KAEO: Jalen Thomas

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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Floyd » Fri Mar 01, 2019 6:09 pm

10 blocks, whoa!

New nickname, Jalen 10 block
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by LS71 » Fri Mar 01, 2019 8:00 pm

When I saw this picture I thought this is the kind of game can bring to UMass.
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by inthescoop » Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:39 am

I expect Jalen Thomas to be a Day 1 starter - have good feelings about him. Think he will come out of no where and be an exceptional talent in the A-10 and a force down low.

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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by uz2b-len » Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:26 pm

What if Tre Mitchell comes on board?
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Floyd » Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:47 pm

C & PF len
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Jackson96 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:47 pm

I think with big men, it is a lot harder to predict how they will do as a lot of them take time to develop and get acclimated to the size and speed of the college game. Glad to see Jalen has played well since returning from injury and I think he will be very good, just not sure when.

If we got Mitchell, I do think he would be the best big man in the program -- he looks pretty polished and plays against a high level of competition so that might not be a big adjustment for him.

I think if both come, figuring out how to use them and how to use them together would be a very good problem to have. I also think it would allow Sy to play a bit more as the smaller big (if that makes sense -- really just saying power forward) in a bigger lineup which would be interesting.
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Roadtrip » Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:53 pm

^^ That's what I'm hoping for. Two mobile bigs who complement each other on offense, rebound like pack rats, and make the paint on D an unhappy place for the opposition.

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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by uz2b-len » Wed Mar 06, 2019 3:22 pm

Not even the NBA is playing that kind of line-up anymore.
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Jackson96 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 3:49 pm

I think teams play that lineup when they can Len but the key word is mobile -- the players have to be mobile enough to defend as shooting and spread offenses have come into vogue. The other key is spacing on offense -- the more non-shooters you have on the floor, the more congested the court becomes which really limits driving etc. Hard to find mobile big dudes. Even harder to find mobile big dudes who can shoot a bit.

I think Mitchell is supposed to be a pretty good shooter. I don't think either kid is known to be particularly mobile but I think you can get away with that a bit more in college and I do think they will move better than Holloway.

Regardless, getting Mitchell to join Thomas would be huge (pun intended).
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by uz2b-len » Wed Mar 06, 2019 4:28 pm

I was interested to note Chatman hitting a couple of nice looking 3's of late. He's quite mobile, too. He could be that guy. I just can't see two big guys who aren't like that co-existing on the court.
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Jackson96 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 5:11 pm

Yeah I like Chatman in a two-big lineup too vs. being the only big out there (at least until he gets stronger) -- I think Chatman has good potential.
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Roadtrip » Wed Mar 06, 2019 5:53 pm

Len, the NBA is not basketball, it is "entertainment" played with a basketball. Many college teams do not have the opportunity of playing two mobile bigs primarily due to the lack thereof. I still recall a larger Tennessee totally smoking DK's NCAA team. Winning basketball comes from imposing your style of play on the other team, or it should. Sometimes it's just not stinking as much as the other team, but my hope is McCall can get UMass past that point. And I am rarely in favor of doing what everyone else is doing.

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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Floyd » Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:10 pm

Don't understand why anyone wouldn't want Tre Mitchell on this team. Kid would be a major impact player
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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by Juice Stand » Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:29 pm

Roadtrip, you read my mind. Yes we know basketball is changing or has already changed into a space-it-out shoot-the-three game without a need for the "traditional back-to-the-basket" big man. But in college, good luck finding guys that are 6'9" or taller and can play that game effectively. Those guys are special and don't exist everywhere. A good coach will find the right guys that fit his style of play (old school or new school), and whoop your butt with them because they're good at what they do. Don't follow the trends, set your own trend and force the opposition to adjust to it.

I would kill right now for a Freeman-Lasme combo down low.

Also, this post has a heckuva lot of hyphens.

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Re: KAEO: Jalen Thomas

Post by UMassfan_19 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:54 pm

McCall system seems predicated on guys being able to switch and guard the peremiter. Thomas reminds me a lot of djery mobile big who is long as well. Mitchell is more in the mold of Sy where he can play the 5 but at 6-9 he is probably best at the 4. I don't think going big is that terrible if your bigs can switch. I actually love the possibility of a front court of djery/Thomas Mitchell samba with a back court of Pierre and wood.

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