Next year's starters and early subs

[Aargh]

This is a Velly thread. Who are the starters and early subs for your team next year?

For WSU, I'm going out on a limb and predicting WSU changes to a 2 F, 2 G, and 1 Wing alignment. The players may not have the traditional roles of their spots, but here goes.

Starters:
5 - Wilson (Sr)
4 - Martin (Sr)
3 - Couisnard (Jr)
2 - Ogirri (Jr)
1 - Brauer (Jr)


Frontcourt depth:
3/4/5 - Thomasson (Jr - trfr)
4/5 - A Freshman

Yes, I am predicting WSU may use Thomasson as a 6'7", 240 lb. Wing.

Backdourt depth:
1 - Preadom (So)
1/2 - Bradley (Sr)

That's a 7-deep roster of players who got quality minutes for a S16 team. Of the new players WSU is counting on in the frontcourt, Thomasson was a top-100 HS player.

The "A Freshman" is either going to be Arbry Butler (6'9" 3-star guy), Chris Brown (6'9" guy who beat Butler for Arkansas HS PoY) or J.T. Durley (6'8", 235 unheralded recruit).

[Bird]

Here is my guess for CU, assuming everyone is healthy:

PG: Dotzler
SG: Funk
SF: Porter
PF: Watts
C: Tolliver

Look like a familiar lineup? I would not be surprised if Morrison starts at the 3 by mid-season. That would give us 3 players over 6'7" in the starting lineup.

Subs, in the order I see them coming off the bench:

Ty Morrison - #11 JUCO player per Rivals (#1 per Hoopmasters)
Nick Bahe, transfer from KU
Pierce Himba
Isacc Miles, top 140 high school player
Kenny Lawson - 4-star big man recruit
Brice Nengsu
Manny Gakou

Redshirt by Casey Harriman, 2 time leading scorer in Iowa, and DeAngelo Jackson, PG from Milwaukee.

I like the depth. I think our first 5 off the bench would finish in the middle of the Valley as a starting unit, if the freshman acclimate to the college game as I suspect they will. :grin:

[DannyCooksey]

Fall practice will ultimately determine our rotation as we have 5 newcomers on hand. I'll take a shot and guess.

Starters
PG-Boo Richardson
SG-Osiris Eldridge
SG-Roberto Fortes
F-Anthony Slack
F-Greg Dilligard

Bench
PG-Dom Johnson
SG-Brandon Holtz
F-Bobby Hill
F-Mike Vandello
F-Levi Dyer

Carlwell, Odiakosa, Vianney

Hill could also start with Fortes providing scoring off the bench, depending on how quickly Hill adjusts to the college game defensively. Eldridge is almost a lock to start. Should be a solid, athletic, deep team this year.

:redbirds:

[barkeep1967]

SIU

Falker
Shaw
Tatum
Young
Mullins

bench
Green - ( juco import)
Bone- 4* shooting guard
Clemmons
Foster
Boyle

And I know I am missing somebody.

Bone and Green instantly improve the offense. The D will be as good as last year. Another Ncaa appearance for SIU looks good.

[Pocket Aces]

The Aces starting five should have a very familiar look:

Bradley Strickland (Sr)
Matt Webster (Sr)
Shy Ely (So)
Kyle Anslinger (Sr)
Jason Holsinger (So)

That was the starting five the last 2/3 of last season.

Of the returnees, Justin Petty (Sr), Art Stalburgs (Sr), and Victor Gomez (Jr) will likely see action, but at least three of the five freshmen should see plenty of action. JD Christie, Darin Granger, Jay Couisnard, Willie Larry, and Peiter Von Togeren will be thrown into the fire, with the first three of those probably seeing the most time.

[DUBulldog]

For Drake, my guess would be:

C- Keita
F- Calvin
F- Korver
G- Grant
G- Stewart

Top reserves:

Cox, Heemskerk, Bryant

[XSaluki]

SIU

Falker
Shaw
Tatum
Young
Mullins

bench
Green - ( juco import)
Bone- 4* shooting guard
Clemmons
Foster
Boyle

And I know I am missing somebody.

