Next years team

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Coeur d' Alene
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Next years team has an awful lot of positive to deal with. But a few major problems. Is there a plan to deal w those problems?


Next years soph class is a special group. If they can keep trace young and one or both of Taylor and Porter

Thompson/maldanado/young/TjT/bp


That group with a pair of senior guards like Hendricks and Banks is a start! I like both of them, Banks is growing by the game and could be a huge positive. As a cutter and a rebounder and defender he's a pretty dang good player.


What do you do with those guards and hopefully those 5 sophomores?


I think they have to get an impact big and guard prob from Juco.

Is there any chance they got a big guy coming? How about another guard?
Coeur d' Alene
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Trace Young is a future 1st round pick with proper development over the next 2-3 years
TSpoke
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I am also pretty excited for the talent on the team next year(if everyone stays and stays healthy). We could definitely us another big guy/rebounder. Thompson also needs to work on his rebounding game but I think that will come with more experience.
Coeur d' Alene
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TSpoke wrote: Wed Feb 06, 2019 11:29 am I am also pretty excited for the talent on the team next year(if everyone stays and stays healthy). We could definitely us another big guy/rebounder. Thompson also needs to work on his rebounding game but I think that will come with more experience.
Agree. Thompson is going to be an all mwc player in a few. That's why I think it might be even harder to find a juco big to come in and backup. Or be kind of an equal. We need a ronell Mingo
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calpoke25
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Next years team could be worse than this one if we don’t make a change.
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SDPokeFan
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calpoke25 wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:54 am Next years team could be worse than this one if we don’t make a change.
To quote Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation: "Worse?!?! How could they get any worse? Take a look around you....were at the threshold of hell!"
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Wyokie
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SDPokeFan wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:41 pm
calpoke25 wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:54 am Next years team could be worse than this one if we don’t make a change.
To quote Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation: "Worse?!?! How could they get any worse? Take a look around you....were at the threshold of hell!"
LOL Love that movie. I have the DVD and watch it every Christmas. Sorry for hi-jacking the thread but still...
I want CHAMPIONSHIPS not chicken poop! And we're getting chicken poop!!!!!!!!!!!
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SDPokeFan wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:41 pm
calpoke25 wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:54 am Next years team could be worse than this one if we don’t make a change.
To quote Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation: "Worse?!?! How could they get any worse? Take a look around you....were at the threshold of hell!"
It could get worse. No Justin James means the other players will get more attention and not so many open looks. I've never seen a team throw so many lazy passes. We have a center who's allergic to the ball once it's shot ( 1 rebound). Air Force has one player making every shot and we choose not to guard him. I'd call it poor coaching but I can't see any evidence that the players are coached at all.
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'PokeForLife
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bladerunnr wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 1:47 pm
SDPokeFan wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:41 pm
calpoke25 wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:54 am Next years team could be worse than this one if we don’t make a change.
To quote Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation: "Worse?!?! How could they get any worse? Take a look around you....were at the threshold of hell!"
It could get worse. No Justin James means the other players will get more attention and not so many open looks. I've never seen a team throw so many lazy passes. We have a center who's allergic to the ball once it's shot ( 1 rebound). Air Force has one player making every shot and we choose not to guard him. I'd call it poor coaching but I can't see any evidence that the players are coached at all.
Its also as if people believe that every other teams young guys are not going to get any better. "We have so many young guys that are going to be better next year!" Oh wait, so does everyone else.
If we don't get rid of Edwards the ceiling is much lower than anyone wants to admit.
Coeur d' Alene
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Next years team will have

6 returning starters (Hendricks, banks, 2 hunters, TJ, and trace young)

4 returning double figure scorers (ht/hm/jh/ty)

2 senior returning starter senior guards

Yeah I get the argument of everyone has young guys that will improve but next years sophomore class is loaded.

Trace Young, Thompson, and Maldonado have all Conference potential and TJ Taylor and Brandon Porter have rotation player on conference champion potential.


