2019-20 Media Love Thread

[WuShock Reaper]

Ranking college basketball's underappreciated coaches - ESPN

By: Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
Posted: June 7, 2019 7:00am cst

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26902747/ranking-college-basketball-underappreciated-coaches

"...Here's our list (each tier features different criteria) of the most underappreciated coaches in America. Coaches who are underappreciated because they've never won titles (The John Beilein/Gregg Marshall category)

1. Gregg Marshall: Last season was the Wichita State head coach's worst in a decade. Yet, he still won 22 games one season after losing first-round pick Landry Shamet along with key pieces from a senior class that had won 112 games over four years. Marshall continues to do this with unheralded talent, yet four Shockers have gone on to the NBA in the past five years, a list that includes Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and Shamet, a promising rookie with the LA Clippers. Marshall has rejected multiple offers from other schools because he's making nearly $4 million per year in a city where he's beloved. It's easy to forget how good he has been with the Shockers during his time with the program...."

[DUShock]

Ranking college basketball's underappreciated coaches - ESPN

By: Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
Posted: June 7, 2019 7:00am cst

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26902747/ranking-college-basketball-underappreciated-coaches

"...Here's our list (each tier features different criteria) of the most underappreciated coaches in America. Coaches who are underappreciated because they've never won titles (The John Beilein/Gregg Marshall category)

1. Gregg Marshall: Last season was the Wichita State head coach's worst in a decade. Yet, he still won 22 games one season after losing first-round pick Landry Shamet along with key pieces from a senior class that had won 112 games over four years. Marshall continues to do this with unheralded talent, yet four Shockers have gone on to the NBA in the past five years, a list that includes Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and Shamet, a promising rookie with the LA Clippers. Marshall has rejected multiple offers from other schools because he's making nearly $4 million per year in a city where he's beloved. It's easy to forget how good he has been with the Shockers during his time with the program...."

We have a winner!

[JVShocker]

FINAALLLLYY!!!!!!! We're back at the top of the polls again!:poster_wu::bball_spin:

[Aargh]

Dennis getting some love from Andy Katz on a report for the NCAA. One of the top 5 players in the AAC this year.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-06-10/5-most-important-players-aac-college-basketball-2019-20

[wichshock65]

Don't know if this is posted anywhere else, but it's a good listen for us news-starved shockernetters.

[Stickboy46]

Shockers in the Top 25 of teams of the last decade. Also of note .. highest in AAC and would be the 2nd highest in the Big 12 or Pac 12.

Top 25 of Tourney results too!

[JVShocker]

These are interesting to look at, but really nothing more. The results are skewed towards power conference teams. Not necessarily because they are good, but because of scheduling. Much of the scheduling involves home-cooking. That is ultimately reflected in their record and then they get a high seed in the post season tourney to challenge, well, a would-be challenger and more often than not the game location favors the better seed as well. WSU was an anomaly. Some of those teams ranked ahead of us would be ranked even higher had we not beat them in the NCAA Tournament. I would call Butler an anomaly as well on that Tourney list.

[RoyalShock]

Sports Illustrated's AAC power rankings

[TheShocktocles]

This was a pretty accurate assessment.

[WuShock Reaper]

"AAC 2019-20 Very Early College Basketball Predictions" - D1 Coach's Corner

Posted: 06/13/19

http://d1coachcorner.com/2019-2020/AAC-2019-20-very-early-college-basketball-predictions.htm

In the American Conference we’ve been hearing a lot about Memphis- and for good reasons. Coach Penny Hardaway has built this team into a major contender in division 1 basketball. This is an NCAA Final Four capable team. The team that I am most excited about is South Florida. Even though this team was 8-10 in the American Conference last season they were very competitive. The player to watch on this team is Zack Dawson III, who is a very good ball player.
Wichita State should be ready to push their way back up to the top of the American. In addition, Connecticut, Temple, and Cincinnati are in the mix. The rest of these teams may struggle a little to find their way. Keep in mind that after today things can change. Some teams still have scholarships left to fill. Cincinnati has 1, Connecticut has 2, Houston has 2, Memphis has 1, and UCF 1.

\With that said, here is how we rank the American Conference for the 2019-20 season.

