re: 2020-2021 Basketball depth chart projections ...

O’Neal appears to have a nice outside shot too (good form at least). I’m not sure what kind of percentages he put up.

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However, I am a bit surprised to see Wade wanting to move to a zone defense considering their offensive success has largely come from playing at an uptempo pace. Zone defense usually = a slow pace of play.

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But you are thinking of a Virginia or Syracuse type zone defense.

Wade has said that they plan to run a system similar to the "chaos" type system ran at VCU, which was used when he was both an asst. and HC there.

While they may start out in more of a 2-3 match-up zone, he has said it is likely to morph 1-2 times into different defenses in a single possession; so it doesn't sound like your typical sag or sit-back zone defense.

Plus he has also said they plan to press a lot more this year, which should be a great and productive idea given the depth, length, and athleticism they will have on the roster. But any time you press, it generally speeds up the other team.

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If O'Neal plays like his dad in the Post, we should be alright.

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I remember his dad bringing down a few goals back in the day. It was something to behold in person.

The lineups and rotations that Wade will be able to work with are going to be unbelievable. And within each rotation, the pieces should work quite well together. I put together a small comprehensive write up about each of my projected starters.

The depth chart as I see it:

(1/PG). Javonte Smart / Eric Gaines / Jalen Cook
The experience Javonte got last year by running the point will aid him tremendously this season. By testing the NBA waters he now better knows exactly which aspects of his game he needs to focus and for success at the professional level if he is to be the true ball handler. So I think we get a NBA ready level point guard Javonte Smart this season.

(2/SG). Cameron Thomas / Charles Manning
Thomas is too much of an elite scorer to not be starting game one or getting significant minutes. His game, flow, and scoring ability is very natural and quite transcendent, therefore, it will not take him long to adjust to the college level. However, if he needs time to adjust Charles Manning will be at this spot. To paraphrase Coach Wade, there will be games where Thomas should score in the 30s and he might be a key piece of what we need to expand our offensive approach.

LINK - (highlights of Oak Hill vs Bishop Gorman) the best way to see Cameron Thomas (Oak Hill) and Mwani Wilkinson (Bishop Gorman) going head to head; they both are going to be elite if they aren’t already.

(3/SF). Darius Days / Mwani Wilkinson / Aundre Hyatt
According to a recent interview, Darius is in great shape and may have even slimmed down a bit. I don’t have the exact quote or link, but I read it recently in regards to his experience testing the NBA. Days is one of my favorite players, he has a wonderful amount of edge, grit, and hype to his game. He can easily develop into a sharpshooter and that with his elite rebounding ability and it is no wonder why some NBA teams want to bring him in and develop him. I really want Days to show more scoring consistency with his outside game as well as improve his athleticism enough to guard the 2, 3, and 4 spots.

(4/PF).Trendon Watford / Shareef O’Neal / Josh Leblanc

Trendon definitely gains the most of the trio by coming back for another year. He is a prolific rebounder and inside scorer. He is somewhat of a hybrid tweener but has prototypical PF height with him being roughly 6’9. If he works on his offensive ability and learns to take more initiative I could see him playing both forward positions in the NBA. We all want to see Trendon take over the game and become a lottery-type player.

(5/C). Bryan Penn-Johnson / Josh Gray

I think Bryan will fit the schematics really well and truly he is a hidden untapped gem. He is beyond long; he’s 7 feet tall with an approximate 7’7 wingspan (his wingspan might even be longer than that now). With just a little polish he can be a quality defensive presence in the paint area. Coach Wade will help him love to rebound and we could be looking at a potential double-double machine similar to Bigby-Williams with a higher ceiling. He seems to have good basketball instincts and I believe his offensive game is a little more developed than people think.

LINK - (Bryan Penn-Johnson’s mini-documentary) he’s a very astute passionate guy and very vocal on the court which helps get into his opponent's head.


