Potential Lineups for 2019-2020 season

Lakers612

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As our spring recruiting adds another player for the 2019 class, I thought it would be help full to run down the list of scholarship guys on our team and what positions they play. This should indicate where our holes are on our roster and what potential lineups Pitino can play with this coming season.

Because we are moving towards position-less basketball and have added guys on our roster that can play more than one position, I thought I'd first list all the guys on the team that can potentially play a given position. For example, I may list Oturu as depth at PF even though he hasn't played minutes there. I'll be very liberal in describing our position depth, so this exercise will include any player capable of playing a certain position. Projected starters will be capitalized. So...

C: OTURU/Curry/Freeman/Omersa
PF: CURRY/Omersa/Ihnen/Hurt/Oturu
SF: KALSCHEUR/Ihnen/Hurt/Williams/Willis
SG: WILLIS/Kalscheur/Williams
PG: CARR/Willis

Putting our roster in the perspective, it's clear we likely will need to add another guard for depth. Ihnen is an interesting addition in that he seems to be Michael Hurt with a much higher ceiling, a SF/PF tweener who can supposedly shoot from the outside. I'm not sure if Ihnen will be able to earn a starting spot at the 3/SF position. Under Pitino, we have mostly run a three-guard lineup and our SF/PF projects haven't really worked (Buggs, Fitzgerald, Hurt)..

I can see a lineup of Carr/Kalscheur/Ihnen/Hurt/Oturu being effective. That's some good size and hopefully some good perimeter shooting.

It remains to be seen if a lineup of Carr/Kalscheur/Ihnen/Curry/Oturu can work. I'm not convinced Ihnen will be up to speed defensively to guard B1G small forwards. I also don't like the idea of a hobbled Curry and Ihnen trying to defend together.

I do wonder where Williams finds his way. When we were recruiting Sheffield, the consensus was that Williams would be depth at SF and be more of a 3&D guy for us a la Kalscheur. But with Ihnen coming in and Hurt staying, I wonder if Pitino will elect to play our lengthier guys at the SF position.

How do you think the lineup will shape out?
 
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You are assuming Coffey is gone? I don't think that is a given. But, if he is we have three more scholarships to add players.
So it seems a bit premature to project lineups imo What you have seems fine but you might be missing 3 starters....just sayin'

Also, my eyes told me Ihnen was good. Somebody at 247 rated him a 4 star...so they agree. In your scenario I think Ihnen would be the starting 3 or receive a lot of minutes to fail at the worst.

Again your projections are as accurate as anybody's but it's just too soon to know who the candidates even are.
 

As our spring recruiting adds another player for the 2019 class, I thought it would be help full to run down the list of scholarship guys on our team and what positions they play. This should indicate where our holes are on our roster and what potential lineups Pitino can play with this coming season.

Because we are moving towards position-less basketball and have added guys on our roster that can play more than one position, I thought I'd first list all the guys on the team that can potentially play a given position. For example, I may list Oturu as depth at PF even though he hasn't played minutes there. I'll be very liberal in describing our position depth, so this exercise will include any player capable of playing a certain position. Projected starters will be capitalized. So...

C: OTURU/Curry/Freeman/Omersa
PF: CURRY/Omersa/Ihnen/Hurt/Oturu
SF: KALSCHEUR/Ihnen/Hurt/Williams/Willis
SG: WILLIS/Kalscheur/Williams
PG: CARR/Willis

Putting our roster in the perspective, it's clear we likely will need to add another guard for depth. Ihnen is an interesting addition in that he seems to be Michael Hurt with a much higher ceiling, a SF/PF tweener who can supposedly shoot from the outside. I'm not sure if Ihnen will be able to earn a starting spot at the 3/SF position. Under Pitino, we have mostly run a three-guard lineup and our SF/PF projects haven't really worked (Buggs, Fitzgerald, Hurt)..