Bone and Green instantly improve the offense. The D will be as good as last year. Another Ncaa appearance for SIU looks good.

You are missing our guys coming off of redshirts... armstrong and cc

[TNMSUFAN]

Missouri State

PG - Spencer Laurie (transfer Mizzou)
SG - Blake Ahearn
SF - Tyler Chaney
PF - Nathan Bilyeu
C - Drew Richards

Next 5
PG/SG - Shane Laurie
SF/PF - Dale Lamberth
SF - Deven Mitchell (medical redshirt last year)
PF/C - Dextroy Manswell (juco transfer)
C - Sky Frazier

May play but probably redshirt unless someone gets hurt
PG - Justin Fuehrmeyer (medical redshirt last year)
SF - Kyle Kirk (incoming frosh)
SF/PF - Ryan Jehle (incoming frosh)

[engrshock]

Looks to me like another tough competitive year for tops in the MVC. A team could be improved considerably and still not see an improvement in wins.

[Rasputin]

I think you could easily sub Ty Morrison for Nick Porter.

Dotzler
Funk
Morrison
Watts
Tolliver

With 2 years of eligibility, you have to assume Ty will be expected to make an immediate impact (assuming how quickly he grasps Dana's system). Porter is very undersized at the 3, even though he is a good defender/rebounder...He also was a VERY streaky player last year, showing flashes of brilliance one night and acting like he wanted to be somewhere else on others. One of the Jays' achilles heals last year was size & athleticism, Morrison will bring that.

[brocks]

Wild guess for BU:

F 6-9 Sam Singh (if healthy) SO
G/F 6-6 Ray Brown SO (big-time recruit quiet as frosh; needs break-out)
C 6-8 Zach Andrews SR (one of the best athletes in the Valley)
G 5-10 Daniel Ruffin JR (gaining swagger)
G 6-3 JJ Tauai SR (if improves like last year, all-universe)

First 5 off the bench (in order):

Will Franklin (a ton in the Sweet 16 run)
Jeremy Crouch (back to the future)
Danny Adams (Mr. Energy)
Matt Salley (Juco 1st team all-tourney)
Andrew Warren (Indiana All-star)

Fewer minutes:

Xavier Craford (unless he adds 40 lbs like POB did)
Saihou Jassey (Redshirt; "freak athlete"; can he play hoops?)

[thetruthhurts]

Bartender...give me what BRocks is having ;)

Sam Singh isn't healthy and won't be until midseason. I also laughed at the JJ Tuaui "all world" comment. I guess we all see things differently. Things will be SOOO different for Bradley. Guys go from the #5 and #6 scoring option to one and two. Thus, drawing the other teams better defenders. I think this will hurt a guy like Daniel Ruffin quite a bit. That being said, here we go for Bradley.

G- Daniel Ruffin, Jr. (you guys know him)
G- Will Franklin, Sr. (needs to be more of a scorer)
G- JJ Tuaui, Sr. (does little things but somehow needs to actually look at the basket on offense)
F- Matt Salley, Jr. (JUCO guy) (seems like every other MVC juco)
F- Zach Andrews, Sr. (athletic, not a good scorer)

Bench
Jeremy Crouch, Jr. (doghouse this past year..BU needs return to Freshman form)
Ray Brown, So. (has a long way to go)
Sam Singh, So. (if ever healthy)
Andrew Warren, Fr. (I have no idea)
Xavier Crawford, Fr. (major project)

This Bradley team will struggle to score bigtime. Look for games in the lower 50's for victories. Others maybe see more potential than I do but man, I just don't see it.

