What needs to happen to win next year?

[Globetrotter]

I think that talent is there, the coaches are not going anywhere. How do they improve from the worst defensive team in the MAC and worst FG% team in the mac.

1. Open up the offense. You see everyone else we play get open shots. 1) because we are bad at D. 2) because they have much better ball movement. Frye and Turner can shoot the 3 but they are consistently attacking the basket. Frye is taking pull back jumpers with guys in his face all the time. Open up the offense and start moving the ball around. I think Mattis as a stretch 4 will help this happen.
2. Start Plowden. I like Koch but he hasn't developed at all and his game is too similar to Wiggins. We don't have a defender that anyone fears in the post or a true athlete. Plowden has bounce that will help him defend the post and be great at helpside D. Or Start Matiss. The More I think about it the more I think that is likely. Koch goes to more of a backup role in the post and Matiss is the starter at PF.
3. Use all of your scholarships. This is a broken record but you have to use all of your scholarships because you never know what is going to happen. Last year was a wasted year because Wes Alcegaire was playing PF for us. You need 13 bodies who can contribute.
4. Play your depth in the out of conference schedule. That schedule is pointless for us. We are not getting a bid anyway other than winning the MAC. So build depth in the part of the season that doesn't matter.

1 Frye (3) - Caldwell (3) - Cummings (2)
2 Turner (2) - Fields (1)
3 Lillard (4)
4 Matiss (1) -Plowden (2) - Uju (4)
5 Wiggins (4) - Koch (2) - Gadsen (2)

Plowden and Turner are backups at the 3.
If history tells us anything we should expect some attrition although I don't want any. (Caldwell, Cummings and Uju?)
If no one leaves at the very least we should be looking at a SF. This is good for us because we have offers out to 4 guys who are 6-4 to 6-8.

Then the next year looks like.
1 Frye (4) - Caldwell (4) - Cummings (3)
2 Turner (3) - Fields (2)
3 (Plowden (3))
4 Matiss (2) - Plowden (3)
5 Koch (3) - Gadsen (3)

[mbenecke]

I don't see anyone leaving after this year. I just don't think anyone actually would, save for Nelly, who I think stays.

[Globetrotter]

I don't see anyone leaving after this year. I just don't think anyone actually would, save for Nelly, who I think stays.

Good. Caldwell and Cummings have had not so great years but they are still young and can develop. I can't forget last year. Can always use a big.

[hammb]

IF we're going to win next year we need athletes, long ones. And they need to be willing to play with effort on both sides of the court.

We need to stop recruiting so damned many undersized guards. This isn't Huger's era of college basketball anymore. You cannot trot out 2 guards under 6'2 anymore. You don't want to be trotting out 2 lumbering post players anymore. Looking back on the early season we were rolling with a starting 5 of Caldwell-Frye-Turner-Koch-Wiggins. I think we'd all agree there is some talent in that group, and it mostly fits into traditional size/position molds (although Turner is pretty small at the 3). But that doesn't work nowadays. Clearly Buffalo is, right now, the class of the conference. They're starting a 6'10 PF, along with 4 guards listed at 6'7, 6'0, 6'3, and 6'2. That's not big, and we can compete with that in terms of size, but how do you guard that when you're sending Koch & Wiggins plodding around out there... Toledo is the 2nd team in the league. They start a 6'0 guard, and then 4 guys between 6'4-6'9.

Basketball is positionless now. You need athletes. The more size in those athletes, the better, but you at least need the athletes. I hope like hell Matiss is a LOT more athletic than Fox or Koch. Koch should be the backup to Wiggins and I rarely want the 2 of them on the court together because neither can guard anybody outside the paint (and really they aren't good, there). Our only hope is that we can find a way to mesh and win with a lineup of Frye-Turner-Lillard-Matiss-Wiggins as our primary 5. Plowden at the 3/4 should be the first guy off the bench. Caldwell/Fields/Cummings? Meh, they can rotate in at the 1, but we shouldn't be playing very much time with 2 of Frye/Caldwell/Cummings on the court. Fields adds another 6'2 (supposedly) guard to the mix.