I can see a lineup of Carr/Kalscheur/Ihnen/Hurt/Oturu being effective. That's some good size and hopefully some good perimeter shooting.

It remains to be seen if a lineup of Carr/Kalscheur/Ihnen/Curry/Oturu can work. I'm not convinced Ihnen will be up to speed defensively to guard B1G small forwards. I also don't like the idea of a hobbled Curry and Ihnen trying to defend together.

I do wonder where Williams finds his way. When we were recruiting Sheffield, the consensus was that Williams would be depth at SF and be more of a 3&D guy for us a la Kalscheur. But with Ihnen coming in and Hurt staying, I wonder if Pitino will elect to play our lengthier guys at the SF position.

How do you think the lineup will shape out?

I thought I heard that Williams could play the 1, 2 or 3? If you look at the roster - and I still believe Coffey comes back- I think that even if Williams or Willis can play the 1, back up PG is now the most vulnerable spot in case of an injury to Carr. It might be tough to get a GT to come in as back up point. Personally, I'd love to see them pick up a Lil Dre type speedster out of the weeds somewhere.
 

For me, I really want to add Alihan Demir and Donnell Gresham. I think we need another body who can play the 4. I also don't love Willis starting and also being our backup PG. I think Gresham would fit this team perfectly, he can play the 1 and the 2...he's an above average shooter and defends and rebounds well. I think he'd be the perfect backup for Carr. He doesn't appear to be attracting a ton of attention so I think the home apeal is enough to convince him even if he wants to be the starter somewhere.

If Coffey comes back, then that's even better and gives us plenty of options defensively. We would be able to match up with teams that have great size and length and we'd still have Carr and Gresham to matchup against smaller and quicker guards. Bottom line is I am really excited for this team and if Coffey comes back the expectations should be a Sweet 16 appearance imo.
 

For me, I really want to add Alihan Demir and Donnell Gresham. I think we need another body who can play the 4. I also don't love Willis starting and also being our backup PG. I think Gresham would fit this team perfectly, he can play the 1 and the 2...he's an above average shooter and defends and rebounds well. I think he'd be the perfect backup for Carr. He doesn't appear to be attracting a ton of attention so I think the home apeal is enough to convince him even if he wants to be the starter somewhere.

If Coffey comes back, then that's even better and gives us plenty of options defensively. We would be able to match up with teams that have great size and length and we'd still have Carr and Gresham to matchup against smaller and quicker guards. Bottom line is I am really excited for this team and if Coffey comes back the expectations should be a Sweet 16 appearance imo.

Agree but a Sweet 16 is winning two games. Where do you think we finish in the conference ?
 


Agree but a Sweet 16 is winning two games. Where do you think we finish in the conference ?

I think if Coffey returns and we land both Gresham and Demir a top 4 conference finish should be the expectation. Anything less would be underachieving. I'd expect 14 conference wins. We reached 11 before with less conference games and less talent.

Id say we should finish top of of the conference would be the goal, but that is very tough to do and a single game can be the difference between 1st and 4th.
 
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I think Coffey will be back. All the feedback points to outside of the top 100 prospects for the draft. They still need another ball handling guard with this line up and still a little thin at center, no clue what you can get from Curry at this point. Ihnen can play multiple positions down the road but you can't over load freshmen with learning the 3 and 4, same with Williams as a 3 or 2.

1. Carr/Willis
2. Gabe/Willis/Williams
3. Coffey/Ihnen/Hurt/Williams
4. Demir/Curry/Omersa/Hurt
5. Oturu/Freeman/Curry
 

Starting five

Carr 26-32 minutes
Gabe K 30-35 minutes
Coffey 36+ minutes
Curry 17-22 minutes
Oturu 27-33 minutes

Bench
Willis 13-18 minutes
Inhan 12-15 minutes
Omersa 10-13 minutes
Williams 7-10 minutes

Hurt could potentially cut into Williams, Inhan and Omersa's minutes if he can shoot with confidence. Don't expect much from Freeman this year. Walk-ons are walk-ons. Obviously subject to change based on Coffey decision and how class rounds out


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Ihnen is going to be a wing if we sign Demir and Curry is healthy. More Jalen Smith than Jordon Murphy. Playing the wing is pretty much the same even if you are playing the 2 as long as you are playing a zone defense. Hard to say if he can guard the B1G shooting guards.

