Derail Green

[Dan]

Saw him mentioned on the Teddy Hawkins thread and wanted to start a discussion about Derail. I saw him play in high school, but he's pretty much the mystery man on campus right now. Has anyone seen him play in pickup games? I'd like to know what areas he's been working on since HS. I know he has an uphill battle this year for minutes, but at the same time HCGM isn't one to let players whither away on the bench. IMO he could play the 2-4 positions in time but would like to hear what some of the insiders have say.....

[shock]

He shoots threes as easy as layups. The offense is there, I have no idea where his d has been or is now.

[Capitol Shock II]

I heard that he might be the best shooter on the team which is saying a lot. He's also long and mature.

[CBB_Fan]

Seems like most of his work has been on building a D1 body and improving his defensive skills. Handle is okay, but not great. Still too light to take a lot of minutes at PF.

My guess is his role this season will be similar to that of Wiggins last season. Offensive dynamo with less defense than our other options, with a tight leash. In some cases he will come in and score a lot of points quickly, and in other games he'll see a lot of pine. Mostly he'll be someone we can put in the game to throw an opponent off their guard.

Between him, Early, Wiggins, Baker, Van Vleet, and even Cotton we'll have a lot of shooting on this team. I wouldn't be incredibly surprised if we have 3-4 guys over 40%, or even have a team average that high. Last year we were at our most effective when we were making our threes, but tended to over rely on our shot when it wasn't falling. This year that should be a lot less of an issue.

[wu_shizzle]

I don't think we're going to get zoned as much this year, I just hope we can still dominate the glass.

[ShockerPhi]

Between him, Early, Wiggins, Baker, Van Vleet, and even Cotton we'll have a lot of shooting on this team. I wouldn't be incredibly surprised if we have 3-4 guys over 40%, or even have a team average that high. Last year we were at our most effective when we were making our threes, but tended to over rely on our shot when it wasn't falling. This year that should be a lot less of an issue.

That's a lot of shooters. And you even left out Wessel on that list. That's a LOT of shooters. Next year will definitely be interesting.

[Aargh]

I don't think we're going to get zoned as much this year, I just hope we can still dominate the glass.

When our opponents go man, they're going to need game plans that include the ability to double Carter, Coleby, and Early. I don't recall having 3 guys on the court who all required a double if they got the ball close to the basket.

[Speed]

I don't think we're going to get zoned as much this year, I just hope we can still dominate the glass.

Its still the Valley, lots of zone, take the air out of the ball & limit possessions. There might even be a few whistles to keep the game close.

[SubGod22]

Its still the Valley, lots of zone, take the air out of the ball & limit possessions. There might even be a few whistles to keep the game close.

It's going to get better. Outside of UNI and UE anyway. BU and ISU want to play a similar style to us, but they're rebuilding those teams to get the guys they need. I think DU will get going that direction as well under their new coach. I'm not sure what to think of Hinson at SIU and whoever is coaching MSU right now. Marshall and WSU are changing the way this conference is going to play. Not all are going to try and match us, but some are headed that direction. May not mean a lot for this coming season, but I think conference games could start becoming more exciting in the near future with a few exceptions.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

I don't think we're going to get zoned as much this year, I just hope we can still dominate the glass.

I agree--teams will zone us at their own peril. I highly doubt we experience the same outside shooting issues we had last year. And from the sounds of it, we have nothing to worry about inside--with either scoring or rebounding.

[WICK]

Offense wins games. Defense wins championships (and playing time).

Like many of you, I am curious as to how DeRail Green has developed since entering into the program, as well as what we should expect from him moving forward. I'm happy to hear that he is a sharp-shooter, which will only add to the arsenel of great shooters that we have on this roster. However, if the young man can't play D, he probably won't see any significant amount of playing time. I may sound like a broken record here -- since this should be apparent to everyone who knows HCGM, his character, vision and game philosophy -- but defense, hustle, intensity, teamwork and passion are the ingredients to getting clock in Marshall's system. Otherwise, Green may be the odd man out. Per the previous post -- we have a lot of new faces coming in with the potential to make an immediate contribution, while retaining a solid core from last year's squad. Here's to hoping that he has been working on bringing up the defensive aspect of his game up to the same level as his offense, as we are led to believe.

[shockmonster]

You don't know exactly how much he's developed until you see him in a game situation.

[Dan]

Good to hear the feedback, although I don't think we all should be so quick to say he doesn't or can't play defense. From my observation, his main issue (other than being a redshirt/newcomer) is that he's not as quick as many of the 3's he might have to guard. He's a tall guy with a guard mentality. I know we've moved way past the Sean Ogirri days, but SO was an example of a one dimensional player, I don't think Derail is that extreme.

[pinstripers]

The folks who say he is a great shooter haven't seen any more of him than the folks who say he can't play defense.

[choida]

He shoots threes as easy as layups. The offense is there, I have no idea where his d has been or is now.

hopefully he keeps his D in his back pocket...you never know when he might need it