[brocks]

Bartender...give me what BRocks is having ;)

Sam Singh isn't healthy and won't be until midseason. I also laughed at the JJ Tuaui "all world" comment. I guess we all see things differently. Things will be SOOO different for Bradley. Guys go from the #5 and #6 scoring option to one and two. Thus, drawing the other teams better defenders. I think this will hurt a guy like Daniel Ruffin quite a bit. That being said, here we go for Bradley.

G- Daniel Ruffin, Jr. (you guys know him)
G- Will Franklin, Sr. (needs to be more of a scorer)
G- JJ Tuaui, Sr. (does little things but somehow needs to actually look at the basket on offense)
F- Matt Salley, Jr. (JUCO guy) (seems like every other MVC juco)
F- Zach Andrews, Sr. (athletic, not a good scorer)

Bench
Jeremy Crouch, Jr. (doghouse this past year..BU needs return to Freshman form)
Ray Brown, So. (has a long way to go)
Sam Singh, So. (if ever healthy)
Andrew Warren, Fr. (I have no idea)
Xavier Crawford, Fr. (major project)

This Bradley team will struggle to score bigtime. Look for games in the lower 50's for victories. Others maybe see more potential than I do but man, I just don't see it.

Do you have video copies of Bradley's last 6 games? If not, get some and take a look.

I assume we're talking MVC season here . . . thus the reference to Singh.

Obviously the reference to JJ was about his improvement, not a literal prediction that he will be an all-American or better. Again, if you don't think this kid came out of nowhere to contribute big-time to BU's run, I don't know that you saw any of Bradley's last 15 or so games.

Gotta get over this "glass is two-thirds empty" thing, Truthiness.

[JayJay]

Here is my guess for CU, assuming everyone is healthy:

PG: Dotzler
SG: Funk
SF: Porter
PF: Watts
C: Tolliver

Look like a familiar lineup? I would not be surprised if Morrison starts at the 3 by mid-season. That would give us 3 players over 6'7" in the starting lineup.

Subs, in the order I see them coming off the bench:

Ty Morrison - #11 JUCO player per Rivals (#1 per Hoopmasters)
Nick Bahe, transfer from KU
Pierce Himba
Isacc Miles, top 140 high school player
Kenny Lawson - 4-star big man recruit
Brice Nengsu
Manny Gakou

Redshirt by Casey Harriman, 2 time leading scorer in Iowa, and DeAngelo Jackson, PG from Milwaukee.

I like the depth. I think our first 5 off the bench would finish in the middle of the Valley as a starting unit, if the freshman acclimate to the college game as I suspect they will. :grin:

Bird, you are probably correct that this will be the starting line-up for the first few games of the season. But by the time conference play starts, I predict the following line-up:

Dotzler
Funk
Morrison
Tolliver
Lawson

First subs off the bench: Watts, Miles, Porter.

[DannyCooksey]

Dotzler
Funk
Morrison
Tolliver
Lawson

First subs off the bench: Watts, Miles, Porter.
Today 10:15 AM


That is a mighty frightening arsenal the 'Jays have for this season. Dana having that many weapons at his disposal is not comforting. There are a couple question marks in Lawson, Morrison, and Miles since they are newcomers. They are highly regarded newcomers however. If they make the transition quickly and provide good minutes, this team is really dangerous. Not just in the Valley, but nationally as well.

I might be a masachist, but I am looking forward to seeing Funk healthy again. He is a great player and I love his all-around game. After briefly talking to his parents last season at Redbird Arena, I liked him even more. Nice people.

[thetruthhurts]

Do you have video copies of Bradley's last 6 games? If not, get some and take a look.

I assume we're talking MVC season here . . . thus the reference to Singh.

Obviously the reference to JJ was about his improvement, not a literal prediction that he will be an all-American or better. Again, if you don't think this kid came out of nowhere to contribute big-time to BU's run, I don't know that you saw any of Bradley's last 15 or so games.

Gotta get over this "glass is two-thirds empty" thing, Truthiness.

BRocks. I watched the last six games. Great, great games. I saw a team that had three good scorers/players (Sommerville, Wright, and O'Bryant) and some very good role players.

