A brief look ahead as we await the MVC tournament

[jocoshock]

I am not convinced that we can/will go into next year with Shaq, Nurger, and big Bush at the 5. All of them have questions.

So did EO, Chadrack, Darius,and Kadeem...

and Garrett for 3 of his 4 years....

[jocoshock]

It's interesting that mostly Marshall puts a five on the floor that consist of a PG, a combo guard, a guard/forward, a stretch 4, and a Post Forward.

Small forwards playing the 4 under Marshall consist of: Wessel, Early, Smith, Ellis (?). Guards playing the three are even more numerous (Hatch, Murry, Wiggins, Cotton).

That's why I think McDuffie will play the 4 at WSU. Not sure if Hamilton or Nurger can ever be posts or if they are stretch 4s as well.

I expect Hamilton to be a 4. When we signed him HCGM said think of him as another Cle, in 4-5 years...

I think Rauno has potential asa 5, but it will take some work.

[Ta town]

I would think Markis will end up being a 4.... But I will say that about the 20th time a caller asked coach to talk about next years signees he talked about each of the 4. (Frankamp wasn't involved in this particular conversation). At the end Marshall made the statement that they basically had signed a 1, 2, 3, and a 4. With Hamilton being one of the 4 discussed I assumed Markis to be the 3.

[wufan]

I would think Markis will end up being a 4.... But I will say that about the 20th time a caller asked coach to talk about next years signees he talked about each of the 4. (Frankamp wasn't involved in this particular conversation). At the end Marshall made the statement that they basically had signed a 1, 2, 3, and a 4. With Hamilton being one of the 4 discussed I assumed Markis to be the 3.

If McDuffie can truly play the 3 by the time he is a sophomore, then look out Valley! He's going to be a tough match-up.

[kochHead]

This thread should be called "blow your off season load today!"

[Dave Stalwart]

I am not convinced that we can/will go into next year with Shaq, Nurger, and big Bush at the 5. All of them have questions.

Not gonna lie. I've thought this too. I'm going to go ahead and say that anyone who didn't see the floor against UNI is squarely "on the bubble."

Especially anyone who hasn't sat a redshirt year yet and was never actually recruited. Sorry.

[Zubcut]

[Q

[pinstripers]

If McDuffie can truly play the 3 by the time he is a sophomore, then look out Valley! He's going to be a tough match-up.

We might have to play a zone defense, though.

[shockmonster]

We might have to play a zone defense, though.

But we'd be tall.

[shocka khan]

For those of you who are kvetching about the lack of progress of SM, RN and RK, I have two words: Kelly Olynyk. No, I don't think anyone in this group will ever have that kind of potential, but it will be interesting to see what SM, RK and especially RN can do with an off season of intense coaching and weight conditioning. If these guys were juniors or seniors and playing like this, I would agree that we should be concerned, but they're freshmen. Their bodies will develop, they will get stronger and smarter and they will be better. We just don't know what their ultimate potential will be. I think I heard a play-by-play announcer say that a famous coach once said that the best thing about Freshmen is that they become Sophomores.

Having said that, I think it would have been best for RN to redshirt this year, he wasn't near strong enough to play in the low post.

[ShockRef]

I'll be surprised if they do NOT.

If you don't think they are out recruiting then you haven't been paying attention. They are looking under every rock and stone for a legit low post player(s) and will find what they need before next year.

That is all.

[shocka khan]

ShockRef, perhaps they already have what they need. There were a lot of people who said that Stephen Hurt was the second coming of Carl Hall. How'd that turn out for the kitties?

No, I don't think they will sign another low post player unless they're like a first team NJCAA all-American or top 50 Freshman. Otherwise, it's just as big a crapshoot as what they have right now.

[Dan]

For those of you who are kvetching about the lack of progress of SM, RN and RK, I have two words: Kelly Olynyk. No, I don't think anyone in this group will ever have that kind of potential, but it will be interesting to see what SM, RK and especially RN can do with an off season of intense coaching and weight conditioning. If these guys were juniors or seniors and playing like this, I would agree that we should be concerned, but they're freshmen. Their bodies will develop, they will get stronger and smarter and they will be better. We just don't know what their ultimate potential will be. I think I heard a play-by-play announcer say that a famous coach once said that the best thing about Freshmen is that they become Sophomores.

Having said that, I think it would have been best for RN to redshirt this year, he wasn't near strong enough to play in the low post.

Olynyk took a redshirt after his sophomore year. A few of our guys could stand to take this route.

[jocoshock]

ShockRef, perhaps they already have what they need. There were a lot of people who said that Stephen Hurt was the second coming of Carl Hall. How'd that turn out for the kitties?

No, I don't think they will sign another low post player unless they're like a first team NJCAA all-American or top 50 Freshman. Otherwise, it's just as big a crapshoot as what they have right now.

Exactly.....

[Jhook89]

That definitely seems like the most obvious scenario. If Brown steps up big in the off-season, though, and is a better 3 than Nurger, Kelly, and Glass are 4's then that's the only scenario I see Wessel starting at the 4.

Exactly. I think it all comes down to who steps up next year, a 3 or a 4. Wessel will start at the weaker of the two positions.