Fans of freshmen rejoice!

[WSUwatcher]

No need to rehash the freshmen vs. juco debate here; we've been through it plenty of times already. But those who prefer building around freshmen have to be pleased to look at next year's anticipated WSU roster following Signing Day #1 and see five of them (three new guys plus two anticipated redshirts).

If anything, that's a little heavy on freshmen, especially considering the possibility of adding another in Eric Hamilton. Obviously, things happen -- injuries, voluntary / developmental redshirts, etc. --and one of Coach Marshall's strongest qualities at WSU has been his ability to fill in with quality when things don't work out for a given player (e.g., the firm of Hamilton, Richardson & Manigault that had to be replaced in its entirety, or Hawkins and Uwadiae, or Anacreon, or Bowles -- if his predecessor had been equally as good at filling in the unexpected gaps, Marshall might not be here today). So that five or six man freshman class will likely shrink to a more manageable size over time, and if it does, things will be just fine as long as Marshall is Mr. Fixit.

Still, when 40+ per cent of your anticipated scholarship roster is freshmen (and you aren't Kentucky), it's hard to question whether your coach is building his classes from the ground up. That certainly appears to be the case this season.

[wufan]

It's actually already 4 freshman plus two RS.

Guards: holland and Henderson
Wing: Brown
Bigs: Kelly, Bush W, Shaq.

Hamilton would make 7.

[RussDaBus]

It's actually already 4 freshman plus two RS.

Guards: holland and Henderson
Wing: Brown
Bigs: Kelly, Bush W, Shaq.

Hamilton would make 7.

Bush is at a Juco. Not a freshman.

[BOBB]

I am pretty stoked about the mix.

[RoyalShock]

We already know that the guards are set for next year with FVV, Baker, Cotton and Holland. Wessel and Green (with spot minutes from Cotton/Baker/Bush) will hold down the 3. That leaves Carter, Shaq and Wamukota to man the middle. The only need I see in the regular rotation is for one more post player. It would be nice to get a juco for that spot but it sure looks like Hamilton is the primary target. Based on the video in his recruiting thread, he looks more ready to contribute as a freshman than Shaq was. If we do get Hamilton, either he or Kelly will have to be ready to play meaningful minutes as a freshman. Am I alone in having concerns about our post production and defense next year?

What that all means is next year's freshman class is likely to see more redshirts (Henderson, Brown, Kelly), leaving only 2-3 freshmen seeing the court and spreading out the classes.

[pinstripers]

I can't see Green defending at the 3.

[wu_shizzle]

There is no way Zach Brown redshirts next year.

He could get playing time on this team this year.

[pogo]

Nice thread with good observations and comments. So I won't screw it up by adding anything.

[shockmonster]

We already know that the guards are set for next year with FVV, Baker, Cotton and Holland. Wessel and Green (with spot minutes from Cotton/Baker/Bush) will hold down the 3. That leaves Carter, Shaq and Wamukota to man the middle. The only need I see in the regular rotation is for one more post player. It would be nice to get a juco for that spot but it sure looks like Hamilton is the primary target. Based on the video in his recruiting thread, he looks more ready to contribute as a freshman than Shaq was. If we do get Hamilton, either he or Kelly will have to be ready to play meaningful minutes as a freshman. Am I alone in having concerns about our post production and defense next year?

What that all means is next year's freshman class is likely to see more redshirts (Henderson, Brown, Kelly), leaving only 2-3 freshmen seeing the court and spreading out the classes.

Coaches feel good about the post next year. Carter is a Carl Hall clone and will provide experience. Bush is a juco transfer and they feel good about Shaq. PF has Carter, Green, Kelly, and maybe Hamilton. Future looks bright.

[RoyalShock]

Good point about Green defending the 3. I just have a hard time seeing him play the 4, but perhaps by next season he will have developed those skills and added strength. That would likely take Brown out of the redshirt conversation.

[WSUwatcher]

I certainly agree, Royal, that the classes are likely to smooth out; they always do in one way or another. For example, an injury to someone else this year could necessitate playing Holland, in which case the freshman group next year is down one before the season ever starts. But I also think you're right that Marshall, who is known to like redshirting guys when he and his staff think it's best for a given player and for the program, has set himself up to do some redshirting next year.

[wufan]

Bush is at a Juco. Not a freshman.

Doh!

[shockmonster]

I don't see the issue. Don't we all prefer to build around Freshmen? I will add that I prefer to build around Freshmen studs when possible. At the guard positions, we don't need immediate help but Brown is still a stud. It also appears that Hamilton fits into the stud category.

Students need to bring their signs to the Saturday game encouraging Hamilton to make an immediate decision to sign with the Shockers.

[wufan]

It's difficult to feel good about our posts next year when currently we are planning on:

Green, converted from a guard to a stretch 4 and has almost no D-I experience
Carter has just two D-I games
Bush was a total unknown about a month ago…still raw.
Morris will have zero D-I experience
Kelly will have zero D-I experience.

[shockmonster]

I just repeated what Marshall said on his show the other day. You can feel like whatever you want to. He said that every fan would be greatful that Carter was a Shocker and that he will be a very good offensive player. Additionally, he said that Shaq was going to be a very good player and we would be thankful when he had his fifth year. He didn't mention Green. We didnt' know how good Hall was going to be either after his so so junior year. If Carter is as good as Hall, and I don't have any reason to believe he won't, we'll be fine. But yes, some of our positive thoughts need to come from a belief that Marshall knows what he is doing.