Kam Craft

[muskieman]

Steele is trying to get as many 2's and 3's as possible not matter if they play D or not.

Most players have weaknesses in one of those areas, so what is tougher to teach a good shot or a defense?

[finalfourorbust]

I don't remember any instances where a player has gone from a bad shooter to a good one at the college level. Many of them have learned to play defense though. Because of his athleticism Odem will become a great defensive player, but, I don't think he will ever be a good shooter. Craft will always be a good shooter, but, his athleticism and work ethic will determine his limits on defense.

[skyhops]

Agree on Odom, however if Odom could shoot when he was recruited he would not be at Xavier but there is plenty of upside. Both Carter and Kunkel shot poorly once they came to Xavier and neither BE defenders. Free has also seems to be playing worse defense.

[longliveskip]

Agree on Odom, however if Odom could shoot when he was recruited he would not be at Xavier but there is plenty of upside. Both Carter and Kunkel shot poorly once they came to Xavier and neither BE defenders. Free has also seems to be playing worse defense.

Carter defended just fine considering most of the time he was outmatched in size and athleticism. i believe this contributed to his poor shooting as he was asked to do MORE defensively. that, and being "hurt" most of the season didn't help but considering our lack of options at the 4/5, Carter did what he could. i'm not going to speculate just yet on whether Miles or Ramsey SHOULD have gotten minutes until i actually see them (well, Miles at least) play in a Xavier uniform and contribute. yes, Ramsey had a 5-minute splash one game but that doesn't mean his knees were ready for 12-15 min a game. however, if he shows that kind of production somewhere else then i'll gladly call Steele out on that one.

Kunkel adjusting to the speed/size/athleticism of BE players along with our Covid pauses didn't help his stroke at all. you can't take DAYS off and then expect to come back in the gym right where you left off. just doesn't happen, especially for shooters.

Free made himself into a legit scorer from frosh to soph year but i agree, his defense didn't improve. that needs to change. granted he was also guarding other teams' 5's and that's just not his best position so he did what he could considering.

hoping Odom can actually develop some kind of outside shot, even if it's just a mid-range pull-up game. we've had guys come here who weren't great shooters and actually GET BETTER at it during their career. Dee Davis comes to mind as he shot below 30% his frosh year but then improved the next two to 36 and 37. didn't shoot it as well his senior year but still, he got better at it.

in regards to Craft, he's been compared to JP by several and i tend to agree. JP couldn't defend very well when he started but he put on muscle/weight/strength the right way while at X and improved on it during his career. Craft can do the same.

[AirJordan]

I think it is a bit unfair to criticize Steele for not recruiting better defensive players. Most high level high school players have more defensive deficiencies than offensive. They, typically, carried their team offensive production and weren't pushed defensively. That changes at this level and it can take some time to develop defensive prowess.

I agree with above comment that shooting can be expected to improve through a player's tenure (Q not withstanding). And, Dee Davis was an excellent example. He had no ability to stick the jumper his freshman year. That capability improved dramatically by his senior season.

I think Odom has great upside potential. His leadership, confidence and on-court demeanor last year, were far above the typical freshman. If he can improve his outside touch, in my opinion, he has all B.E. potential.

[skyhops]

Carter was a poor defender and really not a BE player, yet Steele continued to play him despite not practicing and getting schooled by lesser bigs (Butler). Dee Davis wasn’t a Steele guy and besides Free no one has really improved under Steele, just look at Naji. Steele is trying to recruit like Nova but unfortunately just getting guys like Craft who will struggle to guard in BE. Kunkel is a great example of a guy who is lights out in practice but not in game is slightly a better defender that AH.

[AirJordan]

Skyhops - I have plenty of issues with the manner in which Steele has coached and especially with some of his decisions. Giving Carter so many minutes is only one of his decisions for which I have no explanation. Perhaps Carter was the best of many poor options, especially after Stanley's injury but I fault Steele for not trying other players like Ramsey or even other schemes, like some version of "small ball". I'm not confident any of those options would have been better than Carter but I would have like to see them attempted.

Still, I am hesitant to criticize Steele's recruiting because I believe I have seen improvement the last couple of years. Scruggs and Johnson opting to return also gives me pause about being critical of Steele's player relationships and retention.

He has lots of room to improve and perhaps his short tenure and the effects of COVID played significant roles in last season's very disappointing results. Whether or not they did, it seems clear this coming season's very high expectations give Coach Steele little room to disappoint. If we have a repeat of last year, I think my head will explode.

[skyhops]

Mine too, even MM can’t excuse Steele with all the returners back. Maybe Carter will be all MAC with Preston gone

[muskieman]

Skyhops - I have plenty of issues with the manner in which Steele has coached and especially with some of his decisions. Giving Carter so many minutes is only one of his decisions for which I have no explanation. Perhaps Carter was the best of many poor options, especially after Stanley's injury but I fault Steele for not trying other players like Ramsey or even other schemes, like some version of "small ball". I'm not confident any of those options would have been better than Carter but I would have like to see them attempted.

Still, I am hesitant to criticize Steele's recruiting because I believe I have seen improvement the last couple of years. Scruggs and Johnson opting to return also gives me pause about being critical of Steele's player relationships and retention.

He has lots of room to improve and perhaps his short tenure and the effects of COVID played significant roles in last season's very disappointing results. Whether or not they did, it seems clear this coming season's very high expectations give Coach Steele little room to disappoint. If we have a repeat of last year, I think my head will explode.

my guess is that many major programs experienced similar disappointing results...

[Anti-Homer]

Cam had 19 points today in a competitive game, per Twitter. He continues to impress. I suspect he'll move up in the rankings after the tournament. Steele & Co can definitely recruit.