Down The Drive - 2013-14 Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Season In ReviewA Cincinnati Bearcats blog for the moderately intelligenthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48741/downthedrive-fave.png2014-05-05T11:24:34-04:00http://www.downthedrive.com/rss/stream/53141692014-05-05T11:24:34-04:002014-05-05T11:24:34-04:00UC Basketball Projected Depth Chart For 2014-15
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VMnHSTOpt-2Om1EMNJ1Fr4g1Udc=/0x569:2972x2550/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32543255/478786811.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Joe Murphy</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now that the long, long process of putting 2013-14 to bed is completed now is as good a time as any to look forward to next years team, when a new generation of Bearcats will get their first extended looks as front line players. What follows is obviously just a guess, subject to change with the recruiting. </p> <h3>Starters</h3>
<p><b>PG: <span>Troy Caupain</span></b> -- There are still some out there who view Caupain as more of combo guard who is playing PG because Mick Cronin refuses to recruit true point guards. It would be interesting to see exactly what games that subset of Bearcat Nation is watching. Caupain is a shooting guard sized player, but his skill set is 100 percent PG. He gets his run next year.</p>
<p><b>SG: <span>Kevin Johnson</span> -- </b>KJ was impressive down the stretch of the season, providing spacing and shooting that the Bearcats had seriously <a href="http://www.downthedrive.com/2014/3/24/5541002/bearcats-shooting-a-tale-of-woe-in-2013-14/in/5314169" target="_blank">lacked for most of 2013-14</a>. It was all in a very small sample size, a stretch of about 10 games all told so the question about his ability to produce in a more intensive role will remain. I still think KJ has two things over his competition, his shooting and his ability to guard the quicker point guards that proliferate in the AAC. His chemistry with Caupain and ability to cross match makes him a good bet.</p>
<p><b>SF: <span>Shaquille Thomas</span></b> -- Shaq somehow got noticeably and quantifiably better as a sophomore...and still managed to leave some Bearcats underwhelmed. The highs of his play were often times so high (<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2014/1/30/5362928/cincinnati-louisville-alley-oop-gif" target="_blank">literally</a>) that it made the inevitable lows faced by all young players neigh on unbearable. Still, he is the best option at the 3 spot unless something crazy happens in recruiting.</p>
<p><b>PF: Jermaine Lawrence</b> -- It is painfully obvious that <span>Jermaine Lawrence's</span> season did not play out as everyone, (<a href="http://www.downthedrive.com/2013/11/4/5041820/staff-predictions-starting-lineup-conference-play-edition" target="_blank">myself included</a>) expected. There are still plenty of reasons to be excited about the potential with Lawrence, despite all the adversity with his injury and offensive issues he still managed to carve out a role with this team. He reinvented himself as a rebounder and proved to be a much better than expected defensive player. What he needs to do for next year is start playing the game 12 feet and in.</p>
<p><b>C: Coreontae DeBerry --</b> The Bearcats haven't had a ton of good fortune when it comes to first year impacts from JUCO's, but I have heard nothing but good things about DeBerry. He played last year at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. He averaged nearly 12 and 7 while shooting around 70 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line. DeBerry might not give the Bearcats Justin Jackson level production right out of the gate, but he will be a big part of the Bearcats team next year.</p>
<h3>Rotation</h3>
<p><b>PG: <span>Ge`Lawn Guyn</span></b> -- After a year of starting I see Guyn sliding back into the back up PG role he occupied as a freshman and sophomore. The bottom line is that Caupain does far more for the offense and will be better in bigger doses. Ge can best serve the team going forward as a situational defensive stopper and spot up shooter for spacing on offense</p>
<p><b>SG: <span>Deshaun Morman</span></b> -- It might be hoping a bit much for Morman to have an SK like impact as a red shirt freshman. Still, Morman should be one of the lead dogs offensively with the second unit. The Bearcats as a team haven't had a player with a similar skill set since <span>Dion Dixon</span> graduated.</p>
<p><b>SF: <span>Jermaine Sanders</span> -- </b>Jermaine has been around forever, he knows the system inside and out and was the most consistent shooter the Bearcats had a year ago. He gives the Bearcats spacing, good rebounding and effort. Pencil him in for 5 or 6 points and 20 minutes a night.</p>
<p><b>PF: <span>Gary Clark</span></b> -- I have high hopes for Clark in the long term, but as a freshman he will get minutes as nebulously defined "energy guy." He runs the floor, protects the rim really well for a 6'7" guy and rebounds his ass off. Mick always has room for guys like that.</p>
<p><b>C: <span>Jamaree Strickland</span> --</b> After a year in the wilderness thanks to the NCAA Strickland will gain eligibility this year. Given all that time spent away from the game, and away from the team in an official capacity its hard to know what to expect from Strickland. His size alone should give the bearcats bench units a different feel, but its hard to pencilhim in for more than 10 or so minutes a game.</p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/5/5/5680656/projected-bearcats-basketball-depth-chart-for-2014-15Matt Opper2014-05-01T11:14:35-04:002014-05-01T11:14:35-04:00Sean Kilpatrick Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IOAssdIY9h8Amem9Be9-KfSRiM0=/0x170:2667x1948/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32402053/20140320_kkt_an2_012.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>James Snook-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Strap in folks, this is going to be a read</p> <h3>The Numbers</h3>
<ul>
<li><span>20.6 points; 24 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>4.3 rebounds; 5 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>2.5 assists; 3 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>33.8 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>42.3 / 34.8 / 84.5 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p>The most interesting thing about doing these retrospectives has been seeing how the initial reactions that I myself have had about the years of some players contrasted with the statistical realities produced on the floor. Some have fared much better under the higher scrutiny of statistical analysis, like Jermaine Sanders. With <span>Ge`Lawn Guyn</span> the offensive numbers were even worse than I thought they would be. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the numbers say <span>Titus Rubles</span> was a plus offensive player.</p>
<p>
<link href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3608425/mustreads.css" rel="stylesheet"></p>
<p>The statistical scrutiny that I myself have been able to use on these guys is by its nature limited. I would love to have an <a target="_blank" href="http://stats.nba.com/?PlayerOrTeam=Player&StatCategory=Points&GameScope=Playoffs" style="background-color: #ffffff;">NBA style</a> statistical database for the college game, but that does not exist. Too many games, too many teams, and apparently not enough interest*. So what we have are rough sketches of the impact of players, sketches that shed more light and reveal more of the shape of a players game. What's revealed is not the <a target="_blank" href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130324144324/fantendo/images/7/78/8_bit_mario_by_raivcesleinadnayr-d3b6hpi.png">8 bit mario</a> of traditional stats, nor the <a target="_blank" href="http://graphicashen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/mario-kart-8-on-nintendo-wii-u-2.jpg">high def Mario</a> you find on your kids Wii. This is more like a <a target="_blank" href="http://img.brothersoft.com/screenshots/softimage/s/super_mario_64-255597-1246524248.jpeg">Nintendo 64 version of Mario</a>.</p>
<p>*<i>I am sure Ken Pomeroy would disagree </i></p>
<p>No matter what processing speed your video game console has, there is simply no way to get around the fact that <span>Sean Kilpatrick</span> had a truly remarkable final season in a Bearcats uniform. But where do we begin with it? How about with this, we now have confirmation that the best way for a Bearcat to have an All America season is <a href="http://www.downthedrive.com/2013/7/1/4483588/sean-kilpatrick-makes-usa-basketball-world-university-games-roster" target="_blank">to go and play in the World University Games</a>. Kenyon Martin was the first to go from good player to all american (and player of the year) after summering abroad between his Junior and Senior year. 12 years later, Sean Kilpatrick followed the same path.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JWSkgrSh-9E" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1398955213537"></p>
