Cougar Basketball lands Bjornstad
by Dancing Football on Jul 2, 2009 4:59 PM PDT
in Cougar Basketball
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Remember those dark days immediately after Tony left when it seemed the WSU basketball team was going to lose everything it had built in the previous six years? Klay was going to leave, Xavier Thames wanted out of his commitment, and the future of every other player seemed uncertain. Well times certainly have changed.
Ken Bone and his staff have not only been able to keep all the current players intact, he has now brought in two very impressive and important pieces. The latest, Steven Bjornstad, is very likely to earn playing time next season in what once was a very thin Cougar front line. Last year's recruiting class was pegged as one of the greatest in Washington State history. This one may prove to be just as valuable, what with the way Brock Motum is tearing up the world right now.
I'm excited.
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Just a thought or two....
What if Coach Bone redshirted most of the incoming class? I’ve seen Bjornstadt and Anthony Brown in person and I think they’d benefit greatly if they were allowed to mature a bit, get acclimated to school and not be expected to contribute right away.
I’m not saying I really know for sure, but aren’t there quite a few kids coming back from last year that didn’t really get a shot at showing what they could do, are already acclimated to our program, and just need an opportunity?
It seems that we may have some exceptionally high expectations for the incoming class and want that quick fix when it’s not really necessary or warranted.
I just don’t want to burn a redshirt and when some of them are seniors be saying, “They sure could have benefited from another year.” Or another thought, “Can you imagine how good _______ would be if they had one more year?”
I don’t know anything about Motum, Thames or Moore except for reading all the accolades about them. Basketball is a far different animal than football but I really want to build something for the future and we have a chance to build that foundation and make it pretty solid with all the youth in the program at this time.
It’s up to Coach Bone and his staff to make those judgments, but I’ve never seen such a talent-laden roster at Wazzu in all my days. I don’t want to let an opportunity as this slip through our fingers. I want to see what some of the kids that have been in the program a couple years can do. Tony didn’t recruit a bunch of stiffs. I still think guys like Harthun, Enquist, Watson and Lodwick are potential contributors.
I want to hear what others have to say on this subject. I want every year to be special but I can live with Thompson, Casto, Capers, and Kopriva being the core of next season’s team.
Add Patrick Simon to the mix in 2010 and hopefully Joe Harris as well. I know it never all works out the way you plan it, so some kids are going to leave the program and that opens up more slots for the future.
I’m trying to project out to when Casto, Thompson, and Capers are seniors and know we have solid classes ready to take their place every year. I think you win in the Pac-10 with junior and seniors, kids that become natural leaders on the court. We’re going to be awfully young next year and in that respect, we might stuggle a bit.
It will be interesting to see what happens. I am very excited for the season to be upon us.
Go Cougs!!!
by SW WA Coug on Jul 2, 2009 10:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Initial Response
Basketball doesn’t have as many redshirts…and if they can contribute at all then they should play. Two key difference between basketball and football are the size of the rosters and the number of potential players. With basketball having 12 players that are generally active, and 8-9 that actually contribute, there are fewer holes to fill each year. And with the ease of basketball (needing only a ball, shoes, and a local park) vs. learning football (pads, a place to play, etc) there are a lot of potential recruits out there.
Why do I say all this? It’s not that I’m against redshirting a b-ball player, because I’m not. But basketball is a sport that young players can help with quicker, and that often older players can find themselves sitting on the sidelines as the new star recruits come in.
Bottom line to me is that you can often refill the cupboards in basketball quickly if your winning, and fifth year players can find themselves sitting out or not contributing a whole lot. The key is winning, and while it might seem that sitting some of this youth this year will help us win in the future, if they help us win now and we can keep recruiting well, we will miss them only in memory when they leave. For a new batch of talented, highly rated recruits can be there for us to cheer and root for.
My 2 cents.
by 02Coug on Jul 2, 2009 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Harmeling didn't give us much in his 5th year...
Not that he is the norm. Just saying though…
by cfred on Jul 3, 2009 2:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
A couple of points
first; I’m not really sure what you mean by “aren’t there quite a few kids coming back from last year that didn’t really get a shot at showing what they could do, are already acclimated to our program.” Nobody on this team is “acclimated to ‘our’ program,” they are only holding over one coach. Every player on this roster will have the opportunity to show if they can be the kind of player Coach Bone needs. At this point, it’s wide open.
Secondly; I don’t see how you could possibly red-shirt Bjornson. This is the depth at big for WSU this upcoming season: Casto, Motum, Watson (at 6’7" is iffy) and Enquist. There is no way that the Cougs can get away with 4 bigs on thier roster especially considering that two of them are freshman and will be in foul trouble because of thier inexperience, Casto is prone to foul trouble, and the only other guy is Enquist who (God bless him, and I now we all love him, but seriously) was a walk-on. Whether Bjornson could “use” a redshirt season or not is beyond the point. The Cougs will NEED the depth at some point in the season. Brown, on the other hand, can red-shirt because they are stupid deep at that position.
