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Reese Waters is a 4-star recruit and I've barely seen him play. From the little time that he has played, he scored 5 points in 5 minutes (in the Santa Clara game). I personally think he should get more minutes in, but obviously, I am no coach. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?
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My guess is that he will be the guy that replaces Tahj Eaddy. He came to USC early because California wasn't playing. Even if he doesn't see much action this season, he is going to have spent the year learning the offensive and defensive schemes and learning from Eaddy. Since this is a free season for him, it's all good.Last edited by DBMitch; 02-23-2021, 08:20 PM. -
The biggest issue for freshmen as far as playing time is learning the plays. Guys have to know what to do on offense and defense, especially if you're on a team seeking a championship. Reese is really talented but he had a disadvantage in that he missed a bunch of the season and the prep time leading up to it and he's a bit behind.
The good thing is that this is a freebie year for him so he's going to be a super-charged freshman next year who knows his way around the block. This will be an advantage over other freshmen. And, frankly, he still has time to make a contribution before things are done this year.Comment
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Free year for Reese who has an advantage over his peers & is able to utilize our program’s brand new weight room & get more familiarity with the sets + style of basketball the staff wants to run. Should all look forward to see him next season. Kid already looks the part.Comment
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I don’t think the plan was ever to play him much. Just got him in early so he wasn’t sitting around doing nothing waiting for CA to approve high school athletics again. He will be ready to contribute next year from the free year of eligibility...weight room and practice time will pay off big!Comment
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If we were having a mediocre or bad season I'm sure he'd be getting some minutes. But since we're having a excellent season and are competing for a conference title (which I knew we would all along!), it's not really a good time for on the job training.Comment
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If he ever gets time this season, I expect him to do well. He's a stud. ...and this kid can score!Comment
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Yes. I just love this kid. I think he could definitely contribute in a few different ways. He's a top-notch scorer, and he can handle the ball, so he'd be another ideal press-breaker. His minutes have been so limited his window is closing, but he might have a better understanding of team sets and defensive responsibilities at this point. if he got some game action, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it were tough for CAE to keep him off the floor. He's still young and inexperienced at this level, but he's fearless, and the way we're in need of one more perimeter shooter, he's might just be what the doctor ordered. He's a great player. We might someday be wondering why he didn't get in more this season, but we've got a deep team this year. (Remember just 1 year ago when we only had 3 scholarship players returning...and we were all bracing ourselves for a rebuild?)
=)
We've got some very nice pieces on the bench that don't get run. Reese is just one of them.
BEAT THE BUFFS!
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I totally agree PxPxTrojan .. I think he has the same plan as Joshua Morgan. I want to add that both can play and contribute now, but I think CAE also want to honor his commitment to other players who are meant to be in the roster this season. As Globe mentioned, we are having a great season and other players that they could take minutes from are also playing well enough.
I do believe both Joshua and Reese will be solid contributor next season. Love love the team this year, but I'm also excited about our 2021-2022 team roster.Comment
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I too think Reese Waters should be getting more minutes. March Madness is around the corner and you don’t make deep runs without elite guard play and right now we only have 2 guards who can go get a bucket when we need it (Eaddy and Peterson).
Yesterday, Jalen Rose Tweeted don’t say someone is an All-Star game snub without saying who they should replace. I think Waters needs Baumann’s minutes. Baumann’s been avg 8 min a game in Feb, I’d like to see Waters get those minutes over the final 4 games. He can also be an option to sub in for Isaiah in the final 2 minutes when teams intentionally foul him.Comment
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All good points. It's interesting. Coming into the season, Baumann was considered the most likely 3 point threat on the team. CAE called him a "specialist." His limited minutes have him pressing, for sure, but mistakes are costing him minutes of late. Statistically, Noah shot 46% in 2017-18 and 45.5% in 2018-19 playing 22.6 minutes/game. It's obviously on e of the reasons the coaching staff brought him in. I think if Noah got 15 MPG, he'd prove to be a valuable asset stretching the floor, and knocking down perimeter shots that would more than make up for deficiencies. As the season closes, I'm just not sure he'll get that chance. Noah didn't log a single minute in the Oregon game - likely a matchup decision as anything else. He played 17 minutes vs Colorado, and hit 2/3 3's. Maybe he'll provide a spark tonight?
I think it'll take an absence for Reese to get in, based on the coaching staff's unwillingness to get him in at all the past 6 weeks. We're doing well and we're super deep, so CAE prolly doesn't want to rock the boat at this point. (I'm not sure I would either!)
But Waters can play ball.
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Reese should still be playing high school basketball. He arrived at USC in January without playing in a legitimate game since over a year ago.
Eaddy, Petersen and now Anderson ALL have D1 experience and yet some want the newbie to play quality minutes as the team attempts to win a conference championship.
Yeah, sure, put the rookie in critical situations.Comment
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No one is saying take minutes from the players you mentioned. Max has no offense, Noah has no defense. I think you can carve out 8-10 minutes to give Waters some runComment
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Most freshman would have the benefit of a whole summer and fall camp to get up to D1 speed and learn the offense.
Once it gets to December, when Reese joined, you dont have time have to go back through and teach all that over again.
I'm sure he's talented, but would cause too much of a hole ok each side of the ball. It's a team sport.Comment
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Waters couldn't even run one offensive set tonight. He's not ready.Comment
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