The future for Sam M.

[georgethedog]

What I like about Sam? He can shoot the 3 very well, solid ball handler
What I don't like about Sam? Defensive liability, a bit out of control, looks to score too much even when running the point guard

I think that Sam can be used as a shooter and a backup at the point but I feel he got a little too much respect after last season. Don't get me wrong, he was very good for a freshman but defenses lost him a lot because he was "the 5th starter" since Ruffin was gone. Teams didn't focus much on him at all.

Too put it the nicest, his defense is just poor. He's not quick enough on the defensive end and is sub 6-foot which doesn't help. Also, offensively when he has an athletic defender on him that speeds him up, he gets out of control instead of playing his game, something DN and DD really don't do. Also, no matter what position on the floor he is playing, his mentality is to score first, not to create for others which is what you cannot have from a point guard.

Plain and simple, my point is I do not think that Sam has earned his starting role and freedom THIS SEASON. He hasn't been very good outside one or two games and his inability to defend has cost us in some games.

My personal opinion, DD is by far our best guard, EM is second, and SM is third but if given the opportunity, I believe DN would be our second best guard. I think JL needs to pull in the leash on SM some. I believe he can be a very good asset this season but I don't think he'll help much with the way he's been playing so far this season.

Very nice post!

[BradleyBrave]

What I like about Sam? He can shoot the 3 very well, solid ball handler
What I don't like about Sam? Defensive liability, a bit out of control, looks to score too much even when running the point guard

I think that Sam can be used as a shooter and a backup at the point but I feel he got a little too much respect after last season. Don't get me wrong, he was very good for a freshman but defenses lost him a lot because he was "the 5th starter" since Ruffin was gone. Teams didn't focus much on him at all.

Too put it the nicest, his defense is just poor. He's not quick enough on the defensive end and is sub 6-foot which doesn't help. Also, offensively when he has an athletic defender on him that speeds him up, he gets out of control instead of playing his game, something DN and DD really don't do. Also, no matter what position on the floor he is playing, his mentality is to score first, not to create for others which is what you cannot have from a point guard.

Plain and simple, my point is I do not think that Sam has earned his starting role and freedom THIS SEASON. He hasn't been very good outside one or two games and his inability to defend has cost us in some games.

My personal opinion, DD is by far our best guard, EM is second, and SM is third but if given the opportunity, I believe DN would be our second best guard. I think JL needs to pull in the leash on SM some. I believe he can be a very good asset this season but I don't think he'll help much with the way he's been playing so far this season.

Better watch it, your fair and objective assessment could brand you as a 'hater'.

[real fan]

First of all you do not have to be fast in order to play good defense,(B.Mullens not fast but good defender) Sam is not a great defender and needs to work on his technique, with the proper footwork he can improve on his weakness .

[BradleyBrave]

First of all you do not have to be fast in order to play good defense,(B.Mullens not fast but good defender) Sam is not a great defender and needs to work on his technique, with the proper footwork he can improve on his weakness .

It goes back to our defensive fundamentals being horrible. Sam may be a step slow, but there's a lot of things he could do to make himself a capable defender. Unfortunately, the same holds true for most of our team individually, and as a whole.

[ser_solace]

I definitely see the weaknesses in his defense this year. Not sure why I didn't notice it last year when he was starting for Ruff.

But I like Sam as a player, and he seems to have the right attitude to work through these things. I remember Coach Les commented that he scrapped the starting line-up after the Butler game and just ran toughness drills to see who would come out on top. Sam was obviously one of them, which is why he maintained his starting position.

Many never expected JC to come back as the player he was in his junior and senior season, and maybe Sam can do the same. In fact, the season's not done yet for him, so who knows...

[georgethedog]

First of all you do not have to be fast in order to play good defense,(B.Mullens not fast but good defender) Sam is not a great defender and needs to work on his technique, with the proper footwork he can improve on his weakness .

Mullins has two physical advantages over Sam M. that help him play better defense as he is taller and longer than Sam M. His footwork is also superior. I don't know if that is natural or not so maybe Sam M. can catch up with the footwork, but he can't get taller and longer. That is what is scary about Sam M. playing the "two" position because he will usually be guarding much bigger players (unless the other coach is not too bright, or can't recruit, and plays a sub-6' two guard).

[CABUFan]

I definitely see the weaknesses in his defense this year. Not sure why I didn't notice it last year when he was starting for Ruff.

But I like Sam as a player, and he seems to have the right attitude to work through these things. I remember Coach Les commented that he scrapped the starting line-up after the Butler game and just ran toughness drills to see who would come out on top. Sam was obviously one of them, which is why he maintained his starting position.

Many never expected JC to come back as the player he was in his junior and senior season, and maybe Sam can do the same. In fact, the season's not done yet for him, so who knows...

I also feel like Sam's defense was better last year. Part of the problem may be that he has been playing hurt most of the season.