<p>However much credit you want to give that experience in the transformation of Sean Kilpatrick is ultimately up to you. What is beyond debate is that there was a transformation with SK. He was simply a different player as a Senior than he was a year ago. Kilpatrick carried a very heavy burden for the Bearcats offense as a Junior. Coming into that promise filled year it was supposed to be the three amigos with Jaquon Parker, <span>Cashmere Wright</span> and Kila all set to carry the offensive load in equal measure en route to yet another Sweet 16. It didn't turn out that way. Parker was sapped from two years battling up several weight classes defending power forwards; Cash was by that point completely robbed of his athleticism from his endless knee ailments. Increasingly it fell on SK to carry the offensive load and late game shot making. It was a burden that at times seemed like far more weight than his shoulders could bear.</p>
<p>As a senior Sean Kilpatrick handled that same burden, plus a little bit extra with a younger team, and he made that shit look comfortable, even light. Kila consumed more possessions than at any other point previously, and yet he had a massive jump in the number of positive outcomes that he effected. His efficiency jumped from 108.4* as a Junior to 119.8 as a Senior while increasing his share of the offense by nearly 4 percentage points. The question is how?</p>
<p><i>*In the context of his career that Junior year is a major outlier, the one downward dip in a career that for the most part trended <a target="_blank" href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/cincinnati/sean-kilpatrick?per_game=1&tempo_neutral=1&totals=1&plusminus=1&game_type=1&chart1=points_avg&chart2=minutes_avg&chart3=fg_pct">resolutely positive</a> from beginning to end in almost every statistical category. That just gives context to how great a leap SK made from Junior to Senior year. </i></p>
<p>If you are playing the Down The Drive drinking game at home, (and I am sure that there is at least one person doing just that, intentionally or not) here is where you drink because I wrote "its not just one thing." In defense of my trope it <i>never</i> is just one thing. To simply hold up to the physical demands of the role SK played this year he had to be in the best shape of his life, and he was. Kila was down 11 pounds from his Junior season and he was far more explosive athletically because of it. The physical changes helped, but coupling that with a much smarter approach to the game proved to be a devastating combination for opponents.</p>
<p>There is no singular smoking gun for the admittedly nebulous theory that Sean Kilpatrick played a smarter brand of basketball, but that doesn't mean I am without circumstantial smoking guns. For instance, his shot selection. Compare his shot selection for the last three years.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
var cpo = []; cpo["_object"] ="cp_widget_7abc2781-485b-440b-92e8-8af5fc245dc9"; cpo["_fid"] = "AYIAHpr-jNTH";
var _cpmp = _cpmp || []; _cpmp.push(cpo);
(function() { var cp = document.createElement("script"); cp.type = "text/javascript";
cp.async = true; cp.src = "//www.cincopa.com/media-platform/runtime/libasync.js";
var c = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
c.parentNode.insertBefore(cp, c); })();
// --></script></p>
<noscript>Powered by Cincopa &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.cincopa.com/video-hosting" mce_href="http://www.cincopa.com/video-hosting"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Video Hosting&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; solution.</noscript>
<p>The three point shot has always been a huge part of Kila's offensive game, even though he has been more of a volume shooter than a sniper from deep. The key difference is just how much more active Kila was around the rim as a senior. In college as in the NBA the best shot in the game is a shot at the rim and SK got there early and often in 2013-14.This year he averaged 4.2 shots at the rim per 40 minutes, a full shot more than he did in his sophomore and junior seasons. Combine that with a general uptick in his shooting, particularly from long range and at the rim (<i style="font-weight: bold;">71% !!!!</i>) and you have a large chunk of his leap on the offensive end.</p>
<div id="cp_widget_9303372b-d95e-4096-b23a-1c544509f345">...</div>
<p>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
var cpo = []; cpo["_object"] ="cp_widget_9303372b-d95e-4096-b23a-1c544509f345"; cpo["_fid"] = "A0IAeoLYjJH4";
var _cpmp = _cpmp || []; _cpmp.push(cpo);
(function() { var cp = document.createElement("script"); cp.type = "text/javascript";
cp.async = true; cp.src = "//www.cincopa.com/media-platform/runtime/libasync.js";
var c = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
c.parentNode.insertBefore(cp, c); })();
// --></script></p>
<noscript>Powered by Cincopa &amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.cincopa.com/video-hosting" mce_href="http://www.cincopa.com/video-hosting"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Video Hosting&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; solution.</noscript>
<p>The other thing that is interesting about this year of SK's is that he made all these clear and measurable improvements in his game on the offensive side of the ball while enduring one of the worst shooting slumps of his career. It started in the New Mexico game and ran until either the first UCF game or the second Temple game, depending on your accounting. To be kind lets put the end date on the 23rd of January, which makes it a 5 week shooting slump, but what a slump. 36 percent from the field and a ghastly 25 percent from deep, all the while SK continues to put up his 20 points night after night by getting to the line and hitting a shit ton (scientific term) of free throws. However you want to measure it, be it free throws per 40 minutes (7) or free throw rate (42.0), the uptick from his career average was noticeable.</p>
<p>The personification of that commitment to get to the line is the Nebraska game, a contest where he had one of his worst shooting nights as a Bearcat going just 2 of 13 from the field and 0 of 5 from three point land...and still scored 21 points by getting to the line 18 times and making 17 of them. All of which came from his renewed commitment to staying in attack mode and getting to the rim where good things happen.</p>
<p>
<link href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3608425/mustreads.css" rel="stylesheet"></p>
<p>A case is easy to make that the last step a player makes in making the transition from being good to being great is the ability to make your teammates better. Putting guys in positive positions and giving them a chance to make a play was not a strong suit of SK's as a junior, but he thrived in that role as a senior. For the two or three week period where <span>Troy Caupain</span> hit the proverbial freshman wall SK was the best point guard on the roster.</p>
<p>One of the best and most effective actions the Bearcats had this year was to get SK and <span>Justin Jackson</span> involved in a screen and roll. It was a thing of beauty to watch, not to mention highly effective. Kila became a master of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa5YYA5PruQ" target="_blank">the pocket pass</a> to the right and left, and there was nothing the opposing team could really do to stop it. It was beautiful basketball.</p>
<p>I could blather on for another 1,000 words on the offensive season that SK just had with no problem. But we have to at least touch on his defense. I didn't think it would happen for him on that side of the ball, but SK became a plus defensive player this year. Really he became a plus defensive player last year, but he was better this year.</p>
<p>As a red shirt freshman SK often looked lost. As most freshman are he wasn't up to snuff with Mick's system, not quick enough with his rotations, losing track of his man constantly, I thought he was hopeless at that end of the floor. I never expected him to have a <span>Rashad Bishop</span> or Titus Rubles type defensive impact, truth be told I never expected him to be merely good on defense.</p>
<p>But damn was he good this year. He was good in the way that the 40 year old who runs with the 25 year olds at the local court and <i>always</i> gets picked up is good on defense because he knows who he is, and most importantly what he can and can't do.</p>
<p>Even down 11 pounds from last year SK is not an explosive athlete. He doesn't have elite quickness like <span>Shaquille Thomas</span> does, or a wing span that can blot out the sun like Troy Caupain or Titus. What he did have was a body fit for the pro game with the strength to match and a knack for working hard at all times to keep his body between his man and the basket. The only way for him to be effective guarding the little guys who thrived in the first year of the AAC was to keep guys close so that he could overwhelm them with his strength. It was amazing to see him become that good defensively in his final year in the red and black.</p>
