Unfortunately Weber got schooled by SUU, a team made up of journeyman. How can a team expect to win when their starting guards go 2-19? With the weak almost non existent defense of Bolomboy and Hill, two journeymen big men (Oliverson and Rawson) had career nights. Point is an equally big problem with no defense played and a shooting guard playing the position. Rahe is a problem also. He doesn't use his backups enough. Our bench was outscored 33-4 last night. SUU played 12 guys with 10 getting significant minutes. We played 9 guys with only 6 getting significant minutes. Our starting 5 was probably exhausted at the end of the game with all of them playing well over 30 minutes each.
Frontcourt Solution: Winning starts with defense. So I say start Hajek at Center and give him at least 20-25 minutes playing time every game. Start Bolomboy at the 4 and play him 20 minutes there with Hill picking up the second 20 minutes. For 15 more playing time Bolomboy can backup at center. Unfortunately, there is no one else to slot into these two positions since Braxton is redshirting and Coston should be playing D2 ball. I don't think Van Pelt will be back with the team next year. He's a good D2 or JC prospect.
Backcourt Solution: Gittens is solid, if not spectacular, at the wing. He will deliver solid defense and 10 points every night with good shot selection. I am surprised at the progress he has made in shooting the 3. Move Senglin to the 2 and play him 25-30 minutes with Richardson backing him up for 10-15 minutes per game. Richardson needs playing time to develop and if he doesn't get it Rahe will have wasted one of his eligibility years for no reason. Have him focus on defense while playing. He has the skills to be a good defender, just doesn't work at it enough. Sit Golden! He has only one "supposed" skill which is shooting the long ball. Reality is that he is more willing than capable. He needs to be playing at a lower level to shine. Sitting him free's up the time needed for Richardson.
Truth is, Weber needs a real point guard. They don't have one today that is ready to take on the load successfully. Senglin will never be a point first. Will always be a scorer first. He is willing to penetrate but has never seen a dish he likes. Play Hunter at the point. Yes, Hunter has potential but he is a ways away from being able to make a difference running a game. At least playing him now gives him development time in real situations. Hopefully Cannon will prove to be better at the point next year.
As for next year: Lose Coston and Golden. Hope that one of the incoming bigs is at the level to help and that Braxton is ready to be a productive starter who can play "D" and give us 8-10 points per game. Give up on the idea that Hill will ever be a three. He will not! Play him where he belongs at the 4. I think Emmanuel Nzekwesi, along with Juwan Williams, will help us next year. But Weber will probably not be at the level we expect again next year. The reality is that Rahe put his eggs in the Bolomboy and Senglin basket a few years ago and that basket has proven to have a few holes in it. They just are not as good as we expected them to be.
Conclusion: Weber is a 500 team. I hope that they don't somehow win the Big Sky conference tourney because it would be embarrassing to see them play in the NCAA's.
