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Assuming Cumberland, Scott and Brooks return, these 3 plus Williams will start. With JJ and CB gone we need to cover that role which was PG and sometimes SG.

Unless I am missing some one we have 2 RSFR forwards in Hardnett and Prince Gilliam plus incoming SG Samari Curtis. I have heard little on the red shirts but if they were that good we could have used them this year.

After 2 years Moore looks more lost than ever. Logan Johnson has potential, which means he hasn’t done it.

Diarra and Nsoseme are tall and that is about all. Foreign born with obvious lack of long term learned skills. Fredericks is a JUCO SR transfer from USVI and showed little.

If we keep the 4 projected starters expect wash rinse and repeat in 2019-20 except for fewer wins with much of the AAC improved.

Am I right that we have an open scholly? Another good freshman or better a GT guard.

Now the following year could be really bleak unless Mick or his replacement gets some recruits.

No disrespect to your analysis, much of which is on point, but want this the same thing said before this year? Don't expect much better than a middle of the pack finish?

I'm still disappointed by our finish but why does it mean we are going to suck next fall? I will grant you that without several changes (3 pt D philosophy, zone offense, substitution/rotation approach) it will not translate into a run in March - but I see nothing and no one that should dominate the 'Cats in the league.

My "silver lining", "rose colored glasses" thought... Maybe with a proven group of projects that have shown that's the best they can be at UC, Mick let's the 10 man deep concept go for a year or two and works all year on a 6-8 man rotation and the conditioning needed to make that work in March.

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Cats are going to be really good again but they need to be great to win the conference and make a deep run. That will depend on spring recruiting, development, and adjustments by staff to improve the all around metrics.

This team was very lucky in a lot of close games, the key is turning those close wins into blowout wins. Then 28 wins earn you a good seed.

(03-24-2019 07:53 AM)Cal1362 Wrote:  No disrespect to your analysis, much of which is on point, but want this the same thing said before this year? Don't expect much better than a middle of the pack finish?

I'm still disappointed by our finish but why does it mean we are going to suck next fall? I will grant you that without several changes (3 pt D philosophy, zone offense, substitution/rotation approach) it will not translate into a run in March - but I see nothing and no one that should dominate the 'Cats in the league.

My "silver lining", "rose colored glasses" thought... Maybe with a proven group of projects that have shown that's the best they can be at UC, Mick let's the 10 man deep concept go for a year or two and works all year on a 6-8 man rotation and the conditioning needed to make that work in March.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Perhaps I expressed poorly. If we keep the 4 key players we will win around 25 -28. That means JC does not go pro and Scott does not become a GT.

UH will be good. WSU will be improved. Memphis has a monster class coming in. USF will be better. SMU will be better. UCF has big losses in Taco Tall, BJ and the coaches son.

Need to sign Bolden, Pierce, and Cumberlands cousin, would need two additional scholarships to open up. If you take JC off of this year's team and we sre basicslly Tulsa or South Florida talent wise.

(03-24-2019 08:22 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 07:53 AM)Cal1362 Wrote:  No disrespect to your analysis, much of which is on point, but want this the same thing said before this year? Don't expect much better than a middle of the pack finish?

I'm still disappointed by our finish but why does it mean we are going to suck next fall? I will grant you that without several changes (3 pt D philosophy, zone offense, substitution/rotation approach) it will not translate into a run in March - but I see nothing and no one that should dominate the 'Cats in the league.

My "silver lining", "rose colored glasses" thought... Maybe with a proven group of projects that have shown that's the best they can be at UC, Mick let's the 10 man deep concept go for a year or two and works all year on a 6-8 man rotation and the conditioning needed to make that work in March.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Perhaps I expressed poorly. If we keep the 4 key players we will win around 25 -28. That means JC does not go pro and Scott does not become a GT.

UH will be good. WSU will be improved. Memphis has a monster class coming in. USF will be better. SMU will be better. UCF has big losses in Taco Tall, BJ and the coaches son.

Dawkins is only a JR so he will be back But the other two are big losses.

I was really encouraged by Scott's play down the stretch. He should be all conference next year.

