The Case for Starting Both Tyrique and Hankins

[Caf]

Yeah, Happ is a unique player. He has a tight handle and can drive and pass from the perimeter, so you could treat him like a perimeter player, but man, he can't shoot

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Kenpom wrote about big men trying to add a 3pt shot to their game and how Happ was a failed experiment by Gard.

Second on last season’s list was Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ, who went 1-of-11 on his 3-point attempts. Happ is a good illustration of just how tough it can be for a traditional big to add a perimeter component to his game. He’s long been rumored to be a capable practice shooter. Even going back two seasons, there were mildly enthusiastic affirmations from Badgers coach Greg Gard that Happ had developed a perimeter game.

As it turned out, Happ didn’t take a single 3-pointer as a sophomore and then had just the 11 attempts last season. Happ, mind you, is still a very effective college player even without the outside shot. But for big men who have demonstrated some touch from mid-range, it almost always makes sense for them to extend their range to the 3-point line.

KenPom: The big man as a 3-point threat, and why the shot is worth the risk

As you said, his 3pt attempts could draw out possible help defense for other post players. This only works if the big is a great passer. Jones definitely isn't, I'm not sure about Hankins but passing wasn't a huge feature of his game at Ferris.

[drudy23]

Happ is a more athletic Stainbrook (I didn't say he has great athleticism, I said he has more than Stainbrook).

Smartest player on the floor with good size.

[smileyy]

I really ought to subscribe to The Athletic, huh?

[Caf]

I really ought to subscribe to The Athletic, huh?

I think Shannon alone makes it worth the money. She does a lot of reporting. We might have the best coverage of any other team that has a beat writer at the athletic.

[XUFan09]

I think Shannon alone makes it worth the money. She does a lot of reporting. We might have the best coverage of any other team that has a beat writer at the athletic.

Yeah, and there are a lot of other good stories there too and not just for college basketball.

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[D-West & PO-Z]

Yeah a friend and I share a subscription and just split the cost. It's not that much but we both wanted to try it and decided we'd just split it. Got it last February, look at it pretty much daily for all sports.

[sirthought]

I have not read the full seven pages of discussion.

I fully support Snipe's idea. I think having the two bigs in the first five minutes of each half will fundamentally change the defense to play more man to man, which these guys can play and likely would play better.

They wear teams down with size and athleticism, and then at the five/six minute mark one of them goes to the bench and we sub in/out and play whatever defense best suits that squad depending on the score.

With the status of our squad I think this would be the most productive and efficient use of minutes for your best players.

Steele said in interviews he wanted to find ways to get them both on the floor because Hankins is so good. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

[SemajParlor]

They did that already...see the Wisconsin game.

Ok. I think they should use it more than a part of the 3rd game of the year to determine if we can use it throughout the season.

[Xuperman]

I hope Coach Steele will tinker with the starting line up. Apparently starting both Jones and Hankins is not doable for all the reasons mentioned in this tread, however I do think we will start to see Welage get the start over Castlin. IMO that 3 guard look to start has not been effective and should be scrapped. With Ryan out there from the jump, we may be able to avoid falling behind early (see yesterday and UW). No reason to think he couldn't get hot from distance early.....besides, I haven't seen anything from Castlin that would offset RW's scoring potential.

[Xuperman]

I totally agree, and have been saying this since I saw practice before the season began. Hankins doesn't foul, and is in the best condition of anyone on the team. No problem with him on the floor. Jones might need breaks from time to time, but he is in better shape...just needs to watch his fouling tendency. I think these two guys give us an incredible inside presence on both ends of the court. It would be the new Hill and Strong show.

Has a team identity finally been established? What we saw tonight should have all of us wanting more. They looked incredible together when paired with that active zone. The entire team was feeding off Hankin’s energy...he looked unstoppable at times offensively and was a very effective rim protector. We desperately need leadership...especially EFFORT leadership by example.