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I may not like his offense or his inabilty to keep players here for four years but overall Dakich is a good coach if he has his type of players on the court. I am guessing that is what we have here. We have solid senior leadership, one of the best players in the MAC, much more size than last year and plenty of athletes who could develop into something special.

SG: 25 Martin Samarco 6-3 205 Sr.: Samarco is the clear leader of the team, an all-mac scoring threat from all over the floor and a solid contributor on the boards. Already in the class of Ahlmanson and Reimold....perhaps on the verge of McLeod and Stacy

1 Brian Moten 6-4 185 So.: Top recruit.nothing of note yet.

12 Ryan Sims 6-1 170 Fr.: Recruit that has been much lauded and maligned. Is he a PG is he a great athlete will he ever be special or is he already? Coaches son, can't hurt to stop them.

C: 41 Matt Lefeld 6-11 260 Sr.: Lefelds perserverance playing on two worn down feet is obvious to anyone who has followed the program of late. This year the senior will have to other big men to help rest his feet and should progress even more if he can stay healthy.

44 Otis Polk 6-9 285 Fr. Polk gives the falcons something they have not had since I have watched them, a girthy big man who can eat space. Vandersluis for Miami is the same type of player and nearly worthless. At the very least Polk will let Lefeld rest some

50 Marc Larson 6-9 231 Fr. I believe Larson was listed amongst the top 20 in Michigan...very nice to see. He adds size as well but probably more in the athlete department. Regardless both mean we can play Lefeld sparingly. Maybe just at the beginning and end of games.....

PF: 4 Lionel Sullivan 6-6 225 Fr.-R:As a freshman Sullivan should atleast fit the Soler/Fitch utility player role and will likely provide much more. The basketball is like food to him..Dakcih would be hard pressed to keep someone like that off the court.

SF: 34 Erik Marschall 6-7 235 So.: The surprise of last years class. Started nearly everygame. Some say his more natural position is SF and with Sullivan on the court he can play more if it. Last year he was forced into action at PF with a the team being barebones at big man and he still played well. This year we may get to see what he really is capable of.

20 Nate Miller 6-4 225 So.: Can't play until December 17th but will likely immediately step in and be a part of a 3 man roatation at F. From what I have heard. If not starting is the 6th man

2 Darryl Clements 6-4 200 So.: An enigma like most of last years squad. Has been said to have shown marked improvement. If not starting is likely 6th manA.

11 Dusan Radivojevic 6-7 215 So.: Needs a ton of development and still has his redshirt.

PG: 21 Ryne Hamblet 6-5 170 Jr.: Meet Ryne Hamblet. I have yet to see him play and know little about him but if he can play the point he is a much needed addition. Strange thing is when we first heard about him it was about his athleticism and very little about his PG skills.
http://bgsufalcons.cstv.com/sports/m-ba ... 06aaa.html

3 Brandon Bland 6-2 177 Fr.: Late recruit should see time at thin PG spot.

10 Brian Guerin 6-0 180 So.: Walk-on could be a kep player at thin PG spot.

Likely 8 man rotation...
SG: 25 Martin Samarco 6-3 205 Sr.:
C: 41 Matt Lefeld 6-11 260 Sr.:
44 Otis Polk 6-9 285 Fr./50 Marc Larson 6-9 231 Fr.
PF: 4 Lionel Sullivan 6-6 225 Fr.-R
SF: 34 Erik Marschall 6-7 235 So.:
20 Nate Miller 6-4 225 So.:
2 Darryl Clements 6-4 200 So.:
PG: 21 Ryne Hamblet 6-5 170 Jr.:

Marvin Lewis once said that when evaluating players he sees much better than he hears. I have not been to the scrimmages so far and know htat hammb and ziggy among others have....what are your thoughts those much more in the know.

I'm all about being positive, but what about Samarco puts him even close to Stacey and McLeod? Was it the fact that he led his team to a 9-21 record whereas the other 2 won MAC championships? Or was it the 41.9% shooting? Anyone can rack up numbers when the team is getting destroyed and you are playing against the other teams scrubs. The perfect comparison is a guy who played at Eastern Michigan a few years back named Ricky Cottrill. He scored a lot by shooting a ton, and his team was bad. Maybe things will change this year. Also lets hope that Brian Guerin is not going to be a key player for us....if he is we are in for a loooooooooooooooooong season.

