2015-2016 Early Big Sky rankings

[oldrunner]

I am positive that those weaknesses are on his list of things to work on over the summer. My guess is that we will see improvement in those areas. Does that mean he will never get a charging call? Of course he will, everyone does. Does it mean that he will never have a turnover? Of course he will, everyone does.

One thing that I have personally seen is that he works as hard or harder than anyone on improving his game. All of the things being said here, he has said to himself.

Let the kid grow and develop. :wtf:

 

[sacstateman]

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.

I think olds was directing his post towards me, being as I was the only one from another school saying anything negative about him....."heavy criticism" is hardly what I stated.....Look back at my post and see where I also praised him as a possible SG....I guess you don't like any criticism but sometimes the truth hurts....we will all see if he makes the transition this season but in all my years I haven't seen many dump the way they have always played the game in one off season....BTW, it doesn't look like I'm the only one who sees his weaknesses...

 

[oldrunner]

My post about piling on was mostly general, but yes, sacstatesman, you have been one to encourage the jumping Lemmings. Because I don't believe that you believe players can not develop and improve their game to fill a need of their team, I think that you simply like to fan the flames of discontent on our side the Siera Nevada Mtns.

When Senglin came in as a freshman, He immediately established himself as one of the top two guards on our team. The other one was Davion Berry. In practices he had the lowest turnover rate, and highest shooting percentage of all of the guards on our team. He was getting it done in practice and the coaches thought they could move him right into the PG position. In games it was not the same. As a PG he was thinking through things to the point that it was slowing him down and negatively effecting his game and consequently the team's game. Like a lot of freshmen he was trying hard not to make mistakes and his game wasn't flowing. The coaches recognized the situation and moved him to the wing. The result was an outstanding year, and freshman of the year in the BSC. He still has all of the skills that made the coaches think of him as a PG and has expanded his abilities in many areas, most notably his leadership. Last year, his sophomore year, he again won the competition for the PG position in practice. The coaches knew there would be an adjustment period because it is a position that requires more decision making than any of the others. They decided that it was best for the long range development of the team to accept the mistakes that would come from it. They are planning for a big payoff, two years of solid PG play to go along with solid post and wing play. If someone beats him out for the PG position this summer and fall, then great, it would take one he!! of a guard and would make us that much better as a team. If nobody beats him, then he is our guy. As it stands right now, he is our top guard and more to the point, he is our top point guard. He and Bolomboy are the top dogs on the team. It is the rest of the pecking order that is yet to be decided.

 

[sacstateman]

My post about piling on was mostly general, but yes, sacstatesman, you have been one to encourage the jumping Lemmings. Because I don't believe that you believe players can not develop and improve their game to fill a need of their team, I think that you simply like to fan the flames of discontent on our side the Siera Nevada Mtns.

When Senglin came in as a freshman, He immediately established himself as one of the top two guards on our team. The other one was Davion Berry. In practices he had the lowest turnover rate, and highest shooting percentage of all of the guards on our team. He was getting it done in practice and the coaches thought they could move him right into the PG position. In games it was not the same. As a PG he was thinking through things to the point that it was slowing him down and negatively effecting his game and consequently the team's game. Like a lot of freshmen he was trying hard not to make mistakes and his game wasn't flowing. The coaches recognized the situation and moved him to the wing. The result was an outstanding year, and freshman of the year in the BSC. He still has all of the skills that made the coaches think of him as a PG and has expanded his abilities in many areas, most notably his leadership. Last year, his sophomore year, he again won the competition for the PG position in practice. The coaches knew there would be an adjustment period because it is a position that requires more decision making than any of the others. They decided that it was best for the long range development of the team to accept the mistakes that would come from it. They are planning for a big payoff, two years of solid PG play to go along with solid post and wing play. If someone beats him out for the PG position this summer and fall, then great, it would take one he!! of a guard and would make us that much better as a team. If nobody beats him, then he is our guy. As it stands right now, he is our top guard and more to the point, he is our top point guard. He and Bolomboy are the top dogs on the team. It is the rest of the pecking order that is yet to be decided.

