Listing each returning and incoming scholarship player, from what you know about them, can you describe areas that each one needs to improve in and/or areas that they excelled in this past season?
-Michael "Spike" Albrecht
-Ryan Cline
-Carsen Edwards
-Vincent Edwards
-Isaac Haas
-Dakota Mathias
-Basil Smotherman
-Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan
-Jacquil Taylor
-P.J. Thompson
Spike: Health. Just be healthy. Seriously. Don't push it this off-season. They need him ready by November, not tomorrow. If he can provide a steady dose of drive & kick to collapse the defense, our spacing will improve dramatically. Need him to create off the dribble some.
Ryan: Defense & expanded game. Needs to be better defensively obviously. & also adding some mid range to his game. Pump fake, step in & shoot. Or pump fake & drive. I thought he played really well last year for a freshman but of course was a tad one dimensional on the offensive end.
Vince: Leadership. This is his team now. Needs to become the voice, or a voice in the locker room & on the floor when things get tight. Needs to improve his jump shooting & with another year of work should be better defending the 3.
Isaac: Conditioning & consistency. Don't think he'll ever be that 30 minute guy, but with extended minutes he needs to show that consistent level of play. When he's dialed in, the kid can really dominate. I just felt like there were too many stretches last year where he went missing, especially on offense. He needs to finish better around the rim & become MEAN around the basket.
Dakota: Defense. Kid showed last year he can hit clutch shots & is one of our best facilitators. But I feel like a lot of guys will be on par with him for offense this year. If he wants to be that guy at the 2 then he needs to seperate himself with his defense.
Basil: Defense & jump shooting. We know Basil is an athletic freak, but if he wants to solidify a spot on this team, he needs to become a much better defender & keep the defense honest with an improved jump shot. I feel like he can still provide that spark off the bench with his athletic drives & baseline plays, but he could help the team so much more if he improved his defense & shot the ball better from the perimeter. We need a replacement for Rapheal & he could be it.
Biggie: Slow the game down. He's been through the first year of adjustment at the 4 & I feel like he gets it now. Last year he was sped up & sometimes felt out of control with the ball in his hands. He's arguably the most talented player on this team & although he's just a sophomore he needs to play & act like a senior. This is likely his last year & he needs to show that the turnover issue was a freshman thing. This is opportunity to dominate & show the NBA what they want to see.
Jack Taylor: Patience. Jacquil likely won't see a lot of minutes this year again. He's just not a polished product yet & he's behind a lot of great players. So I think he just needs to be patient & keep working.
PJ: Composure. Look, the kid led the team in ATO & 3pt shooting last year. He can play at this level, but there will always be limitations there. He's an upper classmen now & he needs to embrace the big moment when the ball is in his hands. This comes with the whole breaking the press issue. He needs to stay confident & lead his team through that type of situation. Need composure from ALL the upperclassmen this year.
Looking forward to this year. Should be another great team. I'll be in the Paint Crew for my final year & I can't wait for November.
All hail!
