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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Oct 17, 2018 14:54:47 GMT -5
I think it's fair to say that many of us are optimistic about the coming season. We brought 6 freshmen on board last season and many were impressed with their talent. Freshmen often improve a lot as sophomores, although when we discussed this at the end of last season some posters suggested we may not see that customary move forward as the freshmen got so many minutes of play. I remain optimistic. Of course, it's not only sophomores who can improve, so I thought it might be interesting to get everyone's take on what player will improve the most in 2018-19 versus his play in 2017-18?
Here's my definition of "most improved" : it's the player whose contribution increases the most versus the prior year--look at points, shooting percentages, rebounding, defensive play, all the contributors, statistical or not. So, our "most improved" player could be a guy who played a lot last year or one who did not. Let's use Jacob Grandison as an example---he played 28 minutes a game last year and is unlikely to get more than another 5 minutes per game this year, so he'd have to improve his efficiency to win the award--he could go from averaging 9.0 points per game while shooting .317 on threes and getting 4.5 rebounds per game to shooting .375 on threes, grabbing more boards, getting to the line more often, and averaging 13.0 points per game. The winner could be a guy like Kyle Copeland, who played only 100 minutes last season--he could impress in practices and get a lot more playing time and deliver in games.
With the criteria as noted above, here's who I would have awarded the MIP Trophy to in the past four seasons
2017-2018: Jehyve Floyd-- went from playing 12 minutes a game as a backup to playing 30 minutes a game, scoring 377 points versus 71 in prior year, cut down on fouls, improved shooting percentage, was PL defensive POY, etc, etc
2016-2017: Pat Benzan--went from playing 6 minutes to 29 minutes per game. Solid play at guard, posted outstanding 2 point percentage, "glue guy", scored 242 points versus 23 the prior year.
2015-2016: Robert Champion -- was a backup in prior season and then became our leading scorer. Improved his FT shooting. Made a big shot in the PL tournament.....
2014-2015: Malachi Alexander--- Played about the same minutes as in prior year but dramatically improved his 3 point shooting, improved FT percentage, and cut back on turnovers
I hope you all will find this an interesting exercise as we await the start of this promising season.
The freshmen are not eligible--though I hope they are great contributors from the get go.
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Post by hchoops on Oct 17, 2018 15:01:30 GMT -5
Voted for Matt F. He will likely get increased minutes, provided he can play the 4. He had the best 3 pt %(47.7) and if his minutes increase so should his scoring opportunities. He also showed an ability to drive the ball to the hoop at the end of last season. also good fg —49.5 % ft—76 % KY’s fave—per 40–16.2, 6.3
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Post by DiMarz on Oct 17, 2018 15:15:25 GMT -5
I voted for CN..I think the offseason will have allowed him to grow, and mature on the court..I see him as being able to handle the physical side of the game much better and have more confidence in his offense..
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Post by hchoops on Oct 17, 2018 15:21:01 GMT -5
Like the vote for Jehyve = monster season
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Oct 17, 2018 15:21:23 GMT -5
I voted for CN..I think the offseason will have allowed him to grow, and mature on the court..I see him as being able to handle the physical side of the game much better and have more confidence in his offense.. I haven't made my decision yet, but I was thinking of CN for the exact reasons you cite. I think also that he is a fundamentally sound player--benefitted from all the cousins, uncles, brothers, father who taught him the right way to play the game.
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Post by Ignutz on Oct 17, 2018 15:58:07 GMT -5
I'm looking for even better things from JF, but my MOST improved vote goes to MF - starting from a lower place and high expectations. Let's get things started!!
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Post by HC92 on Oct 17, 2018 16:43:09 GMT -5
I’m expecting a massive breakout for Caleb.
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Post by hchoops on Oct 17, 2018 16:53:53 GMT -5
I’m expecting a massive breakout for Caleb. Did you forget to vote for him ?
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Oct 17, 2018 17:05:11 GMT -5
Can't decide....who's going to get a bigger increase in minutes, MF or CN? Depending on matchups, will Hargis alter the minutes distribution?
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Post by hchoops on Oct 17, 2018 17:07:10 GMT -5
Can't decide....who's going to get a bigger increase in minutes, MF or CN? Depending on matchups, will Hargis alter the minutes distribution? Guesses 1–MF since he played so few last season with good stats 2–yes
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Post by Crosser on Oct 18, 2018 14:58:49 GMT -5
I’ve got it narrowed down to six!
