Put on your coaching hat. Rotation going forward.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

What would your rotation be going forward?

I would start D Smith at point Bajema at 2 Madsen at 3 Carlson at 4 Keita at 5. Reserves Woster point backup and 2 guard back up.(three guard rotation) Carlson at 3 or 4 and Lovering 5. 8 man rotation with Erickson or Treat 4 th guard if needed.

Smith is the key going forward. Let him take charge of the offense. He is so much better than Woster. Woster can back up both guards and be a second ball handler late in games. B Carlson can play some 5 if Keita gets in foul trouble. I would limit Loverings minutes.

[Tony (admin)]

Moved from women’s basketball category to men’s.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Thanks Tony just another senior moment. Although the men’s team has better hair!

[Whitty]

Seems to not be a popular opinion, but I like having Keita come off the bench and finish games at the 5. Think he provides a great spark when he comes in and this helps to avoid foul trouble early.

[Rick]

I agree with you tanute. The foul issues alone warrant bringing Keita off the bench besides the need for scoring and even a little different play coming off the bench. Worster with Keita brings a five that can punch people in the mouth.

Of course, I never take Smith out of the game except perhaps a minute before the 8 minute television timeouts each half.

[The Miami Ute]

Wow!!! I wanted to post the exact same thing but was afraid I would get an avalanche of downvotes. Personally, I think that Keita, although extremely physically gifted, still commits too many fouls and has a limited offensive game. I think Lovering also handles the ball better, provides some defensive upside due to his height, and spreads the floor out much more due to his ability to shoot from the outside.

[Whitty]

Look at that Miami, we agree on something 😉

[Jim Vanderhoof]

My projections are from purely a skill perspective. Who has the most talent and can give us the best chance to win. You guys bring up a valid point with Kietas foul issues. Starting Lovering to keep Keita out of foul trouble early makes sense. Smaller athletic teams will make Lovering defend the perimeter.

I also could see a lineup of Carlson Madsen Bajema Woster Smith to spread the floor and let Smith penetrate and get it to the shooters. When was the last time we had a team that could create so many mismatches. Smith is a game changer.

[pedro]

I kind of like them both coming off the bench. With Smith being a ‘reserve’, it gives the opposing team more looks to have to prepare for.

[cj13]

Although Smith and Keita have been amazing, I still really like Worster and Lovering. I hope the Smith divides the minutes between eight guys; Worster, Lovering, Carlsen, Carlsen, Keita, Deivon, Madsen, and Bajema. Erickson, Teat, and Tarlac should only get time because of injury like the last couple of games. Would hope Lovering and Deivon get the starting spots with Keita getting more minutes than Lovering

[BleedsRedUte]

I agree about Smith getting the starting nod and the majority of the minutes. Its a bonus that Worster is a seasoned/experienced guard that provides a lot of depth. Keita has to get better at guarding without fouling, but as they keep getting better and feeding him down low, its hard to keep him out of the starting lineup.

I will be surprised if D. Smith starts when Worster is healthy. Coach Smith has to make changes in playing time slowly to keep the team together.

But when was the last time the Utes had a player like D. Smith that has the speed and skill to drive the full court and put pressure on the opposing defense. This has been a game changer!

[Rick]

I will have a tough time supporting a coach, any coach, that doesn’t play his best players. It is painfully obvious who are the 5 best players for Utah. They have been the starters these past two games. As the season moves closer to post season tournament time, you must tighten your rotations and give your best players the majority of the minutes. If you, as a coach, have not conditioned your starters to take the majority of the minutes then that is on you. I do understand some of people’s reasoning for bringing Keita off the bench but in doing so, you will limit his minutes. It is just the nature of the game. If there is anyone on here that would start Rollie over D. Smith, well I have nothing to say to you other than learn the game of basketball and the role of the point guard.

[DataUte]

Keba is a beast, but either the coach will limit his minutes or he will. With a quick foul or two, he’s on the bench until late in the 1st half. So, if going in 3 minutes in helps get the game flowing and seeing how the refs are calling things, it could yield more minutes. He certainly makes the minutes he plays count, so not the worst thing to spark things.

[The Miami Ute]

I second what Data said. If you do an in-depth analysis of Keita’s floor time, it’s automatically limited because of his foul trouble. Witness the game against the Ducks, where he only played 18 minutes while Smith played 38.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I’m on the same page Rick. Smith makes things look easy. He gets separation off the dribble and can break down the defense. I can actually enjoy watching the Utes with Smith playing instead of Woster dribbling.

Play the best players!! Maybe if Keba starts and is counted on to play more minutes his fouls will go down. At least give him the opportunity. Lovering is good for 5-10 minutes a half if the other team has a big man.

I like that we have options of going big or small.Carlson at center opens the lane. He can take the other center outside. We have pieces just need to utilize them.

[The Miami Ute]

Well Jim, Keita has been starting for what, three games? And he’s been averaging 3+ fouls and just 21 minutes in those games. I have to imagine his low minutes are due to quick foul trouble.

[GameForAnyFuss]

My starting 5: Smith, Bajema, Madsen, Lovering, Carlson
My heavy rotation guys: Keita, Wooster
My light rotation guys: Carlson, Tarlac
My “hand out towels” guys: Erickson, Teat, Wahlin, Haddock, Huang

[The Miami Ute]

Serious question…what does Tarlac do besides take up space on the court? He doesn’t handle the ball well, doesn’t shoot from the floor well, doesn’t shoot free throws well, etc…there’s a reason why prior to the injuries to Worster and Lovering he got almost zero playing time. Am I missing something?

[Charlie]

For me a couple of points. Who starts doesn’t matter, who is in for crunch times and ends close games matter. Next matchups matter, each game does not at all need to be the same. Tighten rotation in the most competitive games. Loosen rotation in games with big leads because tight rotations lead to a grind by the end of the year. Players sometimes have off nights, some opponents are better guarded by rotation players. Different defenses can increase or decrease the effectiveness of some players. Even something like how teams double team the post or not makes a difference. One team’s double team strategy may call for more time for a certain big than the next night another teams double team strategy might eliminate the same big’s minutes. Coach will be thinking of a dozen things not apparent to fans so throw out the cookie cutter routine rotations.

So the mostly 8 man rotation with differences each game varied by what coaches see works for me. The ninth guy, Erickson, is also fine when ball handling isn’t killing us because in some matchups he is very good feeding Kata in the paint. Tarlac helps when there are injuries. Games in hand like UCLA, get the bench in earlier to have fresh legs in March.

[Author]

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