I love reading how sophomores, Edey and Ivey, developed and carried the team this year. I can pat myself on the back and brag that I projected a line-up of Edey, Ivey, Gillis, Newman, and Morton. I wanted that because I hoped they would jell and stay together for at least through their Junior years. However, I was wrong in thinking they developed the most.
I don't like to criticize young men in my posts, so I purposely kept Eric Hunter, Jr. out of my discussions, because IMO he should have been benched. However, Eric kept working hard and vastly improved his decision making on offense. I was always impressed with his D. However, he showed a lot of character. I had huge expectations for Newman and I don't think that posters have enough knowledge about how the effects of death can affect a young man. I think Newman will come back blazing next years, but this year I became more impressed with Sasha Stefanovic. He and Morton are the two best at feeding the post. And defensively, he is in the right position. We knew he could shoot but his overall game improved greatly. What I appreciated most about him was when he helped up the Illinois player after he got hurt badly. However, the young man who grew the most was Trevion Williams. When I first saw him, I could see that he had skills, but I thought he was selfish. He played fantastic last year, but after seeing Edey play for Canada, I thought Edey would be better. The only reason I projected and did not predict Edey to be the starter was that Tre could have made it very difficult for him. Instead from everything I saw and heard, Tre had more to do with Edey's development than anyone else. I am confident Tre will make millions in his basketball career and have a lot of joy even if it means going overseas, However, Tre developed as a fine young man and while a basketball career is finite, becoming a person of character lasts a lifetime.
I don't like to criticize young men in my posts, so I purposely kept Eric Hunter, Jr. out of my discussions, because IMO he should have been benched. However, Eric kept working hard and vastly improved his decision making on offense. I was always impressed with his D. However, he showed a lot of character. I had huge expectations for Newman and I don't think that posters have enough knowledge about how the effects of death can affect a young man. I think Newman will come back blazing next years, but this year I became more impressed with Sasha Stefanovic. He and Morton are the two best at feeding the post. And defensively, he is in the right position. We knew he could shoot but his overall game improved greatly. What I appreciated most about him was when he helped up the Illinois player after he got hurt badly. However, the young man who grew the most was Trevion Williams. When I first saw him, I could see that he had skills, but I thought he was selfish. He played fantastic last year, but after seeing Edey play for Canada, I thought Edey would be better. The only reason I projected and did not predict Edey to be the starter was that Tre could have made it very difficult for him. Instead from everything I saw and heard, Tre had more to do with Edey's development than anyone else. I am confident Tre will make millions in his basketball career and have a lot of joy even if it means going overseas, However, Tre developed as a fine young man and while a basketball career is finite, becoming a person of character lasts a lifetime.