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Oct 31, 2018 11:37:00 GMT -5
I’ve got it narrowed down to six! I've narrowed it down to three----need to get to commitment
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Post by hchoops on Oct 31, 2018 11:46:39 GMT -5
Based on CBC’s comments on Cope, I have changed my prediction from Matt. Of course, Cope played so little that it may not take much for him to be the most improved, but based on CBC’s comments, I think that Cope may get both the minutes and the shots to show more improvement than the others, whom I believe will give him strong competition, esp Matt
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 31, 2018 22:42:34 GMT -5
Not sure if hoops was the one who followed my early vote for Kyle. I chose him well before Carmody's comments simply based on the fact that he played so little and showed occasional brilliance and always thought that the posted comments here when he was a recruit would have indicated he should be better than he showed. Nothing scientific about it. And, just because Carmody is saying good things about him now doesn't mean it'll translate into actual realization of potential. I hope it does.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 2, 2018 14:59:16 GMT -5
I have been going back and forth with MF, KC, and CN and am going to settle on Connor Niego, despite the hints from Coach Carmody about Kyle Copeland. Matt Faw is in the running, but it will be hard for him to improve on his shooting (21 for 44 on threes!) and he'll have to fight for minutes at the 4 to supplement the court time he gets spelling Jehyve. I do expect him to make a great improvement in reducing his personal fouls--many sophs do that and he has plenty of room for improvement there. Kyle Copeland saw very little action last year (100 minutes total) and played only 1 minute in the last 7 games. In the four games where he played 10+ minutes, he played 50 total minutes and went 5-10 on threes and 1-2 on twos. With 2 free throws made in those games he scored 19 points in 50 minutes. Small sample-but encouraging. Oddly enough, he took only 4 2 point attempts the whole season. I think he's athletic and looks like a good shooter and he should find more playing time. Connor Niego put on some weight through off season training. He looks so fundamentally sound to me with his shot and ball handling (remember his HS videos showing him bringing the ball up court smoothly) yet his shooting numbers were sub-optimal last season. So, if he gets to where he should be it will show marked improvement. He should get a lot more minutes. More minutes plus greater upside: I like his chances to show the greatest increase in contribution.
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Post by WorcesterGray on Nov 2, 2018 17:04:34 GMT -5
I have been (and still am) a big Faw fan, but also opted for Niego. Believe Matt is still stuck as a backup 5 this season, for the most part. Next year, confident he will become a force.
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Post by hcpride on Nov 2, 2018 18:41:36 GMT -5
JF improved massively last year and I think a genuinely athletic 6-8 kid like him has a very high ceiling in the Patriot League. I think he is the only player we've got that would find minutes virtually anywhere at any school. Bar none. So I am picking him to again show the most improvement.
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Post by dadominate on Nov 2, 2018 18:50:29 GMT -5
niego got my vote, though carm’s feedback on copeland might make him the favorite. especially since he produced so little last year and has a lower basis for improvement than most others on the list.
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Post by Crosser on Nov 5, 2018 13:24:44 GMT -5
I expect all six sophomores to show significant improvement over last year, so narrowing it down to just one is a difficult task. I’m thinking the likely physical development and enhanced understanding of the college game added to his athleticism and confidence will propel Jacob Grandison to the top of the most improved ‘Saders! The Class of ‘21 could end up being in a special place in HC history.
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Post by alum on Nov 5, 2018 13:26:51 GMT -5
I voted for Copeland, but I'll readily admit that I would not have done so except for the reported comments by the coach. Had I not heard that, I was on the CN bandwagon.
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Post by dadominate on Nov 5, 2018 13:30:47 GMT -5
I expect all six sophomores to show significant improvement over last year, so narrowing it down to just one is a difficult task. I’m thinking the likely physical development and enhanced understanding of the college game added to his athleticism and confidence will propel Jacob Grandison to the top of the most improved ‘Saders! The Class of ‘21 could end up being in a special place in HC history.hear, hear! they hold incredible potential as a class without a doubt. in fact, i think their collective performance last year was not far off from that of some of our senior classes as of late. i expect really big things from the sophomore class this year, and while we can likely all agree that butler, green, and grandison will build upon their strong performance as freshmen, i have a feeling another (copeland? niego? faw?) could pleasantly surprise us with a breakout year.
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 5, 2018 14:28:58 GMT -5
So, at the end of this season, who will be the final arbiter of the player getting this mythical award?
Will it be another Crossports poll for us to all vote on? I’m pretty confident that the folks here would be honest in their assessment/vote and not just vote for who they picked pre-season.
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Post by hchoops on Nov 5, 2018 14:37:12 GMT -5
It is a good sign that the 6 sophs, plus Jehyve, all received votes.
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Post by possum on Nov 5, 2018 14:41:06 GMT -5
Grandison improved the most from the beginning to the end of last season and I think that trend will continue this year.
On another matter couldn't believe Jen Toland's article on the start of the season focused on the sophomores rather than the senior player of the year candidate.
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Post by hchoops on Nov 5, 2018 14:54:11 GMT -5
Grandison improved the most from the beginning to the end of last season and I think that trend will continue this year. On another matter couldn't believe Jen Toland's article on the start of the season focused on the sophomores rather than the senior player of the year candidate. Would you please post it ? t&G articles are blocked
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