Anton Grady 6-8 c/pf 2015, a Shocker!

[Rlh04d]

My realistic expectations for next year just went up significantly. Prior to this, I figured Sweet 16 and let the chips fall where they may once we get there. With Grady, if the new pieces click together, guys stay healthy, and we get just lucky enough in the tournament, this is a lineup that can win a national championship.

Realistically I just don't see many weaknesses. We have so much more depth than we had this last year. We have so much more experience, more height. We have three guys that will be coming off the bench that are top 50, top 100, and top 150 recruits respectively. If CF can just be a deadeye perimeter shooter, even without expanding his game beyond that, we have so much more versatility against zone defenses. If Bush Wamukota continues his trajectory from the end of the season as a defensive specialist, and Nurger can add some strength to his game, we have a very good 1-4 of big bodies we can throw out at the 5 spot, or double up with height at the 4 & 5. We are realistically three deep at every position now, with five seniors, and talented bench players.

If we lose more than two games in conference I'll be stunned.

Man I'm excited for this season to start.

[Stickboy46]

My realistic expectations for next year just went up significantly. Prior to this, I figured Sweet 16 and let the chips fall where they may once we get there. With Grady, if the new pieces click together and guys stay healthy, this is a lineup that can win a national championship.

Realistically I just don't see many weaknesses. We have so much more depth than we had this last year. We have so much more experience, more height. We have three guys that will be coming off the bench that are top 50, top 100, and top 150 recruits respectively. If CF can just be a deadeye perimeter shooter, even without expanding his game beyond that, we have so much more versatility against zone defenses. If Bush Wamukota continues his trajectory from the end of the season as a defensive specialist, and Nurger can add some strength to his game, we have a very good 1-4 of big bodies we can throw out at the 5 spot, or double up with height at the 4 & 5. We are realistically three deep at every position now, with five seniors, and talented bench players.

Man I'm excited for this season to start.

I agree, even before this signing, I already made my first donation to SASO to get in line for Season Tickets. With this signing, I might try to bump it up to the next level on donation! lol

[Rlh04d]

I agree, even before this signing, I already made my first donation to SASO to get in line for Season Tickets. With this signing, I might try to bump it up to the next level on donation! lol

I'm very jealous :)

I've got my tickets ready for the final home game, though. The missus and I will be back in town for that one. No way I'm missing FVV and Baker's last home game.

And I was excited before this signing, but a reliable, experienced big was the one glaring weakness we had. We don't have that anymore. Just stay healthy.

[wufan]

My realistic expectations for next year just went up significantly. Prior to this, I figured Sweet 16 and let the chips fall where they may once we get there. With Grady, if the new pieces click together, guys stay healthy, and we get just lucky enough in the tournament, this is a lineup that can win a national championship.

Realistically I just don't see many weaknesses. We have so much more depth than we had this last year. We have so much more experience, more height. We have three guys that will be coming off the bench that are top 50, top 100, and top 150 recruits respectively. If CF can just be a deadeye perimeter shooter, even without expanding his game beyond that, we have so much more versatility against zone defenses. If Bush Wamukota continues his trajectory from the end of the season as a defensive specialist, and Nurger can add some strength to his game, we have a very good 1-4 of big bodies we can throw out at the 5 spot, or double up with height at the 4 & 5. We are realistically three deep at every position now, with five seniors, and talented bench players.

If we lose more than two games in conference I'll be stunned.

Man I'm excited for this season to start.

Depending on who your "off the bench" players are, Brown, Shamet, and McDuffie are all top 100. Kelly was top 150. Taylor, Nurger, and Hamilton were all top 200s.

[jdshock]

My realistic expectations for next year just went up significantly. Prior to this, I figured Sweet 16 and let the chips fall where they may once we get there. With Grady, if the new pieces click together and guys stay healthy, this is a lineup that can win a national championship.

Realistically I just don't see many weaknesses. We have so much more depth than we had this last year. We have so much more experience, more height. We have three guys that will be coming off the bench that are top 50, top 100, and top 150 recruits respectively. If CF can just be a deadeye perimeter shooter, even without expanding his game beyond that, we have so much more versatility against zone defenses. If Bush Wamukota continues his trajectory from the end of the season as a defensive specialist, and Nurger can add some strength to his game, we have a very good 1-4 of big bodies we can throw out at the 5 spot, or double up with height at the 4 & 5. We are realistically three deep at every position now, with five seniors, and talented bench players.

Man I'm excited for this season to start.

Agree wholeheartedly. The difference between Wessel or Brown being our starting PF and being our back-up PF is absolutely huge. Our team is going to be deep.

