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I don't feel like thinking about last night anymore so let's move on to looking at next year. Here's what I would say to each player about what they should do in the off season.

Dev Manley - Go overseas and make yourself some money. You've developed into a very good all around player and should be able to make a good living overseas if you want to. When you're done playing, I'd love to see you back on the KSU bench. Thanks for 4 great year.

Kris Brewer - Also could have a great career overseas. Go make some money. Thanks for 4 great years.

Derek Jackson - Don't go overseas. You could go overseas and make a lot of money but wait, don't do it just yet. Try the D league first. You're not an NBA player right now, but you have an NBA player's skill set. The thing to remember about the D league is NBA GMs don't go there to find scorers. They go there looking for role players that will help in all aspects. Jackson is a plus defender and a plus rebounder for his size. He showed he can hit contested NBA range 3's this year and he's got the athleticism and motor to make up for his size. Try the D league for a year or two and if it doesn't seem like it's meant to be, go overseas and make some money. You were fun to watch for 2 years and for that I thank you.

Kaliq Spicer - You should spend every waking moment glued to Jimmy Hall and Justin Greene. If either of those guys had your size and athleticism they would've been one-and done lottery picks. You should be a force on the glass every game. Work hard in the weight room and work on winning balls that you don't get a clean grip of initially.

Chris Ortiz - The talent is there, that's clear. Need to work on your handles if you plan to play on the perimeter. Showed signs of being a great post up player at times but won't stay down there. Picking the brains of Greene and Hall wouldn't be a bad idea for you either.

Gary Akbar - Got the potential to be a great glue guy which every good team needs. Need to improve lateral quickness and play under control without losing the intensity. Need to work on defending without fouling. It's not enough to not foul someone. If you're playing out of control a non foul can look like a foul and will get called.

Jimmy Hall - If you continue to improve over the next two years NBA scouts will start coming to see you play. Most likely they will say "great skill set around the basket, long arms, lacks the size and athleticism to play in the NBA." Smart NBA GMs would look at that and say "that's what you said about Paul Milsap." When coming out of college Millsap measured 6'7.25" inches tall, 258 lbs., with a 7'1.5" wingspan. Hall's listed at 6'7" 235. I don't know what Hall's wingspan is but I have to believe it's close to 7 foot. He's incredibly similar in size and skill set to Millsap. As a Soph. Millsap's per 40 minute numbers were 22.4 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 2.1 Bpg, shooting 57.5% and 60.1% from the line. Hall's per 40 minute numbers this year were 22.2 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg, shooting 53.2% and 68.2% from the line. If Hall can improve his athleticism over the next two years he could get himself into the picture as a late second round pick which is where Millsap got his start. The big difference between the two is Millsap's incredible rebounding numbers. That's what caught people's attention about him. Hall rebounds well because of instincts and length. If he could add some athleticisim he might be able to get close to what Millsap could do. So I would say get Hall as much game film on Millsap as you can get and let him study it all off season. Explain to him that at this point in his career he's not far from what Millsap was and remind him that Millsap made 9.5 million dollars this year as the starting PF for the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Marquiz Lawrence - Need to add some weight. Hit the weights hard. Like Akbar, need to learn to play under control and not pick up dumb fouls.

Rasean Davis - Learn everything you can from Justin Greene.

We really need Kellon Thomas to recover well from his injury. I think Xavier Pollard will hold down one guard spot - he was 3rd Team America East conference as a Junior, and was 6th in the league in scoring percentage. I don't know what to expect from Deon Edwin or Marvin Jones.

One of the freshmen guards will get court time. Maybe more. It'll be nice to get someone on the all-MAC freshman team once.

You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

Hello all! I moved to Ohio just over a year ago to finish my degree at Kent State University. I was born and raised in California and was seconds away from attending Long Beach State, but things changed. I have always watched college basketball, but never had an actual team to root for. Until now. I am proud to be a Golden Flash and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this year. It was awesome on the student bus trip to the MAC center for the quarterfinal game and I was happy (for the most part) with the KSU turnout. I hate Akron with a passion.

The most disappointing thing for me this year was not the loss last night, albeit that was close, but moreover students at home games this year. Besides the Akron game where we won in the final seconds, students were passionless and it pissed me off. I watch many college games on TV and it seems like most all students at the other universities are REALLY into the games! I hope hype for this team builds over the offseason so the students can get more excited about the team. It would be great to have a loud stadium and an edge in home court advantage!

