2018-2019 Shox Offseason Predictions and Discussions

[pinstripers]

Next year we will return 3 of our 9-man rotation, or maybe only 2 of them, or perhaps only 1 of our top 9. Good possibility we won't be projected to go dancing. (but you knew all that)

[Shox The Revenant]

I really want to see Landry get drafted in the first round. It's good for him and good for us in terms of future recruiting. The more players we can send to the league, the better we look to top profile recruits. I'm no NBA scout, but I wouldn't hold a 'one-off' bad performance yesterday against him, I would however take a longer look at his ability to beat his defender in 1-on-1 situations. Landry needs to bulk up, he's tall enough for an NBA PG, his handles are good enough, but he'll get easily bumped off his line based on his size. I think he needs another year in college to bulk up and and learn how to use his larger body, and more importantly, he needs to 'find' that explosive quickness to get by his defender which he lacks right now. He's being picked anywhere from 20th - 29th in 5 out of 7 mock draft listings with the other two showing him being drafted in the second round. But if it appears he safely in the first round, he needs to go. I'm counting him out for next season.

I don't foresee Lomax honoring his commitment with WSU. There are simply too many personal intangibles for him to ignore. Playing at home, in front of his family and friends, with his AAU and high school coach who he has basically grown up with learning and developing under and undoubtedly with other players on his AAU/Highschool team who will also go to Memphis. That is a lot of pros to stay in Memphis vs the cons if he didn't. If the roles were reversed in the same exact situation, and a Wichita kid had signed with Memphis, we'd all be thinking he'd end up choosing to stay in Wichita.

Has anyone thought of a scenario where Maggie is graduating this year, the children have left the nest and HCGM begins to yearn to go back to his east coast roots? Some national pundits have already started saying he's maximized his utility here in ICT and it's time to go, (don't call to ban me Fever, I'm just reporting what I've read). If HCGM does leave, do we also lose Stevenson and other recruits, who transfers?

The key to maintaining this gravy train is that HCGM stays like we all expect. Next, we can afford to lose Shamet, we cannot afford to lose Lomax. If we lose both, we're an NIT team at best. If we miraculously keep Lomax, this team has the potential to be an AAC Chamption next year. I can see Markis, after finally getting healthy, improving his game and playing like we think he's capable of. I can see Austin, after having an injury free sophomore season, bulking up a bit and improving his conditioning to be effective for an entire season. I look for Stevenson to be a mix of Ron Baker's internal fire with a dab of Grayson Allen's street ball mentality, sans the cheap crap.

We've got some size down low coming in next season that Lomax will make look better than what they really are. Today's NCAA game appears to be gravitating to more athletic and skilled big men instead of the old sheer bulk and size to dominate the low post that I think we have. I'm afraid we've stock piled a bunch of slow footed but bulky big men. I guess we'll see.

[shelback]

I think your least likely scenario is coach packing up. Less then a dozen coaches get paid more and football first schools don't like paying that kind of $$$$$ for a hoops coach and the schools that do like to keep it in the family.

[ShockerFever]

God, the KC crap gets so old. Same shtick, different name.

[ShockerFever]

KC, you also forgot to mention that McDuffie will be transferring out too and that Charles Koch is pulling his support out of WSU for image reasons and we'll be forced to play basketball in a darkened arena powered only by cell phone camera lights.

[FadedCrown]

Very early predictions
Record: 21-14 (11-7)
Finish: 4th in AAC, lose in 2nd Round of AAC tourney, NIT
MVP: Landry Shamet

[Rlh04d]

You think we go 8-5 in the nonconference? Hah.

We've known for a long time how many players we'd lose off of this team next year. If our nonconference is so loaded that we have 5 games we can lose, our staff is dumb. If our team is bad enough to lose 5 games against a relatively easy noncon, we're losing more than 7 in conference.

[shoxrox89]

Final four next year, book it and remember who called it!

[ShockAzs]

God, the KC crap gets so old. Same shtick, different name.

We need to make you a mod for like a week.

