07/08 rotation and 08 recruiting

[Bearcat_DF]

Here is the depth chart as I see it.

1 - Vaughn, Warren
2 - Gentry, Davis or Mitchell
3 - Wilks, Mitchell or Bishop
4 - Williams, Williamson, Benton
5 - Adam H, Sikes, McClain

Key questions -
1) will Wilks be able to fill the wing position quick enough
2) will Adam H be able to manage the post
3) how will Williamson and Sikes get used?
4) will one of the other freshmen push Gentry out of the way


It is a whole lot more fun thinking about this year's basketball season. The key questions are a lot fewer than they have been in the last couple of seasons.

Also, there are some good givens - Vaugn and Williams should be solid contributors. We have some depth - we have 13 players and Williamson, Sikes, and Warren are going to have to really work for playing time this year.

Most exciting is the potential upside of this team - as the season progresses, this team could be a quality BE team.

On the downside - the 2008 class lost a verbal commitment - Cronin now has four more recruits - (pg, sg, pf, c). The biggest challenge I see ahead is getting a BE quality pg and c.


Go Cats!
DF

[columbus_bearcat]

I don't believe Sikes will be a 5 this year, he will move to a 3 or 4.

[tophat]

I don't believe Sikes will be a 5 this year, he will move to a 3 or 4.

There are alot of question marks, and Sikes is certainly one of them. I wouldn't put him ahead of McClain at the 5. McClain didn't snub UConn for UC to be third string center, and this team will need his defensive presence. I don't see Sikes playing center at all, as he really gives you nothing you need from a center.

At the same time, Sikes lacks the quickness, athleticism and skills you need for the 3. At the 4 he'll be competing for time with Williams and Williamson. I see him as a wild card, surely not a starter, but someone who will be put in on a spot basis for the ONLY thing he can actually do pretty well: make outside jumpers. And when he's not making them, he won't be in very long. But he could be a factor with his shot.

[Kindog202]

With Wilks in the fold, this is how I see the starting lineup the first game of the year: Vaughn, Gentry, Mitchell, Williams, Adam H. At some point I would like to see Mitchell slide to Gentry's spot to make room for Wilks in the starting lineup. Also would like to see McClain push H for the starting "5".

Also, appears Wilks is going to play this Saturday for Slats. I had heard that McClain was supposed to be in town and play this weekend as well. Can anyone confirm this??

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

WF (Wing) Wilks, Bishop
SF (Small) Williamson, Sikes
PF (Power) Williams, Belton
C (Post) Adam H, McClain
WG (Wing) Gentry, Miller
SG (Scorer) Mitchell, Davis
PG (Point) Vaughn, Warren

[swilsonsp4]

Here are some scoring stats from the DSL to throw into the mix. Certainly, in evaluating a player there's a lot more than scoring to consider, but this will give a rough estimate of who can put it in the hole.

Mitchell 19.8
Gentry 18.7
Vaughn 17.2
Williams 15.2
Warren 14.5
Hrycaniuk 10.9
Sikes 10.0 (1 game)
Bishop 9.2
Davis 7.2
Miller 5.8
Belton 4.3 (3 games before injury)

[Inchickinkick]

williamson
williams
hrycaniuk
gentry
vaughn
-------------
warren
wilks
mitchell
sikes
bishop
mcclain
davis
belton
miller

[Kindog202]

williamson
williams
hrycaniuk
gentry
vaughn
-------------
warren
wilks
mitchell
sikes
bishop
mcclain
davis
belton
miller

If Williamson's knees holds up, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the starting lineup in place of Mitchell. One of the 2 (Mitchell or Williamson) will have to come off the bench. Mick may also opt to play Mitchell more than Williamson regardless of who starts to keep John fresher as the season wears on.

[Mick's Da Man]

I think it's all for grabs other than Vaughn, Hrycaniuk, and Mike Williams.

Gentry, Mitchell, Sikes, Williamson, and Warren will be rotated depending on their effectiveness in defense, scoring, hustling, and rebounding.

