A Sea Of Red

On one hand they believe we lack the depth needed, at least in the non conference part of the schedule, but than they state that there may be more talent on the roster than what meets the eye. They say sixth place in the Big South is about right but I am sure we expect better.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasket ... B/10416827

Personally I would be very disappointed with a sixth place finish but maybe you guys can knock some sense into me if you believe otherwise.

Thats a very good write up...I was thinking it would be good but that was pretty in depth to do for every team...great job on their part.

great quote:

PROGRAM DIRECTION
It's got to be moving up, after four years of treading water under coach Randy Dunton.

Baker's starting???

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
PG T.J. Banister, SG Anthony Smith, SF Tyler Baker, PF Rell Porter, C Alex McLean

I thought that BJ Jenkins would start over Baker. Maybe he is going for a taller lineup.

Stevev wrote:I thought that BJ Jenkins would start over Baker. Maybe he is going for a taller lineup.

Steve, those writers don't know for sure. They are just guessing. Even the coaching staff doesn't always know for sure who is going to start in October for some teams especially when you are trying to feel out what you have in your program still. Justin Holland may prove to be a big part of our team early on if TJ Bannister doesn't get healthy soon. Also you are right, BJ Jenkins will probably start as well but again, no one is sure. They could go with Kyle Ohman at the 2 and Smith at the 3. I can't wait to see them scrimmage next week!

Also the writer said RD was here 4 years but he was here 5.

What he actually ends up settling on as far as lineups go is pure speculation at this stage.

The sportsline lineup is intriguing and may be an option, especially in favorable situations. If he goes with that, then Ty and Rell will probably swap on the defensive side, when we go man-to-man.

Whether he starts the majority of games or not, BJ Jenkins should see starter's minutes, especially with Stephene out and Anderson probably red-shirted. Depthwise, BJ would need to back up both backcourt positions as well as play alongside TJ when Smith slides over to the 3.

Kyle's going to get significant playing time this year. I'm not naming starters because as Scar said, starting doesn't matter. Here's how I think the top 5 will be in terms of minutes:

Alex
TJ
Smitty
BJ
Kyle

I think Rell, Russ, Tyler, and possibly Justin will see the rest.

Kyle's gonna see time regardless, sheerly because of the numbers game. However, it may be a little early to annoint him as the second coming of Timmy Scarborough and pencil him in as the starter. I'd love to see it, though.

SuperJon wrote:Kyle's going to get significant playing time this year. I'm not naming starters because as Scar said, starting doesn't matter. Here's how I think the top 5 will be in terms of minutes:

Alex
TJ
Smitty
BJ
Kyle

I think Rell, Russ, Tyler, and possibly Justin will see the rest.

so were gonna be small for the majority of minutes?

1 pg
3 sg
1 pf

I hope your wrong!

I think you'll see Alex for 35 or so. You'll have Tyler, Rell, and Russ combine for 30-35 probably to be the other big. Then you'll have Anthony at probably 30-35 himself. BJ and Kyle will mainly play the 2, and TJ is going to play just as much as Alex and Smitty.

SuperJon wrote:I think you'll see Alex for 35 or so. You'll have Tyler, Rell, and Russ combine for 30-35 probably to be the other big. Then you'll have Anthony at probably 30-35 himself. BJ and Kyle will mainly play the 2, and TJ is going to play just as much as Alex and Smitty.

So in the mean time what if TJ is not ready? Do you play J-Holland 35 mpg at PG? I don't know what the answer is really. PG by committee with BJ and J-Holland is a real possibility. Neither to me is a pure pg but both are capable. We could struggle early. This is going to be a challenging year for coach McKay.

paradox wrote:Kyle's gonna see time regardless, sheerly because of the numbers game. However, it may be a little early to annoint him as the second coming of Timmy Scarborough and pencil him in as the starter. I'd love to see it, though.

