Last season, Sacramento State had one of the most experienced frontcourts in the conference, with senior starts Konnor Veteto, Joe Eberhard, and John Dickson. The flipside is that this year, with all of those guys gone, there is not a lot of certainty in their frontcourt heading into this season.
Like we did with Southern Utah's scoring, let's just take a rundown of some of the guys that might be involved.
- Joey Quigley - Of their returners, Quigley logged the most minutes among those vying for frontcourt roles, so that seems to put him at the top of the list. He is a versatile guy that seems to have the skillset to play inside and outside, but he struggled last season as a junior, his first year in the program. He shot just 31% on twos, and 4/16 from deep, not really dishing out assists or grabbing any offensive rebounds, making him a serious liability last year. He did grab a solid number of defensive rebounds (15.3% DR%), but he needs to improve offensively. The skills appeared to be there, so maybe he can be more comfortable as a senior.
- Jordan Salley - He was efficient when he shot, at 22/36 for the year, but didn't get a ton of time as he was very turnover prone and only an average rebounder. Those things have to improve for him to be a good starting frontcourt player. He has the athletic ability to play and be effective, but he needs to clean things up around the edges of his game.
- Ryan Okwudibonye - He missed almost all of last season because of a knee injury. His numbers from junior college suggest that he could be a frontcourt rotational player that can get some rebounds and defend, but is probably not a guy that will be counted on to play heavy minutes.
- Alex Tiffin - He sat out last season after transferring from UC Davis, and he could factor in for a starting role. Even though he didn't put up many numbers in his two seasons for the Aggies, the Hornets hope he can have a Konnor Veteto like impact in Sacramento, as Veteto improved a lot in his redshirt year after transferring.
- Eric Stuteville - He is the most intriguing guy in their frontcourt to me, a 6'10'' F that can play inside and out. Last year as a senior in high school, he averaged about 21 and 12 per game. He also averaged 3.5 blocks per game as a junior. He appears to have the most upside of anyone in the frontcourt rotation, and I think he could see big minutes early on in his career.
- Zach Mills - Mills is only 6'5'', but looks like he can play either the three or four spot for the Hornets. He is a great rebounder for his size, after grabbing over eight per game last season in junior college. He is in the mold of Joe Eberhard, a versatile player that can potentially fill in a lot of roles for Sac State.
Anyone stand out as someone that figures to get a lot of time for the Hornets?
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Because of the deep backcourt I think you have to include 6'5" Nick Hornsby in the frontcourt rotation at the 3 and maybe a bit at the 4 when they go small. He was a very good rebounder in high school and kind of fits in the John Dickson mold.
ReplyDeleteStuteville is listed as a center on the roster. I think he will be the starter but Okwudibonye will see plenty of time as they most likely platoon the 5 spot. Both are complete question marks heading into the season.
ReplyDeleteAt PF I have to think Salley and Tiffin will see the bulk of the time with Quigley seeing the least amount of time. I have no idea what Tiffin will bring but I think you hit the nail on the head with Salley. If Salley can step up his game I think he can provide a lot of production for the Hornets. Quigley is a turnover machine and aside from clogging the lanes with his length and height on the defensive end, he is a total liability on the offensive side of things.
At SF it will come down to Mills, Hornsby, and maybe even Demps. Demps showed glimpses of talent last season but didn't see the court much. Total question marks with Mills and Hornsby.
All in all this season will ride on how well the front court comes together. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.