Revisiting Preseason Predictions – How’d We Do?
Now that the season is complete and we’re over the grief of the Oklahoma loss, we thought we’d revisit our preseason predictions and see how we did. Here at The Rind, we’re all about accountability. You won’t see us head for the hills…unless Devo, Flynn and Harris all leave.
Jonny Flynn:
TFG: 28 MPG, 14.0 PPG, 6.3 APG, 228 AST/80 TO
LVO: 34 MPG 12.3 PPG, 7.2 APG, 252 AST/85 TO
Flynn: 37.3 MPG, 17.4 PPG, 6.7 APG, 254 AST/129 TO
TFG: It looks like we didn’t do too bad to start out, playing time aside. When Jim Boehim rides a point guard, it’s a sight to behold. The UConn epic and the second half of the Oklahoma game are the only times I remember Flynn just being out of it, let alone breaking a sweat.
He turned the ball over a lot more than both of us expected, and my thoughts on that are that it was a product of two things – playing time and Flynn’s tendency to get into pissing matches with other teams. The first factor isn’t a slight against Flynn, it’s just that when you never get off the court, you’re going to be handling the ball more than average and so the numbers may be a little skewed. We also saw Flynn make some questionable decisions when it came to dribbling into traffic or rushing three pointers. Another thing we didn’t anticipate was the scoring load that Flynn would take on. We knew he was a more-than-capable scorer, but with all the options on this team, it seemed as though Flynn would be a more of a distributor and not lead the team in scoring.
LVO: I have to agree all around with TFG here. I gotta admit it’s pretty tough to get my hand off my back with that assist prediction, but honestly it could have been even higher! I know there were a bunch of games, especially early when JFly would find the open 3 shooter only to see a brick get tossed up. On the downside, I really thought we’d see more deferring to teammates, but really he can get to the rim at will. He will have to learn how to finish better or figure out how to draw contact. If he gets this, we are looking at a 20/7 guy easy next year. Or we could see a 16/9 if players like Wes Johnson/RJ/AO make feeding the post like throwing bread crumbs at the ducks.
Eric Devendorf:
TFG: 32 MPG, 17.0 PPG, 3.5 APG, 37.0 3PT%
LVO: 33 MPG, 18.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, 38.8 3PT%
Devo: 33.9 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 3.0 APG 39.0 3PT%
TFG: When he wasn’t causing a media circus in December and again in March, Devo was stepping up in big ways despite scoring fewer points than both of us thought. He really turned it on toward the end of the season, scoring at least 20 points in four of the team’s final six games, and his shot at the end of regulation in the Marathon will have the unique distinction of being the most memorable shot that didn’t count in college basketball history. Though we didn’t predict this category, it’s worth pointing out that Devo should also be praised as someone who could nail down a game with free throws, leading the team from the line with a 79.5% clip. LVO takes the ribbon on Devo.
LVO: I think I said all that needed to be said on Devo in November! Ok, that aside I think had he not missed that December time we wouldn’t have seen the focus that he showed down the stretch. He took all the opposing fans’ wrath and turned it into positive energy for himself. Was he a little too showy? It isn’t exactly my style, but it is his and it serves him well.
Paul Harris:
TFG: 30 MPG, 16.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 SPG
LVO: 34 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG
Harris: 30.5 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG
TFG: Harris was one of a few SU regulars who really disappeared at times this season and was enough of a space cadet that at one point, the coaching staff had to corral him back to the team. Following the Big East Tournament game against UConn, Harris averaged just 5.4 points per game. You can attribute some of that to exhaustion following six overtimes, but he was nowhere to be found in the NCAA tournament. There’s some talk of Harris going pro, but I’m at a loss for where he fits on an NBA roster with his unique size, especially without a consistent jump shot. Europe, possibly. He has a few mouths to feed, which is where I think most of the rationale lies, but I don’t think he wants to end his SU career with a chip on his shoulder as an underachiever. I think he stays on campus.
LVO: No one epitomizes square peg and round whole like PH. His handle at times drives me nuts. He seems to be a head case on the court at times, getting down on himself when things don’t go well early in games. If there is one sequence that paints the picture of Paul, its the drive into the lane against UConn – you know which one I’m talking about – where he basically blocks himself on the rim grabs the follow, gets hit in midair and throws the ball in to set up a 3 point play. Throwing the dunk down first isn’t in PH’s MO. I think The Rind’s overestimated scoring is related to PH’s missed bunnies; if he puts down the two he misses every game, he’s right there. Problem is, he may not see that many minutes next year. He could be Kong’s replacement as the high energy guy that can fill in anywhere in a pinch. Does he have the mentality to do this? Only time will tell.
Kristof Ongenaet:
TFG: 25 MPG, 6.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 58 FG%, 1.8 SPG
LVO: 22 MPG 5.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 53 FG%
Kristof: 15.2 MPG, 3.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 47.3 FG%, 0.7 SPG
TFG: The ‘Cuse’s lone senior, Kristof fell out of favor with the rotation after the team got off to many a slow start, and his defensive skills had to be sacrificed for more capable offensive options. He resurfaced in the latter part of the season and leaves as a player beloved for his defense and willingness to dive for loose balls on an otherwise flashy squad. We knew he wouldn’t get starter’s minutes but we somehow still managed to overshoot on his playing time. Simply put, when SU was in the lead, it could afford to have him rebound and make the outlet pass that would help deliver the knockout punch; but when the Orange was losing, his lack of offensive skills made him more of a liability.
LVO: The CuseOrange’s favorite player left it all out on the court this season. Like many players this year, it was a tale of two seasons. The first season was as a starter who struggled with finishing around the basket. With the team’s offensive slow starts at the beginning of games, the Belgian found himself waffling on the bench. Then came the resurgence mid to late season that was kickstarted with his ejection at home against Georgetown’s DaJuan Summers. Kong found his stride and became a workhorse that helped propel the Orange into the sweet sixteen. His defense in both UConn games and overall energy endeared him to Orange nation. While his loss won’t be felt offensively next year, his defense and intensity will be sorely missed.
Arinze Onuaku:
TFG: 29 MPG, 13.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG
LVO: 25 MPG, 15.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 65% FG, 55% FT
AO: 26.8 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 66.7% FG, 29.8% FT
TFG: AO was a tremendous help this season, but whenever he was fouled and sent to the line, you knew it was a good time to make a bathroom trip or go into the kitchen for some snacks, because you knew how it was going to end. Never a post man with a ton of range, his mobility really took a hit when he went down with tendinitis, and it became harder and harder for him to finish round the rim and outrebound smaller forwards. Next year, help in the form of Dashonte Riley and Wes Johnson in addition to the improved Rick Jackson will keep AO from huffing and puffing too much.
LVO: AO was an absolute beast at the start of the season. He all but dominated Cole Aldrich and fought tooth and nail with Memphis’ bigs in the OOC portion of the year. The sky was the limit heading into BE play. Then the knees gave out and he was never the same player. Clearly he was limited down the stretch and coupled with Rick Jackson’s emergence and his down right woeful free throw shooting, AO became somewhat of a liability late in games. However, I expect that he’ll be back better than ever next year. I think he should focus on dropping some of the weight he gained last year but maintain that same body fat level, which would help the knees some. And there is no question that his minutes will be shared in the post next season with RJ, so like TFG said, that should help keep his intensity level up.
