What I'm more concerned about

[stammina0721]

I don't know if this is legit or just me being picky. Is anyone else wondering where Scruggs development is at this point? Yes, I know freshman can take some time, but we are getting to the point where they should know the speed of the game and adjust at this point. Scruggs doesn't seem to have done that on the offensive end yet. His shot just seems off, or maybe it is rushed or lack of confidence I dont know. I would like to think a guy with his supposed level of talent will start scoring more because we all know in the dog days of February and tournament time we are going to need a guy like him...especially if Q finds himself in foul trouble.

[Muskeagle]

I actually feel Scruggs has turned a corner the last couple of games. Tonight he didn't score. But, played 12 minutes, had 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 0 turnovers. I thought he has played well the last couple of games. Moreover, I don't "fear" his coming in like I did, just a few games ago. He had a couple of nice finds and he is clearly making better decisions.

[SemajParlor]

It's not easy playing as a freshman on a great team. It's even harder to be a point guard. Give him time and let him keep getting game reps. He is very skilled and I imagine will be have a fantastic career at X.

[stammina0721]

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying bust or anything like that. Just wondering if he seems timid or unsure of himself? Kid could score a bunch in high school and was a top notch recruit for a reason.

[XMuskieFTW]

Scruggs has been really solid the past three games or so. He's maybe not as aggressive as he could be, but I think that's due partially to the huge amounts of talent around him and the fact that when he was more aggressive earlier in the year, things didn't come as easy as they did in high school. In his first 3 games in the Big East, he had 9 assists and 2 turnovers. Exactly what you want from your backup PG.

I think he's about as far along as Q was last year, and he's mostly playing out of position. I bet we see him play off the ball waaaaay more next year. He's best at slashing and getting to the hoop which will be much easier from the 2. The only reason he's playing the 1 this year is because we needed a backup PG and he was our best option. I'm sure if we still had Ed he would've learned the 2 this year.

[XUFan09]

Yeah, Scruggs is focused on running the team and playing good defense, not scoring off the ball. In that regard, he's done well recently. The only recent negative is his inability to make a three, which was never really a strength of his in high school either.

It would be different if X could play him a lot off the ball. If that were the case, he probably would be not too far behind Naji in terms of contributions.

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[American X]

Sure, it would be nice if Scruggs were suddenly Chris Paul, but he has looked more comfortable on the floor the last few games. The offense is still clicking with the second line in.

[Xavier]

Put me in the camp of thinking Scruggs has started to play better. I think he is slowly gaining confidence. Hope it continues and he can be a really solid rotation player towards the end of the year.

[bleedXblue]

Very, very few guys come in and are ready to contribute significant numbers right away as freshman. He will continue to get better.........patience

[MuskieXU]

Through 16 games as a Freshman:
Goodin: 15.8 minutes, 55.6% from 2, 46.7% from the line, averaging 1.9 assists, 1.4 TO, 1.4 Rebounds, and 3.1 points per game
Scruggs: 16.2 minutes, 55.6% from 2, 66.7% from the line, averaging 1.8 assists, 1.6 TO, 1.9 Rebounds, and 3.9 points per game

Nearly identical. Scruggs is fine, there is a certain lack of confidence that comes with constantly looking over your shoulder. Q went through the same thing last year until there was literally no one left over his shoulder and then he played with more confidence. Scruggs will do the same later this year or next.

[bleedXblue]

Through 16 games as a Freshman:
Goodin: 15.8 minutes, 55.6% from 2, 46.7% from the line, averaging 1.9 assists, 1.4 TO, 1.4 Rebounds, and 3.1 points per game
Scruggs: 16.2 minutes, 55.6% from 2, 66.7% from the line, averaging 1.8 assists, 1.6 TO, 1.9 Rebounds, and 3.9 points per game

Nearly identical. Scruggs is fine, there is a certain lack of confidence that comes with constantly looking over your shoulder. Q went through the same thing last year until there was literally no one left over his shoulder and then he played with more confidence. Scruggs will do the same later this year or next.

Q also benefited from the Sumner injury.......in a way I think it really helped him and accelerated his development.

[XUGRAD80]

At this point, it is really hard to see a difference between when Goodin and when Scruggs are in the game. I’m not worried. I don’t think that either will become great shooters, but I’m confident that both will develop into adequate shooters with time. Both seemed to have settled into their roles well.

[Xavier]

At this point, it is really hard to see a difference between when Goodin and when Scruggs are in the game.

No its not. Q runs the offense a lot better. He is always a threat to drive and keep defense honest on that. It isn't really close IMO and I don't expect it to be this season.

[Muskie]

I don't know if this is legit or just me being picky. Is anyone else wondering where Scruggs development is at this point? Yes, I know freshman can take some time, but we are getting to the point where they should know the speed of the game and adjust at this point. Scruggs doesn't seem to have done that on the offensive end yet. His shot just seems off, or maybe it is rushed or lack of confidence I dont know. I would like to think a guy with his supposed level of talent will start scoring more because we all know in the dog days of February and tournament time we are going to need a guy like him...especially if Q finds himself in foul trouble.

I fee like Scruggs has played better the last 3-4 games. But I understand where your sentiments are coming from. Q really wasn't getting much playing time until about this time last year (we forget how many minutes Sumner logged at the point before injury). I'd look for more solid play as the conference season goes on.

