This year

[tornado]

I think Sam is about at his ceiling. ....

I disagree and I will give my reasons..

first...as you said, he can get better with outside shooting, but also his driving and dishing has improved...
on the Brazil trip he averaged over 17 ppg, and even his rebounding improved...
(3 rpg compared to 1.9 rpg last season)

Have you not seen Sam's upper body development? He has worked incredibly hard to get stronger, and this will help him become a better defender and a better rebounder.

then he is definitely smarter...he was a smart kid all along, but with 2 years of Valley play and coaching from one of the great PG's in Valley history, I think he will a considerable notch better this year in passing, shot selection, ball handling, and decision making.

then finally, I know Sam, and I can tell you he is drivien to help lead BU to win the Valley this year.
That's not saying anyone can see the future or make guarantees...but after two years of Sam wanting to help BU succeed, now he wants to to LEAD them to succeed...and I think we will see that attitude in his play.

[georgethedog]

I disagree and I will give my reasons..

first...as you said, he can get better with outside shooting, but also his driving and dishing has improved...
on the Brazil trip he averaged over 17 ppg, and even his rebounding improved...
(3 rpg compared to 1.9 rpg last season)

Have you not seen Sam's upper body development? He has worked incredibly hard to get stronger, and this will help him become a better defender and a better rebounder.

They don't play defense in Brazil...

A bigger upper body won't help him get to the 3 point shooters quicker or make him taller so they can't shoot over him. He may be able to push them around a little bit more, which is good... Sam tries harder than anyone and I like Sam, but he has a lot of trouble getting to the three point shooters and trouble distracting the taller ones he guards (which are most of them).

Finally, if he gets to them many of them go right around him for a layup or dish. That's just the way it is until we see differently. I wish it were not true, but it was at least since he has been here. I don't see how those things change (height and foot speed).

Maybe positioning, experience and desire can overcome these things. Sometimes they can. I am hopeful. Do they have elevator Nike shoes yet???

[shaunguth]

They don't play defense in Brazil...

There are also more possessions because of the shot clock and more playing time because of the very limited roster. I wouldn't really put much stock in the stats coming out of Brazil. My only hope is that the team was able to work on some things by playing together against the competition.

[Bradleyguy10]

I agree with you BradleyBrave. I wouldn't say he's hit his ceiling but I'd definitely say he's reached a barely inclined plateau. I don't see much improvement coming from him unless it's with even more heart. I'm not saying he's bad..not at all. DC you can't really convince me that he'll be much improved just because his arms got even bigger. Should've played football if that's the case. He'll be a very very good player I'd say 14 to 16 ppg this season, but skill wise I don't see him as improving much more this year from last year. Now maybe when it's his senior year and his last year I could see a whole lot more just out of pure heart that SM has. That guy has some heart and I think I'd take that over a lazy skilled guy any day.

[shaunguth]

This is the mentality we're dealing with......"I guess I've misread their board then. I always read that Egolf is very highly thought of. Will the Thompson kid finally see the floor this year or is he still a year or two away?"

So because Egolf is "very highly thought of" he's also expected to be our best player not named Warren?

I believe Thompson will see the floor this year, but that's to be expected to see more playing time as a sophomore. I also don't expect to see much of Eastman or Edwards this season, but probably more of them in 2010-11.

Still waiting to find out who exactly is counting on Egolf to be one of our best two players this season. Of course, I believe Prosser to be "very highly thought of" so maybe he'll be one of our best two players as well?

[brocks]

Still waiting to find out who exactly is counting on Egolf to be one of our best two players this season. Of course, I believe Prosser to be "very highly thought of" so maybe he'll be one of our best two players as well?

I actually wouldn't count that out (the Prosser comment).

[shaunguth]

I actually wouldn't count that out (the Prosser comment).

Nothing against JP as I'm very excited to see him play, but very seldom is a freshman one of the best two players on a team.

[brocks]

Nothing against JP as I'm very excited to see him play, but very seldom is a freshman one of the best two players on a team.

Agreed. Not a prediction. Just a note that JP seems like a rare kind of recruit in the MVC. "Mid-majors" seldom get a kid his size who isn't somewhat of a project. JP has the skill and tools to contribute right away. And he doesn't have the "Styx" weight problem.

[AZ BU Fan]

IMO, the success of BU this year (and next) will also hinge on JL and his staff settling on a playing style and establishing his players' roles within that style.

Every year seems we have players moving from the 1 to the 2 to the 3 and back, or, from the 3 to the 4 to the 5 from game to game, often within the same game.

Hard for players to get used to each other, and, to learn to run plays/defend correctly if they are constantly changing positions in offensive and defensive sets. Do other successful programs have players changing positions/roles as often as BU seems to do?

JL will also have to manage players' playing time and attitudes/expectations since he has so many players to choose from this year and next. A nice challenge to finally have!

[shaunguth]

IMO, the success of BU this year (and next) will also hinge on JL and his staff settling on a playing style and establishing his players' roles within that style.

Every year seems we have players moving from the 1 to the 2 to the 3 and back, or, from the 3 to the 4 to the 5 from game to game, often within the same game.

Hard for players to get used to each other, and, to learn to run plays/defend correctly if they are constantly changing positions in offensive and defensive sets. Do other successful programs have players changing positions/roles as often as BU seems to do?

JL will also have to manage players' playing time and attitudes/expectations since he has so many players to choose from this year and next. A nice challenge to finally have!

Great points! Hopefully we won't be seeing TB at the 5 this year!

