- March 29th, 2018, 9:07 am
#548368
Obviously, win or lose, we would have liked to end this year with a better performance, but there is much to be proud of, and next year's team will be the most talented and experienced Ritchie has had here. There are 10 players with remaining eligibility on this year's roster.
Guards:
Lovell Cabbil SR
Elijah Cuffee SO
Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz JR
Swings:
Caleb Homesley R-JR
Keegan McDowell SO
Forwards:
Myo Baxter-Bell R-JR
Scottie James R-JR
Ezra Talbert R-SR
Isaiah Williams R-SO
Center:
Brendan Newton R-FR
We have 3 early signees, giving us a full compliment of 13 scholarship players.
Guards:
Darius McGhee
Josh Price
Center/Forward:
Blake Preston
Ezra Talbert I'm sure is graduating (if he hasn't already) and played extremely limited minutes as this season progressed. The addition of Preston, and Newton coming off redshirt, will make PT even harder to come by. He would seem to be in an ideal position to leave as a graduate transfer to go somewhere he can play more. Perhaps join his brother at Central MO. If so, that will leave another scholarship, and Ritchie was seen checking out a local 2018 recruit a few weeks ago, which would seem to confirm that.
One thing we know about coach McKay is that he is not bound by the old 1-5 position formulas. He is going to start the lineup he believes can execute best (especially on defense) and he will mix it up from there. Literally and figuratively, the BIG difference next year will be that he will have 2 legit rim-protectors in Newton and Preston. He will have the option to go really big, with Newton in the middle, Scottie at PF (his natural position) and Homesley, at SF. He can also go with a lineup almost identical to this year's starting 5, with McDowell taking Kemrite's spot.
As far as the new players are concerned, call me a kool-aid drinker, but I do believe Ritchie has been doing an epic sand-bag with Newton, and he is going to make a significant impact. In the exhibition against VCU, the only opportunity we had to get a glimpse of the big guy, he scored 5 points and drew 4 fouls against their post player in 2 minutes, and Ritchie took him out. He wasn't tired, and he certainly wasn't hurting us out there. I think Ritchie just didn't want to "let the cat out of the bag".
McGhee is going to be a blast to watch, His quickness and hops are off the charts, and he can finish at the rim with dunks at 5'9", but he is also an excellent 3 point shooter with a quick release, and should rival Cabbil as our best on-ball defender in the back court.
Blake Preston I have heard is now a long 6'10". He averaged over 11 rebounds and 5 blocks this year, and is probably the most skilled and fundamentally sound offensive post we have had in a long time. He will compete with Newton for minutes in the middle and could also play a little alongside him, but that's not too likely with the other options we have at PF.
Josh Price may end up being a bit of a project, but he was well worth a reach. He is currently in the middle of a growth spurt similar to what his older brother Hudson had, when he went from 6'1" as a HS JR to 6'7" in just a couple of years. Josh was 6'1" last year, and seeing him stand next to his dad, he now looks to be at least 6'4". Unless he absolutely lights it up shooting the ball in early practices, don't be surprised if he redshirts.
While Scottie and Lovell were our best all around players this year, I still think Homesley is the most talented guy we have, and just how good we can be next year could depend on whether he is able to replicate his recovery from his first knee injury, when he showed flashes the first year back and then absolutely exploded early in the second year before injuring the other knee. This was a more serious injury, but it looks like he is on track.
One thing I feel certain of is that overall expectations for next year will be higher than we have seen in a long time, maybe ever. (Closest I can recall was the end of the 97 season before TSHTF.) Of course that brings pressure with it. I'm really hoping the students will buy in and start to provide the kind of crowd support we had last night (and better) on a regular basis.
Guards:
Lovell Cabbil SR
Elijah Cuffee SO
Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz JR
Swings:
Caleb Homesley R-JR
Keegan McDowell SO
Forwards:
Myo Baxter-Bell R-JR
Scottie James R-JR
Ezra Talbert R-SR
Isaiah Williams R-SO
Center:
Brendan Newton R-FR
We have 3 early signees, giving us a full compliment of 13 scholarship players.
Guards:
Darius McGhee
Josh Price
Center/Forward:
Blake Preston
Ezra Talbert I'm sure is graduating (if he hasn't already) and played extremely limited minutes as this season progressed. The addition of Preston, and Newton coming off redshirt, will make PT even harder to come by. He would seem to be in an ideal position to leave as a graduate transfer to go somewhere he can play more. Perhaps join his brother at Central MO. If so, that will leave another scholarship, and Ritchie was seen checking out a local 2018 recruit a few weeks ago, which would seem to confirm that.
One thing we know about coach McKay is that he is not bound by the old 1-5 position formulas. He is going to start the lineup he believes can execute best (especially on defense) and he will mix it up from there. Literally and figuratively, the BIG difference next year will be that he will have 2 legit rim-protectors in Newton and Preston. He will have the option to go really big, with Newton in the middle, Scottie at PF (his natural position) and Homesley, at SF. He can also go with a lineup almost identical to this year's starting 5, with McDowell taking Kemrite's spot.
As far as the new players are concerned, call me a kool-aid drinker, but I do believe Ritchie has been doing an epic sand-bag with Newton, and he is going to make a significant impact. In the exhibition against VCU, the only opportunity we had to get a glimpse of the big guy, he scored 5 points and drew 4 fouls against their post player in 2 minutes, and Ritchie took him out. He wasn't tired, and he certainly wasn't hurting us out there. I think Ritchie just didn't want to "let the cat out of the bag".
McGhee is going to be a blast to watch, His quickness and hops are off the charts, and he can finish at the rim with dunks at 5'9", but he is also an excellent 3 point shooter with a quick release, and should rival Cabbil as our best on-ball defender in the back court.
Blake Preston I have heard is now a long 6'10". He averaged over 11 rebounds and 5 blocks this year, and is probably the most skilled and fundamentally sound offensive post we have had in a long time. He will compete with Newton for minutes in the middle and could also play a little alongside him, but that's not too likely with the other options we have at PF.
Josh Price may end up being a bit of a project, but he was well worth a reach. He is currently in the middle of a growth spurt similar to what his older brother Hudson had, when he went from 6'1" as a HS JR to 6'7" in just a couple of years. Josh was 6'1" last year, and seeing him stand next to his dad, he now looks to be at least 6'4". Unless he absolutely lights it up shooting the ball in early practices, don't be surprised if he redshirts.
While Scottie and Lovell were our best all around players this year, I still think Homesley is the most talented guy we have, and just how good we can be next year could depend on whether he is able to replicate his recovery from his first knee injury, when he showed flashes the first year back and then absolutely exploded early in the second year before injuring the other knee. This was a more serious injury, but it looks like he is on track.
One thing I feel certain of is that overall expectations for next year will be higher than we have seen in a long time, maybe ever. (Closest I can recall was the end of the 97 season before TSHTF.) Of course that brings pressure with it. I'm really hoping the students will buy in and start to provide the kind of crowd support we had last night (and better) on a regular basis.