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Six Freshmen... Not Really

oldrunner

oldrunner

Active member
We have six freshmen joining our team this year. That seems like a lot and seems like we would be quite young. However, only two of them, Barnes and Zdor, are the traditional 18 year old freshmen. Those two are talented beyond their years. The other four, RMs Fuller and Johnson, prep school grads Kupsas and Nero, are 19 to 22 years old. They are physically and mentally more mature. This doesn't have the feel of six freshmen joining the team. We have veterans with a lot of experience returning to lead the way. My feelings are that we are in a really good place right about now. Time will tell how much improvement we will show over last years team, but the prospects look good to me. Our schedule is shaping up to be favorable as well. I am optimistic. :coffee:
 
Happy 4th to the board! :-D

Oldrunner, I'm always too positive (just look at my avatar). But I will say that for two years now I've been pointing to this season as one where I thought we'd have a very memorable team. With the comings and goings of college players, it just can't happen every year. But once and awhile the machinery - the wheels, gears and cylinders (the SRs, JRs, SOs and FRs) - click together. I hate to go over the top, but I think we have the players that could make this a "special" year. My expectations are pretty high for this group.

In the meantime, this is just way too early to start getting psyched up. But I am a little anxious. So keep a few posts coming ...
 
I agree with you both that this team has the potential to be really good. We have the big bodies and the talent to compete with anyone in the league and to hopefully make an NCAA run (fingers crossed). That said, there are a lot of things that can happen--injuries, chemistry, etc. that can derail the highest hopes. But if we can stay healthy and get the guys working together, this team will be really special.
 
Since I struggle drinking too much of the purple kool-aid each year, I'm asking myself a few questions before I go overboard. What makes this team different from last years? What areas have been development or improved upon? Can the recruits actually contribute and if so, how much? Do we have the experience in place to make a run at a conference championship and challenge the conference front-runners?

Even though I really like the recruiting class that Randy has been able to sign. Nothing is certain until they hit the floor and start playing. Even though Randy has 7 guys back, creating a solid base upon which the team can develop, he will desperately need 2 or 3 of the new freshman to contribute immediately. We've heard, and some of us have seen, these new guys in action. So far, there have been positive reports on Johnson, Barnes, and Nero. I've heard that Fuller has been hit with the injury bug, but thankfully, I had him as a red shirt this year. I don't know much about either of the Euro Bigs (Kupsas or Zdor), but believe that both are skilled and can contribute in different ways towards the programs success. Neither spent much time, if any, in Ogden with the team this June. Kozak was here but left to play with his national team. Gratefully, again, the front court isn't a major concern since we have Braxton, Chapman, Kozak, and Dallas (not that I believe he will see the floor much) back. The top three will use up 90% of the mins. The Back court does have Harding, John and Doc, but I believe we need immediate assistance from our newbs in this area and I believe we will get it. I really like the incoming freshmen guards, but only time will tell.

We somewhat got burned by a few things last year. The newbs weren't able to contribute as much as what was needed. Too many injuries, with one sending a regular rotation player to the bench for the season (John). Shortened rotation and guys playing out of position. Limited experience and a team totally worn out by March. Weber, regrettably, peaked at the end of January and had to hold on till the end.
 
Braxton missed some time with injuries and Chapman missed several games. When Chapman returned, he wasn't back to normal for several games. Our guard line became thin due to a couple of guys not living up to expectations and the injury to John. Doc was out at the beginning due to having his knee scoped.

So far this summer, the only injuries have been minor injuries. No injuries requiring surgery or any sort of long term rehab. That alone is a huge improvement over last year. This year, all of our guards are healthy and seem to be playing at a high level. Our returning big men look better than ever and the new guys seem to give us the depth that we lacked last year.

To me, the biggest issue we had last year was rebounding, That is still a big question mark, I am hopeful that question will be answered by our incoming players and renewed emphasis within the program. :coffee: :coffee:
 
mins/game ppg rpg apg
Richardson: 32.6 13.5 3.2 2.1
Baker: 25.5 7.2 4.1 3.7
Those are the stats of the two senior guards from last season. Those are solid stats, but I think the combination of the guards coming in will be able to replace and/or improve upon those stats.

I can understand people being hesitant to anoint this team as league-winners already, but I do have my reasons for feeling optimistic:

1) Coaching staff has said they are going to be more up-tempo offensively and defensively. The guards we have signed are able to play this way, plus we have more of them who can play at a high level. A deep bench is very important in order to run up-tempo on both sides of the ball, and I am certain that scoring will be spread out with more guys playing, so we won't be so reliant on two guards doing most of the scoring and getting worn out through the long season.

2) The young bigs are mobile and skilled. Zdor, Kupsas, and Fuller are all able to step away from the basket and be effective out to the 3-point line. This changes the way teams have to defend. We gotta defend and rebound in the post, but again, we have more bigs who are more versatile.
 
The Stockton to Malone style of offense is dead and gone from today's basketball. On Randy's teams nobody gets a huge number of assists, but the team, as a whole, gets a high number. In the past, we have done well in defensive rebounding, but poor on the offensive end. With more athletic guards, we may get a few more offensive boards this year. At least, I am hoping so. Also, I am hoping that our rebounding won't tail off when the back ups are in the game. That would help a bunch. Scoring will not be an issue with this team. We have multiple guys quite willing and able to score the rock. I am hoping that defending becomes something this team hangs its hat on. I think that it could become that. They have the physical tools and the coaches will demand it.

I have been overly optimistic in years past and trying to avoid it now. However, I can't help but feel good about where this team is at and their real chances of being a special group. :coffee:
 
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