If Grant returns we are top 15 next year

[Cuseball]

Have to keep in mind a couple things.

Number #1 our returning roster is loaded with talent.

• The frontline is stacked (Grant, Christmas, Roberson, McCullough, Coleman -if healthy and BJ)
  • defensively the frontcourt should be better than last year. Also, rebounding should be improved
  • options exist for different rotations with Gbinjie able to play SF and th huge potential of Roberson, CMAC and Grant
• PG is the question mark but Joseph has the look and feel of a player who is not going to be shy about stepping right in. Silent G gives you minutes here and posibly Patterson. If Joseph can handle the rock, keep defenses honest by hititng the outside shot and get players involved he does not need to average double figures to lead the team.
• The combo of Cooney, Silent G and Patterson is more than enough here. Likely that Cooney keeps the starting spot and I would expect another year of imrpovement. silent G' third year in the system and patterson with 2 provide experience and options if Trevor struggles

Number #2: All the top teams are losing a lot. Our likely starting 5 vs the returning 5's of these teams is pretty solid

• Florida will have talent but will lose a ton (Wilbekin, Young, Prather, Yguette);
• MSU loses Payne, Appling and probably harris or dawson;
• Michigan loses Morgan and likely Stauskas and Robinson
• Duke loses Thornton and likely Parker, Hood - they bring in some talent to replace
• OSU - loses Craft and Smith
• Ville - loses Russ Smith, hancock and likley Hazrell
• Kentucky likely loses randall, harrison, Cauley Stein and Young
• Uconn loses napier, Giffey and maybe daniels
• Arizona - may not lose much. Likely Gordon is gone, not as likely that johnson, Ashley or Tarcweski leaves
• UNC - loses McDonald, maybe lose Paige and Mcadoo; if Paige and Mcadoo come back they are very strong
• Kansas - loses Emblid, Wiggins. Not likely that selden jumps. They have some talent coming in to replace with Alexander and Oubre and will be good again.
• Virgina loses Harris and Akil Mitchell. Not likely that others go and they will be solid

So when you look at the whole picture we are top 15 to start off and wheer we end up is based on solifiying the questions marks.

Cuse!

 

[ROCuse]

May want to edit to include that Paige and Selden have already announced that they will be staying another year.

 

[longislandcuse]

We're pretty loaded if Grant comes back. I dont know who starts but a frontcourt consisting of McCullough, Grant, Xmas, Roberson, DC2, BJJ is ridiculous.

G provides good depth for pg, sg, sf and while i'd like him to start, since Ennis left, G will probably have to be our utility bench pg/sg again. Cooney "should" shoot better if all his defenders on this board are correct about his growth into a Junior and Kaleb is the anti-Ennis, we'll have to see how that works out but the dude definitely has talent and with so many weapons at his disposal will be given every chance to succeed.

 

[jr4750]

May want to edit to include that Paige and Selden have already announced that they will be staying another year.

Ugh was hoping Paige would leave. Any word on McAdoo?

 

[HoustonCuse]

We'll be fine either way. Stings right now, but this program always always does well after major personnel losses.

 

[Millhouse]

We're pretty loaded if Grant comes back. I dont know who starts but a frontcourt consisting of McCullough, Grant, Xmas, Roberson, DC2, BJJ is ridiculous.

G provides good depth for pg, sg, sf and while i'd like him to start, since Ennis left, G will probably have to be our utility bench pg/sg again. Cooney "should" shoot better if all his defenders on this board are correct about his growth into a Junior and Kaleb is the anti-Ennis, we'll have to see how that works out but the dude definitely has talent and with so many weapons at his disposal will be given every chance to succeed.

i can't believe it's another year where everything hinges on cooney

 

[longislandcuse]

i can't believe it's another year where everything hinges on cooney

That scares me, also as loaded as our frontcourt would be...can any of those guys shoot a 3 or develop a 3 point shot? You CANNOT have 2 forwards and neither of them can pick n pop or hit a wide open three. Not in this day in age.

 

[ROCuse]

Ugh was hoping Paige would leave. Any word on McAdoo?

Not sure. I'd imagine he'll come back. He played himself out of the first round and will probably try and play himself back in next year.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

i can't believe it's another year where everything hinges on cooney

That's partly why I'm all chips in on BJ Johnson.

