I've read more thoughtful analyses, but for FWIW here it is:
Conference Preview: Colonial

(Spoiler alert: they pick UNCW to finish 7th)

JMU seems a little too high, Tribe seems a bit high to me, and definitely UNCW too low. That's a poor job by this publication IMHO. I wouldn't be shocked if Towson gets out of the cellar too but I don't know much other than the fact that Skerry seems to always bring in a team of guys that are intimidating looking.

Never even heard of this publication, but they make it sound like the only player we have is Devontae Cacok... I can't remember who posted the tiers in another thread but that made the most sense to me. I like JMU this year, that backcourt will win them some game, but I don't know much about their bigs. W&M will be good, and Nathan Knight will have them competing for the title, same as Cacok will for us. I like Delaware's coach, but I can't see them being better with the loss of Daly.

Tier 1
Northeastern
CofC

Tier 2
W&M
UNCW
Hofstra
JMU

Tier3
Delaware
Elon
Drexel
Towson

(10-15-2018 08:14 AM)Gary Miller Wrote:  Never even heard of this publication, but they make it sound like the only player we have is Devontae Cacok... I can't remember who posted the tiers in another thread but that made the most sense to me. I like JMU this year, that backcourt will win them some game, but I don't know much about their bigs. W&M will be good, and Nathan Knight will have them competing for the title, same as Cacok will for us. I like Delaware's coach, but I can't see them being better with the loss of Daly.

Tier 1
Northeastern
CofC

Tier 2
W&M
UNCW
Hofstra
JMU

Tier3
Delaware
Elon
Drexel
Towson

Many folks that don't follow us closely would look at the roster and see that's the only name they really recognize.

I get that, but also a reason I'm not gonna look into this prediction at all. I mean picking CofC outside of the top 2 is also foolish. They are going to be very good once again this year.

(10-15-2018 10:20 AM)Gary Miller Wrote:  I get that, but also a reason I'm not gonna look into this prediction at all. I mean picking CofC outside of the top 2 is also foolish. They are going to be very good once again this year.

Agree.

UNCW has not earned a pre season right to lofty predictions. We lost a four year player that was our starting PG. We lost our starting forward and we had no defense at all last year. Those are the facts.

We will have more depth, but have no idea what this years roster will look like on the court together. Cacok is the only known top level player on this team. Fornes and Taylor have shown flashes of greatness but have not shown the ability to be good on a consistent basis. Pretty much everyone else is unknown or unproven.

Toews, Cylla, Elmore, O'Connell, Gary, Estime, Brown, Sims, Kalina are all freshmen, role players or unknowns.

I am optimistic we can be better than last year, but who knows? With all the unknown players on the court, i'm not sold on the style of play McGrath instituted last year. If you toss last year out the window, that leaves this year as much of an unknown as last year.

Until we prove something on the court, a 7th place prediction seems about right.

We all know to take these predictions with a grain of salt. Once the ball tips, I don't even think about them anymore.

(10-16-2018 05:46 AM)82hawk Wrote:  UNCW has not earned a pre season right to lofty predictions. We lost a four year player that was our starting PG. We lost our starting forward and we had no defense at all last year. Those are the facts.

We will have more depth, but have no idea what this years roster will look like on the court together. Cacok is the only known top level player on this team. Fornes and Taylor have shown flashes of greatness but have not shown the ability to be good on a consistent basis. Pretty much everyone else is unknown or unproven.

Toews, Cylla, Elmore, O'Connell, Gary, Estime, Brown, Sims, Kalina are all freshmen, role players or unknowns.

I am optimistic we can be better than last year, but who knows? With all the unknown players on the court, i'm not sold on the style of play McGrath instituted last year. If you toss last year out the window, that leaves this year as much of an unknown as last year.

Until we prove something on the court, a 7th place prediction seems about right.

