Season in review.

[BeaverPoke]

Well, the team had ups and down this season that is for sure.

The team started 13-0 and cracked the Top 25. They went undefeated in OOC play (14-0).
OOC schedule was very weak. And we had to use our starters in almost every OOC game to pull out the win.
Luke Martinez screwed us. But without a doubt, allowed Josh Adams to become a full time starter. Adams got thrown into the line of fire. He showed some flashes of being the next great, he also showed at time that he was a freshman thrown into the line of fire. Josh Adams defense is pretty damn solid. He guards some big names in the MWC and has done well. He needs to get some confidence back so when he is on the fast break he goes up hard to the rim instead of pulling back and settling for our horrible half court offense.
Getting rid of Gilmore will be great. I was wrong to think that having him over Luster would be better.
Leonard Washington, is the only reason this team has a winning record. He did everything he could, and got injured during it, and it is a shame considering that he really could go the NBA but now probably won't get looked at much.
Larry Nance stepped up a lot this season, even while being sick for a month of MWC play. Him as a healthy, heavier junior will be a true MWC POY threat.
Derek Cooke showed that he has a long ways to go but is very athletic and can be a solid helper next season.
Grabau, is no Brandon Ewing, but he will be a lot better next season, not having to deal with Gilmores crap. Gilmore never passes Grabau the ball. Grabau should be able to score a solid 8-10 points a game next season, while hitting a couple 3s a game.
Hankerson Jr, will be able to replace Leonard Washington in the "X-factor" type plays. He will be able to score, and we will have someone who can create his own shot. I really expect Grabau and Adams to be able to score more often with Hankerson in there, rather than Gilmore.
Plus, this will all help Adams as he will not have to be guarded by the other teams SFs. He will be in more of his true role.

Here is too hoping that the team makes the NIT and goes and wins it.
Not getting my hopes up, but that is the best possible thing right now.

Anyways, let's hope that our offense is not stagnant next season like it was this season. Let's hope, we can win a MWC title soon.

 

[TheRealUW]

A few thoughts:

Yes, our OOC schedule was pretty weak, but we were a much better team to begin the season too. I think many of us underestimated how much Luke Martinez brought to this team despite being the leading scorer. Losing the top offensive threat on an already offensively challenged team really did this team in.

I think Josh Adams is a decent level talent, but am still not convinced he will ever be an all-conference level talent in this league like some of you. He is athletic as hell, but can't knock down a jumper to save his life. When you are 6'2 and don't have a jumper, you are going to struggle in the MWC.

Gilmore gets way too much flack on this board. We had very limited offensive weapons once Luke was lost, and I think Shyatt encouraged Gilmore to try and be the playmaker for the team. Unfortunately, for Gilmore, he didn't have the skill set to do it on a consistent basis. Still, I have a feeling it is what Shyatt believed would give us the best chance to win games.

Leonard Washington had a better season than most people are letting on. Yes, his play declined towards the end of the season, but he was still easily the best basketball player on our team...even at the end of the season. He has always been an undersized power forward, and because of this, has always been an unlikely candidate to make it in the NBA.

Larry Nance Jr. is a perfect example of the minimum talent level we need in our starters. I think Nance is a legitimate MWC talent, but I don't think he will ever challenge for POY. He is the only player on our team that could start for other upper level teams in our conference. His talent level should be what Shyatt aims for when recruiting high school guys. Easier said than done.

The success of the team next year completely depends on the play of Charles Hankerson Jr. If he plays at the level I believe him capable of, then this team can be somewhat of a surprise next year. If he doesn't live up to the hype, then its going to be another very long season for the Pokes. If I were a betting man, I think Hankerson challenges for newcomer of the year.

 

[BeaverPoke]

I disagree with you one million billion percent about Gilmore. Watch the way the team plays when he is running the PG.
He is a huge ball hog, will not pass it to grabau, NEVER gets the pick and roll going and gets passes to Leonard or Larry down low.
Larry Nance and Grabau have both given Gilmore "WTF" looks before as Gilmore was doing what he wanted to with the ball instead of running the offense correctly.

