2010-11 Player Previews: Carter Set for Immediate Impact...Hyland Geared for the Future
by Max Mandel on Sep 23, 2010 5:54 PM PDT
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The 2010 recruiting class was one of the most interesting in Gonzaga history. As Zach chronicled in his excellent player preview piece, half the class is made up of European recruits that not many people have seen play. Both Mathis Keita and Mathis Monninghoff are incredibly intriguing prospects who possess a bright future with their athleticism and unique skill set.
The other two recruits in the 2010 class are JC transfer Marquise Carter and freshman guard Keegan Hyland. Carter is more of the typical recruit that we have chronicled the past couple of years, as he received interest from multiple BCS quality programs, but ultimately decided that Gonzaga was the best place to continue his career. Hyland arrives in Spokane from Portland, Maine, where he developed a reputation as an absolute lights out shooter. Hyland was committed to Vermont for a very brief period, before he opened up his recruitment during his senior season. A huge performance on the spring AAU circuit, combined with the Gonzaga staff focusing on finding a shooter in the 2010 class, made Hyland the perfect fit.
With the basics covered, its time to explore what type of role these guys will play in the upcoming season. I know a lot of people on this blog have differing views on both guys, but the one thing I ask is that this story doesn't turn into a forum for basing a certain player that started at PG last season. If you want to discuss the PG situation in a factual and reasonable way, then please go ahead and hopefully we can have a great discussion!!!!
Of the two incoming recruits, I think it's clear that Marquise Carter is the one that will be the contributing this season. Carter comes to Gonzaga from Three Rivers CC, where he led his team to the JC National Championship game. The thing that attracts lots of fans to Carter is the fact that he fits the mold of previous Gonzaga PG's because of his ability to score from the point guard position. All early reports suggest that Carter is a strong leader and has enough athleticism to get to the rim and score. Equally important is the fact that Carter is a capable shooter from the perimeter, which is something that was lacking last season. When it comes to shooting, Carter is much closer to Jeremy Pargo then Derek Raivio, but the important thing is that he has the ability to keep the defense honest on the perimeter.
With that said, I still expect Carter to come off the bench this season at both guard positions. I don't think he will see a ton of time at SG, because Gray, Arop and even Keita will potentially see time there. Instead, I think Carter will strictly play point guard, providing a stronger offensive threat off the bench. Demetri Goodson is better suited for pushing the tempo and providing a true defensive stopper, which fits a little better with the highly-potent starting lineup that we should see this season. I kind of envision the role that Carter will play similar to that of Pargo as a freshman. Carter will play a ton of minutes and will truly be like a 6th starter for this team. There is no doubt that his contributions and ability to pick up the offense will be essential to the early success of this team. If Carter and Goodson can balance each other in a productive manner, point guard will be a position of strength for this team.
While many Gonzaga fans seem to think that Keegan Hyland will immediately contribute because of his ability to shoot the ball, I couldn't disagree more. Of every player on the roster this season, I think Hyland is easily the most likely to redshirt. Both Zach and I have heard that Hyland can shoot the light out of the ball from numerous sources. However, the other thing that has been emphasized is that he doesn't have the strength or quickness to compete at this high of a level yet. Hyland needs to use this year to get in the weight room to build the strength he will need to excel on both ends of the court. At this point, Hyland would be a liability on the defensive end because of his inability to fight through screens and guard pretty much any back court opponent Gonzaga might see this season. I think that Hyland will make an impact at Gonzaga because of his ability to score the ball, but I don't expect that to be until his sophomore or junior season.
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My hopes for Carter
I hope he can bring the neccessary attributes to G.U. that will help our team to flourish beyond Matt Bouldin.
I am hoping there will be a couple of things in particular that he can to do better than Matt.
#1. perimeter defense, # 2 be quicker/speed – I loved Bouldin, but was not overly impressed with his perimeter D nor his speed. IMO Marquise Cater will be better in both of theses areas.
Also…there was some dissapointment in the fact that we have brought in a JUCO player. I admittedly was too, but after doing more contemplating I focused on the fact that he is an ALL American. And that should make him more sought after than the best high school players because he is proven star at a higher level. And lets not forget what J.P. Batisa {another JUCO player} added for us playing with Amo.
He is athletic, strong, fast, and can rebound, shoot, and plays with lots of fire. I believe he will do very well during his time here.
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
Oh, on Hyland... I threw on a video of him down in fanshots. I believe it is very telling, check it out!
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
I watched the video and ...
Even though he doesn’t seem like the fastest guy in the world, he did show some ability to put the ball on the floor, which is nice. His apparent lack of speed is more likely to hurt him on the defensive end, though.
It’s wonderful to see all those jumpshots fall so cleanly. However, his release point does seem a little low to me. This could hurt him against taller and more athletic defenders.
In any case, Gonzaga desperately needed a shooter and I think Hyland is a good pickup from that standpoint.
he looks fast in the picture there
most intriguing thing i read was from his JC coach talking about a strong mid-range game. That was Ammos specialty, nice to see guys knocking down 15-16 foot jumpers, and 8-10 feet floaters. Know he was more effective when he shot more 3’s in his senior season, but I still think his mid-range game was, and could be again, his bread and butter. Hope Carter has that throw back mind set, that it doesn’t have to be a dunk or a three… CANT WAIT FOR THE SEASON
Carter will play
and he will play a lot.
Carter didn’t pass on Oklahoma and come to Spokane so he could ride the bench for a year or two. I think his minutes will be directly related to his learning curve, and possibly how bad the team needs him on the floor. He has to learn a new offense and a new defense. After he settles in, get used to seeing him on the floor — a lot.
Remember folks, AMMO didn’t play a lot of defense when he was here but he did fill it up. It always comes down to how much you can contribute at both ends of the floor. Big offense will make up for defensive shortcomings to a certain extent. I think Hyland will enjoy a more productive career at Gonzaga if he red shirts but . . . in the end, the team needs will probably dictate whether he redshirts or not this year.
mjc
mjc
agree
the notion that a jc a-a that passed on several bcs programs will sit behind the incumbent pg is insane………
Meech and Carter...Hyland
I am very hopeful when I think of this PG combo…I believe Meech will continue to mature and will give us speed, D, and slashing to the rim that we will need. Carter will bring D, passing, and a solid abilty to create his own shot. I am VERY happy to think we will have two athletic PG’s that we can go with depending on the situation. I know in the past Meech has been dogged on…but I LOVE his intesity and I think he plays with a chip on his shoulder…do not be suprised to see him emerge as a emotional leader along with Sacre. From the film of Carter, I have seen a player who is good at creating and good at making others better. We have two players who can really score…Gray and Harris and to add a much improved Olynk, a great sub in Dower AND a pg option in Carter that can create for others and be a scoring threat himself will make us better then last year.
Hyland…I think he needs to RS. If he can get his body to catch up to his shot..he will be great for GU. I can see a great role for him later with a back court of GBJ, Draginis and Hyland…I think that is an amazing set of Guards who can score in a multitude of ways including..raining threes….just my .02 worth.
Diverse Point Guard Combo
I can see Few utilizing their differing sizes and methods of attack to really give an opposing defense a lot of problems. Meech, being fast as hell and smaller, can really have his way with a defense if its point guard is busy guarding Carter (who is presumably more of a shooting/scoring threat). The stark differences between the two can really allow us to tailor our offense and defense to individual teams or players, and hopefully pick up the slack when Gray needs a rest. Of course, this is all speculation. Until the CBE classic we won’t know whether this will come to fruition or be a flaming disaster.
Zagnificent - GU Class of 2010
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