Will Junior...

[CaribouJim]

...step up big this year? I've been big fan and still am and he's teased us on many occasions over the years, i.e. WVU game in MSG, but he has fallen short of my expectations for the most part. He's a really gifted passer, especially in finding DG, and those drives of his that start about 30 ft. from the basket are sights to behold, but he can just look really out of sorts at times as well - really out of sorts.

With all the new faces, especially Lockett, he's going to have to get everyone on the same page this year if MU is going to make any kind of run.

I'm trying to think of guys that have broken through big time their senior years, i.e. Bernard Toone, Earl Tatum, Chris Crawford - all guys that went on to the NBA - not expecting an NBA career from Junior, but would like to see an overall game that matches his ranking when he stepped on campus.

What is the buzz on Junior - should be we expect to see a game that has been tightened up a bit with some decent range to keep everyone honest.

[IWB]

Junior has what it takes, but remember, he has dealt with some pretty serious injuries in his career. He has worked on his shot a LOT this off season, and even the other players will tell you how hard he has worked and how much improved his shot is. Now that doesn't mean that he will come in with a Travis Diener outside 3, but I think he will give defenders a reason to guard him beyond the arc this year.

Last year Junior's scoring and assist numbers were not huge, but there was no question the team as a whole produced more when he was on the floor. He gives them a sense of confidence, a sense of control.

Whether it shows up in the stats this season or not, there is no question that Junior is their leader.

[Nukem2]

Junior has what it takes, but remember, he has dealt with some pretty serious injuries in his career. He has worked on his shot a LOT this off season, and even the other players will tell you how hard he has worked and how much improved his shot is. Now that doesn't mean that he will come in with a Travis Diener outside 3, but I think he will give defenders a reason to guard him beyond the arc this year.

Last year Junior's scoring and assist numbers were not huge, but there was no question the team as a whole produced more when he was on the floor. He gives them a sense of confidence, a sense of control.

Whether it shows up in the stats this season or not, there is no question that Junior is their leader.We certainly saw that in the Florida NCAA game when Junior was out with foul trouble...!

[TheSultan]

If Junior adds any bit of scoring to his game, he will be incredible...like all-Big East incredible. He also needs to be a bit better on the defensive end in my opinion.

[tower912]

Junior was the straw that stirred the drink last year. MU was clearly a better team with him on the floor, even against Louisville in the BEast tourney. If he shows up with any kind of jumper or mid-range game, MU will be a dangerous team.

[Phantom Warrior]

I consider Junior the second or third best passer I've seen at MU over the past 50 years with only Sam Worthen definitely being better and Tony Miller possibly being better. Junior does the best job I've ever seen at MU of pushing the ball upcourt with a pass. It is almost always one dribble - head up - lead pass.

Last year Junior averaged about 5 apg, which is solid, and his asst-turnover ratio was over 2 to 1, again solid. I expect both of those to go up slightly this season.

As far as scoring, I never expected Junior to average more than 10 ppg. I figured somewhere in 7-8 ppg range. He'll have some games in double digits but not a majority. I'd like to see him get a couple of hoops - maybe a trey and a duece and three free throws or a trey, a couple of dueces, and a free throw - just enough to keep the defense honest.

I don't see Junior making all-conference. There are too many other point guards in the league who can score as well as pile up assists. But there is no question we are a better team when Junior is on the floor.

I read that Junior hit 10 or 12 treys in a summer league game - some crazy stat like that - and I'm hoping he'll have two or three games when he gets hot from the outside and nails maybe three treys. That would be sweet.

When Junior committed to MU, I thought we had the next in a line of outstanding point guards going all the way back to the Dream. So far he hasn't reached the level of Dean or Lloyd or Sam, or Tony or Aaron or Travis or Dominic. I'll be thrilled if this year he even comes close to the level those guys established.

[Markedman]

If he becomes a better jump shooter it changes our team.38% from the floor isn't good. Passing will always be his forte but as a senior we are going to need more from him offensively then we have gotten the last 2 years.

I like Junior as a player and he seems like a great teammate.

Lets hope he takes a leap forward as a senior like Acker and Coobie did and plays his best ball when he is needed most.

Hope he handles the press better and cuts down on the turnovers.

[BLT]

He was dynamite at the Pro-Am. That 76 point game was one to remember, pick-up game or not. A ton of his points where treys where he hit a string of 7 or 8 in a row, motivated by Vander and DG's trash talking. Vander was dogging him pretty hard. (Spare the Pro Am comments...point is, his shot is much improved as is his confidence to use it).

[warriorfan4life]

My goal for Junior this year is to hit 48 percent of his twos, 35 percent of his threes, and 75 percent of his free throws. If he had hit those marks last year, that would have been 44 more points (another 1.2 points per game).