Samajae H-J

[Shocknroll33]

Went back through posts to add a "my cents for what it's worth" on SHJ, and didn't see one to add to. I think as one of the few who has Shocker in game experience, it's probably time to get him back on a front(ish) topic.
First of all, yes, I watch, analyze, and lose sleep over each and every game. Secondly, it's just my (usually positive) opinion on this home town baller. Food for thought...agree or disagree.
I thought SHJ had an above average first season. He had a few really good moments, even full games, and a few huh? Moments.
As I think about replacing all the lost production from the 17-18 team, my mind keeps painting me this analogy of 18-19 SHJ.
He will be a large, positive chunk of the team. Think Ragland after a year to acclimate to the Marshall Way. Joe's junior stats didn't blow anyone away, and even though his Sr season was terrific, the improvements on paper weren't other-worldly. He learned, improved, took accountability, and lead.
SHJ has a similar skill set, build type, previous experience very similar.
Just a positive visual of how a senior we currently have on the roster can be. If you see a Malcolmesque type year while our next Fred learns as a back-up, use that.
My whole point of this long winded post is not to write him off. Wichita kid, long tough route to get here, shows signs of having what it takes, and heart.
I'm personally glad we have a senior PG to bring the ball up early on, and like my earlier post in regards to AM, I think we are going to lean on him, and I think he will deliver.

Be gentle with me, my friends.

[ShockingButTrue]

Hear, hear...

[choida]

Dilly Dilly

[pinstripers]

it was a hit for John Conlee

[Wuzee]

I hope so. I don't see any support at all for "above average first season" compared to the other juco PGs in recent memory. In no statistical category did he match up favorably to Clevin and Rags except three-point FG pct. I really wish he would shoot the three more. He's just deadly from long range. My guess is that he had been told "You're the guy that we need to penetrate" and he put his head down and did that, regardless of the matchups or outcome. They don't keep "blocked shots against" stats in the NCAA like they do in Europe, but I would be interested to see that number and where he ranked nationally.

juco_pg_stuff.jpg

The wildcard here is his anxiety issues and how much that impacted his ability to prepare and perform. By all accounts, it was a serious deal, but one that is under control now, so one would expect him to have a much better season as a senior based on that alone. Throw in the second year bump in comfort and minutes and I think he's likely to have a very good year that will feel a lot like a sudden turnaround, but which will really be a natural progression.

[BostonWu]

Armstead was as tough and rugged as they come both physically and mentally. GM said SHJ had never been challenged (called to the carpet) prior to arriving at WSU. I see absolutely no comparables.

Now if he can can become a poor man's Rags or Hannah I'll be elated.

[pinstripers]

Rumor is that Clevin just bought a house in ICT

[Aargh]

A look at some of his So stats at Hutch and how that ranked among JuCo players that year might be informative.

Games Played: 37. That's #1 among all JuCo players
Minutes Per Game - 32.3. 20th nationally. Sample size is not small.
FG% - 46.4%. 470th nationally.
3 Pt% - 42.0%. 108th nationally. 42% is good by D1 standards, but evidently not great by JuCo standards.
Points Per Game - 16.1. 118th nationally
Points Per 40 Minutes - 19.9. 353rd nationally.
Steals - 58. 62nd. That's encouraging.
Assists - 94. 217th nationally. This stat screams NOT A POINT GUARD!
A/TO ratio - 2.1. 168th nationally. 2.1 isn't a bad number, but 167 players had a better number out of (probably) around 800 guards in JuCo that year. (It looks like there were around 2,000 total JuCo players).
Assist/Game - 2.5. National ranking not available.

http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2016-17...aynesjonesdjds

2.5 assists per game is not a number associated with a point guard. Rashard Kelly averaged 2.5 assists per game last year. SHJ played 32.3 minutes per game and only 19 players played more minutes per game than SHJ. SHJ's 94 assists, which ranked 217th among JuCo players, were achieved in more minutes than all but about 1% of JuCo players played.

It really looks like SHJ is a SG who can be trusted to bring the ball up the court. Converting a SG to a PG doesn't work often. Shamet and Baker are rare exceptions. Neither Self nor Marshall could do it with Frankamp.

SHJ is freakishly quick, but that's only an offensive factor in drive and score and drive and dish. SHJ's drive and score game worked really well against the Arkansas State's of the world, but not against teams in the top half of D1. His historic stats don't indicate he has a solid basis in drive and dish, or he'd have better assist numbers.

He's got a lot to learn in a short time.