(11-09-2018 11:05 AM)doss2 Wrote:  Best I see headed into AAC schedule is 8-6 perhaps 7-7
Definite losses are UNLV, XU, MSU, UCLA and Ole Miss or Baylor


Why not leave Mickey at UNLV on 12/1?


Make him fly home commercial like UNLV did.

Here's a quote from you from early this year (after the OSU game I believe). So why are you wrong again?

Primarily because of the 4 starters. We know Cumberland will be great, but Brooks and Scott were also playing very well at the end of the season. Scott's 3-point shooting and jump shooting steadily improve and he finished the season hitting 30% from three. He will take that to 35+% from three next year and that will open the middle up more. For the Brooks/Cumberland 2 man game, which resulted in the easiest buckets we got in more games, for Brooks to post up and for Williams to drive to the hoop. Brooks improved throughout the season and was a dominant force on the offensive glass, off-season improvement and him learning not to foul as much will result in him being a star (quite possibly the best center in the AAC and first or second team all AAC). Williams faded at the end of the year, but coming back fresh as a junior he should continue to improve. He should be a 12-15 point scorer and more importantly figure out the defensive end (which was his biggest problem this year).

As for backups, it's hard to say. But historically players develop at this program and that should continue. The most likely 5th starter and 6th man are probably Moore and Johnson. Cronin believes Moore can be a great shooter and Moore started to add a mid-range game at the end of the year. He's also solid on the defensive end. He's going to get his chance to figure it out and become the 5th starter and I think he will take it.

Johnson will be much like Broome off the bench. Only a taller and more athletic version. A slasher who can penetrate and dish or score, with an inconsistent 3-point shot. The difference is he will also provide better D then Broome (and also probably turn the ball over more). As long as he can control the TO's, he will be a good high energy guy for 15 minutes or so a night.

Losing Jenifer and Broome will hurt us on ball security. But it will lead to better defense (mostly because Moore/Johnson/Fredericks and the red-shirts are bigger and stronger) and hopefully more capable 1-on-1 play makers as well.

Nsoseme showed flashed of ability and played injured much of the year. He should be somewhat improved on offense (though defense and rebounding will still be his main thing). Diarra was expected to be a multi-year project when he came in. Hopefully he can figure it out in year three. Our team should do better at dominating games next year and give Diarra more time to get experience during late game blowouts. We will have to wait and see on Curtis/Hardnett and Prince, but hopefully at least one of them can give quality minutes. A lot of people think Curtis will be the big addition, but I have a lot of hope for the other two. Hardnett was a 6'8" PG in HS, he needed to bulk up a lot coming into college, but he's got tons of athleticism and good ball-handling. Prince is built like a bigger Cumberland and should be able to bang inside, he's still largely a mystery, but he could at least provide defensive minutes.

We will get more wins next year. 30 is quite possible and I would say likely. UC is the clear favorite in the AAC. We will have an old team of multi-year starters. We also won't have any clear weaknesses on the defensive end and more size will make our closeouts better and make it harder for teams to shoot over us. It's laughable to say that the #2 team in the AAC (and #1 in the AAC tournament) that loses the fewest key players of almost any AAC team will be worse next year.

(03-24-2019 08:31 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  I was really encouraged by Scott's play down the stretch. He should be all conference next year.

He did play well down the stretch. Made first team all tourney and deserved the accolade. The smile on his face for the recognition was awesome. Hopefully it is additional motivation to work hard in the off season.

(03-24-2019 08:22 AM)doss2 Wrote:  Perhaps I expressed poorly. If we keep the 4 key players we will win around 25 -28. That means JC does not go pro and Scott does not become a GT.

UH will be good. WSU will be improved. Memphis has a monster class coming in. USF will be better. SMU will be better. UCF has big losses in Taco Tall, BJ and the coaches son.

I did a write up last year on the other AAC teams. Been thinking of doing one this year, so here it goes.

Predicted AAC standings.

1. Cincinnati. They lose only one starter and their sixth man. They will be an extremely veteran team, led by the AAC player of the year. They should be the top dog, with other teams fighting for 2nd. Houston is likely the only team that has a shot at finishing above them.

