Very Early Look Ahead: Because it's never too early to start thinking about next season, is it? Here's an in-depth analysis (including player-by-player reviews) of the coming year! How do you guys think the Tribe will fare now that the all-time leading scorer is gone?

We begin with an analysis of the starters, and will post analyses on the rest of the team next week!

Article: http://wmsportsblog.com/2015/05/07/early...asketball/

A good analysis, especially so far in advance.

*Cohn is, as you point out, the heir apparent to Marcus' starting job. And it is very true Tony and the staff think very highly of him. He is very fast and quick, an energetic penetrator and has no compunctions about shooting
often. In the half a dozen practices I saw this past season he showed a very good court sense and finding the open man. His speed and dribbling ability should enhance his value.

However, we can't discount Tot and Schlotman.

Tot has size and ability and shows a willingness to play aggressive defense. He tends to try the sensational pass too often and needs to be more aggressive shooting. He fools you with an understated athleticism.
He can easily surprise in pre-season camp as he molds his European-style play with Tony's offense.

People forget that Schlotman was a truly great All-state point guard in the highest high school classification in Indiana...losing just four games in three years in leading his Munster team to the finals in the state tourney.
He has been held back by a series of debilitating, lingering injuries his two years here at W&M. He still has three years of eligibility as injuries kayoed his freshman year. If he returns healthy, really for the first time,
we may see the sought-after guard Tony brought in two years ago win the starting slot.

*I also see the center slot as wide-open. Sean shows great desire and hustle on the court and, at times,
has made major contributions for the Tribe. He is adept at setting up blocks and passing the ball well from the perimeter. But we all know he can't jump, gets overpowered at times by more athletic big men, and has no shots or moves at all around the basket. One of Tony's big challenges is to light a fire underneath Whitman
who is very athletic, physically tough, and does have some polished moves around the basket. We forget this young man was the #2 in the voting for Mr.Kentucky Basketball his senior year in high school and is very talented. What he hasn't shown thus far is the fire needed to dominate.

Many believe he will start if he shows that this year.

(05-07-2015 11:59 AM)Big Tribe Wrote:  A good analysis, especially so far in advance.

*Cohn is, as you point out, the heir apparent to Marcus' starting job. And it is very true Tony and the staff think very highly of him. He is very fast and quick, an energetic penetrator and has no compunctions about shooting
often. In the half a dozen practices I saw this past season he showed a very good court sense and finding the open man. His speed and dribbling ability should enhance his value.

However, we can't discount Tot and Schlotman.

Tot has size and ability and shows a willingness to play aggressive defense. He tends to try the sensational pass too often and needs to be more aggressive shooting. He fools you with an understated athleticism.
He can easily surprise in pre-season camp as he molds his European-style play with Tony's offense.

People forget that Schlotman was a truly great All-state point guard in the highest high school classification in Indiana...losing just four games in three years in leading his Munster team to the finals in the state tourney.
He has been held back by a series of debilitating, lingering injuries his two years here at W&M. He still has three years of eligibility as injuries kayoed his freshman year. If he returns healthy, really for the first time,
we may see the sought-after guard Tony brought in two years ago win the starting slot.

*I also see the center slot as wide-open. Sean shows great desire and hustle on the court and, at times,
has made major contributions for the Tribe. He is adept at setting up blocks and passing the ball well from the perimeter. But we all know he can't jump, gets overpowered at times by more athletic big men, and has no shots or moves at all around the basket. One of Tony's big challenges is to light a fire underneath Whitman
who is very athletic, physically tough, and does have some polished moves around the basket. We forget this young man was the #2 in the voting for Mr.Kentucky Basketball his senior year in high school and is very talented. What he hasn't shown thus far is the fire needed to dominate.

Many believe he will start if he shows that this year.

All very solid points. Don't worry, we did not forget Schlotman, Tot, or Whitman--they'll be in next week's article! I'm a little surprised that you think the center spot is wide open, given that Sheldon will be the odds on favorite to get the job. However, I do echo some of your concerns about Sheldon, especially on the offensive end of the court. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for perhaps a hidden gem in this year's signing class.

