I think we are going to be pleasantly surprised next year. It’s the night of our exit from the conference tournament, so we can be bummed out, but I think the future looks bright, and looking back on this season, we actually did a great job. We won the conference regular season and finished with 20 wins (and maybe more). Last years’ regular season had six losses. This years season had 12 — BUT:
1) We had a tougher non-conference schedule this year.
2) This years team had a target on its back - and got the most fired up team to beat us every time We took the floor. We were also picked #1 in the conference. Weren’t we picked fourth or fifth last year?
3) despite having a lot of talent back with the big three, we didn’t have the lengthy time to create Chemesty among the players as last years team. Last years team really only lost Doyle, but got lucky enough to add Krutwig. Custer, Townes (RS), Ingram, Jackson, Richardson (and Skokna) were all with the 2016-2017 team and had time to gel together, and were all quite familiar with each other’s styles and Porters system going into the 2017-2018 season. Last year, we were learning to play without Doyle with a weaker non-con schedule. This year we were learning to play without Ingram, Richardson, and Jackson... and really, for the bulk of the season, Williamson as well. And we did it with a much tougher schedule. That seems like a way harder task than last year if you objectively stand back and look at it. They stepped up to it though, and found a way to get 20 wins.
4)everybody saw our stars and our schemes last year - we were looked at, dissected, and analysed by the college basketball community non-stop for 2 and a half weeks. Everyone we played this year knew all about Krut, Townes and Custer and had 5 really great pieces of film to scout us with, see our offense, etc. But last year we were a bunch of kids that came out of nowhere. We snuck up on everyone. This year we snuck up on NO ONE.
I don’t buy into next year being a rebuilding year. It’s just losing 2 guards. I don’t necessarily care that it’s two POYS, because Porters system is built around team offense and not a star player ( look how well that worked out for Yarborough and ISU). Williamson, Krut, Uguak and Kaifus will all be back next year, and we just don’t know what any of these three freshmen’s potential is. Nobody on here was thinking Krutwig, when he came in, would be a guy who was scoring 17 points against the university of Michigan in front of 76,000 people. Any of those three (or all of those three) could be the next diamond in the rough, like Krut, that puts this team over the top.
We still have a chance to win an NIT title this year. 68 of the best teams aren’t gonna be in our bracket - so no excuses. We have a chance this year to hang yet another banner in Gentile. And even if we don’t, we are a 20-win, returning conference champ, with a returning Final 4 coach, with the pre-season player of the year, the best defender in the conference, and 3 highly touted recruits with huge potential next year.
ONWARD NIT ONWARD Seniors ONWARD LU!
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