08-13-2013, 07:03 AM
#9 - Troy
We are REALLY getting into uncharted waters here, since Maestri had been at Troy for so long. It appears they have a promising new coach, but you just never know how things will turn out until the gun sounds.
Troy returns three starters in terms of minutes, but those were starters from a team that lost 21 games last season. But they do have some experience coming back, and that is always good. Hunter Williams averaged 10.4 ppg and was a solid shooter from the arc, but he shot better from the arc than he did from anywhere else. Westley Hinton is 6-8 and can shoot from the 3-point line. Maestri's teams did take good care of the ball, and that is a good habit to have.
For a team who lived from the 3-point line, Troy was awful at shooting last year (39.7% overall and 31.2% from the arc). A new style of play may change that drastically, but that is the returning material the coach has to work with. And their leading returning rebounder averaged 3.3 rpg last season, and that is from a team who got beat by 3.4 rpg even with Ray Chambers and Emil Jones in the lineup. Add that to the fact that their defense was suspect, and their record was not surprising.
Troy has a couple of nice-looking recruits coming in who may give them a little help, and they will need some immediate help.
Cunningham's style may fit the talent he has to a T, and things may turn around immediately with this program; but with all the good teams at the top of the standings, my guess is that they are a year away from making a big jump. I think this program is looking at a good future.
We are REALLY getting into uncharted waters here, since Maestri had been at Troy for so long. It appears they have a promising new coach, but you just never know how things will turn out until the gun sounds.
Troy returns three starters in terms of minutes, but those were starters from a team that lost 21 games last season. But they do have some experience coming back, and that is always good. Hunter Williams averaged 10.4 ppg and was a solid shooter from the arc, but he shot better from the arc than he did from anywhere else. Westley Hinton is 6-8 and can shoot from the 3-point line. Maestri's teams did take good care of the ball, and that is a good habit to have.
For a team who lived from the 3-point line, Troy was awful at shooting last year (39.7% overall and 31.2% from the arc). A new style of play may change that drastically, but that is the returning material the coach has to work with. And their leading returning rebounder averaged 3.3 rpg last season, and that is from a team who got beat by 3.4 rpg even with Ray Chambers and Emil Jones in the lineup. Add that to the fact that their defense was suspect, and their record was not surprising.
Troy has a couple of nice-looking recruits coming in who may give them a little help, and they will need some immediate help.
Cunningham's style may fit the talent he has to a T, and things may turn around immediately with this program; but with all the good teams at the top of the standings, my guess is that they are a year away from making a big jump. I think this program is looking at a good future.