which player do you think will Improve next season?
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Brandon Robinson. He flashed a lot of skill, IQ, and hustle when he played, but he was held back by his inexperience and skinniness. Lot of room for him to improve.
They all better improve if we're gonna be the team we all want to be. Fact is, KW has to find his confidence in his shot and and be able to knock down some outside shots consistently. We can't have our SG averaging 3-4 points per game on next year's team. We need production from there and if he can't do it, Felton will pass him up.
Pinson staying healthy would be an improvement within itself. Not saying he can have a JJ season, but he has got to have a solid season for sure 13pts 6-7bds and 4-5 assist would be a great help and is doable to be honest for him.
KW has got to become an effective outside shooter, even if he is not a dominate player if he gets his 3pt shooting to 40% it would help this team.
TB, everyone is assuming if he comes back we are back in contention, but TB has to show he can be a factor all game long (I think he can, but no proof just yet)
KW has got to become an effective outside shooter, even if he is not a dominate player if he gets his 3pt shooting to 40% it would help this team.
TB, everyone is assuming if he comes back we are back in contention, but TB has to show he can be a factor all game long (I think he can, but no proof just yet)
We have 2 bona fide, proven ACC-caliber starters: Berry and Pinson.
Then we have 3 guys who did very well in their off-the-bench and substitute stints: Kenny, Luke and Tony. They will presumably start to begin the season, but it remains to be seen whether all of them are ACC-caliber starters. [When I say ACC-caliber, I mean top tier ACC, of course, not BC or NCSU.]
Based on his per 40 minutes performance last season, Tony should be a superior ACC-caliber starter. There's always the question whether he can perform at that level against the best defenders and for starter minutes. But, again, we are optimistic. Hopefully his Combine experience will motivate him to work hard in the off season. Tony is probably our best bet to be our 3rd ACC-caliber starter.
If Kenny is 100% and didn't backslide, I think we all feel that he only needs to become a legit scoring threat to make the grade as starter. A lot of us think that's more a confidence problem than a skill problem. So we are optimistic.
Luke was great for us last year off the bench. But is he an ACC-caliber starter who can give us 27-30 minutes a game? He made great strides in the off season last year. But can he do that again this off season? We know he has the heart for the job, but will he be able to deliver as a starter as well as he delivered off the bench? I think it's a lot to expect much more improvement from Luke after the big jump from frosh to soph. But who knows? I'm pulling for him.
The point of that exercise is that if we get reasonable improvement, our starters look OK. But that lineup needs help to win consistently against better competition. To do that, some returning players and new guys will have to step up.
Most important among them may be Brandon. He's the obvious sub for Theo at SF. And if we have to play small ball because our freshman bigs need time to develop, there could be a lot of minutes available subbing for Theo. Unlike Kenny, who only needs to find his shot, Brandon needs to find his shot and gain muscle over the summer. With the shot but without the muscle, he could be a great SG - but we need him at SF.
I expect Seventh to be solid next year. He was already getting there by the end of this season. Jalek is supposed to be really good. So I'm not worried about backup at PG or SG. In fact, Kenny may need to look over his shoulder.
I still say that guys like Shea and Aaron had better be ready. They have some height and a lot of weight compared with Brandon. They could well be called upon.
Then we have 3 guys who did very well in their off-the-bench and substitute stints: Kenny, Luke and Tony. They will presumably start to begin the season, but it remains to be seen whether all of them are ACC-caliber starters. [When I say ACC-caliber, I mean top tier ACC, of course, not BC or NCSU.]
Based on his per 40 minutes performance last season, Tony should be a superior ACC-caliber starter. There's always the question whether he can perform at that level against the best defenders and for starter minutes. But, again, we are optimistic. Hopefully his Combine experience will motivate him to work hard in the off season. Tony is probably our best bet to be our 3rd ACC-caliber starter.
If Kenny is 100% and didn't backslide, I think we all feel that he only needs to become a legit scoring threat to make the grade as starter. A lot of us think that's more a confidence problem than a skill problem. So we are optimistic.
Luke was great for us last year off the bench. But is he an ACC-caliber starter who can give us 27-30 minutes a game? He made great strides in the off season last year. But can he do that again this off season? We know he has the heart for the job, but will he be able to deliver as a starter as well as he delivered off the bench? I think it's a lot to expect much more improvement from Luke after the big jump from frosh to soph. But who knows? I'm pulling for him.
The point of that exercise is that if we get reasonable improvement, our starters look OK. But that lineup needs help to win consistently against better competition. To do that, some returning players and new guys will have to step up.
Most important among them may be Brandon. He's the obvious sub for Theo at SF. And if we have to play small ball because our freshman bigs need time to develop, there could be a lot of minutes available subbing for Theo. Unlike Kenny, who only needs to find his shot, Brandon needs to find his shot and gain muscle over the summer. With the shot but without the muscle, he could be a great SG - but we need him at SF.
I expect Seventh to be solid next year. He was already getting there by the end of this season. Jalek is supposed to be really good. So I'm not worried about backup at PG or SG. In fact, Kenny may need to look over his shoulder.
I still say that guys like Shea and Aaron had better be ready. They have some height and a lot of weight compared with Brandon. They could well be called upon.
It needs to be Kenny. He reminds me of LMac a bit in that I kept waiting for him to blow up and it never happened, only averaging double figures when we were way to dependent on him as a Sr. Obviously injuries played a big part in that one too. Kenny, JB, and Jalek should be able to replace the lion's share of JJ's production. Hopefully he understands his new role and hits the ground running with appropriate aggression on the offensive end.
All 3 will be better, as will all our returning players. But I expect 7th and Brandon to show marked improvement. And they'd better or Jalek will take their time.
A lot to look forward to as a fan. Can't wait to see Huffman (I really believe his play will decide our next 4 years)!
If Huffman can be a Deon Thompson we still will be in good shape. We have recruited excellent players from the 1-3 position that should carry us. Huffman's progression will mean a lot, and a big reason I am sure Sheed has been putting in work with this guy.
If Huffman can be a Deon Thompson we still will be in good shape. We have recruited excellent players from the 1-3 position that should carry us. Huffman's progression will mean a lot, and a big reason I am sure Sheed has been putting in work with this guy.
