End of season player evaluations.

[zykarious]

I know we still have a couple (maybe a few) games left to play, but the regular season is over now and there's not going to be much excitement for tournament play. Though I do think the Crown tournament could be a fun watch, mainly because half the team may already be in the transfer portal.

Four guys who exceeded expectations and played like real Bearcats. If Wes is serious about setting the expectation of effort, Day Day, Josh and Betsey are the three main guys who I want back.

Day Day Thomas - was our best player if you ask me and hopefully will be back. Made a huge improvement to his three point shooting, still played good defense and better shot selection than Jizzle. Good for a dumb turnover or two per game, but other than that was a good player and the guy I most want back.

Josh Reed - consistently our best defender, smart player and didn't make many mistakes. Need him to figure out how to bring more offense, but can't complain about him.

Aziz - He had his struggles, but he played hard, gave it his all. Our lack of a backup center meant he was asked to do too much, play too many minutes and got beat up.

Betsey - he's not great at defense yet, but he showed improvement and a willingness to work throughout the season. At the start of the season he was a terrible defender, now he's at least serviceable and tries hard.



Three guys who showed flashes, but were way too inconsistent and don't bring consistently bring the effort levels that should be demanded of Bearcats. Wouldn't promise any of them starting spots or much NIL money if the want to come back. I expect at least 2/3 to move on.

Jizzle James - When he was on, he was our best player. When he isn't, he takes too many bad shots, plays hero ball and take dumb shots.

Mitchell - He's an elite athlete, but he didn't show the attitude needed to excel. He was talked up preseason, but his defense wasn't great, he doesn't consistently work to rebound, he doesn't work for the full 30 seconds on defense. I expect him to transfer and would only take him back for cheap and as a backup.

Skillings - Similar to Mitchell and James. He showed flashes of brilliance, but the effort just isn't there game in and game out. He seems like a great guy and has potential out of this world. Hopefully he can figure it out and be a star, but a change of scenery would probably do him some good.


Complete Disasters.

Simas - who knows what happened to him, maybe injury related. He didn't play hard or box out well last year, but he could score and play offense. This year his offense just became non-existent and his defense got worse.

Page - Lazy, doesn't box out, can't defend. I don't expect him back, Wes may tell him not to come back. He does show the offensive ability we desperately need from a big man, but that doesn't matter if he can't rebound or defend.


Unknowns, but I'd take them back as long as it's cheap.

Griffith - Seems like he's in the Newman mold. Defends, rebounds and gives great effort. Hopefully he sticks around, can improve on offense and earn some minutes next year.

McKinley - Who knows, but he's got the size we need and supposedly some offensive skill.

Dzellat - Another complete unknown, it's not a good sign that he couldn't earn minutes this year with our complete lack of depth at center, but probably cost us next to nothing to keep around. Basically a high-level walk-on who might eventually earn some minutes.

[sedz]

I'll do my evaluations based on BPM against top 100 competition. So that includes conference play plus our major out of conference opponents.

Good: Mitchell, Skillings, Reed
Our long athletic wings were our best players. Skillings and Mitchell can drive us crazy at times because they have great length and athleticism but don't play up to their potential. Still, they are our best players. Mitchell was our best overall player this year with a 5.9 BPM. He was a low usage but very efficient scorer who also rebounded well and took care of the ball and played solid defense. Skillings had some wild game to game swings but was our most balanced player, producing 2.5+ BPM on both sides of the ball for an overall 5.5. Reed was our best defender with a 3.9 defensive BPM.

Fair: Jizzle, Day Day, Aziz
Jizzle could be in the good category with a different coaching philosophy. But he had a 29.4% usage rate, and he's nowhere near the caliber of player to take that on. He had an effective field goal percentage under 45. You can't have a good offense with a poor shooter taking that many shots. He ended up with a 2.8 BPM. Day Day was a bit better at 3.5 thanks to better defense, but he shot just 47% effective field goals. Our two point guards shot from midrange more than anywhere else and both made 43%. Not good. Aziz finished with a 2.8 BPM, playing decent defense but providing next to nothing on offense.

