stan the man or J Cage?

[JAX 3758]

I look at Cage as being one of the most underrated players in recent memory due to all of his contributions that did not show up on the stat sheet. He was a great defender who always made some of the better players we faced work for everything, including brian roberts (or as he is famously known on udpride BROB). It was pretty impressive to see J Cage sometimes having to defend much quicker guards and not only stand his own, but shut them down!

On the other hand, I believe that this team is very lucky to have a player like stan, (obviously) especially after losing cage. I think that a lot of stans publicity as a "lockdown defender" is well deserved. I believe that with the schedule we are playing, with the OOC games we have had this season, it was the "perfect storm" I guess you could say. The publicity was there for the taking and stan accepted the challenge and for that I am very thankful. If you would have asked me 3 years ago if stan would eventually turn into the prototypical TEAM player, I probably would have smacked you in the face. I stand corrected tho.

So I put this out there for anyone willing to answer...who do you believe is the better defender?

[vee4xu]

Both were four year starters, but their personalities cannot be more different. Cage was a quiet warrior, doing whatever had to be done to allow X a chance to win. At first, it was Sato who defended and Cage watched him and learned. For the next three years Cage was as good of a shutdown defender as X has ever seen. Stan on the other hand came here with flash and flair. He loved the spotlight and defense was just a reason to take a break between shots. However, Miller gave Stan the challenge of becoming an all around team player who is selfless. Stan took that challenge midway through last year and has carried the mantel as top dog defender this entire year in the vein of Sato and Cage.

To me, I would take Cage if forced to choose because he had an assasin's mentality. Miller never had to tell Justin what he had to do in order to give X a chance to win. Justin just knew it and did. Stan learned how to be a team player and though that is good, it wasn't innate. The stuff Cage did was innate.

So, my vote, with all due respect to Stan is Justin Cage.

[mhettel]

I'll go with Stan on this one.

We did have Sato and Cage, who were both great defenders, but both those guys gave up big games to the opposing big scorers. It seemed like they always made the opposing guy work alot harder, but it often seemed like they got the points eventually.

Stan has given up virtually nothing to anybody this year. Roberts didn't score from the field when Stan was on him (Stan came out and Roberts immediately hit a 3). Lofton and Singletary did very little. Gordon settled for late game scraps.

So in my view, a defensive stoppers job is to STOP the opposing scorer, not just make it harder for him to get the points.

But, in my view, the REAL reason I pick Stan is because he makes his defense a personal battle that I think is contaigous. Stan CHALLENGES his guy to beat him., He's giving 100% effort the whole time. He makes it worth watching, and I think that accomplishes many things, including raising his teammates level of defense, and probably getting under the skin of his guy to the point where they would force things.

Stan is having a great year. Offensively, he's effective without demanding the ball, and defensively, he's setting the tone for the best defensive team in the league.

In my view, the best senior year improvement since mike Hawkins.

[xuhoops17]

vee, I couldn't have said it better myself. It was exactly what I was going to write, only you were able to say it better. Burrell has done outstanding things for this team the past four years, but Cage is the real warrior.

[finalfourorbust]

Both are great defenders, but, I think they have been asked to do different roles. Stanley's role is to shut down the opponents best scorer at the guard position and I think he does a better job than Cage because he is quicker. Justin was ask to shut down the other teams top scorer at the guard and forward positions. I think Stan is a better on the ball defender with the guards and Justin was more versitile because of his size and strength.

[Xpectations]

Given the question seems to be simply, who is the best defender, I think several of the other reasons given, while perhaps true, don't really apply that much.

I have a compound answer ...

...Justin Cage is the better 4-year defender, and by a good margin.

...this season's version of Stan is playing the best perimter defense I've seen at XU in my time watching (since 1980), and it's not even close. The quality of the players he is defending, the consistency of those players in games other than when they go up against Stan, and the degree to which he has shut them down is unprecedented.

...Justin Cage could defend more players than Stan. He could defend opponents from 5'10" to 6'10" effectively. That's not Stan's fault; it's more a matter of Justin's height and wingspan.

...If I had to shutdown one stud guard and could choose any former XU player from any given season, I would absolutely chooose the '07-'08 version of Stanley Burrell. Again, it isn't even close.

[Mr. Neutral]

Very close call, with no definitive answer, but I'd go with Cage. With his size and athleticism, he was able to defend guys at every position, and he seemed to come up big offensively in big games when X really needed him.

Stan's D has been great, but he's limited to defending SG's or PG's, and his offense is not what is has been in the past.

[CarlosTheJackal]

First, it is good, very good, to even be able to have this discussion.

Second, I want to remark on the somewhat interrupted tradition at X of having a lockdown defender. The first I can recall was JD Barnett. Cage grew into the role, and provided the modeling for Stanley's assumption of it this year. I am hoping we find worthy successors in following seasons. I would hope that the fans would even pick up on it, applauding even more after impressive defensive possessions. I was always impressed with the way Temple held the matchup zone together for those many long years and different player combinations, and would like to see a similar tradition here.

I'm going to go with Cage, for the reasons cited by others. I also agree it is apples and oranges, the style of defending is different. Cage defended his assigned guy more solo than not. He was a master of understated, efficient positioning.

Stanley has become more aggressive because the defensive scheme includes his getting help whichever way the defender takes the ball on the dribble. Stanley is not only aggressively defending the 3, but the entry pass as well. He could not do that if the back door was open after his overplaying. The scheme has that covered. AND it has aggressive switching by the other 3 not involved in the trap. Yes, someone often ends up with an open look in this defensive style, but it is usually the 4th or 5th best scorer on the floor, in a place where he doesn't want to take a shot. Cf Binnie in the Dayton game. He's standing at the arc with the ball, pretty open, and is looking around for where to pass it.

Give Sean credit for bringing both of them around to playing this role.

[Wisexuowl]

<Stan's D has been great, but he's limited to defending SG's or PG's, and his offense is not what is has been in the past.> .. from Gary.

Nor does it have to be. Nor is offense a part of the question, but interjecting one has to look at it with lots of firepower coming from CJ, BJ, Drew, and a much improved scorer in Brown, Xavier is not as depended on Stan as in past years.

Still, no opponent can leave him be (see UD game) and concentrate on Drew outside.

Who is the best defender. A question that can't be answered. They are both outstanding, they had different roles, and I am proud of each.

[_LH]

Xpectations nailed it. Stan has been great this year but career wise Cage was better. For one year only, the answer is Stan.