<h3>Best of the Best</h3>
<p><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/02/06/connecticut-58-cincinnati-63" target="_blank"><i>February 6th. vs. UConn</i></a></p>
<p>It was very, very hard to pick just one, even from just one season, but that would be the game. 26 points on 8 of 15 shooting, with 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Oh and he played every second of that game. One of many amazing performances from SK over the years.</p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/5/1/5670564/sean-kilpatrick-season-in-reviewMatt Opper2014-04-25T13:28:49-04:002014-04-25T13:28:49-04:00Justin Jackson Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nno709tUL-0UKk8ivkx8rCqigjI=/0x263:2900x2196/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32123699/479759021.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Steve Dykes</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coming into his senior season Justin Jackson was well and truly defined as a player. He was a guy who would bring energy and defensive prowess in spades, a guy who would do the dirty work on the offensive end; setting good screens, hitting the glass, gobbling up second chance points, but that was it. Except that as a senior those qualities were just the starting point, not the end of the conversation. </p> <h3>The Numbers</h3>
<ul>
<li><span>11.1 points; 16 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li> <span>1.7 assists; 3 </span><span>per 40 minutes</span> </li>
<li> <span>7.3 rebounds; 10 </span><span>per 40 minutes</span> </li>
<li><span>27.8 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>53.2 / 0 / 46 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p>The transformation of <span>Justin Jackson</span> from energy / athleticism / defense guy to offensive center piece really starts with Mick and the coaching staff. Justin spent most of last season on the perimeter as one of the wings in the Bearcats theoretical 4 around 1 offense. The consequences of the approach were dramatic, and not in a good way. As a freshman and sophomore Jackson's effective field goal percentage hovered around 50 percent. As a Junior his eFG% plummeted to 42 and his offensive rating fell with it to a career low 82.5. The coaches knew that for the Bearcats to have anything resembling a successful season they would have to get much, much more from <span>Justin Jackson</span>. In truth they almost certainly got more than they expected from Jackson.</p>
<p>He committed to becoming an effective post player. Jackson developed a series of post moves that individually weren't overpowering, but in combination made him incredibly effective. That is an aspect of his game that wasn't on display before his senior season. Prior to this season every JJ post up was an adventure. Something was going to happen, but it was never clear from possession to possession if what happened was going to be good for the Bearcats or for the opposition. In 2013-14 good things always happened when the Bearcats got the ball to Jackson in the post. Just look at his shooting by area for this year.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4353985/Justin_Jackson_shooting__1_.jpg"><img src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4353985/Justin_Jackson_shooting__1__medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Justin_jackson_shooting__1__medium"></a></p>
<p>JJ was one of the few players for the Bearcats where every shot was a good shot, at least percentage wise (<span>Jermaine Sanders</span> and <span>Sean Kilpatrick</span> are the other ones). As inconsistent as the Bearcats were offensively this year, and they were just that, they were much better than the 2012-13 team was. As a team the offensive efficiency bumped up from 101.4 a year ago to 107.6 which is by no means elite, but is one of the best offenses of the Mick Cronin era.</p>
<p>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3608425/mustreads.css"></p>
<p>Thinking about that improvement in light of the Bearcats starting over at point guard with <span>Cashmere Wright</span> gone, and at the third wing with Jaquon Parker gone its kind of remarkable. Sean Kilpatrick transforming himself from a good player to an All American has a lot to do with that. But Justin Jackson should be lionized for his part in that improvement.</p>
<p>That Justin Jackson became a better player individually, that much is beyond dispute. What really changed this year is that he made his teammates better. A long underrated facet of Jackson's game has been his passing. In his final season the Bearcats really took advantage of that. Jackson became a mini point forward this year.</p>
<p>The argument could be made that Justin Jackson was the most valuable player on the Bearcats team this year. Its not an easy argument to make, but hear it out. The teams that these Bearcats really struggled with in 2013-14 were those that were able to handle Justin Jackson in the post without doubling. UConn comes to mind first and foremost, but you can definitely throw New Mexico, Louisville and even SMU into that same category. Against those teams the Bearcats really struggled to break down defenses. Without the need for a double team on JJ the Bearcats really struggled to break down the first layer of the defense and get it moving. The only real way to beat a set defense is to get it rotating. When JJ was out, or playing a big like Brimah, Kirk or Kennedy the Bearcats offense became a really slog.</p>
<p>When you combine that positive impact offensively with him still playing defense with the super human energy that we have become accustomed to and you have a pretty phenomenal season. 2.9 blocks, 1.6 steals both of which wound up being top 20 numbers in the conference for the season. That he was named defensive player of the year in the AAC is hardly a surprise for me. It was merely the logical extension of his play from previous seasons with a higher minute load. The shock was the way that he played offense.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bHWZebRz3fM" height="315" width="560"></iframe> \</p>
<h3>Best of the Best</h3>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014"><i> </i></a></p>
<p><i><a target="_blank" href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014">January 30th, At Louisville</a></i></p>
<p><i><a target="_blank" href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014"></a><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014" target="_blank"> </a></i></p>
<p>Justin Jackson certainly had games this year where he scored more points, or grabbed more rebounds, but he didn't have a bigger impact on any other game, in part because there were major doubts about whether he would even play this game after sitting out the balance of the Temple game after getting hurt early. But he came to play against the Cardinals. 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting, 9 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It was a huge performance in a massive game on national television coming off an injury.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i36vM7_6Nhc" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1398446923284"></p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/4/25/5651158/justin-jackson-season-in-reviewMatt Opper2014-04-19T10:00:02-04:002014-04-19T10:00:02-04:00Titus Rubles Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fcApSYDf5n4fhRsdHoojL5AVym4=/0x148:4000x2815/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31844551/20140325_kkt_an2_747.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>James Snook-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Titus Rubles had a rough go of it in his first year in the Queen City. He could never really find his lane as a Junior, and he tried to do things that were outside of his skill set, like shooting threes. He cut that stuff out of his game in 2013-14 and concentrated on what he did well, namely crashing the glass and getting to the rim. The Bearcats were better off for it.</p> <h3>The Numbers</h3>
<ul>
<li><span>7.3 points; 10 per 40</span></li>
<li><span>6.8 rebounds; 9 per 40</span></li>
<li><span>2.0 assists; 3 per 40</span></li>
<li><span>29 minutes </span></li>