Poor: Simas, Betsey, Page, Fredrick
Simas was the worst shooter on the team with 41% effective field goals. And he doesn't do much else. 0.6 BPM for him. Betsey also does nothing but shoot and he only made 45% effective field goals and was our worst defender. Negative 0.8 BPM for Betsey. He has a lot of work to do. Page showed some flashes of offensive potential but was ultimately a turnover machine. His 24% turnover rate was by far the worst on the team leading to a bad negative 1.5 BPM. Fredrick had an awful negative 2.3 BPM because he did almost nothing while getting decent minutes. He made a total of 4 baskets in 13 top 100 games.

Don't know: Hickman, Rayvon
Hickman was brought in as a shooter. He made 41% from three last year but was just 4 for 14 in 7 top 100 games this year. Was he held back by an injury that saw him post a negative 2.5 BPM? Maybe. But while his overall BPM last year at Bradley was a solid 4.7, against top 100 competition it was just 0.7. He may not have what it takes to make into our "good" category even when healthy. Rayvon barely played but posted a 4.4 BPM, good for 4th on the team and slotting in just below the good category. Is he another long athletic wing we can play alongside those three? I'd love to find out but our coach is too traditional.

[Jeff Burk]

is there a stat to determine who was responsible for the most turnovers?

[leo from jersey]

is there a stat to determine who was responsible for the most turnovers?

good question. Of the 389 total JJ made 55 for a little of over 14%. Of course, as you suggested in the post, there are many variables in a TO and it isn't always the fault of one player. That was alluded to in the 21 team turn overs. The better stat is to per minute played. JJ had .065. Day Day had .066-----They both had 2.6 per 40 minutes and 4 per 100 possessions. My math might be off and if it is, I trust that someone will correct it. Groovy.

Regardless, I put the blame on the system as much as the attitude of the entire team while on offense. I would also add in the defense of the opponents as well as when in the game were the most tos committed. I think those variables played an important part. In comparison, Troy Caupain's senior season he had .014 or 1.7 per 40 minutes played.

[leo from jersey]

Of course, Troy C. played in a different league and with different teammates. This can have quite the bearing on the stats. He also was a senior as JJ and Day Day are just 2 years with the program.

[SKell82155]

Question regarding JJ:
Realizing a few things- he’s not a good distance
shooter, he’s not great taking it to the basket,
there isn’t an inside game beyond lobs, there is
no consistent 3 point threat, points have to come
from somewhere- so why is his mid range
predelection so vilified ?
I do realize he’s a high volume shooter & ofter
takes bad shots but so did SK & Cumberland.

[swilsonsp4]

I know we still have a couple (maybe a few) games left to play, but the regular season is over now and there's not going to be much excitement for tournament play. Though I do think the Crown tournament could be a fun watch, mainly because half the team may already be in the transfer portal.

Four guys who exceeded expectations and played like real Bearcats. If Wes is serious about setting the expectation of effort, Day Day, Josh and Betsey are the three main guys who I want back.

Day Day Thomas - was our best player if you ask me and hopefully will be back. Made a huge improvement to his three point shooting, still played good defense and better shot selection than Jizzle. Good for a dumb turnover or two per game, but other than that was a good player and the guy I most want back.

Josh Reed - consistently our best defender, smart player and didn't make many mistakes. Need him to figure out how to bring more offense, but can't complain about him.

Aziz - He had his struggles, but he played hard, gave it his all. Our lack of a backup center meant he was asked to do too much, play too many minutes and got beat up.

Betsey - he's not great at defense yet, but he showed improvement and a willingness to work throughout the season. At the start of the season he was a terrible defender, now he's at least serviceable and tries hard.



