2022-2023 Roster
Apr 12, 2022 21:22:06 GMT -5
Post by Big D on Apr 12, 2022 21:22:06 GMT -5
I get wanting Manciel. He looks great on tape, don't get me wrong. Durkin looks good too. I just think that, if the discussion is over our 2022-2023 roster, we've got good pieces in the works for replacing the talent and skillset of Tanner; but we've not done a good job replacing the interior skill set of Grant, and I'm very hesitant to give Wilbourn or Braun Basile-like minutes based on their play last season. Braun could surprise us in the offseason, especially if he puts on weight, I just think we should have put our eggs in another basket to give Braun one more year to work his way into being our #1 inside option. I'm disappointed that the coaching staff doesn't see that as an issue with our roster moving forward.
A few thoughts:
1. I think our staff is very comfortable with our interior play next year. We are actually in much better shape inside next year than we were this year. This year we only really played 2 interior guys for 8-9 minutes a game together. Grant averaged 32.6 minutes a game. AJ averaged 14.9 minutes. Wilbourn was seldomly used. We actually played 4 guards much more often than we played 2 posts. This year we actually have 3 legit post options and the potential of Wilbourn being a 4th option. You obviously aren't very high on AJ if you don't think he will be ready to step into major minutes next year. Personally, I think he is going to be the best post player in the HL next season. He was a true freshman this year and he played most of the season with a breathing problem after he got Covid and he still made the All Freshmen team in the HL. His minutes were limited because he was having so much trouble with his conditioning because of his breathing. He was also a TRUE freshman trying to adjust to the speed of the college game. He was thinking when he should have been reacting during games. That isn't going to be a problem for him next year. He is going to be bigger, stronger, quicker, and more confident. I have no doubt he is going to take his game to the next level. If you have paid any attention to the way Nagy develops post players, you should know that is going to happen under his tutelage. I think Sisley will start at PF and be an absolute stud too. His coach at Evansville was a moron for not playing him more all season. Through the last dozen games of the year he started giving him extended playing time and he averaged double digits in those games. I think AJ and Blake could be a 2 headed monster in the paint all by themselves. What I'm really excited to see is Brandon Noel get his chance. He was looking great his true freshman year and the staff planned to play him in the rotation with Love and Basile before he tore his ACL. He has had 2 years to bulk up in the weight room and I think he is going to compete with AJ and Blake for one of the starting spots and worse case, he is going to be in the rotation with them. If they split the minutes available between PF/C they each will play 26 minutes a game. I don't think that is far fetched by any stretch of the imagination. The wild card is Wilbourn. Like most Raider fans, I was not impressed at all with him this year. The thing is, he is still on our roster. He played hurt the entire year with multiple small injuries which limited his ability to practice, condition, or gel with his teammates. If our coaches didn't think he had the potential to help next year, I don't think he would still be on the roster. I think they would have suggested he find a new home at his end of the year meeting with Nagy. The fact that he is still here makes me believe our staff thinks they can make something of him.
2. Our biggest weakness this season (besides our lack of depth) was our lack of having an athletic SG that could create his own shot and knock down 3s. We played against zone defenses almost every game because of that. We aren't worried about replacing Tanner with our last scholarships. We are trying to add an elite athletic guard and a wing that can shoot from outside at an elite level. Manciel would be a huge get for us. If we add him, he will immediately be challenging for a starting spot at SG and more importantly, that will allow us to play Finke at his more natural position of SF.
3. If we land Manciel and a SF like Bobby Durkin, we will actually have really good quality and experienced depth next year. At PG, we have Calvin/Norris. At SG, we would have Manciel/Huibregtse. At SF, we have Finke/Welage. At PF/C, we have the 3 headed monster of Braun/Sisley/Noel and potentially Wilbourn. After that we would have 3 true freshmen that we can work into the rotation as they develop: Woods, Carter, and Durkin. That added depth will keep our players healthier/fresher, improve our defense, and improve our outside shooting. Guys like Finke really suffered from playing crazy minutes last year. He had dead legs most of the year and that really affected his jump shot. His shots were flat line drives a lot of the time. That is a sign of fatigue. You eliminate the fatigue, you improve our shooting. Having 3 guards on the court at all times that can knock down 3s and 2 legit posts on the court at all times will make us a very very dangerous team next year. I just hope we can land Manciel and Durkin or another talented wing that can knock down 3s.