I want to see a consistently strong player again at Ohio that has the potential of taking over a game, if not, in fact, dominating it. I am no longer interested in seeing an inconsistent cast of bench players who are rotated in and out. In fact, I would be satisfied with seeing five consistent starters who compliment each other nicely, but who put the fear of God in everyone they play, whether or not they win or lose. Either Saul brings in another "Shaq of the MAC" or Ohio shocks the world by slaying Giants. At the end of the day, I want wins, and quality wins at that. I also do not want to ever see the Bobcats get blown out at the Convo again. I want to see the Convo become one of the most dangerous places for teams to play. It should be the kind of place that is held in reverence by the locals and absolute dread by opponents. I have a piece of the old floor of the Convo and it is like a rare religious relic to me. That and an Athens Brick. Wherever I am in the world, Athens and Ohio University are always there too.
Which of the incoming players do you see as most able to take over a game and dominate a good D-1 opponent?
Preston? Murrell? Springs?
Dartis, Taylor, Block - three likely starters, are all seniors. How do you feel about Preston, Murrell and Springs as possible starters year after next? Not going to take sides on your answer. Just curious how you feel about their ceiling, their maximum ability.
I get what you're saying, but it's an unfair question until we've seen any of them in an Ohio uniform. Yes, you have exceptions to that rule where you can look at a guy and say "yeah, he's gonna be a good one for a while." But most guys you aren't going to be able to see until they are on the floor against other D1 competition.
Saul's recruits constantly look like a supporting cast to me. The last leading man that the Bobcats had was Antonio Campbell. Dare I say that Jaaron Simmons too was Geno Ford to Gary Trent, though Geno had special qualities that made him more than just a supporting cast. Even while at Michigan, Simmons turned out to be little more than a supporting cast himself.
Sadly, I see more of the same from Saul. He is not a recruiter like Groce and Christian. Even O'Shea trumps Saul with the "O-Zone." Therefore, I find myself constantly wondering what it is exactly that Saul brings to the table at Ohio?
I don't dislike Saul by the way, though I did find him a bit smug and defensive last year. I remember Arkley asking Saul (something to the effect) regarding whether his players would have an easier time buying into his system if they were winning? Saul got all worked up about that question, which is probably because it is, in fact, getting right to the problem at hand, which is that Saul seems to be selling some sort of system rather than making what he has work.
Hopefully Saul and Company are able to rebound and make the Bobcats exciting again; however, I don't see the selling point of the team anymore. I am not even excited about any of his new recruits. Everyone seems like a "project" to me. Perhaps, he can get some of these young men to "Red Shirt" for three years or so, until they develop into solid D-1 players. Who knows. Maybe, one of them is about to become the next Ohio legend; unfortunately, I am not feeling it at this particular time. Of course, a winning season could certainly change my perspective, but not if the 'Cats get drubbed out of the MAC tournament again.