1. Memphis...
2. South Florida...
3. Wichita State
Wichita State finished in 6th place in the American Conference last season with a record of 10-8 conference record and an overall winning record of 22-15, a little bit better than predicted. They also finished in the semifinals of the NIT. With so many young players on the roster last season Wichita State got off to a very slow start but ended up finishing strong in the American. Wichita State had a difficult time beating top tier teams in the American however. Players like Jamarius Burton, Dexter Dennis, and Erik Stevenson have all gotten a year under their belts and should be ready give a little more to the team. Wichita State had problems moving the ball and with scoring last season. For this reason coach Gregg Marshall has added Four (4) Four-star freshmen to the roster in Tyson Etienne, Grant Sherfield, Noah Fernanades, and DeAntoni Gordon. This team has nowhere to go but up.

Projected Starting 5:
Jamarius Burton PG
Erik Stevenson SG
Dexter Dennis SF
Asbjorn Midtgaard C
Jaime Echenique C

4. Cincinnati...
5. UConn...
6. Temple...
7. Tulsa...
8. SMU...
9. Houston...
10. UCF...
11. East Carolina...
12. Tulane..."

[Stickboy46]

Maybe there is something we aren't aware of? Maybe Asbjorn has developed into a stretch 4 and is now consistently hitting 3s?

[Topshock]

hahahaha Now that is funny, Stickboy!

[WuDrWu]

Kind of tough to put any stock in a prediction that has UH at #9. I don't care if they have 5 scholarships to fill, Kelvin Sampson isn't finishing ninth.

[Triticum]

Pretty sure the projected starting lineup is just based off minutes returning.

[Bluzrover]

That projected starting lineup is not what we'll see at the beginning of the season, regardless of any announcement that may come out in the next 24 hours. I agree with others that Wade will likely get the nod at the 4 as I just don't see DG ready to start for much of the season. I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect he will need some seasoning before he starts a game.

Now, what will be interesting is if we get an announcement in the next 24 hours that many of us are greatly anticipating. But can the French Connection break into the starting lineup as a young freshman? I'd argue DG may be a bit more polished and ready to go than Bilau, but only because Bilau has only played five seasons of organized basketball.

[shock-it-to-me]

Here’s a segment from sports daily yesterday with Taylor Eldridge. Good stuff

https://21143.mc.tritondigital.com/OMNY_SPORTSDAILY_P/media-session/5be8b84e-58b7-482a-80ee-cf98f464e9df/d/clips/4b5f9d6d-9214-48cb-8455-a73200038129/76dfe80f-0692-4ed1-9586-a92b008a0cb1/bd3d8cb6-6ff2-4db3-a6cc-aa770108a084/audio/direct/t1561478656/Taylor_Eldridge_talks_Shockers.mp3?t=1561478656

[WuShock Reaper]

"5 quick thoughts on the current state of Houston sports" - Sports Map

By Fred Faour
Posted: Jun 26, 2019, 5:56 am cst

https://houston.sportsmap.com/heres-how-the-nba-should-revamp-the-mvp-voting-process

"...Shakeup in the AAC and how it impacts UH
UConn is going to return to the Big East, primarily because of travel and the fact that the school is focused primarily on basketball. The future of its football program is up in the air. What does it mean for UH and the AAC? It's probably a good thing. UConn basketball has fallen off the face of the earth, and the once-proud program offers little to the AAC. The football program, also once on the cusp of success, has been in a tailspin. It would not take much in the way of a program to be an upgrade for the conference. But sticking with 11 would not be the worst thing in the world, either. It would mean a bigger split for the remaining schools, and is there really a program out there that would move the needle? BYU? Sure, but they seem happy as independents. Boise? Success, but offers little in the way of a TV market and travel is an issue. Maybe Air Force or Army, but beyond that, there really is not a program that adds much. Buffalo out of the MAC is on the rise, and might be worth a look, but the conference might be better off at 11. The addition of Wichita State in basketball was a good trade-up from UConn and this might be a case of addition by subtraction...."

[Bluzrover]

Wow, I had no idea Coach Waterman was that adept at recruiting! Great segment, thanks for sharing!