I was able to attend several of the non conf games in person (Nevada, siu-e, txriogrande, grand canyon, fullerton, WSU...btw, the road is grueling) as well as the conf opener against Sac State. What I have seen is the coaching staff take a relatively new team (eight new Vikes without its top returning scorer/rebounder in Tucker and missing a key player for several games in White) thru a number of experiments to find the right formula for success. With so many new but very talented guys, it is hard to figure out what pieces fit where until you try them out and let them season a bit***. The most effective switch so far has been moving Stewart to point (turnovers are down) and Robinson to the two (scoring is up, to's down), a much more natural fit for him and the results have been fantastic. Piniero (really looking forward to watching him for the next 2.5 years), White and Spickerman all seem to be playing with a sense of calm leading to fewer bad shots and better sharing of the ball. Forte off the bench is another move that seems to be paying dividends as he is a tough matchup for the opposing teams bench and brings a lot of energy. The latest starting lineup seems to be really tough defensively, as well (last couple of games they've produced increased to's/steals, slowing high scoring teams like Sac. St). And, there is solid depth waiting in the wings should the need arise. I am excited to see how things go during conference now that they've worked through the experiments. One down, seventeen to go. They are ready for the conference tests...next up, the Griz. Go Vikes!
***IMHO, the schools who are able to recruit four year guys have an advantage getting up to speed early in the season and their records usually show it. Case in point, sac state, a solid team, sneaking up on ASU. They are loaded with four year players who have played together longer than the vikes (and probably ASU with their new coach). That said, on a relative basis, their upside over the course of the season is limited compared to pstate, who should continue to make major strides as they proceed thru conf and the guys get more time on the court together. btw, I know we snuck up on USC last year...but the team also went on its every four year pre season trip which gave them a bunch of early practices...
***IMHO, the schools who are able to recruit four year guys have an advantage getting up to speed early in the season and their records usually show it. Case in point, sac state, a solid team, sneaking up on ASU. They are loaded with four year players who have played together longer than the vikes (and probably ASU with their new coach). That said, on a relative basis, their upside over the course of the season is limited compared to pstate, who should continue to make major strides as they proceed thru conf and the guys get more time on the court together. btw, I know we snuck up on USC last year...but the team also went on its every four year pre season trip which gave them a bunch of early practices...
