Sean O'Mara article

[whopper]

There is a Xavier article on what Sean did this summer. Interesting and dedicated and should somewhat quiet the naysayers.
http://www.goxavier.com/news/2016/11/16/athletic-department-x-factor.aspx

[Emp]

Just when I thought Big Sean was trending down badly, he gave good minutes and shot free throws confidently on Saturday.

If he can give 20 good minutes, the Gates setback is much less relevant.

[GenerationX]

Thanks for posting... great article.

[Lloyd Braun]

Sean works hard, I'm a big fan. ... Shades of Jason Love.

[Juice]

I think got in a funk because he was losing minutes to Gaston, and he started to pressing too much and it took him out of comfort zone. His last two games have been so much because he isn't forcing things but still taking advantage of any openings the defense gives him.

[MuskieCinci]

I would really like it if in the second half of the season we tried a lot more quick post ups in the secondary break before the defense gets fully settled. I have confidence in both Sean and Rashid scoring when covered one on one, and early in the shot clock when our bigs hustle down the court there are good opportunities to take advantage of this. Our guards tend to either try to get all the way to the bucket or pull it out and wait until everything is settled and run a set.

[bleedXblue]

Sean is never going to be a star. I do think he can become a solid and reliable guy off the bench who can score when needed. Great to hear he's worked his butt off!

[letskeepitreal]

Comparison of Gaston/Omeara and Farr/Reynolds- I thought that Gaston and Omeara were playing just OK but apparently nowhere near where Farr and Reynolds last year

Gaston/Omeara- through 13 games 13.9 pts/game 9.9 rebounds vs
Farr/Reynolds 15-16 season- 20.3 pts and 14.3 rebounds

That is why we need so much more from Sumner/Bluiett and Macura. The thing is I think we played both Farr and Reynolds more than we are playing Gaston and Omeara together (if that even ever happens).

[XUFan09]

Comparison of Gaston/Omeara and Farr/Reynolds- I thought that Gaston and Omeara were playing just OK but apparently nowhere near where Farr and Reynolds last year

Gaston/Omeara- through 13 games 13.9 pts/game 9.9 rebounds vs
Farr/Reynolds 15-16 season- 20.3 pts and 14.3 rebounds

That is why we need so much more from Sumner/Bluiett and Macura. The thing is I think we played both Farr and Reynolds more than we are playing Gaston and Omeara together (if that even ever happens).

Yeah, Reynolds and Farr combined for 40 minutes per game, because Mack also played them together in the 1-3-1. Gaston and O'Mara together have combined for 32 minutes per game so far this season. In terms of rebounding, Gaston and Reynolds are pretty much even, but O'Mara and Farr are worlds apart. This divide is partially because Farr can probably be mentioned in comparison with the best rebounders in Xavier history, but also because O'Mara, while a good offensive rebounder, is a subpar defensive rebounder so far this season.*

Offensively, both Farr and Reynolds were just greater offensive threats (though O'Mara was the strongest specifically at scoring in the low post, he wasn't as versatile). They both had usage rates around 24% (which is quite high), contributing to a few more possessions each game than Gaston and O'Mara. Farr was also more efficient than either Gaston or O'Mara, while Reynolds was at least demanding more attention with a higher usage rate despite being less efficient per possession. The numbers easily bear out what the eye test suggests in a comparison between the two duos.


* O'Mara's defensive rebounding rate last year was pretty respectable, but both last season's sample size and this half-season's sample size are pretty small due to minutes played being low. It's hard to approximate what his true defensive rebounding rate would be. He does serve as a good space-eating center to create rebounding lanes for the guards, though, much like Stainbrook and Frease before him, but Farr was good at clearing space too and still a much better defensive rebounder even if O'Mara's numbers are a bit deflated.

[XUFan09]

Even if you include Tyrique Jones with Gaston and O'Mara to essentially get one full-time center (plus a few minutes per game with two bigs), offensively there is still a dropoff from last year to this year with the bigs. Since Jones is an excellent rebounder, the rebounding divide gets a little smaller, but last year's duo was still better.

