NUdiehard

I suppose if you tell yourself something enough times you can convince yourself of it even if it logically doesn't make sense. If Vooch had RS this year, he would still have 4 years of eligibility left. Thus, even if he transferred after next year (or any other year) he would have EXACTLY the SAME amount of eligibility left as he does under the current arrangement where he preserved his RS. However, if Vooch stays, and if he improves, but not until his third year in the program, he will only have 2 years of productive service to this team, whereas if he had RS this year, he would have 3 years productive service to the team, including a 5th year RS Senior year which would be his BEST year of service, and better than any service he will be able to provide under the current arrangement (in which he will only be able to play through his 4th year b/c he will lose his eiligibiltiy after that 4th year). Withey is a prime example of a big man who was terrible his first 2 years, but then blossomed and is now a key cog in a NCAA #1 seed at KU. Let's just hypothetically say that Vooch turns out to be even a poor-man's Withey (which would be very, very good under NU standards) by his 4th year in the program. Do you really think that Miles can just go and land a freshman big man at that point who will come in AS A FRESHMAN and be as good or better than Vooch would be his 5th year as a RS Senior? I think that is being wildly optimistic beyond reason. The more rational approach would be to preserve the ability to retain Vooch for that 5th year of service when he will be at his PEAK strength and productiveness. That is exactly the approach that a program like NU should be taking that is trying to find diamonds in the rough and hidden gems and develop them into players that can compete at a high level by their 4th and 5th years in the program. Vooch gained absolutely nothing by playing 10 minutes this year that he couldn't have also gained by simply practicing with the team every day just as he did, whether he played those 10 minutes or not. And if Vooch turns out to be a bust and it becomes obvious he will never be able to play at this level, Miles could help him find a new lower-level school, and as I said above, he would still have EXACTLY the same amount of eligility remaining at that new school. There is no gain to him by saving the RS for the transfer process.

I don't think he'll necessarily play over those guys, but having a guy like Benny coming off your bench, even for only 5 minutes a game can go a long way over the course of the season. The game will slow down for him as he matures. Just because he doesn't start doesn't mean he can't be an important player on the team. I don't know whether he'll be here TWO years from now, I do think he'll be here next year. In giving him those 5 minutes, you just took 5 minutes of playing time away from Nate Hawkins, Tai Webster or someone else. Assuming the newcomers pan out (not guaranteed, I know), we'll have very good depth at the guard spots next year without Benny Parker. With Biggs, Gallegos, Webster and Hawkins, I don't see where 5 minutes per game should be going to Parker. Just my opinion. I don't know if he will play or not next year or ever. I'm just saying these conversations really remind me of the ones people were having about Ubel four years ago. A few thoughts on this: 1. Comparing Ubel to BP is apples to oranges. Ubel is a post player. Post players almost always take longer to develop and grow into their bodies as comparted to guards. Post players have something BP will never have, height and size. Thus, if a big man can slowly develop his game, his productiveness can increase exponentially. This generally is not true with guards, especially smaller guards. 2. In regards to Ubel's freshman and sophmore year, much of the discussion wasn't so much as to whether he was worthy of retaining a scholarship. Most of the discussion was whether he should have been playing as much or more minutes than Standhardinger. There were very legitimate arguments in that regard, including the prospect that Christian would leave b/c Doc kept him on the bench almost the whole game. 3. Last, we all agree that Ube's is a great person and a great ambassador for the university. Everybody likes Ubes. But the reality is that if all of MIles recruits and scholarship players are of the same talent and ability as Ubel, then Miles will continue to finish in the bottom tier of the league and will be fired after 5 or 6 years, just like Doc. That is simply the reality. Even in his senior year, Ubel wasn't anywhere close to a premier player in the B1G. And this doesn't even factor in his freshman, soph and junior years when he wasn't nearly as productive as he was this year. A team is always comprised of underclassmen and upperclassmen. Miles will need players who can be very productive even as freshman and sophmores, not just their senior year. And once those players reach their senior year, Miles will need elite talent and production from many of them. For instance, a player like Shields is kind of a "floor" of the type of player Miles needs to recruit. Players that can come in and contribute very solid and productive minutes as freshman. They may have ups and downs, but they show they have the talent to compete in this league and continue to get better. Anything less than that is never going to get us into the top half of league b/c all the other top teams have underclassmenplayers like that already and will continue to get them. Ubel was nowhere near the talent as a freshman or sophmore that Shields is as a very young true freshman. If Miles wants to take this program to the top half of the conference, then he needs to recruit and retain elite level players. It is that simple. But we all know that Miles is not gong to bat 100%. He is going to have some misses. Every coach does. If he allows all of the current players to stay all 4 years, and allows all of his "misses" to stay all 4 years, it is going to be nearly impossible to rise to get enough elite players on the roster to rise to the top half of the conference because he will only have a couple scholarships available each year (ie, Gallegos is the only senior after next year) and it is almost impossible to bat 100%. If he has 3 to 4 scholarships available each year, then he only needs to bat .500 to make it work. People may not like this reality, but it is the reality and every coach in college BB lives in that reality and has to deal with it just like Miles. Only Miles has an even more difficult job b/c he can "select" elite talent like Duke, UNC, OSU, Mich. St., etc. He has to look for diamonds in the rough. Many of them are going to turn out to be lumps of coal. He can't keep them all for 4 years or he is going to have a locker room with 8 lumps of coach a few pearls and maybe one rough diamond. This isn't enough when OSU, Mich, Indiana, etc, all have a locker room full of finely cut diamonds.

