We have seen firsthand what damage having gaping roster holes like point guard last season can do a program.

With that in mind and all of the recent shakeup, I thought it would be interesting to take a look forward at the next few seasons to see where the obvious holes are, where the likely strengths are, and where the major question marks are.

2017/2018:
PG: JJ Caldwell (RS Fr), TJ Starks (Fr)
SG: Admon Gilder (Jr), Duane Wilson (Sr), Jay Jay Chandler (Fr)
SF: DJ Hogg (Jr), Savion Flagg (Fr)
PF: Robert Williams (So), Tonny Trocha (Sr), John Walker (Fr)
C: Tyler Davis (Jr), Isiah Jasey (Fr)

I don't see any major holes here. High level players at all positions and good balance at most positions in terms of experience. Biggest concern is having a couple freshmen point guards but Caldwell seems special and has already had a season within the program to get up to speed.

2018/2019:
PG: JJ Caldwell (RS So), TJ Starks (So)
SG: Admon Gilder (Sr), Jay Jay Chandler (So)
SF: DJ Hogg (Sr), Savion Flagg (So)
PF: Josh Nebo (Jr), John Walker (So)
C: Tyler Davis (Sr), Isiah Jasey (So)

Still very solid at guard and small forward. I am more concerned about the front court considering the development required for Jasey and Walker to be able to compete in an SEC that has added substantial high level post players in the last couple years. Also don't know how well Nebo will be able to translate his game to the higher level of competition day in and day out.

With three scholarships available and the future in mind, I believe we must add a center or power forward, must add a small forward, and then must take the best available. If we could add Souleymane Doumbia as a center, Matt Meyer or Taeshon Cherry at small forward, and Quentin Grimes as a combo guard, we are plugging potential holes before they arise. This is the type of thing we must do consistently to be successfully on a longer term basis under BK.

2019/2020:
PG: JJ Caldwell (RS Jr), TJ Starks (Jr), Sahvir Wheeler (Fr)
SG: Jay Jay Chandler (Jr)
SF: Savion Flagg (Jr)
PF: Josh Nebo (Sr), John Walker (Jr)
C: Isiah Jasey (Jr)

Until we know how the 2018 recruiting class ends up, we aren't going to know which of these will end up being holes, but we are starting to look pretty damn thin at small forward, power forward, and center.

REALLY need to sign a solid 2018 class. Vila leaving and Williams leaving earlier than we could have anticipated have made signing a couple good players a must.


TL/DR: we are unlikely to have any gaping roster holes until the '19/'20 season at which time there is a potential for us to have significant gaps at wing and in the post if we don't close like we need to in the 2018 recruiting class.

Pumpkinhead said:

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For next season, out of the 351 D1 college basketball teams...probably about...ummm...approximately 330 of them would love to have to deal with the 'holes' that our roster will have.

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That's probably right. The one issue, potentially, is perimeter shooting. Maybe Hogg and Gilder elevate their games with Caldwell on the court generating better looks?

bench

JJxvi said:

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bench

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Agree. Although this could be a huge strength by conference play or earlier.

Pumpkinhead said:

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For next season, out of the 351 D1 college basketball teams...probably about...ummm...approximately 330 of them would love to have to deal with the 'holes' that our roster will have.

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I'd put that at closer to 336, but point taken.

Mikeyshooter said:

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JJxvi said:

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bench

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Agree. Although this could be a huge strength by conference play or earlier.

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Our bench players on Day 1 will include a senior post player with lots of experience (Tonny Trocha), a 5th year senior guard with lots of experience (Duane Wilson), a top-50 national recruit and big athletic wing (Savion Flagg) and then a bunch more athletic looking fish just for grins and chuckles (Starks, Chandler, Jasey, etc).

Our bench looks pretty solid. IMO it looks at least as good as the 2015-2016 Sweet Sixteen team's bench roster.

I see Davis leaving after this year.