2. Houston. They lose three key players (Breaon Brady, Galen Robinson and Corey Davis), but have other players (Armoni Brooks, Jarreau and White among others) ready to step up.

3. USF. Likely an unexpected choice. But they showed improvement this year and lose only one senior who regularly played (and averaged only 20 minutes per game). Keeping their team together should benefit them next year.

4. Wichita State. They lose only two players, but they are big ones. McDuffie and Hanyes-Jones. They should continue to gel this year, but will they be good enough to overcome the loss of their two best players?

5. Memphis. They lose 5 seniors who were all among their top 6 in minutes played this season. Penny is bringing in an excellent recruiting class, but that is a lot of players to replace. This year will be the test of Penny's ability to coach. I don't expect them to be a major threat this year.

6. Tulsa. Another team that loses only two key seniors (Jeffries and Taplin). They've seemed to be hanging out on the edge of becoming a top half American conference team the last couple years, but can never break through.

7. UCF. Lose Tacko, but also BJ Taylor, Griffin and Chad Brown. Losing their starting and backup centers could be a problem for them. They've got guys waiting, but nobody with much game experience.

8. Temple. They lose two big key players (Shizz Alston and Aflakpui) and their HC (which might not be a bad thing). But they have a history of under-performing, can their new coach turn it around?

9. UConn. They lose five seniors, but only one starter (Jalen Adams) and only one other averaged over 15 minutes per game (Tarin Smith). They are still a young team though, their only senior next year will be Vital. Expect them to improve next year, but be competing for the conference title in two years.

10. ECU. They lose only one starter (Fleming) and some a couple of minor role players. They will still be a fairly young team though. I expect some improvement, but if they are going to be great it won't be until the 2020 season.

11. SMU. Lose two senior starters (McMurray and Foster) and one top backup (Dixon). But they played without Foster for half the season anyway. I believe they also get all their scholarships back, which should help them with depth. Jimmy Whitt probably needs to be a star if they are going to win a lot of games.

12. Tulane. The good news is they lose only one starter (Cornish) and their sixth man (Paul), the bad news is they were terrible and will likely still be terrible. Hopefully with minimal player losses and a new coach, they won't be quite as terrible.

I see this conference being weaker on the top end (besides Cincinnati), but better in the middle and bottom. ECU should improve enough not to drag the conference NET down too much. Tulane will probably still be an anchor, but maybe slightly less of one.

Scott and Brooks played well down the stretch while Keith and Jarron regressed. If they all click at the same time next year I think we'll be really good. I would like to see a grad transfer though. I actually think Moore can be a good player but he needs someone to push him. As for Diarra and Nsoseme...I'm really, really hoping they can learn to play effective defense against a good big man like Garza. They were complete liabilites on the floor.

Replacing Justin and Cane will be somewhat similar to Caupain and Johnson, maybe even less impactful, really. There's no reason this team can't get a 4-6 seed next year and set us up for another round of disappoint. Eliminate the fluke losses like OSU and ECU and we should be okay.

(03-24-2019 09:33 AM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  Scott and Brooks played well down the stretch while Keith and Jarron regressed. If they all click at the same time next year I think we'll be really good. I would like to see a grad transfer though. I actually think Moore can be a good player but he needs someone to push him. As for Diarra and Nsoseme...I'm really, really hoping they can learn to play effective defense against a good big man like Garza. They were complete liabilites on the floor.

Replacing Justin and Cane will be somewhat similar to Caupain and Johnson, maybe even less impactful, really. There's no reason this team can't get a 4-6 seed next year and set us up for another round of disappoint. Eliminate the fluke losses like OSU and ECU and we should be okay.

Agreed, I'd say even less impactful. Caupain was our the go to guy on the team as a senior and probably our second or third best player. Johnson was the 5th starter (though if I recall correctly, Cumberland was overtaking him by the end of the year). This year, Jenifer was at best our 4th best player and Broome was the 6th.