I don't think you get what I am saying. If Miles tells BP in the post-season meeting that he can stay if he wants, but he probably won't ever see the floor again, and then BP "chooses" to leave, do you think that Miles "dismissed" him or didn't "dismiss" him? I am saying it is all semantics. Miles determines who he wants to stay and who he wants to leave and structures his post-season meetings accordingly. Miles can get almost any player to "choose" to leave without ever telling that player that he is "dismissed" or not allowed to return. THe point is that it is the coach, not the player, who dictating what is said in those meetings about the potential for future playing time. Very, very few players are going to return if the coach is telling him that he can stay but probably won't ever see the court again.

All this talk about "BP choosing to leave" vs. "Miles asking him to leave" is a game of semantics. You seem to suggest that you have no problem if BP "chooses" to leave of his own volition, yet you do not agree with Miles if Miles "cuts" him simply b/c MIles doesn't think he is good enough. Well, here is how it will work. If Miles doesn't think BP is good enough, and if Miles would rather have the scholie open for recruiting new players, then in the post-season team meeting, Miles will tell BP "BP, you are a great kid and have been a great teammate and I have enjoyed having you on the team. You are welcome to remain a part of this team, but I think it is only fair to tell you up front that, based on all the players returning, and based on my assessment of who we have coming in, you probably will not play at all either next year or any year after that. I am just telling you this now in case, based on that knowledge, you would like to consider transferring to a smaller school where you could play more." In contrast, if the Miles think Vooch could develop into a good player down the road and wants to keep him, then the meeting goes like this "Vooch, I regret that you couldn't play more this year. I think you have a ton of potential and I consider you a valuable and vital part of this team. You need to gain weight and get stronger, but I believe you are capable and I expect you to get significantly more minutes next year, especially with the graduation of Brandon and Andre, and for your career here to flourish from there. You are critical to our success and I want to you stay and be a part of this team for 4 years, I hope you feel the same." So, are you now satisfied that Miles didn't make the decision and the players did? If so, I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.

As for Gallegos, I feel like he has untapped potential, but unfortunately I don't see him ever fully tapping into it--al least not while he is at NU. Frankly, I don't understand his approach to the game. He took a RS year and clearly worked on his shot. But it appears he worked almost exclusively on this 3-point shot and, for the life of me, I don't understand why. He is athletic enough to go to the rack on a semi-regular basis, but he simply will not do it. And this is NOT b/c of coach Miles. I heard a radio interview Miles early in the season. Miles was asked directly about Gallegos going to the basket. Miles said that they are constantly on him about it, but basically will try it maybe once after they get on him, and then abandon it until they get on him again, and then he may try once, and then abandon, and so forth. Being aggressive and going to the basket is a mentality almost more than a skillset. Some people just don't have the mentality, and Ray clearly doesn't. Frankly, I think it is a waste of talent and ability. Ray should have spent the last two years working on his handles and driving HARD to the rim. He should have had coaches or friends hold the pads and make him fight through them and go up hard, etc. There is no indication he did this. If he wants to take the next step, this is where he needs to go. He can jump out of the gym, but he needs to get waaayyyy tougher, both mentally and physically.

