I know the Belt has had a down year in basketball but I see promise for next year. Below is a breakdown of what is sure to make the Belt a quality basketball league.
FAU- A team on the rise. Starting true freshmen and improving every game. They lead the East this year and look to be even better next year. Jarvis has turned FAU into one of the top teams in the Belt.
ASU- Brady has recruited quality players and may have the freshman of the year in Brandon Reed. Starting 3 freshmen and leading the West division in only Brady's second year on the job. More quality recruits coming in next year also. The Red Wolves will be a contender for years to come.
WKU- Having what many would say is a down year, but this is WKU we are talking about. They are ESPN's favorite underdog. WKU is to good a program to not be a better team next year. I expected WKU to reload and compete for a conference title next season.
MTSU- I don't know what changed at MTSU, but Davis has them playing quality ball now. MTSU has the talent to win the league this year down in Hot Springs. If MTSU can carry over there winning ways to next season, they will make the conference stronger. AS much as it hurts me to say this, MTSU is to good a program to not succeed.
USA- No matter how many times you want to count out USA they always reload. USA will always have a quality OCC win. If they could just learn to carry that over to conference wins, they would be the best team in the Belt. I fully expect USA to be a contender next year.
FIU- Everybody wants to bash Thomas, but you can't deny the recruiting class he is bringing FIU next year. The talent alone will help them win plenty of games. I won't call them a dark horse but I will keep an eye on them.
NT- They have they athletes to compete with anybody in the conference. Some NT fans have said they have some good ones coming in next year too. I fully expect them to be a favorite to finish in the top half of the West again next year.
Denver- They are a young quality team. If they could learn to win on the road they would be the best team in the Belt. Denver will mature next year and start to win some of those road games. I think they will also get some quality OOC wins also.
I don't follow basketball as closely as I do football, so if anybody wants to add or discredit anything I said then have at it.
(02-04-2010 01:53 PM)statefanatic Wrote: [ -> ]FAU- A team on the rise. Starting true freshmen and improving every game. They lead the East this year and look to be even better next year. Jarvis has turned FAU into one of the top teams in the Belt.
Contender this year. Bigger contender next year.
Quote:ASU- Brady has recruited quality players and may have the freshman of the year in Brandon Reed. Starting 3 freshmen and leading the West division in only Brady's second year on the job. More quality recruits coming in next year also. The Red Wolves will be a contender for years to come.
Ditto ASU.
Quote:WKU- Having what many would say is a down year, but this is WKU we are talking about. They are ESPN's favorite underdog. WKU is to good a program to not be a better team next year. I expected WKU to reload and compete for a conference title next season.
Patillo will dazzle next year.
Quote:MTSU- I don't know what changed at MTSU, but Davis has them playing quality ball now. MTSU has the talent to win the league this year down in Hot Springs. If MTSU can carry over there winning ways to next season, they will make the conference stronger. AS much as it hurts me to say this, MTSU is to good a program to not succeed.
They were due. They have had some nice teams the last few years. It was just a matter of time for Kermit.
Quote:USA- No matter how many times you want to count out USA they always reload. USA will always have a quality OCC win. If they could just learn to carry that over to conference wins, they would be the best team in the Belt. I fully expect USA to be a contender next year.
They brought in some nice players, they are adding some size next year.
Quote:FIU- Everybody wants to bash Thomas, but you can't deny the recruiting class he is bringing FIU next year. The talent alone will help them win plenty of games. I won't call them a dark horse but I will keep an eye on them.
Talent will overcome incompetent coaching. I'm not convinced yet that Thomas is incompetent. FIU is basically a year behind FAU in thier building jobs. I expect FIU to be where FAU is this year.
Quote:NT- They have they athletes to compete with anybody in the conference. Some NT fans have said they have some good ones coming in next year too. I fully expect them to be a favorite to finish in the top half of the West again next year.
Not sure what they are losing this year, I know they had a lot of experieence coming into the season.