This isn't about pessissimism. It's about realism. Bradley loses its top four scorers. Bradley returns 39% of its offense. Am I being negative when I wonder how the heck this team is going to score?

BU's best three returning perimeter players (Ruffin, Franklin, and Tuaui) all look to pass first. This is not something that changes within a player. Plus, they are now drawing the top defenders who guarded Bennett and Wright last year.

I love it that anytime a fan is actually objective and honest about their team they are called negative. Brocks, I am only going off what I have seen and what Bradley has coming back. Right now, this team sorely misses offensive punch. Am I incorrect in this statement?

FYI...that Creighton lineup does look very, very good.

[TrueBlueJay]

Bird, you are probably correct that this will be the starting line-up for the first few games of the season. But by the time conference play starts, I predict the following line-up:

Dotzler
Funk
Morrison
Tolliver
Lawson

First subs off the bench: Watts, Miles, Porter.

I'm willing to bet some pretty big dollars (at least big in my wallet) that Lawson does not start over Watts the entire year.

Don't forget Hibma too - he will be off the bench early and often.

These guys are going to have to get used to playing as hard as possible for 3 or 4 minutes - cause there will be a LOT of substituting. I'm looking forward to getting back to the days of the hockey shifts (five out - five in).

:jays: :valley:

[MikeKennedyRulz]

Shox:

g - Braeuer
g - Ogirri
g - Cooz
pf - Wilson
c - Thomasson


Off the bench:

4/5 - Martin
1/2 - K Brad
3/4/5 - Freshman (Durley or Brown)
1/2 - Preadom
5 - Ryan Bradley/David King

Arbry Butler is a likely redshirt candidate.

[SubGod22]

MKR beat me to it. That's exactly how I see it happening.......unless we sign a good PG before then

[underdawg2]

Falker (6'7", 230)--Foster (6'10",210)

Shaw (6'7", 230)---Boyle (6'8", 220), Armstrong (6'6", 230)

Tatum, Young---6'3", 210, Clemmons, 6'3" 210 Greene, 6'7" 200, Chris Cornelius

Mullins---Tatum, Greene--Greene can play PG, SG, and the 3-spot

6'7" Cornelius--a red-shirt Frosh is being switched to guard.

Greene (from SWIC JuCo) is an athletic defender who can handle well enough to play PG, and is strong enough to defend 3 spots. Looks a little like Monte Jenkins in athletic ability.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Shox:

g - Braeuer
g - Ogirri
g - Cooz
pf - Wilson
c - Thomasson


Would Braeuer be the point? What other guards do you think will see significant time at the point?

[Blue Streaker]

Sycamore Probables

Starters:
G. Moore
E. Gray
T. McCoy
A. Arnold/T. Wurtz
J. Tunnell

Bench order:
A. Arnold/T.Wurtz
M. Stinson
C. Holmstrom
M. Yelovich
E. Booe
R. Trudeau
N. Wells
B. Leitnaker
(Leitnaker or Wells could r.s.)

[MikeKennedyRulz]

Would Braeuer be the point? What other guards do you think will see significant time at the point?

Unless a better pg is brought in with the last scholly, which is unlikely at this point, he will be the starter. Both Ogirri and Karon Bradley can run the point, but they are much better suited for the 2 gaurd spot. In Turgeon's system, the pg is not called on to score alot. His main role is to get the ball up court quickly, get the team into its offense, and work it around to try and get the best shot. Braeuer is the best option at this. The Shox were clearly not the same team with him out last year. Wendell Preadom can also play the point, but he was not nearly as affective as Braeuer last season.

[TrueBlueJay]

For Drake, my guess would be:

C- Keita
F- Calvin
F- Korver
G- Grant
G- Stewart

Top reserves:

Cox, Heemskerk, Bryant

Isn't Keita like 32 years old now or something?:bulldogs:

[saluki42]

Josh Bone and Kenny Lawson 4 star recruits? I know they are both great recruits for the MVC but where are they listed as 4 star?? 4 star generally means top 100.