Its always interesting to me that when people analyze players and who may or may not play next year, all they talk about is what that player can do on the offensive end. I assure you, if a player cannot hold down his end of the bargain on defense, then he will not play much. AA and Serg are two classic examples of this. They are riding the pine b/c of their lack of offensive skills. In regards to Biggs, I have heard from someone who was able to attend practice and talk to the coaches that Biggs is electric on offense in breaking down the defense and getting to th basket. But I also heard that he really struggles on defense. In fact, in th practice I heard about, when they were scrimmaging, when Bigg's scout team would go back on defense, Biggs would actually sub out of the scrimmage and one of the assistant coaches would go in in his place. Biggs is athletic enough, but he struggles with the mental part of the game and on the defensive end. Now, these are things he could improve on, but he is going to have to figure those things out before he will be a regular contributor during games next year.

I don't really understand this notion that Serg didn't want to RS. Isn't that a decision for the coach? Since when do players get to dictate such things. Can anyone imagine a freshman FB player demanding to Bo that he get to play is freshman year even though Bo wants him to RS. I can see the door hitting him on the a-- on the way out. Heck, Miles could have even told Serg at the begninning of the season that he would put him on the team roster, but then simply not play him in any games. It would hardly be any difference at all to Serg. What did he play, about 10 minutes all year, none of them of any meaning whatsoever. What if Miles simply had never inserted hin into the game? Boom! Now you have a RS whether he wanted it or not. And if anyone is going to respond by saying that this would have just made Serg upset, I have to ask you in return, does anyone really think Serg is soooo much more happy now that he got to play 10 whole meaningless minutes and burned his RS in the process? Serg either wants to play here or he doesn't. Whether or not Miles played him for the mighty 10 minutes should not have any bearing on that at all.

No offense diehard - but I don't think you could have written anything that more clearly demonstrated my point. You referenced Bo and TM in the same post after discussing TM yelling at his players during a TO. No offense, but to the extent you compared TM's behavior to Bo's behavior, your point is fundamentally flawed because there is no comparison. And that was what my response was directed to, which I made clear. To the extent you were comparing Bo to "other" coaches, I did not respond (other than to say I would not want some like Bobby Huggins coaching this team even if he could win games). But to say that people's attitudes towards a coach are colored by their opinions is also flawed because it is just the reverse. People's opinions of a coach are formed by that coach's actions. And my momma always taught me that "just because someone else does it doesn't make it right." And to pick out one single instance in a 25+ year head coaching career of TO where he got very red in the face while yelling at the refs and suggest that is the same as Bo is out of the realm. Again, no comparison and everyone knows it (and I am not really a TO apologist in any respect.) Again, my response was not directed at comparing Bo to "other coaches", it was comparing Bo to TM's recent behavior, in which there is no comparison. (and with that said, it is possible that TM could end up being more like Bo than not--we don't have enough basis to say at this point. I am just saying that as of what we have witnessed to date, including that Timeout, there is no comparison).

Absolute no comparison between Bo and TM IMO. There is a HUGE difference between a CONTROLLED and completely calculated butt-chewing that a team needs to regain its focus (Miles) vs. a completely out-of-control spewing of unrestrained vitriol by a raving lunatic who is foaming at the mouth. Further, TM's little outburst was directed at the entire team--no individual player was singled out or shamed in any regard. Further, even though I have heard and know that TM can have a sharp tongue, I don't think those words were used in the arena at that time because that was not the proper time for those words, Bo's completely out-of-control tantrums make censors cower and sailors blush. Not to mention his face looks like a madman who is ready to rip the players (or refs) head off, chew on it, and spit it out. When Bo goes on a rage, he is out-of-control. He is raving and ranting because he is utterly beside himself and says the things he says out of rage, not out of correction or teaching. When it reaches that point, it is beyond the pale. Just look at his conduct after the NU v. TX game in the Big 12 championship. He was still enraged almost an hour after the game. He was storming up and down the halls looking like he wanted to beats someone up and yelling "The BCS, that's why they make that call!" to no one in particular while TO was calmly standing in the same hallway to witness the whole ordeal. Bo call's refs names that are unrepeatable in any living room. This is in STARK contrast to TM's technical against Purdue when all TM did was walk to center court and yell "you need to call that travel!" No profanitly laced tirade for the whole world to hear. TM was in control the whole time and it was obvious. THAT Is the huge difference and the whole difference. And for the record, I would never want Bobby Knight to coach here nor would I want a guy like Bob Huggins. There are some things that are more important than winning. I don't believe Bo has reached that point because overall, I think he does care about his players, but my point is there is no comparison between Bo's behavior and TM's at this point.

