Point Guard

[NUdiehard]

One thing to watch in the early season games is how well the offense runs with Watson in as PG vs. BP as PG.  Last year I felt that when Tarin Smith was running the point, the whole offense just seemed to run much smoother.  It was never a well-oiled machine, but it was definitely more refined with Tarin than with BP at the helm.  Tarin was no Tyronne Lue, but he was much closer to being a true PG than anything I have ever seen from BP.  Simply because Benny is 5'6" doesn't automatically make him a natural PG, there is so much more involved.

 

This year we have Watson.  Watson is a far better PG than Tarin Smith will ever be.  I have already seen enough from him to feel confident in that assessment.  So the question begs, who should be running our offense from day 1?  IMO, there is no question it should be Watson.  This is not a bash BP thread.  Not at all.  I love BP's grit, defense, intensity and activity level as much as everyone.  There is no doubt he has a role and plays an important part on this team.  But it should not be as the starting PG.  And I'm not really even talking about just making shots.  I just have never seen any indication that BP has a natural feel and ability and skill for playing the PG position.  Truly gifted point guards can change the whole "feel" for the offense.  They can make things run smoother and their playmaking ability can create easy shots for their teammates. Easy shots creates easy buckets, which creates confidence, which creates energy, etc. 

 

I fully realize that Watson's defensive ability is no where near Benny's.  But this is one instance where Miles should put offense before defense, and IMO, do it from day 1 to get this machine up and running smoothly from the very start.

[lanigan123]

I don't disagree w your assessment of Watson's skill, but experience, toughness, et all in the big ten is very very important. While I think Glynn should get more minutes at the PG than Benny, I want Benny starting.

[jimmykc]

Watson will undoubtedly become the starter at some point during the year. However, I see no reason to begin the season with him as the starter. Not only does that put additional psychological stress to perform upon a freshman who is still unfamiliar with the system, but it does not reward a veteran who has stuck with the program through adversity and always managed to exceed the expectations of those who have disparaged his talents. Let Benny resume his natural position as defensive sparkplug off the bench as the season unfolds and Watson is completely prepared to take over as starting PG. Perhaps it will keep him from hitting the wall which frosh usually note as the schedule stretches on and to minimize the physical stress placed on his body which will come as we begin to play Big10 teams.

[kldm64]

I'd go with Watson from Day 1.  You play your best players regardless of what year in school they are.  Benny plays hard but he is very limited in what he can bring both offensively and defensively.  Watson has played against very good competition in high school and AAU so see no reason not to get him up to speed as quickly as you can and start him from the game 1 of the season.

[Huskerpapa]

It doesn't matter to me who the starter is, more importantly who is there at critical times and the end of the games.

[kldm64]

It doesn't matter to me who the starter is, more importantly who is there at critical times and the end of the games.

 

It does make a difference who starts as you don't want to get down early each game and play catch-up all the time.

[Norm Peterson]

I agree with jimmykc for the most part, but I'll add:

 

Unless Watson is clearly a cut above Benny at point right now, you don't start him over Benny right now.  You wait.  Until he's ready.  And Watson is a true freshman, so he might need to play the understudy role for a little while.

 

I am not yet ready to accept the fact that Watson is a better option at point RIGHT NOW, than Benny is.  Key is RIGHT NOW.  I'm not starting a kid based on his future potential.  If Watson is to start, he needs to start based on how things stand at this moment in time.

 

If Watson is better than Benny is at this point in time, then Watson should start.  But we'll see.  And I will say that the Spain trip, and preparations prior thereto, might have given Glynn enough of an initiation that he's been able to bridge the gap already.

 

I will trust that Miles will start whoever he thinks is best and I will guarantee he knows more about it than I do.  Far be it from me to second-guess who starts from day 1.

[HuskerFever]

 

It doesn't matter to me who the starter is, more importantly who is there at critical times and the end of the games.

 

It does make a difference who starts as you don't want to get down early each game and play catch-up all the time.

 

 

Our problem (through multiple coaches) is that we tend to play to the level of our opponents. Whether we have the lead or not, we're either keeping the game tight or completely falling apart.

[Dead Dog Alley]

When TP was playing at the same time as BP last year, I don't think you could say that Benny was actually the PG much of the time. In fact much of the time you could say that BP wasn't actually playing offense. A lot of the time he would bring up the ball, make one pass, run to the corner and not look to ever get it back. And against full court pressure he generally wasn't the primary or even secondary ball handler.

[Huskerpapa]

 

It doesn't matter to me who the starter is, more importantly who is there at critical times and the end of the games.

 

It does make a difference who starts as you don't want to get down early each game and play catch-up all the time.

 

If the person starting is not a good player and plays you into a hole, then yes I am in total agreement.  But I do not believe Watson or Parker fit that category. 

[RailyardBum]

Miles has mentioned a few times that we shouldn't be surprised to see Benny and Glynn on the floor at the same time. Even though Benny is small Miles said that he could possibly guard a bigger player on the wing with Glynn guarding the point. I'm guessing Glynn is already a much better offensive player then Benny, with Benny a superior defensive player. Rebounding will probably be a challenge with them both out there, but it's probably going to be a weakness of ours all year with our well documented lack of size.

 

Will be interesting to watch how this plays out. 

[Huskerone]

Didn't we have a problem with assists last year?  Whatever the PG rotation will look like I just hope our assist numbers go up exponentially this year.

[AuroranHusker]

Miles has mentioned a few times that we shouldn't be surprised to see Benny and Glynn on the floor at the same time. Even though Benny is small Miles said that he could possibly guard a bigger player on the wing with Glynn guarding the point. I'm guessing Glynn is already a much better offensive player then Benny, with Benny a superior defensive player. Rebounding will probably be a challenge with them both out there, but it's probably going to be a weakness of ours all year with our well documented lack of size.

 

Will be interesting to watch how this plays out. 

 

 

I'd say that's a fairly safe assumption. Benny has been, shall we say, "offensively challenged" for much of the past 3 years, but he's also been able to 'D' up nearly every perimeter offensive threat NU has faced the past couple of seasons. Glynn, on the other hand, is an offensive creator & a proven champion at the H.S. level. How Glynn can transition to the physical play and speed of the college game will be an indicator of how much playing time he'll get early on. I have a feeling that Glynn will be in there early & often.

 

And, as far as rebounding, NU could be a slight deficit in height in many (if not most) matchups the rebounding acumen isn't always based on the player's height but more girth, positioning, and sheer will to do the dirty work on the boards. AW-III, Shavon & Morrow are all capable of being good rebounders for this team. I have a suspicion that the Big Red will be decent-to-fairly good on the glass this year. I think they'll hold their own, let's just say.

[jimmykc]

True. Unseld, Rodman, Love, etc have all proven that it is positioning and desire that make good rebounders, not size and jumping ability. All that is required is an ability to study angles,and wanting to do the dirty work of getting the ball without much emphasis on actually being a scorer. Defensive and offensive rebounders also require somewhat different skill sets. Hopefully some of these guys we now have will really take pride in doing this necessary job and the lack of a tall center will not be a factor in this department.