[SFP]

SM plays with more heart then any player we have had in awhile and he is clutch. Now on the other side of the equation his defense in the 1/2 court set is average at best and he is not an offensive player that can create his own shot. He has been able to drive in on small guards because he is strong and can use his body to fend off the defender and when set we have no better 3 point shooter on the team. Should he start and will he start in the future is the question. I do not like doing the JC comparison with SM because they are such different players. JC was a true 2 and did not have the same handle or physical strength SM but did have the height and the ability to work off a screen put the ball on the floor and pull up for a 3. If SM works on his speed during the summer he should have just as good a shot as anyone to start. I'm not a fan of his defense right now but he can improve. If his speed does improve then he can and should play straight up D and regardless of height he should be able to guard bigger players. Right now he needs to give them a little space or risk getting blown by. I feel his pain because I have to do the same thing when I play ball but luckily at the local Y the shooters make me look much better then SM does.

SM does bring intangibles to this team and right now has been the only consistant scorer. Let's give credit where credit is due. Next year we will have the ability to rotate 3 guys at the 1 because I really hope that AW is our starting 2. That will give DN and SM backup minutes at the 2 and EM all his minutes at the 1. EM will have to learn how to be a scorer in order to be more effective at the 1 otherwise SM will probably see the majority of his time at the 1.

If we do not get JW though AW will play the 3 guaranteed and TB the 4!

[BradleyBrave]

SM plays with more heart then any player we have had in awhile and he is clutch.

Tony Bennett and Will Franklin played with just as much heart as Sam M. So did Zach Andrews and JC.

[Chico]

I definitely see the weaknesses in his defense this year. Not sure why I didn't notice it last year when he was starting for Ruff.

But I like Sam as a player, and he seems to have the right attitude to work through these things. I remember Coach Les commented that he scrapped the starting line-up after the Butler game and just ran toughness drills to see who would come out on top. Sam was obviously one of them, which is why he maintained his starting position.

Many never expected JC to come back as the player he was in his junior and senior season, and maybe Sam can do the same. In fact, the season's not done yet for him, so who knows...

I don't think we were worrying about his defense last season, we were just happy he was there to cover for DR and glad he did the job he did.

[thefish7]

I actually thought there was a huge defensive drop off while Ruff was down last year. I think that's actually the big difference in our D this year. When Ruff was a Brave he'd be harrying the other teams PG most of the length of the floor and keeping their offense from setting up normally. The point was usually very far away fromt he basket. I think SM tries to play this way, but just is not quite capable. I think SM can become a good positional defender but he has a lot of work to do on technique since he can't cover that up with quickness.

[Dub]

I usually sit and lurk, but on this topic I have to chime in. Most of you guys are describing why skill-wise and speed-wise Sam will or won't play what position, and you're making your argurments with skill and finesse. But you've overlooked what should be obvious. Sam has something that the other's don't....natural leadership. That's why it will surprise me greatly if he ever loses his starting spot. He has been showing his leadership skills from the very day that his squad in the red-white scrimmage challenged Ruffin's squad. I remember it well. I am an admirer of good leadership and I see it in Sammy.

I argue that much of what has held us from being great in recent years is lack of strong on-court leadership. As much as I loved the game of Ruff, I felt this was a role he wasn't naturally suited to fill. Sammy is, and it is a skill more important than speed, shooting ability, etc.

[BradleyBrave]

I usually sit and lurk, but on this topic I have to chime in. Most of you guys are describing why skill-wise and speed-wise Sam will or won't play what position, and you're making your argurments with skill and finesse. But you've overlooked what should be obvious. Sam has something that the other's don't....natural leadership. That's why it will surprise me greatly if he ever loses his starting spot. He has been showing his leadership skills from the very day that his squad in the red-white scrimmage challenged Ruffin's squad. I remember it well. I am an admirer of good leadership and I see it in Sammy.

I argue that much of what has held us from being great in recent years is lack of strong on-court leadership. As much as I loved the game of Ruff, I felt this was a role he wasn't naturally suited to fill. Sammy is, and it is a skill more important than speed, shooting ability, etc.

Sam can be the greatest leader in the world, but being a good leader doesn't make you shoot better or defend better or grow 3 inches. We need Sam to do 2 of those 3 for him to be effective and for BU to be better at basketball.

[Chico]

I usually sit and lurk, but on this topic I have to chime in. Most of you guys are describing why skill-wise and speed-wise Sam will or won't play what position, and you're making your argurments with skill and finesse. But you've overlooked what should be obvious. Sam has something that the other's don't....natural leadership. That's why it will surprise me greatly if he ever loses his starting spot. He has been showing his leadership skills from the very day that his squad in the red-white scrimmage challenged Ruffin's squad. I remember it well. I am an admirer of good leadership and I see it in Sammy.

I argue that much of what has held us from being great in recent years is lack of strong on-court leadership. As much as I loved the game of Ruff, I felt this was a role he wasn't naturally suited to fill. Sammy is, and it is a skill more important than speed, shooting ability, etc.

Agree. IMO, DR was a "me first player". A good example was the Michigan St game at Carver last season, a game BU should have won.

[Braves4Life]

Sam Maniscalco = Heart and Soul of Bradley Basketball

Any opinions change after today?