WSU next year

[WuShockNation]

Ya I remember KC going toe to toe with Carl Hall last year in Shockermadness

[rlh04d]

I think you'll [WSU] be challenged alot more than you think in conference, and ISUb doesn't appear to me to have any clear advantage over any of the next 3-4 teams personnel wise. I'm not saying both aren't good,just that you're giving alot of credit to new players or players in secondary roles stepping up on your end, and very little of the same type of credit to other programs. UNI has a proven track record of Jake getting his type of players to play his type of ball and Mitchell and Tuttle have been seasoned over the past two years to be ready to assert themselves. Bradley is building with some quality athletes and again their coach has a proven track record in the MAC. I'm not sold on Lusk yet, but our roster is very solid and deep as we will have multiple guys who have started in the past playing secondary roles and fighting for playing time along with 3 proven double figure scorers returning with Gulley's return from injury.

UNI lost three of their top four scorers. The MAC is NOT the MVC. Your perspective on which questions are relevant is odd.

In fact, most of the credit being given to Wichita State and Indiana State is due to both teams returning very experienced starting lineups. Only one player on each team's starting lineup, I believe, will be new and not already an established contributor if not starter. WSU is relying on the highest rated recruit in the last several years for the Valley moving up from his 20 minutes in the tournament to be a starter and a 6'9" senior moving in at center. Indiana State is relying on I believe one new starter? Meanwhile you're pointing to teams that were significantly worse than either last year and replace more.

but I think you always struggle defensively for a bit when you have alot of young guys in new roles. I think it's a big change to for guys like Baker and FVV to now be the focus of a teams preparation. Baker has shown he can hit shots as a spot up guy, but honestly the next guy he breaks down off the dribble will be the first I've seen, so that will be something he will be challenged to do as teams prepare for the Shocks.

Yeah, it'll be a pretty big change for WSU to have a lot of young guys in new roles, won't it?

It's interesting how you're stressing the loss of players who, outside of Hall and Armstead, averaged less than 10 minutes per game in the NCAA tournament, and whose minutes consistently dropped in almost every game, while dismissing the return of Baker who averaged over 32 minutes a game in the tournament and FVV who averaged 20, both of who had their minutes consistently increased throughout the tournament.

Obviously losing Hall and Armstead will be major losses for us next year, and I am concerned about where we will replace Hall's rebounding at, and I don't think it's possible to replace Armstead's steals -- he now owns the single season records at both Oregon and Wichita State; you don't replace that ability. However, we were 6-1 while Hall was injured last year, and Armstead had his weak spots as well; in fact, by the end of the season, statistically he didn't have a lot over FVV outside of the steals and an amazing ability to handle a press. There was a pretty big uproar on Shockernet calling for FVV to start over Armstead when we went through a few bad games.

We certainly do have questions for next year ... but of our top players, there are few questions surrounding FVV, Baker, Wessel, Cotton, and Early.

No doubt the Shocks are the easy pick for top team next year, but as usual, I just think you vastly underestimate a conference you were only second best in and that teams like CU/UE were able to take 5 out of 6 games from you last year. There will be teams just as good this year, and I think you do have question marks that are yet unanswered.

There's a team that's going to be as good as Creighton next year, outside of WSU? Who?

You understand we were missing multiple starters for the entire conference schedule last year and still only finished one game out of first? It's entirely possible we won't be as good as expected, but there's very little to point to that would logically say one could expect that to happen. Is there any starting lineup that will be better? Is there any bench that will be better 6-10? Is there any coach that's better? I think the answer to all three is no.

We'll drop a couple games in conference. And it wouldn't be a huge surprise to me if ISUb wins the conference, and it's possible just off of pure coaching ability that UNI wins it. But I would be stunned if any team other than those two is within two games of WSU.

[shoxrox]

How many minutes did WSU return for last year's season? The year before? How did those seasons turn out?

Per usual, an opposing fan (a Bear fan of people) is to take WSU down before the month of June. WSU certainly has question marks, but I think based on previous history, they tend to answer those questions a bit more than other teams do. They may not run away with anything, but at this time, how can you argue with WSU as the favorite?

Teams will be similar in nature? Like who? Missouri State?

Btw, well stated rlh04d.

[Wufan]

I think besides Early, your frontline is very much a question mark, not in talent,but in roles and chemistry.