If you could put a big time guard and big and coach with that group it's something big
cali2wyo
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Coeur d' Alene wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:57 pm Next years team will have

6 returning starters (Hendricks, banks, 2 hunters, TJ, and trace young)
Don't forget Austin Mueller, too. People like to say he doesn't have the athleticism to be a starter, but he's still another guy with starter experience who the coaches were really praising at the start of this year
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'PokeForLife
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We also have Edwards. I agree that these guys have potential. But we have Edwards too, and I don't think he has much more than what we've seen.
307bball
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'PokeForLife wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:04 pm We also have Edwards. I agree that these guys have potential. But we have Edwards too, and I don't think he has much more than what we've seen.
There is some potential there...I don't think any of the young guys, at this moment, project to be 1st or 2nd team all-MWC type players though. I know they are young but when you watch a lot of years of college ball ... you see certain patterns...

Guys like Nance and Adams, from the time they are freshman looked like they had potential, barring injury, to be very impactful as they develop. Guys like Dalton it's a little less obvious but they look like they belong. I'm sure there is an example of a Wyo bball player being an unremarkable underclassman and developing into an all-conference type player but I can't think of one. All of the current underclassman fit into the last category in my opinion....solid young guys hovering right around replacement value.
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'PokeForLife
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307bball wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 8:54 am
'PokeForLife wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:04 pm We also have Edwards. I agree that these guys have potential. But we have Edwards too, and I don't think he has much more than what we've seen.
There is some potential there...I don't think any of the young guys, at this moment, project to be 1st or 2nd team all-MWC type players though. I know they are young but when you watch a lot of years of college ball ... you see certain patterns...

Guys like Nance and Adams, from the time they are freshman looked like they had potential, barring injury, to be very impactful as they develop. Guys like Dalton it's a little less obvious but they look like they belong. I'm sure there is an example of a Wyo bball player being an unremarkable underclassman and developing into an all-conference type player but I can't think of one. All of the current underclassman fit into the last category in my opinion....solid young guys hovering right around replacement value.
And with Edwards at coach, I think its more of a long shot for player development. He hasn't shown that he can help guys develop any new skills. Or even get them in shape so they aren't run out of the gym for that matter.
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I'm old but I remember players like Jay Straight, Brandon Ewing, and Josh Davis as freshmen. None of our current underclassmen are anywhere near the level of those players. Maybe some of these guys will develop. But right now, unless we get a major infusion of talent at every position, this is a last or next to last place team again next year.
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bladerunnr wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:31 am I'm old but I remember players like Jay Straight, Brandon Ewing, and Josh Davis as freshmen. None of our current underclassmen are anywhere near the level of those players. Maybe some of these guys will develop. But right now, unless we get a major infusion of talent at every position, this is a last or next to last place team again next year.
TJ Taylor is the closest thing we have to a good player coming up. H. Thompson could get there, but man, he has been getting whipped on defense and on the boards to the point I'm doubting he'll be above average.
307bball
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LanderPoke wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:48 am
bladerunnr wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:31 am I'm old but I remember players like Jay Straight, Brandon Ewing, and Josh Davis as freshmen. None of our current underclassmen are anywhere near the level of those players. Maybe some of these guys will develop. But right now, unless we get a major infusion of talent at every position, this is a last or next to last place team again next year.
TJ Taylor is the closest thing we have to a good player coming up. H. Thompson could get there, but man, he has been getting whipped on defense and on the boards to the point I'm doubting he'll be above average.
Yup...thompson has a pretty smooth offensive game from outside but never having to play defense in High school is showing up now.
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Coeur d' Alene wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:57 pm Next years team will have

6 returning starters (Hendricks, banks, 2 hunters, TJ, and trace young)

4 returning double figure scorers (ht/hm/jh/ty)

2 senior returning starter senior guards

Yeah I get the argument of everyone has young guys that will improve but next years sophomore class is loaded.

Trace Young, Thompson, and Maldonado have all Conference potential and TJ Taylor and Brandon Porter have rotation player on conference champion potential.


