Holes in roster may have hurt Raiders in Wisconsin
Jan 7, 2008 10:43:52 GMT -5
Post by Doliboabros on Jan 7, 2008 10:43:52 GMT -5
Holes in roster may have hurt Raiders in Wisconsin
By Marc Katz
Staff Writer
Monday, January 07, 2008
GREEN BAY — Coaches and players are going to find no solace in losing Horizon League games at Milwaukee and Green Bay, but I'd suggest, in the long run, just playing those two games the way Wright State did is going to help the Raiders.
Even though the season began with what appeared to be a full roster for the first time in a few years, the available number of players deteriorated quickly.
It probably wasn't as "strong" a roster as originally constructed anyway.
First of all, 6-foot-9 Duquesne transfer Ronnie Thomas was coming off knee surgery and missed most of his transfer year's practice schedule. The same with North Carolina-Wilmington's John David Gardner, who missed most of two seasons with a foot injury.
That meant those two — who were to play and still will play big roles this season — were almost in the same situation as raw freshman recruits. It didn't help that Thomas then broke his foot, and has been slow working his way into playing shape since then.
Then, during pre-season practice, freshman guard N'Gai Evans broke his hand, missing a few weeks of key drills to help the Raiders learn coach Brad Brownell's system.
That wasn't all. Junior college transfer Gavin Horne, another big man expected to contribute many minutes a game, came up with infected blisters on his feet. Soon after the season began, he badly sprained his right ankle and is expected to miss several more games.
Scottie Wilson missed a game when he broke a facial bone in practice and Gardner has sat out the last two games with a head injury.
So it wasn't good news Saturday night when starting sophomore guard Vaughn Duggins went up for a shot and came down on somebody's foot. Duggins sprained his right foot and had to sit out three-fourths of the 52-49 loss at Green Bay.
How does all this help the Raiders? Well, freshman Troy Tabler is getting many more minutes than he would have, and so is freshman Cooper Land. Evans, who didn't even play in the team's first 10 games, is now a key reserve. They're giving Brownell some options off the bench.
Sure, Wright State already has three losses in Horizon League play, a total it had all last season. Remember, though, there are two more games in league play with the addition of Valparaiso, and already everybody has lost in the league except for Cleveland State, and how long do you think that's going to hold?
As this season plays out — and next — the additional experience Tabler, Land and Evans receive will certainly help the Raiders.
You'd rather gain that experience while winning, but sometimes you have to take it any way you can get it. The Raiders lost, sure. But the team may have improved at the same time.
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/01/07/ddn010708raiderconnection.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=38
By Marc Katz
Staff Writer
Monday, January 07, 2008
GREEN BAY — Coaches and players are going to find no solace in losing Horizon League games at Milwaukee and Green Bay, but I'd suggest, in the long run, just playing those two games the way Wright State did is going to help the Raiders.
Even though the season began with what appeared to be a full roster for the first time in a few years, the available number of players deteriorated quickly.
It probably wasn't as "strong" a roster as originally constructed anyway.
First of all, 6-foot-9 Duquesne transfer Ronnie Thomas was coming off knee surgery and missed most of his transfer year's practice schedule. The same with North Carolina-Wilmington's John David Gardner, who missed most of two seasons with a foot injury.
That meant those two — who were to play and still will play big roles this season — were almost in the same situation as raw freshman recruits. It didn't help that Thomas then broke his foot, and has been slow working his way into playing shape since then.
Then, during pre-season practice, freshman guard N'Gai Evans broke his hand, missing a few weeks of key drills to help the Raiders learn coach Brad Brownell's system.
That wasn't all. Junior college transfer Gavin Horne, another big man expected to contribute many minutes a game, came up with infected blisters on his feet. Soon after the season began, he badly sprained his right ankle and is expected to miss several more games.
Scottie Wilson missed a game when he broke a facial bone in practice and Gardner has sat out the last two games with a head injury.
So it wasn't good news Saturday night when starting sophomore guard Vaughn Duggins went up for a shot and came down on somebody's foot. Duggins sprained his right foot and had to sit out three-fourths of the 52-49 loss at Green Bay.
How does all this help the Raiders? Well, freshman Troy Tabler is getting many more minutes than he would have, and so is freshman Cooper Land. Evans, who didn't even play in the team's first 10 games, is now a key reserve. They're giving Brownell some options off the bench.
Sure, Wright State already has three losses in Horizon League play, a total it had all last season. Remember, though, there are two more games in league play with the addition of Valparaiso, and already everybody has lost in the league except for Cleveland State, and how long do you think that's going to hold?
As this season plays out — and next — the additional experience Tabler, Land and Evans receive will certainly help the Raiders.
You'd rather gain that experience while winning, but sometimes you have to take it any way you can get it. The Raiders lost, sure. But the team may have improved at the same time.
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/01/07/ddn010708raiderconnection.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=38