THOMAS TEAM OUTLOOK SEASON 58
Team Offense: Flex
Team Defense: 3-2 Zone
Likely Starting Lineup, (Season 57 Stats)
PG: Jess Youngblood, Sr (33 GS, 14.4 pt, 4.4 ast, 1.3 stl, 40 FG3%)
SG: Anthony Lockwood, Jr (33 GS, 11.5 pt, 2.6 ast, 51 FG%, 0 FG3%)
SF: Jeffrey Taylor, Jr (0 GS, 4.2 pt, 2.9 reb, 52 FG%)
PF: Jimmy Frederick, Jr (8 GS, 4 pt, 5.5 reb)
C: Larry Oakes, Sr (33 GS, 6.9 pt, 8.4 reb, 1.4 blk, 54 FG%)
1st guard off the bench: Michael Bosch, Jr (0 GS, 4.3 pt, 1.7 ast, 42 FG3%)
1st post off the bench: Peter Buttrey, So (0 GS, 1.2 pt, 3.2 reb)
Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
A |
SPD |
REB |
DE |
BLK |
LP |
PE |
BH |
P |
WE |
ST |
DU |
FT |
TOT |
Jess Youngblood |
Sr. |
PG |
72 |
92 |
13 |
59 |
10 |
2 |
78 |
80 |
83 |
54 |
88 |
37 |
C |
668 |
Anthony Lockwood |
Sr. |
PG |
75 |
68 |
5 |
77 |
2 |
2 |
60 |
79 |
75 |
42 |
72 |
61 |
B- |
618 |
Jeffrey Taylor |
Jr. |
SG |
68 |
71 |
39 |
65 |
6 |
37 |
39 |
76 |
46 |
62 |
77 |
64 |
B- |
650 |
Jimmy Baker |
So. |
SG |
39 |
49 |
37 |
38 |
17 |
50 |
68 |
47 |
36 |
48 |
67 |
14 |
C |
510 |
Samuel Miller |
Fr. |
SG |
71 |
49 |
1 |
59 |
11 |
45 |
31 |
38 |
41 |
41 |
54 |
40 |
C+ |
481 |
Michael Bosch |
Jr. |
SG |
48 |
60 |
10 |
54 |
17 |
1 |
76 |
52 |
59 |
54 |
75 |
45 |
C+ |
551 |
Bryan Cope |
Fr. |
SG |
47 |
48 |
13 |
53 |
15 |
14 |
17 |
45 |
23 |
48 |
79 |
54 |
C |
456 |
Larry Oakes |
Sr. |
C |
79 |
8 |
94 |
77 |
78 |
55 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
59 |
77 |
69 |
C |
609 |
Jimmy Frederick |
Jr. |
C |
71 |
28 |
75 |
67 |
54 |
49 |
13 |
9 |
13 |
44 |
75 |
51 |
C+ |
549 |
Peter Buttrey |
So. |
C |
65 |
27 |
62 |
60 |
46 |
22 |
14 |
15 |
11 |
52 |
67 |
66 |
C |
507 |
Michael Wallace |
Fr. |
C |
57 |
27 |
40 |
57 |
40 |
21 |
10 |
30 |
36 |
23 |
68 |
57 |
C |
466 |
Robert Smith |
Fr. |
C |
44 |
18 |
37 |
36 |
19 |
25 |
2 |
22 |
37 |
28 |
64 |
49 |
D+ |
381 |
Summary
Season 58 may be a rocky ride for Thomas. There is a lot of untapped talent in Waterville, so if the Terrier coaching staff can work their magic with the roster, Thomas could be in a position to be a threat once play begins in the National Tourney. Getting the team to that point may be a bit of a struggle, however. As they exit the starting gates, the Terriers have some weak spots that are likely to be exposed immediately. Thomas created a non-conference slate that includes some of the finest in the D3 world and even a loaded Thomas team would have trouble getting through the gauntlet unscathed. This Thomas team has some significant weaknesses on the roster that is atypical for a typical Terrier team. That includes having a roster that is one of the slowest Terrier teams in recent memory, a team that rebounds poorly compared to a vintage Thomas squad, as well as a team that seems to be unable to either score in the low post or block opponents shots from there.