Matchups and hot hands will determine alot also. No more of this inability to score when Vaughn and Williamson went cold like last year, or when Sikes wasn't carrying the three point load. More options with a true PF in Mike Williams down low and Adam H.'s size to keep us from getting hammered by Hibbert, Pageant (louisville), and other tall centers.

I also see guys playing more like 25 mpg unlike 35 mpg last season. For instance, Vaughn will play 25-30 with Jamal Warren subbing at PG for 10-15 minutes to keep him fresh. Mike Williams will play 25 mpg with Williamson subbing him for 10-15 mpg while also playing alongside him in certain situations. I really think you'll see a ton of substitutions this season. Only way a guy stays in for long minutes is if he's lighting it up and unstoppable.

This is a good thing. No more living and dying with the 5 only players you have to get it done like last season. Think about it? Mick had ZERO ALTERNATIVES LAST SEASON. Zero.

PG - Vaughn, Warren, (Larry Davis, Bishop - if need be)
SG - Vaughn (when Warren is playing PG), Gentry, Mitchell, Davis, Bishop, (Sikes if he's shooting the 3 lights out)
SF - Mitchell (when Gentry is at SG - 3 guard lineup), Wilks, Gentry, Bishop, Williamson, Sikes
PF - Mike Williams, Williamson, Sikes, Belton, (Wilks, Bishop)
C - Hrycaniuk, McClain

Miles ahead of last year in terms of options, scoring, foul giving, size, etc.

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

I think it's all for grabs other than Vaughn, Hrycaniuk, and Mike Williams.

Gentry, Mitchell, Sikes, Williamson, and Warren will be rotated depending on their effectiveness in defense, scoring, hustling, and rebounding.

Matchups and hot hands will determine alot also. No more of this inability to score when Vaughn and Williamson went cold like last year, or when Sikes wasn't carrying the three point load. More options with a true PF in Mike Williams down low and Adam H.'s size to keep us from getting hammered by Hibbert, Pageant (louisville), and other tall centers.

I also see guys playing more like 25 mpg unlike 35 mpg last season. For instance, Vaughn will play 25-30 with Jamal Warren subbing at PG for 10-15 minutes to keep him fresh. Mike Williams will play 25 mpg with Williamson subbing him for 10-15 mpg while also playing alongside him in certain situations. I really think you'll see a ton of substitutions this season. Only way a guy stays in for long minutes is if he's lighting it up and unstoppable.

This is a good thing. No more living and dying with the 5 only players you have to get it done like last season. Think about it? Mick had ZERO ALTERNATIVES LAST SEASON. Zero.

PG - Vaughn, Warren, (Larry Davis, Bishop - if need be)
SG - Vaughn (when Warren is playing PG), Gentry, Mitchell, Davis, Bishop, (Sikes if he's shooting the 3 lights out)
SF - Mitchell (when Gentry is at SG - 3 guard lineup), Wilks, Gentry, Bishop, Williamson, Sikes
PF - Mike Williams, Williamson, Sikes, Belton, (Wilks, Bishop)
C - Hrycaniuk, McClain

Miles ahead of last year in terms of options, scoring, foul giving, size, etc.

And that explains why I think 20 W or more by end of the season.

UC was overmatched last year but easily COULD have won 15 or more games.

THIS year, UC will match up much better against most opponents. 20 W.

[Bearcat_DF]

To get to 20 wins, the Bearcats will need to be around .500 in the BE. The 2005-06 team was that good, so it seems reasonable to compare this years' team with the 05-06 team to get a sense of how they will measure up.

PG - Downey - Vaughn - (Vaughn as a sophomore gets an edge over Downey as a freshman)
SG - Muhammed - Gentry (so far, from what Gentry showed last year, I'll take Muhammed - in his senior season he was a very good role player.)
SF - White - Wilks (White - senior heading to NBA)
PF - McGowan - Williams (Haven't seen Williams play, but he comes with a better resume, though McGowan was a solid role player, I'll take Williams).
C - Hicks - Adam H (I'm taking Hicks - leadership, experience, toughness).

