1. Will Cook come back? Until we hear definitive word about his intentions, it will remain a source of speculation. It’d be great to have a fifth-year senior who is a strong two-way player in the mix. It would make for a crowded backcourt if he does come back.
2. Will the coaches land two quality bigs? Dembele (injury and performance question marks) and Jeremic (mostly DNP’d despite lack of depth) obviously don’t cut it if Southern is going to make a big step forward and correct the rebounding deficiency. I’d contend two promising frontcourt players need to be added this spring to feel really good about next year ... easier said than done.
3. Who will leave? Seems like a no-brainer that additional scholarships will open up. Some guys barely played this year and others did not perform consistently when they got chances off the bench. Improving depth has to be another offseason focal point, likely a combination of newcomers brought in and (hopefully) improvement from others that return.
With Domask, Jones, Harvey and possibly Cook back, lots to be excited about, but there are plenty of roster issues to work through so that the program can make the jump we’re looking for and Saluki fans can hopefully enjoy a longer weekend in St. Louis in 2021.
I think AC will be back. He knows how good this team can potentially be next year. He'll finish what he started and go out after helping bring SIU back to post season play.
Trent Brown will be improved. Davis could surprise after a healthy off-season to get some work in. Harwin will have a role on this team when more shooting is needed to stretch the floor. Depth will be better.
Starting lineup will include: Cook, Domask, Jones, Harvey and hopefully a stud transfer to anchor the middle.
Lots to look forward to.
--Insert something witty here--
I would not, as much as I would love to, bet the farm on AC. What I will make book on is that this team is going to get better every year, hopefully in giant steps, like this year. The coaches have certainly demonstrated their ability to recruit, and have done so with no record to back up their sales pitch.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure that the current staff is not OK with being merely "competitive." For that reason alone I am all in.
That "exceeded expectations" this past season is not enough for the current staff makes me happy. Can't wait.
(Inflammatory political snark)
Let's try to be careful about calling out current Saluki student-athletes who we think should transfer. I think everyone is on the same page and there isn't much use to continually call them out. I know it's a hot topic but try to keep in mind these kids are still Salukis.
good point. arm chair quarterback is our hobby. this is real life for these guys. who would want to have to try to decide to take off the saluki maroon? they stuck it out when others bailed out on us.
trust mullins to get it right. there is still plenty to pontificate about.
Craving a McBride Special!
LOW POST! LOW POST! LOW POST! Without getting this shored up for next season, SIU takes a step backward. Mullins & Co need quality and depth in this area for next year.
LOW POST! LOW POST! LOW POST! Without getting this shored up for next season, SIU takes a step backward. Mullins & Co need quality and depth in this area for next year.
Guessing there's close to unanimous agreement on this point among posters.
Watching Bradley seemingly swat 1 out of every 3-4 shots Southern took on Friday reinforced the point.
Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure that the current staff is not OK with being merely "competitive." For that reason alone I am all in.
That "exceeded expectations" this past season is not enough for the current staff makes me happy. Can't wait.
You could not be more correct. The stated goal of our head coach is to “win our conference tournament every year, and then win games in the NCAA tournament”. Games...plural. I heard this straight out of Bryan’s mouth with my own ears early in the season, also heard “we are going to sign a couple of bigs”. Until I learn not to believe, I am going to believe. Go Dawgs.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
Some of these answers are starting to be filled in, with others still to come.
The bench play needed to improve. Now it's clear that the solutions are mostly going to have to come from newcomers as opposed to improvement from returnees who struggled this year.
1. Will Cook come back? Until we hear definitive word about his intentions, it will remain a source of speculation. It’d be great to have a fifth-year senior who is a strong two-way player in the mix. It would make for a crowded backcourt if he does come back.
2. Will the coaches land two quality bigs? Dembele (injury and performance question marks) and Jeremic (mostly DNP’d despite lack of depth) obviously don’t cut it if Southern is going to make a big step forward and correct the rebounding deficiency. I’d contend two promising frontcourt players need to be added this spring to feel really good about next year ... easier said than done.
3. Who will leave? Seems like a no-brainer that additional scholarships will open up. Some guys barely played this year and others did not perform consistently when they got chances off the bench. Improving depth has to be another offseason focal point, likely a combination of newcomers brought in and (hopefully) improvement from others that return.
With Domask, Jones, Harvey and possibly Cook back, lots to be excited about, but there are plenty of roster issues to work through so that the program can make the jump we’re looking for and Saluki fans can hopefully enjoy a longer weekend in St. Louis in 2021.
1) No.
2) Agree on all counts.
3) We are starting to find out.
Other than what has become the biggest question (will the season take place ontime/uninterrupted?), and the two remaining open scholarships, the revamped Saluki roster has mostly come into focus.
While it seems that most on the board are pleased with the spring recruiting haul so far (as am I), one potential point of concern is whether bench scoring has been addressed effectively enough so far. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but the Salukis' depth was not good last year and they lost the bench scoring battle pretty regularly, sometimes in lopsided fashion.
Next season, if they go with a starting lineup of Jones, Harvey, Domask, D'Avanzo and Muila, that would give you a bench of Banks, Butler, Brown, Dembele and Filewich, with Verplancken likely having to sit out next year. Of those five, I guess Banks and Brown would be most promising in terms of being able to supply some scoring punch off the bench, though obviously Banks is an unproven freshman and Brown struggled offensively last season. It's probably a stretch to expect much scoring from the other bench guys, though they theoretically can help in other ways.
Point being, if you stack up SIU's bench against the expected contenders in 2020-21, it still doesn't look great at this point. With these final two scholarships, hopefully they can add at least one guy who realistically might be able to come in and score at least 6-8 points a game off the bench (assuming they don't bring in another starter at this stage, which I guess you can't rule out). Position-wise, a veteran guard and/or athletic wing would be nice, but just adding another scoring threat, period, might fill the biggest need.
Rotations to keep players on the floor will help take off pressure also not knowing how these players develop will leave that question unanswered until the season but I have confidence in the staff that they know what they need to compete better than us armchair quarterbacks
Trent Brown will be better. He's too good of a shooter to just have that part of his game leave him forever. I suspect he'll be much improved as he'll be more comfortable in year two. I think the coaching staff is banking heavily on this too.
I liked the idea of adding another athletic wing initially, but after considering what we currently have, I think there's potential for a lot of lineup shifting that Bryan can play with in the 2-4 slots. So, unless a no-brainer is still sitting out there, I like the idea of making that a top recruiting priority for 2021.
Another guard, preferably a point guard with some experience and play making ability would be an ideal addition. Sadly, I think Aaron Cook would've looked even better with this group now. My fear is that beyond Lance Jones, Dalton Banks is an unproven commodity.
Speaking of unproven, I think we currently have a whole lot of that competing for most of the minutes at the 5 spot next season. That scares me, particularly if there's another key injury among that group ... and there's documented injury history there (Dembele/Muila). I don't think its realistic at this point to expect a proven big to just fall into SIU's lap, so I'm hoping for another addition at this position that can add something role specific, such as an above-the-rim type skill-set; shot blocking etc. More specifically, I'm still hoping for good news on Adong Makuoi. He'd look really good on next years team.
--Insert something witty here--
