This season the growing pains got us a bit. But we played with 6 sophmore/freshmen in the rotation. Washington and Freeman were great and will be missed next year. If Groce can keep the roster intact unlike past year we will return 75% of the rotation.  We need improvement from Johnson, Hall and Keely.  The 2 transfers also will be expected to contribute to the rotation.   That is the 8 guys. The others will add some depth.  Need to find a third scorer behind Cooper and Baltic. 2 big shoes to fill at the forward position.

returning starters
PG Cooper- primary scorer and leader
SG Kellogg- Needs to be more assertive and develop scorer mentality. best returning shooter from 3pt range
PF Baltic- second scoring option
 
key reserves 
PF Keely- Needs to finish around the basket more. He could start or be key backup.
SG/SF Johnson- Provides some depth at the 2.
SF Hall- Could be the starter at the 3 or backup at the position. 
 
other returners
C Jacobs- should have been redshirted this year. Could be next year.   

Incoming players
SG/SF Offutt- Is he a starter or a role player. Will he play the 2 or 3. 6th man for us.     
SG/PG Mitchell- could push Johnson as the backup 2 guard  
SF Goard- He has size at the three like Hall. Could help at the 4 if needed/
PG Taylor- backup pg. Very quick. The next DJ Cooper.
PF Smith- Can he replace Devo? Need to team with Keely/Baltic as the big rotation,   

I agree.  Also, from what I have read about Mitchell, he may be a guy we can turn to to get us a basketball when we need one.  Also, Taylor giving D.J. some rest at the point could be huge for us at the end of games.

My biggest concern for next year is actually 3 point shooting.  I think that Mitchell, Offut, and an improved Rico Johnson should be able to fill the slashing/shot-creating void we were lacking this year.  And I think that Jon Smith should be able to effectively replace DeVaughn's lost production.

What I don't see is a replacement for Tommy's outside shooting.  When we were playing our best, we had both Tommy and Nick on the perimeter to open up the paint for the bigs.  When teams were able to shut Tommy and Nick down (like Miami on Friday, and BSU last night) we ultimately stuggled to win.  Without Tommy, a lot of the three point load will shift to Nick, who was at his best as the 3rd or 4th option on the court.  Mitchell is a 31% 3 point shooter I believe, and I don't think Offut is supposed to be a marksman either.  Add to that DJ's 31% 3 point shooting, and Rico and TJ's inconsistency, and I think that teams will be packing their defense inside the arc unless we can prove we can consistently make them pay.

My other concern is DJ's decision-making.  He is a great player, no doubt, but he should be a much better floor general.  As many assists as he gets right now, he's have 33-50% more with slightly better vision and decision making skills.  I'm hoping that some of his questionable shots/drives this year were a result of feeling as if he was the only play-maker in the backcourt, and that the additions of Mitchell and Offut will help in that regard.

Finally, we ideally would have one more bruiser in the paint to give us some tough interior defense and rebounding help.  Keely is developing into that guy, but it would be nice to have a back-up to give him a rest against the Greene's and Mavunga's of the conference.

All in all, if Mitchell, Smith, and Offut produce as expected, and if Ivo, Rico, Keely, and DJ continue to improve, we should be right in the thick of things.  In year 4, Groce has no excuses left.  If he doesn't win, and win big, the next two years, he never will.

We can have all the scorers in the world, but until we learn to guard the three ball better, we are not gonna get over the hump.

The naysayers will be quelled by his proficient exploitations.

Touche'

I was going to start another thread specifically on this subject, but it easily fits into this discussion. Ivo stepped up in a big way the last part of this season. I believe the combo of him and Smith will determine how well next season goes. We have the guards. We have some shooters. Ivo has been pounding the glass as of late and has gained some valuable confidence in the post. I would vote him most improved player this season and assume next year will be even better.

Slashing and attacking the rim doesn't do you nearly as much good if the defense is packed into a zone inside the arc.  You need guys who can reliably hit from 3 in order to stretch the defense, to create the lanes necessary for slashers to go to work.

If we add a few guys who can get their own shot off the dribble I think it will help take some of the pressure off D.J. to try to make a play all the time.  I think our guards look very strong next year, but a little concerned about depth in the frontcourt especially if Jacobs is redshirted. 

I know it's unlikely, but any chance we could see A. Kellog or Coleman back on the team?   

We actually may have a big swatter -- Reggie Keely.  He led the team by far and was 10th in the MAC with 34 blocked shots while averaging only 18 minutes a game.  Give him 30+ minutes a game and he could put up some nice stats. And who knows, Jacobs may have a sophomore year like Ivo did.  Ivo started slow, then over the last two months started playing forward like a man instead of a high schooler and became maybe the most valuable player on the team down the stretch.  I'm optimistic about the bigs next year.  They just need to focus on D.

If I were Schaus, I would strongly urge Groce to shake up his staff.  We need someone who can recruit and develop bigs (not a former point guard), and someone who can teach lock-down D. And frankly, someone who can guide this coach in his decision making on the bench.

I know that the program has not progressed adequately.


I know that we have had serious issues with drugs, grades and control of player behavior for the past three years.

I know that we have seen significant player attrition.  That Reggie Keely regressed this year - he looks lost when he gets the ball down low. I know that we have lost, at a minimum, 7 games due to this staff's inadequacies from the bench.  I know that our defense was laughable for nearly two-thirds of this season.

Did you see our "play" at the end of regulation in the Kent game?  Same "play" we used at St. Bonnaventure and against Ball State.  Have you seen us mismanage the clock repeatedly over the past three years?  Have you seen us sign a major post presence during this staff's tenure?

All of these inadequacies are on the coaching staff.  Sure, they might be working hard and scripting their practices, but that sure as hell doesn't mean they're teaching the right things or are effective in imparting this information to their players.  It's great that you see the assistants "coaching" from the sidelines, but you need to consider the outcome on the floor.  I was embarrassed by their performance in the last 2 minutes against BSU, and you should be, too.  I know someone who is good friends with Keith Dambrot, and I heard he was laughing his ass off watching that fiasco.  Don't think he and other coaches don't use that against us on the recruiting trail.  Meanwhile, that asshat at Akron has been to the tourney finals for five straight years, has two regular season titles in five years, and he does it with a high school gymnasium and a joke of an academic institution.  If you talked to Dambrot, he'd tell you he cannot believe that we are not much more successful given all of the advantages we have (beautiful facility, institutional support, large fan base, etc.)

I expect more from this program and you should too.  We can't dump the coach but we can sure as hell force him to look in the mirror and make changes among his staff.  He needs a more mature assistant who can bring some structure to the program and help in keeping the players focused.  Are you happy that your point guard is out drinking until 2 a.m. during the season and two days before an important game?  Are you happy that we have had multiple players lose playing and practice time due to failed drug tests in the past three years?  I am wholly dissatisfied with the direction of this program.  

SBH may have some points.  But his allegation about our point guard?  I got kicked off this board immediately with not a chance to appeal in an incredibly weak move by the powers here for a lot less than that.   Good to see that double standards are still alive.

Back to the hoops discussion:  First, we lack bigs.  The thoughts that Keeley can be the swatter and that Jacobs can develop in the very unusual way that Ivo did are reaches to say the least.  Then take away two senior stalwarts in Tommy and DeVaughn.  Remember this year--how much the loss of KVK hurt our defense and rebounding and steadiness of play.  The loss of Tommy and DeVaughn have to be factored in.  Hopes for next year need to be realistic.