Nobody should be making any judgments about either coach until at least year 3. Groce runs a very distinct system with a very uptempo, pressing, high energy style of play that demands full buy-in from his players. Until he gets his players, its ridiculous to assess him a coach at Illinois. The previous coach was fired for a reason. He recruited a bunch of prima donnas who didn't play hard and didn't buy in. I don't care what their stars are, that doesn't mean diddly when a new coach comes in with his own style of play. Groce is probably looking for completely different types of players. Besides, Illinois has been in the top 25 almost all year, so to call him a major disappointment after a 3 or 4 game bad stretch is even more ridiculous. FWIW, same thing goes for TM. I wouldn't care if this team went 0-28 this year, I still wouldn't judge him as a bad coach. TM wouldn't recruit a guy like AA if his life depended on it, but that is what he has this year. Each of them is coaching another's guy's players, so very little can be gleaned from any of this. And lest we forget, there were a lot of people saying Doc was going to be a great coach after his first couple years b/c his guys played hard and "he got the most out of his players", yada yada yada. Time will tell, but no negative judgments can be made until year 3. The only exception to this would be if either coach takes his team to the sweet 16 in year 1 or 2, then I think you could say that coach has had a successful start, but I don't you can label either coach as a failure until the third year at a minimum.

TM Miles has made various statements about what he is looking for in his recruits. It seem apparent to me that TM likes three primary things in his guards: 1. The ability to shoot the ball so the the defense has to guard every man on the floor; 2. Combo guards that can play either the PG or the SG; and 3. Taller guards which have the length and athleticism to guard multiple players/position of the opposing team. BP does not meet any of these criteria. Go back and watch the end of the Wisconsin game. Both of the winning shots at the end of the game by Wisconsin were a direct result of the Wisc guard taking advantage of BP's small stature. The first basket, he simply backed him down all the way to the paint and shot over him. The 2nd shot he shot right over him for an easy bucket. BP has shown he can be electric on the fast break, but I don't think he fits TM's system and no matter how much he works on his game, he is not going to get any taller. If he does stay, his role will be minimal IMO. Way too many other options that fit TM's mold coming in next year.

Ubel = Stud Shields = Baller Gallegos = Assassin No doubt. He is a dead-eye assassin 22% of the time!

It is an absolutely stupid rule. However, the call in the game was not correct. Ubel did not hit him with his elbow. No contact was made., missed him by a good 2 or 3 inches. It was an obvious flop and acting job by the Penn St. player. I can understand if the ref had called the flagrant foul live, b/c things happen fast. But it is completely unacceptable to go to the replay and not be able to discern a flop from real contact.

As for why are we talking about it. Well, its not exactly like we have much else to talk about. This is Nebraska BB afterall. Shall we talk about whether AA has gained 10 lbs or lost 10 lbs since the start of the season? Maybe whether BP is 5'7 or 5'9". Whether NU will win 3 or 4 games in conf. this year? The reason Vooch is a topic is b/c it is a legitimate question that can be debated on both sides. It at least allows for discussion and it is probably one few questions that seems to remain unclear as of this point

I just don't understand the apparent obsession with redshirting guys who are not that good. Miles took a shot with Vucetic based on his options at the time and it looks like it did not pan out. I am not saying Miles has given up on him because I simply don't know - but I also doubt that is the case. What I am saying is the I believe Miles plan is to have big men on the roster 4 years from now that are clearly better than Vucetic is going to be at that point. Maybe that will happen - maybe it won't - but I for one at least like the fact that Miles may be thinking that way. I am surprised Vucetic is not getting a few minutes a game given our circumstances this year - but I trust Mile's judgement in that area. I just don't see the point arguing that he should have been redshirted. Having mediocre players on the roster for 5 years instead of 4 (or less) is not a good thing when you are trying to vastly upgrade the overall talent in your program. FWIW I don't think any of this analysis applies to the comments about Ubel. Brandon is simply a better player. Would be nice to have him for another year but he got sufficient minutes as a freshman to justify playing him then. With any senior contributor that did not redshirt you can look back in hindsight and say you wish you had them for another year. But that does not necessarily mean that it was a mistake not to redshirt that player. I don't get this argument at all. If Vucetic is not going to be good enought to ever be a major contributor, then he will not be on the roster for 4 years or 5 years no matter what. We all know it! Let's not deceive ourselves and pretend it is not reality. Miles could have RS him this year and still cut him loose (errrr, allow Vooch to transfer under his own volition) at the end of this year, next year, or any other year. And guess what, Vucetic's status would still be exactly same either way. Even if he had RS this year, he still would have 3 years eligibility after sitting out a year. The notion that Miles would somehow be stuck with Vooch for 5 years instead of 4 years is just silly. No way Miles keeps a guy for 5 years who is not going to contribute at all. As for Ubel, it was Dave Hoppen that made the point. I'm guessing he knows a little someting about the development of big men. And it is a valid argument. I agree there are two-sides, but it is a valid discussion. The reality is that NU has been a pathitic BB program for a long time. We cannot always act like the "other" schools do. I have no problem RSing guys if it means we will be better in the long run. Of course I would much rather get players that can come in and dominate right away as freshman. And as soon as we get those guys, then lets roll. I certainly am not suggesting that Webster should RS b/c I think he will be ready to play. But big guys always take longer to develop, and sometimes a place like NU has to do things differently b/c we don't always get the elite freshman like other schools do.