Such an unusual state of affairs has led the coaching staff to make some changes. Thomas will mostly be running the 3-2 press this season instead of the customary 2-3. The hope is that by sticking an extra defender on the perimeter, Thomas' lack of speed will be less likely to be exploited. Going with just two defenders in the post will likely exacerbate the rebounding problems, however. But considering none of Thomas' small forwards are all that good at rebounding in the first place, the lack of an extra body in the post might not impact rebounding numbers the way it normally would.
Despite these weakness, Thomas should still have a good team that can do damage in the NAC South. The team has a tremendous defense and for the first time in ages has some sharp shooters from the perimeter. With Mount Ida having significant roster turnover and a surging Salem State still being on the young side, Thomas is the favorite to win the NAC South. Thomas is likely a step or two behind (slower?) than the beasts of the NAC North so bring a NAC CT Championship banner back to Waterville looks to be a bit of a stretch.
Thomas is clearly talented enough to make a return trip to the tourney. If the team develops like the coaching staff believes it can, it might be in position to make another trip to the Elite Eight / Final Four. Going much beyond that in season 58 would require some help from Lady Luck.
Guards
Jess Youngblood starts his Senior campaign at Thomas as a rare fourth-year starter. Expectations are sky high for Youngblood. He's one of the better talents in the NAC as the season begins and he still has the potential to improve quite a bit. Youngblood's 79 PER rating is still high potential, which gives Thomas an outside shot of having its first 99 shooter in school history. (There may not be enough time to practice during the season to get to that elusive 99 mark.) Youngblood also has some room to improve his defense, ball handling, and stamina. Youngblood should graduate from Thomas as a 700 rated true guard and those don't grow on trees at the D3 level. Youngblood will handle the reins at point guard given his superior ball handling and passing skills over the rest of the roster, but he also will look to be the team's leading scorer on the season.
Anthony Lockwood proved last season that one can start at shooting guard for Thomas and not have the ability to shoot. Lockwood missed on his one career three point attempt that appears to have been enough for the coaching staff to give him the red light for his career. His perimeter shooting does have some room to improve, so it isn't beyond the realm of possibilities that he is allowed to throw up the occasional three as the season progresses. In addition the perimeter shooting, the Senior can still also improve his ball handling, passing, and stamina. Lockwood won't be a star for Thomas since he can't score efficiently, but he does fill a niche as a strong defending guard that will hold onto the ball on offense and does a good job of finding the open man.
Michael Bosch will be the first guard off the bench. Bosch is a bit out of place on a top-level D3 team. He's slow and not quick. He is a good defender, but his lack of speed and quickness probably makes him a neutral defender at best. He has some guard skills but they are not going to be good enough for high-end D3. He is a good outside shooter, but not the great shooter he was signed to be. He's not a finished product having room to improve his defense, perimeter shooting, ball handling, passing, and stamina. On a Thomas team that lacks scoring, he will be asked to assume much of the burden on the offensive end in his 6th man role. Thomas' success will largely be dependent on how well an 80 level perimeter shooter that isn't terribly quick and fast can hit his open looks.
Redshirt Samuel Miller looks to gain most of the other minutes available to the guard rotation. Miller looks to be an outstanding guard prospect, but even after the redshirt season is probably a bit too rough around the edges to be trusted with too much playing time. Miller very much remains an unfinished product. His potentials remain almost the same after the redshirt season. His ball handling is now average potential (along with his athleticism) but he still has high potential in speed, defense, perimeter, passing, and stamina. Miller looks to be a defensive stud when he matures as a 75/70/80 ATH/SPD/DEF player. On the offensive end, he may not be as dominate but with so much high potential it is possible he ends up being a force there as well. In season 58, having perimeter, ball handing, and passing ratings that all are close to the 40 level rating means he isn't yet that mature product and may have troubles running the offense.
