[jcmanson]

I think we have 2 years (this year and next) where we have a very good chance to get back in the dance.

Guard
Jesse Sanders
Evan Gordon
Chene Phillips
JC Sanders

Our backcourt is as good as anyone in the conference and we have plenty of depth. All 4 of these guys will be here for at least 2 years. Jesse is a triple double ready to happen most games. Evan is a scorer. JC is a great shooter. Chene is a solid PG backup that can get to the rim. This backcourt is good enough to win the conference.

Forward
David Minaya
John Brown

Those 2 right there are good enough to have us competing for the championship. John Brown is the best rebounder in the league. He can mix it up down low and score in the paint. I like what I see out of Minaya so far. If he continues to develop he will give us solid play on the wing this year. Both of these guys are here for the next 2 years.

Center
Burrus

Yes he’s a little undersized at Center, but in the BSC I think we can get by especially with JB at the 4. He’s developed a nice little 12 foot jumper and a hook shot.

Those 7 are good enough to have us competing for a championship. The only thing we are lacking to this point is depth at forward and center. We have several guys on the roster who can provide what we need.

Jeremy Anderson
Sommy Ogukwe
Joel Vander Pol
Carter McMasters
Stephen Baird – next year only
Andrew Smith – next year only

The more of the guys from this list that can develop and give us some depth at forward and center, the better. If they do this then I see us winning the league either this year or next.

*Note: I’m not saying we can’t or won’t win it after these 2 years, but we have the makings of a roster that can make a run.

[ALAFlamesFan]

The development of Sommy and Joel will tell the story for this year. If they can get better every game then by February we might suprise some folks. Next year with two more 6'8" wings we should be expected to be in the BSC final.

Oh, and this team will be at least as good this year as the one two years ago only I like this year's team better.

[TDDance234]

There is always a chance in the Big South. With the type of recruits Layer is bringing in, we're always going to be competitive and have a chance.

[jcmanson]

I guess noone else feels the same way...

[olldflame]

IMHO the only thing that says 2 years is Jesse Sanders. Otherwise most of our talent will be around longer.

[jcmanson]

IMHO the only thing that says 2 years is Jesse Sanders. Otherwise most of our talent will be around longer.

umm, 3 of our starters = 2 years. Our top 2 players = 2 years.

John Brown = Gabe Martin

[ALAFlamesFan]

IMHO the only thing that says 2 years is Jesse Sanders. Otherwise most of our talent will be around longer.

umm, 3 of our starters = 2 years. Our top 2 players = 2 years.

John Brown = Gabe Martin

True and while they are our top 2 players now who is to say we won't have 2 recruits in the next 2 years who are as good or better.

I agree with your premise stated at the beginning of this thread and the qualifying statement that we could be better in future years. The future will only get brighter.

Incidently, can someone change the picture of John Brown in the 2010 signees' thread? Don't know who that joker is but he is not our John Brown. HAHA>

[jcmanson]

I agree ALA. I just think that we may have another year of "rebuilding" after Jesse and John Brown leave the mountain. I'm hoping that's not the case though as we still have 2 years worth of recruiting classes to add to JC Sanders, Evan, Chene, and Antwan.

[olldflame]

I had forgotten that we also only have JB for 2 years. nonetheless, while I can see the correlation, I don't think the John Brown=Gabe Martin will play out the same because we have a coach who believes in building his program primarily with freshmen; not transfers. JB gives us a chance to be much better in the next 2 years than we would otherwise, but by continuing to recruit quality kids out of HS we can avoid the falloff we had after Gabe and Ryan Mantlo had played their 2 years.

[ALAFlamesFan]

I agree ALA. I just think that we may have another year of "rebuilding" after Jesse and John Brown leave the mountain. I'm hoping that's not the case though as we still have 2 years worth of recruiting classes to add to JC Sanders, Evan, Chene, and Antwan.

I will go out on a limb and say that the "rebuilding" year of 2012-2013 will be better than this "rebuilding" year.

JVP will be a beast underneath. Burrus will be a poor man's Charles Barkley. Baird and Smith will be too big on the wing for BSC forwards to cover. Evan will be a Senior and more deadly than any former LU shooting guard. JC will be equally as potent... It will be something to see. LOL (a guy can dream)

[vtechhokies20]

I had forgotten that we also only have JB for 2 years. nonetheless, while I can see the correlation, I don't think the John Brown=Gabe Martin will play out the same because we have a coach who believes in building his program primarily with freshmen; not transfers. JB gives us a chance to be much better in the next 2 years than we would otherwise, but by continuing to recruit quality kids out of HS we can avoid the falloff we had after Gabe and Ryan Mantlo had played their 2 years.

