shyhyme wrote:
Man this board is getting way too negative for my liking. I look at is this year and see a situation similar to what Wichita State had last year, except we have way more injuries. The experience our young guys are getting is invaluable and will pay off.
I'm kind of with this. We have 4 players who’ve played D1 ball for more than 2 games. Two are excellent players, Aher is a bit up and down, and Bruno’s… Bruno.
The desire for instant dominance after the Final 4 is understandable, but it’s worth noting we didn’t have tourney experience before hand, so we missed out on the recruiting ramp up that a few appearances brings. If you look at a team like Wichita: they made the NIT, then won the NIT the next year, then made the tourney, THEN made it to the Final 4. We meanwhile went zero to sixty, from 18 wins to the National Stage.
Sure the last year we had two strong seniors returning, but the 2016 freshman class of Skokna, Chastain, and Satterwhite was an overall miss. Leaving us without a strong junior class to support our seniors. Honestly, outside of Jackson and Townes that class was a relatively large swing and miss (can’t forget the other JUCO’s: Vlatko Granic, Treyvon Andres, and Igor). That carries on today as we have a void in senior leadership. A JUCO guard in in the last recruiting class would have helped, but we lost a on a few transfer recruiting battles (Cashaw who would have played last year, and Prentis Nixon who would be running point this year… we also missed out on a couple of graduate guards who would have played this year as well).
Speaking of recruiting classes, it’s also worth noting this recruiting class is really our first impacted by the final four run. Tate Hall and Tykei Greene were the only recruits signed after the run (Kaifes, Agunanne, and Bujdoso were Fall signees). Kaifes was a hit, and I think Agunanne has a real chance to be a nice player for us. But both are out at the moment, so the experience/knowledge they gained can’t be utilized on the court.
This current crop of recruits is the most talented we’ve had under Moser’s tenure, but their heads are understandably going to be spinning for a bit. New game speed, new offense, new defense, new teammates, new target on their back. This isn’t a case like a few years ago where 2 freshman (Lucas and Krutwig) could lean on 5 four-year players to cover up their errors, always be in the right spot, and take the pressure off them. This is 2 juniors stepping into sole ownership as leaders + Uguak, with a completely new team trying to learn the D1 game… Oh and they’re playing with a freshman point guard who’s probably playing out of position… and there’s no available back up… At this point trying to win now and playing for next year are one in the same. The fact is we return everyone, and with injuries/roster make up this entire team is returning minus Bruno.
I don’t really say this all as an excuse, as much as it is the reality, we have a young but talented team that’s being thrown into the fire. Pipkins and Clemons (when healthy) should adjust relatively quickly. Pipkins while not perfect, has definitely looked better in each game offensively. Tate practiced with the team last year, but practice isn’t the same as playing under the lights and there’s still an adjustment, though again, I think he’ll adjust more quickly. Then there’s the three freshman, who will likely have high points and low points throughout the year. For as much as I loved Cooper last season, he disappeared for stretches of games. That said I think Kennedy will be a special player; and him being thrown into the fire allows him to learn a bit faster rather than getting a quick hook.
The shooting problem is real, but it’s important to acknowledge that it’s not something that’s been ignored. Clemons was 40% shooter in JUCO taking about 3 a game, + Norris (a proven pg) and Kaifes were both above 45% as FRESHMAN who shot at volume. Circumstances make this frustrating, but the teams in a great spot when looking down the line.
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