To get this offseason discussion started, here are two transfer notes: UTC center Trey Kalina & guard Zaqwuan Matthews have announced their decision to transfer.

(04-05-2016 06:29 PM)Bucfaithful Wrote:  To get this offseason discussion started, here are two transfer notes: UTC center Trey Kalina & guard Zaqwuan Matthews have announced their decision to transfer.

Matt McCall has pretty much cleared out the most recent Will Wade signees. Lamarcus Lee and Austin Donaldson went last Spring. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sport...ee/300813/ Mathews and Kalina stayed for the past season – Kalina even changed his first name from ‘Trey’ to avoid confusion with Tre McLean. But Mathews and Kalina did very little – they won’t be missed.

McCall’s own signees, like stretch forward Jackson White and guards Jonathan Burroughs-Cook and Peyton Woods, have stayed so far.

It frees up more recruiting space for McCall who has to replace, not his best players, but some significant cogs in the machine: big guards Dee Oldham and Eric Robertson and power forward Duke Etheridge, who all graduate.

Expect some JUCO signees to push for another championship.

So far, the Mocs have listed verbal commits from 3 high school seniors this year: 6’1” PG Makale Foreman from Kingsport, TN, now at Hargraves; 6’1” 175 PG David Jean-Baptiste from Miami, FL; and 6’2” 175 SG Rodney Chatman from Atlanta. All are listed as 2 star recruits. http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/chattanooga

Here’s a quick and dirty look at SoCon opponents. Early commits are now listed - almost all simply rated 2 stars by Verbal Commits.

The 15-3 Mocs should be the favorites again with all the key parts back (6’10” 235 Touyo, 6’7” 225 Chuck Ester, 6’5” Trey Mclean, 6’5” Casey Jones, 6’2” Greg Pryor and 6’2” Jonathan Burroughs-Cook). They do lose some significant guys: big guards Dee Oldham 6'4" 208 and Eric Robertson 6'4" 200 who averaged about 7 points apiece and made them a tough matchup for teams with smaller guards, and 6'6" 225 power forward Duke Etheridge, with 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. These weren't the top guys, but they helped make the Mocs bigger and more physical than most mid majors. Early signees are significantly smaller - different type players, as are returnees Pryor and Burroughs-Cook. Early commits are: Makale Foreman 6’1” PG 2* of Kingsport TN and Hargrave; David Jean-Baptiste 6’0” 175 PG 2* of Miami FL; Rodney Chatman 6’2” 165 SG 2* of Atlanta GA.

11-7 Wofford has big losses: its two best front court players, 6’7” 235 C.J. Neuman and 6’6” 215 Justin Gordon, and its best guard 6’4” 205 Spencer Collins. 6’4” freshman gunner Fletcher McGee was unconscious as a shooter, but ineffective as a defender. Figure them for a rebuilding year. New high school commits are: Nathan Hoover 6’4” 175 SG 2.5* of Arlington TN; Kevin Tucker 6’4” 200 SG 2* of Dacula GA; Dishon Lowery 6’7” 218 PF 2* Peach Tree City GA; Justin Tucker 6’7” 196 PF 2* Orlando FL

11-7 Furman loses Stephen Croone (who probably didn’t deserve SoCon POY, but who will certainly be missed), but returns most everybody else. 6’9” 235 Kendrec Ferrara also goes, but he already had lost much of his playing time to 6’8” freshman Matt Rafferty. These guys should be improved. New commits are: Jordan Lyons 5’10” 175 PG 2* of Peach Tree City GA; Willie ‘Tre’ Clark 6’5” SG 2* of Oneco, FL;
Clay Mounce 6’7” SF 2* of Mount Airy NC.

10-8 Western Carolina loses its 3 top players: 6’7” 240 Torrion Brummitt, 6’5” Justin Browning and 6’3” Mike Brown, as well as shooter Rhett Harrelson. This team is also due for a down year.

10-8 UNCG loses Kayel Locke, but returns much of the rest of its team, including 6’9” 250 Jody Kuiper coming back from injury. Despite the mediocre 10-8 they were talented enough to beat UTC, Wofford and Western Carolina, and to beat Houston Baptist in the CBI before narrowly losing at Ohio U, 72-67. 6’3” freshman shooting guard Francis Alonso from Malaga, Spain, was a terrific addition. These guys finished hot and should improve. Five new commits (4 of them true freshmen) could provide some help: Kyrin Galloway 6’8” PF 2* of Alpharetta GA; Kylia Sykes 6’5” SF 2* Greensboro NC; Jack Konstanzer 6’1” 165 SG 2* of Kill Devil Hills NC; Malik Massey 6’1” 170 PG 2* of Charlotte NC; Justin Jordan 6’3” 270 Sophomore PG 2* of Davidson, NC and Hargrave.