Three guys who showed flashes, but were way too inconsistent and don't bring consistently bring the effort levels that should be demanded of Bearcats. Wouldn't promise any of them starting spots or much NIL money if the want to come back. I expect at least 2/3 to move on.

Jizzle James - When he was on, he was our best player. When he isn't, he takes too many bad shots, plays hero ball and take dumb shots.

Mitchell - He's an elite athlete, but he didn't show the attitude needed to excel. He was talked up preseason, but his defense wasn't great, he doesn't consistently work to rebound, he doesn't work for the full 30 seconds on defense. I expect him to transfer and would only take him back for cheap and as a backup.

Skillings - Similar to Mitchell and James. He showed flashes of brilliance, but the effort just isn't there game in and game out. He seems like a great guy and has potential out of this world. Hopefully he can figure it out and be a star, but a change of scenery would probably do him some good.


Complete Disasters.

Simas - who knows what happened to him, maybe injury related. He didn't play hard or box out well last year, but he could score and play offense. This year his offense just became non-existent and his defense got worse.

Page - Lazy, doesn't box out, can't defend. I don't expect him back, Wes may tell him not to come back. He does show the offensive ability we desperately need from a big man, but that doesn't matter if he can't rebound or defend.


Unknowns, but I'd take them back as long as it's cheap.

Griffith - Seems like he's in the Newman mold. Defends, rebounds and gives great effort. Hopefully he sticks around, can improve on offense and earn some minutes next year.

McKinley - Who knows, but he's got the size we need and supposedly some offensive skill.

Dzellat - Another complete unknown, it's not a good sign that he couldn't earn minutes this year with our complete lack of depth at center, but probably cost us next to nothing to keep around. Basically a high-level walk-on who might eventually earn some minutes.

A main problem with Dzellat is that he speaks virtually no English. Aziz has had to translate for him, which makes teaching very difficult. I have no idea what his future is like. Dzellat is learning English, so I suppose a lot will depend upon how well he picks it up.

[leo from jersey]

As a result of this wretched season and watching every minute of every game, my wife, who stopped watching has made me buy tickets to go into the city to watch Wicked. I will get a great dinner out of it.

[leeraymond]

The questions I ask are, what should UC look for in the portals as additions to the program? What will UC likely lose?

[sedz]

is there a stat to determine who was responsible for the most turnovers?

Page was responsible for the most turnovers on his possessions. Here are our turnover rates against top 100 competition (the national average TO rate is 17):

24 Page
20 Aziz
20 Fredrick
16 Skillings
16 Day Day
16 Hickman
15 Simas
15 Mitchell
14 Jizzle
8 Rayvon
7 Betsey
5 Reed

[sedz]

Question regarding JJ:
Realizing a few things- he’s not a good distance
shooter, he’s not great taking it to the basket,
there isn’t an inside game beyond lobs, there is
no consistent 3 point threat, points have to come
from somewhere- so why is his mid range
predelection so vilified ?
I do realize he’s a high volume shooter & ofter
takes bad shots but so did SK & Cumberland.

SK and Cumberland were better high volume shooters and they got to the free throw line a lot. True shooting percentage includes free throws and is the best measure of scoring efficiency. You want to be above 52%. SK and Cumberland were efficient scorers, Jizzle is not. It's really that simple. If he got to the free throw line four times as much I wouldn't be quite as concerned about the midrange. Though I also believe Jarron shot too much from midrange too and it held our overall offense back. But much like with Jizzle today, the problem is more with coaching.

Season	Usage	Effective FG	True Shooting	Rim	Midrange	Three	FT
Jizzle 2025	29%	47.0%	48.9%	86	161	135	54
Cumberland 2019	31%	48.2%	53.7%	90	216	206	211
Kilpatrick 2014	29%	51.5%	57.7%	116	125	267	213

A better and even simpler way to look at this is with offensive BPM, which includes assists and turnovers but also intangibles to measure overall offensive production. Jizzle's offensive BPM is 2.1 this year. Cumberland's was 6.4 in 2019. SK's was 8.6 in 2014. They were much better players that could handle the high workload. Again, I don't even blame Jizzle for this. I blame Wes for not running an offense and just handing the ball to guy and relying on him to create by himself.