He's this year's Standhardinger, the guy we all think should be playing more but some guy who has dedicated his entire professional life to winning basketball disagrees. About the only question I have seen about Vooch is if he's not going to play, why didn't he RS. That is a very different question. And it is a legitimate question whether some people want to admit it or not. Its not a huge deal to to me personally, but its almost laughable how some people get so defensive about it. Like to even ask it is a criminal offense or a terrible insult about TM. To put this in some context, I was listening to Dave Hoppen the other day on the radio and he said that Ubel should have RS his freshman year. Now, we all know the team was in a pinch for big men that year, nd he even played decent minutes, but still, the best long-term solution would have been to RS him. We have no idea if Vooch could be another Ubel who will gain strength and blossom, but I think we can all agree that if Brandon would have RS his freshman year he would be a FAR greater gain to us next year than anything he provided his freshman year.

Whoa Norm, I think you are reading a little too much into my post. First, I am not accusing Miles of doing anything inappropriate. I was fully aware that Biggs wanted to RS. That is why I phrased my first point as Miles "allowing Biggs to RS." And one of the reasons Biggs wanted to RS is b/c he knew that this year would be rough and the next 2 years would give him a better chance to play on a better team. And I am not only OK with Miles allowing him to RS, I think it is a good thing and a good decision--a very good decision. Not only is it OK for TM to subordinate this season for the future, it is exactly what he should do! TM needs to have a long term plan on how to get us to a sustained high level. He has been hired into a cesspool and his #1 job build this into a viable program, not just win a few more games this year. Of course he won't say that now, b/c that would be difficult for the Srs. to hear, but we all know it is the truth. Heck I'm sure the players know it too. Even if TM made a promise to Biggs, well, that doesn't really change anything. As soon as TM made that promise, he subordinated this year to the future, so it is the same thing. Let me ask you, can you imagine Bo P recruiting a defensive tackle this year and that DT telling Bo he will only commit if he can RS? I can only imagine the door shutting behind Bo's back. Especially if the DT was just an average recruit. Oh, and if you are suggesting that TM felt that Menke was a better option at the beginning of the season, well, I won't even go there. As for Vooch, I was just exploring possible motives behind his decision. I didn't choose any particular one. I am just saying that if it was an issue of strength, that would have been just as obvious at the beginning of the season as it is now. And if it is a concern about his strength, then why play him for one minute in a meaningless non-conf. game? No one has answered that. Did that one minute answer the question? Did it make him a better player? Did it help him for next year? Why not just wait a little longer before putting him in the game and if he continued to show that he was not physical enough, then don't play him and reserve the RS. And simply saying that Vooch "wanted to play" is not really an answer. TM is the HC. If Vooch isn't ready, the HC decides he is not ready. This is done in FB all the time, and in BB as well. And besides, Vooch isn't playing, so you can't say he did it to honor Vooch's desire to play right away. He's not playing, he's sitting on the bench. In regards to the other option, that he intentionally played Vooch, I will note that M&R suggested the exact same possible motive that you seem to want to excoriate me for suggesting right after I did. Personally, I don't have a problem if TM did play Vooch intentionally for that reason. I am not sure if he did or didn't, but I don't really care if he did. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. This isn't a big deal to me at all, and I certainly am not trying to impugn illegitimate motives to TM. So far, I think TM is doing almost everything right and I am excited about the future. I hope he continues to make decision that are in the interest of the program long term.