8-10 Mercer was handling its personnel losses reasonably well in typical Bob Hoffman fashion ranking at the top of the conference in early play, until Jibri Bryan was killed and key players Jestin Lewis and Desmond Ringer kicked off the team. Then they finished the year on a 1-9 skid. They also lose guard Phillip Leonard (assist leader and 3rd leading scorer) to graduation. Hoffman will have these guys competitive. Stephon Jelks, 6’8’ Demetre Rivers, Jordan Strawberry, Ethan Stair and Lawrence Brown are all talented. But they are unlikely to be in the top 2 or 3 in the conference. New commits: Darius Roy 6’2” PG 2* of Lawton OK; Ross Cummings 6’3” SG 2* of Charlotte TN.

Scott Padgett completely restocked 4-14 Samford in his first 2 years at the helm – they looked promising early, going 10-5 and knocking off Nebraska and Idaho. But they struggled to 4-14 in conference. They showed spark in the tournament, coming within 3 points of UTC (54-57) although playing without fine 6’8” freshman Wyatt Walker. I expect them to improve, even though they lose 3 seniors from the rotation. Commits are: Josh Sharkey 5’11” 165 PG 2* of Philadelphia PA; Triston Chambers 6’2” 180 SG 2* of Pelham AL; Justin Hopkins 6’4” 210 SG 2.3* of Huntsville, AL; James Boone 6’5” SG 2* Murray, KY


4-14 VMI really struggled to adjust to the loss of Coach Duggar Baucom. Is there any reason to expect a radical change here? Actually, maybe so. This team was built for Duggar Baucom's unique style. They were the smallest team in the conference by far and not a good fit for new Coach Dan Earl. Now Earl is bringing in a different look with Tyler Creammer 6’10” 220 C of Parkton NC, Will Miller 6’7” 200 SF of South Boston VA, Garrett Gilkeson 6’3” 180 SG of Mineral Wells WV and Chuchu Enechionyia 6’7” 185 SG of Lorton VA. And he's still got Q.J. Peterson to provide some spark. It will likely take another year to see if he can build a team to suit his style.

3-13 Citadel looked promising early going 7-7 out of conference, as the Duggar Baucom effect brought some new blood and new energy. But they faded badly in conference play. And 2 of the new guys were 1 year rentals, who leave along with senior Quinton Marshall. That takes their top 2 scorers and their top assist man (P.J. “Big” Boutte). So things are not sounding a very positive note at this point. Baucoms energy hasn't flagged, though. He's bringing in a ton of new commits: Ezekiel Balogun 6’6” 200 SF 2* Hamilton Heights TN (Nigeria); Frankie Johnson 5’7” 169 PG 2* of Darlington SC; Obinna Ofodile 6’7” 205 PF 2* of Duluth GA; Tyler Burgess 6’7” 200 SF 2* of Liberty SC; Aaron Washington 6’3” SG 2* of Baltimore MD; Kaelon Harris 6’3” 220 SG 2* Jonesboro GA; Chris Ross 6’3” SG 2* of Goose Creek SC

(04-06-2016 10:49 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  So far, the Mocs have listed verbal commits from 3 high school seniors this year: 6’1” PG Makale Foreman from Kingsport, TN, now at Hargraves; 6’1” 175 PG David Jean-Baptiste from Miami, FL; and 6’2” 175 SG Rodney Chatman from Atlanta. All are listed as 2 star recruits. http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/chattanooga

It will be interesting to track the careers of Foreman at Chattanooga and Good at Appy St. Two local kids at a positon of need (PG) that got away went to two our two biggest traditional rivals. especially Foreman who we might be seeing 2-3 times a year for the next 4 years.

