(04-27-2015 02:53 PM)Recluse1 Wrote:  

(04-27-2015 12:11 PM)UCat2448 Wrote:  Let me start off by saying I am very much looking forward to next year and hope that NCAA tournament will be a successful one.... BUT I am not getting our/my high hopes for next year confused with having the best front court in all the NCAA. We all know Ellis has angry issues (and understandably so)and could use some added bulk, Deberry needs to improve on defensive footwork and conditioning and Clark is 6'7 and does not yet have a face up game.

I'm taking Ellis' added bulk for granted, as that's the easiest thing to add. If anything, it's Ellis needs to improve his footwork, far more so than Deberry. Deberry isn't ever going to have the foot speed to defend the way Ellis does. They're two completely different players and that's just not going to happen. EVER.
Conditioning wise, I'm not so sure Deberry is actually out of shape. The man is a classic space eater. He's not going to run the floor like a gazelle regardless. Having said that, I trust the strength and conditioning program enough, to assume they'll get done what can be done. In the end, if the Kentucky front line couldn't stop them, I have no reason to believe anybody else will next year.

As for Clark, I'm also taking it for granted, that he develops a jump shot. Not because of something I've seen in the past but because he's an absolute gamer. The fact is though, most teams don't have two quality centers to go in back to back, plus a 4 man as good as Clark on top of it. You add an Izundu who was in the top 75 for the 2016 class before he reclassified and declared for this coming year; that's mighty damn stacked. I'm not sure who else will really have the ability to compete with that. At the least, I think it will be the best in the conference.

The real issue isn't in the front court, it's in the guards. They can't fall off the face of the earth like they did at times last season.

I understand your points and agree that the front court should be an advantage but I still have more concerns than you.

1 - That Ellis will only be able to add minimum bulk. Sure he could add 5 lbs but in order to be dominate he needs like 15-20, and that rarely if ever happens in one off season. If it was that easy Shaq certainly would be bigger after 4 years in the system.
2 - That Ellis' angry issues will come to light in meaningful games. Obviously, the word has gotten out and teams will be really looking to poke the bear.
3 - If Clark doesn't add a jumper of some sort that he will be unable to dominate a taller and stronger big man. This does not mean he won't get stronger and improve upon last season's success. I just believe in order to "make a run" his scoring will be that much more relied upon.
4 - Deberry's matchup against Purdue was just a good matchup for him. Meaning he didn't get beat up on the defensive side because Hammonds and the backup center for Purdue were back to the basket guys and didn't have a jump shot and were not a threat off the bounce.