I will throw in my 2 cents for fun…
For clarity’s sake, I’ll break it down into 3 sections. Those we lost, those we are getting and, those we keep…
What we lost…
Simmons: Great point guard. Had/Has the ability to take over games with positive results for the most part. We will miss his passing, leadership and dribble drive. That said, he was not a top tier defender. Good athleticism but, not the longest or most disruptive pg that we’ve had on defense.
Kaminski: We will miss his leadership and selflessness. He also had an ability to stretch the floor with his 3 ball. Due to his length, I think he was at least an average defender. His real deficiency was his rebounding. I still can’t understand how a 6’ 8” guy playing man to man defense could get so few.
Culver: I thought he brought nice perimeter defense to the team with his length and athleticism. However, he was not ready to contribute consistently on offense. His 3 point shot will need some work wherever he goes.
Wadley: I was hoping for his return. If nothing else, he could protect the rim and get a few rebounds. I am very curious to see how he does at his next school. He must be reasonably healthy as another school did put him on scholarship.
Harley: Potential never realized. I always wonder what he could have done with a healthy back. I’m sure he does too… I feel like someone has said that before, apologies if so.
What we are getting…
Mickle: Haven’t watched his tape. But by all accounts sounds like a nice athletic big that can defend, score a little bit around the basket and spread fouls. I am hoping he makes it to the NCAA tourney 3 times in a row.
Butler: Really excited about this guy. He was a state champion and has been through the fire to show he knows how to win. He should be a great defender with his length and athleticism. Offensively, he has good handles and is able to drive to the rim. Looks to me to be a good but not great passer but, he may need some coaching up with regards to shooting.
Kirk: This could be our pure point guard of the future. Watching his Junior highlights, I was quite impressed with his passing. He seems to be a bit more of an orthodox shooter and get more points from 3 point shooting than Butler. I watched a couple of his senior games and he seemed to be more in scoring mode at least from what I saw. I would imagine he faced a pretty good level of competition playing close to Chicago proper.
Gareri: I have watched quite a few of his games on YouTube and there are a few things I like including, passing, size and some nice low post moves… Things I didn’t like were his inability to get contested rebounds. Time after time smaller players would come in and literally take the ball away in toss up situations. Also, he seemed a bit lackadaisical when there was a loose ball and/or a defensive play to be made close by… Get in there big fella! Oh and finally, I noticed he has an A, E and I in his last name… Vowels missing, O and U… He’ll get those when he gets here baby!
Vander Plas: I think of him as taller, thicker and more athletic Block. Coach’s son so, you know he is getting instruction. The competition level he played against isn’t as high as Butler, Kirk or maybe even Gareri .. Can he shoot well from 3 pt. range? We shall find out soon enough. BTW, on the Ohio roster, he is listed as 6’ 8” 235 lbs… Big and getting bigger…
What we keep:
Carter: Given that he will be getting big time minutes and the mass exodus of big men in the Mac through graduation, I can see him easily being 2nd team All-Mac… He’s a surprisingly good athlete with a natural knack for basketball. Can he learn to stay out of foul trouble and be a more consistent outside shooter?
Dartis: Great shooter that needs to be able to get his shot off more. Being a junior now and having more time to build strength, I am hoping he is honing his dribble drive skills ala Kellogg’s senior season. And as mentioned earlier, having the MAC lose quality big men last year might help to open things up for him. Even with a small dip in made fg percentage, I would still like to see him shoot more, either outside or driving. BTW, he is listed as our shortest scholarship player at 6’ 3”.
Block: Great team player that knows how to be in the right place at the right time. He has an uncanny ability to get into players heads and get them distracted from playing basketball. Just wish he was a bit more athletic and stronger. We will see what another year of growth and weight training will do for him. Also, he is a good 3 pt shooter… But I would love to see teams have to honor him even more on the perimeter.
Taylor: Solid rebounder and defender. Another year working on his low post moves will help. He worked very hard last off-season to change his body. If he works as hard on his offensive game this off-season, he will see quite a boost in production.
Laster: 2 years ago it was Treg that made the big jump… Last year it was Laster. He really seemed to gain confidence and now seems to have the strength to go right at the basket and score. Another year of getting stronger will only help. His three point shooting improved as well.
Dozier: Not sure what to expect. Big guys can take longer to get used to their bodies. This will be his third year coming up and he also went to prep school before us so, I think this is the year, if any, where we will see if he gets minutes.
Gollon: I saved this one for last as it is my most controversial pick for the future. I do see Kirk as more of a natural point guard, but I think early on in the season, Gollon will be called upon to play quite a few minutes. He may not be the passer that Simmons or Kirk are, but he is quite crafty offensively. Also, at 6’4” he gives us size up top to defend. I think Saul didn’t redshirt him last year because of lack of skills, but more as a realization that the guy he was playing behind was literally 1st team All Mac and was able to play 96% of the meaningful minutes for that position.
Final thoughts:
So, who will get the Setty/Laster leap for this year? I will actually say two people. Taylor has shown that he can be a beast in the off-season and I will add Gollon in that he actually has had 2 years to make the jump.
Redshirts? I would guess Gareri and/or Vander Plas…
Campbell: It would be awesome to get him back one more year. What are the chances of it happening? 5%? 10%? Who knows… Oh, and how are his rehab and recovery coming along?
Ok, those are my thoughts from across the Pacific on the roster for the coming year. I would love for someone that is actually in the know to shed some light on the off-season as it progresses…
GO BOBCATS!
Last Edited: 5/7/2017 5:06:05 AM by Taiwan BC