It is fun to try to read the tea leaves from the instagram posts on the Loyola basketball official instagram, but I'm curious what everyone thinks the lineups will look like come preseason. Obviously it's impossible to read into one second practice clips on instagram, but it's all we have in the offseason! I think Norris, Kennedy, Golden are the most likely to be locked in starters, leaving 2 wing/PF spots open. I think it seems pretty obvious that Valentine has targeted long, athletic, hybrid types (Trey Lewis, Jayden Dawson, Sheldon Edwards, Jeameril Wilson, Jalen Quinn). They are all guys who can guard multiple positions on D and stretch defenses out on offense, hopefully 35%+ from the 3 point line. I think whoever can give the best defensive effort has the best chance of that crew for a lot of playing time. Phil Alston is probably the most intriguing guy to me, as I think he could really be the wildcard on this team. If he can even shoot 33% from 3 point range, he is going to be VERY difficult to guard. My one worry for a lineup with Kennedy and Alston is the lack of 3 point shooting on the floor- if defenses are ok with letting multiple guys shoot from deep and they are both sub 30%, the lane is going to be pretty clogged for those 2 guys who do their damage at the rim. Having Golden be competent from 3 definitely helps with the spacing.
I think it's very likely Saint Thomas starts. He has the potential to be a superstar on the offensive end. I really don't take his shooting stats from last year into account as its very hard to shoot at a good clip when you come in cold off the bench for 5-6 min a game. I think he starts and takes a big step forward this year.
So in my mind, the most likely opening day lineup would be Norris, Kennedy, Thomas, Alston, Golden. Then we have a ton of options off the bench for the wing spot- all the guys listed above plus Ben Schweiger who I have no real grasp on. Again, I think defensive competence will initially dictate substitutions as Valentine searches for the best lineups combos. We obviously won't be going 12 deep every game, so a few of those guys will separate themselves, but I really don't know who. Of the freshmen, I think Trey Lewis has a super high ceiling.
I think Quinn will be minutes behind Norris and Hutson behind Golden. Welch may get some time behind Alston, especially against teams that have a little bulk in the frontcourt. But I am most excited to see how the glut of seemingly competent and talented wing guys we have mesh. I think the early part of the season will be spent trying to find the best lineups and finding chemistry between lineups, but by the time the conference games roll around, we will probably be playing 8-9 guys max and I absolutely cannot wait to see how the minutes get distributed out!
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