If you could put a big time guard and big and coach with that group it's something big
The main question that needs to be answered here is, how many times did you hit your head before you wrote these posts?

I accurately predicted that this season would be a struggle due to all of the new players. Just for your info, Queta that has beaten Thompson badly the two times that they have faced each other this year is a true freshman. The PF at UNLV that went off on us that Thompson or anyone couldn't stop was also a true freshman. How is our redshirt freshman all of a sudden going to become a defender and rebounder and out play those two guys?

Thompson MIGHT be an All-MWC player by his junior to senior year if he works really hard, but right now he is one of the worst defender down low that I have seen all year amongst the bigs. The real problem is that Thompson really isn't a big, despite his height. He is slow, positions himself poorly due to poor footwork. The bottom line Thompson needs a LOT OF WORK. Banks is a horrible shooter, he handles the ball okay, is a decent defender but he is far, far from being a superior player. I like Trace Young and TJ Taylor a lot and have a feeling that they will develop into nice players.

Right now we have the worst, no doubt about it, the worst team for paint defense and offense in the MWC! Adding one JC or HS kid is not going to solve that issue. They need at least two, three would be better bigs. Hendricks is a nice player, but he has trouble if they defend him out on the 3 point line, he is unable to make his own offense, and if you haven't noticed Hendricks about disappeared when Nevada actually went out and defended him, he could do nothing. Brandon Porter is a project period! He needed a redshirt year badly, but was unable to get it. He is nothing but a lost player who is also a fouling machine, hopefully he can be redshirted this coming year.

Now for the big thing, who will replace our leading rebounder and scorer next season? Maldonado? The real answer no one, that load will have to be spread over the team. Maldonado can help with some of the scoring, but rebounding? Wyoming is a lousy, and I do mean lousy rebounding team and it has been like that for years now, that is not a one time thing, but a concerted coaching decision to let the offensive boards go. Just look at the stats for years now, and this is all of a sudden going to change? We are losing Naughton and Thompson is anything but a rebounder. We are going to be at the bottom end of the conference in rebounding (again) next season!

You are crazy if you think just because our guys are young that they will magically improve enough next year to be a special team. There are far superior young players in more than several teams in the MWC, and are you expecting that they won't improve? Hardly! Next season is looking like another long season, I was correct about this one, and unless something changes dramatically, next year will be more of the same. Shoddy defense, questionable ball handling, streaking shooting and horrible rebounding. That IS the reality of this program under Edwards right now. My main issue is that I am not really seeing the improvement in the players over the last almost 3 years that one should expect. The coaching up of the post position is nothing short of horrible, and is that all of a sudden going to change? Hardly.

The saddest thing right now, is that we are as healthy as we have been all season, and this team came out with no energy against Nevada. With Maldonado the Pokes would have still lost by 20 to Nevada. The real issue is Edwards and his staff, the way that they have built this team, the lack of cohesive play, the philosophy of not deciding that rebounding is important enough to make it happen, and his recruiting which de-emphasizes the post. Until some major changes are either made by getting rid of this staff or the staff changes their philosophy big time, things are not going to get this program into the upper half of the MWC.
307bball
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RapeljeJack wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 3:44 pm
Coeur d' Alene wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:57 pm Next years team will have

6 returning starters (Hendricks, banks, 2 hunters, TJ, and trace young)

4 returning double figure scorers (ht/hm/jh/ty)

2 senior returning starter senior guards

Yeah I get the argument of everyone has young guys that will improve but next years sophomore class is loaded.

Trace Young, Thompson, and Maldonado have all Conference potential and TJ Taylor and Brandon Porter have rotation player on conference champion potential.


If you could put a big time guard and big and coach with that group it's something big
The main question that needs to be answered here is, how many times did you hit your head before you wrote these posts?

I accurately predicted that this season would be a struggle due to all of the new players. Just for your info, Queta that has beaten Thompson badly the two times that they have faced each other this year is a true freshman. The PF at UNLV that went off on us that Thompson or anyone couldn't stop was also a true freshman. How is our redshirt freshman all of a sudden going to become a defender and rebounder and out play those two guys?