Great reset there Dox I love a good walk-on story. Everyday I feel like Rudy. In fact Liberty was to me what Notre Dame was for the Catholic, short, white slower version of me. That is a loose translation of what Dr. Falwell dreamed of when comparing Liberty and ND but you get the drift. Seriously though Coach McKay seems to value 3 point shooting and Kyle has shown an ability to get his shot off and more importantly, shoot a good percentage. I am really looking forward to seeing how this team comes together. It is not going to be a smooth ride at times esp if TJ is not there.

it may be a little early to annoint him as the second coming of Timmy Scarborough and pencil him in as the starter.

I knew SCAR would love that one liner. Thanks, Dox (expect a shipment of his wife's cookies on Friday or Saturday).

Cider Jim wrote:

it may be a little early to annoint him as the second coming of Timmy Scarborough and pencil him in as the starter.

I knew SCAR would love that one liner. Thanks, Dox (expect a shipment of his wife's cookies on Friday or Saturday).

I would gladly get a shipment to Dox if he would only PM me his ID

SCAR wrote:

SuperJon wrote:I think you'll see Alex for 35 or so. You'll have Tyler, Rell, and Russ combine for 30-35 probably to be the other big. Then you'll have Anthony at probably 30-35 himself. BJ and Kyle will mainly play the 2, and TJ is going to play just as much as Alex and Smitty.

So in the mean time what if TJ is not ready? Do you play J-Holland 35 mpg at PG? I don't know what the answer is really. PG by committee with BJ and J-Holland is a real possibility. Neither to me is a pure pg but both are capable. We could struggle early. This is going to be a challenging year for coach McKay.

That was all assuming he is. I'm pretty sure he's out of the boot now.

What makes you guys think Kyle will see significant time? I know he can shoot and Mckay loves the three, but can he play defense and do other things on the court that need to be done to be a contributor at the D1 level.

Also, this season hinges on TJ's health regardless of where the other pieces fall. After watching him play a handful of times and what I've heard from other spectators and those closer with the team his passing makes and knowledge of the game makes everyone around him better. Without him we could survive, but our only chance to shock people and finish in the top half of the conference would be with him healthy, and playing well.

It seems RMc likes Kyle's game. He started and played major minutes in both games in Canada, playing more than Rell, Tyler or Russ. It may be he was just quicker in adjusting to his system, but it does appear that Mr. Ohman figures more prominently in future plans than most of us anticipated.

Kyle is a lot more athletic than people give him credit for... he is a solid at hitting the boards for a gaurd and really likes to get out on the wing and run.

He's going to surprise a bit. He won't put up LB numbers by any means but I don't think it's out of the picture to see him average 7-8 points a game, which combined with BJ's 7-8 a game give you anywhere from 14-16 points out of the 2gaurd spot. I'll take that.

So Smith will more than likely play the 3 this season?

I think Smith has always been practicing at the 3--his physical defense suits him better than taking on 2gaurds. We're going to need solid rotation out of Rell, Baker, Alex and whatever Russ gives us is gravy in the 3-4-5.

Brew defended a lot of fours last year, someone is going to have to take up that roll.

Brew defended a lot of fours last year, someone is going to have to take up that roll.

A combination of Rell and Tyler will have to step up here. I'm wondering what Nathan Cambell's going to bring to the table. Is he going to redshirt? Will he see time at the 4 if he doesn't? Maybe someone closer to the team would know the answer to this.

I really think this team's biggest key will be defense. Defense is more dependable than offense and in a night when McKay's perimeter oriented offense is off the mark our defense will need to be tough. Smitty and Rell are great defenders. TJ and BJ are good defenders at the 1 and 2. I know Coach D loved J-Holland's defensive game too.

It seems this could be a revealing season for where we are at and where we are going. Why did we not add some recruits to the core group that rd had in place? I know that we lost some very good talent that the previous staff had committed. Good quote by RM. I think it is much more competitve in mbb in the big south than we sometimes admit. Tj is a big key in my mind. A good pt g can make ave players look a lot better. Go Flames.

TDDance234 wrote: Brew defended a lot of fours last year, someone is going to have to take up that roll.

When did Brew play defense?

TJ is out of the boot now...he still needs time though