(04-06-2016 05:11 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 10:49 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  So far, the Mocs have listed verbal commits from 3 high school seniors this year: 6’1” PG Makale Foreman from Kingsport, TN, now at Hargraves; 6’1” 175 PG David Jean-Baptiste from Miami, FL; and 6’2” 175 SG Rodney Chatman from Atlanta. All are listed as 2 star recruits. http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/chattanooga

It will be interesting to track the careers of Foreman at Chattanooga and Good at Appy St. Two local kids at a positon of need (PG) that got away went to two our two biggest traditional rivals. especially Foreman who we might be seeing 2-3 times a year for the next 4 years.

I agree, we clearly should have hired Mister.

(04-06-2016 06:53 PM)shampoo Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 05:11 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 10:49 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  So far, the Mocs have listed verbal commits from 3 high school seniors this year: 6’1” PG Makale Foreman from Kingsport, TN, now at Hargraves; 6’1” 175 PG David Jean-Baptiste from Miami, FL; and 6’2” 175 SG Rodney Chatman from Atlanta. All are listed as 2 star recruits. http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/chattanooga

It will be interesting to track the careers of Foreman at Chattanooga and Good at Appy St. Two local kids at a positon of need (PG) that got away went to two our two biggest traditional rivals. especially Foreman who we might be seeing 2-3 times a year for the next 4 years.

I agree, we clearly should have hired Mister.

what in the bloody blue hell does two local kids going to rivals have anything to do with Mister? Please explain?

(04-06-2016 07:06 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 06:53 PM)shampoo Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 05:11 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 10:49 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  So far, the Mocs have listed verbal commits from 3 high school seniors this year: 6’1” PG Makale Foreman from Kingsport, TN, now at Hargraves; 6’1” 175 PG David Jean-Baptiste from Miami, FL; and 6’2” 175 SG Rodney Chatman from Atlanta. All are listed as 2 star recruits. http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/chattanooga

It will be interesting to track the careers of Foreman at Chattanooga and Good at Appy St. Two local kids at a positon of need (PG) that got away went to two our two biggest traditional rivals. especially Foreman who we might be seeing 2-3 times a year for the next 4 years.

I agree, we clearly should have hired Mister.

what in the bloody blue hell does two local kids going to rivals have anything to do with Mister? Please explain?

Calm down, Uncle Rod. It's a non sequitur to help you stir that pot. The townies complain we ain't got no local kids or a local hero coach.

(04-06-2016 07:23 PM)shampoo Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 07:06 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 06:53 PM)shampoo Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 05:11 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(04-06-2016 10:49 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  So far, the Mocs have listed verbal commits from 3 high school seniors this year: 6’1” PG Makale Foreman from Kingsport, TN, now at Hargraves; 6’1” 175 PG David Jean-Baptiste from Miami, FL; and 6’2” 175 SG Rodney Chatman from Atlanta. All are listed as 2 star recruits. http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/chattanooga

It will be interesting to track the careers of Foreman at Chattanooga and Good at Appy St. Two local kids at a positon of need (PG) that got away went to two our two biggest traditional rivals. especially Foreman who we might be seeing 2-3 times a year for the next 4 years.

I agree, we clearly should have hired Mister.

what in the bloody blue hell does two local kids going to rivals have anything to do with Mister? Please explain?

Calm down, Uncle Rod. It's a non sequitur to help you stir that pot. The townies complain we ain't got no local kids or a local hero coach.

For once I wouldn't have minded signing all local kids this time around. Fulkerson (Tennessee) Foreman(Chattanooga) Bowden(Tennessee) and Good(Appy St) That would have actually been a solid
class and filled needs. Throw in Barford to reunite the 3 Musketeers and make it an all Tennessee class.

Fulkerson and Bowden sure would have been nice. However, the big boys started coming after them, there is only so much a 1st year staff could do at that point. Hopefully after a few winning seasons and Socon championships future recruits like Fulkerson and Bowden will start to seriously consider ETSU.

UNCG has received a commitment from 6'5 wing Kylia Sykes:
http://www.phenomhoopreport.com/news_art...college-dc

RS-JR SF Lawrence Brown is transferring from Mercer

https://twitter.com/VerbalCommits/status...7502119936

I'm reposting this look at the SoCon with early commits now listed. Almost all are simply rated 2 stars by Verbal Commits. Almost all are high school seniors. Most are verbal commits who have not signed LOI's. Take it for what it's worth. A more immediate boost is likely to come from JUCO kids and transfers corralled in the new signing period. And up to next fall when we see who actually enrolls.

Almost all of these guys will make no impact in SoCon play, at least this year. A handful will become the next Fletcher McGee's, Francis Alonso's, Matt Rafferty's and Wyatt Walker's. Can you guess who? I can't.