Third; I think both Moore and Thames will get playing time because other than them, Capers is the only guy that could play the point on this team and I think that’s a bit frightening. Unless he’s done some serious work at the One this off-season.
Regardless, Bone usually plays with a deep rotation, and I think the top nine guys looks like this: Moore, Thames, Capers, Harthune, Thompson, Lodwick, Watson, Casto, Motum. I think you hope for Bjornson to be the logical 10th if there is foul trouble, and I’m okay with Koprivica being the ‘09-’10 verson of Daven Harmeling (senior cheerleader). I know that every single name in that top 10 above is an underclassmen, but hey, they’re probably the best 10 players on the roster. I say go with it and these players will get better over the years. This team will be a beast in the upcoming season’s. Unless Bone turns out to suck royaly, which I highly doubt.
by Jo-Jo on Jul 3, 2009 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did Watson shrink?
He’s listed on CF.C as 6-8.5.
There were a number of kids on the roster that didn’t get much PT last year. Harthun, Lodwick and Enquist only got limited minutes. They might not be as athletic as some of the new kids, but they have been on our roster for a year and had the opportunity to at least practice against our main rotation guys. Plus, they are acclimated to the Pullman culture, the semester system, and that’s not always easy to do, even for a non-athlete. I saw two of them, Harthun and Lodwick, get jerked every time they made a mistake. Granted, they hardly looked ready to contribute, but that had to shake their confidence level immensely.
A lot of successful Pac-10 teams don’t have an Aron Baynes type in the middle and play with a lot of combo 3’s and 4’s. The dub won the Pac-10 without a true center.
Have you seen Thames or Moore play or are you just going off of what you read about them, that they are ready to play? I haven’t seen them play and one or two highlight reels of them doesn’t give me any confidence they are ready to contribute, one way or the other. My point is, nobody knows for sure just yet.
Capers was a very capable #1 at the end of last season with a huge upside. I would think he’s going to be a major contributor this coming season. If some of the new kids are better, we’re going to have lots of talent at that position. I said it at the end of last season and I’ll say it again right now, I think Capers has a chance to be the gem of his class, and that includes Thompson and Capers.
Don’t count Kopravica out just yet. We all know he has talent. Whether he cuts the mustard is another matter but I’m not ready just yet to throw in the towel.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my post.
by SW WA Coug on Jul 3, 2009 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Typo correction....
I think Capers has a chance to be the gem of the class, and that includes Thompson and Casto.
by SW WA Coug on Jul 3, 2009 6:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, Watson did shrink
If CF.C had him at 6’8.5" because he is listed like this in the WSU Media guide:
14 James Watson F 6-7 210 RS FR SQ Atoka, Okla. (Stringtown HS)
I agree with you about Capers being the gem (if you know anything about me and this blog, you know I’m probably the biggest Capers supporter/promoter). However, to say that he “was a very capable #1 at the end of last season” would be pushing it – in my opinion. He facilitated the One well in the half court, but was always shakey as the full-time point guard. Hence Rochestie playing 93 minutes a game all season.
I haven’t seen Moore or Thames play, but my point about them being needed and getting a chance to play as freshman are that they were both recruited as point guards so it will be a battle between the three of them. And with Capers most likely getting some minutes at the Two, those guys should be able to get a good amount of minutes.
I would like to be with you on the optimism over Koprivica, but the guy has gotten worse each year. I don’t think he is athletic enough to play Bones style and he can’t shoot worth a shit. It hurts me personally because I was a Nik supporter and the guy made me look like an idiot. But, that’s my problem, I guess.
by Jo-Jo on Jul 3, 2009 8:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Capers at the 2?
He needs to learn how to shoot an outside shot first…
I can’t even remember if he made one jump shot all season last year.
by cfred on Jul 3, 2009 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He did
At the end of the year…and hopefully will improve. But he would be a Kyle Weaver type 2, a slasher that hopefully can make just enough jumpers to make you get up on him enough for him to drive past you.
Capers biggest advantage is his defense, he can shut guys down with his length and his quickness. But he is neither a true 1 (he is capable of starting the offense, but is not a “creator”) nor a gifted 2 (can’t really shoot outside).
by 02Coug on Jul 3, 2009 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Clarifying my point about Capers....
He may not have been a true 1 but I saw some talents in him that need to be further explored. He’s an effective defender and even made a couple of shots at St. Mary’s that literally shocked me. I thought he earned his PT by how well he played D. He impressed me in that regard. It’s going to be hard to keep him off the floor if he keeps improving in that area, no matter what he does offensively.
Kop is worth another try. Before he got hurt I saw glimmers of a pretty solid player. Not so much the last two years. He has to earn his playing time. Maybe CKB can find a role for him where he is effective.