Did we not finish 2nd in the BSC the year after Gabe and Ryan left with an injuried Brian Woodson?

[olldflame]

Yes, and you also know what happened in the tournament that year and the next season. We've heard all the excuses over and over. Players got hurt under other coaches too.

[vtechhokies20]

Yes, and you also know what happened in the tournament that year and the next season. We've heard all the excuses over and over. Players got hurt under other coaches too.

Everybody does suffer from injuries, but when Devon Brown or Brian Woodson get hurt the quality is impacted. Your "fall off" claim fades as we look at the players that were in the program compared to where we stand today. 2nd or 3rd would look like a major accomplishment. Hope it happens but no need to discredit the past to justify our regression in BSC.

[SuperJon]

Shutup. We've moved on.

[thepostman]

its getting to the point that I think we will still be hearing these guys spew their stuff about randy 20 years from now....

I was one of the few on year that liked Randy too, but these guys constantly bringing him up has made it tough

[vtechhokies20]

its getting to the point that I think we will still be hearing these guys spew their stuff about randy 20 years from now....

I was one of the few on year that liked Randy too, but these guys constantly bringing him up has made it tough

You guys like Super Jon like it one way...we can always discredit the past and cheer, yet if someone challenges the bs then we are evil. Even to the point where one's point of view is banned from the FF site.

Coach Layer will do a quality job and may win the BSC this year. Just lucky some new AD is not looking for a way to slit his throat.

We can move on but if Old Flame wants to compare talent then it is open discussion. Most coaches will struggle at some point in their tenure just call Chapel Hill.

[jcmanson]

its getting to the point that I think we will still be hearing these guys spew their stuff about randy 20 years from now....

I was one of the few on year that liked Randy too, but these guys constantly bringing him up has made it tough

You guys like Super Jon like it one way...we can always discredit the past and cheer, yet if someone challenges the bs then we are evil. Even to the point where one's point of view is banned from the FF site.

Coach Layer will do a quality job and may win the BSC this year. Just lucky some new AD is not looking for a way to slit his throat.

We can move on but if Old Flame wants to compare talent then it is open discussion. Most coaches will struggle at some point in their tenure just call Chapel Hill.

Dude, it was almost 4 years ago. LET IT GO. RD is not our coach. RD will never be our coach again. Barber is our AD. Barber will be our AD for the foreseeable future.

MOVE ON

[vtechhokies20]

its getting to the point that I think we will still be hearing these guys spew their stuff about randy 20 years from now....

I was one of the few on year that liked Randy too, but these guys constantly bringing him up has made it tough

You guys like Super Jon like it one way...we can always discredit the past and cheer, yet if someone challenges the bs then we are evil. Even to the point where one's point of view is banned from the FF site.

Coach Layer will do a quality job and may win the BSC this year. Just lucky some new AD is not looking for a way to slit his throat.

We can move on but if Old Flame wants to compare talent then it is open discussion. Most coaches will struggle at some point in their tenure just call Chapel Hill.

Dude, it was almost 4 years ago. LET IT GO. RD is not our coach. RD will never be our coach again. Barber is our AD. Barber will be our AD for the foreseeable future.

MOVE ON

OK on to Happy Thanksgiving and MVSU on Friday.

[thepostman]

its getting to the point that I think we will still be hearing these guys spew their stuff about randy 20 years from now....

I was one of the few on year that liked Randy too, but these guys constantly bringing him up has made it tough

You guys like Super Jon like it one way...we can always discredit the past and cheer, yet if someone challenges the bs then we are evil. Even to the point where one's point of view is banned from the FF site.

Coach Layer will do a quality job and may win the BSC this year. Just lucky some new AD is not looking for a way to slit his throat.

We can move on but if Old Flame wants to compare talent then it is open discussion. Most coaches will struggle at some point in their tenure just call Chapel Hill.

Its the same discussion over and over again...I always agree with one point you make. Nobody should bring up RD...ever. I roll my eyes whenever ANYBODY on EITHER side brings his name up. Its simply ridiculous. Its been 4 years and whether he did horrible things or not its been long enough where whatever he did or didn't do no longer effect us.

