Musa and Mo
If you’ve had the thought, ‘Musa Sagnia makes me think of Mo Diarra’, you aren’t alone. Both are 6’10”, Musa is 20 pounds heavier. Both very athletic. Both international players, and coincidentally,
Sagnia is also probably Muslim. (The Gambia is a muslim country) Who could forget the great “Ramadan Mo” tournament? Both came to NC State with statistics that didn’t make you jump and shout, but both demanded attention immediately. Mo had been the #1 JUCO player coming out of Garden City CC (17.8 / 12.6 / 1.7), but couldn’t translate that to Missouri (SEC). If you compare their resumes when they arrived at NC State:
The stat comparison is similar, except for the most important factor. High level experience. Musa played 111 more games in a pro league, a league that is second only to the NBA as the highest quality play in the world.
This is not to say ANYTHING negative about Mo Diarra, I’m just pointing out Musa Sagnia’s impressive potential. Mo is one of my favorite players of the Keatts era. He was a day 1 starter for the Pack, and in game one went for 10 / 14 / 1 including going 2/6 from 3PT. (surprise!) And he has started well in France, averaging 7.4 / 5.1 / 0.9 in 7 games during their regular season.
Musa
What we’ve seen so far looks really good.
Game 1 – He played only 15:04 and clearly seemed to be adjusting to the college game – particularly the whistles. The physicality he is accustomed to is not allowed. He picked up 5 fouls. However, he was 2-2 from the floor (4 pts), grabbed 4 rebounds (2-2), 3 assists, and 4 steals. He led the team in steals and tied for second on the team in assists.
Game 2 – Lubin picked up an early foul requiring Sagnia to enter the game early and he played 21 total minutes. UAB had more size and talent than Central, but he adjusted and picked up only one foul. In the first half, while the offense was struggling, Musa grabbed 9 rebounds – a half which may not be topped all season. For the game he had 4 points, he led the team in rebounding with 10 (3-7), 1 block and 1 steal.
So Far:
- He’s leads the team in rebounding averaging 7 per game, while averaging only 17.5 minutes.
- He hasn’t missed from the field yet. (unlikely he’ll keep that up)
Is He Ready to Start?
For some schools (e.g. those we saw this week and will see next), he might start. However, the Wolfpack is too talented for Musa to push someone to the bench. Based on a very small sample size, the Pack has a great problem – a lot of guys can play:
- PG – Holloman or Copeland will always be on the floor for their passing, and they have played together at times in both games.
- SG – Likewise, McNeil or Able will almost always be on the floor for their outside shooting, and they too have played together in both games.
- Wing – Arceneaux has seen limited playing time apparently due to his Achilles acting up. Copeland has played there in his place; however he’s not contributing much on the rebounding end having only 3 rebounds in two games while averaging 20+ mins. Arceneaux has played only 18 total minutes but has 5 boards. If Arceneaux isn’t full speed, and even if he is, this is a flex postion that could improve rebounding.
- Forward – Darrion Williams is the best player on the team. He is our best forward, is he our best wing as well? He has to be on the court. He could flex to the wing role, but who takes his place? Is the benefit worth it? Jerry Deng is shooting well (40%) from outside but has only 6 (3/3) rebounds so far. Ven Lubin hasn’t had a chance to show us an outside shot yet, but he is rebounding a little better than Jerry. He’s hitting 3PT shots in warmups, so he should be the first option, if they try it. Arceneaux played some forward in Houston. We need rebounding at the forward!
- Center – Observing our very small sample size, so far Lubin looks to be the superior offensive option and Sagnia the better defensive and rebounding option. However, we are hearing from practice that Sagnia is a better shot than we have seen in games. In two games the Wolfpack is averaging 104 ppg, offense doesn’t seem to be a weakness, defense and rebounding need help.
Starting Sagnia?
Coach Wade recently said that (paraphrased), ‘while the goal is the team be top 20 in both offense and defense, a top 10 offense is the path to greatness.’ Based on that, it might be that while Musa’s offensive game is a work in progress, Lubin will be the primary at center. And possibly for the entire season.
If it does happen, it won’t be anytime soon unless something bad happens. The problem with shifting the players around to different positions right now is, they are still learning to play the new system in their current positions. Especially on the defensive end. Once they get that down, then the options open up to experiment. Looking ahead, that opportunity might not open up before the two game gap between Auburn and Kansas.
But it’s going to be a lot of fun watching Sagnia come into his own. He will be a critical piece this season and hopefully beyond. He’s going to be a star and a fan favorite. Kudos to the Wade / Slater brain trust for spotting him and making this happen.
