Top 20 returning forwards to the Valley next season

[electricmayhem]

I'm not trying to get in a pissing match with you guys, because I respect your opinion. The articles are written to drive discussion like this - I think it's healthy and fun in the offseason. I'll share these thoughts:

I did watch GS against Washington State. It was his best game as a Shocker by far. It also was only the second time in his career that he hit double digits in rebounds. I know he doesn't play much, but how could he be ranked in the top-5 or top-10 if he isn't on the floor more than 15 minutes per game? Granted, that might change this year, but I still can't see him playing more than 20-25.

Polished was probably the wrong word. Effective is closer... I'm not looking for finesse in a guy that's 6-9, 275. I want him to do what he does - rebound, block shots, finish around the rim, and scare people in the lane. GS is more of a finesse player, and if that works for him and WSU, perfect. I'd rather have a power player in the middle, especially given the wealth of guards that WSU has. That's why JT was effective to me -

[Ta Town Shocker]

GS is a complete player, he has a good inside power game and can shoot the jump shot effectively. Next season he will be playing more than 15 min a game because of the losses of Durley, Blair, and Ellis. I don't see him playing more than 25 min a game either but he will be very effective in those minutes.

[150946shox]

Good job Electric. Naturally we as fans always think our players are better than the other guys and we will disagree, but you've tried to base your list on what you've seen and on the actual minutes and statistics of the players.

As for Garrett, I am a monster fan. I expect great things from him. However, I understand that you based your decisions on what the players have done on a consistent basis, not on what their best games indicate. I believe Garrett will have very good offensive numbers if he can play enough minutes. His defense will make that determination. If Coach Marshall is happy with the defense Garrett is playing, and if Garrett can avoid foul trouble, he will play 22 - 25 minutes a game and will have good numbers. Stamina is not the problem, defensive quickness and fouls are.

As for who starts at the 3, I consider it up in the air. Ben is a really good catch and shoot player and rebounder. However, he does not create his own offense and his defense could still use some improvement. If he plays defense well enough, I would expect him to have a good shot at starting and playing over 20 minutes a game, keeping David Kyles in an off the bench position. However, if David Kyles becomes more consistent, both offensively and defensively, I could easily see him starting at the 2 with Toure at the 3. This could be a lock down defensive team.

It would be interesting to keep your lists and take a look in March next year. Of course, even then fans of any school will still see their players as better than the oppostion. That is what fans do. We of course see our players of last year as the best in the conference, but we won neither the regular season nor the tournament championship. Someone in Wichita even wrote that the Shockers 2nd team last year was the 2nd best team in the conference.

Needless to say, I will go into next season believing that my Shockers are going to dominate. It is human nature. I will love the players, even when they lose and much of Shocker Nation are yelling to bench particular players because their shots aren't falling.

Your lists do succeed in generating discussion and I for one appreciate your efforts. If I don't agree with all your points, so be it. I watch the Shockers 30 plus games a year while I watch our opponents anywhere from 2 to maybe 6 or 8 times in a season. Sometimes, you only really understand what a players brings by seeing him game after game.

Thanks for your efforts.

[BOBB]

Re: Top 20 returning forwards to the Valley next season

Here's the follow-up to the guards article... this time, the format is different!

http://www.examiner.com/missouri-valley-basketball-in-national/top-20-missouri-valley-returning-fowards

Thoughts?

Yes. Making a top 20 list of forwards in the Valley is like making a top 13 list of scholarship players on a team.

[notquiteBWing]

It's nice to have some basketball discussion :)

Thanks for the article. I don't watch enough of the other teams to have much of an argument.
Depending on the criteria you used to make these judgments, this might be very accurate. I feel like the WSU players are better than you say, but with much less playing time, they didn't show the numbers. So by numbers, this seems fair.

Also for all interested, I'm going to diffuse the starting lineup chatter until the team starts practicing in the fall.

I had mentioned this in some other thread a few weeks ago, but many may not have read or believed it.

Ben will be the starting 3. Unless he's beat out consistently in practice. This is out of coach's mouth.

Rest easy.

:goshocks:

[Zardoz]

I'm not sure if your definition of forwards works real well with how the Shockers play. It's fine with Stutz, Hall, EO, and JW. It might fall apart with players like Kyles, Murry, and Smith. Can play either wing and I think it will also apply to EW and Ede. Scouting says that Ede maybe able to guard 1 to 4.

[Snapshot9]

Stutz is not a forward, he is a center (yes, some teams still have them).

[SubGod22]

I'd easily take Garrett and his game over Echineque. For all the knocks Garrett gets on his hands and being soft, from what I've seen of Gregory, Garrett is the man. Maybe I haven't seen him play enough. He's good, but he's not the beast one would think by looking at him and his height/weight. Maybe Durley and Blair were just that much better than him that they pushed him around and made him uncomfortable. I don't know. But if Echineque is really the 3rd best non guard in the league, we have issues as a group.

[Snapshot9]

I think we have to wait and see to how Stutz reacts to being a senior. I remember seeing Miller become quite a bit more aggressive his senior year, and we all know how that turned out. I am sure that Garrett wants to go out in a big way!

[shock-it-to-me]

It's nice to have some basketball discussion :)

No - I'd rather a new thread be started on the new shocker underwear available at Victoria's Secret. 8)

[SubGod22]

It's nice to have some basketball discussion :)

No - I'd rather a new thread be started on the new shocker underwear available at Victoria's Secret. 8)

If the Angels are modeling said underwear, pics would be a must!

[shock]

They have shocker undies at Victorias Secret?!? I'm getting some.

[electricmayhem]

You guys are scaring me...