The 05-06 team also get a big plus for senior leadership.
This year's team gets a plus for coaching (Mick in his second year should be better than Andy in his first, especially without the bizarre circumstances of the 05-06 team).

So, as far as looking into the crystal ball at this point - I do not see this team being better than the 05-06 team which means 8-10 or 7-11 or 6-10 in the BE.

Go Cats!
DF

[columbus_bearcat]

You didn't take into consideration the depth we'll have this year. I thought that was lacking in the '05-06 season for sure. I wish you wouldn't have brought up the coaching comparison.

[General Woundwort]

PG - Downey - Vaughn - (Vaughn as a sophomore gets an edge over Downey as a freshman)
SG - Muhammed - Gentry (so far, from what Gentry showed last year, I'll take Muhammed - in his senior season he was a very good role player.)
SF - White - Wilks (White - senior heading to NBA)
PF - McGowan - Williams (Haven't seen Williams play, but he comes with a better resume, though McGowan was a solid role player, I'll take Williams).
C - Hicks - Adam H (I'm taking Hicks - leadership, experience, toughness).


I'll grant you all that, but you also have to consider the bench play. The 05-06 team had almost no effective bench play once Kirkland got hurt. You had Barwin, and then you were crossing your fingers. This team will have a much deeper bench (so much deeper that Barwin is no longer even necessary).

Also, while Hicks was a great player, the 05-06 team suffered from constant matchup problems. It is just hard to guard 6-10 guys when your top three post players are 6-6, 6-5, and 6-4. Even though McClain & H will be inferior players compared with Hicks as a senior, their size, combined with decent skill level, should make the team more effective at defending the post.

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

You didn't take into consideration the depth we'll have this year. I thought that was lacking in the '05-06 season for sure. I wish you wouldn't have brought up the coaching comparison.

Depth in 2007-08 >>> 2005-06. Coaching about equal. AK averages 21 W as a coach. MC averages 20 W as a coach. AK perhaps a bit better.

[jkwuc89]

I think it is very premature to compare the coaching resumes of Mick Cronin and Andy Kennedy. Neither has been on the job at a BCS school long enough to render a valid comparison one way or another. Andy benefited significantly at UC because he inherited a veteran and experienced team. He also benefited significantly at Mississippi because he did not have to build a team from scratch. We all know how Mick started at UC.

Let's see how both fare over the next five years.

[UCbball21]

1. Vaughn-Warren-Davis
2. Mitchell-Gentry- Davis
3. Wilks-Williamson-Bishop
4. Williams-Williamson-Sikes-Belton
5. Hyrcaniuk-McClain

[Bearcat_DF]

I'll grant you all that, but you also have to consider the bench play. The 05-06 team had almost no effective bench play once Kirkland got hurt. You had Barwin, and then you were crossing your fingers. This team will have a much deeper bench (so much deeper that Barwin is no longer even necessary).

Also, while Hicks was a great player, the 05-06 team suffered from constant matchup problems. It is just hard to guard 6-10 guys when your top three post players are 6-6, 6-5, and 6-4. Even though McClain & H will be inferior players compared with Hicks as a senior, their size, combined with decent skill level, should make the team more effective at defending the post.

General,

Good points. I think this team will have more depth, however I'm not sure it is a huge factor - the 05-06 team also had Chad Moore, so they basically had a 7 man rotation and the starters were pretty capable of logging 32-34 minutes.

Also, they did have match up problems in the post. Still, I'm not convinced yet that a rotation of Williams, Adam H., Williamson, McCain is a better rotation than Hicks, McGowan, and Barwin. It will be a very good thing if it is! If it isn't, we'll still have match up problems.

Go Cats!

[james jr]

1. Vaughn-Warren-Davis
2. Mitchell-Gentry- Davis
3. Wilks-Williamson-Bishop
4. Williams-Williamson-Sikes-Belton
5. Hyrcaniuk-McClain

I agree, although I believe Mitchell and Gentry is going to a very close call due to Gentry's experience.

