The basketball roster is starting to take shape now. We still have (3) open scholarships and it will be very interesting to see what Linder and his staff can do with them. However, I thought it would be interesting now to look at the changes we have seen in the roster and how the roster looks moving forward.
In:
Marcus Williams - 6'2 G (HS)
Xavier Dusell - 6'5" G (HS)
Drake Jeffries - 6'5" G (JC)
Drew LaMont - 6'8" F (JC)
Out:
Tyler Morman - 6'9" F/C- was going to be a Jr.
Brandon Porter - 6'8" F - was going to be a Jr.
TJ Taylor - 6'6" Wing - was going to be a Jr.
Greg Milton - 6'3" G - was going to be a Jr.
A few comments:
1. We were able to balance the classes at least a little bit, depending on what happens with the next 3 recruits. If everyone had stayed, there would have been 7 Juniors and 3 Sophomores returning. That would have made it very hard for Linder to pursue an JC's and risk having a ridiculous 8 or 9 player logjam in the Jr. class. That is still going to be a big class (5 right now), but it is a more manageable situation with (2) HS players signed to replace a couple of the departing juniors.
2. It is hard to compare individual players, but it is clear that we improved our perimeter shooting capability significantly. I think there is more upside here with the two freshmen as well. On the downside, I think it is hard to replace a proven D-1 player that contributes in a lot of ways like TJ Taylor. Overall, I think we got better, but I also don't think anyone in the MWC is going to be particularly impressed with our class thus far. I think Jeffries will play right away and hopefully Dusell and Williams can develop into big contributors.
So, what does the rotation look like next year? Here is my very early guess:
Starters:
G - Kwane Marble (So.)
G - Kenny Foster (So.)
G - Drake Jeffries (Jr.)
G - Hunter Maldonado (Jr.)
F - Hunter Thompson (Jr.)
Rotation:
G - Marcus Williams (Fr.)
G - Xavier Dusell (Fr.)
F - Drew Lamont (Jr.)
F/C - Future Recruit
Limited Playing Time:
G/F - Mueller (Jr.)
Redshirts:
C - Javier Turner (So.)
Future Transfer Recruit
Unknown: Future Recruit - I expect that one of the (3) remaining will go to a big man that can play right away and another to a sit out transfer recruit, so I showed both of those up above. I am not sure which direction they will go with the 13th and final.
Other comments:
1. The obvious thing looking at the roster is that there isn't a traditional PG, nor a traditional big man. However, I am not sure either of those is a priority for Linder. Some combination of Marble, Maldonado, and hopefully Williams can handle the ball and hopefully create for teammates off the dribble. One possibility for the 13th scholarship would be another ball handling guard. As far as big men go, we know Linder isn't really into the traditional big, but even if we start Thompson, someone has to come off the bench so I expect a F/C that can play right away to be among the remaining recruits.
2. The other noticeable thing is that right now we have no projected Seniors. A grad transfer would seem to be a really good fit in that regard. Of course, grad transfers are always in high demand and even moreso this year. Might be a challenge to get someone that can really contribute.
3. I think this roster lacks size and athleticism overall. It will be interesting to see if in the long run Linder can improve that while maintaining the focus on shooting and skill. They were able to do it at BSU with guys like Hutchison, Webb, Marks, etc.
In:
Marcus Williams - 6'2 G (HS)
Xavier Dusell - 6'5" G (HS)
Drake Jeffries - 6'5" G (JC)
Drew LaMont - 6'8" F (JC)
Out:
Tyler Morman - 6'9" F/C- was going to be a Jr.
Brandon Porter - 6'8" F - was going to be a Jr.
TJ Taylor - 6'6" Wing - was going to be a Jr.
Greg Milton - 6'3" G - was going to be a Jr.
A few comments:
1. We were able to balance the classes at least a little bit, depending on what happens with the next 3 recruits. If everyone had stayed, there would have been 7 Juniors and 3 Sophomores returning. That would have made it very hard for Linder to pursue an JC's and risk having a ridiculous 8 or 9 player logjam in the Jr. class. That is still going to be a big class (5 right now), but it is a more manageable situation with (2) HS players signed to replace a couple of the departing juniors.
2. It is hard to compare individual players, but it is clear that we improved our perimeter shooting capability significantly. I think there is more upside here with the two freshmen as well. On the downside, I think it is hard to replace a proven D-1 player that contributes in a lot of ways like TJ Taylor. Overall, I think we got better, but I also don't think anyone in the MWC is going to be particularly impressed with our class thus far. I think Jeffries will play right away and hopefully Dusell and Williams can develop into big contributors.
So, what does the rotation look like next year? Here is my very early guess:
Starters:
G - Kwane Marble (So.)
G - Kenny Foster (So.)
G - Drake Jeffries (Jr.)
G - Hunter Maldonado (Jr.)
F - Hunter Thompson (Jr.)
Rotation:
G - Marcus Williams (Fr.)
G - Xavier Dusell (Fr.)
F - Drew Lamont (Jr.)
F/C - Future Recruit
Limited Playing Time:
G/F - Mueller (Jr.)
Redshirts:
C - Javier Turner (So.)
Future Transfer Recruit
Unknown: Future Recruit - I expect that one of the (3) remaining will go to a big man that can play right away and another to a sit out transfer recruit, so I showed both of those up above. I am not sure which direction they will go with the 13th and final.
Other comments:
1. The obvious thing looking at the roster is that there isn't a traditional PG, nor a traditional big man. However, I am not sure either of those is a priority for Linder. Some combination of Marble, Maldonado, and hopefully Williams can handle the ball and hopefully create for teammates off the dribble. One possibility for the 13th scholarship would be another ball handling guard. As far as big men go, we know Linder isn't really into the traditional big, but even if we start Thompson, someone has to come off the bench so I expect a F/C that can play right away to be among the remaining recruits.
2. The other noticeable thing is that right now we have no projected Seniors. A grad transfer would seem to be a really good fit in that regard. Of course, grad transfers are always in high demand and even moreso this year. Might be a challenge to get someone that can really contribute.
3. I think this roster lacks size and athleticism overall. It will be interesting to see if in the long run Linder can improve that while maintaining the focus on shooting and skill. They were able to do it at BSU with guys like Hutchison, Webb, Marks, etc.