[chitown fanatic]

My main concerns are rebounding and turnovers, especially the latter. We averaged close to 18 turnovers a game last season if I'm not mistaken.....this needs to be around 12 if we really want to play an effective 3 guard offense. The nice thing is that it appears we already have 4 legit scorers without Warren. Adding him will likely only slightly diminish others' totals. The wild card is what we get out of Prosser or any other freshmen. With as many cupcakes as we have at home to start the season, I want to see what Thompson can give us. We need 8-10 minutes from him a game if possible to spell other bigs.

[dogsrus]

Really? How so? I think Sam is about at his ceiling. The only ways I can see him improving on his game is by shooting the ball better from 3, and not getting toasted on defense. If he can do those things he will be improved. If AW is healthy and playing, SM's production naturally decreases IMO.

You asked and answered the question...Improve shooting and defense. With better strength and conditioning I'd like to see him be a better finisher also.

Saying he's at his ceiling is selling him short IMO. Hard work and practice, something Sam will do, will improve his game. I'm not looking for SM to turn into something he's not...just advance the skill set he has. I'm confident he will and from early reports from Brazil he's on his way.

[it's boogie time]

There should be some improved depth. So if something like what happened to Sam down in the tournament in Florida with his feet, he should be able to rest and not be forced to play big minutes.

I'm hoping Sam's shooting percentages go up. He seems to be like most shooters - above average when set and shooting in the flow of the offense and below average when he forces shots.

[Dubl R 1]

I think Sam M is a tremendous asset to this team, and we are very lucky to have him. I also feel he gets sold short more than any other team member BU has, especially for someone who has put up very, very good #'s over his first 2 seasons on the hilltop.

I also think the statement about Sam already being at his talent ceiling is just plain foolish. He may be close to the ceiling athletically, but as far as his skill set, I have no doubt he will continue to get better and better this year and next. Just take Jeremy Crouch for example, the strides he made between his sophomore and senior seasons were tremendous. And it wasn't just athletic improvements. Sam will no doubt continue to improve on his ball handling, passing ability, shooting, positioning, and his overall basketball I.Q. and understanding of the D-1 game will continue to rise as his career progresses.

I understand he has had some shortcomings defensively in his first 2 years, and no, he will never improve his height. However, there were several factors his first 2 seasons that put him at a disadvantage defensively. His freshman year, the first year he's seen Division-1 caliber talent mind you, he's thrust into the starting point guard job after an injury to Ruffin, so he gets a little bit of a pass from me in his 1st season.
Then his sophomore season, the whole year, to me, everyone besides Eddren is playing the majority of their minutes 1 position away from where they should be, thanks to the injury to AW, and WE. I mean Sam was mostly in the game with EM most of the time, so he's guarding the 2 or the 3 a lot of the time. That's a lot to ask of a 5'11 player at the D-1 level, not to mention he was counted on to carry a heavy scoring load, and he was injured for the first 1/3 of the season, but had no time to rest and heal given the hand he was dealt. Trust me, it is REAL tough to have to keep adjusting from position to position to cover other peoples injuries over your 1st 2 seasons at the college level.

With all this, he still put up some pretty impressive #'s over these past 2 years, and the list of people with better #'s in their first 2 seasons is not very long. If BU stays healthy, and Sam can be used correctly along side AW and CR( who will draw defensive attention), not to mention if we have any inside presence to keep the defense honest, Sam and the rest of our guards can only benefit from it, and should and will improve their game.

[dogsrus]

I think Sam M is a tremendous asset to this team, and we are very lucky to have him. I also feel he gets sold short more than any other team member BU has, especially for someone who has put up very, very good #'s over his first 2 seasons on the hilltop.

I also think the statement about Sam already being at his talent ceiling is just plain foolish. He may be close to the ceiling athletically, but as far as his skill set, I have no doubt he will continue to get better and better this year and next. Just take Jeremy Crouch for example, the strides he made between his sophomore and senior seasons were tremendous. And it wasn't just athletic improvements. Sam will no doubt continue to improve on his ball handling, passing ability, shooting, positioning, and his overall basketball I.Q. and understanding of the D-1 game will continue to rise as his career progresses.

I understand he has had some shortcomings defensively in his first 2 years, and no, he will never improve his height. However, there were several factors his first 2 seasons that put him at a disadvantage defensively. His freshman year, the first year he's seen Division-1 caliber talent mind you, he's thrust into the starting point guard job after an injury to Ruffin, so he gets a little bit of a pass from me in his 1st season.
Then his sophomore season, the whole year, to me, everyone besides Eddren is playing the majority of their minutes 1 position away from where they should be, thanks to the injury to AW, and WE. I mean Sam was mostly in the game with EM most of the time, so he's guarding the 2 or the 3 a lot of the time. That's a lot to ask of a 5'11 player at the D-1 level, not to mention he was counted on to carry a heavy scoring load, and he was injured for the first 1/3 of the season, but had no time to rest and heal given the hand he was dealt. Trust me, it is REAL tough to have to keep adjusting from position to position to cover other peoples injuries over your 1st 2 seasons at the college level.

With all this, he still put up some pretty impressive #'s over these past 2 years, and the list of people with better #'s in their first 2 seasons is not very long. If BU stays healthy, and Sam can be used correctly along side AW and CR( who will draw defensive attention), not to mention if we have any inside presence to keep the defense honest, Sam and the rest of our guards can only benefit from it, and should and will improve their game.

Well put...the only thing I'd change is the word "foolish"...I don't like calling other posters opines anything but what they are...opinions. I understand your point though...to say SM won't get better or that he has hit his ceiling is foo...uh er mistaken The JC ex. was perfect.