Yeah, if this season is going to go well, they’re going to need a pleasant surprise/big step forward from at least one guy in each of the categories of their roster: returnees who have played a fair amount (Rupert, D’Amico, Johnson, Brown) ; returnees who played little (Ebube, Hornecker, Ferguson); portal guys (Miller, Hensley, McGee, Stulic) and freshmen (Davis, Sharp).
Need several of these guys to play above expectations to be a surprise team this year.
If I had to guess who might be able to score in double figures at least at times this year I would pick Johnson, D'Amico, Rupert, Ferguson, Miller, McGee, Stulic and Davis. I'm not saying any of those players will consistently score in double figures, but I believe they all have the skills to score in double figures at times at this level. I would guess D'Amico, Johnson, Rupert and Miller would be our leading scorers initially.Yeah, if this season is going to go well, they’re going to need a pleasant surprise/big step forward from at least one guy in each of the categories of their roster: returnees who have played a fair amount (Rupert, D’Amico, Johnson, Brown) ; returnees who played little (Ebube, Hornecker, Ferguson); portal guys (Miller, Hensley, McGee, Stulic) and freshmen (Davis, Sharp).
Need several of these guys to play above expectations to be a surprise team this year.
As someone provokingly posted, the reality is that there WILL be a couple players who don't get the minutes they, or fans on this forum, want. It's a numbers game and Mullins is not likely going to play 10-12 deep. I have my guesses on who will be riding the pine. A good bet would be players who didn't force the coaches hand last year.
If SIU hopes to exceed expectations this year, one or more of those “players who didn’t force the coaches hand” will need to make a significant jump and start realizing their potential, IMO. Without Domask and Jones, it’s gonna take the whole village, even from those who end up not getting minutes.
I agree that SOMEONE, or multiple, will need to step up but if it's the newcomers, then so be it. I don't think it specifically needs to be the guys who ............................. didn't do enough to warrant more game time. As long as the BEST 8-10 players play and help this team win, if not overachieve, then I don't care who those players are. Each player on this roster WANTED TO BE HERE and that's all that matters to me.
It seems like Ferguson is this years Foster Wonders in that many are choosing him to be a breakout, if not double digit scoring, player. While it surely is not impossible, I am going to stand with history on this one. A DII player who rarely saw the floor last year. Last year I posted that Wonders might not play much this season bc of similar situation but others had him in their starting lineup. My GUESS, and that's all it is, is that AJ will not be starting, nor will he be in the top 8 rotation. The good news is that if he does, this team will likely be much better than many think.
If we have no redshirts, that means at least 3 players will seldom see the court.
If I had to guess who might be able to score in double figures at least at times this year I would pick Johnson, D'Amico, Rupert, Ferguson, Miller, McGee, Stulic and Davis. I'm not saying any of those players will consistently score in double figures, but I believe they all have the skills to score in double figures at times at this level. I would guess D'Amico, Johnson, Rupert and Miller would be our leading scorers initially.Yeah, if this season is going to go well, they’re going to need a pleasant surprise/big step forward from at least one guy in each of the categories of their roster: returnees who have played a fair amount (Rupert, D’Amico, Johnson, Brown) ; returnees who played little (Ebube, Hornecker, Ferguson); portal guys (Miller, Hensley, McGee, Stulic) and freshmen (Davis, Sharp).
Need several of these guys to play above expectations to be a surprise team this year.
If Ebube gets in good enough condition to play near 20 minutes a game and improves his footwork a bit, I could see some 12 point, 8 rebound type outings from him. Half on dunks.
If we have no redshirts, that means at least 3 players will seldom see the court.
I think Sharp is a pretty strong redshirt candidate and if he doesn't, he's probably playing very limited minutes barring injury
What are the odds Kennard Davis has a Domask-level freshman year and starts out of the gate? That's what I'm most curious about this year: how good is Davis? I'm tempering my expectations, but excited to see him on the court.
The most likely double-digit scorers we have IMO are:
1. XJ
2. D'Amico
Troy has proven he can score down low and beyond the three point line, so I think he'll start - unless one of the transfers is just clearly better - and perform nicely. As for XJ, he just needs to be more aggressive offensively, and I bet he will as a senior and as a leader on the team.
Down low I really hope we play to our size advantage and start to leverage a two-big front: we have so many options to pair, so if we go another year without really going tall and forcing teams to deal with THAT decision then I'm going to be really frustrated.
Lastly, who are our shooters? I think this is Trent's time to shine as a fifth year senior; if he and others can start lighting it up, look out.
I think there are significant differences between Wonders and Ferguson. Ferguson is way more athletic and dynamic. Wonders was more one dimensional in that he was a great shooter, but didn't bring much else. Ferguson was an elite defender in high school against pretty decent competition. Yes, he played D2, but had a very good true freshman year playing D2. I think he will be better acclimated to the speed of D1 this year and will be a good contributor. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start at the 3.It seems like Ferguson is this years Foster Wonders in that many are choosing him to be a breakout, if not double digit scoring, player. While it surely is not impossible, I am going to stand with history on this one. A DII player who rarely saw the floor last year. Last year I posted that Wonders might not play much this season bc of similar situation but others had him in their starting lineup. My GUESS, and that's all it is, is that AJ will not be starting, nor will he be in the top 8 rotation. The good news is that if he does, this team will likely be much better than many think.
I really want to see SIU going to the inside more on offense. Toss it down low and let the big determine if he can take the high percentage shot or pass it out.
Kind of a fluff piece, but nice to see. One strange quote was Johnson saying he really likes all the new guys naming everyone except Davis. Hopefully that was just a Harry Schroeder oversight.https://twitter.com/fatherharry1/status/1672979437355257856?s=46&t=7s0hTttieSER8wqRSA0LoA
I've seen multiple videos from the Saluki Kids camp and, while maybe it's just my hopeful eyes but, it sure did seem like Ebube was already in MUCH better shape. That could potentially bode VERY well. Imagine him at the top of his game..
Kind of a fluff piece, but nice to see. One strange quote was Johnson saying he really likes all the new guys naming everyone except Davis. Hopefully that was just a Harry Schroeder oversight.https://twitter.com/fatherharry1/status/1672979437355257856?s=46&t=7s0hTttieSER8wqRSA0LoA
The podcast form is pretty good (although Xavier was hard to hear for the first part of it)
