Wings and Forwards 2016–17 Preview
Other links: The Story, Point Guard Preview, Shooting Guard Preview
The positions are less clear cut as we move along here. Charles Cooke’s primary backup is probably Darrell Davis. Ryan Mikesell can play 3 or 4, so can Xeyrius Williams. I have them in this post with Cooke and calling them Wings/Forwards. The next one will have Kendall Pollard, Josh Cunningham, and Sam Miller because they can all play 4–5 and will be just labelled “bigs”. It’s impossible to really label them without somebody being left out.
(EXPLANATION OF ALL STATS CAN BE FOUND HERE)
Starting Small Forward: Charles Cooke, Sr.
Junior Year
After two strong seasons at James Madison, Charles Cooke transferred to Dayton, spent a year learning behind Jordan Sibert, and honed his three point shot under Archie’s tutelage. Sibert was one of the best players in the past decade of Dayton basketball, an all A10 guard and lights out shooter who opened and closed his career at UD arena by making game-winning three pointers. All Cooke had to do was effectively fill that guys shoes.
Somehow he actually managed it. While he wasn’t better than Sibert on offense, Cooke was an absolute revelation. He was the most consistent player on the team, garnering first team honors on the all conference and all defense teams in addition to team MVP honors at the end of season banquet. It’s honestly difficult to pick out highlight moments because he was so good throughout the year and had so many great games: 21 points and 7 rebounds vs Bama, 18 and 6 vs William and Mary, 22 vs Iowa, and 15 and 9 vs Monmouth, were all in the first 5 games on the season The list goes on and on from there.
After shooting 31% from three at JMU, Cooke shot 40% in his one season at Dayton (in A10 play he shot the conference’s 6th best rate at 42%). He was also elite at getting to the line, drawing over 5 fouls per game and converting at a 69% rate once he got there. One area in which I’m looking for improvement in Cooke’s game is a better ability to distribute the ball. He had a low ARate (12.3) for someone that I’m sure other teams were keying on to stop each game. His TORate is also extremely low, so it appears he has the mental part of the game down. Hopefully another year of seasoning leads to even greater success.
On the defensive side of the ball, Cooke was a complete game changer. His ability to block shots at 6'5" seemed supernatural at times. He is the only player that short in the top 20 in Blk% in the conference, where he checked in at 13th. In addition, he stole the ball more frequently than Kyle Davis in conference play (10th in the A10), giving Dayton another elite on ball defender to pair with Scoochie and Kyle.
There truly isn’t that much more to say about Cooke. He was phenomenal last year and I expect him to be phenomenal again this year. If he isn’t back on the first team all conference and defense teams I will be surprised, and he should push to be the player of the year. That’ll be difficult given the fact that Jaylen Adams and Jack Gibbs exist, but if Dayton wins the conference and Cooke is ourbest player then he has a great chance.
Haiku
thanks for returning
could be best A10 player
block all shots in sight
Backup Forwards: Xeyrius Williams, So. and Ryan Mikesell, So.
Ryan Mikesell Freshman Year
Mikesell’s first game was his most impactful, as he scored 21 points on 5–7 shooting from three in 26 minutes. Unfortunately this would be the most minutes he played all year. The main reason for this was his defense; Mikesell struggled to keep his man in front of him, as most freshman do. The only other game Mikesell made a significant impact in was a home game against Davidson. Given a defensive matchup he could handle, Mikesell played extremely well, scoring 8 points in 16 minutes.
This year, Mikesell looks to be the first non-guard off the bench once Kendall Pollard returns. He started the exhibition game against Findlay, struggling with his shot but looking stronger and more confident than last year. Let’s hope that his defense is good enough to have more of an impact this year.
Xeyrius Williams Freshman Year
Xeyrius had a very interesting freshman year, playing more than 15 minutes in 7 of the first 8 games. He was rather up and down throughout that time, showing elite athleticism and strong defense along with a shaky three point shot. After the non-conference portion of the season, Williams disappeared, only playing in garbage time or when other players had foul trouble. After bulking up 18 pounds in the offseason, I’m looking for Williams to build off of the athleticism he showed and become a real contributor to the team. Certain matchups will likely dictate him playing over Mikesell and he will be a crucial part of the rotation in those games.
Advanced Statistical Analysis
- We have been incredibly lucky to watch such phenomenal players at this position over the years. Dyshawn’s Jr. year ORating of 107 was 3rd on the team that year, and yet it’s last in this position comparison. All of these guys are D-League/Top Euro league type of players, except Johnson who is a cut above. We’ll see this year if Cooke can get the call to the NBA.
- Chris Johnson’s relatively low usage rates are a complete travesty. It’s like we didn’t realize he was an NBA talent when he was here. Even when Chris Wright left after his junior year, his usage barely jumped. Archie really should’ve utilized him more during their one year together.
- It was such a pleasant surprise that Cooke was able to basically replace Jordan Sibert. He was slightly worse offensively but Cooke was on a complete different level as a defender.
Three Predictions
- Charles Cooke comes in the top three of A10 player of the year voting and repeats his appearance on the A10 1st team and All Defense team. He is signed as an undrafted free agent in the NBA.
- Ryan Mikesell shoots over 40% from three and becomes our best offensive option off the bench.
- Xeyrius Williams has several plays that make you jump out of your seat, but ultimately it’s more of a learning year for him again.
