In Reply to: I have no doubt Harris can shoot - he’s proved it… posted by Fuzzy on December 15, 2024 at 13:51:16
How will Cronin handle player minutes in what - competitively - amounts to little more than an officiated scrimmage?...
I agree with most everyone that to maximize our potential for this season we need to get Harris and Mara functioning effectively on the team this year.
Mara is much, much improved but still seems to me to be a year away from really being 'the guy.' But if he can be a more solid contributor - for more than 7 or 8 minutes a game - it would be critical for this team to get through the upper end of the Big Ten and to make a run in the tournament at season's end.
And, to recover his game, Harris - as everyone is saying - needs more time on the court. As you say, mikeo, this game is a great opportunity to get serious minutes and just get into the flow - let the game come to him so he can relax and just play again.
Only two things - 1) a basic Wooden perspective: the more your set base lineup plays together, the more cohesive and better they become. And we are far from where we want to be by late season with some serious tests on the near horizon starting with an excellent Gonzaga team. And 2) just how competitive Mick Cronin is.
Cronin has said over and over again he needs to get Mara and Harris (and Kyle) more minutes. But in the heat of the game, he forgets his 'want-tos' and reverts to his most trusted core players.
Against strong post play, Bilodeau is NOT a 5. We lose in defending in the paint, lose on rebounding, and lose some of his offense as well. But Cronin keeps going to him in there to get him, Dailey and Johnson all on the court together.
We've had two wonderful victories against decent opponents - both in what amounted to road situations! - BUT Oregon is still putting the pieces together and in the case of Arizona, their pieces just don't fit into a cohesive whole at this point (and, thankfully, a really important piece of their puzzle was still in walking boot and couldn't even play against us). Great wins but they just don't add up to us being at the top of the Big Ten or making a deep run in the tournament at this point.
So I think you and others are right: it should be a priority to play Harris enough for him to regain his game and be a reliable contributor by the time we get into the heart of our conference season. AND to continue to develop Mara to the point where he can be a solid contributor for 15-20 minutes a game THIS season.
The one real point of interest to me about tomorrow evening's game is to see how Cronin handles this opportunity. (Give Bilodeau an easy night and work Mara and Kyle in the post and Harris more on the outside.)