Looks to me like next year is another year with a roster that is constructed like the early 90s. Too many true post only players. Too many undersized guards. Not enough athletes with length. If this team is to win it will be because Matiss/Lillard/Turner/Plowden play well and carry the team. And hope like hell they find another long athlete to take that final scholarship.

[hammb]

I don't see anyone leaving after this year. I just don't think anyone actually would, save for Nelly, who I think stays.

Good. Caldwell and Cummings have had not so great years but they are still young and can develop. I can't forget last year. Can always use a big.

I feel like Wiggins/Koch/Gadsen are already plenty of true bigs. Given none of them can do anything outside the paint, you are best off to only play 1 at a time, so I don't think we need any more of them.

What we don't have are any quality PFs, unless Matiss can be that. We need 6'7'-6'9 athletes that can guard the perimeter and hopefully score from somewhere other than the block.

[Globetrotter]

IF we're going to win next year we need athletes, long ones. And they need to be willing to play with effort on both sides of the court.

We need to stop recruiting so damned many undersized guards. This isn't Huger's era of college basketball anymore. You cannot trot out 2 guards under 6'2 anymore. You don't want to be trotting out 2 lumbering post players anymore. Looking back on the early season we were rolling with a starting 5 of Caldwell-Frye-Turner-Koch-Wiggins. I think we'd all agree there is some talent in that group, and it mostly fits into traditional size/position molds (although Turner is pretty small at the 3). But that doesn't work nowadays. Clearly Buffalo is, right now, the class of the conference. They're starting a 6'10 PF, along with 4 guards listed at 6'7, 6'0, 6'3, and 6'2. That's not big, and we can compete with that in terms of size, but how do you guard that when you're sending Koch & Wiggins plodding around out there... Toledo is the 2nd team in the league. They start a 6'0 guard, and then 4 guys between 6'4-6'9.

Basketball is positionless now. You need athletes. The more size in those athletes, the better, but you at least need the athletes. I hope like hell Matiss is a LOT more athletic than Fox or Koch. Koch should be the backup to Wiggins and I rarely want the 2 of them on the court together because neither can guard anybody outside the paint (and really they aren't good, there). Our only hope is that we can find a way to mesh and win with a lineup of Frye-Turner-Lillard-Matiss-Wiggins as our primary 5. Plowden at the 3/4 should be the first guy off the bench. Caldwell/Fields/Cummings? Meh, they can rotate in at the 1, but we shouldn't be playing very much time with 2 of Frye/Caldwell/Cummings on the court. Fields adds another 6'2 (supposedly) guard to the mix.

Looks to me like next year is another year with a roster that is constructed like the early 90s. Too many true post only players. Too many undersized guards. Not enough athletes with length. If this team is to win it will be because Matiss/Lillard/Turner/Plowden play well and carry the team. And hope like hell they find another long athlete to take that final scholarship.

Looking at the latest twitter follows its more guards 6-0 to 6-2.

[Globetrotter]

I don't see anyone leaving after this year. I just don't think anyone actually would, save for Nelly, who I think stays.

Good. Caldwell and Cummings have had not so great years but they are still young and can develop. I can't forget last year. Can always use a big.

I feel like Wiggins/Koch/Gadsen are already plenty of true bigs. Given none of them can do anything outside the paint, you are best off to only play 1 at a time, so I don't think we need any more of them.

What we don't have are any quality PFs, unless Matiss can be that. We need 6'7'-6'9 athletes that can guard the perimeter and hopefully score from somewhere other than the block.

Matiss 2017 tape doesn't seem like a great athlete. Can stretch the floor though so that will be huge. Gadsen actually seems like a decent athlete. Can you be athletic and not coordinated?

[guest44]

Here is a crazy idea. Go get a grad transfer. Toledo has found guys in back to back years who are first team All MAC, and probably player of the year. Here is another crazy idea, tell Ethan Good to take a academic scholarship and go get a JuCo player. Someone who can make a difference . Not a backup center who does nothing well and uses up 3 years of scholarship.

[Rollo83]

I wish this team was still coached by a clean and sober Chris Jans. He's got New Mexico State at 22-4 and 11-2 in the WAC this year.