Ok...one at a time.....I am not "fanning the flames", just stating the obvious.......your own coaches saw he couldn't handle the point in his freshman year and moved him where I think and I have stated he would be a better fit, at shooting guard...winning the point guard position at Weber last year does not make you a decent point guard.....I agree, if someone beats him out for this coming season your team will be much better....I also agree that Bolomboy is your top dog but if Senglin is your top scorer from the point position your team will have some of the same problems as last year....if he leads your team in scoring from the SG position then your team will be much improved....I didn't see enough improvement at point guard skills to think he can become a good point over the off season (the time you are not playing organized games which is how you improve your point guard skills)....sorry if you don't agree but as I said earlier, we will see come next season....

 

[n.ogdencat]

Jeremy wasn't amazing at the point...that has been stated many times, but to say he was terrible is also misleading. He was fine. He did what was expected and made a lot of progress. Is he a better SG? To me, yes. However, right now he is the team leader, best ball-handler, and the guy with the best potential to being the point for the Wildcats. What we can hope is that he takes his game to another level next year. I think his progress from Freshman year to Sophomore year was great. The problem was our expectations were too high.

As for the 2015-2016 team...Weber has more options at the point. Dusty Baker, McKay Cannon, and Cody John all could play the point for the Wildcats and I wouldn't doubt seeing Senglin playing the 2 on occasion next season. Biggest issue is that two of those guys are going to be freshmen and one hasn't played ball for two years. Cannon, I believe, gets home next week. Rahe has more options at point than this past season, if the guys who were recruited end up coming in ready to compete and contribute.

To me...and I've got to keep myself grounded, there is a lot to be excited about as a Wildcat fan.
Jeremy Senglin is one of the top players in the Sky. Weber could have the best backcourt in the conference next year with Senglin, Gittens, Richardson, Baker, Cannon, John, Jefferson, and Williams.
Joel Bolomboy and Zach Braxton could end up being one of the scariest duos in the state, if not the region. Braxton is primed and ready to go. He showed off some offense moves that desperately could have helped the Cats last season, however, last year is past. I'm excited to see him play. Having Joel on the court will keep defenses honest on Zach. He will get lots of one on one play this season. Also, if Zach is producing which he will, that means teams can't afford to double Joel in the future. He will also get one on one defenses. Teams best chances of beating the Cats are Zones...

 

[wazzuwildcat03]

My very early pre season picks.
1. Montana. I believe they have the best player in the conference returning and they were the top team last year so they deserve to be here.
2. Weber State. I know I'm being biased, but Weber will rebound and will right up there. Too many athletes and top players returning to not be a contender.
3. Eastern Washington. If they had Harvey coming back they would be the top spot by a mile. I still think they will be tough. They might have the best front court in the conference.
4. Northern Arizona. They lose quite a bit, but return some very good players. I don't see them being very deep though, but Yanku, Kalonu and Martin are a good trio to build around.
5. SUU. They are my dark horse pick. They return everyone. They don't have a star player, but have probably 4-5 very solid players. They wont contend, but will be very tough.
6. North Dakota. I thought about putting them at 5. They will be improved, and they have some solid players.
7. Portland State. I guess Tucker is coming back and they have some other decent players, but don't see them getting higher then 7th.
8. Northern Colorado. Same as PSU. They have some decent players, but they lose a ton off last years squad. Carmichael is solid, but other than him nobody on this teams scares me.
9. Sacramento State. They return 3 starters, but losing arguably the top 2 players in school history will be too much for them to make a push. Sac St will be back at the bottom where they belong.
10. Idaho. They lose 3 starters to graduation, plus a 4th when Wiggs decided to transfer. Their coach is a total A hole too. The Vandals will suck next year.
11. Montana State. They had so many transfer and graduate off a team that sucked last year. Its going to be a while before MSU is in the top half of the Big Sky. Colbert is solid, but he can't do it all alone.
12. Idaho State. I feel bad for these guys. They might not win a conference game next year. They lose 4 starters from a team that was not even good to begin with. It's going to be a long season for the potatoes.

 

[SWWeatherCat]

... but if Senglin is your top scorer from the point position your team will have some of the same problems as last year....if he leads your team in scoring from the SG position then your team will be much improved...