Let's say our starting line-up is, hypothetically, FVV, RB, EW, AG, and SM. I think the back-up lineup of CF, Shamet, Brown, Kelly, and Bush might be pre-season third in the Valley.

[wufan]

Am I the only one parsing @WuDrWu:'s posts word by word like bond traders with Fed announcements? Frame, round, glass... Charles Barkley to take the assistant coach spot?

In all seriousness for those in the know, if you can't say what's going to blow the roof off, at least when the detonation is scheduled?

You aren't the only one. If we get someone else for next year at this point, it almost has to be Thon Maker or the Greek kid; but neither has been associated with WSU in the media. There are a couple of known 2016 players that could make an early commit still.

[Stickboy46]

Agree wholeheartedly. The difference between Wessel or Brown being our starting PF and being our back-up PF is absolutely huge. Our team is going to be deep.

Let's say our starting line-up is, hypothetically, FVV, RB, EW, AG, and SM. I think the back-up lineup of CF, Shamet, Brown, Kelly, and Bush might be pre-season third in the Valley.

And in your top 10 you listed there .. you didn't even list a Top 100 Freshman coming in ... Or a Top 150 Guard ...

[Shoxthemonkey]

My realistic expectations for next year just went up significantly. Prior to this, I figured Sweet 16 and let the chips fall where they may once we get there. With Grady, if the new pieces click together, guys stay healthy, and we get just lucky enough in the tournament, this is a lineup that can win a national championship.

Realistically I just don't see many weaknesses. We have so much more depth than we had this last year. We have so much more experience, more height. We have three guys that will be coming off the bench that are top 50, top 100, and top 150 recruits respectively. If CF can just be a deadeye perimeter shooter, even without expanding his game beyond that, we have so much more versatility against zone defenses. If Bush Wamukota continues his trajectory from the end of the season as a defensive specialist, and Nurger can add some strength to his game, we have a very good 1-4 of big bodies we can throw out at the 5 spot, or double up with height at the 4 & 5. We are realistically three deep at every position now, with five seniors, and talented bench players.

If we lose more than two games in conference I'll be stunned.

Man I'm excited for this season to start.

That's a lot of "if"s but I'll be damned if I don't agree with all of it.

[Stickboy46]

I'm very jealous :)

I've got my tickets ready for the final home game, though. The missus and I will be back in town for that one. No way I'm missing FVV and Baker's last home game.

And I was excited before this signing, but a reliable, experienced big was the one glaring weakness we had. We don't have that anymore. Just stay healthy.

Don't be Jealous yet ... as of right now I have zero tickets :)

[tropicalshox]

This is enough to make us very serious contenders for a national title. That's enough in my book to blow the roof off. Now, if there is more coming, great but I'm happy.

[Mr. Pickle]

Welcome aboard, Anton!

The fact that he brings some size, experience, and a variety of ways to score the ball offensively excites me. I love the way he finishes through contact, and can use either hand to score.

As others have stated, this is a huge upgrade to an already loaded roster. Next season can't get here soon enough.

[Rlh04d]

Depending on who your "off the bench" players are, Brown, Shamet, and McDuffie are all top 100. Kelly was top 150. Taylor, Nurger, and Hamilton were all top 200s.

I went with more of a consensus view than taking the highest rankings of each.

[Rlh04d]

That's a lot of "if"s but I'll be damned if I don't agree with all of it.

There's no team in the nation that doesn't have a lot of "if"s. Kentucky just had one of the most loaded teams of all time and didn't make the championship game. Winning a national championship requires a hell of a lot.

But it's a damn realistic possibility now, IMO.

[wufan]

I went with more of a consensus view than taking the highest rankings of each.

That's not how we do things here! You have to take the greatest outlier that supports your position, and then add hyperbole.

[CBB_Fan]

One of the things I often lamented last season was that we needed one more big body. We were a good, even great team that ended the season on a high note but I felt like a single Anton Grady would have pushed us to next level. It would have relieved our guards of some of the pressure, and kept a good big on the court at all times (how many of our losses involved foul trouble for Darius or Shaq?).

Now we have that big, and another year should bring a world of improvement to some of the younger players. We were a good team last year playing our entire frontcourt out of position, with very little consistent depth. Now we have the potential to have an even better backcourt playing with a frontcourt that goes 2-3 deep at both PF and C, with players playing at their proper positions. If we can get good minutes from our returning posts and Anton can give us 9/5 with good defense, we are well-rounded and talented as any team in the country. And this could potentially open the doors for monstrous senior seasons from Ron and Fred.

What do you get when you take a team that made the Sweet 16 despite pretty glaring flaws, bring back 9 players and fix every conceivable issue that plagued the previous season? A national title contender, and arguably Marshall's best team.