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

General,

Good points. I think this team will have more depth, however I'm not sure it is a huge factor - the 05-06 team also had Chad Moore, so they basically had a 7 man rotation and the starters were pretty capable of logging 32-34 minutes.

Also, they did have match up problems in the post. Still, I'm not convinced yet that a rotation of Williams, Adam H., Williamson, McCain is a better rotation than Hicks, McGowan, and Barwin. It will be a very good thing if it is! If it isn't, we'll still have match up problems.

Go Cats!

You guys act like McGowan was something special. He was nothing more than a role player, who happened to start because we had nothing better at the time. He would not have seen a lot of minutes on most of the teams from the previous 10-15 years. I appreciate the effort he gave but, 'c'mon!!

Barwin stepped up when we really needed a body out there. Kudos to him. But, realistically, how good a player is he?

Hicks was a very good player, although, undersized. He made up for it with his heart. Williams is a McD All-American. I would certainly expect that he'll be a very solid player.

I think a big edge goes to the current group over what we had in 2005-2006. Who would you rather have....McClain/H, or Barwin? Williamson/Wilks/Mitchell or McGowan? I think it's a no brainer.

[Inchickinkick]

williamson
williams
hrycaniuk
gentry
warren
-------------
vaughn
wilks
mitchell
sikes
bishop
mcclain
davis
belton
miller
------------------

you have got too start with the players returning,
its their job too lose. that means warren,vaughn,
gentry,williamson and sikes started last season.
i think wilks will start wf with bishop backingup.
then the cats will have davis and mitchell with
warren,vaughn and gentry back coart.
and if they do the right thing and work harder,
the team could be special, mcclain and gates
wilks mitchell and vaughn 08/09 rotation.

[Bearcat_DF]

I think a big edge goes to the current group over what we had in 2005-2006. Who would you rather have....McClain/H, or Barwin? Williamson/Wilks/Mitchell or McGowan? I think it's a no brainer.

Curious how you left Hicks out of this mix. I don't think anyone said McGowan was special. I think I said he was a good role player. I would go farther and say that Hicks made him a better player! Look at how his production went down when he wasn't playing beside Hicks.

We haven't seen Williams, Adam H. or McClain play against div 1 talent (actually Williams played as a freshman - I don't have time to look at his numbers).

I think it is a huge leap to think that there is a big edge for the current front line. I think Hicks experience, leadership, toughness, and heart go a long way against three first year players.

Go Cats!
DF

[waterhead]

Lets look in terms of possible approximate playing minutes rather than starters. There are only 200 minutes to go around so who gets what? Obviously these aren't correct but I would say maybe withing plus or minus 5 minutes

Vaughn 30
Williams 30
Hyranciuk 25
Mitchell 25
Gentry 25
Williamson 20
McClain 10
Wilkes 10
Warren 10
Sykes 8
Davis 5
Bishop 1
Belton 1
Miller 0

Obviously players can still prove they are worthy of more or less minutes especially Wilkes and McClain but so far this is how I would guess at it.

It doesn't matter what position you want to call each player they will get in according to how much time they deserve and how valuable they are to winning the game. If Biggie and Adam H need to be on the court with Williams at the same time...it will happen. If Mitchell and Gentry need to be out there with Vaughn so be it. The 5 most valuable players should get the most minutes unless injury determines otherwise (Williamson).

[schottjy]

deleted....

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

Curious how you left Hicks out of this mix. I don't think anyone said McGowan was special. I think I said he was a good role player. I would go farther and say that Hicks made him a better player! Look at how his production went down when he wasn't playing beside Hicks.

We haven't seen Williams, Adam H. or McClain play against div 1 talent (actually Williams played as a freshman - I don't have time to look at his numbers).

I think it is a huge leap to think that there is a big edge for the current front line. I think Hicks experience, leadership, toughness, and heart go a long way against three first year players.

Go Cats!
DF

Even more curious is that fact that I did mention Hicks. Perhaps in your haste to respond to my post, you didn't read the entire thing.

Maybe you should go back and re-read it.