:agree: but know where Senglin will be next season. BTW, it's not dogging on a player or being overly critical to point out what position one thinks suits a player's obvious talents best-- more importantly, a position that would help with some weaknesses.

 

[oldrunner]

Very nice list Wazzu.

To me, the two wild cards to watch are EWU and Sac. With Jois, EWU is a top three team. If he doesn't return they could well be a bottom three team. Sac has the front court to compete well and has recruited some highly talented guards. If those guards can live up to their billing, Sac can be a top three team. If those guards can't live up to the hype, Sac will be a middle of the pack team.

SUU could be anywhere in the mix. They did a lot of creative things on defense last year. They may have caught some teams off guard a bit. I'm not sure how effective those things might be this time around. We will see. :twocents:

 

[Skippy]

12. Idaho State. I feel bad for these guys. They might not win a conference game next year. They lose 4 starters from a team that was not even good to begin with. It's going to be a long season for the potatoes.

Let me say I am cautiously optimistic that Idaho State will be better next year than they were last year. Losing Hansen and Solarin is a killer, no doubt, but I like the recruiting class they have brought in.

http://www.bigskyfans.com/bengals/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6138" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Five JC kids who all will play immediately, plus two freshmen with good numbers and athleticism. No doubt, they will be picked to finish last in every pre-season poll compiled, and probably rightly so. They will be light in the front court, that's for sure.

But they are bringing in SHOOTERS, something they drastically lacked last season. Lots of wing players who have proven at the JC level they can shoot the three and free throws -- poor free throw shooting absolutely killed ISU last year. The Bengals also have a redshirted 7-foot center who is extremely raw (he rarely played for a very good California high school team), but who has a lot of athletic ability and should eventually make a solid contribution as a rebounder and shot blocker.

I'm not predicting ISU will be a contender next season, but I think you'll see they have a lot more weapons than they had last year. If they can learn to play well together, they will win their share of games. And hopefully, they'll exhibit enough talent to give us hope for the future (they will only lose two seniors from next year's team.)

 

[sacstateman]

... but if Senglin is your top scorer from the point position your team will have some of the same problems as last year....if he leads your team in scoring from the SG position then your team will be much improved...

:agree: but know where Senglin will be next season. BTW, it's not dogging on a player or being overly critical to point out what position one thinks suits a player's obvious talents best-- more importantly, a position that would help with some weaknesses.

Thanks SWWeatherCat....at least you understand what I've been saying and in what light I've been saying it...as for Wazzu's list, I think he has EWU too high...the loss of Drew Brandon will hurt them as much as the loss of Harvey, plus they lose Kelly and Miljkovic, which means they lose 4 out of 5 starters...Yes Bliznyuk will be good but I have doubts about how they fill all the holes....as for Sac St, I don't know how the backcourt is going to shake out yet, can't argue with your placement but I definitely hope you're all wet....I think both MSU and ISU will be much improved this year....Cam Michael is a real scoring threat at NCU but he is pretty much on an island by himself....NAU is the team with the best point coming back and with the BSC being a guard league I put them in the top two, also Martin finished the year playing MUCH better than he did the majority of the year (maybe the lights turned on for him).....SUU will be a threat to beat anyone, anywhere this year, if they can become consistent, they have a chance at a top 3 placement....any of the rest of the teams I will have to wait and see, I don't anticipate any of them posing much of a threat but who really knows.... :twocents:

 

[thescout]

Other than Hooker UND needs lots of help. Shanks 5pts 3 reb. average last ten games. De Rouen 9 ppg. 38%. are only returners of note...Estan Tyler 11ppg. has graduated and decided not to play next season. Fr. Seales rivals 3* is only rated recruit. Perhaps Juco Baldwin and Transfer Bernstine will be ready. No AZ. has just signed their 8th recruit for class of 2015 all 8 are incoming freshman...must be some kind of record 8 out of 13 scholarships players will be frosh. Tyler Lawson SUU will be on Mission next season. Everyone else returns.

 

[sacstateman]

Rawson going on mission is going to leave a big hole that I didn't know about....He was in my opinion one of the best freshmen in the BSC last year and he looked to have a lot of upside potential because of his relative light weight he could of put on muscle and become a real force....got to drop them a notch or two without Rawson...