[asiseeit]

I was one of his biggest critics but that was when we had LS and CF. I don't believe his value to the team will be
as a shooting guard. Have to be able to use his speed and quickness - THOSE are his strong points. I
am hoping the new assistant coach, a former point guard, will be able to teach him the mental part of the
position. If he grasps the mental part of it he has a tremendous upside. Hopefully, coach Waterman can
get through to him.

[Windiwu]

Just out of curiosity here is Torres juco sheet from last year.

http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div1/players/rickytorres293f

That looks like a point guard to me. Maybe they can have luck getting Samajae to think like a point guard but I have a feeling that is something that isn't truly taught.

[ShockTalk]

A look at some of his So stats at Hutch and how that ranked among JuCo players that year might be informative.

Games Played: 37. That's #1 among all JuCo players
Minutes Per Game - 32.3. 20th nationally. Sample size is not small.
FG% - 46.4%. 470th nationally.
3 Pt% - 42.0%. 108th nationally. 42% is good by D1 standards, but evidently not great by JuCo standards.
Points Per Game - 16.1. 118th nationally
Points Per 40 Minutes - 19.9. 353rd nationally.
Steals - 58. 62nd. That's encouraging.
Assists - 94. 217th nationally. This stat screams NOT A POINT GUARD!
A/TO ratio - 2.1. 168th nationally. 2.1 isn't a bad number, but 167 players had a better number out of (probably) around 800 guards in JuCo that year. (It looks like there were around 2,000 total JuCo players).
Assist/Game - 2.5. National ranking not available.

http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2016-17...aynesjonesdjds

2.5 assists per game is not a number associated with a point guard. Rashard Kelly averaged 2.5 assists per game last year. SHJ played 32.3 minutes per game and only 19 players played more minutes per game than SHJ. SHJ's 94 assists, which ranked 217th among JuCo players, were achieved in more minutes than all but about 1% of JuCo players played.

It really looks like SHJ is a SG who can be trusted to bring the ball up the court. Converting a SG to a PG doesn't work often. Shamet and Baker are rare exceptions. Neither Self nor Marshall could do it with Frankamp.

SHJ is freakishly quick, but that's only an offensive factor in drive and score and drive and dish. SHJ's drive and score game worked really well against the Arkansas State's of the world, but not against teams in the top half of D1. His historic stats don't indicate he has a solid basis in drive and dish, or he'd have better assist numbers.

He's got a lot to learn in a short time.

There is a reason some of SHJ's stats don't look like a point guard. He didn't play the 1 as a sophomore.

The coach made a decision that the freshman PG they had with SHJ at SG was a better combo than SHJ at the PG and someone else at the SG.

[im4wsu]

I hope so. I don't see any support at all for "above average first season" compared to the other juco PGs in recent memory. In no statistical category did he match up favorably to Clevin and Rags except three-point FG pct. I really wish he would shoot the three more. He's just deadly from long range. My guess is that he had been told "You're the guy that we need to penetrate" and he put his head down and did that, regardless of the matchups or outcome. They don't keep "blocked shots against" stats in the NCAA like they do in Europe, but I would be interested to see that number and where he ranked nationally.

juco_pg_stuff.jpg

The wildcard here is his anxiety issues and how much that impacted his ability to prepare and perform. By all accounts, it was a serious deal, but one that is under control now, so one would expect him to have a much better season as a senior based on that alone. Throw in the second year bump in comfort and minutes and I think he's likely to have a very good year that will feel a lot like a sudden turnaround, but which will really be a natural progression.

On a per-40 minute basis:

shjstats.png

[choida]

It's going to be the Ricky Torres show....

[Shockm]

It's going to be the Ricky Torres show....

Maybe and possibly probably but I’ll wait for this decision to be played out on the court. I could even see that both individuals (RT and SHJ) are vital for Shocker success. I’m confident that growth and maturity from at least one ( or both would be preferable) is necessary for success. Neither are presently sufficiently prepared for prime time.

[ShockerFever]

I guess it depends what your expectations are with a point guard at WSU. Sure, SHJ could be serviceable, but if you're wanting to make an 8th consecutive NCAA Tournament, you're probably going to be disappointed if he's leading the way.

[Wuzee]

On a per-40 minute basis:

shjstats.png

Bear in mind that more than 45% of his points on the season came in two games (Savannah St. - 31pts; and Ark. St. - 27pts) Those bizarre outliers really skew his per 40. The vast majority of the time he was just not a strong performer. I’m rooting for him to gain consistency somewhere in the middle. He’s shown the ability.

[Shockm]

SHJ obviously has ELITE athletic ability. I will wait to see if he can produce accordingly because he didn’t consistently last year. However, if he doesn’t produce, I’m less optimistic that the team produces a Top 4 or 5 place AAC League finish.