A week until the first game.
I have no inside info but here’s my guess at the depth chart:
1 / PG: Stewart, Knapper, Hammond, Bal, Ensminger
2 / SG: Bal, Bryan, Hammond, Stewart
3 / SF: Mahi, Bal, Ensminger, Bryan, Akametu, O’Neil
4 / PF: O’Neil, Tongue, Ensminger, Mahi, Tilly, Graves, Oboye
5 / C: Tilly, Tongue, McEldon, Oboye, O’Neil
Lots of guys who can play multiple positions providing lineup versatility.
We’ll see how lineups and rotations shake out.
I also have no inside knowledge. But I am doubling down on Ensminger being the key. I’m stoked that Stewart is back, but I don’t see him as a primary ball-handler and am worried that a backcourt of Stewart and Bal will be the TO-happy offense that the Broncos got mired in last year. Podz was able to bring out the best in Carlos and mitigate the downside. Bal isn’t the steady, “he’s everywhere” bulwark that Podz was.
To that end, I’m putting Ensminger in as a 3/4 though I think his role is to be the initiator when on the floor, more like a traditional PG.
I also think that, by season’s end, Tilly and Tongue will both start multiple games at the 5. Tongue is small for a center. But in an athletic and tall lineup with Bal, Mahi, and O’Neil all on the floor, I could see them prioritizing Tongue’s speed and aggression and giving up a little size given how big the rest of the lineup is already.
1: Bal; Knapper; Hammond
2: Mahi; Stewart; Bryan; Hammond
3. Ensminger; Bryan; Akametu
4. O’Neil; Tongue; Graves; Ensminger
5. Tilly; Tongue; McEldon; Oboye
Look at you @PattyMac putting one of our first team conference selections on the bench to start. (Just giving you a hard time). I agree with your enthusiasm for Ensminger- but I think he is our off-the-bench utility player who can play multiple positions.
I think we are going to face some hight and length at the center spot this year so I don’t love Tongue in that spot even though he can “jump out of the gym” as they say. I think he should stay in his natural position unless we face an undersized big.
Regarding our massive turnover problem from last year, I do think Stewart, with his experience, can help us over last year. And I may be wrong but I think Bal was the author of some of that problem. So for that reason, I can’t see him moving to point guard.
We have a lot of experience on this squad, so I think minutes will be distributed much more evenly. Only downside is that someone like Hammond might get a little buried in the depth chart. But if we encounter injuries, we’ll see many of our guys on the floor.
With that, here’s my picks:
Agree with these picks but with a little Hammond at the point.
This has been the rotation for scrimmages.
Wouldn’t surprise me if Bryan starts. Mahi’s reported performance vs. New Mexico influenced me, otherwise may have guessed Bryan.
Bal is of course a talented scorer and offensive player but Bryan by comparison is a better defender and rebounder and less turnover prone. IMO, Bryan was kind of a unsung hero last year, he didn’t have many of the big scoring outbursts that both Bal and Marshall had but he was steady and consistent and provided a little better athleticism than Marshall and is more physical and tougher than Bal.
That said, as is often the case, starting lineups and rotations can and will evolve based on individual performance and how the team is faring. As a returning player with experience in Sendek’s system he may have the leg up. But whether Mahi starts or not, I expect Mahi will still play 20+ minutes a game and have a big role off the bench as Bryan did last season. Last season Bryan only started 6 games but still averaged 25 mins/game and was 5th on the team in scoring 8.2 pts/game. I expect Mahi’s impact to be the same or better.
Years prior you could make the argument for performance based decisions. But not this year.
When Cam was planning to enter the portal at the end of last season - I told him his biggest obstacle was the space between his ears. Well, he is past that now. He has put in the work. He is physically the strongest player. When combined with his mental toughness - he is fluid. That fluidity of his mind and body has been present all preseason and in both scrimmages.
All will be HAPPY to know this will be my only mention of this.
I am pleased that Cam will surely be getting minutes. He will no doubt play an integral role. But he EARNED a starting spot - and for reasons I will never understand - he won’t get it. Instead he will be forced into playing out of position and the position of supporting role. Both of which I feel his talent is being underutilized.
Let the season begin. Go Broncos. I def wish the team much success. Great group of guys and lots of talent. So should be fun - regardless of personal feelings.
When questions of who starts come up, I often think of Stacy Davis from Pepperdine. Davis was Pepperdine’s all-time leading scorer and 2nd all-time rebounder. He was a three-time All WCC selection.
And Stacy Davis also repeatedly came off the bench during his final season at Pepperdine.
At the time, I remember the decision being strategic for the flow of the game at Pepperdine and had moments of success despite the Waves not being all that good overall. Nobody at the time questioned which Pepperdine player was the biggest threat.
Anyways, my takeaway from Stacy Davis is that, with basketball being a game of matchups and lineups across dozens of possessions even in the slowest game, who starts is a fun parlor game but not a fully reliable proxy for “who is the best.” Sometimes it makes strategic sense to have your best player come in at minute-6 to push the pace and introduce aggression that the opposing team’s starters can’t handle.
I see that logic primarily because Cam, more than anyone else, can energize everyone on the floor and that is often needed at the first break. However, he does that whether he is starting or coming off the bench, so my view is that more Cam is a good thing, and he is poised to be a super-impact player this year. I also think that Bryan has been overlooked and it is nice to see others not doing that and recognizing his contributions–solid scoring and defense, sharp passing, and intensity (remember the save on the ball going out of bounds against the Zags?). He and Cam are both keys to our success this year. I could go on and on about the other guys, all really talented…who will, I believe, make this a year to remember.
It is ironic. You’d think I would know this. I was sixth man for a reason. I would go into games and disrupt things - but in my days that seemed more the norm to have a 6th man strategy. Seems today’s ball is much different.
I honestly think I just don’t like he will be matched up against guys bigger and stronger than him all season.
But I’m going to just sit back and cheer for a trip to NCAA tourney this season. I never made it with the Eagles - would love to see Cam and Broncos do it.