Yes, this is the official explanation. It's just not taking with me. We stick in bodies that aren't "ready" and aren't going to help us win directly all the time. But it's entirely possible that I'm just hung up on the lack of big bodies and I hate to see one sitting right there doing nothing. I don't think we have been. There's a reason Jordan Tyrance played last night (and scored 10 pts) and Trevor Menke basically rode the bench all night even though we have a severely short roster. Trevor isn't going to make us better. He's not better than a fatigued Ray Gallegos or a fatigued Dylan Talley who can't find his shot. Right now, Sergej isn't better than David Rivers. We're putting the guys on the floor who give us a chance to win and I suspect the coaching staff feels that, at this point in time, Sergej doesn't do that. Its not a huge deal to me either way, so I don't want this to be interpreted as a slight on Miles. However, there is a fundamental flaw in this reasoning that just can't be ignored: 1. Miles subordinated this season to the future when he allowed Biggs to redshirt. He knew full well that we had only 8 scholarship guys, including Vooch and BP, with no legit PG, yet he allowed Biggs to RS. That decision sealed the fate of this year's team and we all know it. Remember, Miles has a history of this. His CSU team had a terrible record his first year and he built it up from there. Despite what he says about winning this year, that is not his main goal. In fact, if he truly was concerned about this year, he would have played Biggs and signed a couple jucos after being hired in April. He didn't do that b/c this year is not he priority. 2. If Vooch is sooooo unready to play due to his strength, this should have been abundantly obvious before the season started. Miles had to know that Vooch was not going to put on 30 lbs of muscle during the season. In fact, Miles has acknowledged this himself. Sooo, that begs the question, why put him in for 1 minute in a completely meaningless non-conf game, thus sealing his fate as far as a RS season is concerned? Miles either botched that one up, or he has an agenda (ie, leave Vooch with a RS year to transfer--which may be what tcp is getting at). No matter how people try to spin it, there really isn't another explanation IMO. 3. Even if he played him for 1 minute on purpose, that decision could be subject to scrutiny. Scholarships are 1 year contracts, so Miles could cut him loose at any time if he wanted even if he had redshirted him this season. Thus, the more logical course would seem to be to RS him and then decide whether he can help us in the future or not. If he progresses enough to give Miles hope, then all is well b/c he can stick around and has 4 years of eligibility remaining. If he does not develop, then he can transfer and will still be in the same position as he is now--he will have to sit out a year and then have 3 years eligibility with his new team. Nothing lost to him or Miles.

Rivers was 2-9 and had 1 RB and 1 assist in 39 minutes of play. I guess our standards are awful low these days to get encouraged by that. His defense was adequate, but we still got killed inside. In the first half, when AA went out, Hammons took over and scored almost at will. It was until Miles went zone in the 2nd half that we had some success with small ball, but that was largely a result of some nice help by Shields and others. As for Parker, I think we all see the handwriting on the wall. Purdue was having their big guy Hammons "guard" him, which basically meant Hammons never left the painted area and just look at BP when he had the ball. BP was so wide open it was embarrassing, yet he only shot twice and both times weren't even close. After that, he starting pulling a "Menke" in which he would be absolutely wide open about 17 ft from the basket, but he would look around anywhere but the basket to act as if he didn't know he was so wide open even though the entire crowd is murmering something akin to " please shoot the ball and make it".

If anything i think it will be a one year grad transfer guy. The more I look at it with the offers going out that Miles wants at least 2 guys next class. You wont get that with a juco guy so if you get a one year player you get their services but also can get a player for next years class. Miles could still sign Atewe and a juco and still have at 2 ships to give out in 2014 if someone leaves. I just don't see BP having much of a role on this team after this year. Vooch may be out if Mlies thinks he is too big a project, and there are other possibilites. Heck, some have even speculated Biggs is standing on a thin strand right now b/c of his DUI. Lots can happen to open up more ships over the next year, and most likely at least 1 or 2 more spots will open up. I hope Miles can land Atewe and a decent juco to give us a few more options next year and going forward. If a one-year grad transfer wants to join the party then great. theyd have to leave after this year though if they want someone truly worthwhile. Because assuming he fills his final 2 spots that leaves one if no one leaves to sign in the fall. By waiting until the spring of 2014 to have one leave youre left scrambling to try and find the next Vucetic like we did this last year to fill that spot. I think Miles wants to guarantee 2 spots in the fall which means 1 year transfer/leave the spot open, or someone leaves and we still sign two. Coaches oversign all the time. Doc did it many times, almost every year. Remember, scholarships are 1 year contracts, so the coach can "predetermine" if someone will be back or not, and then make that player think he is actually leaving of his own accord at the end of the year. If Miles wants to sign 2 in 2014, he will sign 2 no matter how many "open" ships he has at the time.

