Implications for next season?

[Guest]

Ok, apparently I was never done on the post-game thread Ok, maybe if we had Ruffin, things would break differently for some games, and we'd have a decent record (maybe not at-large NCAA or NIT qualifying), but a decent record none-the-less. But what is worrying me at this point is next season.

Ruffin, Crouch, and Salley are gone. We have a coach who apparently loves a three and four guard system (we even had Ruffin, Franklin, and Bennet on the floor at the same time at times pre-'06-07), so what happens next year? Even if we go big, will they develop? Will Thompson actually be able to succeed at a under 200 lbs. 6'11" post-player? Any thoughts?

[Rusty 54]

I think Sam M and Warren will carry the team. But I think that pretty much everyone thinks that way.

[thefish7]

Well I'm a bit worried about this 4-guard thing too. I'd like to say that I have no problem with 3-guard sets, but we need to recruit and utilize size. It's a part of the game, this whole rebounding thing.

[ph]

Sounds like AT would make a huge O contribution, now (see sig). His D needs tons of improving, though.

I still wonder if we are using the 4th big to practice with AT on game day, and that's why we only play, at most 3.

[jasonpeoria911]

Well, at some point we have to get DC and Egolf some considerable playing time because a Thursday night tourney date is almost sealed in ink. I say, use the rest of these 10 or so conference games to get our future players some great playing time so that they won't have to spend half the season getting re-adjusted after sitting out almost a whole season. DC, Egolf and Austin all need 20+ minutes here on out. Give them Singh/Salleys & TCS's minutes. We desperately need to develop an offensive center or 2nd Forward. One that rebounds as well. A PG should not have more rebounds than most of your teams players. Thats sickening.

Jason

[BradleyBrave]

Call me crazy, but I think we're going to be pretty good next year. Sam and Warren will be as good as any 1-2 combo in the league. I personally think their ceiling is higher than the DR-JC combo's is. Despite the poor game, TW is quality player who can do a lot of different things. Bigs are a question mark, but I think WE and AT are very talented kids. One has to assume at least one of our JUCO bigs will progress - they certainly can't give you less than Salley does right now. These losses are tough to take, but much like the '05 team taking their lumps, this team should learn and grow from this. I think talent-wise, we'll be fine and should be able to contend in this league. Execution-wise...we'll see.

[real fan]

In order to be good next year we need someone that can score, rebound, and block some shots; since no one is doing any of these things now I see the team doing a lot of what they are now in playing too many guards and trying to win games with the 3 point shot, I thought Egolf had the potential to be very good just like Sam M. is but we never ran any inside plays for him, he also appeared to be a rebounder so if he keeps sitting on the bench he will never develop into the type of player I thought he could be.

[CLBravesfan]

I'm curious what this will do to future big man recruits. JL has shown constant use of guard play in games and not giving big men a chance to be part of the game plan. Why would a future big consider coming knowing what a gurad oriented system we have. They might look at DC and others sitting and just go elsewhere.

It will be interesting what AT shows after this year, POB I remember really only getting 22 minutes a game usually do to foul problems, but it might have been coaches decision as well. I just don't remember POB playing more than 24 minutes a game when he was here (I know I may be wrong but that is what I remember).

As I posted before I beleive we will be anywhere from 2 and 6 conference wins, I just don't see a down side to see what our bigs can do if given a chance. We know what our guard game plan can do and it has brought us a 1-5 conference start. Now is the time to see what the bigs can do.

[Double D]

Call me crazy, but I think we're going to be pretty good next year. Sam and Warren will be as good as any 1-2 combo in the league. I personally think their ceiling is higher than the DR-JC combo's is. Despite the poor game, TW is quality player who can do a lot of different things. Bigs are a question mark, but I think WE and AT are very talented kids. One has to assume at least one of our JUCO bigs will progress - they certainly can't give you less than Salley does right now. These losses are tough to take, but much like the '05 team taking their lumps, this team should learn and grow from this. I think talent-wise, we'll be fine and should be able to contend in this league. Execution-wise...we'll see.

As I have mentioned in previously, I think we will see significant improvements from our junior college players next season. JL and the staff just need to help them keep their chins up and not allow the failures to snowball into a negative environment. Along with that, If one of the soph bigs (WE, AT) emerge as a reliable contributor along with Sam M. we will have a good team.

It is too bad for DR and JC, but I think in hindsight the expectations were too high considering the number of new (jc and frosh) players we were relying on. The issues we have during this bad stretch were emerging pre Ruffin injury.

I think for our program to be back on the track we need to develop our current bigs and recruit players who are better "on the ball defenders" and very aggressive around the basket whether they are 6-5 or 6-10. I still like our new players but it just looks like they need a full year of seasoning before they can be relied on.