[Blue Blooded-05]

I think we’re kinda manufacturing concern at this point. Scruggs will be fine and an integral part of Xavier for years to come. Right now, his best asset to the team is to keep the offense chugging and distribute to scorers so Q can play the last 4+ minutes with fresh legs.

If we’re manufacturing concern, I’d be more worried about our lack of shooting next year, assuming Q and Scruggs share a bulk of the minutes at 1 & 2. However, that is a problem to worry about in the lull of the offseason. Let’s enjoy the ride!

[drudy23]

He's learning...he's going to be a 4 year player, with hopefully him having his best years as a Jr and Sr. We've had very good success with these type of guys as they mature.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

His lack of a shot is what might make him a four year guy. PG at a D1 level is hard especially for a freshman. Scruggs is going to be good. I think very good. If he develops a shot, he may not be here 4 years.


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[BandDad]

I agree with those that are saying he has looked better in the last couple of guys, said that same thing to my wife and sister (not the same person by the way) last night after the game. Mack mentioned on one of his shows earlier this year that Scruggs got hurt last year and played very little. He certainly doesn't look superconfident, but he doesn't look so scared anymore either. It looks like the game has slowed down for him some and he should only incrementally improve as the season goes on.

[letskeepitreal]

No team is perfect this year and yes the shooting of Goodin/Scruggs are a concern but that's for next year I think as there is just so much available firepower this year. Let's enjoy the ride. I for one didn't think that they are necessarily as good as their record but they are proving me wrong. Final Four I'd like to see is X, Arizona, Duke and MSU/ASU/Villanova.

[UCGRAD4X]

No team is perfect this year and yes the shooting of Goodin/Scruggs are a concern but that's for next year I think as there is just so much available firepower this year. Let's enjoy the ride. I for one didn't think that they are necessarily as good as their record but they are proving me wrong. Final Four I'd like to see is X, Arizona, Duke and MSU/ASU/Villanova.

But if there were, we would SO want it to be X!

[xu koop scoop]

Scruggs seems just fine in the rotation. Since BE Play started he has 9 Ass to 2 TO per other poster. Mack has given him a role & he seems to be following it to a T. I think JP can play point at times & he is 2nd on team for assists, with a 2:1 Ass/TO ratio. If anybody researches this, we can find several players who "sucked" at 3 PTs as a freshman but became 35% or better as their career progressed. Is Brad Redford available to help Coach 3's?

[GetUp5]

Scruggs has been totally fine running the point. Excited about his future at X.

On the other hand, him and Q need to stop shooting 3's. 3 for 37 combined on the season.....

[drudy23]

When they leave you that open, you have to shoot it. They will make some...eventually.

[XUFan09]

When they leave you that open, you have to shoot it. They will make some...eventually.Yep. And I bet that their shooting in practice just hasn't translated to games like expected. I'm not saying that they will be making a good percentage in the future, but they will probably start hitting enough shots to make opponents at least stay near enough to offer a late contest.

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[94GRAD]

When they leave you that open, you have to shoot it. They will make some...eventually.

The due factor is LARGE!!!!

[XMuskieFTW]

I'm pretty sure both Q and Paul were around 34% 3 point shooters in high school. They aren't THIS bad. You can tell Q's confidence is shot right now from deep. Just need to see one or two fall and shoot around that 33% for the rest of the year.

[muethibp]

The worry for me is that next year's team is not likely to be deep enough to avoid playing both Q and Scruggs at the same time; and I'm not sure a team can be real successful in modern college basketball when the best two guards are below average shooters. I worry we find that Q is a really good point guard with two great shooters on the wings but far less effective without them.

[GetUp5]

Q
Scruggs
Naji
Kaiser
Tyrique
_______________
Boudreaux
Harden?
Walter
James
Kennedy

If there has ever been a season that we need a grad transfer more than ever, it's next season... Hopefully someone that can shoot it.

[muethibp]

Q
Scruggs
Naji
Kaiser
Tyrique
_______________
Boudreaux
Harden?
Walter
James
Kennedy

If there has ever been a season that we need a grad transfer more than ever, it's next season... Hopefully someone that can shoot it.

Egads. Yes. I guess we should focus on this year. We're like the anti-Cubs: don't wait until next year!

[slysyl]

Think highly recuited players pick up a lot of bad habits in AAU ball such as shoot first pass last; and it takes some longer to learn team ball than others.

[XMuskieFTW]

Fully expecting to see both our points for and points against drop by 10+ next year.

[X Factor]

On the other hand, him and Q need to stop shooting 3's. 3 for 37 combined on the season.....

How is that possible?

[94GRAD]

How is that possible?

By missing 34 of their first 37 3 point attempts.

[mid major]

I don't know if this is legit or just me being picky. Is anyone else wondering where Scruggs development is at this point? Yes, I know freshman can take some time, but we are getting to the point where they should know the speed of the game and adjust at this point. Scruggs doesn't seem to have done that on the offensive end yet. His shot just seems off, or maybe it is rushed or lack of confidence I dont know. I would like to think a guy with his supposed level of talent will start scoring more because we all know in the dog days of February and tournament time we are going to need a guy like him...especially if Q finds himself in foul trouble.

https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2018/1/3/16846086/the-semi-obvious-value-of-paul-scruggs-xavier-basketball-quentin-goodin

[paulxu]

Scruggernuts?