If anything i think it will be a one year grad transfer guy. The more I look at it with the offers going out that Miles wants at least 2 guys next class. You wont get that with a juco guy so if you get a one year player you get their services but also can get a player for next years class. Miles could still sign Atewe and a juco and still have at 2 ships to give out in 2014 if someone leaves. I just don't see BP having much of a role on this team after this year. Vooch may be out if Mlies thinks he is too big a project, and there are other possibilites. Heck, some have even speculated Biggs is standing on a thin strand right now b/c of his DUI. Lots can happen to open up more ships over the next year, and most likely at least 1 or 2 more spots will open up. I hope Miles can land Atewe and a decent juco to give us a few more options next year and going forward. If a one-year grad transfer wants to join the party then great.

This one is tricky, but one thing I know. If Webster is not immediately in the top 3 next year, I will be disappointed. This may be unfair to him. It is possible he could struggle to adapt his first year and then blossom. But I fully expect him to be able to come in and be a very effective player immediatley. I remember watching Tyronne Lue as a freshman and it was immediately obvious that he was the best player on the floor. That is what we need. We need someone who is a program changer. If Webster is not that, then we still have a long ways to go b/c it is unlikely that any of the other guys are program changers, at least not for a while anyway. Honestly, I don't see how one couldn't have him in the prospective top 3. Lets look at what he has done. He played against grown men at a very high level, almost elite level, and fared very well. He must be strong enough and athletic enough to play in the B1G by next year, b/c he was obviously strong enough and athletic enough to play at the international level last year. Lets compare him to the other options. I certainly hope he is better than Gallegos. I like Ray, and have been very impressed with his improvement, but he stll has a looong ways to go. He simply is not a complete player at all. He cannot play PG b/c he simply is not strong enough with the ball. He cannot handle on-ball pressure at all. Watch him. His defender will simply push him back to the half court line. Ray also will not penetrate. No matter how much Miles tells him to, he doesn't have it in his mentality. And he is a decent, but not great, outside shooter. As of now, he is shooting 22% from 3-land in conference play. I realize he has to jack up a lot of shots, but still. If he would drive, he could get more open for 3s, but he won't drive, so he isn't. I believe Webster will immediately be better at penetrating to either score or distribute. In comparison to Biggs, I certainly hope Webster is better than him. Biggs is not a great outside shooter and not a great defender. Biggs could be decent, but he has his limitations. I expect Webster to be the starting PG next year and maybe Biggs will back him up and maybe get some time at the SG. Most likely he will be backing up Webster and Ray, so his minutes may be somewhat limited. In comparison to Pettaway. I sure hope that Pettaway is everthing that some say he is. But we do have some basis to know what he was. Last year, as a freshman, he averaged 3 pts and 2 RBs per game for a bad Texas Tech team. Shavon Shields is on a bad NU team this year and has already put up significantly better numbers. I realize Pettaway didn't get to play as many minutes, but that says something as well. Look, if we really want to get to the next level, we need to get next level players. And in general, next level players can and do come in and produce right away as freshman. Just look around the league and see them on other teams. We need to get at least 1 or 2 of these types of players, and I expect Webster to be one of those. With that said, by all accounts, Pettaway gets GATA, so I expect him to play a lot and he may crack the top 3. The same thing goes for Pitchford as Pettaway. I hope he can really produce, but the fact that he could not crack the lineup at all last year concerns me a bit. Again, next level players are generally next level from the moment they walk on the floor and everyone knows it. Hoever, I give Pitchford a little more grace in this regard since he is a big man (or at least tall). Tall players tend to take a little longer to develop in many instances, so I am not ruling him out in any respect. Miles said on the radio that he thinks Pitchford has a NBA body. I have to wonder if he has an NBA mentality and work eithic though. With that said, as we all know, Miles doesn't really have any other options next year, so Pitchford is going to play a lot. Thus, he could be a top 3 player. Hard to say right now. I like Fuller a lot. He is exactly the type of guy Miles likes. he is a smart basketball player who simply knows how to play the game. I think he will be able to come in and play right away. In some respects, he might be a little like Shields, but he may be a bit more refined, but I am not sure if he will be quite as strong or athletically ready as Shields. I don't know enough about Hawkins to predict his success next year. I do think he is in the Miles mold b/c he is a bigger guard. I don't think he will play PG as Miles initially suggested, but he may be able to get some minutes at that 2 if he is savvy enough and ready to go. As for Rivers, I just don't see it. I really don't mean this as a slight to him, but if he is in our top 3, then we are in trouble. He had a great game on the offensive end the other night, but a large part of that was b/c he was playing out of position. What hurt us on the defensive end helped us on the offensive end. He was being guarded by a big man and therefore was able to get looks he normally won't get. I just don't think he can create on his own enough to be a major factor. He may be a good role player, but not top 3. And I am sure Miles would agree. Just look at all this year. Miles has been playing Shields ahead of Rivers all year until Ubel got hurt. That is not just coincidence. Miles prefers Shields over Rivers even though Shields is a true freshman and coming off an injury that still bothers him. That says everything I need to know. To be honest, I think Rivers is playing right now for a spot on next years roster. That is just my opinion. I like Shields a lot. He is not uber-athletic, but he is such a smart player that has refined skills. If he can get stronger, and healthier, and improve his shot a bit, then he could be a factor. He is one of those players that just "gets it." I just wish he was a little more athletic or a little taller. So with all that said, my top 3. Hmmm. Defintely Webster. After that, I just can't decide between Fuller, Pitchford, Pettaway, Shields and Gallegos.