<li><span>40.5 / 0 / 76.9 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p>The simply cutting out the three pointers from his game had a drastic, and dramatically positive effect on this play for the season on the offensive end. Last year Rubles launched a truly unconscionable amount of three pointers, 43 in total, of which he made 4, good for 9 percent. As a senior he took just only three shots from deep (making none) but was a + offensive player. His shooting wasn't drastically better this year, but his finishing near the rim certainly was.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Junior Year</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4316163/Titus1213__1_.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Titus1213__1__medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4316163/Titus1213__1__medium.jpg"></a></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Senior Year</h4>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4316221/titus_rubles_shooting__1_.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Titus_rubles_shooting__1__medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4316221/titus_rubles_shooting__1__medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1397882554637"></p>
<p>That shooting chart is still not a thing a beauty, but one does not have to be beautiful to be effective. Titus was a more effective player around this year than he was a year ago. Part of that is down to finishing through contact. Almost every player is going to see a jump in that department by simple virtue of having played more games. In Titus's case the JUCO league he played in while at Blinn Junior College in Texas did not come replete with the kind of rim protection that he saw as a Junior. This year he was more prepared for it.</p>
<p>There are two other things that were contributing factors to Titus's jump from below average to slightly above average offensive player. One was the free throw line. The rate at which Rubles drew fouls in the act of shooting went up. But the increase wasn't monumental, from 49.7 to 52.6, thats a statistically significant change, but creating scoring opportunities at the free throw line is only meaningful if they are converted. Thats another area where Rubles dramatically improved. He free throw shooting went up nearly 11 percentage points from 66 percent to 76.9. The other big improvement also took place at the free throw line, but in the run of play.</p>
<p>In general there weren't a ton of things that the Bearcats did that were effective on the offensive end. <span>Justin Jackson</span> post ups worked, Shaquille Thomas's mid range game sort of worked, Sean Kilpatrick's curl series worked, SK and JJ pick and rolls <i>really</i> worked, and Titus operating on the elbows worked and that is pretty much the list.</p>
<p>What was really fascinating about Titus being so effective working from the top of the key is that 15 feet is way outside his effective range. But he cobbled together a series of moves that worked for him. He has a little shot fake that did a surprisingly good* job creating space for a drive. He could drive left or right against bigger defenders, draw the help and dump it down to a big for an easy hoop. Against smaller defenders he could simply bull his way to the rim to either get fouled or finish at the rim. He was one of the three Bearcats capable of making an entry pass to JJ without making him move.(which should get him a virtual gold star considering how bad most of the team was at that) All told one of the best non SK or JJ things the Bearcats could do last year was get Titus the ball at the top of the key.</p>
<p><i>*even though a defense is begging for a Titus 15 footer</i></p>
<p>It must be noted that the strategy didn't always work. Smarter teams would play way off him, with his man playing with one foot in the paint at all times making it far easier to build a wall against drives from the rest of the team. That defensive tactic is one reason why the Bearcats spacing was such a nightmare this year. Mick could have stood him on the outside of the arc, but everyone knows that he is a non shooter. Titus had to make up for that in other ways, and he did that by crashing the glass. His improvement on the offensive end coupled with his always stellar defense is what made Rubles a quintessential glue guy.</p>
<p>When people talk about the Bearcats defense from this season the conversation always starts with <span>Justin Jackson</span> and his ability to switch 1 through 5 on that end. What goes overlooked is that the Bearcats had <i>two </i>guys who could switch 1 through 5 and still be effective. Titus was that other rangy and versatile guy. Consider this, just four AAC players ranked in the top 20 of the conference in blocks and steals per game. <span>Shaq Goodwin</span> is one, Maruks Kennedy is another, Justin Jackson is the third and <span>Titus Rubles</span> is the fourth.</p>
<p>Next years edition of the Bearcats will be a very good defensive team, if for no other reason than the impossibility of a Mick Cronin having a team that plays bad defense. But it will be a different kind of defense than next years team will play. They certainly won't switch every screen as they did this year because next year's front line bigs won't be able to play smaller. How many times did we see Titus switch onto a smaller primary ball handler and lock them up? A dozen? Two dozen? It seemed to happen a lot, and it won't be happening next year.</p>
<h3>Best of the Best</h3>
<p><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/03/06/memphis-84-cincinnati-97" target="_blank"><i>March 6th, 2013 vs. Memphis</i></a></p>
<p>Titus Rubles played his best game in his last home game. There is something that warms the heart about that. He played 37 minutes scored a career high 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting, made all 6 of his free throws, grabbed 5 rebounds and played his customary lock down defense. That was peak Titus.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UUvgbEMqa3Q" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/4/19/5625450/cincinnati-bearcats-titus-rubles-season-in-reviewMatt Opper2014-04-07T12:11:03-04:002014-04-07T12:11:03-04:00Shaquille Thomas Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zmnNR5y0ZrOwz5ZDNDc7C0EaAS4=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31246543/20140314_pjc_sc6_368.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Shaquille Thomas came on late during the 2012-13 season playing his best ball late in the season. His best game that year came in the NCAA tournament loss to Creighton. His performance in that game had many predicting a breakout season for Thomas in 2013-14. That's not exactly how things panned out. </p> <h4><span>The Numbers</span></h4>
<ul>
<li><span>6.8 points; 12 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>2.8 rebounds; 5 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>.9 assists; 2 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>22.9 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>45.4 / 26.3 / 66.2 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p>There is no point in ignoring the elephant in the room, but I found the play of <span>Shaquille Thomas</span> to be maddening at times this season. I devoted <a target="_blank" href="http://www.downthedrive.com/2014/2/26/5447710/wanted-consistency-from-shaq-thomas">nearly 1,000 words to prove the point</a> in late February. The issue with Thomas is something of a new phenomenon for the Mick Cronin era, he doesn't seem to know how much he is capable of. The Bearcats have had plenty of the opposite in the Cronin era. Jihad Muhammad thinking he was the second coming of Allen Iverson, young <span>Yancy Gates</span> thinking he was a three point shooter, young <span>Justin Jackson</span> thinking he was the next Kevin Durant. There have been plenty of guys in this era who's perceptions of themselves have vastly exceeded their capabilities. It took Yancy and JJ three years each to realize that the 18 foot turnaround jumper was just not a club they had in their bag.</p>
<p>With Shaq the opposite is true, there is not a club that he does not have in his bag. He is 6'7" 205 with a decent handle, he has effective range out to 18 feet, he can get to the rim at will and he has the balance to finish through contact with either hand when he gets there. On the basketball court there is almost nothing that he can't do at this level. The only problem is that no one has told Shaquille Thomas this, or they haven't told him often enough.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zwlibroJofs" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1396840734139"></p>
<p>Reading those two paragraphs you might get the impression that the development of Thomas has stagnated after just two years. That is not the case. In almost every measure the effectiveness of Thomas has advanced dramatically from year one to year two, even with the increase in sample size. Just look at his efficiency numbers as a freshman and this year.</p>