I'm now hoping we can sign Gresham and Demir. Lineup would be:

PG: Carr/Gresham/Coffey (I haven't seen any info saying Willis can play point. Williams maybe.)
SG: Kalesheur/Williams/Willis (not convinced Willis can hold off Williams)
SF: Coffey/Hurt/Ihnen/Kalesheur (Gabe is the only guard I think is strong enough to move up to SF)
PF: Demir/Curry/Omersa (I don't see Hurt in the PF rotation if we sign Demir and have a healthy Curry)
C: Oturu/Freeman/Curry (If Freeman is as much of a banger as his HS coach says, Curry is probably done playing center. Daniel has his spot locked.)

I think Gresham can also play the 2, so if Coffey doesn't return I'd expect to see Carr, Gresham, Gabe, Demir/Curry, and Oturu. That's an improvement in defense and a team without an offensive leader. Wouldn't count out Williams to be in the mix here either! He is prep school qualified and can score.

All height possible lineup:
PG: Coffey
SG: Ihnen
SF: Demir
PF: Curry
C: Oturu

I'd like to see this lineup at least once during the season.
 

Starting five

Carr 26-32 minutes
Gabe K 30-35 minutes
Coffey 36+ minutes
Curry 17-22 minutes
Oturu 27-33 minutes

Bench
Willis 13-18 minutes
Inhan 12-15 minutes
Omersa 10-13 minutes
Williams 7-10 minutes

Hurt could potentially cut into Williams, Inhan and Omersa's minutes if he can shoot with confidence. Don't expect much from Freeman this year. Walk-ons are walk-ons. Obviously subject to change based on Coffey decision and how class rounds out


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I hope that this year, Pitino does a better job of developing depth in the non-conference season. He will certainly have more options to work with! I will bear a few losses in the non-conference if it means a long bench that is ready to go come conference season. I'd rather see guys like Coffey play 30 minutes all out on both ends with fresh legs than 35+ minutes and get worn down. Play more guys and expect more effort over shorter stints. It might help shooting, improve defense and reduce injuries.

I wish the HP summer league was like the days goneby when you could go and see all the new Gophers play......so fun.

I'd love to see something like this with everyone going all out when they are on the floor:

Carr 28 Williams 10 Willis 2
Gabe 28 Willis 12
Coffey 30 Ihnen 8 Williams 2
Curry 17 Omersa 15 Ihnen 5
Oturu 28 Freeman 12
 

With our current roster with Coffey and not adding anyone else.
disclaimer: I have not seen 5/11 play a single minute
PG: Carr 30 - Coffey 8 - Other 2
SG: Kalscheur 30 - Willis 5 - Williams 5
SF: Coffey 26 - Ihnen 7 - Williams 7
PF: Curry 10 - Omersa 13 - Hurt 10 - Ihnen 7
C: Oturu 26 - Curry 6 - Freeman 6 - Other 2

Other is on the current roster but just extra minutes where Maybe Williams or Willis play the 1 and maybe we go really lean a few minutes a game with 5 shooters on the floor.

Without Coffey
PG: Carr 34 - Willis 6
SG: Gabe 32 - Williams 4 - Willis 4
SF: Hurt 10 - Ihnen 15 - Williams 15
PF: Curry 15 - Omersa 15 - Hurt 6 - Ihnen 4
C: Oturu 28 - Freeman 7 - Curry 5

This scares me quite a bit just to think about. If Ihnen and Williams are not ready for D1 play yet we could be in deep trouble, but if either or both can come in like Gabe did last year we could return to March Madness next spring.
 