 

[newmexicuse]

i can't believe it's another year where everything hinges on cooney

I can't go through another year of all hinging on Trevor. Jimmy absolutely has to find a second trey option. I don't see Buss and BJ both playing big roles, but one of them has to emerge. I think BJ has more upside, so I am hoping it is him, but Buss is older & may be more ready for next season. I do not want to see BJ sit on the bench again & not play. If it doesn't look like he will crack the rotation I hope he takes a shirt, that would give him up to three potentially monster years with us.

The biggest question will be Kaleb's learning curve. If he struggles, forget Cooney, PG will be the unsolvable issue. I do believe that Kaleb will be solid, maybe not from day one, but by the time March rolls around. If that assessment is correct he then he should be able to help out with the trey shooting.

We also need to find somebody who can at least hit the occasional trey from up front. BJ is the most logical guy if he can earn some minutes at SF. I am not sure if McC can help in that regard as I don't see Beast or Jerami getting that done.

All in all, a lot of questions, if we get all the right answers we could be Top Ten. If we get all the wrong answers we could be NIT.

Of course, the biggest wildcard may well be the Coach. Will he he do what he did this year, and basically commit to who his rotation players will be in August or will he give everybody a fair chance to develop in the pre-conf part of the schedule and really know what he has to work with ???

 

[Trueblue25]

Why does next year hinge on Cooney?

In my opinion next year hinges on whether Gbinije, Roberson, Buss and Johnson choose to take the next step.

IF they do, that allows Cooney to take a load off and not have so much pressure.

If they don't, well...I don't want to think about it.

 

[Van111]

We'll be fine either way. Stings right now, but this program always always does well after major personnel losses.

Define "does well". If getting to the tournament and playing like we did down the stretch like we did, really since the Duke game win at the Dome, is what you mean by "does well" then that can be your view. I for one feel we are and should be a final four and NC team threat virtually evrey year, and we quite frankly fell well short of that. We won at least 5 games early on we should have quite frankly lost. We stayed in a 2/3 virtually the entire season, and although our defense was good, we had no answers on the offensive zone. What happened to our transistion game, it was non-existent most of the season, a Cuse Trademark for years. Yes we were 28-6, but that could have easily been 23-11. Heck, we almost lost to St. Francis yet if you watch that game, we virtually didn't change a thing on either side of the floor to get better over the course of the season. We depended on low scoring, and pull it out at the end, for the most part. Hey, winning 25 games in a row, no matter how you do it, is tough, ok I get it. But either the inability to change things up, or create on offense leaves much to be desired on the future of the program and our ability to develop kids. Is Tyler leaving because he is a potential late round pick in the first round? How did that work out for Fab? The kid is special, I admit that, but staying another year in college and developing strength and his outside shot is imperitive, unless of course he thought he had learned all he could at the program and it was time to move on. Now, take Rak, he is either the biggest bust we have had in a while, or is it the type game we play? I think it is alittle of both. So, in summary, if just getting to the tournament each year is your expectation, and "does well" in replacing players is your expectation, then ok. For me, I don't agree. The foundation of the program is sound, but we need to find ways to develop our kids on both sides of their game, diversify the 2/3 by changing it up over the course of the season, and most importantly, be that perineal power house team each year that is a threat year after year to win it all. Good teams don't lose to Dayton, and that is something we need to fix. Our inability to change or create on offense is why we aren't playing Florida in the Elite 8. That is the frustrating part, there is no excuse we aren't there right now. Yes, I am venting a little, ok a lot...but to see this field, there is no reason we shouldn't be playing right now, and shooting under 40% except for a fluke game here and there, not 11 games in one season. (We were 3-8 in those games) I for one will follow this team till my dying breath, but hope someday that change, like in our football program, is here. Go ahead all you JB lovers, bash away, but this is a clear message we need change. By either JB or his heir apparent, who ever that may be. This is about high standards for our team, now and in the future. Losing to double digit seeds is not acceptable, and we have done it more than anybody else. We were 253rd in scoring, 236th in assists, and 206th in FG%. Stings is not a word that comes to mind.