(03-24-2019 08:30 AM)Nobones Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 08:22 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 07:53 AM)Cal1362 Wrote:  No disrespect to your analysis, much of which is on point, but want this the same thing said before this year? Don't expect much better than a middle of the pack finish?

I'm still disappointed by our finish but why does it mean we are going to suck next fall? I will grant you that without several changes (3 pt D philosophy, zone offense, substitution/rotation approach) it will not translate into a run in March - but I see nothing and no one that should dominate the 'Cats in the league.

My "silver lining", "rose colored glasses" thought... Maybe with a proven group of projects that have shown that's the best they can be at UC, Mick let's the 10 man deep concept go for a year or two and works all year on a 6-8 man rotation and the conditioning needed to make that work in March.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Perhaps I expressed poorly. If we keep the 4 key players we will win around 25 -28. That means JC does not go pro and Scott does not become a GT.

UH will be good. WSU will be improved. Memphis has a monster class coming in. USF will be better. SMU will be better. UCF has big losses in Taco Tall, BJ and the coaches son.

Dawkins is only a JR so he will be back But the other two are big losses.

OK so 2 at MI, transfer year, injury year, this year is 5 so you are saying he got a 6th year.

I like Logan but that is a lot of pressure to put on the young man. Can Jarron play PG? Yeah but that will slow the offense down even more.

How can Mick go into the year with the PG situation like this. It' s like those years under Huggs that the team had the same problem.

(03-24-2019 10:36 AM)Romell Shorter Wrote:  I like Logan but that is a lot of pressure to put on the young man. Can Jarron play PG? Yeah but that will slow the offense down even more.

How can Mick go into the year with the PG situation like this. It' s like He is years under Huggs that the team had the same problem.

You nail it. JC is a walk it up PG but then passes well. Charles Williams as PG but can score big. Hope for a GT.

(03-24-2019 10:19 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 08:30 AM)Nobones Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 08:22 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 07:53 AM)Cal1362 Wrote:  No disrespect to your analysis, much of which is on point, but want this the same thing said before this year? Don't expect much better than a middle of the pack finish?

I'm still disappointed by our finish but why does it mean we are going to suck next fall? I will grant you that without several changes (3 pt D philosophy, zone offense, substitution/rotation approach) it will not translate into a run in March - but I see nothing and no one that should dominate the 'Cats in the league.

My "silver lining", "rose colored glasses" thought... Maybe with a proven group of projects that have shown that's the best they can be at UC, Mick let's the 10 man deep concept go for a year or two and works all year on a 6-8 man rotation and the conditioning needed to make that work in March.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Perhaps I expressed poorly. If we keep the 4 key players we will win around 25 -28. That means JC does not go pro and Scott does not become a GT.

UH will be good. WSU will be improved. Memphis has a monster class coming in. USF will be better. SMU will be better. UCF has big losses in Taco Tall, BJ and the coaches son.

Dawkins is only a JR so he will be back But the other two are big losses.

OK so 2 at MI, transfer year, injury year, this year is 5 so you are saying he got a 6th year.

Don't know but he is only listed as a JR. Plus every game I watched them in the announcers all said he was a JR.

No reason to think next year will be any different than this year: Due to 7 or 8 gimme OOC wins at home, normally weak OOC schedule ( Kenpom last two years at 243 and 294 ) and atrociously mid major conf. schedule they will contend for league and tourney titles, win 25-28 games and go out in the first weekend. Will be no difference than last year or this year. On to football...….

(03-24-2019 08:43 AM)skyblade Wrote:  

(11-09-2018 11:05 AM)doss2 Wrote:  Best I see headed into AAC schedule is 8-6 perhaps 7-7
Definite losses are UNLV, XU, MSU, UCLA and Ole Miss or Baylor


Why not leave Mickey at UNLV on 12/1?


Make him fly home commercial like UNLV did.

Here's a quote from you from early this year (after the OSU game I believe). So why are you wrong again?

