(02-24-2016 08:21 AM)EagleSam Wrote: Good point, Steve. Although we are able to use Mangum and Lee at the same time and have Bond bring the ball up. With Thompson on the bench, we are at a huge disadvantage. There is no question in my mind that we would have another 2-3 wins (at least) if we had a competent back up center. LWH and Madray aren't exactly Mike Samuels or Lekan Ajayi in terms of size, but they are both wayyy bigger than Blake Brown, who is not a center in the slightest.
That's been, by and large, our biggest problem this year...our best player doesn't have a proper back up. It impacts his game when he can't defend or rebound aggressively because Murphy needs him to stay in the game at all costs. That changes next year. Even if neither of the new guys has much game at all (I've heard the contrary), at least they are big and they'll play hard. Already an upgrade.
What I think us, as fans, need to understand is the PROCESS of how assembling a roster goes. I'm a PROCESS, PROCESS, PROCESS person.
1). Murphy got a good transfer, Madray, for next year. For the future.
2). Murphy then got LWH for this year.
3). Murphy then got JT4 for this year.
4). During the summer it became clear that LWH was say 50 - 50 of graduating and being eligible. That 50 - 50 coin flip did not go our way.
5). Blake Brown, as Sam indicates, is not a center. He apparently was added very late as a walk-on for the purpose of providing minutes up front, as needed. Teams do that: add walkons as practice players, emergency minutes, etc.
Some times team need to 'make do' with the best they can.
Some times the veil between a good team, a deep team and a team with depth problems and struggling is 'fate', e.g., academic issue, injury, etc. (insert comment on Tava and WMU here).
But college basketball is like that... Everyone plays with 13 scholarships. If fate shines upon a team, great. If not, that's life.
Someone once said: "I'd rather be lucky than good." (don't think he meant 'luckyone' from this board. Lol.).
I think Murphy deserves credit for playing 'long ball' or taking the long view. He could have used a scholarship (LWH's) in August and grabbed a JUCO reach. He did not. Murphy could have suited LWH up in January and blew a year's eligibility on a player who probably wouldn't have contributed much because he missed all of the practice, etc. from July 1 - Christmas.
Compare this to Bond last year. Bond was poised to start before he hurt his finger. He has practice from July - Oct. Bond, his family, and the staff decided NOT to redshirt him. But LWH's situation is VERY much different. To play him with one week of practice would have been foolish. It would have been a wasted season.