Head-to-Head Stats as Frosh: Rosen vs. Cartwright

 

As the men's basketball team heads into break, I thought it would be good, just for fun, to compare the numbers freshman guard Miles Cartwright has put up so far to those that star junior Zack Rosen tallied during his first eight games as a freshman. Now before taking a look at the numbers, remember that this comparison is somewhat unfair, but I'll have more on that after the digits.

So through their first eight games as freshman:

Cartwright ('10-11) Rosen ('08-09)
Points per game 11.1 4.3
FG% 50.8 24.4
3pt FG% 34.5 20
FT% 90.5 66.7
Assists per Game 2.3 5.1
Turnovers per Game 2.1 1.6
Rebounds per game 1.8 2.9
Steals per Game 1.6 1.5
Fouls per Game 2.4 3.1
Games Started 0 8
Now at first glance, it appears that Cartwright, aka "Mizzo," has performed far better than Rosen did in his first eight games, and, yes, that is true. However, that last stat is one of the most important of them all. Rosen started in each of his first eight games and he was essentially thrown into the fire to try to lead a team. His first game? How about matching up against current-NBA guard Ty Lawson and the North Carolina Tar Heels? It also looks like, based on the numbers (I didn't watch many games myself as a frosh) that Rosen mainly jacked up threes and looked to facilitate (in his first eight games, Zack had at least 7 dimes in three of those contests, but he was also dreadful from deep).

Meanwhile, Cartwright has had the great opportunity to come in and not only play alongside Rosen (both guards each help one another get open looks) but also come in under Rosen's wing after the junior has really blossomed as a leader. So, ultimately, I believe that much of the difference between the two, numbers-wise, can be attributed to the different roles they were asked to fill upon arrival at campus.

With that said, what Cartwright has done is extremely impressive. The points are great, especially coming off the bench, and his ability to drive and dish gives Penn another key playmaker on the court alongside Rosen.

His crafty ability to score inside (because let's face it, he's not bulldozing anyone) is also one of his great strengths.  But to me, what's been most impressive has been his poise. Whether it was the first game, when he came in quickly after Rosen picked up two early fouls, or just his demeanor in general when he's on the court, he just looks comfortable. He looks for his shot when he's open (which is harder than it sounds for a freshman) and he's not afraid to attack the rim.

So I'll toss it out to the Buzz faithful: what's your take on Cartwright?

(As an aside: Is anyone else concerned about Penn's free-throw shooting so far this season? Without Cartwright's steady contribution at the charity stripe (19-21 FT's), Penn as a team would be even worse than their atrocious 66.5% so far)

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