MatelaAntwerp with all due respect to say that Samarco has already passed Reimold and Almanson is absolutely ridiculous. He came here and in his one year we were 9-21. Remember someone has to score on every team. Does anyone know who Quin Humphrey is? Nope did not think so but he is a guy who plays for Youngstown State and averaged 19.2 points per game last year. By my accounts that is more than Samarco, now do not get my wrong i love the fact that we have Samraco but before we annoint anyone as a great player can we please have someone that can lead us to at least a .500 record. The reason i say this is because I doubt any of you would consider Humphrey a great player from YSU and why should anyone consider Samarco a great player already after we went 9-21.

I have seen this team play and to be quite honest I think we have potential. My hope is that we finish with an above .500 record for the nonconference(we should with our schedule) and then maybe a .500 record in the MAC with us playing our best ball at the end of the year to make a run in the tourney.

MatelaAntwerp wrote:Samarco is a solid contributor on the boards.

I would say you're a solid contributor on the boards, MA. I have yet to see Samarco's first post.

Tough to compare Samarco with Almanson and Reimold. Those two played on teams that were not pathetic and stretched super thin, like Samarco's was last year.

Reimold was the type of player that, much like Stacey, found ways to deliver down the stretch during competitive games. Stacey was of course the better player, but Reimold was a tough, smart player who got things done in the clutch.

To be fair to Samarco, his teams were out of most the games during Jan and Feb. This year, Samarco will play for a decent team, I hope, and will have opportunities to prove his 2nd half mettle.

As an aside, one thing that I've noticed about Samarco that sets him apart from other scorers is his footwork. His footwork on the perimeter is excellent. He does a great job of positioning himself on the perimeter to receive passes and put up shots.

commonsense wrote:I'm all about being positive, but what about Samarco puts him even close to Stacey and McLeod? Was it the fact that he led his team to a 9-21 record whereas the other 2 won MAC championships? Or was it the 41.9% shooting? Anyone can rack up numbers when the team is getting destroyed and you are playing against the other teams scrubs. The perfect comparison is a guy who played at Eastern Michigan a few years back named Ricky Cottrill. He scored a lot by shooting a ton, and his team was bad. Maybe things will change this year. Also lets hope that Brian Guerin is not going to be a key player for us....if he is we are in for a loooooooooooooooooong season.

Read it closely, I said may...Is there a spot between Reimold and Stacy? Maybe I should have said he would go there.

I hope and think you are right about Guerin. Sometime back there was talk on this board that he would be our starting PG. It may have been in jest and I may have missed the tone of the thread

IKeepItReal wrote:MatelaAntwerp with all due respect to say that Samarco has already passed Reimold and Almanson is absolutely ridiculous. He came here and in his one year we were 9-21. Remember someone has to score on every team. Does anyone know who Quin Humphrey is? Nope did not think so but he is a guy who plays for Youngstown State and averaged 19.2 points per game last year. By my accounts that is more than Samarco, now do not get my wrong i love the fact that we have Samraco but before we annoint anyone as a great player can we please have someone that can lead us to at least a .500 record. The reason i say this is because I doubt any of you would consider Humphrey a great player from YSU and why should anyone consider Samarco a great player already after we went 9-21.

I have seen this team play and to be quite honest I think we have potential. My hope is that we finish with an above .500 record for the nonconference(we should with our schedule) and then maybe a .500 record in the MAC with us playing our best ball at the end of the year to make a run in the tourney.

I said Samarco was in their class, not better. The rest of your points seem good. However what kind of player would Reimold have been without Ahlmanson and vice Versa?

I see Sullivan as more of a low post 4 than Fitch or Soler. It would be no surprise to see many sets with Marcshall and Sullivan manning the post positions when Lefeld goes to the bench with glass in his shoes. (Especially early in the season while Polk and Larson develop.)

BleedOrange wrote:I see Sullivan as more of a low post 4 than Fitch or Soler. It would be no surprise to see many sets with Marcshall and Sullivan manning the post positions when Lefeld goes to the bench with glass in his shoes. (Especially early in the season while Polk and Larson develop.)

I admittedly have not followed the MAC recently, but I remember last year how hamstrung I felt being so undersized. I would guess you are 100% correct that we may see sets with Marschall or Sullivan guarding the other temas 5, I would hope they are few and far between.

Guerin might not be our starting PG but he his alot better that Bland or Sims so he will be getting alot of PT this year.

Guerin will NOT get a lot of playing time this year ... he may be better than Bland, but that isn't saying much ... sims is much more talented than Guerin



Guerin = bench warmer or we are screwed

I'd love to be surprised but I'm not drinking any preseason Kool-Aid. My expectations remain LOW, especially when it comes to MAC play, which quite frankly, is all that really counts with this schedule. For my next run-on sentence ....