Workout wonders don't win Class A MVP of the NEPSAC. Read the writeups on this kid from high school. He controlled the pace of the game in both the NC State Championship and the NEPSAC championship. MVP for both.
Let's see what the this kid can do when he's not afraid to miss a shot or make a mistake for fear of getting yanked for an upperclassman.
But why did the NEPSAC champ and NC champ not beat out Boothe for pt? It's fair question for those to be very skeptical of Stith.
A very fair skepticism, Moose. I hope Stith comes out like a gangbuster and prove some folks (myself, included) wrong. I have my doubts. There have been many kids who played well in high school only to flounder in college, Marillac. It happens.
No offense, but there was probably a reason he wasn't really recruited by other high majors. Contrary to your belief, Stith--like other players who have played any sport--can get yanked and be replaced by an underclassmen or youth. Skill doesn't discriminate.
It is a fair question and I do have my doubts about Stith, but I recognize the value of this type of player. I don't agree with your statement that Stith can be replaced so easily. He's our only upperclassman and from day one he will be the only true defensive option for defending quick guards. High school kids always have a long way to go in terms of learning defense--especially complicated zones like STJ will employ next season. I think Greene will be a fantastic defender before long, but Nuri and Harrison (and most offensively talented guards) have been said to be lacking here. I honestly think Harrison will at least be as good as Hardy, however.
Let's let him play one game as a junior and let our rookies play one game as underclassman before we say he can be replaced so easily. If we had this recruiting class coming in after JB2 and Hardy finished their junior season, we'd all be saying the same things about them sitting behind the stud younger players.
There will be times this season-- and probably next--where these young kids are just fazed by a big run or have their lunches eaten by an older, more physical team. That is when you bring in the veteran to calm things down and bring up the toughness. That is something a freshman, no matter how talented, can provide.
We play a TON of zones. Not sure why Marillac, you think the idea of having the best man-defender matters as much as it does, when we play zone after zone. I don't think Stith is even a stellar defender, but rather a good one. Jim Boeheim doesn't recruit players because they are fantastic man defenders, because he teaches them how to work within his 2-3. Stith's defensive prowess, while helpful, is not nearly as important for our success as having kids that can put baskets down, especially with the schemes we play. In addition, Nuri, Harrison and Greene are much longer and taller. I also think that Stith's athleticism is being a bit overrated. He's not a laterally quick player and doesn't have great vision on offense. His speed is straight-line. I don't doubt he will offer quite a few benefits to the team like leadership, defense, experience but the truth remains that he won't garner big minutes in any way because he can't score.
Not sure why Nuri is being written off either. The kid is an excellent scorer and athlete at 6'4" and has played PG effectively in JC for at least a year now. I don't expect his defense to be nearly as bad as some think, especially with proper coaching. I addition, he didn't average almost 40ppg in Philly as a junior in HS and not be able to score. His jumpshot needs a little work form-wise, but I still don't doubt that he's a bit better than being given credit for. We still also have Greene and D'Angelo.