Top 15 team next year ...

[SoonerfanTU]

Taylor and Patillo were more 3/4 type guys not true posts.

Neither one of them played the 3, for more than a few minutes. Both are EXACTLY the kind of player that teams need for the 4 spot, rather starting, or coming off the bench.

 

[NickZepp]

They'd each be our best defensive player by far, at either the 4 or 5, this year.

True but I think both our guys right now in Fitz and Gallon have more potential than either one of those. I'm worried about next year because our talent level overall is pretty low. We don't have very good guards right now and we have no depth at all there. And we have decent post potential but they have been inconsistent at best.

 

[topcat]

If that's not a top 10 team in the Big 12 this year how is it a top 15 team int he country next year?

The good news is we have almost everybody back.

The bad news is those guys finished the season in the cellar and had one of the worst seasons most of us can ever remember.

We have a lot to prove before we can even be considered a tourney team next year let alone a top 15 team.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

We don't have very good guards right now and we have no depth at all there.

Assuming Willie leaves, our guards next year, right now, would be:

TMG
Davis
Cam
TJ
Pledger
Willis

That is two top 30 guys (TMG and Cam), two more top 100 guys (TJ and Willis), Davis who will likely start, and Pledger who was ranked around 100-120, but should be much better.

To me, I'd like to add one JUCO guard to that list. Somebody that has a nasty attitude on defense. Somebody like the Ellis kid that followed Kelvin to IU a few years back. Someone like a more polished Terrell Everett, or maybe a Nolan Johnson. That is all this team SHOULD need, guard-wise.

Just think about that, we might start next year:

TMG - top 30
Davis -
Cam - top 30
Fitz - top 70
Tiny - top 10

And bring a top 70 guard in TJ off the bench. At that point, all we should need, is depth.

 

[NickZepp]

Who cares what these guys are ranked in HS? That doesn't mean a damn thing. It's where they are ranked in college that matters.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

The good news is we have almost everybody back.

I hope this is correct.

To truly show significant improvement in the win-lose record next season, somehow someway, the coaches have to figure out how to teach these kids to play better defense, individual-wise and team-wise.

Take the projected roster, add a year of maturity and some toughness and improved defense, then good things could happen next season.

I would be most happy with a Top-40 team next year. Take that step first, then we can really talk about the potential for a Top-15 team when the current freshmen are juniors ... presuming they all make it until their junior year. I hope they do.

 

[Gutter]

Who cares what these guys are ranked in HS? That doesn't mean a damn thing. It's where they are ranked in college that matters.

Yeah, i don't know why we're still citing high school rankings. We all saw how far they got us this year.

I would love to have an impact junior college player. We should remember though that, for as good as Nolan Johnson turned out to be, he pretty much stunk for half of his first season here. He clicked in Big 12 play and played really well from there on. Even JUCO guys often take some time to adjust...

I like our team next year on paper, too. If Jeff can get them to buy into the inconvienent parts of basketball (defense, toughness, scrappiness) then I think we can really go somewhere.

 

[Cheno]

Who cares what these guys are ranked in HS? That doesn't mean a damn thing. It's where they are ranked in college that matters.

Exactly. That's for recruiting talk and freshmen year talk. Now everyone has a year under their belt and you can throw recruiting rankings out on how they actually perform on the court.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Oh, so now recruiting rankings don't matter.

Got it.

 

[NickZepp]

Oh, so now recruiting rankings don't matter.

Got it.

You never see me hype up recruiting.

 

[Gutter]

Oh, so now recruiting rankings don't matter.

Got it.

I never said they did either. Either have you. So no one is being a hypocrite here.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

You never see me hype up recruiting.

Nick, I don't pay much attention to anything you say. Nearly every comment/statement you make is completely overblown, one direction or the other.

 

[DenverSooner]

If the starting lineup is:

TMG
WW
Cameron Clark or Terrence Jones
Fitz
Tiny

All it takes for this to happen it for Willie to come back and Clark/Jones to beat out Davis and if their recruiting ranking is accurate they easily will.

Easily beat out Cade Davis? I really don't think that is going to be easy. He is the most experienced player on the team.