Call me a "glass half full guy", but I don't think we have any other choice. It is OK to be dissapointed in a lack of acheivment and I am as upset as any (esp. during and post game), but we need to forge on.

[lefty]

Call me crazy, but I think we're going to be pretty good next year. Sam and Warren will be as good as any 1-2 combo in the league. I personally think their ceiling is higher than the DR-JC combo's is. Despite the poor game, TW is quality player who can do a lot of different things. Bigs are a question mark, but I think WE and AT are very talented kids. One has to assume at least one of our JUCO bigs will progress - they certainly can't give you less than Salley does right now. These losses are tough to take, but much like the '05 team taking their lumps, this team should learn and grow from this. I think talent-wise, we'll be fine and should be able to contend in this league. Execution-wise...we'll see.

ok you're crazy....It's hard to say...I struggle with the idea that if WE,DC,RA,TCS contribute a whole lot now why all of a sudden next year they would be real good? We will have to see. SM and AW are pretty set but after that I don't know what you really haveto look forward to.

I can't believe DC and WE are having that bad of practices to not play at all the last several games when we are doing nothing inside

[BradleyBrave]

ok you're crazy....It's hard to say...I struggle with the idea that if WE,DC,RA,TCS contribute a whole lot now why all of a sudden next year they would be real good? We will have to see. SM and AW are pretty set but after that I don't know what you really haveto look forward to.

I can't believe DC and WE are having that bad of practices to not play at all the last several games when we are doing nothing inside

You're right, it is hard to say. But we've seen countless examples of drastic improvements from players' 'rookie' year in DI to their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. Despite the mounting losses, there has been improvement both individually and as a team. With bigs I feel like it's even harder to be an immediate contributor, but I also feel they make the most strides with experience. I don't think there will be a better 1-2 guard combo than Sammy and Andrew, and that's a good start. Our success will certainly depend on whether or not we can improve up front.

[thefish7]

I think Jason's suggestions are extreme, but I believe we should start working our bigs back into the gameplan hell or high water. This lineup certainly isn't winning, so it's time to start something new. In addition, it's time to get WE and DC some more exposure, and RA for that matter. I believe we should have 2 bigs on the floor most of the time, especially until Ruff gets back... AW and TW should split time at 3, and AW and JC should split time at 2. I've been saying, I think since the exhibitions, that TW can't play the 4 (no knock against him, I like him a lot), it's time to stop wasting that effort, and keep his minutes at the 3 (which is where Boogie played if I recall).

[molar50]

It seems as if Les has been committed to playing just 7 guys. They are trying, but it has to be tiring, especially late in the second half. I am not sure if our guys are not tough enough, but just out of gas. We have not seen DC, Egolf, or much of RA and they are not getting better sitting on the bench. Since we are very likely playing on Thursday in St Louis, we would be better off now playing 10 players. This would help for the tournament (although I cannot see us getting past Friday) and help for development of next year. Unfortunately, I do not think we will be any better next year. I hope I am wrong. SM and Warren will be solid, but there are too many unknowns. I think we will be picked second again in the Valley, second from the bottom.

[basketball nut]

Well, at some point we have to get DC and Egolf some considerable playing time because a Thursday night tourney date is almost sealed in ink. I say, use the rest of these 10 or so conference games to get our future players some great playing time so that they won't have to spend half the season getting re-adjusted after sitting out almost a whole season. DC, Egolf and Austin all need 20+ minutes here on out. Give them Singh/Salleys & TCS's minutes. We desperately need to develop an offensive center or 2nd Forward. One that rebounds as well. A PG should not have more rebounds than most of your teams players. Thats sickening.

Jason

Great post! We should be playing DC & WE at least 20 minutes a game so that way we could have gotten beat by DU by 30 points and lost last weekend to NIU by at least 10 points. That way we woud all know that we do not have chance in ???? to beat anyone the rest of year and we could finish dead last as even Evansville would be able to beat us w/ your line up and philosophy.

[Dubl R 1]

Great post! We should be playing DC & WE at least 20 minutes a game so that way we could have gotten beat by DU by 30 points and lost last weekend to NIU by at least 10 points. That way we woud all know that we do not have chance in ???? to beat anyone the rest of year and we could finish dead last as even Evansville would be able to beat us w/ your line up and philosophy.

Let me ask you something Basketball Nut, who has BU lost to this year by anywhere near 30 points when Egolf and Collins have played more than 5 minutes a piece. In fact, what is BU's record this year when those 2 have been in the rotation VS. when they have not. I'm not saying they put up great numbers, but the team was winning. What is so risky about trying that again? We've got nothing happening right now, can't get much worse than a 1-5 start to the conference season. What would be lost on trying to play that 8-9 man rotation that we were winning with earlier in the season?