[SubGod22]

I've seen Lawson listed as 4 star, but not Bone

[MikeKennedyRulz]

I think Scout has become very liberal with their rating system this year.

[brocks]

BRocks. I watched the last six games. Great, great games. I saw a team that had three good scorers/players (Sommerville, Wright, and O'Bryant) and some very good role players.

This isn't about pessissimism. It's about realism. Bradley loses its top four scorers. Bradley returns 39% of its offense. Am I being negative when I wonder how the heck this team is going to score?

BU's best three returning perimeter players (Ruffin, Franklin, and Tuaui) all look to pass first. This is not something that changes within a player. Plus, they are now drawing the top defenders who guarded Bennett and Wright last year.

I love it that anytime a fan is actually objective and honest about their team they are called negative. Brocks, I am only going off what I have seen and what Bradley has coming back. Right now, this team sorely misses offensive punch. Am I incorrect in this statement?

FYI...that Creighton lineup does look very, very good.

Agree on Creighton, and see WSU & SIU not far behind, then MSU, then wide open but very competitive, quality play.

To your other points. You're a skilled debater. Once one sets oneself up as "the realist," one has framed the argument such that any opposing viewpoint comes from lalaland. I don't agree with your perception of reality because I think it indulges UNrealistic presumptions: 1) that any player who improves between seasons or during next season will improve only marginally; 2) theat on a team that needs only one or two players to have break-out seasons, NO player will; and 3) that neither the players nor the coaches will appreciate and act upon the need for players to adjust their roles in a new season.

Fusing your posts and mine would make for great reading.

1. "Xavier Crawford is a player who turned down scholarship offers from Pitt and WVU, but he's a major project."

2. "Bradley will field four players who made major contributions to a Sweet 16 run, but the team will not be able to adjust to new roles and compete in the Valley."

3. "Ray Brown is often cited as the best offensive player in BU practices, but he's not capable of becoming an offensive force in the Valley."

And so on and so on.

You seem to think that BU can only do well next season if EVERYTHING goes right. On the other hand, I think BU will be okay (by that I mean .500+, NIT, sign a stellar recruiting class) unless NOTHING positive happens. If Crawford sucks, Ray Brown never learns to play defense, Crouch never gets out of his slump, Singh never gets healthy, JJ never looks to score more, Salley is "just another juco" instead of the next Franklin or Andrews, Andrews doesn't become an impact guy, Jassey can never capitalize on his athletic gifts, Franklin doesn't improve his offensive game, and Warren isn't ready to contribute, THEN you're right . . . BU will suck. But what if just one or two of those things happen? Isn't it REALISTIC to think that not everything will tank?

And finally, let's not forget Chuck B. In comes CB after four losing years, and voila: Sweet 16. Coincidence? I think not. How realistic is it to expect that he won't find a way get these guys playing even better defense than last year? :bash: :braves: :braves: :braves:

[Mecha_Bulldog]

Isn't Keita like 32 years old now or something?:bulldogs:

Born Feb. 25, 1983. That would make him 23. Maybe he just has the ankles of a 32 year old:grin:

[Mike]

Saluki42, Bone is shown as a 2-star recruit on rivals.com and as a 3-star recruit on scout.com. Lawson is listed as a 3-star recruit on rivals.com and as a 4-star recruit on scout.com. Hopefully, each of the players show the potential that the stars indicate they have.

[Dawgbit]

SIU next year starters=SIU last year starters.

[Aargh]

The MVC is raising the level of competetiveness every year lately.

Expecting returning players to improve more than "marginally" isn't a great expectation. Expecting Fr or trfr's to contribute isn't a good idea.

Some Fr and some trfr's will have an impact. Some returning players will have unexpected success. Some returning "impact" players will have disappointing years.