Primarily because of the 4 starters. We know Cumberland will be great, but Brooks and Scott were also playing very well at the end of the season. Scott's 3-point shooting and jump shooting steadily improve and he finished the season hitting 30% from three. He will take that to 35+% from three next year and that will open the middle up more. For the Brooks/Cumberland 2 man game, which resulted in the easiest buckets we got in more games, for Brooks to post up and for Williams to drive to the hoop. Brooks improved throughout the season and was a dominant force on the offensive glass, off-season improvement and him learning not to foul as much will result in him being a star (quite possibly the best center in the AAC and first or second team all AAC). Williams faded at the end of the year, but coming back fresh as a junior he should continue to improve. He should be a 12-15 point scorer and more importantly figure out the defensive end (which was his biggest problem this year).

As for backups, it's hard to say. But historically players develop at this program and that should continue. The most likely 5th starter and 6th man are probably Moore and Johnson. Cronin believes Moore can be a great shooter and Moore started to add a mid-range game at the end of the year. He's also solid on the defensive end. He's going to get his chance to figure it out and become the 5th starter and I think he will take it.

Johnson will be much like Broome off the bench. Only a taller and more athletic version. A slasher who can penetrate and dish or score, with an inconsistent 3-point shot. The difference is he will also provide better D then Broome (and also probably turn the ball over more). As long as he can control the TO's, he will be a good high energy guy for 15 minutes or so a night.

Losing Jenifer and Broome will hurt us on ball security. But it will lead to better defense (mostly because Moore/Johnson/Fredericks and the red-shirts are bigger and stronger) and hopefully more capable 1-on-1 play makers as well.

Nsoseme showed flashed of ability and played injured much of the year. He should be somewhat improved on offense (though defense and rebounding will still be his main thing). Diarra was expected to be a multi-year project when he came in. Hopefully he can figure it out in year three. Our team should do better at dominating games next year and give Diarra more time to get experience during late game blowouts. We will have to wait and see on Curtis/Hardnett and Prince, but hopefully at least one of them can give quality minutes. A lot of people think Curtis will be the big addition, but I have a lot of hope for the other two. Hardnett was a 6'8" PG in HS, he needed to bulk up a lot coming into college, but he's got tons of athleticism and good ball-handling. Prince is built like a bigger Cumberland and should be able to bang inside, he's still largely a mystery, but he could at least provide defensive minutes.

We will get more wins next year. 30 is quite possible and I would say likely. UC is the clear favorite in the AAC. We will have an old team of multi-year starters. We also won't have any clear weaknesses on the defensive end and more size will make our closeouts better and make it harder for teams to shoot over us. It's laughable to say that the #2 team in the AAC (and #1 in the AAC tournament) that loses the fewest key players of almost any AAC team will be worse next year.

Everything i've seen shows Hardnett as a SF. Just curious as to where you saw him as a PG?

(03-24-2019 10:51 AM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(11-07-2018 08:29 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  No reason to think next year will be any different than this year: Due to 7 or 8 gimme OOC wins at home, normally weak OOC schedule ( Kenpom last two years at 243 and 294 ) and atrociously mid major conf. schedule they will contend for league and tourney titles, win 25-28 games and go out in the first weekend. Will be no difference than last year or this year. On to football...….

Things we no longer need to concern ourselves about this year:

NCAA tourney bid
Top recruits
Free pizza
Mick hiring an offensive coach
Conf. Championship
Conf. tourney Championship
Top 25
KenPom projections
Any player breaking scoring records

Welcome back#BC1

Considering your prediction after the OSU game. I'd say 30 wins is almost guaranteed if your predicting 25 and a spot in the NCAA tournament.

(03-24-2019 10:56 AM)eroc Wrote:  Everything i've seen shows Hardnett as a SF. Just curious as to where you saw him as a PG?

I worded the poorly. He was a PG at times, but he wasn't listed as PG. I believe he was more of an Evans/Cumberland type PG, where he was the guy with the ball running point in late game situations.

"I love LaQuill's versatility," Cronin added. "I've seen him play point guard and I've seen him block shots. I've seen him steal the ball in the press for a tournament win and I've seen him bust open zones with scoring and passing. LaQuill knows the game and has a great outgoing personality. He is going to be a very good player for us."