BrandoC said:

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I see Davis leaving after this year.

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Why? Is he on any projections?

Edit: looked at the first three 2018 mock drafts generated by the Google machine. Davis is nowhere to be found. Williams is in the first 5 of all three and Hogg is in the last 10 of all three

Absolutely not Aggie related but University of New Mexico has had six members of basketball team leave this summer. I live in NM during summer and it seems like they lose one each day. One is going to Arkansas.
Don't know anything about their new coach but he must be BG tough.

I talked to Alex Robinson at the UPS Store today. That's neither here nor there. Was sporting a TCU Basketball t-shirt. Ears looked sharp.

They need to redo Reed Arena - sadly it is already dated

Our home schedule sucks this year

I think Davis is like Jones and Elonu but has a bit more upside at least at the college level. He probably stands out more against non-elite competition. He ought to play off RW very nicely this year and I anticipate yet more high-low to help clear the lane not just for RW but also for guard slashes, too.

The only hole is whether we have the level of talent that combined with chemistry and coaching can get us back in the tournament with a potentially better seed (i.e., not 8, 9, 4, or 5 where you end up against the 1 to get to the regional championship/E8 game.)

I am looking forward to this year. It seems to me to be a crossroads to the higher talent teams that Kennedy seems to coach better. I'm curious what distractions will pop up since we almost always have one, two, or three. (Losing the PG plus the two transfers last year.)

EDIT: I'm not sure the gameday experience at Reed would be improved by a redo at this point. If we start winning more consistently and get attendance up more I can imagine there are some improvements that could be done. The most important one would be convincing local and former student season ticket holders to show up more often. That is a culture change, though, not a building change.

Tobias Funke said:

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Oh sorry, thought this was the random complaint thread

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No you didn't. GE started it. More like a bring out the trolls thread.

greg.w.h said:

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Tobias Funke said:

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Oh sorry, thought this was the random complaint thread

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No you didn't. GE started it. More like a bring out the trolls thread.

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Prospective look at the roster to identify potential holes is complaining?

GE said:

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greg.w.h said:

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Tobias Funke said:

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Oh sorry, thought this was the random complaint thread

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No you didn't. GE started it. More like a bring out the trolls thread.

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Prospective look at the roster to identify potential holes is complaining?

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No. Being positive is...umm..."troll bait" in the sense that those that aren't often look at it as an opportunity to comment. (I'm not excluding myself from that observation per se, though my comment earlier was more in neutral territory than not.)

Your posts are always worded very oddly

For the upcoming season we really need to develop some shooting. Last season we suffered at times when we had no one to space the floor, which didn't allow our guards to slash to the basket as defenders were more than willing to let most of our roster jack up a 3.

Hopefully between Chandler/Gilder/Hogg/Walker(once he gets up to game speed) we will have some ability to spread out and create lanes and space inside for our twin towers in Tyler and Robert to get to work.

e.busche said:

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For the upcoming season we really need to develop some shooting. Last season we suffered at times when we had no one to space the floor, which didn't allow our guards to slash to the basket as defenders were more than willing to let most of our roster jack up a 3.

Hopefully between Chandler/Gilder/Hogg/Walker(once he gets up to game speed) we will have some ability to spread out and create lanes and space inside for our twin towers in Tyler and Robert to get to work.

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Agreed, though I don't see Walker getting much PT as a fish on this team. Think it's more likely that Starks will be the other guy to spread the floor along with Gilder and Hogg.

Major difference I do see is a huge increase in athleticism and taking the ball to the hoop. It's likely the case that three of the four most athletic guys on the team are freshmen.

Yeah, I'm with Hop here, I would say last year's problem is that we didn't have slashers to help our shooters a lot more than it was we didn't have shooters to help our slashers.

Even last year we had several guys who could hit a three if they were open, and a couple even after Hogg got hurt. Hell, Hampton probably would have been a pretty good offensive player if someone could have broken down the defense at all, dude hit over 40% from 3.