Recent history indicates that returning all or most of a team's starters is only a guarantee that that team will finish in the same or a lower position in the Valley.

I didn't think anything could be more brutal than last year's Valley competition. Next year could be just as brutal.

[NayshunSycamore]

Sycamore Probables

Starters:
G. Moore
E. Gray
T. McCoy
A. Arnold/T. Wurtz
J. Tunnell

Bench order:
A. Arnold/T.Wurtz
M. Stinson
C. Holmstrom
M. Yelovich
E. Booe
R. Trudeau
N. Wells
B. Leitnaker
(Leitnaker or Wells could r.s.)

I'm thinking Adam Arnold will be a starter. Wurtz gets into foul trouble way too often and Arnold is just as good at rebounding as Wurtz. Arnold's scoring ability is not as good as Wurtz's. We'll have to see what old Waltman does with these guys next year. I hope McCoy will be able to fill Moss' shoes. If not, I wouldn't get my hopes up too much next year...

[Phantom]

I didn't think anything could be more brutal than last year's Valley competition. Next year could be just as brutal.


I agree. This coming '06/'07 season has the potential to be stellar...maybe even better than this past year. No doubt we will be getting some hype coming off having 6 teams in the postseason, not the least of which will be riding the coattails of WSU and BU's big dance success. I dont care what the records say, what the rosters are, what the past success is, who you love/hate, etc....face it fellas, we have 10 good, solid, tough teams in this league, and its GREAT. We've all known for a long time that our conference is damn good, and now the rest of the nation is taking notice. I for one, am very proud to be in this league and I hope you all are too. Yea we all talk ***** (especially for rivalry games) but I think we all have that same unspoken Valley respect for each other and all want the best for this conferene and that rocks IMO. We all have a level of intimacy not only with our schools but with the conference as a whole that not many other conferences have. The Valley is special and I think (hope) you all know what I mean there.

Once again, I see the MVC being a total bloodbath once conference play begins. We will all root for each other in the NC scheds, but once Valley play commences, ITS ON! The Valley turned alot of heads this year.....and '06/'07 is our chance to back it up. Im confident that we will. I look forward to another tough, tight, hardfought, immensely competitive conference season and a killer tourney in St. Louis.

Whos with me?

:redbirds: :valley:

[underdawg2]

I agree. This coming '06/'07 season has the potential to be stellar...maybe even better than this past year. No doubt we will be getting some hype coming off having 6 teams in the postseason, not the least of which will be riding the coattails of WSU and BU's big dance success. I dont care what the records say, what the rosters are, what the past success is, who you love/hate, etc....face it fellas, we have 10 good, solid, tough teams in this league, and its GREAT. We've all known for a long time that our conference is damn good, and now the rest of the nation is taking notice. I for one, am very proud to be in this league and I hope you all are too. Yea we all talk ***** (especially for rivalry games) but I think we all have that same unspoken Valley respect for each other and all want the best for this conferene and that rocks IMO. We all have a level of intimacy not only with our schools but with the conference as a whole that not many other conferences have. The Valley is special and I think (hope) you all know what I mean there.

Once again, I see the MVC being a total bloodbath once conference play begins. We will all root for each other in the NC scheds, but once Valley play commences, ITS ON! The Valley turned alot of heads this year.....and '06/'07 is our chance to back it up. Im confident that we will. I look forward to another tough, tight, hardfought, immensely competitive conference season and a killer tourney in St. Louis.

Whos with me?

:redbirds: :valley:


Anyone who wants a "level of intimacy" with Cold, please raise your hand
:fear: :no: :valley:

[Drakey]

Born Feb. 25, 1983. That would make him 23. Maybe he just has the ankles of a 32 year old:grin:

We just wish he was 32. By then he might learn how to use that body and hit the rim consistently from the free throw line.