[SKell82155]

Appreciate your take SEDZ.
Do you think JC & SK had more to work with than
Jizzle ? Takes two to make an assist after all.
Do agree with the moth ball offense.

[sedz]

I'd say SK had even less to work with than the current roster. Justin Jackson turned into a decent offensive player in his senior year but was still limited to the post. He couldn't shoot at all. Neither could Titus Rubles, Shaq Thomas, or GeLawn Guyn. Jermaine Sanders was the next best shooter on that team. It wasn't a great supporting cast, which speaks to just how great SK was. He really carried that team. Cumberland had Jenifer as a shooter, Keith Williams as a slasher, and Nysier Brooks and Tre Scott as rim finishers. Which is why I think he shot too much from midrange making only 35%. Still, if a guy can get you 54% true shooting at high usage - 1.08 points per possession - I'm ok giving him the green light.

Both of those guys were constantly double teamed and they were still efficient. Jizzle is being played straight and is inefficient. Jizzle gives us under a point per possession and the coach should never make something inefficient the focal point. I've said all year I'd prefer to run things through our wings. Not 1v1 iso or ball screens, but with lots of flare and down screen actions on the wings. The kind of stuff we sometimes run for Simas but with the intent to slash instead of shoot.

[leeraymond]

good question. Of the 389 total JJ made 55 for a little of over 14%. Of course, as you suggested in the post, there are many variables in a TO and it isn't always the fault of one player. That was alluded to in the 21 team turn overs. The better stat is to per minute played. JJ had .065. Day Day had .066-----They both had 2.6 per 40 minutes and 4 per 100 possessions. My math might be off and if it is, I trust that someone will correct it. Groovy.

Regardless, I put the blame on the system as much as the attitude of the entire team while on offense. I would also add in the defense of the opponents as well as when in the game were the most tos committed. I think those variables played an important part. In comparison, Troy Caupain's senior season he had .014 or 1.7 per 40 minutes played.

Yeah. Also, sometimes the timing of the turnover can be twice as bad when it plays a direct role in determining the outcome of the game. Think about the late game UC turnovers during the UC-OKST game that really killed UC's chances at coming back. UC was down by only three points at about the 3:33 mark in the second half when crucial turnovers doomed UC to its third straight loss.

[leeraymond]

SK and Cumberland were better high volume shooters and they got to the free throw line a lot. True shooting percentage includes free throws and is the best measure of scoring efficiency. You want to be above 52%. SK and Cumberland were efficient scorers, Jizzle is not. It's really that simple. If he got to the free throw line four times as much I wouldn't be quite as concerned about the midrange. Though I also believe Jarron shot too much from midrange too and it held our overall offense back. But much like with Jizzle today, the problem is more with coaching.

Season	Usage	Effective FG	True Shooting	Rim	Midrange	Three	FT
Jizzle 2025	29%	47.0%	48.9%	86	161	135	54
Cumberland 2019	31%	48.2%	53.7%	90	216	206	211
Kilpatrick 2014	29%	51.5%	57.7%	116	125	267	213

A better and even simpler way to look at this is with offensive BPM, which includes assists and turnovers but also intangibles to measure overall offensive production. Jizzle's offensive BPM is 2.1 this year. Cumberland's was 6.4 in 2019. SK's was 8.6 in 2014. They were much better players that could handle the high workload. Again, I don't even blame Jizzle for this. I blame Wes for not running an offense and just handing the ball to guy and relying on him to create by himself.

If you compare James' numbers to the point guards on those UC teams, I wonder what you would get? Is it fair to compare James with Kilpatrick and Cumberland? Those guys were much better basketball players in general than James. Both of those guys levels of play were much more developed than James'.

Both Kilpatrick and Cumberland knew how to win games.