17 Valley Predictions

[tropicalshox]

Give him a break. It's his third "job".

[SB Shock]

No one player will be able to replace the seven rebounds per game that Ramon got. You mention that. The player who could make the biggest impact is Coy, but he's not available until January.

Coy will be available mid-december (as soon as finals are over).

People also forget that Ramon didn't score much, but he did shoot almost 58% from the floor. Whomever replaces him has to establish the fact that he can finish inside.

You must have not have watch Clemente much - don't let the 58% confuse you. His shot wasn't that great. I think your argument on rebounding and scoring with Clemente is off base. The points and rebounds can and will be replaced (and probably at a higher level).

Where WSU will miss him is his leadership and drive. Somebody will need to step forward on the team to fill this void.

[SpanglerFan316]

Give him a break. It's his third "job".

Please explain.

[tropicalshox]

He is very busy with other responsibilities that are not basketball related. I'm impressed with his love of the sport to do what he does.

[Zardoz]

Predictions made at this time are useless, other than they can be fun for laughing at the author at the end of the season or in the rare case marveling at the authors ability to see into the future season. His predictions didn't give us much on either side of the equation. I don't really see the loss RC's rebounding as an insurmountable problem, though we may miss his leadership. I'm looking forward to a Valley Media prediction of sixth or so, so we can show them once again that their visions are shorter than their " I'll leave the their to the reader to fill in". Hopefully they pick us as 6th or lower, that worked out nicely.

[electricmayhem]

Guys - take it for what it's worth. It was meant to be a fun little article to foreshadow to my Valley Preview, which will come in September. Whether you read it or not is up to you.

I enjoy writing about Bradley and the Valley. As some of you know, I'm a BU alum who has been writing freelance and/or professionally for 10+ years. I don't do this to please anyone... it keeps my brain sharp and allows me to follow the Valley closer than most people I know.

WSU has always been a classy program with loyal fans, so I know that a few bad comments or people bashing my work is not the norm. Everyone has an opinion, and I appreciate the discussion!

BTW -- I have seen Ellis play, and I think he can be an excellent player. He was playing with turf toe last season... but he didn't seem to take a major step forward. I know the minutes weren't there, but this is why I can't say for sure that he'll provide 25-30 minutes and 6-8 rebounds per game. There are many other ways to replace Ramon, but I'm betting that nobody on the team averages 7 rebounds per night. There aren't enough minutes for everyone.

If memory serves me correctly, Ramon was in foul trouble the night Ellis lit up INSU in the Valley tourney. Not that it makes a difference because now Ramon's gone...

Feel free to PM me or contact me however you want if you have questions about what I do. Like I said, I'm a huge MVC fan, and I enjoy sharing my work.