The 15-3 Mocs should be the favorites again with all the key parts back (6’10” 235 Touyo, 6’7” 225 Chuck Ester, 6’5” Trey Mclean, 6’5” Casey Jones, 6’2” Greg Pryor and 6’2” Jonathan Burroughs-Cook). They do lose some significant guys: big guards Dee Oldham 6'4" 208 and Eric Robertson 6'4" 200 who averaged about 7 points apiece and made them a tough matchup for teams with smaller guards, and 6'6" 225 power forward Duke Etheridge, with 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. These weren't the top guys, but they helped make the Mocs bigger and more physical than most mid majors. Early signees are significantly smaller - different type players, as are returnees Pryor and Burroughs-Cook. Early commits are: Makale Foreman 6’1” PG 2* of Kingsport TN and Hargrave; David Jean-Baptiste 6’0” 175 PG 2* of Miami FL; Rodney Chatman 6’2” 165 SG 2* of Atlanta GA.

11-7 Wofford has big losses: its two best front court players, 6’7” 235 C.J. Neuman and 6’6” 215 Justin Gordon, and its best guard (especially on defense) 6’4” 205 Spencer Collins. 6’4” freshman gunner Fletcher McGee was unconscious as a shooter, but ineffective as a defender. Figure them for a rebuilding year. New high school commits are: Nathan Hoover 6’4” 175 SG 2.5* of Arlington TN; Kevin Tucker 6’4” 200 SG 2* of Dacula GA; Dishon Lowery 6’7” 218 PF 2* Peach Tree City GA; Justin Tucker 6’7” 196 PF 2* Orlando FL

11-7 Furman loses Stephen Croone (who probably didn’t deserve SoCon POY, but who will certainly be missed), but returns most everybody else. 6’9” 235 Kendrec Ferrara also goes, but he already had lost much of his playing time to 6’8” freshman Matt Rafferty. These guys should be improved. New commits are: Jordan Lyons 5’10” 175 PG 2* of Peach Tree City GA; Willie ‘Tre’ Clark 6’5” SG 2* of Oneco, FL; Clay Mounce 6’7” SF 2* of Mount Airy NC.

10-8 Western Carolina loses its 3 top players: 6’7” 240 Torrion Brummitt, 6’5” Justin Browning and 6’3” Mike Brown, as well as shooter Rhett Harrelson. This team is also due for a down year. New commits are: Adam Sledd 6’8” 210 PF 2* of Roanoke, VA; Onno Stegger 6’4” 180 SG 2* Upper Arlington, OH.

10-8 UNCG loses Kayel Locke, but returns much of the rest of its team, including 6’9” 250 Jody Kuiper coming back from injury. Despite the mediocre 10-8 they were talented enough to beat UTC, Wofford and Western Carolina, and to beat Houston Baptist in the CBI before narrowly losing at Ohio U, 72-67. 6’3” freshman shooting guard Francis Alonso from Malaga, Spain, was a terrific addition. These guys finished hot and should improve. Five new commits (4 of them true freshmen) could provide some help: Kyrin Galloway 6’8” PF 2* of Alpharetta GA; Kylia Sykes 6’5” SF 2* Greensboro NC; Jack Konstanzer 6’1” 165 SG 2* of Kill Devil Hills NC; Malik Massey 6’1” 170 PG 2* of Charlotte NC; Justin Jordan 6’3” 170 Sophomore PG 2* of Davidson, NC and Hargrave.

8-10 Mercer was handling its personnel losses reasonably well in typical Bob Hoffman fashion ranking at the top of the conference in early play, until Jibri Bryan was killed and key players Jestin Lewis and Desmond Ringer kicked off the team. Then they finished the year on a 1-9 skid. They also lose guard Phillip Leonard (assist leader and 3rd leading scorer) to graduation and Lawrence Brown who is transferring. Hoffman will have these guys competitive. Stephon Jelks, 6’8’ Demetre Rivers, Jordan Strawberry and Ethan Stair are all talented. And Hoffman always seems to bring in about 2 or 3 more recruits than he seems to have scholarships. But they are unlikely to be in the top 2 or 3 in the conference. New commits: Darius Roy 6’2” PG 2* of Lawton OK; Ross Cummings 6’3” SG 2* of Charlotte TN.

