talent, with an excellent set of "backups". The question is will the coaches be able and willing to mix and match on a situational, in game, basis. Perhaps we have not had the breadth of talent before to do this, but there are no excuses this year.

[zag buddy]

What an amazing year. When you don't even mention a player that was mister defence last year (Mike Hart) when talking about the first ten players in a game.

[MDABE80]

It's an accident Zag Buddy. I think you saw how much he's improved during the camp scrimmages. Mike's REALLY good......and not just defense.

[zag buddy]

I agree he looked very good this summer. What a brain racking season for the coaches. Add to the mix that every player I saw was willing to put the team first before themselves.

[Pargo the Destroyer]

That 3 guard line up will get eaten alive. Stocks is 5'11", pangos 6' - 6'1" Carter 6'3"- 6'4" GBJ 6'1"-6'2". No way. They can get away with it in the WCC but not against the big boys.

[zag67]

PG - Stockton - Pangos will be very close
SG - GB - Backup Carter, MK
SF - Carter - Backup Landry, MM
PF - Harris - Backup MM, KO, Hart
C - Sacre - BAckup Dower, Spangler

This should be a great year to watch them grow. They will have growing pains, but hopefully each game, another player will step up to fill any voids created while another grows.

[CanadianZagFan]

I guess I may be one of the few still holding out for Harris playing the 3 spot. With him being in the best shape of his Zag career and injury free, I don't see a problem. It has been discussed that he can't guard the position, but I disagree. Does anyone remember the summer when he was playing with the German National team, they had him at times guarding the shooting guard. With his health back, and with it, added mobility I see him starting games there. He may not get most of his minutes there, but he will start the game off as the wing forward.

PG Pangos
SG Carter
SF Harris
PF Olynyk
C Sacre

Bell, Stockton and Dower will all be in the top 8 players, the other guys will fight for rotation minutes and make the team that much better, I like the depth!

[CDC84]

I'm with BZ:

PG: Stockton or Pangos
SG: Bell
SF: Carter
PF: Harris
C: Sacre