Derrick Roberts Impressive In All-Star Game

[PonyTales]

Maybe the best point in this thread is from LA_Mustang when he talks about the three seniors next year and the leadership core they will provide for the team. I've met all three, and they are three of the finest young men ever to represent our school. If there's anyone who will take to Coach Tubbs and his style and his teaching, it's going to be Simpson, Castro and Isham. They looked genuinely hurt after some of the losses last year, and I anticipate they'll dig deep to push this team as far as possible next year.

[RGV Pony]

Ohhhh...it makes sense now that the Spirit Shop connection is brought to light. My apologies for my not being in the know, Mr. Sharp

[OldPony]

I understand about the wall, however, that is usually conditioning (mental and physical) and can be overcome if we are able to play 8-9 deep. I thought Rack had the ability to become a very solid big man and still do. He muscled up well and I look for that to continue. We lack footspeed out of this group of big men so they will have to sub a lot to sustain a running game and conditioning will be paramount. Running b'ball can be fun and lifts players when easy fun scores are made. I hope that we can survive sloppy play early with the attitude that we are going to run no matter what. It may cause us to be blown out a few times early on but once they learn to do it right and learn each other, it could be a great equalizer esp if we have someone who can pull up and hit a 3. Without the 3----nothing works. I don't know what happened to I-man last year but he had shown signs of being able to shoot his freshman and soph years. BHop looked much better on occasion than his freshman year and if Roberts can play a 3 shooter role the season might surprise some folks. This is a mature group but they are going to be learning a new system so the season is hard to predict right now.

[Charleston Pony]

speaking of the "trey", Brian Miller may be the forgotten man in all of this talk. If he gets healthy, he might contribute (if only a few minutes each game). He's always been a streaky shooter who may just get more open looks in a more wide open game. We need to have more than 8-9 giuys who can contribute because when you run and play man defense, you're going to have foul trouble when your guys get fatigued. Guys who can spot just a few minutes a game will be important to this team.

[The Falcon]

I posted awhile back that I had seen and talked to Brian Miller during the Spring Football - Red & Blue Game. He was in good spirits, excited about the new coach and looking forward to playing up-tempo ball.

I specifically asked him if he sat out the final games last year because of his back, and he said yes, but that it was healed and he was feeling fine. He had been practicing and jumping without pain and will have the whole summer to make it stronger.

I have been a Miller supporter for some time now and I believe his 3 point shooting will definitely improve in an up-tempo offense because he will get more open looks. Many of you may have also noticed that the only guy on our team who seemed to get backdoor layups last year was Miller and I believe, while not quick, he has endurance and can run.

Also, in addition to Derrick Roberts, we have two other signees, and I am hoping that they might surprise us by adding to the number of people who can go 10 + deep in the running game. Here is a brief sketch of both that appeared earlier in the year on SMU Mustangs.com:

Killen, a 6-4 point guard, hails from nearby Arlington. Coached by Jeff Plemmons at Martin High School, Killen was the first player to commit to the Mustangs this fall. He chose SMU over offers from Louisiana Tech, UTEP and North Texas.

"The kid is 6-4, plays point guard and benches 270 pounds - he's very strong," said Coach Plemmons. "He jumps pretty well, is a good passer and handles the ball extremely well. He's not flashy. He's not going to cross anyone over ten times in a row, but at the end of the game he'll have a bunch of assists and zero turnovers. He's very unselfish. He'll get the ball to the scorers."

Ritter comes to SMU from Holland Hall School, but is originally from Vilnius, Lithuania. A 6-7, 255-pound power forward, Ritter should bring both size and skill to the post for the Ponies. Ritter chose SMU over an offer from Virginia Tech, as well as strong interest from Texas Tech, South Carolina, and Texas State.

"He's a textbook European player," said Holland Hall Coach David Crynes. "He's got excellent fundamentals and excellent form on his shot. We use him inside and out. He's strong as a horse. He's got a great body to set screens, but he's also a great leaper. He has a 30-inch vertical, which is good for his size, and he's quick. He's just so much stronger and quicker than most high school post players."