Scott Padgett completely restocked 4-14 Samford in his first 2 years at the helm – they looked promising early, going 10-5 and knocking off Nebraska and Idaho. But they struggled to 4-14 in conference. They showed spark in the tournament, coming within 3 points of UTC (54-57) although playing without fine 6’8” freshman Wyatt Walker. I expect them to improve, even though they lose 3 seniors from the rotation. Commits are: Josh Sharkey 5’11” 165 PG 2* of Philadelphia PA; Triston Chambers 6’2” 180 SG 2* of Pelham AL; Justin Hopkins 6’4” 210 SG 2.3* of Huntsville, AL; James Boone 6’5” SG 2* Murray, KY

4-14 VMI really struggled to adjust to the loss of Coach Duggar Baucom. Is there any reason to expect a radical change here? Actually, maybe so. This team was built for Duggar Baucom's unique style. They were the smallest team in the conference by far and not a good fit for new Coach Dan Earl. Now Earl is bringing in a different look with Tyler Creammer 6’10” 220 C of Parkton NC, Will Miller 6’7” 200 SF 2* of South Boston VA, Garrett Gilkeson 6’3” 180 SG 2* of Mineral Wells WV and Chuchu Enechionyia 6’7” 185 SG 2* of Lorton VA. And he's still got Q.J. Peterson to provide some spark. It will likely take another year to see if he can build a team to suit his style.

3-13 Citadel looked promising early going 7-7 out of conference, as the Duggar Baucom effect brought some new blood and new energy. But they faded badly in conference play. And 2 of the new guys were 1 year rentals, who leave along with senior Quinton Marshall. That takes their top 2 scorers and their top assist man (P.J. “Big” Boutte). So things are not sounding a very positive note at this point. Baucoms energy hasn't flagged, though. He's bringing in a ton of new commits: Ezekiel Balogun 6’6” 200 SF 2* Hamilton Heights TN (Nigeria); Frankie Johnson 5’7” 169 PG 2* of Darlington SC; Obinna Ofodile 6’7” 205 PF 2* of Duluth GA; Tyler Burgess 6’7” 200 SF 2* of Liberty SC; Aaron Washington 6’3” SG 2* of Baltimore MD; Kaelon Harris 6’3” 220 SG 2* Jonesboro GA; Chris Ross 6’3” SG 2* of Goose Creek SC

THANK YOU swvabucsfan...Love your posts

I’m still trying to get my thoughts sorted out on the2015-2016 Bucs. I think that it’s likely that we will be a much more front court oriented team, having lost the 3 point shooting of Guyn and Wilson, but gaining Hanner and Tevin, teaming with an improving Peter Jurkin. Hard as it is losing the guts and drive of Guyn, that may well mean that we end up being a more balanced and better team.

It’s not easy to predict what a new player will do for the Bucs.

There was plenty of reason to doubt Ge’lawn Guyn’s scoring ability. In his last full season at Cincinnati, he averaged 4.5 points in 19 minutes of play on .309 from 3 (29 of 94) and .361 from the field. He had never been a big scorer, nor had he been an efficient scorer, nor had he shown long range ability.

So nobody on this board was dumb enough to predict that Guyn would average 18.6 on .433 from the field and a stunning .422 from 3 (94 of 223) in 32.6 minutes. And did you think that this high major point guard would get fewer assists (65) than T.J. Cromer (110) or Desonta Bradford (72 assists in 13 fewer minutes per game than Guyn)? Now we wonder how the Bucs will win games without Ge’lawn being an unstoppable scorer down the stretch.

On the other hand, most of us had penciled in Bennie Lufile as a starter at power forward, and counted on big contributions. Instead he was a bit player in his first year at D1, getting in about 85% of the games, where he averaged 10.9 minutes, 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds. Somebody should tell him how often we've seen JUCO players follow a weak first year with a big senior season.

T.J. Cromer, though, was just about what you would expect from a 3rd team JUCO All American with a full stat sheet. 32 minutes per game with 14.9 points on .432 from the field and .365 from 3 (70-192) with 3.4 rebounds and 3.06 assists.

So anyone who thinks that they just “know” what Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Tevin Glass will do, might want to reconsider what they mean by “know”.
But my guess is that both guys will be key players in the rotation – 20 plus minutes with big numbers.