Honestly, this is quite the realistic look at where our expectations SHOULD be. I believe we'll exceed them, but unfortunately agree with the baseline and thought process here. Like I said though, I think this is the year we really start seeing improvement in the McGrath era and it's upward from here. I really like all the pieces he's brought in, and it sounds like Cylla is going to be a matchup problem for other teams. I'm hoping he has a Flemmings style of disruption and productivity that other teams just weren't prepared for. I really think the KEY this year is PG play. If we have to rely on Gary as our primary I think we're in trouble. If Toews can take the keys as a freshman... I like where we're going.

I'm all in on Toews. Kid will be a stud. And no matter how the game has morphed and evolved, capable PG play is still the major driver of college basketball.

(10-16-2018 10:24 AM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  I'm all in on Toews. Kid will be a stud. And no matter how the game has morphed and evolved, capable PG play is still the major driver of college basketball.

I'll be very interested to see how he plays as a Freshman. He looks promising for sure.

(10-16-2018 10:05 AM)CG_Hawk06 Wrote:  I really think the KEY this year is PG play. If we have to rely on Gary as our primary I think we're in trouble. If Toews can take the keys as a freshman... I like where we're going.

You know more about your team than I do, but Fornes averaged 2.0 assists and Taylor averaged 1.9. Are either of them PG possibilities?

(10-16-2018 03:22 PM)EvanJ Wrote:  You know more about your team than I do, but Fornes averaged 2.0 assists and Taylor averaged 1.9. Are either of them PG possibilities?

Both are scoring guards, not primary ballhandlers.

Taylor in particular struggles when asked to handle the rock too much. He seems to have a bit of a wild dribble at times, lending himself to turnovers against good defenders.

Fornes has great handles and can create his own shot. But he's still definitely better off the ball.

It's the Toews show at PG this season and beyond. Gary and Jacque Brown are the 2 other PG's on the roster.

(10-16-2018 10:51 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  It's the Toews show at PG this season and beyond. Gary and Jacque Brown are the 2 other PG's on the roster.

Any 411 on how PG Ty Gadsden is looking in practice?

Ty Gadsden

https://caasports.com/news/2018/10/16/no...nship.aspx is the preseason poll. You were picked fifth. No team was more than two spots apart from HoopsHD.

(10-17-2018 11:43 AM)EvanJ Wrote:  https://caasports.com/news/2018/10/16/no...nship.aspx is the preseason poll. You were picked fifth. No team was more than two spots apart from HoopsHD.

5th still seems a lot more realistic than 7th with this squad and how much talent left the CAA after last season.

(10-17-2018 11:50 AM)CG_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(10-17-2018 11:43 AM)EvanJ Wrote:  https://caasports.com/news/2018/10/16/no...nship.aspx is the preseason poll. You were picked fifth. No team was more than two spots apart from HoopsHD.

5th still seems a lot more realistic than 7th with this squad and how much talent left the CAA after last season.

That sounds about right to me. Going to be a fun year.

(10-17-2018 04:44 AM)70shawk Wrote:  

(10-16-2018 10:51 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  It's the Toews show at PG this season and beyond. Gary and Jacque Brown are the 2 other PG's on the roster.

Any 411 on how PG Ty Gadsden is looking in practice?

Ty Gadsden

No intel in practice, but I can tell you the coaches felt they stole him as a transfer.

(10-17-2018 05:27 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(10-17-2018 04:44 AM)70shawk Wrote:  

(10-16-2018 10:51 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  It's the Toews show at PG this season and beyond. Gary and Jacque Brown are the 2 other PG's on the roster.

Any 411 on how PG Ty Gadsden is looking in practice?

Ty Gadsden

No intel in practice, but I can tell you the coaches felt they stole him as a transfer.

Another example of the pieces that are on this team that really aren't being factored into MOST of the preseason prognostications. Maybe they shouldn't be, given that as of now nobody really yet knows how all these pieces will produce and function together. But I can see that there is a whole lot more upside potential than last year...and we finished 1 game out of 5th place then.