concerning this years recruiting class. But he includes in it players who will be playing for the first time. So not only Jones, Pippins, Jackson and Goldman, but Watkins and Black. I believe that's a fair way to look at it.

In my previous posts, I've commented on our losses from last year's roster, and I specifically mentioned Josh and Roger as tough to replace. But one I wrongly neglected to mention was Jermaine Rutley.
He came here as a scorer, and became our defensive stopper. He bought into Coach Beard's system, and was totally unselfish in his willingness to conform to what we needed from him. I have no idea who will replace him, but I feel Stetson will certainly have a chance to fill that role this season.

Stetson came to us as a prolific high school scorer, but has never had the chance to fill that role at Little Rock. But he has been a defensive stopper, and has played his role with dignity and grace. A lot of kids would have sulked and griped about not getting a chance to put up some points, and possibly transferred, but he has gone about his business and done what he could to help the team, even giving up his scholarship for one season. You can't help but loving a kid who is so committed to our program.

New players? Watkins will in most likelihood replace most of Josh's minutes. Black will work at both the five and the four, so he'll gather a lot of minutes for a big man. Jackson will also get time as an inside presence. Jones is a big time talent. He'll probably play some at maybe the three, and possibly the two, or even the four in a four guard lineup.

Now here are the difficult ones to predict. Pippins and Goldman. I just don't know where their minutes will come from. On the surface, you think their minutes might be limited this season, but who knows.
Maybe they'll emerge as integral parts of the team. We could even see Wes playing two units sometimes. I know a ten man rotation would be rare for us, but we might have the overall talent to pull it off.

I wrote prior to last season, that Coach Beard's biggest challenge would be to figure out who to play and how much. IMO, he did one of the greatest coaching jobs ever in figuring that out. I will repeat my statement this season. Wes's biggest challenge will be figuring out the best chemistry and keep players happy. Can he do it? No question he can do it, but how successfully only time will tell.

(07-24-2016 09:40 AM)outsideualr Wrote:  concerning this years recruiting class. But he includes in it players who will be playing for the first time. So not only Jones, Pippins, Jackson and Goldman, but Watkins and Black. I believe that's a fair way to look at it.

In my previous posts, I've commented on our losses from last year's roster, and I specifically mentioned Josh and Roger as tough to replace. But one I wrongly neglected to mention was Jermaine Rutley.
He came here as a scorer, and became our defensive stopper. He bought into Coach Beard's system, and was totally unselfish in his willingness to conform to what we needed from him. I have no idea who will replace him, but I feel Stetson will certainly have a chance to fill that role this season.

Stetson came to us as a prolific high school scorer, but has never had the chance to fill that role at Little Rock. But he has been a defensive stopper, and has played his role with dignity and grace. A lot of kids would have sulked and griped about not getting a chance to put up some points, and possibly transferred, but he has gone about his business and done what he could to help the team, even giving up his scholarship for one season. You can't help but loving a kid who is so committed to our program.

New players? Watkins will in most likelihood replace most of Josh's minutes. Black will work at both the five and the four, so he'll gather a lot of minutes for a big man. Jackson will also get time as an inside presence. Jones is a big time talent. He'll probably play some at maybe the three, and possibly the two, or even the four in a four guard lineup.

Now here are the difficult ones to predict. Pippins and Goldman. I just don't know where their minutes will come from. On the surface, you think their minutes might be limited this season, but who knows.
Maybe they'll emerge as integral parts of the team. We could even see Wes playing two units sometimes. I know a ten man rotation would be rare for us, but we might have the overall talent to pull it off.

I wrote prior to last season, that Coach Beard's biggest challenge would be to figure out who to play and how much. IMO, he did one of the greatest coaching jobs ever in figuring that out. I will repeat my statement this season. Wes's biggest challenge will be figuring out the best chemistry and keep players happy. Can he do it? No question he can do it, but how successfully only time will tell.

Excuse me, but you ALL seem to be forgetting the best player for this year. The person who will rise to the challenge and will lead both in minutes and points.

Marcus Johnson, Jr.

The post was referring to Pappy's blog, which was trying to figure out how our "new" players would fit in. I did sort of changes horses in mid stream by referring to Jermaine and Stetson, but the post was supposed to reflect the possibilities for our new players. I believe I've covered Marcus, Jr. several times, even posting that he will probably play more minutes than any of our players this season, and will be an All Conference selection. Our most exciting returning player has certainly not been forgotten. He just isn't "new" this year.

(07-24-2016 11:04 AM)outsideualr Wrote:  The post was referring to Pappy's blog, which was trying to figure out how our "new" players would fit in. I did sort of changes horses in mid stream by referring to Jermaine and Stetson, but the post was supposed to reflect the possibilities for our new players. I believe I've covered Marcus, Jr. several times, even posting that he will probably play more minutes than any of our players this season, and will be an All Conference selection. Our most exciting returning player has certainly not been forgotten. He just isn't "new" this year.

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