<table border="1" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>12-13</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>13-14</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Possession %</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">18.7</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">17.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Offensive Rating</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">93.6</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">102.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Effective FG%</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">43.0</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">46.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>True Shooting %</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">43.9</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">50.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Assist/Turnover</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">.8</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">.9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>+/-</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">.2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">5.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>A large measure of Shaq's Improvement as an offensive player comes down to his shooting. He was less effective from deep this year shooting 26.3% after shooting 37.5 % a year ago. That doesn't really matter for a guy who has averaged less than half an attempt per game from 3 for his career. The real change came at the rim.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4253295/Shaq_Thomas_shooting__1_.jpg"><img src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4253295/Shaq_Thomas_shooting__1__medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Shaq_thomas_shooting__1__medium"></a> <br id="1396835996554"></p>
<p>Compare that to his<a href="http://oi61.tinypic.com/2dbs0oz.jpg" target="_blank"> freshman year</a>. Thomas improved his percentages in the mid range despite having double the volume of shots from a year ago. That means its safe to assume that Thomas is a 37% + shooter from midrange, and that he will continue to be just that for the rest of his career. He is the rare person on this team for whom the 15 foot jump shot is an effective weapon.</p>
<p>He also improved his effectiveness around the rim immensely. He now plays at the rim the way a 6'7" guy who can jump out the gym should play there, which is to say very effectively. That means that Thomas as an effective punch and counter punch to his game. If the defender backs off he can hit the mid range jumper at an effective rate. When his defender closes down space to take that shot away Thomas can blow by him and make a play at the rim. That is a very solid punch and counter punch.</p>
<p>The frustration with Thomas was the lack of consistency. He had some great games this year. 15-4-2 against Temple, 11-6-1 at Louisville, 10-4 with four steals and a block at Memphis. The flip side of that is that he no showed in far too many games. He scored 4 or fewer points in a full third of Bearcats games this year, which is not enough.</p>
<p>While there is no singular fix for getting Thomas to be more consistent, a great place to look for one is his free throw rate. It fluctuates almost in perfect correlation to his scoring output. When he is engaged and attacking the rim Thomas got to the line prodigiously. When he started to drift his free throw attempts would dry up. There was four week stretch from early December to early January when he averaged 3.6 free throw attempts over 9 games. Then there was the 8 game stretch from February 19th through the end of the season when Thomas had a total of 10 free throw attempts. In six of those games Thomas failed to get to the line even once. That is simply not enough consistency, and that lack of consistency also popped up on the defensive end as well.</p>
<p>Stop me if you have heard this before, but Thomas has all the tools to be a dominant defensive force. He is long, uber athletic and aggressive, capable of swallowing smaller guards and wings whole. But Thomas was not always an effective defender. He has the tools, but his attention to detail just wasn't always there. He struggled mightily to defend Neils Giffey because of his tendency to overhelp on drivers rather than sticking to the 47 percent three point shooter he was tasked with defending. So much of basketball defense is knowing where to be and when to be there, and Thomas's positioning could be a disaster. Frequently Thomas did good work for 30 seconds of a possession only to get caught overhelping on a drive which would lead to a good look late in the shot clock. So much of defense is knowing where to be, and perhaps more importantly when to be there, Shaq Thomas had issues with both.</p>
<h4>Best of the Best</h4>
<p><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014" target="_blank"><i> </i></a></p>
<p><i><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014" target="_blank">January 30th, at #12 Louisville</a></i></p>
<p><i><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/30/cincinnati-69-louisville-66-2014"> </a></i></p>
<p>The game that more or less answered whether or not Shaq Thomas was capable of performing in a big game as one of the main cogs offensively. Thomas was everywhere in this game scoring 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting, grabbing 6 rebounds and picking up an assist. It was his most complete game of the season.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i36vM7_6Nhc" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h4>For Next Year</h4>
<p>The difference between good players (which Thomas was this year) and great players (which is what UC will need him to be to win the AAC again) is that great players have the ability to manufacture points even when their shot is not falling. For large portions of the early season <span>Sean Kilpatrick</span> was mired in a shooting slump, but he still manufactured points by putting his head down and getting to the line. The Bearcats crunch time offense was basically get it to SK so he can get fouled while attacking. Next years team will obviously need someone to shoulder some more of the scoring load. I think <span>Kevin Johnson</span> is a good candidate to see his share of the offense skyrocket, but Thomas is perhaps the more obvious candidate.</p>
<p>Shaq has the ability, he has nearly 70 games and well over 1,000 minutes of playing time so he has the experience box checked as well. The question is can he become a consistent day to day player? Mick Cronin has always been fond of saying that SK got out of bed scoring 15 points. That wasn't because he is a pure shooter in the Ray Allen mode, his jumper comes and goes. But on the nights when its gone SK would put his head down and get to the line 7 or 8 times and make 6 or 7 of those.</p>
<p>Thomas has all the skill and ability in the world to become a consistent night in, night out 12 to 15 point a night scorer, and he will have to be for the Bearcats to make it five straight trips to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA tournament</a>. The number one thing he needs to work on is manufacturing points, but it is very hard to manufacture points shooting mid range jumpers. Thomas shot 110 mid range jumpers this season, thats 40 more than he shot at the rim. That isn't as bad a shot for Shaq as it is for most guys, but it is still a shot the defense will gladly give him time and again.</p>
<p>That shot profile has to change next year, Thomas has to get to the rim more frequently. He will need to get fouled more frequently, and he will have to start making free throws at a higher clip to be as effective as he can be. I am sure the temptation will be there for him to work on his game behind the arc, but that's not a shot he has to have to be effective. He can be effective playing where he is playing now, at the same kind of percentages if he is simply more aggressive in getting to the rim. If Thomas can become a 45 percent shooter in the midrange while still shooting above 60 percent at the rim while getting to the line 4 or 5 times a night...whew. If he can become that guy he will be a matchup nightmare for everyone.</p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/4/7/5588874/cincinnati-bearcats-shaquille-thomas-season-in-reviewMatt Opper2014-04-07T09:00:04-04:002014-04-07T09:00:04-04:00Jermaine Sanders Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l73b_5kSoz4qcHTug0bpg9L_chI=/0x240:2666x2017/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31232631/20140319_kkt_al2_062.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The former Rice High School product posted career high numbers as a Junior and came up with a couple of memorable plays. But he remains imprisoned in an ill defined role.</p> <h4>The Numbers</h4>
<ul>
