Q Ross, Draft, Nathan Doudney

[PG]

Since this board has been pretty slow lately, I'll post some of the latest news:

Q Ross has had workouts with Memphis, Denver, LA Lakers, Orlando and will be going to Indy and to Memphis for a second workout this weekend. Personally, I'd like to see him go to a Western Conference team so we could see him here twice a year. At Memphis or Denver he'd get the most playing time since they're trying to find building blocks for the future, but I also think he'd be a nice role player in LA. He could be one of those "worker bees" that Fox, Horry and Devean Geroge have been during their championship runs.

Also, as I understand it, the scholarship that Alex Craft had is Nathan Doudneys if he wants it. I don't believe he has made up his mind yet, but if he doesn't take it, they won't fill it this season. I don't think they want to panic and make a last-minute offer like they did to Craft last year and have that player turn out to be a complete bust like Craft.

On a positive note, Doudney has been playing pick-up with our guys (and many other local current and former college players) at Moody/Dedman a few times a week. The kid can shoot, no doubt about it. And as Steve Kerr proved against the Mavs, there's always room for a shooter on any team, no matter how much he plays. I think he would be a good fit here.

Finally, Donatas has looked pretty good in pick-up as well. He could be the first big man off the bench this season so these summer games could really help him become a factor next season.

[PonyTales]

I agree - the team is desparate for a long shooter. BHop can shoot, but defenses will chase him all over the place next year, and even when they don't, he's not consistent enough yet for my taste. Miller can shoot when he's healthy. Isham is too streaky. Voc is always a question mark because of his knees.

Can you clarify what you've liked about Donotas's improvement? I heard reports prior to last year that for a big man, he can move pretty well - but then he frequently looked tentative as a freshman. He's got a decent shot and good size - has he gotten stronger? Become more aggressive as a rebounder?

[PG]

Granted these are just pick-up games and there is no structured offense or anything but Donatas just looks a lot more confident out there. He's more aggressive on the boards and his shot seems to be better. He can hit the 15-18 footer, and maybe most importantly, the guys are looking for him to shoot when he gets the ball. I don't want to over-hype the guy or anything because the regular season is a totally different story but he looks decent against the other big guys out there.

[Roach]

So is it safe to say the starting 5 is:

Bryan Hopkins
Justin Isham
Kris Lowe
Patrick Simpson
Eric Castro

??

[LA_Mustang]

That would be my starting 5. As for the bench, I can see these guys playing significant minutes, Voc (assuming he is healthy), Miller (let’s hope whatever was wrong last year has been fixed), Bennett (his game could be a perfect complement to Hop at the point), the Rack, and maybe Pearson (we need him to be a monster on the glass). My two big concerns: our lack of a go to scorer (Hop can be that but for this team to be successful he needs to play an all-around game instead of just being THE scorer) and our bench. We'll miss ya Q! I love b-ball talk in June!

[EastStang]

Chris Reay looks like he might have some minutes as well. He's a big kid with some scoring ability.

[Otto]

I don't know anything about Pearson, Bennett or Reay. But personally, I'd like to see us go bigger. Maybe slide Patrick Simpson to small forward (I think he's quick enough, and with a better jumper, he could cause a lot of problems), Eric Castro at power forward and Rack at center.

Am I nuts? Or does this sound like a decent lineup? I'd think that would maximize our offense better.

[Stallion]

I think Pearson will be more ready to contribute than Reay. Although both need work on the offensive side, I've been led to believe that Pearson is really an outstanding strong rebounder who might be more ready to fill that role player niche inside.

[PG]

I personally don't think Reay is going to be anything more than Jon Forinash. He's a big body that can take up space but that's about it. Haven't seen much from him offensively to think that he'll contribute much next season. I hope I'm wrong.

It's an interesting idea to use Pat at the 3 a little bit if Donatas is ready to play significant minutes. He has a good enough shot and is athletic enough to do it. We'd have an awfully big lineup, especially if Isham or Lowe are playing the 2. Not sure if it would work but it's an interesting idea.

FYI...Bennett will playing in the Global Games at the end of this month/early July, along with some other nice local (LaMarcus Aldridge, Jeremis Smith among others) and national talent on team USA.

[LA_Mustang]

Donatas has the size, length, mobility, and skill that we haven’t seen in a while at SMU from a big man...but as he showed us last season, he is still very raw. I have been on campus three times in past couple of weeks and I saw him twice, each time wearing his basketball gear. My guess is that the kid is a hard worker and hopefully he is putting a lot of time in the gym this summer. If so, he could be a pleasant surprise next season. He has a huge upside.

[FloridaMustang]

GO DODO!

[PonyTales]

Would love to see The Rack join BHop, Simpson and Castro as viable offensive threats.

[LA_Mustang]

Don't forget Isham. He can score and throw it down in someone's face.