I hear you about Thames and Moore. As much as I liked Rochestie, he wasn’t a naturally gifted athlete but a good leader that got the most out of his abilities. We need at leat one more solid outside threat to compliment Klay. I don’t know much about Thames or Moore other than they are very highly thought of. I would guess both are more athletically gifted than Taylor was, I just hope they have his heart. I’d love to see us finally get a Darren Collison type guard because I think in college ball, the best teams have great guard play. We have what looks like the makings of a very solid backcourt, and it could make us contenders sooner rather than later
I might be all wet but I’d still prefer to redshirt a couple kids out of this class if possible. I think we can and still have a really good ballclub. Like you said, there are only so many minutes to go around and only so many kids can be in the rotation.
I’m trying to be as open-minded about it as possible. Last year at this time I had big plans for Harmeling and Kop and both let me down. So did a couple other kids. My expectation were out of whack. I still want to get a good look at Harthun, Lodwick and Watson and any of the new kids that don’t redshirt of course. I think it’s a very exciting time for us Coug fans. This is something special to look forward to.
Go Cougs!!!
by SW WA Coug on Jul 4, 2009 2:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Absolutely at the Two
That’s where he got most of his minutes last season. The most effective back court last year was Rochestie-1, Capers-2, Thompson-3. The wing positions are practically interchangable, but Capers was playing the Two role (defending the opponents best perimeter scorer, keeping that pressure off of Thompson to keep him out of foul trouble and fresh legs on offense), and Thompson (because of his length) would defend the taller perimeter player.
If I were to pull a line-up out of my ass right now, I think you’re looking at 4 guys locked as starters (Capers, Thompson, Casto, Motum). Assuming Capers could play the point you’re looking at five guys battling for that other starting spot; Koprivica, Lodwick, Harthune, Thames, and Moore. I’ve even heard that Watson brings a little bit of a perimeter game, which could put him at the Three, and that would mean a battle between Enquist and Bjornstad for minutes in the post.
So, that simply means that the competition for playing time is going to be heavy. This is what every coach wants. These guys are going to have to prove themselve and earn thier time. I love it. As these guys develop, the options are endless.
Ha, ha … I’m drunk on Cougar optimism. Somebody save me.
by Jo-Jo on Jul 4, 2009 10:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd argue that when Capers was on the floor with Rochestie
He generally was playing the one and Rochestie was playing the two. But if you want to make the Weaver comparison, I think it’s apt — he and Low became pretty much interchangeable at the 1/2, so Capers’ poor shooting isn’t necessarily a killer, as long as you pair him with another guard who can. The problem last year came when Capers was on the floor and Rochestie was not.
by Jeff Nusser on Jul 4, 2009 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or when Capers and Koprivica were on the floor together...
Neither one of those players was a threat from outside and it made defending the perimeter easy on the opposition. It appeared as if teams were simply willing either of those players to shoot an outside shot because they knew the chances were that those guys would not make it. So the defenses played back a step, concentrating the pressure on double teaming our bigs or pressuring the only backcourt shooter on the floor (Thompson or Rochestie). It was the same with Harmeling at the end of the season as well.
by cfred on Jul 4, 2009 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Granted, I did not get to see the St. Mary's game last season, as I was out of the country...
So if Capers did hit a jumpshot in that game, awesome, and that will bring some hope in that department.
by cfred on Jul 4, 2009 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Capers hit a jumpshot in the PAC-10 Tourney vs Oregon
And then I think 3 vs St. Marys
by tinit on Jul 4, 2009 2:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
vs St Marys
Capers hit multiple jump shots (3 or 4 sounds about right) and every time he did, I was wondering where the hell that was all season. It was nothing but net every shot lol.
by james_WSU on Jul 4, 2009 3:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is nice to here.
I missed the entire PAC 10 Tourny AND the first week of March Madness because I was away in Nicaragua for a spring break mission trip. The first time in years that I didn’t get to fill out a bracket… it almost killed me.
by cfred on Jul 4, 2009 7:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Somebody is going to have to sit out
Assuming we redshirt Brown, I count 12 guys that are all good enough for quality minutes next year. Running a 12 man rotation just doesn’t make sense, regardless of how much this team is going to get up and down.
Thames, Capers, Moore and Harthun are competing for 3 spots worth of playing time and 2 spots on the court at the same time. I like Harthun, but the only way I see him getting a bunch of time is if he is knocking down the three. If so, I see either Thames or Moore sitting out a year. Considering Moore played prep school last year, it may be Thames but that would be a tough thing for him to swallow.
After that, Bjornstad would be the logical choice to redshirt, but we need depth at that position.
Are we going 12 deep next year?
by mmevans15 on Jul 3, 2009 10:23 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
12 deep ?
remembering how brutal coming down the stretch in conf play was this year, why not be able to go with a big rotation, maybe limited by who is shooting well by then ?
fresh legs = less fouls, better shooting
by Steptoe Fan on Jul 3, 2009 9:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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