Sean East - why is this guy not starting?

[LittleBrave]

Numbers are staggering considering he is our 3rd option behind McAdoo and Thomas right now.

5th leading scorer at 9 ppg, but would likely be around 12 if playing 30 mpg.
81:35 A/TO ratio - who in recent history has that good of a ratio?
Only Nate Kennel (last season) in past 10 seasons, and East has more assists.

Top 3-pt accuracy on team at 38%. Nobody else is above 35%. Very smooth outside shot and from what I’ve seen he takes smart shots.

Best on-ball defender with his quickness. 2nd on team in steals and 3rd on team not even close.
Always encouraging the young guys on the floor and on the bench.

Strictly from a numbers POV, East is our most efficient guard and arguably overall player.
I’m thinking there’s something Coach Wardle doesn’t like about his game (or personality) that seems to have him see the court when the guys above are struggling...which is pretty much more often than not!

I just don’t get this.

[BUfan14]

Whether you think East has been great or not, the bottom line is Thomas and McAdoo are certainly not the future and have shown that time and again. At least East has potential. Why isn't he playing in a lost season? I don't know what is to love about McAdoo, I see him get lost or fall down boxing out on defense a lot, so it's not like he has a huge defensive advantage over East, and offensively other than the occasional drive, he mostly just clanks open threes. Whether you are a huge fan of East or not, he is the ONLY potential option we have for a future PG. Why not at least see what you have? This is baffling to me too.

[Da Coach]

Sean did not even enter the game until late in the first half as the Bradley 9 point lead slipped away and turned into a 10 point deficit. I wonder if Bradley had maintained their lead, would Sean have remained on the bench? I have to believe there are other factors we are not aware of that are limiting Sean's playing time.

[Tommy]

Whether you think East has been great or not, the bottom line is Thomas and McAdoo are certainly not the future and have shown that time and again. At least East has potential. Why isn't he playing in a lost season? I don't know what is to love about McAdoo, I see him get lost or fall down boxing out on defense a lot, so it's not like he has a huge defensive advantage over East, and offensively other than the occasional drive, he mostly just clanks open threes. Whether you are a huge fan of East or not, he is the ONLY potential option we have for a future PG. Why not at least see what you have? This is baffling to me too.

I think McAdoo has played admirably and he shows a lot of hustle and I love the way he drives to the rim, but much like DB he doesn't seem to get the foul calls. I do believe that he is a solid player overall and he seems to have a good attitude so I'm happy we have him on the team however, East is most definitely our best option at PG now.

East puts up some pretty good numbers overall when he plays and as a Sophomore, we can only hope he'll continue to improve. He does get a little reckless with the ball at times and makes some risky passes, but you can't ignore his turnover to assist ratio being so good. I am a fan of this kid and think he is a big part of our future.

Like Coach said previously, no doubt there is more to him not getting the playing time than we know.

[BUfan14]

It makes me wonder if either he is still sort of injured or, I hope not, but that he won’t be back. If he isn’t back we are desperately thin at PG next year.

[LittleBrave]

Right guys - thanks for chiming in and glad you see what I see.
Like DC inferred, if we had maintained our lead, possible that East only gets to play like 5 min. last night.

I haven’t seen the recklessness from East, but maybe it’s the perception given his speed on the break, and from what I’ve seen he’s one of only Braves who is good in transition.

For a soph with limited PT lately, I believe he’s pretty polished relative to the PG’s (or even guards) that we’ve had in the Wardle era.

[LittleBrave]

It makes me wonder if either he is still sort of injured or, I hope not, but that he won’t be back. If he isn’t back we are desperately thin at PG next year.

I’m hopeful that the fact he is at least playing half the minutes each game, it’s sign that East has not discussed leaving and Wardle plans to keep him. Otherwise we should be discussing why East is playing so much. LOL
He’ll be an asset to whatever team he’s with the next 2 years.

[Jim]

Maybe his minutes have been limited because of the medical issue he had. It would be interesting to see this year's stats for the three point guards and how efficiently the team's offense flows when they are in the game.

