Shooting averaged out for both squads, but each had a really awful twenty minutes. The Ladies shot 50% in the first half, but went 10/35 in the second stanza. That's contrary to what the men did the night before, shooting just 38% in the opening twenty. They hit 59% of their shots in the second half, but only took 17 total field goals. Amazing what shooting 80% from the free throw line will do for you, isn't it?
Since we're now one-game past the halfway mark, I may as well adhere to the classic sports blogger tradition and get the mid-season grades up. We'll start with the men's side, going down the depth chart. Before we begin, a breakdown of the advanced stats I'll be using:
EFF - Efficiency (calculated by playing time as I feel that gives a better measure of a player's efficiency than games played)
VAA - Value Above Average player
VAR - Value Above Replacement player
TSP - True Shooting Percentage (takes free throws into account)
EFG - Effective Field Goal Percentage (adjusts for higher value of three point shot, but doesn't account for FTs)
AST - Assist Percentage (percentage of field goals player assists on while on the floor)
TOP - Turnover Percentage (how many possessions out of every 100 end in a turnover)
ORB - Offensive Rebound Percentage (percentage of available offensive boards player grabs while on the floor)
DRB - Defensive Rebound Percentage (same as ORB)
TRB - Total Rebound Percentage (same as ORB)
Unfortunately, I don't have all those stats for the whole conference just yet. I may try to put those together in a later blog.
Adam Sollazzo
Per Game Stats - 22 GP, 26.1 MPG, 8.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 2.6 TOPG
Advanced Stats - 13.0 EFF, -3.5 VAA, 7.0 VAR, .595 TSP, .565 EFG, .328 AST, .193 TOP, .023 ORB, .083 DRB, .052 TRB
I think we're starting to see Sollazzo come into his own. Before conference play began, he was simply an assist machine, but now that he has started shooting the ball more, Sollazzo is a much more dynamic threat in the offensive end. The main issue is his very high turnover percentage. 19% is way too high for a point guard. If he limits turnovers in the second half, the offense will be in high cotton. Other than that, it looks like he has completed the transition to the point from the wing, and with his size, The Flying Cannoli should be soaring come tournament time. B
Justin Tubbs
Per Game - 21 GP, 26.5 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.1 TOPG
Advanced - 11.6 EFF, -6.1 VAA, 4.5 VAR, .538 TSP, .524 EFG, .031 AST, .103 TOP, .094 ORB, .121 DRB, .095 TRB
I often give Tubbs flack - dating back to last season - for the peculiar tendency to go cold in the second half, but his effective field goal numbers are bettered among perimeter players only by Sollazzo, and JT has taken 60 more shots than Adam has. What really goes unnoticed is Tubbs' defensive game. He's our Champ Bailey: if you need a hot shooter shut down, put Tubbs on him and he will smother the guy. Slater scored 14 points in the Lipscomb game before Tubbs got hurt, and then scored 13 more in the 12 minutes after the injury. (He is expected back no later than Monday, by the way, which would be nothing short of a miracle to me after he was on crutches just a week ago.) Granted, he does get burned occasionally (like the entire Kentucky game, but that wasn't just him), but when he's on the floor, we're actually pretty good at defending the three. It's when he's on the bench that we start having problems. His offensive inconsistency hurts him, but he still gets into double figures on a regular basis, which is all we need of him as long as everyone else can step up. A-
Micah Williams
Per Game - 22 GP, 34.2 MPG, 13.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.7 TOPG,
Advanced - 11.1 EFF, -8.9 VAA, 4.8 VAR, .519 TSP, .472 EFG, .082 AST, .107 TOP, .047 ORB, .097 DRB, .067 DRB
Micah is another player that has been frustratingly inconsistent on the offensive end this year. Rather than type this in some long-winded format, I'm just going to put up his point totals, excluding the Milligan game, with conference tilts in bold:
7
8
10
16
16
16
18
2
16
22
13 5 16 16 4 19 19 21 4 22
16
Williams' erratic performances are frustrating mainly because they're so polarized; the highs are very high, and the lows are ridiculously low. What he has produced thus far is pretty good, but we need Micah in double figures from here on out if we want a shot at beating Belmont; otherwise, his play has been satisfactory, although not just outstanding. B-
Mike Smith
Per Game - 22 GP, 35 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.5 TOPG
Advanced - 14.9 EFF, 4.4 VAA, 18.4 VAR, .544 TSP, .500 EFG, .120 AST, .133 TOP, .092 ORB, .164 DRB, .117 TRB