All that being said, I am raw on Kent State basketball knowledge. I am glad I stumbled upon this forum as a lot of you appear very intelligent. I plan on learning a lot from all of you. My question...how is Kellen Thomas? Is he star quality? Also, I am so intrigued by the prospects of Avery, Hurley and Andrews. These players, along with Hall and Pollard, phew! Who wouldn't sweat with anticipation! I hate losing, so maybe a consistent winner is in our future?

Lets get this clear. Jimmy Hall has plenty of work to do as well. He needs to learn to defend without fouling and developing some leadership qualities would be nice as well. Thats no knock on him, but NBA draft potential?? Don't get me wrong, his talent is evident, but I don't think he Chris Ortiz and Kaliq Spicer need to spend their time glued to Jimmy Hall.

I think Davis would be best served spending his time on a treadmill and Chris Ortiz should live on a squat/clean cage. Kaliq can join Ortiz and in his downtime he should work with KSU's wide receiver coach.

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

As long as he isn't a 6'10 190 pound player that loves to let it rip from deep, he will be a welcome addition. The first time I hear "stretch 4"....god help us.

(03-28-2015 07:35 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

As long as he isn't a 6'10 190 pound player that loves to let it rip from deep, he will be a welcome addition. The first time I hear "stretch 4"....god help us.

I don't know what his measurements are. What I do know, is the same potential and excitement that was revolving around Hall last year at this time is being mentioned about Jones. If they are correct, that is a helluva 1-2 punch.

(03-28-2015 07:33 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  Lets get this clear. Jimmy Hall has plenty of work to do as well. He needs to learn to defend without fouling and developing some leadership qualities would be nice as well. Thats no knock on him, but NBA draft potential?? Don't get me wrong, his talent is evident, but I don't think he Chris Ortiz and Kaliq Spicer need to spend their time glued to Jimmy Hall.

I think Davis would be best served spending his time on a treadmill and Chris Ortiz should live on a squat/clean cage. Kaliq can join Ortiz and in his downtime he should work with KSU's wide receiver coach.

Yes, I agree Hall has a lot of work to do. My point is while he isn't as good as Millsap was at this time in his career, he isn't that far behind him. If he puts in the work over the next two years he could get to where Millsap was when he entered the draft... which was a player that was 13 spots away from being undrafted.

I do think Ortiz and Spicer could learn a lot from Hall. They lack post moves, that's his strength.

(03-28-2015 08:03 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:35 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

As long as he isn't a 6'10 190 pound player that loves to let it rip from deep, he will be a welcome addition. The first time I hear "stretch 4"....god help us.

I don't know what his measurements are. What I do know, is the same potential and excitement that was revolving around Hall last year at this time is being mentioned about Jones. If they are correct, that is a helluva 1-2 punch.

If that's true then it means Jones made the most of his year off. Hall's numbers were better as a freshman in D1 than Jones' as a Soph. in JC. Hopefully that means he really benefited from his year off, but I'm going to temper my expectations. He does seem like he'll be a nice piece though. Could stand to gain some weight though. 6'10" 205 is pretty slender.

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

Interesting take. Just based on JUCO numbers and who was recruiting both of them I was expecting more from Edwin than Jones.

(03-28-2015 08:33 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

Interesting take. Just based on JUCO numbers and who was recruiting both of them I was expecting more from Edwin than Jones.

My post was not to belittle Edwin. As I said, I think he will be very solid - I just know there is a buzz around Marvin Jones.

(03-28-2015 07:31 PM)KSU Agee Wrote:  Hello all! I moved to Ohio just over a year ago to finish my degree at Kent State University. I was born and raised in California and was seconds away from attending Long Beach State, but things changed. I have always watched college basketball, but never had an actual team to root for. Until now. I am proud to be a Golden Flash and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this year. It was awesome on the student bus trip to the MAC center for the quarterfinal game and I was happy (for the most part) with the KSU turnout. I hate Akron with a passion.

The most disappointing thing for me this year was not the loss last night, albeit that was close, but moreover students at home games this year. Besides the Akron game where we won in the final seconds, students were passionless and it pissed me off. I watch many college games on TV and it seems like most all students at the other universities are REALLY into the games! I hope hype for this team builds over the offseason so the students can get more excited about the team. It would be great to have a loud stadium and an edge in home court advantage!

All that being said, I am raw on Kent State basketball knowledge. I am glad I stumbled upon this forum as a lot of you appear very intelligent. I plan on learning a lot from all of you. My question...how is Kellen Thomas? Is he star quality? Also, I am so intrigued by the prospects of Avery, Hurley and Andrews. These players, along with Hall and Pollard, phew! Who wouldn't sweat with anticipation! I hate losing, so maybe a consistent winner is in our future?

