@rawdog I realize Dembele had major injury issues last season, however, if Mullins didn't have some degree of confidence that that wasn't just a fluke I don't think he would still be here. I don't think we are going to have Dembele, then Muila, then sign two additional players that their sole position would be the 5. Now if one of those guys has some versatility and can shoot from outside maybe. I just don't think Mullins is going to occupy 4 scholarships with guys that aren't a threat behind the arc. Now the kid from Lewis in my opinion isn't a 5 man, he weighs less than Domask does. I would consider him a 4, however if Domask primary spot is gonna be the 4 I don't think we get the Lewis kid.
I have no basketball expertise, or insider information, just a long time saluki fan (since 1955), but I have a wish list: Coulibaly and Filewich, plus a juco point guard. I'm wondering if Dembele will be physically able to play, and if not would he drop off the roster, and continue his education with financial assistance from the university. If that were to happen then we would have a schollie for that 6'5" or 6'7" slasher. Of course if that 7'3" Dutchman from Purdue insists on coming to SIU, Bryan would have to make an accommodation, maybe talk somebody into being a walk on. see, old guys have dreams too.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't see Dembele adding a lot to the team. I really didn't see anything out of him last year, when he was able to play. I hope he has a breakout season, but again I simply didn't see enough to warrant any excitement. As you mentioned though, and I have said about other players, if this coaching staff thinks enough of him than he's due the benefit of the doubt. As of right now though, I would not be surprised to see him depart after next season.
@bleacher-bum I think you are correct on the 3 bigs, unless one has range and can play more than just the 5. As of right now I see Muila and Dembele as 5s , one more and I think we are done at that position.
I disagree. Dembele is a big injury-prone question mark. And what if someone else gets hurt? We're right back to where we were last season (with Benson as our only big). Need at least a couple more. I'm fine with another transfer (Makoui, D'Avanzo), but I'd also really like to see us bring in a post player we can develop for four years (Coulibaly, Filewich).
Agreed.
Would it be too greedy of me to hope that we sign all three of Makoui, D'Avanzo and Coulibaly? My impression is we're hard after D'Avanzo with the ball squarely in his court decision-wise. As for Makoui/Coulibaly, it might come down to who commits first between the two and to a lesser extent, the other guard offers on the table and when those dominoes fall.
To me its pretty clear what Bryan's trying to do. More specifically than just beefing up the size/athleticism of the roster, he's looking for unique skill-sets that he can plug and play with the core group whenever needs arise. I believe he'd prefer to play a 4 out 1 in style, but if the opponent dictates something else, like Bradley with their length, then he can adjust according to need.
Examples:
Muila - Wide-bodied, strong rebounder. Great position and ball-screen defender. Can create space and finish through contact in the post. Fills a desperate need.
D'Avanzo - Experienced pick-and-pop big with 3pt range that stretches the defense and opens more driving lanes. We saw how this worked with Benson.
Makoui - Elite level athlete. Great shot blocker, long arms. Routinely plays and finishes well above the rim. Its a bit of a question mark what else he could consistently give beyond those attributes, but if Mullins gets his guys, it won't be asked of him. Fills a need.
Coulibaly - Great athlete as well. Good shot blocker. Very likely has a higher ceiling than anyone else on this list. He has plenty of tools. Prime redshirt candidate if all three are signed like I'm hoping. Potential difference maker down the road.
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@vnomus2 If SIU gets Anthony D'Avanzo, he'll see plenty of minutes at the 5 spot. He'll also get minutes at the 4 spelling Domask, or if we want to slide Marcus up and go bigger. Don't forget he's also a grad transfer and would only be here for one year. He'd definitely look nice on next years team and I don't think his coming here would effect the recruitment of Makoui/Coulibaly at all.