This is a fair statement. Role and chemistry are a concern, but there is a load of talent. Coleby will be the best transfer from a D-I school that is eligible this year. Carter will be the front-runner for NOY. Shaq Morris (6-8, 260) will be the highest rated freshman big man next year, if not best freshman over all. Chadrack Lufile was rated as the #50 JUCO when he transferred last year. He now has a year in the system and should be ready to compete.

While you can't return your top 4 bigs every year, it is a consolation to be able to bring in top end talent.

[rlh04d]

I think besides Early, your frontline is very much a question mark, not in talent,but in roles and chemistry.

This is a fair statement. Role and chemistry are a concern, but there is a load of talent. Coleby will be the best transfer from a D-I school that is eligible this year. Carter will be the front-runner for NOY. Shaq Morris (6-8, 260) will be the highest rated freshman big man next year, if not best freshman over all. Chadrack Lufile was rated as the #50 JUCO when he transferred last year. He now has a year in the system and should be ready to compete.

While you can't return your top 4 bigs every year, it is a consolation to be able to bring in top end talent.

Exactly. I think it's fair to doubt how the big guys will work out until it's actually proven on the court. But of course that same thing can be said about every team in the conference ... it's the off-season, and naturally most talk is going to be speculation until proven on the court.

But Cleanthony Early is the most talented returning front court player in the conference next year. Add in Kadeem Coleby both with previous D1 experience and a year in the system, Chadrick Lufile with a year in the system after being a highly regarded JUCO recruit, Shaq Morris as the #1 recruit from Oklahoma, Darius Carter as a JUCO AA, and Earl Watson, another top 50 JUCO recruit ... is there another front court in the conference as deep or talented on paper?

[agrinut]

Crown them, if WSU loses a game in the league Marshall's seat should be getting warm. That Louisiana school for the blind transfer will be too much. Not sure how anyone expects to compete ever again. Good thing the shocks are headed to the WAC soon.

[shoxrox]

I can take a little heat from a lot of fans around here, but certainly not from fans of a team that lost to a freaking SWAC school.

[mvcfan]

Crown them, if WSU loses a game in the league Marshall's seat should be getting warm. That Louisiana school for the blind transfer will be too much. Not sure how anyone expects to compete ever again. Good thing the shocks are headed to the WAC soon.

Ha, Ha. Ok you win. The Shockers will be lucky to win the league next year. The other teams may do it, and the odds may be as much as 50/50. I just hope that the Shockers are up to it. Good Luck to the rest of the MVC.

[glm38]

I think the Shox will be close to a consensus pick to win the Valley. They appear to be loaded. But will they win it? Its just not a given even with Marshall at the helm. With so many new faces CHEMISTRY is the big concern IMO.

They (WSU) obviously got past that hurdle last year but that hasn't always been the case. Several seasons ago (the years Dursley was there) I thought the shox were the deepest and most talented team in the Valley but team chemistry appeared to suck much of the time. Not picking on Dursley by the way just using him as a point of reference.

I 'll pick the Shox to win the Valley. But I don't think they'll run away with it. And I think we 'll see a surprise team in the top 3. Like ISUr or MSU.

[BEARZ77]

Nobody knocked the Shocks talent, just pointed out obvious areas that are yet unproven. Lufile averaged 1.6 ppg, Wiggins, 4.6, FVF 4.9, Wessel 5.3 . Baker for all his hype shot less than 40% from the field and less than 36% from three. None of those numbers shout obvious all MVC talent. Coleby as I noted had no better stats at Lou. Lafayette than Addo had Northern Colorado as a soph. Early is the only proven double figure scorer you have back and while he is probably the most talented player in the league, he did not show a penchant for liking to mix it up down low on the defensive end.

like I said, WSU easily deserves the nod for top team, but I don't see the gap as that big. As far as ISUb they were 9-9 and pretty inconsistent in the league. I think they have talent, but no more than 3-4 other teams. so I just can't see anointing them as sure fire second place finishers.

As far as losing to a SWAC team last year, that has as much relevance as WSU losing to UMKC a few seasons back. Lat year was last year, today there are just 10 teams all hoping to be able to challenge for a title, and until questions are answered on the court, teams can hype all they want, that's all it is.