Can we ban Shox the Revenant? All these jabs about losing ALo, etc is maddening. He ain't right, and what's with all these projections of pure bs?

[golferc]

Agree move him out

[ShockAzs]

3G has not done all that he can do here. Anybody that says otherwise is in pure troll mode. So these tards that say he has, are saying a final four is our absolute ceiling.

And if you're good enough to make a final four, you're good enough to win a NC. So STFU about talk that 3g has done all he can here.

And Shamet is not going anywhere. He's got a score to settle, and next year he will settle it. He's also got to develop a crossover. Too many times he's been forced out rather than crossing the defenders over. That could lead to some deadly mid range game - something we were badly missing this year.

[pinstripers]

I didn't see anybody speculate about Coach leaving, but I'd be shocked if he left, or even had any opportunities. Landry's decision is probably completely financial. He's the son of a single mom, and God bless him whichever way he decides.

[pinstripers]

https://247sports.com/Article/With-a-major-roster-change-coming-what-will-Wichita-State-look-like-in-the-2018-19-season-116328341

Nice read, but the writer isn't an insider by any means

[Rlh04d]

Odd that he has Keyser at the 2 and Reaves at the 3. Even assuming he's right on roster moves (Shamet), I'd flip those two without question.

[Aargh]

I agree that Shamet is not a PG. He does a very good job at playing PG for someone who is converted to the position. In 11 years, Marshall has recruited 1 HS PG. His love for combo guards that he thinks he can convert to PG's isn't working out well.

Shamet already has a "can't defend the perimeter" on his NBA draft reports. "Can't drive to the basket" seems likely to show up in scouting reports. That's enough to keep him out of "have to go now" territory. Shamet is maybe a bit quicker than Baker, but not much. Baker is stout enough that he can knock defenders off of their routes. Shamet can't do that.

With the PG skills Shamet developed playing the position for a season and a half, if we can get Lomax running point by conference season, those two could be a dangerous combo. I think in that case, Reaves backs up Shamet at SG. Reaves is not as quick as a lot of players he would have to defend in the AAC.

[golferc]

Agree totally and would add not strong enough to guard pt guards at the next level

[Aargh]

Shamet's strength, is his shooting, his court bvision, his passing, and his BBIQ. That's a lot. He's not the basketball equivalent of a good scrambling quarterback. Sometimes he gets himself into situations where he's unable to continue what he was attempting. He's not good at dribbling out of those situations. He can tend to lose a handle or throw an ill-advised pass when it's time to scramble.

[Dan]

Next year we will return 3 of our 9-man rotation, or maybe only 2 of them, or perhaps only 1 of our top 9. Good possibility we won't be projected to go dancing. (but you knew all that)

i see this as a good thing as much as a bad thing. We’ll be inexperienced but at least we appear to be replacing underachievers with young hungry talented players.

[Zubcut]

This was a nice year.although it didn’t live up to anyone’s expectations. Landry was really good last year. Five TUrnovers today (15 for the team) and turnover problems at other times don’t match what he did as our point guard the last half last year and that was disappointing. His intelligence seemed to fall off the track from what he accomplished last year. I don’t see him as a sure first round pick and think he may return. I also expect him to return to last years form next year. With his adding weight and strength, he will be what we all expected this year.

The last mock draft I saw had Landry going #18 in the first round. That's only 3 out of the lottery. NBA scouts love him. I think he's long gone. He could always surprise us ala Miles Bridges at MSU. I'm not holding my breath on that one though.

[golferc]

Operative word MOCK

[SHOXAAC]

The last mock draft I saw had Landry going #18 in the first round. That's only 3 out of the lottery. NBA scouts love him. I think he's long gone. He could always surprise us ala Miles Bridges at MSU. I'm not holding my breath on that one though.

Cle projected 1st round too.

[ShockerFever]

I didn't see anybody speculate about Coach leaving

You must be illiterate.

[WichitaStateGuy]

Just curious what jobs you foresee opening up? Right now, I can't think where he'd possibly want to go. Louisville? I'd feel like I was joining the sting quartet on the Titanic.