Look, I agree he had to be fired and I am glad we had the "stones" to do it so quickly. So don't think I am advocating for him again or anyone similar to him in terms of character. But the dude can coach basketball...that's the sad thing. He took a rag tag bunch of Orr holdovers and won 20 game with them here. I often wonder what the program would look like if he were still here on the straight and narrow?

I feel coaches are are a lot like quarterbacks. You know right away what you got. QBs rarely get better in terms of accuracy, turnovers, reading defenses, etc. Same with coaches. Rarely do they get better at in-game decisions, game planning, motivating players, etc. Yes, experience can help, but only so much.

I like Huger personally. He's an alum and one of us. Always will be. But, next year will be year four for him. If the program continues to languish in mediocrity, you have to wonder if he's the answer going forward. I am not on a witch hunt as much as I am stating the obvious.

Will another surprise run deeper into the MAC Tournament bye him some goodwill with fans and the administration? Maybe. But, in the end it will be just another .500 season and we will be starting all over again in October.

[ZuluWarrior]

I’ve bitten my tongue this year and have agreed to give Coach Huger the benefit of the doubt. Next year, if this team is not competing for a championship our program will be looking at Louis Orr 2.0. I knew after 3 years Coach Orr wasn’t taking us anywhere - a lot of people gave him 4 and 5 years. As an alum Coach Huger gets 4, but...a great coach builds a winner in 4(3) years! IMO

[jakehovs23]

Well something definitely needs to happen. Buffalo just came in and dropped 100 on us on senior night

[Globetrotter]

We add 2 players at least next year. I hope they are both given an opportunity to start

Here is what we add.
1. Matiss Kulackovis 6'9 210 Redshirt-Freshman 2018-2019
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/6921208/59 ... 1994ea342c" target="_blank
At the end of the video he looks a bit more athletic but I still think for this team he is a stretch 4 but I would give him every opportunity to start immediately. He gives us more athleticism than Koch at the 4 and would fit nicely with Lillard at the 3.
"This past season, while serving as a team captain, the Latvian averaged 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Raiders. He also shot an impressive 40 percent from three-point range as a senior, while shooting 55 percent from the floor overall."

2. Caleb Jojo Fields 6'2 185 Freshman in 2018-2019
Here is his latest game. Play starts at about 10 minutes. He is number 3 in blue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ekBf3ATEeg" target="_blank

For next year I would open up the 1, 3 and 4 to competition. Frye, Lillard and Koch are not consistent enough to be given those spots.
1 XXXX Caldwell 5-10 Jr Cummings 6-0 So
2 Turner 6-4 So (r) Frye 6-2 Jr Fields 6-2 Fr
3 XXXX Lillard 6-5 Sr
4 XXXX Plowden 6-6 So Uju 6-7 Sr (r) Kulackovskis 6-9 Fr (r)
5 Wiggins 6-10 Sr Koch 6-9 So Gadson 6-11 So

At the 1 Frye, Caldwell, Cummings and Fields can all compete to run the offense. The offense needs to be completely revamped too. Too much standing around and not enough spacing.

At the 3 I would guess Lillard wins it as a Sr but he needs to attack the basket more. Plowden has shown flashes but didn't even play tonight (Buffalo 3-2). We have an offer out to Drew Peterson who I think is seeing some high major interest (Wisconsin) and has been talked about as the best unsigned player in Illinois. (http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/video/ ... w-peterson" target="_blank), (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXh342oG1c" target="_blank)

At the 4 I think we have 4 guys there Koch, Matiss, Uju and Plowden. I think that you have to try to go with the more athletic Plowden or Matiss if Koch can't play defense.

i think the likeliest starting lineup is
1 Frye 6-2 Jr Caldwell 5-10 Jr Cummings 6-0 So
2 Turner 6-4 So (r) Fields 6-2 Fr
3 Lillard 6-5 Sr Plowden 6-6 So
4 Kulackovskis 6-9 Fr (r) Koch 6-9 So Uju 6-7 Sr (r)
5 Wiggins 6-10 Sr Gadson 6-11 So