Would love to see a full court pressing team that plays all of the scholarship players. We don’t have a single player on our Roster who can’t move well.


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Would love to see a full court pressing team that plays all of the scholarship players. We don’t have a single player on our Roster who can’t move well.


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I Vike that. Pitino did run a press at FIU while he was there, he could go back to his roots.
 

Wondering who people think will step up and fill the rebounding void from Murphy’s departure? I think defensively that the team could be better, and scoring I think especially if Coffey comes back should be solid, but concerned about the glass.
 

You're right our rebound rate will probably go down next year. Dan and a healthy Curry could fill the void, otherwise I hope Ihnen or Coffey can help on the glass with their size. We're looking to add a transfer big man so whoever we end up with there will be the last piece to the rebounding solution.
 

I thought I heard that Williams could play the 1, 2 or 3? If you look at the roster - and I still believe Coffey comes back- I think that even if Williams or Willis can play the 1, back up PG is now the most vulnerable spot in case of an injury to Carr. It might be tough to get a GT to come in as back up point. Personally, I'd love to see them pick up a Lil Dre type speedster out of the weeds somewhere.

Tre Williams is no PG. He's a 2/3.
 

Wondering who people think will step up and fill the rebounding void from Murphy’s departure? I think defensively that the team could be better, and scoring I think especially if Coffey comes back should be solid, but concerned about the glass.

The big glaring holes on this team are a physical rebounder & to a lesser degree, a back-up PG. We have to hope Oturu can stay out of foul trouble, stay healthy & avoid the sophomore jinx with no Murphy next to him to do the heavy lifting. Maybe Sam Freeman can give us a few boards a game? Then we have to hope Curry is finally healthy & able to return to form. Then we need to hope Omersa figures out how to play team defense & can help. It's an awful lot of hoping. I see this team struggling to make the dance next season.
 

Eh, lot of ways to rebound. Coffey isn't a rebounder really. Releases on shots to start the break.

What was Murphy's defensive rebound %? I know he was a top tier rebounded offensively. Not sure what it was defensively.

Bigs look to be an issue next year, with or without a "healthy" Curry. Really hope there is a grad transfer coming soon but can't rely on that.
 

Eh, lot of ways to rebound. Coffey isn't a rebounder really. Releases on shots to start the break.

What was Murphy's defensive rebound %? I know he was a top tier rebounded offensively. Not sure what it was defensively.

Bigs look to be an issue next year, with or without a "healthy" Curry. Really hope there is a grad transfer coming soon but can't rely on that.

We were not a top 50 rebounding statistical analysis- even with Murphy. Not total rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds or rebound margin. As a team we will just have to be better all the way around at all five positions. If we do that the loss of Murphy will be minimized.
 

Wondering who people think will step up and fill the rebounding void from Murphy’s departure? I think defensively that the team could be better, and scoring I think especially if Coffey comes back should be solid, but concerned about the glass.

Obviously if Curry comes back healthy, then the rebounding is taken care of (I know huge and probably unlikely if). Will be interesting to see what grad transfer we bring in.
 

Obviously if Curry comes back healthy, then the rebounding is taken care of (I know huge and probably unlikely if). Will be interesting to see what grad transfer we bring in.

I expect that Oturu will be a monster on the boards. His offseason is going to be all about adding muscle and improving the jumper. If he doesn't get pushed out of the blocks he will be fantastic on the boards. If Omersa is our PF- which some view as a worst case scenario, we will be a solid rebounding team. Coffey and the guards need to get better as well.
 

I think Coffey will be back. All the feedback points to outside of the top 100 prospects for the draft. They still need another ball handling guard with this line up and still a little thin at center, no clue what you can get from Curry at this point. Ihnen can play multiple positions down the road but you can't over load freshmen with learning the 3 and 4, same with Williams as a 3 or 2.