This year it really comes down to how good the freshman guards are. We're going to be as good as they are.

At least, from a roster standpoint. The rest will be up to our coaching staff.

bobinator said:

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Yeah, I'm with Hop here, I would say last year's problem is that we didn't have slashers to help our shooters a lot more than it was we didn't have shooters to help our slashers.

Even last year we had several guys who could hit a three if they were open, and a couple even after Hogg got hurt. Hell, Hampton probably would have been a pretty good offensive player if someone could have broken down the defense at all, dude hit over 40% from 3.

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I think general lack of high level athleticism and explosiveness outside of RW was a problem last year. We had skill and length, but that quick first step to blow by somebody off the dribble just didn't exist anywhere. It appears that Starks, Chandler, Flagg, and Caldwell all might have that.

I don't think even think we had any skill when it came to handling the ball.

You don't have to be a great athlete to be a great point guard.

Agreed we need some shooters.....Gilder was the only reliable guy out there and 1 shooter on the floor will not cut it....wtf is hogg's problem? he is suppose to be this great shooter...he is brick city USA! he needs to find his touch for this team to have any kind of success!

bobinator said:

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This year it really comes down to how good the freshman guards are. We're going to be as good as they are.

At least, from a roster standpoint. The rest will be up to our coaching staff.

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GE said:

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bobinator said:

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Yeah, I'm with Hop here, I would say last year's problem is that we didn't have slashers to help our shooters a lot more than it was we didn't have shooters to help our slashers.

Even last year we had several guys who could hit a three if they were open, and a couple even after Hogg got hurt. Hell, Hampton probably would have been a pretty good offensive player if someone could have broken down the defense at all, dude hit over 40% from 3.

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I think general lack of high level athleticism and explosiveness outside of RW was a problem last year. We had skill and length, but that quick first step to blow by somebody off the dribble just didn't exist anywhere. It appears that Starks, Chandler, Flagg, and Caldwell all might have that.

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It's the opposite. If you can't shoot outside, then you face a pack defense which is kryptonite for dribble drive. BK defenses actually defend dribble drive pretty well, at the expense of defensive 3FG%.

Topher17 said:

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bobinator said:

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This year it really comes down to how good the freshman guards are. We're going to be as good as they are.

At least, from a roster standpoint. The rest will be up to our coaching staff.

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ruh roh

2017/2018:
PG: JJ Caldwell (RS Fr), TJ Starks (Fr). Duane Wilson (Sr),
SG: Admon Gilder (Jr), TJ Starks (Fr) Jay Jay Chandler (Fr)
SF: DJ Hogg (Jr), Savion Flagg (Fr), Tonny Trocha (Sr),
PF: Robert Williams (So), Tonny Trocha (Sr), John Walker (Fr)
C: Tyler Davis (Jr), Robert Williams (So), Isiah Jasey (Fr)


italics - probably not in regular rotation. Top 10 is really solid.

Wilson should play less than Starks, but BK seems enamored by Sr transfers.

jml2621 said:

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2017/2018:
PG: JJ Caldwell (RS Fr), TJ Starks (Fr). Duane Wilson (Sr),
SG: Admon Gilder (Jr), TJ Starks (Fr) Jay Jay Chandler (Fr)
SF: DJ Hogg (Jr), Savion Flagg (Fr), Tonny Trocha (Sr),
PF: Robert Williams (So), Tonny Trocha (Sr), John Walker (Fr)
C: Tyler Davis (Jr), Robert Williams (So), Isiah Jasey (Fr)


italics - probably not in regular rotation. Top 10 is really solid.

Wilson should play less than Starks, but BK seems enamored by Sr transfers.

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I agree with this for the most part. Best 2 out of Chandler, Starks, and Wilson are in the primary rotation. Would like to also be able to work a fourth post guy in just to get some experience for one of the fish.

Oh and that starting line is salty. Really, really good.