Murry Bartow never seems to stop talking about Smith, and it's easy to see why. His versatility has really shone through this season and given the squad a threat all over the floor. He is clearly the best player on this team, and despite a below-average performance against Belmont, he continues to put up very strong numbers, even with his relatively high turnover figures. Strap in, boys and girls, this guy's going to be fun to watch down the stretch. A+
Isiah Brown
Per Game - 22 GP, 28.4 MPG, 9.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 2.23 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 2.2 TOPG,
Advanced - 16.1 EFF, 2.1 VAA, 13.5 VAR, .497 TSP, .480 EFG, .066 AST, .183 TOP, .146 ORB, .188 DRB, .148 TRB
When Zeke hung 25 on Kentucky in the opening game of the year, I thought this was going to be a really special season for Zeke. Unfortunately, he has found himself in foul trouble more often
than he probably should, but it hasn't really limited his effectiveness terribly. He has still been a stalwart in the trenches for ETSU, and his 2.23 blocks per game are close to Zakee Wadood's single-season record of 2.27. His strong defensive presence has made him a real asset for the Bucs, and his high-flying dunks are always a treat to watch. The other big stat to note here is the offensive rebound percentage - that figure would lead the NBA, just ahead of the rebounding machine known as Zach Randolph. If he keeps cleaning the glass like that and can stay out of foul trouble, he could have a monster second half for this team. B+Sheldon Cooley
Per Game - 18.7 MPG, 4.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.7 TOPG
Advanced - 10.1 EFF, -6.12 VAA, 1.37 VAR, .474 TSP, .382 EFG, .205 AST, .193 TOP, .065 ORB, .119 DRB, .084 TRB
I had anticipated a very productive year from the bench, so maybe that's why I'm a
bit disappointed with Cooley. The numbers suggest that his defensive game is okay (I'm not sure the numbers hold up under empirical observation), but his shooting is just plain bad for any kind of guard. If he wants to be a 2-guard, he has to hit the three; if he wants to be a point guard, he has to hold on to the basketball. He hasn't really done much of either. Still, I have to give credit where credit is due: he played a very important role in the win at Mississippi State, and his presence as the only true guard on a short bench has proven valuable. He played an exceptional first half against Upstate, and if he can sustain that play for any length of time, his grade could go up. CJ.C. Ward
Per Game - 22 GP, 14.5 MPG, 1.9PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.3 TOPG
Advanced - 9.06 EFF, -5.7 VAA, 0.1 VAR, .568 TSP, .481 EFG, .057 AST, .190 TOP, .085 ORB, .123 DRB, .093 TRB
Ward had an excellent game against Kennesaw in the tournament last year and based on his year-end form, it looked like he might be a big player off the bench for the squad this year, but that hasn't materialized so far. His shooting numbers are good, but he needs to take more shots. Cooley has taken three times as many shots as Ward in relatively similar PT. Whether it's just getting him the ball more or him getting open more, JC has shown capability to do a lot more than he has so far this year. Now is the time to get that form back. C-
Curtis Wilkinson
Per Game - 14 GP, 11.2 MPG, 2.9PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.1 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.3 TOPG
Advanced - 15.5 EFF, 0.4 VAA, 4.89 VAR, .694 TSP, .750 EFG, .026 APG, .185 TOP, .193 ORB, .111 DRB, .124 TRB
On the offensive end, Wilkinson has done some really great work off the bench, and, along with his sparse minutes, has led people to speculate if he's in Bartow's doghouse. I'm not sure that's entirely true; Wilkinson's limited mobility can make him a defensive liability against faster teams (and there are plenty of those in this conference since there aren't many humongous teams like ETSU). He does good things, but he's still raw. I'd like to see him get some more PT between now and the Nashville Swing, if only to give Mike Smith a reprieve from his insane MPG. B-
Lukas Poderis
Per Game - 18 GP, 7.7 MPG, 1.3PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.1 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.3 TOPG
Advanced - 11.8 EFF, -1.65 VAA, 1.44 VAR, .517 TSP, .524 EFG, .028 AST, .192 TOP, .097 ORB, .117 DRB, .094 TRB
It's sad to see Poderis pushed further down the bench, but the one thing that hasn't changed about Luke's game is that he still gets into quick foul trouble. Once he's able to play disciplined defense, he could see lots of floor time, but he won't see much until then, even though he has otherwise been fair in his limited floor time. C-
That's all for today. Women's grades tomorrow.