[BUFan82]

If this coaching squad cannot see the value of Sean East on this “guard thin” team then it adds to all of the other talk about inability to assess talent

[Da Coach]

The coaches really like Sean. He is a smart and unselfish player who is only going to get better. His assist to turnover ratio of 2.33 for this season is as good or better than any point guard I can find in Bradley history, especially considering Bradley has not shot a very high percentage this season (assists are dependent on the pass recipient making his shots). By comparison, Darrell Brown's a/t ratio for his career was 1.37, and his best season was 1.95, which is still pretty good for a point guard. In addition to his PG skills, Sean can provide reliable scoring, and is an underrated defender. This year has been such an anomaly with all the injuries, suspensions, and different lineup combinations, that I think Sean's numbers will get better if he can have a full healthy season playing with a consistent lineup.

[BUfan14]

That’s good to hear. I also believe his defense has been underrated. Ya at times he went under screens too much early in the year, but yesterday I thought he was great defensively other than the play towards the end he got blown by. But he fought through screens well yesterday I thought.

[LittleBrave]

The coaches really like Sean. He is a smart and unselfish player who is only going to get better. His assist to turnover ratio of 2.33 for this season is as good or better than any point guard I can find in Bradley history, especially considering Bradley has not shot a very high percentage this season (assists are dependent on the pass recipient making his shots). By comparison, Darrell Brown's a/t ratio for his career was 1.37, and his best season was 1.95, which is still pretty good for a point guard. In addition to his PG skills, Sean can provide reliable scoring, and is an underrated defender. This year has been such an anomaly with all the injuries, suspensions, and different lineup combinations, that I think Sean's numbers will get better if he can have a full healthy season playing with a consistent lineup.

Yes, this is very positive news. He seems to really be a vocal leader and encourager whether on the bench or on the court.
Last night he made some ill-advised 3-point attempts, but I think we didn't have a lot of options. He did make the short ones (and 4 FT's) that really mattered.
Absolutely love East's game and attitude, though I think with his skills he could create a bit more on offense.

He really blanketed and was physical against "Yes" last night - a big key to winning that game. Drake was obviously gassed, but they were the more talented, experienced team and we certainly held NO advantage to anyone last night!
We took advantage of that by ramping up the intensity. Credit Bradley's hard work even the game before to contribute to Drake's fatigue.

[egib52]

I am obviously not a huge East fan, but I am curious if he doesn't run the offense properly (or to Coach's satisfaction). Usually that can get you in the doghouse, even if your play is effective.

[LittleBrave]

I am obviously not a huge East fan, but I am curious if he doesn't run the offense properly (or to Coach's satisfaction). Usually that can get you in the doghouse, even if your play is effective.

I feel you. Let's come back to this in 2 years and see if you have a different outlook...that is, if he's given a fair shake on minutes the next 2 years.
Just curious - what don't you like about East? IMO, he does all the little things you'd want from a PG and team leader.
If there's anything that irks me about him, it's gotta be his nappy hair!

[BUFan82]

The coaches really like Sean. He is a smart and unselfish player who is only going to get better. His assist to turnover ratio of 2.33 for this season is as good or better than any point guard I can find in Bradley history, especially considering Bradley has not shot a very high percentage this season (assists are dependent on the pass recipient making his shots). By comparison, Darrell Brown's a/t ratio for his career was 1.37, and his best season was 1.95, which is still pretty good for a point guard. In addition to his PG skills, Sean can provide reliable scoring, and is an underrated defender. This year has been such an anomaly with all the injuries, suspensions, and different lineup combinations, that I think Sean's numbers will get better if he can have a full healthy season playing with a consistent lineup.

Could I ask why you think the coaching staff likes East- I agree that they “should” love him. While you compare him to DB, I think a good stat comparison can be made this year with MVC First Team Selection Roman Penn. The reluctance to even play East in the first Drake game until situationally forced to put him in tells me a different story. Thanks Coach