Small Forwards
Jeffrey Taylor may have been ready to start at the end of his sophomore campaign but was blocked by an upperclassmen. The 650 overall rated player looks like he will have no problems transitioning into the starting lineup. As a 650 player, there is not much more that can be expected of his development, but he still has a bit of room to improve his rebounding, defense, and ball handling. Taylor is a very well balanced player, but neither his perimeter nor low post games are talented enough for him to be expected to contribute too much to the scoring. His ball handling and passing skills are good for a SF and he should be able to set up his teammates. On the defensive end, he should be a good lock-down defender and also should be able to do a good job of rebounding his position. Taylor will unlikely win any postseason honors, but he will likely be the glue that keeps together Thomas throughout the season.
Freshman Bryan Cope will be asked to be the backup Small Forward. It's a role he is not ready for just yet, but there are not any better options on the Thomas roster. When Cope is on the floor, he likely will simply be asked to minimize mistakes. He's raw at both ends of the court and is much more likely to cause damage to his team than against his opponent.
Sophomore Jimmy Baker was expected to be the primary backup but is instead taking a redshirt season. The redshirt will hurt the Terriers in season 58, however, if the coaching staff wanted to get the most out of Baker, the redshirt was probably a necessity. Baker still has a ton of untapped potential. Only his low post game can't be developed at all. Meanwhile, he has great room to improve his speed, defense, shot blocking, perimeter shooting, ball handling, and stamina. He still also has some room to develop his athleticism, rebounding, and passing. With his poor work ethic, there are questions if the Thomas coaching staff can motivate him enough to develop his massive potential.
Post Players
Larry Oakes looks to build on a very solid Junior season in his second year in the starting lineup. That improvement looks to be through greater familiarity with the team's offense and defense; Oakes looks to have already developed as much as he can as a player. With limited touches last season, Oakes shot 54.4% from the field and Thomas will be hoping he can come close to repeating those numbers. Nobody on Thomas looks to be a terrific post scorer and Oakes may be the best that the Terriers have. On the defensive end, Oakes should continue to do an excellent job of adjusting shots and cleaning up misses.
Jimmy Frederick joins the starting lineup and the coaching staff is not exactly sure what the team has in the Junior. Frederick looks like he should be ok on defense, however, the rebound rating is worse than any other starting post player in recent Thomas history. He has some room to improve his rebounding, but he will not achieve the dominance on the glass that has become expected for a Terrier big man. Frederick also stands to have moderate improvement with his speed and defense this season. Frederick's wildcard is his low post play. Currently, Frederick does not look like a scorer but he still has an enormous amount of untapped potential in scoring from the block according to the coaching staff. If Frederick can tap into that potential, he may become the low post threat the team desperately needs. Coaches are preaching caution, however, and suggesting that if Frederick can become that player it will be much more likely to happen as a Senior than in his current Junior campaign.
Peter Buttrey will be the first post player off the bench. For a true Sophomore, he looks to be up to the challenge. As a true Sophomore, he also looks to have lots of improvement to his game. Coaches note that his rebounding, low post, ball handling, and passing all have significant amounts of potential improvement and he also has the ability to improve his athleticism, speed, defense, and stamina. Only his shot blocking seems to be capped, at what is a low level for a team like Thomas that needs to get blocks out of its zone. How the coaching staff handles Buttrey will be interesting. It appears the coaching staff is not going to attempt to develop the ball handing and passing so that they can focus on core skills. Nobody outside the Thomas program agrees with the assessment, but the Terrier coaches seem convinced that the 22 rated low post player can turn into a scoring beast on the blocks. Time will tell if the Terrier coaches are correct, but the results will not come in season 58 regardless.
When Thomas' three primary post players need an additional body on the court, Robert Smith and Michael Wallace will compete with minutes. At the start of the season, Wallace looks to have the edge.