 

[n.ogdencat]

I can't believe this, but I am agreeing with Sac!! Harvey was a huge loss for the Eagles, so was Kelly and Miljkovic. Yes, the Eagles still have Jois, Van Hofe, Washington, and Bliznyuk but they don't have a solid point that can facilitate like Drew Brandon. Brandon is a serious loss for the Eagles. He was their quarterback and glu guy. He did a little bit of everything for the Eagles. he was the guy who kept them balanced.

In the past the Sky has heavily depended on JUCO talent. Most teams have a JUCO guy or two coming in, PSU that is all they have. Yet, this season, each team has on average 2-4 True Fresh joining their programs, which I feel, in the long run, will make the Sky a deeper and better conference. Maybe not next season, but in a couple seasons. Look at SUU...last season their entire team was virtually freshmen. This season they made some serious strides and really shocked some teams (winning in Ogden was a major jolt), and I think they will only get better. No, they really don't have a go-to guy (AJ Hess and McGee are the closest thing they've got). They win by committee and they are extremely tough. I know some of you on here hate Robinson's style, but it is effective. Weber got beat purely because SUU out-toughed us. Weber wasn't tough enough to take it to the T-Birds (both games Hajek should have played 20-25mins, but didn't) and it cost us two wins. Toughness and togetherness can go a long way in the Sky.

 

[SDHornet]

ssman is a solid poster. I don’t understand the hate towards him. He’s blunt, and more often than not he is right. I don’t think any of his posts were intended to be smack on any of WSU’s players. You guys have a solid roster.

Good list wazzou. It’s very early but I’d swap NAU and EWU. Not sure why you have Sac as low as you do. We return a solid trio to build around, and that is a lot more than what PSU, UND, and maybe even (haven’t looked at them that closely) UNC return. I think we finish middle of the pack with just “okay” numbers from whoever else joins Demps in the back court.
I agree with your pick about SUU but like ssman said, the Rawson mission will hurt them. SUU returns almost everyone and will be experienced, I agree with tal on what he said about them, they will be tough and I think they will finish middle of the pack as well.

Looking like a pretty wide open BSC after the top couple of teams. Should be another interesting season for everyone.

 

[sacstateman]

Thanks for the back up SD but I can handle myself....these guys know what I'm saying they just don't always agree....I can handle that....why do they call us "FANS".....even tal is starting to actually admit to me being correct occasionally....WILL MIRACLES EVER CEASE?...(it is a little easier on me since they closed down the sweat shop in Littleton/Denver)...LOL

 

[oldrunner]

Personally, I like the outside perspective we get from both ss and SD. That goes for BengalV and MtJack as well. I suspect that we get our outside posters because there is not much action on their own boards. The only thing I don't like is when it appears to get too personal or a gang mentality starts to erupt in the criticism of an individual player. The observation that guard play was less than stellar at WSU this past season is obvious to everyone. Also, the observation that, to improve as a team, our guard play will have to get better, is also obvious to everyone. My personal opinion is that some of the problems were individual players, while most were team issues. You can bet that all of the returning players and coaches are well aware of changes and improvements that need to be made. I have heard that the core of the team is sticking around for most of the summer to work on their conditioning and skills.

I don't expect perfection, but I do expect significant improvement. I think that the players themselves expect the same things.

 

[n.ogdencat]

McKay Cannon is back.

 

[oldrunner]

McKay Cannon is back.

That's great! He will have all summer to decompress, get back into shape, and work on getting his game back. He will have a chance to compete for minutes on the guard line. We have waited 3 years to get a look at his game. As I recall, he had a complete game, and can play at the point or on the wing. It's going to be an interesting competition to see who will win the backup minutes at the point and on the wings. We may end up playing more guards this year than in most years, certainly in the preseason. I have seen missionaries hit the ground running on their return. I have also seen it take a year to get their legs and game back. We need to be patient with this young man.

 

[n.ogdencat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yns2vxvYcs...just" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to remind folks as to how good Cannon can be for the Cats.

 

[Webergrad02]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yns2vxvYcs...just to remind folks as to how good Cannon can be for the Cats.

Forget about McCay Cannons mad skills, did you see how awesome that potato mascot is for the russets?