Areas of concern going into the '15-'16 basketball season

8,894 Views | 174 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by jml2621
GE
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AG
Is there any reason to be concerned that the team might struggle this upcoming season, or even take a step back?


All I can think of is there are five new faces to integrate into the lineup and we didn't see much improvement in gametime coaching or adjustments.
Ben Diamond
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If you have to have two head coaches do you have a problem? Every time Kennedy has more options he seems to get caught in a web of crazy rotations. Less has always been more for BK, in regards to rotation numbers. Game moves to fast for BK to react quickly enough during games. We saw last year Kennedy stubbornly take back control from Stansbury, this won't continue? Kennedy doesn't employee a fast tempo our aggressive defense so 12/13 man rotations seem pointless. Youth at key spots. House start worrying about his draft prospects and press or free lance? And the biggest reason is history, have we not watched Billy Kennedy work?
jml2621
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Bad rotations
Bad coaching
Bad chemistry
Injuries


are all that could prevent an NCAAT bid. Despite a tough OOC schedule 25 wins in the regular season is not beyond our reach.
jml2621
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quote:
If you have to have two head coaches do you have a problem? Every time Kennedy has more options he seems to get caught in a web of crazy rotations. Less has always been more for BK, in regards to rotation numbers. Game moves to fast for BK to react quickly enough during games. We saw last year Kennedy stubbornly take back control from Stansbury, this won't continue? Kennedy doesn't employee a fast tempo our aggressive defense so 12/13 man rotations seem pointless. Youth at key spots. House start worrying about his draft prospects and press or free lance? And the biggest reason is history, have we not watched Billy Kennedy work?


Last season went south in this manner after Vandy.


Let the Associate HC do his job, and this season will yield dividends. If not...
Ben Diamond
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Oh yea the schedule is an issue. I mean I just don't see how you could ever feel good about a game with a team with a better coach, which is most every game, a team with equal or better talent. You feel good about that?
GE
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AG
I honestly think Kennedy gets this team into the NCAA tournament with or without Stansbury, barring a string of serious injuries. At some point, good talent overcomes poor coaching, and I think this team has reached that level. It also helps having three of the best players on the team as your senior leaders, who have all had a season to play together.
GE
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Oh yea the schedule is an issue. I mean I just don't see how you could ever feel good about a game with a team with a better coach, which is most every game, a team with equal or better talent. You feel good about that?
There are only four or five teams on our schedule with equal or better talent.
Pumpkinhead
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If No significant injuries then will be in NCAA Tourney. Is about that simple for me.
Ben Diamond
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I think best case is a ten seed that's on off and on the bubble up and down all season.
GE
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I think best case is a ten seed that's on off and on the bubble up and down all season.
If that's your best case, what do you think the most likely case is?
Ben Diamond
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Texas has more talent, way better coaching as well. Uconn, Michigan, Syracuse and Gonzaga, better coaches too. Iowa State has better talent, ASU and Baylor don't have better talent but much better coaching. Drew seems to have Baylor playing mean against A&M. Kentucky and LSU have better talent. Jones is a worse coach. I'm actually someone who thinks Florida will be much improved and has talent.
Ben Diamond
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Most likely, that things don't come together and this team is in the last four out. Look I'm done being fooled by Billy ball I don't buy in, I fully expect the man to spare us to death like he has for the last 20 years. I'm not going to bag on him every chance I get. I've seen teams with way more talent and way better coaching implode.
GE
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Texas has more talent, way better coaching as well. Uconn, Michigan, Syracuse and Gonzaga, better coaches too. Iowa State has better talent, ASU and Baylor don't have better talent but much better coaching. Drew seems to have Baylor playing mean against A&M. Kentucky and LSU have better talent. Jones is a worse coach. I'm actually someone who thinks Florida will be much improved and has talent.
Iowa State has better talent? Last time I checked A&M had six four star players and one five star. Here is Iowa State, with five 4 star players. We have four guys on campus that were ranked higher than their highest ranked player coming out of high school.

Abdel Nader - not ranked, might be a walkon
Hallice Cooke - 3 star, ranked 246 nationally
Wes Greder - Walkon, not ranked
Monte Morris - 4 star, ranked #83 nationally
Nick Weiler-Babb - 3 star, #167
Nick Noskowiak - 3 star, #140
Nazareth Mitrou-Long - 3 star per Yahoo, couldn't find him on 247
Matt Thomas - 4 star, #55
Jordan Ashton - 4 star, #109
Deonte Burton - 4 star, #50
Georges Niang - 4 star, #72
Georgios Tsalmpouris - not ranked foreigner
GE
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AG
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Most likely, that things don't come together and this team is in the last four out. Look I'm done being fooled by Billy ball I don't buy in, I fully expect the man to spare us to death like he has for the last 20 years. I'm not going to bag on him every chance I get. I've seen teams with way more talent and way better coaching implode.
Are you a betting man?
Ben Diamond
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I don't care about rivals recruiting rankings. Iowa State is pre season top ten. Outside of Kanas the best bet to win big 12, maybe WVU.
GE
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I don't care about rivals recruiting rankings. Iowa State is pre season top ten. Outside of Kanas the best bet to win big 12, maybe WVU.
Those are 247 composite rankings, I only used Rivals for the one guy because he wasn't even on 247.
Ben Diamond
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I don't bet on games. If I'm wrong I'm wrong I won't hide. But preseason top ten raking tells me Iowa State is better. Not saying Aggies can't win, but it's not a game I'd pick them to win. I'd say Texas will be awfully tough, better coach better talent. Really strange joint to play in out in Atlantis. Baylor should be a win.
LeFraud
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To answer the OP, coaching. But that's been a concern for 3 years now.
Ben Diamond
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Iowa State is preseason top ten, I don't care about 24/7 recruiting. Isn't an affect on who is better. on who has a better team. Wichita State has two guys in the 90s recruiting rankings and they would beat A&M by double digits.
Pumpkinhead
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AG
I haven't taken a close look at the non-con opponents, but within the conference, I have taken a very close look each of the SEC team rosters (player-by-player) as part of trying to do that 'SEC Countdown' thread, and I feel like I can objectively state that A&M will have a pretty definite roster advantage over all but a handful of other SEC teams.