<li><span>5.7 points; 11 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>3.1 rebounds; 6 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>1.0 assists; 2 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>21.3 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>41.9 / 37.6 / 68.4 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span>Jermaine Sanders</span> can shoot. He really can. His jump shot is not exactly a thing of beauty. It takes a long time from the initiation of the shot to the follow through. Sanders doesn't jump so much as hops, his legs and arms flailing in four different directions on his follow through while his body leans back like he's in a Fat Joe video. It is not a shot that inspires confidence at first sight, and yet it goes in. A lot.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4251679/Jermaine_Sanders_shooting__1_.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Jermaine_sanders_shooting__1__medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4251679/Jermaine_Sanders_shooting__1__medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1396815535875"></p>
<p><i>*Note: The color code is as follows; anything within 3%, of the national average is considered average and is painted green. Anything three percentage points lower than the national average is blue, anything higher is red. The national average is defined by <a href="http://hoop-math.com/" target="_blank">Hoop-Math.com</a>. Also this looks like it was done on MS paint because it was done with MS Paint. Might as well acknowledge that.</i></p>
<p>In the 2013-14 there are not many Bearcats who could be classified as above average shooters. Everyone else has at least one zone of the floor where they were icy, even <span>Sean Kilpatrick</span> had a zone of ice, but not Sanders. He alone of the Bearcats could stake a claim to being an above average shot from every spot on the floor. That's great, but its not all sunshine and rainbows. As undoubtedly effective as Sanders was when he decided to shoot it, he didn't decide to shoot it nearly enough.</p>
<p>One of the biggest problem for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.downthedrive.com/">Cincinnati Bearcats</a> offense in 2013-14 was an over abundance of willing passers. There were far too many guys on this edition of the Bearcats who were willing to pass up a good shot (which were hard enough for this group to create) in pursuit of a perfect shot that was unlikely to ever come. One of the biggest offenders was Jermaine Sanders, who also happened to be the closest thing to a knockdown shooter that the Bearcats had. That was a problem.</p>
<p>Sanders was effective near the rim, but he didn't get there often this year having just 30 attempts at the rim. Likewise he was effective in the midrange, but wasn't operating in that area of the floor very often shooting 38 times from mid range. He was far more active from deep with 93 attempts, but he simply didn't get enough touches. His possession percentage was just 13.4 percent, by far the lowest of any Bearcat averaging 10+ minutes a game.</p>
<p>Not all of that is Sanders fault. He was a drastically under utilized resource in the Bearcats offense this season. So much of the offense was predicated on simply getting the ball in the hands of Sean Kilpatrick and <span>Justin Jackson</span>. Everything took a back seat to that. That is understandable given just how great those guys were this season. But the Bearcats did not have a systematic way to capitalize on that attention. Sanders could have been a perfect counterbalance to that.</p>
<p>For instance the Bearcats loved to get <span>Justin Jackson</span> and Sean Kilpatrick involved in the high pick and roll at the top of the key. That action got a lot of easy looks for both of those guys, but there were no built in counters to that. An easy one would have been to park Sanders in the strongside corner. In most defenses the strong side help defender would be called upon to rotate down to help on the roll man. Putting Sanders in that strong side corner would muddy that read and create an easy counter. You run the pick and roll as per usual, but SK reads Sanders defender in addition to play of the two defenders in the pick and roll. If Sanders man sticks to Jermaine the pick and roll is run as per usual, if he cheats inside on the roll SK hits the short corner for an easy corner three look for Sanders. That would have been good offense, and the Bearcats didn't have enough of it.</p>
<h4>Best of the Best</h4>
<p><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/07/cincinnati-61-houston-60" target="_blank"> </a></p>
<p><i><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/07/cincinnati-61-houston-60" target="_blank">January 7th, At Houston</a></i></p>
<p><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/07/cincinnati-61-houston-60" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/01/07/cincinnati-61-houston-60"> </a></p>
<p>That was a game that was comfortably in control until it wasn't. Sanders played a season high 31 minutes scoring 11 points on four of six shooting including three of four from deep. He also grabbed four rebounds and picked up an assist in a narrow 61-60 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/g5mLN5_FMjo" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h4>For Next Year</h4>
<p>It is unlikely that Jermaine Sanders will overtake Shaquille Thomas and become a starter at the three. At this point it would seem that everyone on the team knows Sanders role and is comfortable with it. He is a 15 to 20 minute player who gives you OK defense, good rebounding rates and reliable shooting and spacing on offense. That is what he does, and that is who he is. That doesn't mean that there aren't ways to improve upon your product.</p>
<p>For Sanders to be even more effective than he was this year it will be up to the coaches as much as it is to Jermaine to improve on his staring turn as a low volume high efficiency offensive machine last season. The Bearcats will not run their offense around Sanders next year, as they did not run it around him this year. But there are ways to build in good looks for Jermaine within the structure of the offense.*</p>
<p>*<i>Cue joke about Mick Cronin not having any structure to his offense...</i></p>
<p>For example one of the most effective actions the Bearcats had this season was to get Sean Kilpatrick and Justin Jackson involved in a simple pick and roll, usually on at the top of the key but occasionally on the wing. Sometimes they would inverse it with JJ holding the ball setting a rub screen for SK who would cut hard off his hip to the rim. But that was really the only counter to that look that they had.</p>
<p>SK and JJ are moving on, but the pick and roll will stay on and be the main part of the offense. If I am Mick I would put the ball in the hands of Troy Caupain and run 1,000 pick and rolls a game. That is going to be the best offense that the Bearcats will have because the passing and awareness of Caupain will create a lot of clean looks for others. The key is that Mick and Co. will have to be smart about how they space the floor when they run those pick and rolls.</p>
<p>
<link href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3608425/mustreads.css" rel="stylesheet"></p>
<p>As well as the pick and roll served the Bearcats this year the lack of attention to detail in spacing allowed defenses to overload the playside and shut the play down before it started. Often the cats would clear out the strongside before running the pick and roll. That enabled defenses to blitz the ball handler while having help at the rim for the roll man in the off chance that the pass from SK would get through the blitz to JJ. It became too easy to defend.</p>
<p>A simple solution to that problem is to place shooters in both corners, and the other forward at the opposite elbow while running the same high pick and roll. Doing so ensures that you more or less know where the help is coming from, and how to punish them for helping. 99 times out of 100 the help defender will come from the strongside or weakside corner. At which point a quick skip pass to the far corner, or a direct pass to the strongside corner opens up an easy look.</p>
<p>Those are the kind of looks that Jermaine Sanders needs to be prepared for. It seems simple, but there were a lot of times this season where he would get an unexpected if routine pass and not be ready to shoot when open. Can't have that next year. Catch. And. Shoot.</p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/basketball-2010-11/2014/4/7/5587856/cincinnati-bearcats-basketball-jermaine-sanders-season-in-reviewMatt Opper2014-03-31T09:53:44-04:002014-03-31T09:53:44-04:00Kevin Johnson Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZrDsiE_B0W-0jNa8FQJxVDNavj8=/0x135:2590x1862/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30909849/20140305_kkt_sv7_326.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Queen City native came on strong down the stretch to entrench himself in the tournament line ups. But the same thing was said of Shaq Thomas at this time last season. Will Kevin Johnson use his strong play late to catapult himself into a starting job?</p> <h4>The Numbers</h4>
<ul>