One thing where the frontcourt has improved, though, is defense, and a lot of this comes back to Rashid Gaston being so much better as a defender than Farr or Reynolds. He is much better at staying with his man and being in the correct position while still getting blocks at a similar rate to the average of Farr and Reynolds. Also, he's great at hedging and it's not a catastrophe if he gets switched on to a guard (Still a disadvantage, but Farr defending a guard was really bad). O'Mara is also much better at being in position than Reynolds was, though not as naturally gifted or mobile. Jones is prone to being out of position but can recover so much better than Farr or Reynolds did. He's still raw, so I'd put Farr and Reynolds as better defenders than him right now, but his natural talent as a rim protector makes it so the difference in defensive performance is not as stark.

Numbers-wise, this year's team is essentially identical to last year's team in terms of defense. However, that's in part due to how great the 1-3-1 was in the non-conference schedule last season. This team doesn't have the right personnel to be as effective with the 1-3-1, but since it is not as useful in the conference schedule, that doesn't bother me too much. This team is much better at man-to-man, which is more important, and the 1-3-1 can still be used as a changeup rather than a go-to option.

[Caf]

Yeah, Reynolds and Farr combined for 40 minutes per game, because Mack also played them together in the 1-3-1. Gaston and O'Mara together have combined for 32 minutes per game so far this season. In terms of rebounding, Gaston and Reynolds are pretty much even, but O'Mara and Farr are worlds apart. This divide is partially because Farr can probably be mentioned in comparison with the best rebounders in Xavier history, but also because O'Mara, while a good offensive rebounder, is a subpar defensive rebounder so far this season.*

Great breakdown 09. I really enjoyed it.

The only thing I'd add is a mention of our front court's fouling throughout the year. To me, that has been the biggest determinant of playing time for the front court over the years. Per minute, Tyrique Jones fouls at an alarming rate (9.9 per 40 minutes). O'Mara is at about the same rate he was last year (6.3 v 6.6), although he's gotten notably better as of late, probably to the detriment of his blocks. Gaston on the other hand has been great (4.9). He has effectively replaced Farr in most ways, and without the same shooting range. The only place I'd really like to see him improve is FT shooting.

[XUFan09]

Great breakdown 09. I really enjoyed it.

The only thing I'd add is a mention of our front court's fouling throughout the year. To me, that has been the biggest determinant of playing time for the front court over the years. Per minute, Tyrique Jones fouls at an alarming rate (9.9 per 40 minutes). O'Mara is at about the same rate he was last year (6.3 v 6.6), although he's gotten notably better as of late, probably to the detriment of his blocks. Gaston on the other hand has been great (4.9). He has effectively replaced Farr in most ways, and without the same shooting range. The only place I'd really like to see him improve is FT shooting.

Yeah, I think it would be fairly accurate to say that Gaston replaced Farr. He isn't as strong on the offensive end but he's much stronger on the defensive end. Much of what they do otherwise is fairly similar.

That's a good point about O'Mara's shot blocking. His rate really dropped off between this year in last year. Overall, he seems to be more focused on just walling up defensively, which is itself pretty effective when you consider his size. I think his foul rate this year is just coincidentally close to last year's in the small sample size, but I bet it goes down some as the season progresses.

[Caf]

Yeah, I think it would be fairly accurate to say that Gaston replaced Farr. He isn't as strong on the offensive end but he's much stronger on the defensive end. Much of what they do otherwise is fairly similar.

That's a good point about O'Mara's shot blocking. His rate really dropped off between this year in last year. Overall, he seems to be more focused on just walling up defensively, which is itself pretty effective when you consider his size. I think his foul rate this year is just coincidentally close to last year's in the small sample size, but I bet it goes down some as the season progresses.

I think I'd probably be counted as a naysayer of O'Mara, this is a nice article and story, but he's yet to meet the expectations of many. His playing time has also fallen significantly in the past weeks. His season average is low at 13 minutes, and it's only 9.5 minutes in the last 6 games...