The season ends...............
Mar 6, 2005 21:48:39 GMT -5
Post by Raiderfan on Mar 6, 2005 21:48:39 GMT -5
Big said:
I am looking forward to next season and I think we will be better than this year for several reasons.1. Continuity—if WSU doesn’t lose any players this off season, we will return 8 players that suited up for WSU this year and 2 players (Graham and Wilson) that practiced with the team while they red-shirted. Last year, WSU only had 4 players that suited up for WSU the previous year. This season, we only had 3 players (Drew, Zakee, and Dashaun) that played for WSU last year. We return 4 starters and 6 of our top 7 players.
2. Experience—WSU shouldn’t have to play a true freshman in our starting lineup next season. That is huge for us. The core of our team has been playing together for the last 2 seasons and that should start paying dividends for us next season. We don’t have to go through the highs and lows that go along with playing true freshmen major minutes.
3. Depth—WSU should have much more depth next season. The big question is will Coach B use that depth. I think everyone likes our starting 5 for next season. If WSU can get significant minutes off the bench from 3-4 guys, we should be pretty tough. I think that is a realistic goal. Coach B is already comfortable playing Taylor. I think we can get decent guard play off the bench from either Graham, Shine, or the guard we sign with our last scholarship. Personally, I really like Graham. I have seen tape of him in the Kentucky HS tournament and he was an exciting player when he was healthy. He is a very quick player that sees the court well and knows how to score and distribute the basketball. I have watched him during warm-ups all season long and he looks like he has developed a pretty good 3 point shot. I look forward to seeing him in the summer leagues. Chancellor should be a guy that can play 15-20 minutes off the bench for us next season in the post. I think Munroe will continue to develop and Craft/Wilson have potential. Even if we use these guys sparingly as specialty type players, they can help the team.
4. Off season improvement—If you look at our returning players from last season, they all made significant improvements during the off season. Statistically, they all made big strides. Wood went from averaging 8.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists as a freshman to 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists as a sophomore. Boyd went from averaging 5.9 points and 1.8 rebounds as a freshman to 11.6 points and 2.8 rebounds as a sophomore. Drew went from averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman to 11.0 points and 4.1 rebounds as a sophomore. I expect them to continue to develop as players and I think Spencer and Pleiman are going to have breakout seasons for WSU next season. They will both benefit from some time in the weight room and individual workouts with the coaches like last years freshman.
This thread kind of got lost on the topic of where UWM will get seeded so I pulled it out of the threat.
Big D, you make several good points. We will have 4 starters returning next year and 3 double digit scorers! It is interesting how Jordan's & Everrett's numbers this year are similar to Zakee's & Drew's last year when they were both freshman. Spencer's numbers were 5 ppg & 4 rpg and Plieman's numbers were 5 ppg & almost 5 rpg. If they both improve at the same rate that Drew and Zakee did next years team will be much improved.
The key next year might be who steps up off the bench. Assuming Jaron is your solid 6th man we need at least 2 of the following to step up next year if we expect to go even 8 deep, Chanceller (PF), Parysh (PF), Craft (C, PF), Graham (2/3), Scottie Wilson (3/4), or Lorenzo (2). Of course you have the X factor with 1 ship to be filled.
According to PB on one of his recent radio shows both Graham and Wilson are viewed as projects who won't contribute much next year. This last scholarship might be more important then we realize???