Previewing Rider

2007 Scouting Report / 2008 Scouting Report
2008 Schedule
Roster

Rider Offense 06-07

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	49.7	183
Turnover Rate	19.7	81
Off Reb Rate	29.6	283
FTM/FGA	25.8	145

Hopefully this preview won't end up quite so retrospectively embarrassing.

They're just sayin'...

The Broncs return four starters from the only Division I team in New Jersey to finish above .500 last season, led by All-American candidate Jason Thompson.

That's right; stick it, Rutgers!

Jason Thompson is the 2008 MAAC pre-season player of the year, and he's one of the best forwards we're going to see all season. He averaged 20 and 10 in 2007, and like Bo McCalebb, he is a very high usage player. Only one other guy on the team--departed point guard Terrance Mouton--used an above average number of possessions last season. From Draft Express:

As one would expect from a player of Thompson’s size in a smaller conference, he gets the majority of his touches in the post. He does a fairly good job of getting position and keeping it, but at 250 pounds, there is room on his frame to add more muscle, which would certainly help him at the next level. What is interesting to observe, is despite having a height advantage on most of his defenders, Thompson often tries relying on his speed rather than his size to score. He has a fairly quick spin move and shows decent footwork on the block. He is very aggressive going to the basket and shows nice touch around the hole, but as is common with so many college big men, he often rushes his shot, releasing before he is squared to the rim.

Good early test for the Pack's interior defense.

Thompson's presence aside, Rider is on the smallish side, and they tended towards a perimeter-oriented attack in 2007. They're shooting threes less frequently so far in '08, but there's no telling if that's a real indicator of stylistic change.

Starters:

Justin Robinson (6-2, 185) -- Robinson is tasked with replacing Mouton's steady hand at the point. Tough going so far--he's averaging 7.2 turnovers per 40 minutes (42.5% turnover rate).

Harris Mansell (6-3, 215) -- Rider's third-leading scorer a year ago, Mansell hit 53% (70-132) of his three-point attempts. He's 8-11 through three games this season.

Ryan Thompson (6-6, 210) -- Ryan has the potential to be a versatile scoring threat to complement his big brother; outside shooting was a problem in 2007, but he should be much closer to an average three-point shooter in 2008.

Mike Ringgold (6-7, 200) -- The freshman has had a nice start to his career shooting the ball, but not so much in other areas.

Jason Thompson (6-11, 250) -- Take a look at the 2007 scouting report and you'll see a lot of red ink next to Thompson's name. He rebounds well at both ends, gets to the line often, blocks shots, dishes assists, you name it. He'll take the occasional three (maybe one per game) but he hasn't been effective from out there over the course of his career.

Bench:

Lamar Johnson (6-3, 190) is the sixth man; he'll probably be good for 20+ minutes tomorrow, and he should be pretty involved offensively. He is a three-point specialist--or, rather, a wannabe three-point specialist since he takes a ton of them but doesn't hit many (32.6% for his career).

Joel Green (6-8, 210) had himself an unfortunate 2007--he shot 35.8% from inside the arc. He's a solid shot blocker, but that's about it.

Matt Griffin (5-11, 165) is competing with Robinson for the point guard slot but has so far taken the back seat.

Rider Defense 06-07

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	50.3	180
Turnover Rate	18.5	305
Off Reb Rate	34.5	218
FTA/FGA	29.4	36

They held their own on the interior thanks to Jason Thompson, but perimeter defense was a problem. The Broncs didn't force many turnovers--no one on the roster is particularly adept at stealing the ball--and they didn't rebound well defensively, either. Not that any of this will matter if we come out with another lazy effort.