And Adams, you can tell his confidence has gone down during MWC play. That happens with freshman. But look at what he did against CU and ISU, and look at how he owned Jamaal Franklin against SDSU.
Franklin got his points, mostly at the end during garbage time, but most the time Adams played Franklin so hard that Franklin couldn't do crap against him.

And the jumper thing, that is a valid concern, but after only playing 1 season, you can not say that he has no jump shot.
Hell, most the time he doesn't even opt for the jumpshot. He is not a bad jump shooter by any means. It would be nicer if he tried to get his own shot more often though.

I think Hankerson will win Newcomer of the year. Let's hope Keonta Vernon wins Freshman of the year.

By the time it is all said and done, Josh Adams will leave UW with at least 1 MWC title, if not 2. Aaaaaaand, 1 Sweet 16

 

[WYCowboy]

I'm not disputing anybody's word, but I am just wondering how everybody got their assessment of Hankerson. Have you seen him in practice, in pick-up games, from what you have read or heard, or saw him before he came to Wyoming? I hope he does as well as everyone believes he will, because I have heard good things as well.

 

[seattlecowboy]

I'm not disputing anybody's word, but I am just wondering how everybody got their assessment of Hankerson. Have you seen him in practice, in pick-up games, from what you have read or heard, or saw him before he came to Wyoming? I hope he does as well as everyone believes he will, because I have heard good things as well.

He was one of the top 100 recruits in the country out of high school and played in some of the national all star games. I have seen video of him playing. He is a big guard and has a good jumper. He should be good. I am not totally convinced yet though until I see him do something at Wyoming. He transferred from Alabama for a reason, not sure why.
Alabama fans say it was because he wasn't going to get playing time with some of the other players that they have on their roster. So if that is the case then I don't think he will be able to do a whole lot more than say Washington has done in the MWC. Washington was good but he couldn't help us get a onference record above .500. That was fans talking though so who knows if true or not. I'm sure he will be good but I'm not sure he will be the savior of the basketball team.

Just my :twocents:

 

[BeaverPoke]

I think he will be similar to Leonard overall talent wise, but he will appear better because it is a lot easier to collapse on someone down low than it is someone running around the perimeter and then slashing.
Plus, Leonard as we all know is undersized for a PF.
Plus since it was only Larry and Leonard who were our main threats and they were both bigs, everyone just collapsed on them and made our guards play outside.

 

[NowherePoke]

I'm not disputing anybody's word, but I am just wondering how everybody got their assessment of Hankerson. Have you seen him in practice, in pick-up games, from what you have read or heard, or saw him before he came to Wyoming? I hope he does as well as everyone believes he will, because I have heard good things as well.

He was one of the top 100 recruits in the country out of high school and played in some of the national all star games. I have seen video of him playing. He is a big guard and has a good jumper. He should be good. I am not totally convinced yet though until I see him do something at Wyoming. He transferred from Alabama for a reason, not sure why.
Alabama fans say it was because he wasn't going to get playing time with some of the other players that they have on their roster. So if that is the case then I don't think he will be able to do a whole lot more than say Washington has done in the MWC. Washington was good but he couldn't help us get a onference record above .500. That was fans talking though so who knows if true or not. I'm sure he will be good but I'm not sure he will be the savior of the basketball team.

Just my :twocents:

If we surround Hankerson with the same supporting cast that we surrounded Washington with, then we will likely experience similar results.

Taking a quick look at the roster:

Departing Seniors:

Leonard "The Boss" Washington - Leonard was by far the best player on the team (when healthy) and he will be sorely missed. Any criticism of Leonard is really just trying to cover up the insecurity felt by the realization that Shyatt's recruits are simply not on par talent wise with the MWC.