<li><span>3.7 points; 15 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>1.0 rebounds; 4 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>.6 assists; 2 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>10.2 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>39.8 / 31.3 / 86.7 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p>Like all freshmen <span>Kevin Johnson</span> had an up and down freshman season. Unlike most freshmen his downs and his ups came at two different points of the season. His non conference season was not a great one as Johnson really struggled with his shot for the first two months of his season shooting just 37 percent from the field including a 2-10 outing against Chicago State in the biggest blow out of the season.</p>
<p>With <span>Sean Kilpatrick</span> on the team there weren't going to be a ton of minutes available for the back up shooting guard. SK knew that, Mick Cronin knew that and KJ had to know that as well. Johnson had to provide Mick a reason to give him minutes with his play in the non conference and he didn't show Cronin enough to warrant inclusion in the main rotation. He was the 9th guy on the bench for the start of the conference season. From January 1st through the 6th of March KJ played 10+ minutes four times, all games Bearcat blowouts.</p>
<p>
<link href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3608425/mustreads.css" rel="stylesheet"></p>
<p>In the last four games he averaged 11 minutes, shot 53 percent from the field and 60 percent from deep and made a couple of big shots in tight games and generally made everyone ask why he hadn't played before. The long and the short of it is Sean Kilpatrick, but there is a bit more to it than that.</p>
<p>From the start of the season Mick was committed to playing with two guards, two wings and a post. No matter who was actually in the game at any given time that was the rough shape of the team. Moments with three guards did pop up but they were rare, usually in foul shooting situations or at the end of half where UC needed more shooting and ball handling. More to the point the three guards were almost always SK, <span>Troy Caupain</span> and <span>Ge`Lawn Guyn</span>.</p>
<p>Flash forward to March and the Bearcats offense, never a work of art, is deteriorating into a Wilfred Owen <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futility_(poem)">poem</a>. Desperate for anything to punch up the flagging offense Mick goes deep into the bench and gives KJ more run, and KJ responds by taking and making big shots and playing defense at an acceptable level. Mick is never one to change his rotation that late in the season, but he did this season.</p>
<p>Was it the play of Johnson in practice that awoke him to his possibilities? Or a simple realization that he needed to shake his team up and turned to the only scholarship guard left? I can only guess, but I do know that giving KJ more run late in the year worked. To know why it worked we need only to look at the difference between his shooting splits for the full year and compare them with his conference campaign.</p>
<table border="1" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td><b>Full Season</b></td>
<td><b>Conference</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>FG %</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">39.8</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">45.9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><b>3P %</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">31.3</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">47.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>FT %</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">86.7</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">100</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>TS%</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">52.4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">65.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>eFG%</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">47</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">58.1</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Now, it goes without saying that this is a small sample size....but that true shooting percentage is straight fire. His numbers from the season correspond to the kind of shooting that was expected from Johnson coming from Summit Country Day with a rep as a marksman. He was also really good going to the hoop for a relatively slightly built guard. His classmate Caupain is much bigger than Johnson but shot just 50 percent at the hoop while Johnson shot at the national average at the spot which is really good for a freshman..</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4213669/Kevin_Johnson_shooting__1_.jpg"><img src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4213669/Kevin_Johnson_shooting__1__medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Kevin_johnson_shooting__1__medium"></a> <br id="1396232805430"></p>
<p><i>*Note: The color code is as follows; anything within 3%, of the national average is considered average and is painted green. Anything three percentage points lower than the national average is blue, anything higher is red. The national average is defined by <a target="_blank" href="http://hoop-math.com/">Hoop-Math.com</a>. Also this looks like it was done on MS paint because it was done with MS Paint. Might as well acknowledge that.</i></p>
<p>There is one other point that has to be made about Johnson and what he gave the Bearcats this year late. For much of this season there was an endemic problem with the Bearcats offense. Everyone outside of Sean Kilpatrick and <span>Justin Jackson</span> seemed terrified at the prospect of shooting the basketball. Now <a href="http://www.downthedrive.com/2014/3/24/5541002/bearcats-shooting-a-tale-of-woe-in-2013-14/in/5314169" target="_blank">the statistics might say</a> that was a wise thing, but it was maddening. I couldn't even begin to count the number of good shots that were passed up in pursuit of a perfect look. In a vacuum that that impulse to always look for a better shot is a good one, but it didn't serve these Bearcats well.</p>
<p>When you have to work as hard as this group did for good looks the pursuit for the perfect look turned folly. There were dozens of times where a Bearcat passed up a good, if contested, look and passed into an even more heavily contested shot. KJ was largely immune from this problem, when he got a good look he was shooting, and that was something that UC was desperately missing.</p>
<p>All in all Mick Cronin can't have many doubts about his approach to this season. He bagged a career high win total, a share of a conference title and the fourth straight trip to the dance. There is one thing that he will regret though, and that is not playing <span>Kevin Johnson</span> more this season, even if it meant going with a three guard lineup more often. I for one would have liked to see a SK, KJ and Troy backcourt for 5 minutes a game just for the offensive opportunities, even if it meant giving up something defensively.</p>
<p>When Jaquon Parker became a mainstay in the lineup after sitting out the early parts of the sweet 16 season with injury Mick made a joke of it. Cronin called himself and his staff morons for not playing Parker during his sophomore season. That season Jaquon "Grown Ass Man" Parker played just 23 games, averaged 8 minutes and had a run of 8 DNPCD's in 9 games including 7 in a row in the heart of Big East play. In hindsight that was a mistake and Cronin knew it. Next year he will be making the same quips about Kevin Johnson.</p>
<h4>Best of the Best</h4>
<p><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2014/03/08/cincinnati-70-rutgers-66" target="_blank"><i>February 8th, at Rutgers</i></a></p>
<p>Less than 48 hours after the Bearcats played their most complete game of the season against Memphis. A game that had the Bearcats usual senior leaders physically and emotionally fatigued after a <a href="http://www.downthedrive.com/2014/3/7/5480106/video-relive-the-bearcats-senior-night-triumph" target="_blank">tremendous send off</a> the Bearcats played Rutgers, and they were gassed. KJ rode to the rescue scoring 8 points, on 3 of 5 shooting with 3 assists, a steal with no turnovers in 11 minutes.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1aezNjDrAm8" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1396234952643"></p>
<h4><span>For Next Year</span></h4>
<p>Every year there is a player who thrived in a limited role and who will be tasked with a more expansive workload in the season to come. Coming into this year that player was <span>Shaquille Thomas</span>, heading into next year it will be Kevin Johnson. If you are drawing up a depth chart for the 2014-15 season* KJ is penciled in as the starting shooting guard at this moment. <span>Deshaun Morman</span> will have something to say about that, and Mick and Co. are actively looking for scoring help, whether that comes from the high school, JUCO or transfer ranks is anyone's guess. UC still has two scholarship's remaining and will try to use both. The transfer's are coming out in trickles at the moment, and there are 20 or so days until the late signing period starts** so there is still plenty to shake out.</p>
