What Other Freshman Will See Playing Time?

Throughout his coaching career, one of Bobby Cremins' signatures is the short rotation of players he uses. From his glory days at Georgia Tech, all the way up through now, Cremins has routinely employed a lineup of only 7-8 players. There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to this system and most devoted CofC fans will argue their opinion on the matter depending on how the Cougars are playing. Some say the lack of depth hurts you when a key player goes down with injury or when you have a tough stretch of games and kids get tired. Others believe that playing time is something that is earned, and precious game minutes are reserved for those who work hardest day in and day out at practice.

Whatever your viewpoint on the matter, it is worth noting that sooner (as in the Socon Tournament) or later (after the seniors graduate) a few members of this highly regarded freshman class besides Trent Wiedeman will need to step up. Speaking of Wiedeman, the kid has been absolutely brilliant and deserves to win Socon Freshman of the Year. Now that we've had at least a small glimpse of each freshman, lets look at what each one brings to the table.




James Carlton
F/C 6'7" 210 lbs

In the first game of the season, against Maryland, Carlton actually saw maybe his most significant playing time. He was thrown right into the mix, having to guard one of the nations best post players in Jordan Williams. He didn't fare too well but I'm willing to blame that one on nerves. I still think that if Cremins knew then what he knows now about Wiedeman's skill level, Trent would've played more minutes and the outcome of that game could've been different.

But I digress. James is most definitely not some scrub and the team is very lucky to have him. While he doesn't have the big body that Wiedeman has down low to push around, Carlton can leap out of the building with his athleticism and has super quick feet. That is what he brings to the team that no one else can. Unfortunately his post-up game seems lacking and his thin frame makes him a bit of a liability on defense. Look for him to have several alley-oops and a couple fast break dunks if he does enter a game. Right now the thing that's keeping James from playing is that the three bigs in front of him each have a more well rounded offensive and defensive game.

Nori Johnson
G/F 6'5" 205 lbs

I don't know much about Nori Johnson. He signed with the College pretty late in the recruiting process and there wasn't much scouting information on him. Based on his size I think he'll primarily be used at the small forward position. From what I've seen he is pretty athletic, has good basketball IQ and plays unselfishly.

Aside from a true center, I'd say the three position is probably where CofC is thinnest. Obviously Wiggins is doing an outstanding job this season, but without Sundberg there is really no other player who matches the skill set of Antwaine. Monroe can technically play SF, but this causes the team to replicate more of a three guard lineup. Maybe a well-rounded player like Nori could come in for Wiggins when some length and defense are needed on the perimeter. It'll be interesting to see how Cremins uses him not only this year, but next year also when we get Sundberg back.

Jordan Scott
G 6'1" 190 lbs

All indications point to Jordan Scott as being the most likely candidate to get some meaningful minutes this season and next. Cremins had enough confidence in Jordan to let him play against Citadel before it was a blowout and let him run the point for the last few minutes. He actually reminds me a lot of Donovan Monroe. He's got a similar body type, huge hops for a guard and provides solid defense.

Jordan can play the point or off the ball as a scorer. He's bulky and scrappy enough to fight for rebounds following a shot. He can shoot the three well (35.5% in high school), has some drive-and-kick ability and a quick first step. This quickness is also what makes him so good on defense. If the Citadel game is any indication, he'll be an exciting player to watch. I'd like to see him come off the bench as a shooter because he does have that scoring ability and there won't be the pressure of handling the ball. This could give Drew and Donovan some much needed rest in Chattanooga and prevent them from playing lots of minutes in consecutive nights. Hopefully his development continues, because he'll be competing for minutes with some very talented freshman guards next season.