Thompson MIGHT be an All-MWC player by his junior to senior year if he works really hard, but right now he is one of the worst defender down low that I have seen all year amongst the bigs. The real problem is that Thompson really isn't a big, despite his height. He is slow, positions himself poorly due to poor footwork. The bottom line Thompson needs a LOT OF WORK. Banks is a horrible shooter, he handles the ball okay, is a decent defender but he is far, far from being a superior player. I like Trace Young and TJ Taylor a lot and have a feeling that they will develop into nice players.

Right now we have the worst, no doubt about it, the worst team for paint defense and offense in the MWC! Adding one JC or HS kid is not going to solve that issue. They need at least two, three would be better bigs. Hendricks is a nice player, but he has trouble if they defend him out on the 3 point line, he is unable to make his own offense, and if you haven't noticed Hendricks about disappeared when Nevada actually went out and defended him, he could do nothing. Brandon Porter is a project period! He needed a redshirt year badly, but was unable to get it. He is nothing but a lost player who is also a fouling machine, hopefully he can be redshirted this coming year.

Now for the big thing, who will replace our leading rebounder and scorer next season? Maldonado? The real answer no one, that load will have to be spread over the team. Maldonado can help with some of the scoring, but rebounding? Wyoming is a lousy, and I do mean lousy rebounding team and it has been like that for years now, that is not a one time thing, but a concerted coaching decision to let the offensive boards go. Just look at the stats for years now, and this is all of a sudden going to change? We are losing Naughton and Thompson is anything but a rebounder. We are going to be at the bottom end of the conference in rebounding (again) next season!

You are crazy if you think just because our guys are young that they will magically improve enough next year to be a special team. There are far superior young players in more than several teams in the MWC, and are you expecting that they won't improve? Hardly! Next season is looking like another long season, I was correct about this one, and unless something changes dramatically, next year will be more of the same. Shoddy defense, questionable ball handling, streaking shooting and horrible rebounding. That IS the reality of this program under Edwards right now. My main issue is that I am not really seeing the improvement in the players over the last almost 3 years that one should expect. The coaching up of the post position is nothing short of horrible, and is that all of a sudden going to change? Hardly.

The saddest thing right now, is that we are as healthy as we have been all season, and this team came out with no energy against Nevada. With Maldonado the Pokes would have still lost by 20 to Nevada. The real issue is Edwards and his staff, the way that they have built this team, the lack of cohesive play, the philosophy of not deciding that rebounding is important enough to make it happen, and his recruiting which de-emphasizes the post. Until some major changes are either made by getting rid of this staff or the staff changes their philosophy big time, things are not going to get this program into the upper half of the MWC.
Could not have said it better. This program is a DUMPSTER FIRE...no talent ... no direction... no hope.
RapeljeJack
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Coeur d' Alene wrote: Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:22 am Next years team has an awful lot of positive to deal with. But a few major problems. Is there a plan to deal w those problems?


Next years soph class is a special group. If they can keep trace young and one or both of Taylor and Porter

Thompson/maldanado/young/TjT/bp


That group with a pair of senior guards like Hendricks and Banks is a start! I like both of them, Banks is growing by the game and could be a huge positive. As a cutter and a rebounder and defender he's a pretty dang good player.


What do you do with those guards and hopefully those 5 sophomores?


I think they have to get an impact big and guard prob from Juco.

Is there any chance they got a big guy coming? How about another guard?
I knew you didn't know what you were talking about when you suggested that we need another guard (prob from Juco). We already have 10 guys (out of 13 scholarship limit) next season that will be on the roster that can play guard!!!! and you want another. The Pokes have one redshirt guard sitting on the bench, Bradley Belt (6'-4"), and one guard that they have already signed out of HS, Kenny Foster (6'-4") and another guard committed, Kwane Marble (6'-5"). So that leaves only 1 scholarship left, and it better go to an impact big! Unfortunately I am not convinced that Edwards would know enough how to get the big to be a real impact player his first year.
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