Where do we go from here?
Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:03 pm
So my hats off to the team. By far and away the best season BG basketball has had in the last 15 years. It was a fun rollercoaster ride from the time MAC season started up until the final few minutes last night. We had our ups and downs, but they showed that when engaged they were probably the 2nd best team in the MAC, and could play with anybody in the conference.
So is this the start of building something great, or is it a lightning in a bottle type season with a perfect mix of seniors and young talent? Honestly, it could go in either direction, but there is plenty to be excited about going into next year. The losses will hurt. Wiggins, no matter how much I may complain about him, was a legit MAC big man. Averaging a double double is no small feat. Moreover, I'm not convinced we have his replacement on our current roster. Hard to pencil in Mattos or Gadsen in for next season when neither was a part of the rotation this year. Uju and Lillard were key rotational pieces; we should be able to replace their production, but there is something to be said for bringing in that sort of experience off the bench. We may find players just as capable of producing to bring in off the bench, but they won't have played in nearly as many games as Uju & Lillard have.
That being said, look at what we're returning and it's tough not to be excited. The big one, obviously, is Justin Turner. He should enter next season as a near unanimous preseason choice for MAC POY. He's the only guy on the first or second team all MAC teams that is returning. He'll be the conference's leading returning scorer as well.
Dylan Frye will be a Senior and we've seen for several years that when he gets hot he can fill it up. If we could play him without the ball more often I think his shooting percentage would go up, and his shot selection issues might be mitigated some. I've never been a fan of a primary ball handler who's primary role is scoring, such a fine line between trying to get your points and trying to get your teammates involved. That being said he did a good job as this season went along of acquiescing to Turner being the primary scorer and taking the most shots.
Plowden & Fields are two guys who I think have more game than they've really been able to show at this point. On this team they were role players. Plowden actually scored at a more efficient clip than Frye this year, and while Fields wasn't a very efficient scorer he did some real nice things and had some big games from time to time. Both of them showed that they could be very good defensive players. Fields really made Massinburg and Persons work for their points in this tourney run. Plowden has gotten into some bad habits defensively, IMO, but those blocks are highlight reel plays, and they've been coming with regularity this season. Both as underclassmen, I expect them to start taking some big steps forward next year.
Laster is a guy who I've really loved seeing come in off the bench. Honestly, I'd like to see him get more minutes, but I'm not sure where they come from. Turner is our best player, he's not leaving the floor. Frye can be such a huge spark when he's shooting, and Fields is so valuable on defense. But Laster is the only true PG of the bunch. Second only to Turner in assists on the team, and in 400 less minutes on the year. Laster's Assists per 40 minute numbers ranked him 4th in the league this year, and his 1.6 A:TO ratio is respectable, if not great.
We're going to need Sierra to improve and, at the least, take up Uju's production. We're going to need SOMEBODY to come in and give us some semblance of Center play (to me this spot is BEGGING for a grad transfer that can contribute right away). And, from a coaching standpoint, I'd really like us to do something on offense. We've got a lot of talented players returning, but they're not talented enough for the answer in big game situations to always be isolation ball with Turner or Frye. I really think if we can find a Center and get some production from the incoming recruits we could be one of the teams favored to make it this far again next year. Yeah, we're losing some production, but we're not losing nearly as much as UT (lose 3 of their top 5 scorers) or Buffalo (losing 4 of their top 5 scorers).
So is this the start of building something great, or is it a lightning in a bottle type season with a perfect mix of seniors and young talent? Honestly, it could go in either direction, but there is plenty to be excited about going into next year. The losses will hurt. Wiggins, no matter how much I may complain about him, was a legit MAC big man. Averaging a double double is no small feat. Moreover, I'm not convinced we have his replacement on our current roster. Hard to pencil in Mattos or Gadsen in for next season when neither was a part of the rotation this year. Uju and Lillard were key rotational pieces; we should be able to replace their production, but there is something to be said for bringing in that sort of experience off the bench. We may find players just as capable of producing to bring in off the bench, but they won't have played in nearly as many games as Uju & Lillard have.
That being said, look at what we're returning and it's tough not to be excited. The big one, obviously, is Justin Turner. He should enter next season as a near unanimous preseason choice for MAC POY. He's the only guy on the first or second team all MAC teams that is returning. He'll be the conference's leading returning scorer as well.
Dylan Frye will be a Senior and we've seen for several years that when he gets hot he can fill it up. If we could play him without the ball more often I think his shooting percentage would go up, and his shot selection issues might be mitigated some. I've never been a fan of a primary ball handler who's primary role is scoring, such a fine line between trying to get your points and trying to get your teammates involved. That being said he did a good job as this season went along of acquiescing to Turner being the primary scorer and taking the most shots.
Plowden & Fields are two guys who I think have more game than they've really been able to show at this point. On this team they were role players. Plowden actually scored at a more efficient clip than Frye this year, and while Fields wasn't a very efficient scorer he did some real nice things and had some big games from time to time. Both of them showed that they could be very good defensive players. Fields really made Massinburg and Persons work for their points in this tourney run. Plowden has gotten into some bad habits defensively, IMO, but those blocks are highlight reel plays, and they've been coming with regularity this season. Both as underclassmen, I expect them to start taking some big steps forward next year.
Laster is a guy who I've really loved seeing come in off the bench. Honestly, I'd like to see him get more minutes, but I'm not sure where they come from. Turner is our best player, he's not leaving the floor. Frye can be such a huge spark when he's shooting, and Fields is so valuable on defense. But Laster is the only true PG of the bunch. Second only to Turner in assists on the team, and in 400 less minutes on the year. Laster's Assists per 40 minute numbers ranked him 4th in the league this year, and his 1.6 A:TO ratio is respectable, if not great.
We're going to need Sierra to improve and, at the least, take up Uju's production. We're going to need SOMEBODY to come in and give us some semblance of Center play (to me this spot is BEGGING for a grad transfer that can contribute right away). And, from a coaching standpoint, I'd really like us to do something on offense. We've got a lot of talented players returning, but they're not talented enough for the answer in big game situations to always be isolation ball with Turner or Frye. I really think if we can find a Center and get some production from the incoming recruits we could be one of the teams favored to make it this far again next year. Yeah, we're losing some production, but we're not losing nearly as much as UT (lose 3 of their top 5 scorers) or Buffalo (losing 4 of their top 5 scorers).