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Saw Athlon's College Basketball Preview Magazine at the Tom Thumb, nice to see that we moved up some.

They pick SMU to finish 6th out of 12 and for McCoy to be first team all conference. Points to SMU returning most everyone and that all the big contributers were new comers and this will be their second year in the system.

I still think we could finish 4th next year, but at least the national media is recognizing we should be much better than last year.

EDIT: Also, for those that have not seen it yet...they give better coverage to the top 4 teams in the conference, they each get a page...and the other 8 teams are all recapped on a two pager....and only two photos...one of which is McCoy...

Middle of the pack sounds like a pretty reasonable goal for this team next year. Sounds like Athlon's did their homework as they make all legitimate points. Once again, it's going to come down to the fearless leader finding the right mix of coaching vs. letting the guys get out and play and utilize the talent they have.

WIth McCoy & Faye we have 2 legit top flight players.
Williams proved to be a very solid pg & hopefully Clinkscales can step in a accomplish the same things he did last year as a freshman @ JC.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Otis, Haynes & RN skills have improved over the summer.
The wide card in Dia. If Doh can get 10 & 8 out of him then this team has a chance to do some things. If Dia doesn't emerge into the player we all thought he could be than that leaves,
Luttman, TK & Hoge as the alternatives. Big ?? about that area.
Walker has proven that he can provide help off the bench & hopefully Harp will bounce back after a very weak soph season.

The major keys to me are can McCoy build on the great season he had last year and become the team leader that it appeared this team did not have last season?
Will Faye become the all around player we saw @ times last year & not disappear & start shooting a bunch of Faye d ways (rock me!)? It appears he had an outstanding summer season.
Is the bench deeper & be able to prevent long scoring droughts as we have seen in the previous 2 years?
Has Papa Dia decided to take his game to the next level?

I thought the team did a good job on the D end last season. The ball handling improved.
Turnovers & scoring & the W's obviously did not. On paper, they look good.
Its time to start winning consistantly @ home & ON THE ROAD. This team should be better than .500 & winning a minimum of 18 games.

No more excuses for Doh !

perhaps the biggest question is how Dia's back will hold up...can't play this game with a bad back

I saw him & the entire team having fun on the Blvd before the game last week.
Went over & spoke to Papa about how much we need him.
I think its been more of a maturity issue rather than a health issue.
He looked great & was very excited about the season.

papawasamustang wrote:I saw him & the entire team having fun on the Blvd before the game last week.
Went over & spoke to Papa about how much we need him.
I think its been more of a maturity issue rather than a health issue.
He looked great & was very excited about the season.

Good to Hear...Really looking forward to this season....I am HOPING this is our launching pad season, it is all going to start to turn for the better here now. I think we have the players in place to make some noise, we have our practice facility....we go out and post a pretty good season, we could build some buzz, get Moody renovated, get a couple of top recruits, give Doherty an extension, then we are off and running.

papawasamustang wrote:I saw him & the entire team having fun on the Blvd before the game last week.
Went over & spoke to Papa about how much we need him.
I think its been more of a maturity issue rather than a health issue.
He looked great & was very excited about the season.

We should be fine in the backcourt, but I still believe the season hinges on Papa. If he plays to his ability, we will finish in the top half of the conference. If not, we will look the same as last year. My other concern is in-game coaching. Doherty has been consistanly out coached by other C-USA coaches...and we don't have the talent to make up for that.

the time is NOW for this coming year's bball team to overachieve. I agree with those who say Dia might be the key, but if all the returning players are improved and the new guys can contribute, I really do think this team has a chance to be the most improved in CUSA. Need to become a tough team to beat on our home court at the very least.

Doh tweeted yesterday that Papa looked GREAT (yes, all caps) in their first team workout, for whatever it's worth