Also, has anyone heard anything on Paul Rowley? I'm wondering how he developed. I know the NOVA product was a little raw going into last season--hence the reason why he was redshirted. I'm wondering how he progressed.

(05-07-2015 11:59 AM)Big Tribe Wrote:  People forget that Schlotman was a truly great All-state point guard in the highest high school classification in Indiana...losing just four games in three years in leading his Munster team to the finals in the state tourney.
He has been held back by a series of debilitating, lingering injuries his two years here at W&M. He still has three years of eligibility as injuries kayoed his freshman year. If he returns healthy, really for the first time,
we may see the sought-after guard Tony brought in two years ago win the starting slot.

Nothing against Mike, but he has to show something on the offensive end for me. I also think he's got some improvement on defense to make before Coach Shaver will start him, or even get him into the rotation. He looked good at times last year, but if his ceiling ends up as the 2nd team floor general, that's okay.

(05-07-2015 11:59 AM)Big Tribe Wrote:  *I also see the center slot as wide-open. Sean shows great desire and hustle on the court and, at times,
has made major contributions for the Tribe. He is adept at setting up blocks and passing the ball well from the perimeter. But we all know he can't jump, gets overpowered at times by more athletic big men, and has no shots or moves at all around the basket. One of Tony's big challenges is to light a fire underneath Whitman
who is very athletic, physically tough, and does have some polished moves around the basket. We forget this young man was the #2 in the voting for Mr.Kentucky Basketball his senior year in high school and is very talented. What he hasn't shown thus far is the fire needed to dominate.

Many believe he will start if he shows that this year.

We forget because Omar was the runner up for Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. Jack was ranked in the top 10 college potential in his junior year (what does that even mean?) but was only a 2 time 1st team All-State player. I think Jack has a higher ceiling at the offensive end, but we weren't consistently better with him out there instead of Sean. Coach Shaver awards playing time based on defense, and at the end of last season Sheldon was still the better defensive player.

Also, the phrase "What he hasn't shown thus far is the fire needed to dominate" is meaningless. When a player is playing well, either the game "slows down" or they're "playing with intensity" or other worthless cliches. What Jack needs is to make sure his rotations are good and that he gets a body on someone when he rebounds in our zone defense. That will get him more playing time than trying to figure out how to play with "the fire needed to dominate".

All this talk about who did what in high school is borderline meaningless. You have to able to compete effectively.

Completely agree SoCal. If you go look at HS film the first thing that jumps out at you is that nobody is tall. So if you are tall you should dominate.

I saw Dixon play in HS and he was a good player, but nothing super special. He spent a year prepping and grew a couple inches and played against tough competition. Guess what happened. Tot may be from nowhere in Europe, but he played on his national team with men. You can tell he's not afraid of the physicality. Same thing, but on the AAU circuit in DC/Baltimore with Malinowski. Some are ready as freshmen and some aren't. Some will never be ready.

Another point about OT is that he makes the game look easy. His passing is indicative of his court vision. After having met and talked with him I realized that he was loaded with self confidence. He's got those marquee good looks. My hope is that he is jacking up a minimum of 500 shots a day in preparation for next year.

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein

Virginia will host William & Mary on Saturday 12/5/15 as part of its non-conference schedule, source told @CBSSports.

Awesome. AD should really advertise these games to alums. Tribe-UVA Football and Basketball the same year.

(05-29-2015 07:25 AM)Washingtonian Wrote:  Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein

Virginia will host William & Mary on Saturday 12/5/15 as part of its non-conference schedule, source told @CBSSports.

Maybe not the right post to resurrect, but I was just watching highlights of the home Northeastern game and got excited for next year all over again. https://t.co/vakqnFU5oV I was disappointed not to see the Dixon block of Eatherton at the end of the game, but right around the 3 minute mark got me back on the Tot bandwagon.