[vtechhokies20]

its getting to the point that I think we will still be hearing these guys spew their stuff about randy 20 years from now....

I was one of the few on year that liked Randy too, but these guys constantly bringing him up has made it tough

You guys like Super Jon like it one way...we can always discredit the past and cheer, yet if someone challenges the bs then we are evil. Even to the point where one's point of view is banned from the FF site.

Coach Layer will do a quality job and may win the BSC this year. Just lucky some new AD is not looking for a way to slit his throat.

We can move on but if Old Flame wants to compare talent then it is open discussion. Most coaches will struggle at some point in their tenure just call Chapel Hill.

Its the same discussion over and over again...I always agree with one point you make. Nobody should bring up RD...ever. I roll my eyes whenever ANYBODY on EITHER side brings his name up. Its simply ridiculous. Its been 4 years and whether he did horrible things or not its been long enough where whatever he did or didn't do no longer effect us.

First of all i agree with trying to move forward. But to ascert in any way RD did horrible things is the product of a few on here who tried to justify the "pie in the sky" agenda of our AD's ego. Stop comparing our talent like we have the players we did with RD. Our best players outside of the Duke castaway in the past three seasons were from his program.

Hopefully we can get the program back to the level of BSC performance RD had us and beyond, but to date that has not been the case. Let's see how this season plays out. Hopefully if will be with a couple of wins this weekend.

[thepostman]

I never said he did or didn't do horrible things...I was saying those facts are no longer relevant to the discussion. Its been 4 years, you need to get over the fact that your friend didn't get his contract renewed and others need to stop bringing it up once every 5 or 6 months just to get under your skin...but ultimately someone needs to be the bigger person and just not react...why can't you just be that person?

[grm]

I'm sure the vast majority of posters want to see success in all LU programs, specifically in our conversations, the basketball program.

Mr. Barber believed the previous guy had taken as far as he could, telling the coaches that even winning the BS would not have changed his mind. That was his call, and he had every right as the AD to make that call, and he used a five-year-period of evaluation for that purpose.

(I believe Coach Layer is a fine coach.)

Under Mr. Barber, we have finished 4th, 3th, & tied for 5th in the league standings. As far as
Mr. Barber's time goes, we are now approaching a 5 year period in which he has thus far fallen far, far, short of his own standard set, and, if he held himself to the same time frame, he would have to say that "he has taken us as far as he could" (upward) & "as far as he should" (downward).
But that's just my opinionated observation.

One might think that a wide range of opinions would be tolerated on this board (even if it did cause us to occasionally "roll our eyes" at the repetitiveness of it all). And we can purge the "other coach" from the records on this board if we want to, I couldn't care less, but just saying "shut up" to a poster is an inappropriate as anything the poster is saying, if not more. Back in the day,
about everything was tolerated, with stuff like "Brewington taking a paycut to stay here" (not a perfect quote) & "Done-ton," hardly raising an eyebrow. Actually, those things were pretty much endorsed & appreciated by the same people who now cry "foul." The Brewington one still lives on, with no eyes rolled or "shut-ups" forthcoming.

I'm not checkmate, vthokie, or any former coach, and you know who I am, but I believe some of you to be guilty of hypocrisy on this matter. I was scoffed at for begging to "bury the hatchet"
years back, and still the "vague accusations" persisted which now, when leveled at someone new, are cause for outcry.

Why don't we all be fair, give everybody here (including Mr. Barber) a chance to stand on their own performance, & then allow ouselves to honestly state facts regarding performance, whatever those facts might be. I wouldn't even care if we had a complainers section & "outlawed" negative historical personal references under the basketball program.

Happy Thanksgiving to one & all.

[Liberty4Life]

This entire discussion brings back bad memories of the Hankinson Era. He kept saying that we had to be patient, because we had "nine freshman and sophomores" (conveniently forgetting that those freshmen and sophomores all stunk).

You say we have a two-year window. We always have a two-year window.

Geez. Most schools have a rebuilding year every once and awhile. I'm inclined to think that we have "re-demolition" years.

[jcmanson]

I apologize for starting this thread

[grm]

Hey, I assure you, I'm not upset. I have a "day off" of sorts & had some time to chip in.
That's all.

God bless you guys, & happy Thanksgiving - again.

P.S. (I'm an Air Force vet.... to "the Postman" I believe.... at this age, I'm a veteran of just about everything)