(10-18-2017 08:56 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote: So much to look for:
How are Desonta and Burrell handling leadership roles??
Are Burrell, Devontavius, and Jermaine showing signs of the celebrated "2nd year JUCO" bump?
Do Jermaine and Jason show signs of improved scoring?
How does Jalan McCloud fit? Is he going to be the guy who can both create shots and create opportunities for others??
What about Kanayo Obi-Rapu? Is he the 12 point plus scorer that he was at Longwood?
Boy, do I want to see Bo Hodges - how does he look? A solid 6-4? What skills does he have? Is he really A.J. athletic? How is his ballhandling? Shooting? Rebounding?
Does Rodriguez seem healthy? Is he still holding back (not necessarily a bad thing right now)? What does he look like? Size? Athleticism? Is he showing signs of the manimal who was POY in the Panhandle last year?
James Harrison looks like a big 6-8 in the little video clips. How does he look in real life. Does he attack the boards and defend? How is his energy? How is his scoring?
Is Armus a real 6-10? How is his athleticism and strength? Can he score? Defend? Rebound? Are the fundamentals that he showed in his workout video things that he can make work against live defense?
What do 6-6 Andre Edwards and 6-6 Kendrick Gray show us? Are they competitive and part of the mix?
Does Peter Jurkin show signs of improved strength? Defense? Rebounding? His scoring looks good on video - in real life? Is his enthusiasm back after a rough last season?
So much I'd like to see. I'll have to rely on those of you who can make it.
Oh, and does Patrick Good get to practice? How does he stack up? And how does Karl Overstreet look these days?
Excellent questions.
I'm pretty certain Good can be part of this.
Remember last year after Bluenanza how I wrote glowingly about my perception of the seemingly fantastic team chemistry? I'd never quite seen so much good vibe on a team with so many new pieces. (And I think that played out as positively as my instincts indicated.) Well, this year we've got even more (new pieces), and I think a very key thing to look for is that. Might be harder to discern that in this format, vs. Bluenanza - or maybe not.
Burrell simply *can't* (I don't think) be more impressive than he was at Bluenanza last year.
I think we've got the guards. Maybe not *the* guard a la a Pigram or a Guyn, or even a Cromer (or maybe we *do* have that), but I think Forbes figures out a pretty good combination of skills and temperament to get the job done. I certainly hope Long has 'calmed down' some on his, shall we say, overly-aggressive offensive "ideas", but has still retained his awesome abilities to execute such things from time-to-time - along with bumping up his outside shooting percentage. I'm gonna go with not expecting a 'gigantic' improvement, but point out that his upside potential could be very surprising.
McCloud and Hodges are maybe the biggest question marks in terms of how big an impact they could be in the guard arena. Yes, it's possible that McCloud could be that "the" guard. Possible. Hodges, no, not yet. (But wouldn't mind being shocked to learn that I could be wrong there.) But I think his athleticism isn't overly-hyped, either.
In last year's Bluenanza, remember, Obi-Rapu didn't get his hands on the ball much, and we really couldn't tell a lot. But he's (or at least was) a keen player who could be an upside surprise.
I think the bigger question(s) will be inside, even if Rodriguez turns out to be able to play at nearly regular levels. And I'm not saying we'll be in bad shape - necessarily - but can the new guys replace HMP and Glass competently? Tall order indeed. I'm going with "no", but that doesn't necessarily spell big trouble. I trust Forbes will mix-and-match well enough to put together a capable front line, if not spectacular. But be prepared - there *will* be weaknesses that show up down there.
I'll also reiterate what I said some time ago - that there will be one particular player who I think will disappoint (on a season-long basis). And no, I'm not naming said player - and may not even if my suspicions play out. Or I may, depending on if/how that happens. Would love to be wrong on that, too.
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