I am very excited about our depth. A lot of the incoming guys are borderline elite in some of their respective skill-sets. I think Coach Wade will up his main rotation to 9-10 guys because we have so many versatile pieces and sets. Maybe Wade should implement a platoon system; we have enough quality depth to have a true 2nd unit to step in without certain types of drop off.

Thing is that really isn’t a small ball lineup. That lineup is 1 total inch shorter than last years starting 5 and if Leblanc replaces manning in the starting 5 by sliding into the 4-5 the lineup is taller than last years. I see Leblanc as a starter. He was all Big East freshman team and averaged almost 10pts 7rbs while playing really good defense in the Big East. I don’t see how he isn’t starting. I also don’t see Penn-Johnson starting, at least not right away even though that size and length is intriguing

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Thing is that really isn’t a small ball lineup. That lineup is 1 total inch shorter than last years starting 5

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last years team was small. They didn’t play small because days and Williams were beasts down low and much of the sec sucked.

True. We had a lot of length last year. We just didn’t have that 6-10 or 7’ guy to match up with other teams that could play those.

Don’t know much about LeBlanc but by his build he seems to be similar to our bigs we’ve had in past years

I can also totally agree to that. I think Leblanc has the tools to be a starter especially if Wade decides on a more non-traditional lineup. He and Charles Manning are the best defenders on the team so his defensive upside is a huge plus. Leblanc's versatility allows him to play the 3, 4, and 5. So, I could see him being a starter at the 5 if Bryan Penn-Johnson turns out to be a liability instead of a gem. But, I just have a feeling Leblanc (at the 4) and Wilkinson (at the 3) will be first off the bench and accrue the most minutes of the non-starters. I think Leblanc will be used more to help clamp an opposing team, especially if some of our starters are not on the court. I do see situations where he could be a starter to help slow an opposing team's scoring early-game. But I see him more as a very valuable jack-knife utility piece.

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The lineups and rotations that Wade will be able to work with are going to be unbelievable. And within each rotation, the pieces should work quite well together. I put together a small comprehensive write up about each of my projected starters.

The depth chart as I see it:

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Great write-up, man. You give a good synopsis of a nice chunk of players.

If I could add, this is what my impressions are on some of the names you mentioned:

Smart - to me the biggest part of his offensive game to improve on is his ability to assist and set his teammates up better. He is a great scoring PG and we definitely need him driving and slashing the lane a little more this year; but I also want to see him take a little more ownership/control of the offense and better set people up to finish. Maybe I just got spoiled to Tremont in this regard, but its just my opinion on what Smart can improve on most.

Days - Slimming down will definitely be a help for him and Wade has said he has been back on campus for over 2 weeks now working out. However, I don't think this is what will necessarily help his defense, especially on the 2/3 position. Days just has slow feet when it comes to defense and I don't think his size is the reason for it. Some people are just that way and don't have the quickness to play great outside defense. Not saying he can't improve some; but I don't think just shedding some of the weight will be the cure all for it.

Watford - Offensively, I hope we see him continue more of what he was doing in the latter part of last season. He began to focus a little more on his inside/drive game and some mid-range too. However, we all need to be prepared to see him putting up more 3's this coming season. Wade mentioned in his radio interview on OTB yesterday that he kind of held back Watford's outside shooting game this past season and didn't put him in a position to succeed, and stated that "he has a better 3 pt shot than what we saw last year."

Penn-Johnson - I hope you are right on your assessment of him; although it is hard for me to see him starting, at least at the beginning of the season anyway. But if he can develop as a rebounder and be the defender we think he can be, then he would be great to have sitting in the middle of that zone defense cleaning up stuff around the rim.

Bench - I know that Wade and a lot people are high on Wilkinson; so it will be interesting to see his role and minutes he gets this year. However, don't discount O'Neal. Most forget that he was a top 50 player coming out of h.s., and while he hasn't shown a lot in college, we all know the reason. Word is that he is in great shape and has been working hard all off-season. And you know his dad likely had him working with the best trainers out there.