Future

[ShockerFever]

NBC Sports way to early 2016-17 Top 25:

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.c...season-top-25/

This doesn't make any sense. The fall of WSU basketball is upon us according to Valley fans, KU fans, and all sorts of all-knowing pundits.

[molly jabali]

CAN'T....STOP.....WATCHING...THIS...:)

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

IMO Mike K has accurately described the Shockers - slightly lower floor at the beginning of the season but a higher ceiling as the team matures/gels into a typical Marshall cohesive team (more athletic players for HC3G to coach).

Talent: The Shox just lost 2 all time greats. I'll also take a Grady and a Wessel on the roster any time I can. There is zero chance that next year's team has more talent than last year's.

Coachable: The Shox just lost 4 amazingly team oriented players. I have nothing negative to say about the attitudes of the newcomers next year, but there is zero chance they are more coachable than the guys we just lost.

Experience: No comment needed. Just names. Ron Baker. Fred VanVleet. Evan Wessel. Anton Grady. Period.



There aren't any 18 yr old Lebrons showing up next year. Instead, its good players who we have high hopes for, and maybe, just maybe, they reach Ron and Fred's level by the time they are done. By next March? No way. Maybe next year's team comes together perfectly and plays to their full potential in March 2017. I hope that happens, but that wouldn't change the fact that people on this board were talking National Championship aspirations for 2016. The fact that 2016 didn't reach its ceiling doesn't take away from the fact that it had an extremely high one... much higher than any of us could reasonably hope for in 2017.

Give me a healthy and rested 2016 vs 2017 matchup, each side playing its best, and 2016 smokes 'em.

[Ricardo del Rio]

Is there any chance that he will ever cut the walrus mustache?

Just wondering.

[Cdizzle]

Pfft. Conjecture. Gonna need a lot more data.

[Shocker1976]

Talent: The Shox just lost 2 all time greats. I'll also take a Grady and a Wessel on the roster any time I can. There is zero chance that next year's team has more talent than last year's.

Coachable: The Shox just lost 4 amazingly team oriented players. I have nothing negative to say about the attitudes of the newcomers next year, but there is zero chance they are more coachable than the guys we just lost.

Experience: No comment needed. Just names. Ron Baker. Fred VanVleet. Evan Wessel. Anton Grady. Period.



There aren't any 18 yr old Lebrons showing up next year. Instead, its good players who we have high hopes for, and maybe, just maybe, they reach Ron and Fred's level by the time they are done. By next March? No way. Maybe next year's team comes together perfectly and plays to their full potential in March 2017. I hope that happens, but that wouldn't change the fact that people on this board were talking National Championship aspirations for 2016. The fact that 2016 didn't reach its ceiling doesn't take away from the fact that it had an extremely high one... much higher than any of us could reasonably hope for in 2017.

Give me a healthy and rested 2016 vs 2017 matchup, each side playing its best, and 2016 smokes 'em.

Let's agree to disagree? Next March will be an appropriate time to revisit this discussion.

[pie n eye]

There is zero chance that next year's team has more talent.

I doubt this is an accurate statement.

[pie n eye]

I have nothing negative to say about the attitudes of the newcomers next year, but there is zero chance they are more coachable than the guys we just lost.

Zero percent? Lazy, hot take style analysis. Are you skip bayless?

[Cdizzle]

Zero percent? Lazy, hot take style analysis. Are you skip bayless?

Pretty much. He's always throwing out baseless claims with no supporting evidence and proclaiming it like gospel. It's kindof his thing.

[ShockerFever]

Jamar has a proven track record of always being right. Just check out his 2013 predictions and blog entries.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Zero percent? Lazy, hot take style analysis. Are you skip bayless?

I was probably wrong to use the exact words "zero percent chance". I agree, a bit lazy word choice.

What I want to know is how you possibly come up with more upside next year? By what possible justification do you come up with that opinion? How are next year's newcomers possibly better (next year, not as seniors) than the all time greats we just lost?

Might as well say Fred has more NBA upside next year than Steph Curry. I mean, we've never seen Fred in the NBA. Who is to say he doesn't have more upside?

Seriously. Help me out. What possible reasoning?

[ShockingButTrue]

Many of them live in Wichita and some are even WSU students who had to "come back home" to finish their education.

Who doesn't know of locals who follow the chickens? They make themselves know among Shocker fans. But no chikcen fan I know of is going to sit through a Valley game, even if the Shockers are involved. Too many blowouts. Too ho-hum!

[pie n eye]

I was probably wrong to use the exact words "zero percent chance". I agree, a bit lazy word choice.

What I want to know is how you possibly come up with more upside next year? By what possible justification do you come up with that opinion? How are next year's newcomers possibly better (next year, not as seniors) than the all time greats we just lost?

Might as well say Fred has more NBA upside next year than Steph Curry. I mean, we've never seen Fred in the NBA. Who is to say he doesn't have more upside?

Seriously. Help me out. What possible reasoning?

I think that's the point though. I haven't seen anyone say "there is a 100% chance that we have a higher ceiling next year." Just that it's possible based on their assessment of the players.

The idea isn't that far fetched to me. Baker and VanVleet are all timers. I would take a Wessell and a Grady on the team every year. So nothing against those guys but potential is there to be more athletic next year. It would be tough to get much worse shooting the ball. Another area that can potentially improve.

The offensive woes of last year don't rest on any indivuals. It was a team effort. I agree that sometimes Baker and VanVleet tried to do too much at times but there were also just as many examples of them making the correct pass, trusting their teammates but they just couldn't knock down an open jumper. Maybe next year is a different story.

There are areas to improve. We return a lot of talent (junior and above). There are some enticing new guys (although no one knows how good they'll ultimately be). Plus Gregg Marshall.

[ShockerPrez]

I could see Shamet and McDuffie becoming FVV and Bakeresque as a duo. Granted, they aren't exactly the same positions, but we'll see what happens.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

It would be tough to get much worse shooting the ball. Another area that can potentially improve.

We seem to be on different pages.

The defense carried this year's team and was probably close to its ceiling, but the offense was not close at all. Especially in March, we saw offense that was only a hint of what it could have been if they truly reach their potential.

I'm not arguing next year's squad won't possibly win more games and maybe even make a deeper run. I'm arguing next year's ceiling can not possibly be considered as high as this past year's. There is no way to measure that precisely. It is an opinion. I just think it seems so wildly obvious that I'm amazed there are some here who actually disagree. It's like someone saying they predict Fred VanVleet will become the greatest NBA player of all time. I can't prove them wrong, but it just seems like a crazy opinion to hold.