Will Jeff Jones tone down the profanity? Should the Blue Crew be the Red Crew? Is it Speculation Tuesday? Only one question can be answered YES

Why do I speculate on Tuesdays? It could be because I first had the idea to do a weekly post full of speculations on a Tuesday, or it could be because our site traffic needs a boost on Tuesday. But why hasn't there been a Speculation Tuesday entry since the first one like three weeks ago? It could be because I'm forgetful or easily distracted by shiny objects. Or it could be because the blue paint I use on myself isn't quite as non-toxic as it says it is on the label.

In any event, I'll be trying to make this a more regular feature on the site. Have things you want me to speculate about? Send them to auhoopsblog@gmail.com! I'll do my best to provide you some kind of answer, but of course it would just be pure speculation. Just like the rest of these...



Why has this whole transition game idea that Jeff Jones and Matt Wilson proposed at Patriot League Media Day broken down so quickly? Jeff Jones said in the post-game interview to AU's Mike Unger that, "We're not going to be a run and gun team, I think that's pretty obvious." Wow, JJ, we got off that plan quicker than I would advise my sister to lock her doors if her car broke down in Worcester, Massachusetts. So why abandon it? Well, it couldn't be because we don't have a point guard whose been consistently effective at running breakaways yet, could it? Aside from Blake Jolivette's highlight reel behind-the-back pass last night, I can't think of another particularly good fast break conversion. It could also be because it's a completely different system than we ran last year, where we stuck mostly with half-court sets, which is what we appear to be doing again this year. And you know what it could quite simply be? We're not pressing in transition very hard. Munoz and Jolivette are really speedy, but the rest of these guys aren't really Asafa Powells.

What's our biggest weakness right now, you ask? Well, it's not youth, let me dispel that cute little train of thought right now. If you look at McCormack, Lumpkins, Grafft, Jolivette, and Munoz, they're playing with a lot of maturity. Not only that, but they're not making mistakes that Hendra and Luptak aren't also making. If I had to pick a biggest weakness, I'd have to pick three point shooting. We're shooting 23% in our first two games, and it's pretty hard to keep opposing defenses honest if you're only going to make 1 in 5 from behind the arc. Vlad the Impaler will be a purported remedy to this problem, but we've got to wait and see I guess.

Is Munoz the point guard Jeff Jones going to keep starting? It's hard to say. Danny hasn't looked comfortable shooting, to be honest (though he did hit double digits against Catholic); he looks a little like Derrick Mercer used to when he dribbles into the paint, but then he looks distinctly unlike Mercer when he gets lost in the forest of bodies that Mercer used to adeptly navigate. I know, I know, I get it, Munoz is a freshman with 4 games under his belt, Mercer was a 4 year starter, Patriot League MVP, etc. etc. Where Danny does look really good though is on defense, what an absolutely tenacious defender. If Jolivette was playing consistently like he did in the first half last night, he'd be in the starting line-up now over probably Luptak, but maybe Munoz. The problem is that he's not. Quickest way for him to get into the starting lineup would be to keep draining 3's, as that would help alleviate one of the problems I mentioned earlier.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a little surprised we haven't seen Josh Snodgrass yet. He came in as the highest rated and most highly endorsed of the freshman guards, and the only time he's been off the bench is to run into the locker room at half or after the game. We saw Jeff Jones experiment with Mike Bersch last night, and I hope he'll give Snodgrass a try soon. Then they could push Riley back into the paint and knock off this ridiculous swing man role they've got him doing right now. Put Snodgrass out on the wing where he belongs, let him be the swing man, and give him the green light to shoot, too. The only problem with this is that Snodgrass is listed at 6'4" 220; Bersch is listed at 6'6" 205, but I tell you what, Snodgrass doesn't look 220 to me. Maybe that's a problem for Coach Jones, or maybe there's issues in practice where he's not adapting to the college game yet. I have trouble believing it's the latter because of the reported talent he has.

I think that's enough pseudo-speculation pseudo-analysis for today. I'll let you digest. Please send in questions for next Tuesday to auhoopsblog@gmail.com, and I'll be sure to get to them!

Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!