The Bucs have a big hole at small forward/wing forward. A.J. Merriweather fills some of it with nonstop enthusiasm and energy. But he’s 6’2”. The only other candidates currently on the roster are 6’6” 185 RS-Fr Shemar Johnson, who works out with the guards, and 6’8” 205 Tevin Glass.

I think that Glass has a great chance to be the man there at 20 plus minutes a game. He got into 19 games in 2014-15 for Wichita State, averaging 5.6 minutes with 2.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists. But a better guide might be his second year at Northwest Florida where he averaged 12 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. That puts him in a very different category from Nigel Holley, who never made a mark at the JUCO level. With Forbes, Glass has got a coach who knows him and believes in him. There’s no doubt that Glass is a superior athlete. Deuce Bello (admittedly, to my surprise) showed how much that can mean on this level.

Offensively and on the boards, Glass is a major mismatch at this level for small forwards/wing forwards. I look for him to be a Kenyona Swader type slasher who can shoot (albeit without the 3 point range).

Defensively, I don’t know. We need a guy to stop the 6’5” athletes with some muscle. Guys like Tre McLean and Casey Jones. Is Tevin Glass that guy? Is he quick enough and physical enough? Or, since he’s no longer likely to be stuck at post, can an Isaac Banks move out and help handle them?

Tevin Glass is one of guys I can’t wait to see on the floor. Especially since he will often be paired with the looming monster that is Hanner Mosquera-Perea. That’s a whole other post. Lately I have been focusing on all the new little 2 Star athletes coming into the SoCon. Glass is a 2.7, according to Verbal Commits – I think actually more like a 3. But Hanner is a full blown 4 Stars. At 6’9” and 225 he is Deuce Bello with 5 more inches and 30 more pounds. And a better history of production on the power conference level where he averaged 19.5 minutes, 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds and a team high 33 blocks as a junior for Indiana.

And don’t forget Peter Jurkin, who almost doubled his minutes per game at the end of the season, starting to become the game changer for the Bucs that we hoped he might be.
This is why any thinking point guard ought to be salivating at the opportunities for him here. And why Coach Forbes might wait a bit to look at what his opportunities would be if this team makes the move next year that it could.

At the post for ETSU: Peter Jurkin. In the course of the season, he improved more than anybody on the roster except for Desonta and proved he could handle at least 18 minutes a game in end of the year play. Alternate Hanner Mosquera-Perea. Or pair the two of them together.

Then double either one of those guys with a slasher like Tevin Glass!

How many more opportunities will there be on the perimeter for T.J.? Or Desonta, who became a solid ball handler this year and a reliable finisher who could knock down the 3. Both Desonta and A.J. need to be working on that 3 so that teams can’t collapse on our post players.

Imagine an ETSU team where opponents have to worry about defending the post?

And you just know that Forbes is working on some other interesting additions. His recruiting never stops.

This should be a fun year.

This team will be top two, if not best, in the post. And I agree, it will be the team's strength. But I really can't wait to see how current backcourt newcomers, and any further additions, will step up!

(04-08-2016 12:36 PM)shampoo Wrote:  This team will be top two, if not best, in the post. And I agree, it will be the team's strength. But I really can't wait to see how current backcourt newcomers, and any further additions, will step up!

The way that Desonta stepped up this year shows what can be done. He went from a sometimes shaky ballhandler to solid come tournament time. From a guy who really did have trouble finishing to a reliable scorer. He earned the 28 minutes or so that he was getting at the end.

You're right - there is a lot to look forward to in the back court.

Peter Jurkin’s last 6 games were pretty good evidence of where he stands at this point: he averaged 17.2 minutes; 4.3 rebounds; 1.7 blocks; 6.5 points on 57.6% (15-26) from the field and .750 free throws (9-12). His free throw shooting was .763 on the year and .848 in conference.

The weak spot: versus UTC where in 3 games he averaged 7.7 min., 1 reb., 4 pts, and 0.7 blocks. Advantage Tuoyo.

It’s reasonable to look for continued improvement next year: maybe 20 minutes or so, 6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 10 points on 60% shooting. And a little better luck against UTC.

HMP will eat Tuoyo's lunch if PJ doesn't want it.

To add to Mercer... Coach Hoffman added a Wake Forest transfer that will have 1 year to play immediately. A point guard named Madison Jones... http://mercerbears.com/sports/mbkb/2015-...1218mjd521

As for Desmond Ringer, they haven't made an official decision (or publicly made one) on his future with the school.