Great Bball Article on Zack Novak
UMHoops just posted a great article on Zack Novak. http://www.umhoops.com/2009/08/27/position-by-position-zack-novak/#more…
The gist is that Dylan predicts he will get a ton of well-deserved playing time, even though he doesn't "fit" well anywhere. Fascinating statistic, if I read it correctly, is that he had more minutes than Peedi or Manny last year.
Dylan see him getting some minutes at the 3 when Manny rests, the bulk at the 4, except against big and athletic teams, and a few at the 2, particularly if the injury bug hits. The analysis, if I understand correctly, is that even though he is too small for the 4 defensively, he creates mismatches on the offensive end (cf. Duke.)
August 27th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
That was over the course of the conference schedule, not the entire season, but still surprising.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:55 PM ^
I always enjoy reading Dylan's posts. Novak's versatility is such an asset to this team. One of my favorite players.
Now, if only Stu Douglas will grow a mustache.
Side note:
I was going to post this as a new thread. However, I searched "Novak" and found this thread that was already posted. It is a really useful function.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:12 PM ^
Good blog etiquette not to double (or triple) post information already on the blog. I checked myself to make sure it wasn't posted before putting this up. Actually, however, I think this really belongs under mgo.licio.us. But we can't post there, so the mods will have to shift it there & delete this thread.
Regarding Novak, one of the high points of the season for me was the period where he put up several 3's vs. Duke, iirc.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:28 PM ^
You are correct. He hit four 3's that game including back to back threes. One of the best moments of the whole season, no doubt.
You do gotta love good blog etiquette. This could definitely go over to mgo.licio.us if Brian chooses but it can remain a thread as well. That way we can discuss it.
On another note, I really liked this potential depth chart posted by gpsimms in the comments section. I think it is pretty spot on.
At the 1 : Darius, Stu, LLP
At the 2 : Stu, LLP, Vogrich
At the 3 : Manny, Vogrich
At the 4 : McClim, Gibson
At the 5 : DeShawn, Cronin, Morgan
At the Novak : Novak
I think the player with the best defense will get the most minutes at the 1. See CJ Lee last year. All three should get a lot of minutes though.
I'm not sure how much time Vogrich would see at the 3, as Novak will probably be the primary back up there, however we will see.
I would also slide down Peedi as an additional possibility at the 4 if JB wanted a big line up.
Overall, so many different looks this team could have next year. Very excited about the upcoming season to say the least.
August 28th, 2009 at 12:07 AM ^
I was assuming it was the same gpsimms. That's why I gave you the reference. Figured you would see it over here.
Do you agree with my 3 opinions on your well thought out depth chart?
August 28th, 2009 at 12:20 AM ^
It'll be interesting to see how much DeShawn gets a chance at the four. Dylan brought out a good stat about how DeShawn's % of FG's from behind the arc dropped a lot with the move to the 5. I think I would like to see him stretch his game a little more, I think he's ready to do that now, but the real question is whether or not y of the other bigs show any ability to fill in at the 5. If no one else can play there, then almost all of Peedi's minutes will come at the 5.
PG defense is def true (see: Kelvin Grady on the bench...which to be honest made me a very sad panda). I think that actually gives Morris an edge: best athlete, long, a JB "type."
I agree, I'd rather see Novak spell Manny at the three...but to be honest, we all hope there are only 5 minutes per game in that role. Mostly, I just put Vogrich there to set up my "at the Novak" joke.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:55 PM ^
honestly might be my favorite player on the team ... i will not bore you with his "intagables" but he just gets it ... i dont know where but im sure he will find a way to see the floor a bunch this yr ... fwiw hes just a cool guy to talk with too
August 27th, 2009 at 7:52 PM ^
so am i the only one who thinks novak is a chucker?
grady > novak imhe
August 27th, 2009 at 8:11 PM ^
I liked Grady as well and wish he had stuck around, I would feel better about the point guard position this year. I see no need to choose between Grady and Novak, they complement each other on the court quite well and were not competing with each other for minutes.
Someone mentioned earlier in this thread, Novak and his 4 three's against Duke, Grady and his ballhandling were equally impressive in that game also.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:31 AM ^
http://www.umhoops.com/2009/08/03/weekend-roundup-8-3-09/
Would Grady have been nice for depth? Yes
But, him leaving provides an extra scholarship that is more valuable especially given that Grady would've been the 3rd pg behind Morris and LLP.
August 28th, 2009 at 9:55 AM ^
Maybe Grady would have been 3rd string maybe not we are not going to get the answer for that one. Don't think people expected Lee and Merritt to end up getting the minutes they got last year.
One thing I am confident in saying, Grady would have been our quickest guard and our best ballhandler and our most experienced guard. As we saw last year with our 2 senior guards, experience can make up for some deficiencies. Grady did not want to see it thru. Talent and experience wise, this years team will be worse off.
As far as an extra schollie, Grady leaving does not provide one, it provides a different one, which we are most likely not going to use until 2011.
August 28th, 2009 at 8:13 AM ^
Novak was a little streaky at times. He'd have games - remembering the Iowa game in Ann Arbor - where he'd put down 4 or 5 threes from his spot along the baseline. He's a worker, he gets it done on the glass as much as he can. Great kid to have on the team - will be a great leader when all is said and done.