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Message: [QUOTE="pfister1, post: 2912154, member: 285"] It's interesting looking back at 2014-15. We talk about the unexpected early departure of Ennis as killing that season and hamstringing the program, but that season was a roster blood bath in retrospect and really started a series of roster balance problems that we still haven't fully recovered from. Not only did we unexpectedly lose Ennis, the only competent point guard in the program, but we also unexpectedly lost Jerami Grant just as he was starting to come into this own [U]and[/U] we lost Chris McCullough to injury. Without the defections that lineup is: PG - Ennis - So - replaced by Joseph SG - Gbinije - JR - moves to SF, replaced by Cooney SF - Grant - JR - Gbinije PF - McCullough - FR - Roberson moves in after the injury C - Christmas - SR Bench Cooney - JR Roberson - SO Joseph - FR The early departures and McCullough injury advanced a whole group of "developmental" players (Roberson, Patterson and Johnson) into bigger roles that they weren't really ready to fill). In addition to having the talent depleted from the roster we simultaneously get hit with scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions that make it difficult for us to replenish. Even the biggest program skeptics have to admit that the sanctions left little room for error in terms of how we awarded roster spots and unfortunately, I think we made errors. Not always in the quality of player, but oftentimes in taking a player that we would invest developmental time in that wouldn't be around long enough to have the roster impact we needed. Following year we restock by bringing in Richardson (who also leaves early), Lydon (who only stays for 2) and Howard. Howard was the only real roster depth (ie. guy who was on the bench learning and waiting his turn). Richardson jumped right into the starting rotation and, although not a starter, Lydon got the 5th most minutes on the roster that season. Following year JB goes a different route and tries to fill roster slots by adding Gillon and White along with frosh Battle and Thompson and sophomore Chuckwu who only plays 7 games due to injury. That team was like a chemistry experiment gone bad. Eight different guys that started more than 6 games each over the course of the season; only 2 who started every game. When can you ever remember that happening on a JB team? Last year we brought in Brissett, Sidibe, Moyer (redshirt), Dolejaz, Washington and Thorpe Not a great recruiting year looking back at this point. Some program depth, but again guys that are immediately pressed into service when they probably were not good enough to have been. Then you have an offseason where because you played Brissett big minutes and he accumulated stats, you have him giving consideration to entering his name in the draft. All of this is to say that our roster has been an absolute mess the last 4 or 5 years. It all goes back to JB, but there are a ton of factors and circumstances that have played into why it has been a mess. I know people aren't happy with where we are right now. But, are we in a better spot than we were last year? Do next year's roster additions put us in a better spot than where we are this year? I guess what I am saying is we obviously were not successful in completing a one year rebuild of the roster, but is the quality of the roster, despite the problems, trending up or do you think its trending down? [/QUOTE]

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