<p><i>*Don't you worry that will be coming at the conclusion of this series of posts</i></p>
<p><i>** The late signing period starts on the 16th of April and student athletes have until May 21st to sign their letter of intent</i></p>
<p>Regardless at this moment Kevin Johnson is your starting shooting guard for the 2014-15 season for a couple of reasons. KJ knows the system, has live game experience, good chemistry with Troy Caupain, is fearless under pressure and most importantly of all, his shooting gives the Bearcats much needed spacing.</p>
<p>Moving from low volume bench guy to starter presents a whole new set of challenges. For one he is set to have a whole lot more of the ball this season. This season 25 of KJ's 41 makes were assisted, that's 61 percent. Next year he won't have nearly as many looks created for him. Johnson is going to have to create a higher percentage of his own looks than he did this year, and he is going to have to do that off the bounce. This year he was a knock down spot up shooter, but shooting a jump shot off the bounce is a more difficult proposition. With a bigger workload it would be asking a bit much for KJ to keep his three point shooting rate at the 47 percent clip he hit during conference play. But even getting him to convert at 37 or 38 percent would be a huge lift in the offense.</p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/3/31/5565120/cincinnati-bearcats-kevin-johnson-season-in-reviewMatt Opper2014-03-29T11:12:38-04:002014-03-29T11:12:38-04:00Jermaine Lawrence Season In Review
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/z9FDvJHSq1VYhbXz42RVGYR6Ql0=/0x140:2667x1918/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30849201/20140320_kkt_an2_037.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>James Snook-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A bad combination of injuries and general bad luck have limited the development of Jermaine Lawrence over the last two years. The fact that he didn't play his last year of high school with a broken wrist that kept him out of action for the entire season meant that he would have a steeper learning curve than most. Then at the very point where he finally started to look comfortable offensively he went out for a month with turf toe, and he wasn't able to get back in rhythm afterwards. It was something of a polarizing season for Lawrence. </p> <h4>The Numbers</h4>
<ul>
<li><span>2.8 points; 7 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>2.9 rebounds; 8 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>.5 assists; 1 per 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span>15 minutes </span></li>
<li><span>33.3 / 0 / 47.1 shooting split</span></li>
</ul>
<p>If Ge`Lawn Guyn isn't the most polarizing player on the 2013-14 Bearcats then <span>Jermaine Lawrence</span> is. The <a target="_blank" href="http://247sports.com/Season/2013-Basketball/CompositeRankings?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool">consensus top 25 recruit</a> came to Clifton with a lot of recruiting hype, and a stretch four game that is exactly what the Bearcats need to commit to a four out one in offense. He would come in, serve some time as a featured player off the bench, before moving into the starting lineup where he would remain until he graduated or went to the NBA.</p>
<p>That did not happen, nor does that seem a likely course of events after one season. It is safe to say that Lawrence's first season did not go how anyone expected it to. But there are some out there in Bearcat land tossing out the word bust in relation to Lawrence, it is way too soon for that discussion.</p>
<p>As bad as this season was on the offensive side of the ball Lawrence developed into a nice asset on the defensive side of the floor. That was wholly unexpected from where I am sitting. He was a passable on ball defender, but where he really thrived was as a weak side help defender. Lawrence is the main reason that the Bearcats rim protection didn't vanish anytime <span>Justin Jackson</span> took a seat. Defense is the main reason why Lawrence will continue to get run with this team, even his offense doesn't improve.</p>
<p>For Lawrence to live up to the hype he needs to embrace who he is as an offensive player. At times this year it looked like Jermaine saw the second coming of Kevin Durant anytime he looked in the mirror. He was in love with his off the bounce pull up 17 footer. He shouldn't have been, because that's how he got a shot chart like this.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4206653/Jermaine_Lawrence_shooting__1_.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4206653/Jermaine_Lawrence_shooting__1__medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Jermaine_lawrence_shooting__1__medium"></a> <br id="1396101751186"></p>
<p><i>*Note: The color code is as follows; anything within 3%, of the national average is considered average and is painted green. Anything three percentage points lower than the national average is blue, anything higher is red. The national average is defined by <a target="_blank" href="http://hoop-math.com/">Hoop-Math.com</a>. Also this looks like it was done on MS paint because it was done with MS Paint. Might as well acknowledge that.</i></p>
<p>His work around the rim is acceptable, if slightly below average in other words you can live with that. You don't have to be happy with it, but it is a livable number. Outside of that restricted area though, that is a land of a ice and cold, the land beyond<a target="_blank" href="http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130208204352/iceandfire/images/1/10/The_Wall_from_the_south.jpeg"> the wall</a>. What makes matters worse is that Lawrence had the shot profile of a point guard. In 26 games J-Law shot at the rim 26 times while hoisting 58 two point jumpers. That should have been the other way round.</p>
<p>Jermaine Lawrence clearly fancied himself a perimeter player this season, but its clear he is simply not good one. <span>Justin Jackson</span> and <span>Yancy Gates</span> before him also thought that they were assassins from 18 feet early in their careers. In the end they both went to the block, however grudgingly, and thrived. That is where Lawrence is heading, whether he knows it or not.</p>
<h4>Best of the Best</h4>
<p><i>January 4th, At Memphis</i> It seems fitting that he best game that Lawrence had as a freshman was the game in which he was lost to injury. The numbers weren't overwhelming, 6 points on 2 of 6 shooting with a rebound in 11 minutes. But that was a huge game, on the road and Lawrence looked up for the game. He wasn't drifting through that game as he had so many others. That was the best that Lawrence looked as a freshman.</p>
<h4>For Next Year</h4>
<p>Here, I am going to let you say what you think Jermaine needs to work on.</p>
<p>(waiting...)</p>
<p>(waiting...)</p>
<p>(waiting...)</p>
<p>Did you say his low post game? Yes? <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99LQSG2eSJY">Twins</a>!</p>
<p>Lawrence is still a supremely talented player who can cause trouble for defenses with his ability to stretch the floor. Much like Ge`Lawn Guyn Lawrence is actually a decent spot up shooter when someone else is creating the shot. Where he gets in trouble is when he takes it on himself to create that shot himself. The defense will always give him that off the bounce 17 footer, and he took that bait early and often as a freshman.</p>
<p>He can hit that shot if someone sets it up for him, but if that is the shot that he is creating and taking for himself that is an easy win for the defense. Jermaine can be a devastating face up player in the post because of his length, athleticism and ability to handle the basketball. But to bring those weapons to bear and make them as effective as they can be he needs a couple of post moves. Lawrence doesn't need the full <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdtgUOiWHJg">Kevin McHale post menu</a>. A little right and left handed hook shot, maybe an up and under move as well.</p>
<p>Jermaine Lawrence has all the tools required to be a consistent scoring machine from 12 feet in. The length, athleticism and skills are all there, he just needs to put in the work to put it all together. That catch and shoot 17 footer has to be a compliment to the rest of his game, it can't be the foundation. If I am Mick I would put an ankle brace on him and rig it so that he gets a little shock everytime he wanders further than 15 feet away from the basket. That is where J-Law is going to have to live. That is what this summer will be about for him. There is no place for him to live out there, but there is a nice bed and a comfortable recliner under the basket, so why not live in comfort?</p>
https://www.downthedrive.com/2014/3/29/5560656/cincinnati-bearcats-basketball-jermaine-lawrence-season-in-reviewMatt Opper