1. Carr/Willis
2. Gabe/Willis/Williams
3. Coffey/Ihnen/Hurt/Williams
4. Demir/Curry/Omersa/Hurt
5. Oturu/Freeman/Curry

In my book, this is 100% spot on (assuming Coffey is back). Your depth order by position is right where it should be imo.


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Wondering who people think will step up and fill the rebounding void from Murphy’s departure? I think defensively that the team could be better, and scoring I think especially if Coffey comes back should be solid, but concerned about the glass.

Great question. The most likely grad transfer, Demir, has size and skills, but is not super athletic and is not known as a great rebounder. The “long guys” on the team (Oturu, Ihnen, Freeman) need to add muscle. Curry needs to get healthy. Omersa would seem to be the most ready to jump and scrap for rebounds, but his offensive skill is so limited, how much will he see the floor? What we need is to channel Dusty Rychart into our forwards. How in the heck did a 6’7” non-athletic guy rebound like he did? Maybe an off-season assignment should be for our forwards to watch a couple dozen games when that guy played. He was an amazing rebounder who wasn’t born with Omersa’s gifts, that’s for sure.


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In my book, this is 100% spot on (assuming Coffey is back). Your depth order by position is right where it should be imo.


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Do you two think Williams may redshirt this year then if he's going to be the last guy off the bench?
 

PG: Carr 22-Willis 18
SG: Gabe 25-Williams 10- Ihnen 5
SF: Hurt 15- Ihnen 20 -Williams 5
PF: Demir 15 - Curry 15- Omersa 10
C: Oturu 20-Freeman 10- Curry 10

This would give us the opportunity to press the entire game.

If Amir comes back we will be better than last year.



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PG: Carr 22-Willis 18
SG: Gabe 25-Williams 10- Ihnen 5
SF: Hurt 15- Ihnen 20 -Williams 5
PF: Demir 15 - Curry 15- Omersa 10
C: Oturu 20-Freeman 10- Curry 10

This would give us the opportunity to press the entire game.

If Amir comes back we will be better than last year.



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if Amir doesn't come back Gabe & Oturu will be our best players....there is no way Oturu will be off the court for 20 minutes a game unless he is in foul trouble....and Gabe played over 30 minutes his freshman year. I would guess he will be a guy that hardly ever leaves the court again this upcoming season.
 

PG: Carr 22-Willis 18
SG: Gabe 25-Williams 10- Ihnen 5
SF: Hurt 15- Ihnen 20 -Williams 5
PF: Demir 15 - Curry 15- Omersa 10
C: Oturu 20-Freeman 10- Curry 10

This would give us the opportunity to press the entire game.

If Amir comes back we will be better than last year.



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Small forward is the weak link if Hurt is the starter. I would love to be surprised by a great senior season for him. I hope Amir is back!


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Freeman is coming in raw. I dont think he'll get the clock some of you think he will

WITH Coffey:

Starters:

PG - Carr
SG - Gabe K
SF - Coffey
PF - Demir
C - Oturu

Coffey will backup Carr

Main Wing Players off Bench
Willis
Williams
Main Big Men off bench
Curry - will backup both C and PF positions
Hurt

That's a nine man rotation right there.

If Coffey leaves, Williams or Ihren take his spot, with the other as a backup.

This leaves Omersa and Freeman as wildcards. I could see Omersa taking Hurts playing time, but I'll give the clock to a senior right now.

This why I dont see a Kobe Brown coming in with all of this competition. Best case is we get a grad transfer, but probably wont happen unless Coffey goes. The team may not be top 10 talented, but it is deep.
 

Small forward is the weak link if Hurt is the starter. I would love to be surprised by a great senior season for him. I hope Amir is back!


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If Coffey is gone, I'd expect either Willis, Williams or Ihnen to start. If Coffey is back, I don't think Hurt will play very much with those guys all capable of playing the 3 and Demir, Curry, Omersa and Ihnen all capable of playing the 4. I don't see him getting PT over any of those guys but we'll see.
 




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