[bcrawf]

UNI-- Not sure it will start this way, but by game 10 this will be the lineup-

PG- Kwadzo Ahelegbe
SG- Brooks McKowen
SF- Travis Brown
PF- Grant Stout
C- Eric Coleman

Off the bench-
Jordan Eglseder
Kerwin Dunham
Adam Koch
Stephen Jones
Jared Josten
Adam Viet

Unlike last year, depth will be a strength this year. This will also be the most athletic UNI team ever and this class coming in is going to make some big time noise in this league. Alegbe is a quick athletic point guard, Dunham plays just like Ben Jacobsen except he is 6-6, Koch is a 6-8 freak of an athlete, Stephen Jones is a great shooter, and you all know about Jordan Eglseder.

Moving into a new building, the future looks bright!!:panthers:

[JayJay]

I think Scout has become very liberal with their rating system this year.

MKR, I'm sure believing things like this help you sleep better at night. But if you check, you'll see that both Rivals and Scout have approximately the same number of four and five star recruits -- about 100-110 (usually between 20 and 25 per position).

:jays:

[MikeKennedyRulz]

MKR, I'm sure believing things like this help you sleep better at night. But if you check, you'll see that both Rivals and Scout have approximately the same number of four and five star recruits -- about 100-110 (usually between 20 and 25 per position).

:jays:

Nah. Like I have said before on here, I could care less what a HS or JUCO kid who hasn't set foot on a D-1 court is rated by the so-called experts. All I care about is whether I think the skills of a particular recruit fit the needs of the team I follow. I am not the only one who thinks Scout has been more liberal with their star system. I have heard it from several people. The Jason Bennett kid who committed to K-State was a five-star recruit by Scout and was around 50 or so on their overall list.

[valleyclimber]

Great post Phantom! The Valley IS special because in nonconference and NCAA/NIT tourney games, the MVC schools actually root for each other. Most other conferences root against their bretheren. Kudos to the MVC!

Besides being great for us fans, the kicka** high gear competition EVERY night in Valley (top to bottom) means there are no gimmes which prepares our teams for post-season tourney games, so we all win! IMO the 06-07 Valley race will be even more competitive than this past years. WOW! If that happens, the MVC will keep rockin' on the national scene with even more publicity. More publicity/exposure ensures our programs will be right in front of potential recruits. The snowball keeps rolling!! :original:

:bounceblue: :banana: :valley:

[MSNSaluki]

Nah. Like I have said before on here, I could care less what a HS or JUCO kid who hasn't set foot on a D-1 court is rated by the so-called experts. All I care about is whether I think the skills of a particular recruit fit the needs of the team I follow. I am not the only one who thinks Scout has been more liberal with their star system. I have heard it from several people. The Jason Bennett kid who committed to K-State was a five-star recruit by Scout and was around 50 or so on their overall list.

agreed. a lot of guys look good on paper but can't play a lick.

[MetDrakeFan]

For Drake:

PG Al Stewart
SG Chris Bryant/ Nick Grant
SF Klayton Korver
PF Ajay Calvin
C Aliou Keita (if he gets his act together, if not, then Bucky Cox)

Although, I heard that Bucky Cox might be transferring...that would not be good. Imagine how he could be after beefing up in the weight room all summer!

Coming off the bench will be Grant, Heemskerk, basically the usuals as this year. I like this lineup because it has two good outside shooters in the lineup at once, which will increase their effectiveness. Meanwhile, there is the dribble penetration of Stewart, who can dish to the shooters, or Ajay Calvin (now if only Aliou could finish around the basket!)

Just like I figured last year, Grant and Bryant will exchange minutes and starting roles depending on their current play. I have no clue about Bill Eaddy, Dit Nignan, and any other new players, but I imagine that they will give Aliou and Ajay a run for their money.

Stewart, Korver, and Calvin are pretty much guaranteed a lot of minutes, followed by Bryant and Grant. If the non-shooting guard position is scoring a lot, I figure Grant to get more time due to his strength in the full court press. If not, they will have Bryant in there for his scoring ability.