Phantom Warrior
04-08-2015, 12:43 AM
In two years could MU have a team reasonably similar to UW's team this year?
At point, could Traci Carter as a sophomore be the equivalent of what Koenig was this year for UW as a soph? I think Koenig is probably a better shooter, but maybe TC will be equal or better in other areas.
At the 2 guard Duane will almost certainly be a better scorer than Gasser, and I think Duane has many of the same intangibles in terms of leadership and effort that Gasser has. Gasser is an excellent defender, but I think Duane as a fourth-year junior should be an effective defender.
Overall, the backcourt tandem of Duane and Carter could be the equal (or better) of this year's Koenig-Gasser tandem.
Skip the 3 for now. Come back to it later.
At the 5, I am not suggesting that Luke will end up college POY or an all-American. But I do think he can be a pretty dominant force on both offense and defense his senior year. I think against most opponents Luke should be the better 5, especially if he can add a little strength and add a mid-range shot. I think Luke has the potential to be drafted and have a pretty nice career in the NBA. If that's the case, that's all we will need. We don't need him to be POY.
At the 4, I think Henry could very easily be the equivalent of what Dekker was this year for the Badgers. In fact, I think their games are very similar, especially on offense. I hope Henry doesn't disappear the way Dekker did at times this season, and I will be surprised if that happens.
Now the 3. Hayes is a completely different type of player than anyone we are likely to have at the "small forward" position. Hayes is very good, much better than his recruiting rankings suggested. And he will only get better. But I am talking about Hayes this year - as a sophomore - relative to whoever gets the majority of minutes for MU two years down the road. It could be JJJ as a senior or Wally as a senior. Or it could be Haanif or Anim as sophomores - like Hayes. It could even be Sandy as a junior. All we really need is one of those five to step up, and I think the odds are one, maybe two, of them will.
I also think we are likely to have an advantage in terms of depth. UW basically played seven guys - the five starters plus Jackson and Dukan. I think Heldt will provide depth at the 5 and we will have depth at the 2 and 3. Duane can back up at point, if necessary, and apparently so can Haanif, though who knows?
I am not saying we will be a Top 5 team or that we will go 34-4 or whatever UW went this year, or that we will play for the national championship. That would be really stupid to predict anything like that. But I think the potential exists - just from the 10 players currently in the program - to have a very, very good team in two years with many of the same elements/ingredients UW had this year.
At point, could Traci Carter as a sophomore be the equivalent of what Koenig was this year for UW as a soph? I think Koenig is probably a better shooter, but maybe TC will be equal or better in other areas.
At the 2 guard Duane will almost certainly be a better scorer than Gasser, and I think Duane has many of the same intangibles in terms of leadership and effort that Gasser has. Gasser is an excellent defender, but I think Duane as a fourth-year junior should be an effective defender.
Overall, the backcourt tandem of Duane and Carter could be the equal (or better) of this year's Koenig-Gasser tandem.
Skip the 3 for now. Come back to it later.
At the 5, I am not suggesting that Luke will end up college POY or an all-American. But I do think he can be a pretty dominant force on both offense and defense his senior year. I think against most opponents Luke should be the better 5, especially if he can add a little strength and add a mid-range shot. I think Luke has the potential to be drafted and have a pretty nice career in the NBA. If that's the case, that's all we will need. We don't need him to be POY.
At the 4, I think Henry could very easily be the equivalent of what Dekker was this year for the Badgers. In fact, I think their games are very similar, especially on offense. I hope Henry doesn't disappear the way Dekker did at times this season, and I will be surprised if that happens.
Now the 3. Hayes is a completely different type of player than anyone we are likely to have at the "small forward" position. Hayes is very good, much better than his recruiting rankings suggested. And he will only get better. But I am talking about Hayes this year - as a sophomore - relative to whoever gets the majority of minutes for MU two years down the road. It could be JJJ as a senior or Wally as a senior. Or it could be Haanif or Anim as sophomores - like Hayes. It could even be Sandy as a junior. All we really need is one of those five to step up, and I think the odds are one, maybe two, of them will.
I also think we are likely to have an advantage in terms of depth. UW basically played seven guys - the five starters plus Jackson and Dukan. I think Heldt will provide depth at the 5 and we will have depth at the 2 and 3. Duane can back up at point, if necessary, and apparently so can Haanif, though who knows?
I am not saying we will be a Top 5 team or that we will go 34-4 or whatever UW went this year, or that we will play for the national championship. That would be really stupid to predict anything like that. But I think the potential exists - just from the 10 players currently in the program - to have a very, very good team in two years with many of the same elements/ingredients UW had this year.