I felt all of the guys that played gave tremendous effort, and Miles deserves a lot of credit for this as well. After the poor effort against OSU, he seems to have gotten his message across that 100% effort is non-negotiable. That is a good thing. It will be interesting to see how the guys hold up playing so many minutes through the grind of the B1G though. A few quick observations: 1. Benny P seems over-matched in the B1G. In short, this is why you don't recruit 5'8" players to play in the B1G unless they are so unbelievably talented that they can overcome their natural shortcomings (pun intended). Against Wisconsin, his man simply backed him down to the paint and shot over him for 2 easy baskets late in the game, and last night he was completely overmatched guarding Burkes (granted, Burkes is a great player, but the mismatch was glaring with Benny). This is compounded by the fact that BP is absolutely no threat on the offensive end. Maybe BP is hindered by his injury, but right now he appears to be one guy that is not long lived for this level of competition. 2. Shields is quickly becoming my favorite player. He started out very strong and then faded a bit as the game went on, but he gives max effort and, what I like most about him, he is not afraid to bang with the big boys. He drives more than any player on the team (although he will need to develop his left hand--always goes to his right) and he fights and scraps against much bigger guys for the rebound almost every possession. Good passer and all-around smart player. His shooting is still a bit of an unknown since I think his elbow injury, and also the large pad and sleeve he must wear as a result, is still hindering him considerably. His 3 FT shots were not really close, and I think the injury plays a part in that. 3. Gallegos is soooo streaky. Right now we live or die with his outside shot. I am still quite frustrated that he simply refuses to penetrate and drive to the basket or at least pull up for the 15 ft jumper rather than always the 3 ball. He has the hops, and based on that fast break layup he made with his left hand while shielding with his right hand, he has the ability. All he lacks is the mentality, and that is simply a waste of talent and potential easy points. A shot fake and drive could do wonders for his shooting percentage. 4. If i had one criticism of Miles so far this year, it is his lack of willingness to play Almeida more minutes. The ankle did not appear to be bothering AA much at all, and I thought he gave good minutes when he was in there. He was blocking or altering shots and causing disruption in the paint. My other frustration is that NOBODY feeds him the ball down low on offense. I was keeping track and I think AA only had 1 touch the entire first half, and not many more the 2nd. That simply is unaccpetable. All he has to do is shoot better than 33% to raise the shooting average of this team, and I think he is more than capable of doing that. 5. Speaking of 33%, did anyone notice the box score. Only 5 players shot the ball and all of them, except Shields, shot 33%. Rivers 2-6; Ubel 3-9, Talley 4-12 and Gallegos 7-21. Shields shot 37.5% (3-8). That is remarkable. Not sure that has happened very often before, if ever. But that shows exactly what we are--a team full of players who are capable of making 33% of their shots against quality competition. Not going to get it done. That is not Miles fault, just the reality of what we are.

+ 1

I disagree. I think it is essential that Ray develop his ability to drive into the lane. Opposing coaches are going to scout him as a spot up shooter and try to take that away. Developing the ability to drive would open up a lot of opportunities for him. Plus, Ray has great hops--he can really get up. Not the greatest handle ever, but I believe he can handle it at least as well as guys like Talley or Rivers. No reason he can't penetrate and finish at least a few times a game.