Quote:Denver- They are a young quality team. If they could learn to win on the road they would be the best team in the Belt. Denver will mature next year and start to win some of those road games. I think they will also get some quality OOC wins also.
I think it is a matter of time before they really put it all together. They get almost everybody back again next year.
Quote:I don't follow basketball as closely as I do football, so if anybody wants to add or discredit anything I said then have at it.
I think you're right on there. You've listed several teams there that on paper should be better next year than this year.
At some point though I really want that to translate into non conference wins.
If every team listed above could come into conference play with just 3-4 losses then we would have two or three teams go to the NCAA.
We have to find a way to win more non conference games as a conference.
I truly believe next year is the year of the Belt. We have Quality coaches and are finally getting quality recruits. Our facilities are on par with most conferences. We are loaded with young talent that is getting better. UNO will be gone and won't hurt our RPI. All we need is for the bottom half to take the same approach as FAU, FIU, and ASU have taken. We have gone from bottom to top with great hires at the coaching position.
As far as MT goes, we are losing quite a bit with All-Time leading scorer Boogie Yates (although he is not 100%, and will not be for the rest of the year), Montarrio Haddock, Calvin O'Neil (arguably our best all-around player right now), and oft-injured center Theryn Hudson (who knows if he'll be back this year).
We have some great talent coming in, with Jason Jones (transfer from UTEP out of Memphis), Jimmy Oden (transfer from David Lipscomb), Shawn Jones out of Miami (averaging a triple double, almost), and local standout Kerry Hammonds, Jr (who is injured, but probably would have went SEC if not injured-- his father is the #3 all-time leading scorer out of MT).
Kermit needs to keep doing well in order to keep his job, I think. We will still need a big man.
Early prediction is 10-10 for next year.
We're losing Eric Tramiel. Other than that we're returning basically everyone. Next year we're sort of in an "all in" type of deal as we'll have 8 seniors.
Troy isn't in the mix?
(02-05-2010 12:17 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]Troy isn't in the mix?
I still think of football we talking about Troy. Plus I have no idea what Troy has coming back next year.
(02-04-2010 06:04 PM)statefanatic Wrote: [ -> ]UNO will be gone and won't hurt our RPI.
So that's final/definite?
(02-05-2010 01:50 PM)Native Georgian Wrote: [ -> ] (02-04-2010 06:04 PM)statefanatic Wrote: [ -> ]UNO will be gone and won't hurt our RPI.
So that's final/definite?
Yes
When I think of basketball ASU doesn't come to mind and look where you guys are this season. Troy has been getting better in most of our "other" sports. The move into Div1 was obviously a move for football. So of course the transition was easiest for our football team and not for the other Trojan sports. Baseball and Basketball have been consistently getting better over the years. Heck look at last years basketball team. Being picked originally to finish 2nd to last and end up finishing 2nd in the east and 3rd in the conference with a Coach of the Year award. Don't count us out yet.
(02-05-2010 02:27 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]When I think of basketball ASU doesn't come to mind and look where you guys are this season. Troy has been getting better in most of our "other" sports. The move into FBS was obviously a move for football. So of course the transition was easiest for our football team and not for the other Trojan sports. Baseball and Basketball have been consistently getting better over the years. Heck look at last years basketball team. Being picked originally to finish 2nd to last and end up finishing 2nd in the east and 3rd in the conference with a Coach of the Year award. Don't count us out yet.
That's because you guys are newcomers. Before Nutt successfully ran the program into the ground, we were the top draw in the league in attendance, usually only pushed by the Cajuns or Toppers depending on which was good that year. Heck one year we were top in attendance and La.Tech women were second. We were consistently in the top third of the nation in attendance for more than a decade. Back in the old American South days if ASU-UNO fell on a Saturday, our alumni association would sell packages for a train trip from Memphis to New Orleans and we'd even take the pep band (used to take the pep band to UALR until one of the schools in Arkansas successfully got the rules changed on that). When we went to the NCAA Tournament in New Orleans, Kentucky was the only school of the 8 there that sold more tickets than ASU.
