The Verdell Jones Conundrum

Any casual fan can tell you what went wrong vs. Minnesota: Poor Shooting, Poor Rebounding, Slow Defense. It was (and will remain) our worst loss of the year, and it will probably dash hopes of being a 1 or 2 seed in the tournament. It hurts, but is still only one game. This problem is extrapolated through what I would like to call “The Verdell Jones Conundrum”.

What I mean by this is that I see a big issue developing with rotations. It has become clear that Crean likes Hulls, Zeller, Oladipo and Watford on the floor whenever possible, and Sheehey coming off the bench as a utility guy who can sub in for literally any position. That poses the question of who is going to fill that last spot for the majority of minutes for the rest of the season. The status quo has been Verdell Jones, but I think we are getting to a point where that isn’t going to fly anymore.

Before we get into the candidates…I want to advocate for no more booing of Verdell Jones (or Tom Pritchard for that matter). I get it, Verdell makes frustrating turnovers and can’t defend without fouling. It is maddening to the point of insanity. But booing accomplishes nothing. That’s not going to increase his confidence, and it’s not a good showing of support for the team who we so feverishly love when they do well. Alex Bozich of Inside the Hall reported that Jones was in Assembly shooting hours after the game last night. I will never stand for booing your own player unless they simply aren’t trying…which has never been a problem with Verdell or Tom “Bonesaw” Pritchard. Now, as for the fifth spot:

-Verdell Jones III: His strengths are shooting off the dribble from 15 feet and experience, which allows him to not lose his cool down the stretch of close games. His weaknesses are ball-handling, free throws, defensive quickness (and therefore propensity to foul), athleticism, decision making, and occasionally his shot selection.

-Remy Abell: His strengths are fantastic defense on the perimeter (I think he’s our 2nd best, only behind Oladipo), toughness and athleticism. His weaknesses are inconsistent shooting and a lack of experience.

-Matt Roth: His strength is his robot-like shooting stroke, and therefore an ability to spread the floor and create space for his teammates. His weaknesses are his size, lack of athleticism, and occasional absentmindedness on defense.

It should also be noted that Austin Etherington has not had a true opportunity to be in contention for this role. I have been encouraged by his play in the minutes he has gotten, however sparse, and think he should be given the occasional possession or two.

My solution, which Crean has partially implemented already, would be this:

In games like Michigan State where we are struggling to create offense, my propensity to play the aforementioned guards would go 1- Roth 2-Jones 3-Abell

In games like Minnesota where we are struggling to get stops, I would vote 1-Abell 2-Roth 3-Jones.

In general: I think everyone has to realize Abell is our stopper. He needs to get substantial minutes if only for his defense, because on this team, our defense creates our offense. On the other hand, if we need buckets, Matt Roth is simply too valuable to have on the bench. The opposition has absolutely no choice but to play him “no-help”, which means his defender won’t leave him under any circumstances. The effect this has on players like Oladipo and Hulls and their ability to get to the basket is crucial in the team’s success. This leaves the odd man out as Verdell Jones. It’s tough to say, but I just can’t find enough situations where I feel more comfortable with him on the floor than the other two. That’s not to say he shouldn’t play, but he definitely shouldn’t be getting more than 25 minutes a game.

With that being said, I think I would still take Verdell for end-of-game situations, like the last 5 seconds vs. Kentucky…a play so groundbreaking for the program that I think Verdell Jones should be immune to boo’s for the rest of his IU career.