You will have 4 players who will not only be significant contributors but will also be very experienced seniors (Caruso, Jones, House, and Collins), A&M will be one of only three teams in the conference with a returning first team All SEC player (Danuel House, the other two are Moody for Ole Miss and Damian Jones for Vandy), and you'll have added a recruiting class that was rated 6th in the country by national sports composite and 3rd best in the SEC (behind only LSU and Kentucky).

I'm very suspicious of the coaching as well, but the 'Jimmys & Joes' situation for next season looks strong enough that, barring significant injuries, in my opinion we will all most likely finally get to enjoy an Aggie team in the NCAA again. Maybe it will be a bumpy ride where we sweat out a bid more than we should have like Tennessee's Sweet Sixteen team under Cuonzo Martin 2 years ago or LSU's team last year under Johnnie Jones...but I still think it is likely this bunch will do enough to get a bid.

Last year's team got to 20 wins and was about 1 (maybe 2 at the most) wins short of getting an NCAA bid last year. And the roster for next season just simply looks better on paper than last year's (again, assuming injuries don't cause big problems yet again).
Method Man
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My only concern is Kennedy. This is a 4-7 seed team we have and I'm worried we barely slide in and lose the first game...because of him. Bruce Pearl would have this team in sweet 16 elite 8 range.
Pumpkinhead
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quote:
My only concern is Kennedy. This is a 4-7 seed team we have and I'm worried we barely slide in and lose the first game...because of him. Bruce Pearl would have this team in sweet 16 elite 8 range.
I think fears/thoughts like this are reasonable. Kennedy's track record deserves a lot of doubt.
Deputy Travis Junior
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My only concern is Kennedy. This is a 4-7 seed team we have and I'm worried we barely slide in and lose the first game...because of him. Bruce Pearl would have this team in sweet 16 elite 8 range.


I agree. This is a really talented team. If we can get one of the two fish bigs to play well and the other to be okay, we'll have a roster without any apparent holes.

Could easily be a 4-5 seed with a good coach. I expect us to earn a 10-11 seed with a chance to miss it altogether if we have a few unlucky breaks.
sincereag
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I think we'll see a breakout season for the Aggies. We need to develop team chemistry with the incoming fish, but I think they will readily fit in with the veteran players. We'll have much more experience and depth. This team should be very good and fun to watch all year. I'm not as concerned with coaching as some of you have mentioned. I think BK and his staff will enjoy working with a full talented roster.
Ben Diamond
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Depth is never a good thing when the coach gets lost in a web of trying to mix them in. I truly think depth is very overrated in hoops, you need seven or eight players.
Pumpkinhead
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I think depth is very overrated in hoops
I agree that you don't need to play 10 players in a game, but what depth can do through increased competition is your top 7-8 players in the rotation end up being pushed harder and better for it because the guys in the middle of the bench and farther down are generally better. Nobody is able to just get a bunch of minutes even with mediocre play due to just to being the only feasible option that the coach has available.

sincereag
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Lack of depth killed our season last year. When House went down we had no one to fill his scoring absence. We'll have more options this year if something similar happens.
Ben Diamond
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Totally untrue. 1000% untrue.
sincereag
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Totally untrue. 1000% untrue.

Ok basketball genius, who was the scorer last year other than House?
Ben Diamond
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If you cannot beat Alabama and Auburn because Daniel House is out, you ain't a tournament team. You are what you are, this wasn't a tournament team last year.
sincereag
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You didn't answer my question. Who was our scoring threat after House went down?
Method Man
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According to mallen, we finally had good depth last season until one player who probably shouldn't have been cleared for injured and then we couldn't win anymore.
Ben Diamond
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Alabama was down a few key players and kicked the Aggies butt! This with a coach about to be fired and a knew it! You go the NIT and get flat run over by a CUSA team. And in a do or die game you get tossed around by an under manned Auburn team. You'll face the harsh reality you've got a pretty bad coaching problem down in College Station. I'm guessing when you miss the tournament again next season it'll hit you. Or maybe your one of the ones who keep crying how Kennedy hadn't had enough and that explains his lackluster career.
Deputy Travis Junior
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Lack of depth killed our season last year. When House went down we had no one to fill his scoring absence. We'll have more options this year if something similar happens.
No, our lack of an offensive system killed our team. House was/is our best player, yes, but he's just one guy. With the roster we had, we should have been able to score enough to beat Alabama at home and Auburn in the SEC Tournament even with him sitting out. But instead we ran Kennedy's iso-garbage offense, so when House went down, we were clueless.
sincereag
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It seems like you are agreeing with me. If we have House we beat those teams and go to the tourney. Lack of depth killed us last year after he went down. This year we'll have Gilder and Allen will be more experienced. Caruso may be able to contribute more as a scorer with more point guards.
 
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