Claiming that the Sky will be terrible isn't a hard prediction to make. Actually, that might be the easiest one to make. The Sky is definitely going to be down next year. The team with the most talent, depth, and experience is Weber. It would be shocking not to be the top team going into the season. I think, with Jois, Bogdan, and Washington coming back that the Eagles will be the media darling and then Montana with the Bruenig will be second. Weber will be third or even fourth. NAU does have Kaluna and Yankoff coming back. Hell, Weber could be 5th...behind SUU. The mighty Birds did beat the Cats twice last season. Being lower is just fine with me. Gives the team something to prove and puts a chip on their shoulder. I'm predicting that there will be a significant disparity between the media poll and the coaches poll and I'll bite...that the Sky will be down...AGAIN. lol
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2015-2016 Early Big Sky rankings
- Thread starter Da Bears
- Start date
oldrunner
Active member
I can not pick Weber to win it next season. We finished 8th this past season, we struggled with the zone, we often collapsed under pressure, we got killed on the boards by Sister Mary of the Poor School of Cosmetology, and we never put two halves together. Our new comers might look good on paper, but they, as a group, have not done anything yet. I have a lot of respect for everyone's opinion and I have mine, along with my wishes. However, the best predictions will happen next January, after everybody has a few games under their belts.
I don't see a clear cut favorite. I think that the BSC is as open as it ever has been. There will be some surprises.
I don't see a clear cut favorite. I think that the BSC is as open as it ever has been. There will be some surprises.
thescout said:
Who would round out the rest of your top 5 returning players?
Not trying to be a homer, but I agree, Senglin and Bolomboy are two of the best in the league. I think Kris Yanku, Martin Bruening, Venky Jois would round out the remaining 5. Marcus Colbert, AJ Hess, Carson Shanks, Mario Dunn, Ako Kaluna, Quinton Hooker, and Cameron Michael would be some great honorable mention candidates.
Jois 1, Bruening 2, Senglin 3, Bolomboy 4, Yanku 5, Hooker 6, Dunn 7, Demps 8, Bliznyuk 9, Micheal 10. Colbert11, Hess12, Martin no az 13, Tucker pt. st 14 and Newcomer Juco Blake( 15pts 8 rebs for top 30 juco. Mt St. 15. Notable Newcomer Calaen Robinson at Pt. St. ESPN 19th rated PG in country 2012talhadfoursteals said:
thescout said:
Thought Tucker was transferring? Calaen Robinson makes sense, but he didn't do much at ASU and Blake seems too much like Jaylen Johnson Coston to me. Remember...Coston was a JC All-American. But the rest are solid and who knows both Blake and Calaen could end up being pretty good. I totally spaced it with Martin, Demps and Bliznyuk. I was going off of memory. But I agree! Nice list.
Webergrad02
Active member
I think I put Bruenig ahead of Jois for the #1 spot. Harveys range really opened things up for Venky inside. You really had to pick your poison last year with Eastern. It was really hard to stop them both.
oldrunner
Active member
Jois is a he!! of a player, but lets see what he can do with constant double teams now that Harvey is gone. Likewise. lets see what Bolomboy can do with an offensive minded center playing next to him, and additional outside shooters on the floor. I don't think that Bolomboy will be getting the constant doubles this year. It will be interesting to see if Jois was already at his potential or if he still has some growth left in his game. I know that Bolomboy still has a lot of growth left.
It's not certain that Jois will even be back next season. He had pro offers in Australia last year and almost didn't return last season. Let's see what offers he gets this year. It's not like the NBA, it's not a draft situation. If he gets the right offer, I'm sure he won't be back. :shocking:
It's not certain that Jois will even be back next season. He had pro offers in Australia last year and almost didn't return last season. Let's see what offers he gets this year. It's not like the NBA, it's not a draft situation. If he gets the right offer, I'm sure he won't be back. :shocking:
thescout said:
Hayford is a good recruiter. Being successful on the DI level starts with recruiting. He discovered Harvey and saw his abilities when nobody else saw anything. I don't know what will happen to Harvey. I'm suspecting he will get nabbed somewhere in the 2nd round. He is a defensive liability and will most likely end up playing in Europe, but he will have a lucrative career. It all started with Hayford seeing something in him.
As for recruits and new additions, thats a totally different topic altogether. Fun one to chat about though. There are a few teams who have recruited really well, and as of right now, we don't really know what to expect from a handful of those teams. Honestly, I wasn't very impressed with Montana State last season. The Bobcats were a mess. Fish has recruited virtually an entirely new team. He had a solid Fall class and added some more talent this spring. So, we don't really know what to expect. If his second year is anything like their first his tenure will end pretty quick. Their offense was interesting...having Colbert dribble around for 35 seconds hoping to find cutters or open men left me scratching my head. No...State did not have the greatest talent, but they had more than running only a "barnyard" basketball sets. Fish is recruiting well so far, but can he coach? Huse was a decent recruiter too.