I don't think we have ever been called intelligent before. Welcome to the board.

(03-28-2015 08:33 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

Interesting take. Just based on JUCO numbers and who was recruiting both of them I was expecting more from Edwin than Jones.

Based on JUCO numbers, I expected Devin Carter and Craig Brown to make impacts.

(03-28-2015 07:31 PM)KSU Agee Wrote:  <snip>
The most disappointing thing for me this year was not the loss last night, albeit that was close, but moreover students at home games this year. Besides the Akron game where we won in the final seconds, students were passionless and it pissed me off. I watch many college games on TV and it seems like most all students at the other universities are REALLY into the games!
<snip>

Outside of the top 40 or so teams, what you see on TV is frequently skewed to broadcast a good show. They'll show the students when they're excited and keep the camera on the floor when the students are quiet.

(03-28-2015 08:41 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 08:33 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

Interesting take. Just based on JUCO numbers and who was recruiting both of them I was expecting more from Edwin than Jones.

My post was not to belittle Edwin. As I said, I think he will be very solid - I just know there is a buzz around Marvin Jones.

Didn't mean to imply you were belittling Edwin. Just noting I was surprised to hear that there's whispers that Jones might be the biggest addition of the non freshman guys coming in.

(03-28-2015 09:33 PM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 08:33 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:27 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  You can expect big things from Marvin Jones. Deon Edwin is going to be solid, but probably not All-MAC.

Interesting take. Just based on JUCO numbers and who was recruiting both of them I was expecting more from Edwin than Jones.

Based on JUCO numbers, I expected Devin Carter and Craig Brown to make impacts.

I get what you're saying but there is some value in looking at JUCO numbers. Also worth noting that Edwin shot 10% higher than Brown and 14% higher than Carter in JUCO.

(03-28-2015 09:42 PM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:31 PM)KSU Agee Wrote:  <snip>
The most disappointing thing for me this year was not the loss last night, albeit that was close, but moreover students at home games this year. Besides the Akron game where we won in the final seconds, students were passionless and it pissed me off. I watch many college games on TV and it seems like most all students at the other universities are REALLY into the games!
<snip>

Outside of the top 40 or so teams, what you see on TV is frequently skewed to broadcast a good show. They'll show the students when they're excited and keep the camera on the floor when the students are quiet.

The kids showboat for the cameras. They are never that excited on their own except for a very few. Cellphones rule most of the time.

Is Kellon Thomas going to get a medical redshirt this year or did he play in too many games to qualify for a medical redshirt?

Interested to see what the rotation looks like next season between Deon Edwin, Kellon Thomas, Xavier Pollard, Jalen Avery, Devon Andrews, & Jaylin Walker. Who will start? Who will play the 1, 2, & 3? Who will come off of the bench?


Interested to see what the rotation looks like next season between Chris Ortiz, Khaliq Spicer, Jimmy Hall, Marvin Jones, Gary Akbar, Marquiez Lawrence, Marvin Jones, & Rasean Davis. Who will start? Who will play the 3, 4, & 5? Who will come off of the bench?

Ortiz needs to work on mental focus & toughness, too many mental lapses on the defensive & offensive ends. Spicer is what he is at this point, shot blocker & rebounder, hopefully he improves his touch around the basket. Concussions are a weird thing and each player reacts differently, so who knows how Kellon Thomas will return? I am hoping that Deon Edwin being on campus for all of 2nd semester and the summer will really benefit this team next year. Wondering what Pollard brings for next season, after playing 3 yrs @ Maine and then sitting out last year. Replacing Brewer, Manley, & Jackson will be very tough to do. Davis needs to lose 20-25 pounds just like Justin Greene needed to do, so hopefully that happens from now through the summer. I think an offseason working on individuals will allow Gary Akbar to progress into a Demetric Shaw type player (not to that level, but left handed, gritty, good defense, etc.). Jones is very intriguing with his size.

Senderhoff has said that Kellon Thomas did get a redshirt for 2014-2015. He didn't have a concussion (that I ever heard of), he broke the orbital bone in his face.

I am really hopeful with future prospects for our team. I wouldn't underestimate Ortiz. I think he is incredibly important to this team. Mentally tough and emotionally a rock for the team. You need guys like that to pull out close games. He has shown range and defensive poise.

I think next years team will have serious DEPTH. I think the depth in the post will be a huge game changer next year as long as everyone can stay healthy. Additionally, with the transfers and Thomas, plus the youth, the guard spots are also deep.

One piece I don't see is a high-points guard, unless Andrews really takes off. Maybe Pollard?