Starting Lineup
Jordan Goodwin | Guard | 6’3″ | Senior
(Goodwin is a candidate for the Jerry West Award, which is an award that is given to the country’s top Shooting Guard)
Last season, Goodwin led the Billikens in scoring with 15.5 points per game and averaged 10.4 rebounds per game (which was tied for 1st). You can choose to nitpick Goodwin’s offensive game all you want, but the fact of the matter is, he is an extremely intelligent player, who has tremendous instincts, especially on the defense end (averaged 2.1 steals last season).
The main reason why Goodwin averaged 10.4 rebounds last season, is because he always seems to know which side of the rim the ball is going to come off of, and is willing to go up, and snag rebounds in a clogged lane.
Yes, his three-point percentage needs to improve a bit (shot 28.2% from deep last season), and I believe it will, but for right now, Goodwin should just stick to what works. He knows how to initiate contact when he is going downhill (normally without lowering his shoulder) so that he can put his defenders at a disadvantage.
Additionally, Goodwin is able to get to the spots where he is the most comfortable operating, and shoot high percentage pull-up jump shots when he feels like he can’t get all the way to the basket (mainly because he does not put the ball on the floor until he knows what he wants to do with it).
Goodwin’s free throw shooting (53.8% last season), must improve dramatically, but believe me when I say, that I am confident that Goodwin will prove to all of his doubters this season, that he can become a complete player.
Hasahn French | Forward | 6’7″ | Senior
(French is a candidate for the Karl Malone Award, which is an award that is given to the country’s top Power Forward)
French is a player that many big men probably hate to match-up against, because his strong body and outstanding balance allows him to bully defenders down low, and snatch offense rebounds (averaged 12.4 points, and 10.4 rebounds per game last season).
Being an undersized power forward, doesn’t stop French from frequently attracting double teams, and doing a fairly good job of staying patient, and finding the open man out on the perimeter (or cutting to the basket). If teams decide not to run another defender at French this season, I have no doubt that he will feast time and time again, on either one of the blocks.
I think that because French is able to quickly leave his man, slide over, and challenge shots at the rim, the guards can feel better about taking more risks defensively. It certainly isn’t encouraged, but French makes it so that, if a shaky/indecisive ball handler is showing that he is capable of losing the ball, if he has to deal with pesky defenders, who like to reach in at times, the guards can afford to take a gamble here and there.
French’s combination of timing and explosiveness, enables him to ferociously swat layup attempts, and lower his opponent’s confidence, in their ability to triumph when they get into the lane.
As of right now, French’s kryptonite is his free throw shooting (shot 32.9% from the free throw line last season), and if it doesn’t get much better this season, more teams will be inclined to wrap him up, before he can put up a shot. French’s form isn’t atrocious, but he does have a slight hitch, that prevents it from being as fluid as it could be. I think that if French removes the hitch, and gets comfortable with a modified free throw shooting form, he won’t have to worry about going 0-2 from the charity stripe when the Billikens desperately need points to stay afloat.
Yuri Collins | Guard | 6’0″ | Sophomore
Collins is one of the most unselfish guards in the country, who is all about getting his teammates involved and giving them the ball in the spots, where they can do the most damage. As a fast-paced point guard, Collins’s job is to get the ball after a made or missed basket, and push the ball up the floor as fast as he possibly can (or advance the ball up to his teammates, if he sees that they have an opportunity to make a play). The thing that Collins doesn’t get enough credit for in my opinion, is being good at understanding the concept of percentages.
What in the world do I mean by that? Well, I mean that when Collins drives and gets deep into the paint, he knows that he may have a 50-55% chance of finishing a contested layup at the rim if the opposing team’s big man is expecting him to take it all the way. However, if Collins dishes the ball off to a guy like Hassan French, after effectively forcing the opposing team’s big man to engage him, while simultaneously getting him out of position, French will have closer to an 85-90% chance of converting at the basket.
Furthermore, if no one decides to rotate over and help, French will clearly have the upper hand, and shouldn’t have a difficult time going up strong, and either throwing down a thunderous slam or simply laying the ball up.
With all that being said, if Collins is unable to limit his number of turnovers this season, the Billikens may find themselves playing from behind, a lot more than they would like to. He averaged 5.5 assists and 3.2 turnovers last season, which isn’t as bad it could have been (trust me on that), but the bottom line is, continuously squeezing the ball into tight spaces, and throwing telegraphed passes, without surveying the entire floor first, will not work for Collins this year (which I am sure he comprehends).
Demarius Jacobs | Guard | 6’2″ | Junior
Jacobs is an intriguing player to me because it is clear that he has more than enough talent to make an impact at this level, but there are times when he simply disappears in games and isn’t much of a threat offensively. Is it because he isn’t confident in his offense game yet?
Or because he doesn’t get enough opportunities to showcase his skills? Perhaps, but I think it has more to do with the fact that, Jacobs takes too long to turn the switch inside of him on, but still manages to show flashes of what he can do from time to time.
When he does decide that he wants to wake up and play the way that he is capable of playing, Jacobs has proven that he can be a nice asset for the Billikens. Last season, he shot 38.2% from three (which was 3rd on the team), and averaged 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
In addition to being a guy that can knock down open threes after a ball reversal or two, Jacobs is also a solid slasher, who can maneuver his way to the basket, and use his athleticism to make the necessary adjustments at the rim. If Jacobs is able to start the season with energy, and maintain that energy throughout the season, Saint Louis will be an even better team this year.
Jimmy Bell Jr. | Forward | 6’10” | Sophomore
Bell has the ability to be a strong force inside this season for the Billikens if he commits to staying patient, and not completing his post moves until he knows how his defenders are guarding him.
Bell isn’t the most athletic big man in the world, but he loves to get to his left and utilize a jump hook, whenever his defenders aren’t giving him a whole lot of resistance. Additionally, he is a player that welcomes contact and doesn’t mind going up against powerful big men, who will try to force him out of the paint.
Last season, Bell averaged 3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and shot 47.1% from the field, while playing just 14.5 minutes per game. I think that it is pivotal for Bell to prove that he can stay in shape, and play big-time minutes this season, even if he doesn’t get a chance to.
Bell is able to compliment Hasahn French nicely when he is on the floor because he is perfectly fine playing high-low basketball, and waiting for French to get the best position he can down low, before feeding the ball into him. I think that Bell is in for a solid 2020-21 season, as long as he controls the things that he can.