(02-05-2010 02:27 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]When I think of basketball ASU doesn't come to mind and look where you guys are this season. Troy has been getting better in most of our "other" sports. The move into Div1 was obviously a move for football. So of course the transition was easiest for our football team and not for the other Trojan sports. Baseball and Basketball have been consistently getting better over the years. Heck look at last years basketball team. Being picked originally to finish 2nd to last and end up finishing 2nd in the east and 3rd in the conference with a Coach of the Year award. Don't count us out yet.
To go with what arkstfan said. ASU is more a basketball school than football. Nutt just ran off the fan base and the program went down hill fast. I'm young compared to most ASU fans, but I do remember going to games with my dad and being in aw of all the people there. ASU will once again get back to where it once was. Brady will get us there.
(02-05-2010 11:35 AM)CMJ Wrote: [ -> ]We're losing Eric Tramiel. Other than that we're returning basically everyone. Next year we're sort of in an "all in" type of deal as we'll have 8 seniors.
What CMJ said.
Our primary additions next year will be the guys who were forced to miss this year under medical redshirts. Kedrick Hogans in the post and Dominique Johnson at the point.
Losing Tramiel hurts, but the last time we lost a dominant post player (Keith Wooden in 2007/08), we slid Tramiel right in there as a new recruit to take over for Keith.
Honestly... Losing Tramiel, even though he plays a much bigger role in our offense, is probably the better guy to go out of our starting frontcourt. Odufuwa does so much in rebounding and defending under the basket, and he still averages eleven and a half points. I think it's generally easier to find a guy to score big down low than it is to find someone who can handle everything else AND score big when he's needed. Not saying Tramiel is one dimensional, because he most assuredly is not... Just that Odufuwa is probably more essential in an all-around sense.
I agree. The two of them together make us pretty tough, but we miss Odufuwa more than Eric. I have no clue how JJ is gonna replace everyone who leaves next year.
(02-05-2010 12:17 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]Troy isn't in the mix?
I haven't seen ULM mentioned in this thread at all...until JUST now. Despite our record we've beaten WKU and USA so that makes us a threat for the tournament this year, and we're only losing one starter for next season I believe.
(02-05-2010 05:51 PM)SOT1977 Wrote: [ -> ] (02-05-2010 12:17 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]Troy isn't in the mix?
I haven't seen ULM mentioned in this thread at all...until JUST now. Despite our record we've beaten WKU and USA so that makes us a threat for the tournament this year, and we're only losing one starter for next season I believe.
Have you seen WKU and USA's records this year?
(02-05-2010 05:51 PM)SOT1977 Wrote: [ -> ] (02-05-2010 12:17 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]Troy isn't in the mix?
I haven't seen ULM mentioned in this thread at all...until JUST now. Despite our record we've beaten WKU and USA so that makes us a threat for the tournament this year, and we're only losing one starter for next season I believe.
You aren't the only ones to beat WKU and USA.
(02-05-2010 12:17 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]Troy isn't in the mix?
We are losing most everyone next year. Coleman, Jones, Hazzard, Vogler, Delk, are all seniors.
(02-05-2010 05:51 PM)SOT1977 Wrote: [ -> ] (02-05-2010 12:17 PM)troy4ever21 Wrote: [ -> ]Troy isn't in the mix?
I haven't seen ULM mentioned in this thread at all...until JUST now. Despite our record we've beaten WKU and USA so that makes us a threat for the tournament this year, and we're only losing one starter for next season I believe.
Hooper?
Sadly, I can't throw UALR into this mix for next year. We don't lose anyone and that may make for more of the same. If this were the NBA, we would be looking to move some shooters for servicable big man.
We add another couple of 6 foot kids to the roster filled with 6 foot kids and a big that was averaging 4 points and 4 rebounds in high school, so no help there.
UALR is staring down the barrel of 2 losing seasons in a row, unless they can help a player or two on the roster find their way to a new school and sign a juco big man would be on par with what we lost this year with Mike Smith.