Valley Pre-Season Poll

[newshock1234]

i dont see how Missouri State is picked 3rd when they losted a bulk of their offense

[1972Shocker]

i dont see how Missouri State is picked 3rd when they losted a bulk of their offense

I think SIU is the consensus #1 choice, if for no other reason then by default, since no one else is clearly ready to take the mantle away from the Salukis. However, I agree with those that believe SIU has some significant work to do to replace Tatum and Young.

I think 8, 9 and 10 are probably solid consensus picks.

2 thru 7 is really anybody's guess and quite frankly I wouldn't want my living to depend on getting those spots correct. If anyone can pick 2 thru 7 correctly this year, then perhaps a trip to the local Quick Trip to by a boat load of lottery tickets is in order.

:goshocks:

[RoyalShock]

i dont see how Missouri State is picked 3rd when they losted a bulk of their offense

Because Deven Mitchell is obviously the 6th man from heaven.

But do they have any shooters left after Ahearn and Cheney departed?

A juco transfer is supposed to be pretty good. But I also wonder where this is coming from. Richards is an average post player, so they basically have a nice, athletic SF (Mitchell), an average post player, an unproven juco transfer and the Laurie brothers.

Oh, and Barry Hinson! They get one spot for his quoatability!

[C0|dB|00ded]

SIU and Creighton have earned their respect over the past few years. Until another team or two consistently place higher than they do....they continue to earn my respect. Altman especially has shown he can win during a down or rebuilding year.

We consistently finished higher than Creighton 4 out of the last 5 years. Where does that place us?


T


...8)

[The Mad Hatter]

i dont see how Missouri State is picked 3rd when they losted a bulk of their offense

Because Deven Mitchell is obviously the 6th man from heaven.

But do they have any shooters left after Ahearn and Cheney departed?

A juco transfer is supposed to be pretty good. But I also wonder where this is coming from. Richards is an average post player, so they basically have a nice, athletic SF (Mitchell), an average post player, an unproven juco transfer and the Laurie brothers.

Oh, and Barry Hinson! They get one spot for his quoatability!

My problem is that is the while "Deven Mitchell is obviously the 6th man from heaven", I have serious questions about him as the go to guy on a team, and unless someone else steps up, that is what MSU needs him to be.

[Capitol Shock]

My prediction...

1. We'll finish in the top 4.

2. This will be Barrys last season at Missouri State.

**#2 is not necessarily a good thing either.

[moshock]

A few thoughts:

WSU will finish higher than 6th probably in the top 4. Hopefully at the top.

SMS was picked third because they do return a few players with experience. I would say a 3 - 5 finish.

Barry is not very well liked here. He concentrates too much on the warm fuzzies instead of being a no BS guy. Most of his recruits come from a 50 mile radius. He actually does pretty well considering he doesn't spend a nite away from Springfield during recruiting visits.

If you notice, O'reilly Auto Parts is a sponsor of Texas Tech and several other BB venues, not SMS. O'reilly's home town is Springfield. Hmmmm

HCGM's Winthrop team stomped SMS last year here in Springfield during the bracket buster. He obviously outcoached Barry and I think this year will be no different.

The local (Springfield) sports radio hasn't talked alot about SMS Basketball. They did say that the JUCO kid was pretty good and there is a freshman guard that is good.

The day that we hired HCGM, they announced it like this: "Bad news for the Bears" and went on to say that we hired HCGM.

:wsu_posters:

[MSNSaluki]

Here's an unbiased take on SIU that's as honest as any as you are going to get from Carbondale. I'll hit on some of your questions ...

1) Sportswriters and media around the league are lazy. It was easy to pick SIU first since the Salukis are coming off a Sweet 16 season and have three starters returning.

2) Replacing Jamaal Tatum from an offensive standpoint, to me, might not be as hard as it seems. You guys only remember the big shots he hit down the stretch for us last year (and there were a ton). The fact of the matter is this: He wasn't a great offensive player. He did very little except create his OWN shot. I can't remember one time in his career when he drove the lane and dished off. The big joke on Saluki Talk last year before the NCAA run was our offense was JT dribbling for 25 seconds then throwing up a wild shot.

3) If the last six years have taught us anything it's that SIU's fortunes don't rise and fall on one or two players. We've got a system. We just change pieces. That being said, the senior leadership of guards is always nice to have and we won't have it this year.