Yes, I'm a Weber State homer, so of course, I think Weber did the best job recruiting. Weber got the players it needed and is stock full of talent and now, unlike last year, has a better balance between basketball players and athletes. However, I really feel that Eastern has done an excellent job of reloading. The Eagles will be a completely different team next year, but will still be tough. Montana will still be good, and I think North Dakota will shock some. I'm not sure about Northern Arizona. They have certain pieces in place with Yanku, Martin, and Kaluna but the Jacks are really going to have to depend a lot on some new additions. We are talking a Jack Murphy coached team. They will start the season slow and really gain momentum by the middle of the end of the conference season. BJ Hill in Greeley is a good recruiter and Nick Robinson in Cedar is a good coach so anything can happen in those areas. Bill Evans is both a good coach and above-average recruiter. I'm not sure what to think about ISU (Most likely they are in serious trouble)...Idaho, Sac, and PSU...I feel could struggle next season, but have players that can be game changers. Who knows...the Sky could be wide open next year.
sacstateman
Active member
I think UM and NAU will be the favorites in my book but you guys should be improved also....I still have my doubts about your point guard play....if you get GOOD point guard play, you should be one of the favorites too....It will be interesting to see how the teams gel next season....SUU could be right in there with the top teams....It is nice to see more reserved expectations after last year....By late December we should be able to get a much better idea where the chips will fall.....
oldrunner
Active member
I agree that for our Wildcats to have a better outcome, they will need to have improved play from our guards. However, I don't see it as a purely PG related thing. The way that Randy's system works, there will never be a guard from WSU who will lead the league in assists. That sort of situation takes the 'Stockton to Malone' sort of system. It's just not going to happen at WSU. To be successful we need, as a team, to average over 15 assists, and less than 10 turnovers per game. It also helps to out rebound at least 75% of the teams you play, while holding them to less than 40% shooting. To me, our biggest problems last year were rebounding and defense. We expected some guys to do some things that they proved they couldn't. Some bad personnel choices were made last year. I'm hoping that is behind us now. Inexperience was just a lame azz excuse for what, ultimately, was simply bad choices. :wall:
sacstateman
Active member
You may be right olds but from what I remember you guys had problems with a point guard who tried to force himself to the hoop, head down and never really looked to dump it off for a better shot....he did a little better by the end of the season but I personally don't think he is a point.....shooting guard yes but not a point....if you can find someone else to run the team and put Senglin at SG then you will be formidable....like I said...I may be wrong, but until Weber can show me solid point play I have some doubts...
SWWeatherCat
Active member
oldrunner said:
You may be right but it's disappointing to think that you might be. If Rahe ever has a Stockton/Malone type combo that is practically unstoppable in a pick-and-roll style play, then how in the world could he not mold a system to a talent instead of the other way around? If he's not flexible enough to adapt to a situation like that or special talents, then I guess we see a coaching weakness.
A knock on the assist king of the world is that he was way too good of a shooter to not shoot more, but still, there are some awfully good duo's that have carried teams with the right role players surrounding them, even in the BSC. If Rahe sees a duo capable of such, exploit it! I love Senglin's ability to get to the rim, I hate the fact that he doesn't see anyone else when he does and has had his share of times getting stuck. I'd still love to see him as a 2 in a traditional 1-3 system with a great facilitator at point. I know it won't happen but I'd love to see it.
oldrunner
Active member
Yes. Senglin's sophomore year was a transition year, and there were bumps along the way. He made good improvements along the way. In his Junior year I expect to see even more improvement.
Seems to me like a little piling on here. It was his first year playing at the point in D1 basketball. He is the highest basketball IQ on the team, the others recognize him as the leader, and the coaches see him in that role as well. As a young player, he may have been uneasy in that role at times. I expect that to be much improved in his junior year.
My opinion is that fans, and surely fans from other schools, need to back off on the heavy criticism. :yikes:
Seems to me like a little piling on here. It was his first year playing at the point in D1 basketball. He is the highest basketball IQ on the team, the others recognize him as the leader, and the coaches see him in that role as well. As a young player, he may have been uneasy in that role at times. I expect that to be much improved in his junior year.
My opinion is that fans, and surely fans from other schools, need to back off on the heavy criticism. :yikes:
Webergrad02
Active member
He didn't ever figure out that teams were baiting him in to the offensive foul game after game. He kept his head down and forced it to the rim over and over. As soon as he would drive at the top of the key a big would slide over and Jeremy would keep his head down and bowl him over. He also dribbled a little too much, even in his comeback against Montana in the tournament.
Sorry for the pile on Olds, but I didn't see a lot of improvement in those two areas. He is a good and talented kid, but having high IQ means improving in these areas and not getting baited into so many charging fouls.
Sorry for the pile on Olds, but I didn't see a lot of improvement in those two areas. He is a good and talented kid, but having high IQ means improving in these areas and not getting baited into so many charging fouls.
