WSR Full Court Report

Play whoever is better.

I like Mayes for his calm leadership. IMO he is under rated.

Haven't seen Lyons but I'm all for him starting if he can win the position.

There-IN lies the truth. """D"""

Yeh I have to go with Lyons here and agree with those that his defense will be the determining factor. It will help that he has the ability to get into the paint and finish or create for others as well. His toughness will definitely be a plus for AZ no doubt about that.

I kind of got a kick out of beat Oregon's "Rocky Balboa" reference. This past team didn't have a lot of swagger. Too much can be too much, but a little "Momo" at the right time or Parrom's look at the ASU game his first year can do good things. Williams, as a sophomore" exuded swagger in that the expectation, delivering the deal, then the look afterwards told a story of confidence no one else in the league could match.

I don't believe in a lot of chest beating, but a look of confidence from a leader can carry a team. Before you can have that look you need to know that you can deliver and deliver with impunity. If Lyons can do the deal, and then have that attitude without clenching his fists or saying something stupid, it could do wonders and take a load off of Hill who does his work quietly. This past year, the only one on the court who showed that kind of an attitude was CSM. In other words, this team needs a leader who doesn't necessarily score or rebound more, but has an air of intimidation about him. It should make life easier on the freshmen also.

This is a very important but subtle point.

As much as we missed production from Parrom, maybe this is where we missed him the most. And like you say, he does not have to play physical, thump his chest or talk trash, all he has to do is carry himself confidently.

Great point.

Which is exactly what Howland has turned his team into, a finesse team that doesn't run

Mayes helped us as a freshman because he was a combo guard that could backup the point and knock down jumpers. As a sophomore, he was a few steps slow due to the injuries and completely lost his jump shot. I don't know if it was a confidence thing or the injury but he only shot 35% from the field and 29% from three last year. Numbers like that forced Miller to recruit over Mayes with Lyons and O'Connell. Lyons is the starting point and his arrival will reduce the minutes for Nick and Jordin. Luckily, those two guys seem to be team-first types and our team will benefit overall by having a kid that has been to 3 straight Sweet 16's as our point guard.