4) From everything I've gathered Matt Shaw is going to spend quite a bit of time at the 3 this year. Part of the reason is Carlton Fay, a highly regarded freshman power forward, is expected to contribute immediately. He's a pretty strong kid ... he's built like a senior. The other part of the reason is Shaw is a pretty competent outside shooter.

5) We're still gonna be COLD's favorite team to watch with our defense. That's what we're all about. The word out of practice is we are better offensively than we were last year but I'll believe it when I see it. That being said, you know we are gonna defend.

In closing, I don't know how good we are now and how good we're gonna be. We're only ranked No. 23 in the coaches poll because of what we accomplished the past six years and because a lot of media folks have started paying attention to us. The optimists think SIU is easily a Sweet 16 team again; the realists, such as myself, think we have a chance to be pretty good but aren't making any bold proclamations just yet.

Here's all you need to know on the conference race: If we navigate our tough non-conference schedule and head into conference with three or fewer losses, we're big time. You guys will probably discount this thought because of what happened to you last year but it's just my opinion. However, if we struggle in the non-conference then I think any of about five Valley teams can win the league title.

I'm just tired of the speculation. It's time to play ball!

[BOBB]

Deven Mitchell is pretty cold. In our league, PJ is the only player I would take over Mitchell. I really like Slack as well. I understand the reasons that Ill St is getting some love. Anyone that watched the game against IllSt in Wichita last year would probably tell you that they had better athletes and talent on the floor. We beat them by five. Had they been better coached and handled pressure better they would have beaten us.

[moshock]

I'm just tired of the speculation. It's time to play ball!

Ditto's :clap:

[WuDrWu]

Joey,


Young and Tatum were pretty damned good devensively as well.


I don't care how talented the people are that replace them, I will be astonished if they are as good defensively. I am not questioning the system or the effort.....but I don't think many, not necessarily you, give them enough credit for their game. I am not convinced the "system" is capable of plugging in guys (for those 2) and not missing a beat.

I'm not saying some other team is going to be more consistent, but recent history shows that just one year ago even you have to admit they just were not very good outside of the valley tourney.

[MSNSaluki]

Joey,


Young and Tatum were pretty damned good devensively as well.


I don't care how talented the people are that replace them, I will be astonished if they are as good defensively. I am not questioning the system or the effort.....but I don't think many, not necessarily you, give them enough credit for their game. I am not convinced the "system" is capable of plugging in guys (for those 2) and not missing a beat.

I'm not saying some other team is going to be more consistent, but recent history shows that just one year ago even you have to admit they just were not very good outside of the valley tourney.

Clemmons can replace either Young or Tatum defensively. The jury is still out on Bone. I have no idea about another freshman that is supposed to see a lot of time, Brandon Wood, who supposedly is a great shooter but hasn't practiced yet due to off-season shoulder surgery.

I am on the record as saying this: The last time SIU went into the season with untested guards it was ugly. It was two years ago when Tatum and Young were juniors. We lost to Monmouth and Alaska-Anchorage early on, were up and down all season long, somehow found a way to win the Valley tourney then got schooled by West Virginia in the first round of the NCAAs.

That scenario wouldn't surprise me at all. That's why I stated our non-conference schedule will tell us a lot.

Your points are valid.

[WuDrWu]

Obviously Mullens will provide a lot of stability while others get their feet wet. You know your team far better than I but Clemons for Young???

I guess I have to defer to your better knowledge but that would shock me.


Somebody in this league is going to have quality newcomers, and I suspect it will be that team (of the non EU, DU, ISU blue clan) that will end up on top.

[SubGod22]

I've always liked Joey. And like I said, I don't have a problem with SIU being picked first because of what they've been able to do over a nice stretch. It's all the people who think they're clear favorites to win this thing that I think are ridiculous.

Defense is what SIU is about. But they have to find ways to score. Tatum did create for himself. And at times, that's what they needed. In crunch time, that's what anyone needs. Until I see someone who can hit from the outside to keep teams honest, and/or create when needed, I'm going to be skeptical. If they can find someone to step in and do these things, even a little, they'll be very dangerous.

[WuDrWu]

Here's a link to a podcast with PJ and CU guy Matt Dalt.


Matt says, "For WSU to have ANY KIND OF YEAR AT ALL", they are going to have rely on PJ to have a big year.

Any kind of year at all Matt?


I'd love to hear him cry when we spank his Jays.......