[Chris Lang]

The wildcard in the bunch may be Johnny Stephene. In Stephene, McKay feels that he landed an overlooked talent.

Has anyone seen Stephene's pic on Facebook? The guy is built like a tank. Think of a shorter version of David Robinson in his prime, or the vintage physique of SCAR.

I'll give my thoughts in October...hoops is so, so far from my mind right now that I couldn't give a good opinion on things.

Or, if he gave us his opinion, he'd have to charge us 50 cents (the price of a paper).

Haha. You can keep updated with what your golf coach is doing at the State Open this week in Richmond, though. Jeff Thomas is teeing off No. 10 at 1:03 p.m. in Thursday's first round. Once golf is done, maybe I'll start thinking of hoops.

[TIMSCAR20]

The wildcard in the bunch may be Johnny Stephene. In Stephene, McKay feels that he landed an overlooked talent.

Has anyone seen Stephene's pic on Facebook? The guy is built like a tank. Think of a shorter version of David Robinson in his prime, or the vintage physique of SCAR.

I'll give my thoughts in October...hoops is so, so far from my mind right now that I couldn't give a good opinion on things.

Or, if he gave us his opinion, he'd have to charge us 50 cents (the price of a paper).

Haha. You can keep updated with what your golf coach is doing at the State Open this week in Richmond, though. Jeff Thomas is teeing off No. 10 at 1:03 p.m. in Thursday's first round. Once golf is done, maybe I'll start thinking of hoops.

Stay tuned folks, Chris Lang will have his opinion GIVEN TO HIM on Thursday when he comes to the Capital City of this great Commonwealth and 'bumps into" a certain hoops insider

[paradox]

Well, at least Scar will talk to him. That's good. I not so sure that any other insider will even care to bother, but ya never know

[paradox]

Bannister, Smith, and Mclean should form a solid nucleus, starting out.

Baker, Jenkins, Anderson, Stephene, Porter, and Monroe, all appear
to be in the mix for a potential 8-9 man rotation, at this point.

...still plenty of evaluating left 'til November... should be interesting..




What I like most about this team is its potential to be more team-oriented, rather than player-oriented.

[Stevev]

You forgot Justin Holland as he would be a solid backup for Bannister and I think will have a breakout year if he is still around. Bannister would be a solid point guard that we have been lacking for years and Smith will be the next Chris Caldwell or Larry Blair ( someone who can score points in bunches).

[paradox]

I don't want to sound like I'm writing Justin off, because I'm not. Notwithstanding, keep in mind, that there is a very real contingency involved with Justin. It really is going to be determined with how McKay uses Sephene, if at all. However, at this early stage, JS is considered to be the most likely back-up at the point, but a lot can change between now and November. We'll have to wait and see what developes.

As far as Anthony goes, McKay really appreciates his work ethic and his unselfish play on the court. He's expected to be a real leader for LU over the next two years.

[paradox]

As far as young players having break-out years this season go, I'd like to see that happen with BJ Jenkins this season. He's more than capable and he would further solidify our nucleus.

[olldflame]

I hope RMc is able to evaluate Justin's situation early on and be honest with him if he does not figure prominently in future plans. Justin really took one for the team 2 years ago, playing now and then with a bad hamstring injury instead of redshirting. Last year he was healthy, and did a good job playing on ball defense, but IMHO didn't play enough to get in synch offensively. If he is to be no better than the 3rd option at the point, I would think he should move on and play his last 2 years elsewhere. He still has his redshirt year if he were to go to another D1 program. Personally, I think he's a much better player than we've seen so far, and I expect him to earn the backup PG position.

[kazport]

I think that with Alex, Smitty, TJ and Tyler there is going to be a very exciting year. I think Alex will have an awesome year with coach Mckay at the helm. Also with the addition of TJ it is going to be fun to watch. It won't be a one man show everynight. I think all will contribute and really form a solid unit this year.

[paradox]

I hope RMc is able to evaluate Justin's situation early on and be honest with him if he does not figure prominently in future plans. Justin really took one for the team 2 years ago, playing now and then with a bad hamstring injury instead of redshirting. Last year he was healthy, and did a good job playing on ball defense, but IMHO didn't play enough to get in synch offensively. If he is to be no better than the 3rd option at the point, I would think he should move on and play his last 2 years elsewhere. He still has his redshirt year if he were to go to another D1 program. Personally, I think he's a much better player than we've seen so far, and I expect him to earn the backup PG position.

Personally, I grew a bit frustrated with the way that the Holland situation was handled last year. Having said that, I think that JH needed to take it up a notch in order to see more time on the floor, and unfortunately, it didn't happen.

There is a window of opportunity in this game and you have to make the most of the time that you are given. I think that every player understands this going in. At this stage, we can assume that Stehene would be the logical back-up. Purely from a coaching standpoint, it would make sense because Stephene has four years ahead of him, whereas Holland is entering his third year with no potential to start unless Bannister goes down. From a organizational perspective, I'd think that there would be more gained down the road if he invests in Stephene now. Unfortunately for JH, his potential yield would be only short-term at best.

In the recent past, we've seen Hank and RD play some ring around the rosy with point gaurds, but I really believe that once McKay gets established, those days are gone. McKay is way too organized and thorough to have guys going in and out of the point gaurd position every one or two years. We've all been conditioned otherwise in the recent past, but McKay and Co. are committed to building continuity in a most critical area, and I'm confident that they'll see it through.

[pbow]

There is a window of opportunity in this game and you have to make the most of the time that you are given. I think that every player understands this going in. At this stage, we can assume that Stehene would be the logical back-up. Purely from a coaching standpoint, it would make sense because Stephene has four years ahead of him, whereas Holland is entering his third year with no potential to start unless Bannister goes down. From a organizational perspective, I'd think that there would be more gained down the road if he invests in Stephene now. Unfortunately for JH, his potential yield would be only short-term at best.

How did you figure that Stehene is the obvious player for backup point guard?? The kid is yet to play a college game!! In my opinion, almost everytime Justin Holland was used last year he played pretty well and I will be very disappointed if he doesn't see some solid pt this year. I think he's a very talented player and he can really help us to have a very competitive team this year.

[paradox]

Justin plays solid defense, so I'm sure that he can be used in some capacity. The problem for JH is that he may be the odd man out with Bannister and three younger and more talented guards who need playing time. That's the way that it looks to shape up, but a development here or there could certainly change things. Justin needs to be prepared and he needs to take full advantage of any time that he sees on the floor.

[paradox]

As far as young players having break-out years this season go, I'd like to see that happen with BJ Jenkins this season. He's more than capable and he would further solidify our nucleus.

Having said that, we still need to find out how well BJ fits into McKay's style and disciplined approach, which in many ways is a stark contrast to the previous coach. If he's here and he survives and fully adapts to the transition, then I think that we can expect great things from BJ. Jenkins reaching his full potential will be a frightful sight for our Big South opposition

[jcmanson]

I've always been high on Justin. I hope he is able to contribute this year. Coach is not going to throw out the chance for Justin to play in favor of Stephene just because of age. The most capable back up will play. Justin still has one more year of eligibility after TJ is gone so McKay could look at this year as a try-out of sorts as to who will be the starter at pg next year, that is of course unless he brings in a top-notch recruit next year that gets the nod ahead of both Justin and Stephene.