Derrious Gilmore - I thought Gilmore really struggled down the stretch and we simply put him in a bad position as a 5'9" PG expected to generate offense because nobody else could create their own shot (except Leonard).

Junior:

Nate Sobey - Sobey brought a little fire and enthusiasm that I thought this team lacked at times, but he also struggled defensively and tended to make more negative plays than Shyatt expects. Probably should have seen more time though on a team that really needed an offensive spark. Not sure where he fits in next year. Bench contributor probably.

Sophomores:

Derek Cooke Jr. - Cooke showed some nice flashes and IMO he may turn out to be our most improved player by next year. He will probably never be a good FT shooter or mid-range jump shot threat, but with his athleticism and size he can continue to be a force on the glass and a couple of post moves will make him a threat inside. I saw some flashes (the 15/9 game in particular) of confidence from him and I think that will grow into next year.

Larry Nance, Jr. - Nance is on the trajectory I would expect for a quality developing big man. When he was 100%, he was a 11/7 type player in a slow tempo offense. Very solid for a sophomore. Should continue to improve in the post and with his strength. Skilled player that can hit the 3 every once in a while and a quality FT shooter.

Others - Sellers and Grabau really struggled with the athleticism at this level. That's a difficult thing to fix in the offseason.

Transfers - Hankerson is TBD (put him here, since he will be a Jr. next year with Nance/Cooke/Etc.)

Freshmen:

Josh Adams - For a small guard that can't shoot, I thought he really found ways to be a contributor on the court. I really appreciate the fact that as a physically overmatched true freshman, he drew the toughest perimeter defensive assignment on most nights and generally performed pretty well all things considered. He also played with a lot of poise and didn't really try to force it on offense. Obviously needs to spend a lot of time working on his jump shot, but I feel like that is something that can be developed through hard work. The attitude, effort, and athleticism that he displayed are a lot more innate. I expect him to be a solid contributor for 4 years at UW.

Austin Haldorson - Should have been redshirted to allow for physical development. 6'9" and clearly skilled. Too skinny right now to hold up in the MWC. Honestly should redshirt next year and go into 14/15 as a redshirt sophomore, maybe up to 6'9" 210/215 or so by then and I think he could contribute by his junior or senior season. Won't happen though and he will likely see no more than spot minutes next year where matchups allow.

McManamen - Going from Wyoming 3A to MWC is an incredible leap. Too early to gauge if he can contribute.

Spring Recruiting Needs:

1. Everything.

2. Since #1 is unrealistic, I think the number one focus has to be on a JUCO SG that can step in and contribute right away. Needs to be able to be a multi-dimensional scoring threat (perimeter and off the dribble). Someone like Marquel Curtis (Tulsa Commit) that Wyoming had offered.

3. We only have one scholarship, but frankly Shyatt needs to free at least one or two up to try to add additional help in the frontcourt and maybe a D1 transfer for 14/15 (more on that later).

Looking forward:

Next year is going to be rough again, no two ways around it. The target needs to be competitiveness by 14/15. That year will see Nance, Cooke,and Hankerson all as Seniors (along with any JC transfers we sign this spring). By then Adams and Haldorson will be juniors and Keonta Vernon and Trey Washington will be sophomores so if any of those guys can contribute they should be able to by then. In order to be competitive at that point we will need to add some post offense and rebounding and some perimeter playmakers. Too difficult to expect to land both in the JC ranks, or in the Class of 2014 to be ready in 14/15. That is why I think we should pursue a couple more D1 transfers, even if it leaves us thin next year. Sign one JC SG, because we simply can't go into next season with this perimeter group, but then add one or two D1 transfers (depending on how many scholarships Shyatt can bring himself to free up) that will be eligible by 14/15.

 

[stymeman]

it has been fun and we ain't done yet!!!!!! this is the type schedule that everybody says we're playing nobody's if that's the case it's our time to shine again