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We seem to be so focused on the Canadians, I forgot to mention other HS bigs we are supposedly still in on (Amar Brown, Todd Burt, etc.). I really think we need at least one prep big for class balance, etc. Even if we sign two more bigs, that still leaves 3 schollies to use on guards. I know for sure the staff is looking for a D1 ready transfer/juco PG to step in and replace Cook. And we have a ton of offers out to prep combo guards/wings who are quality players with good grades, character, etc. I'd take any of 'em!
We seem to be so focused on the Canadians, I forgot to mention other HS bigs we still seem to be in on (Amar Brown, Todd Burt, etc.). I really think we need at least one prep big for class balance, etc. Even if we sign two more bigs, that still leaves 3 schollies to use on guards. I know for a fact the staff is looking for a D1 ready PG to step in and replace Cook. And we have a ton of offers out to prep combo guards.
Going to be tough to get a point with Banks sitting there. No way Bryan can guarantee starters minutes
My hope for the rest of the offseason is to improve the 4/5 position depth, including a freshman. I also hope we improve our overall athleticism. In my opinion, we struggled more against teams with superior athletes versus teams that were more skilled but less athletic (UNI, Loyola). I wonder if we can ever expect to have 5th year redshirt seniors again.
We seem to be so focused on the Canadians, I forgot to mention other HS bigs we still seem to be in on (Amar Brown, Todd Burt, etc.). I really think we need at least one prep big for class balance, etc. Even if we sign two more bigs, that still leaves 3 schollies to use on guards. I know for a fact the staff is looking for a D1 ready PG to step in and replace Cook. And we have a ton of offers out to prep combo guards.
Going to be tough to get a point with Banks sitting there. No way Bryan can guarantee starters minutes
Not to be contrarian but I think we need to be cautious about Banks. Most of his scoring was at the basket , he played in the smaller class in WI and he basically was a one man team. Wouldn’t surprise me if the young man from FL is the better player. Hopefully they both fill the bill.
We seem to be so focused on the Canadians, I forgot to mention other HS bigs we still seem to be in on (Amar Brown, Todd Burt, etc.). I really think we need at least one prep big for class balance, etc. Even if we sign two more bigs, that still leaves 3 schollies to use on guards. I know for a fact the staff is looking for a D1 ready PG to step in and replace Cook. And we have a ton of offers out to prep combo guards.
Going to be tough to get a point with Banks sitting there. No way Bryan can guarantee starters minutes
Not to be contrarian but I think we need to be cautious about Banks. Most of his scoring was at the basket , he played in the smaller class in WI and he basically was a one man team. Wouldn’t surprise me if the young man from FL is the better player. Hopefully they both fill the bill.
Sorry I was not saying anything about Banks good or bad. I was just saying it could be tough to recruit a point guard when they would know it is a playing time battle
Wasn’t meant for you BK as much as just seeing many on here thinking he’s gonna be all that and I’m just more cautious on kids from the smaller classes in high school basketball.
Remember we need open scholarships for class of 2021. That why I’m guessing BM would like 2 grad transfers (big & guard).
I think if we get an experienced guard they will easily start. Bryan knows we need a veteran guard if we are going to have any success. I am sure we will get a veteran PG and they will start.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't see Dembele adding a lot to the team. I really didn't see anything out of him last year, when he was able to play. I hope he has a breakout season, but again I simply didn't see enough to warrant any excitement. As you mentioned though, and I have said about other players, if this coaching staff thinks enough of him than he's due the benefit of the doubt. As of right now though, I would not be surprised to see him depart after next season.
Like Bleed, I agree. We didn't see much from him but for a couple of outings right before the injury when about the best that could be said was that he wasn't a total foul machine. The injury was a shame--maybe he could have contributed by season's end. But that injury he suffered has ended lots of careers (think Thik Bol and Ibby Djimde for a couple of recent SIU examples). There just isn't much to hang our hats on here. As Rawdog said, he's a BIG question mark, to put it mildly: we might not even be finished with transfers for this year...
We need another big who can play immediately and another four-year guy.
(Inflammatory political snark)