[loshow22]

really at a loss for words here.....wow

[Inchickinkick]

minutes played in last game 06/07

west virgina
-----------------------
vaughn37
williamson34
warren29
sikes27
miller10
gentry0

[Aaron]

You guys act like McGowan was something special. He was nothing more than a role player, who happened to start because we had nothing better at the time. He would not have seen a lot of minutes on most of the teams from the previous 10-15 years. I appreciate the effort he gave but, 'c'mon!!

Barwin stepped up when we really needed a body out there. Kudos to him. But, realistically, how good a player is he?

Hicks was a very good player, although, undersized. He made up for it with his heart. Williams is a McD All-American. I would certainly expect that he'll be a very solid player.

I think a big edge goes to the current group over what we had in 2005-2006. Who would you rather have....McClain/H, or Barwin? Williamson/Wilks/Mitchell or McGowan? I think it's a no brainer.

Lets wait till these new players, get on the court, before we make them All-Americans. McGowan in the 05-06 stepped up against some tough competition. Granted he had better talent around him such as (J.White, E.Hicks, a true PG in Downey) and this last year, the team looked lost at most times. As far as Barwin goes, no he wasn't a special player but it you watched last season, he was the only one at times playing D. Williamson, Sikes and other played no "D". The majority of the little D that they played came from their guards. I would give the edge to the new crop of recruits due to depth purposes only. But, they'll need to play well as a team which may take time but the 05-06 team did do for the majority of the season. Mick has brought the recruits in, now we'll need to see how good of coach Cronin is. He made alot of mistakes on the court but with him being a young coach hopefully he'll improve with better talent on the team and him getting more coaching experience.

Go Cats

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

Lets wait till these new players, get on the court, before we make them All-Americans. McGowan in the 05-06 stepped up against some tough competition. Granted he had better talent around him such as (J.White, E.Hicks, a true PG in Downey) and this last year, the team looked lost at most times. As far as Barwin goes, no he wasn't a special player but it you watched last season, he was the only one at times playing D. Williamson, Sikes and other played no "D". The majority of the little D that they played came from their guards. I would give the edge to the new crop of recruits due to depth purposes only. But, they'll need to play well as a team which may take time but the 05-06 team did do for the majority of the season. Mick has brought the recruits in, now we'll need to see how good of coach Cronin is. He made alot of mistakes on the court but with him being a young coach hopefully he'll improve with better talent on the team and him getting more coaching experience.

Go Cats

Please don't interpret my remarks as a slam on Barwin and McGowan. I respect their efforts. My comments are strictly a projection of what I think is likely to happen with these new guys. Of course, I know they have to prove it on the court. But, it is also unfair to compare Hicks and Williams, unless you are going to compare Hicks as a freshman, and not his senior year. I only said that, based on Williams being a McD AA, he should be a solid player.

[Bearcat_DF]

I think a big edge goes to the current group over what we had in 2005-2006. Who would you rather have....McClain/H, or Barwin? Williamson/Wilks/Mitchell or McGowan? I think it's a no brainer.

But, it is also unfair to compare Hicks and Williams, unless you are going to compare Hicks as a freshman, and not his senior year. I only said that, based on Williams being a McD AA, he should be a solid player.



Oldtimer,

I read your whole post, but at the end when you raise the question you leave Hicks out - the real question is would you want Hicks (as a senior) or Williams? McGowan or Adam H./McCain? Or it could be - Hicks or Adam H./McCain? McGowan or Williams? When the question is put propererly, it is not a "no brainer".

Also, it is actually fair to compare Hicks and Williams because the main point was whether the current team (Williams as a junior) is talented enough to play .500 ball in the BE - which the 05-06 team did when Hicks was a senior.

At this point, I take the 05-06 team.

Go Cats!
DF

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

Oldtimer,

I read your whole post, but at the end when you raise the question you leave Hicks out - the real question is would you want Hicks (as a senior) or Williams? McGowan or Adam H./McCain? Or it could be - Hicks or Adam H./McCain? McGowan or Williams? When the question is put propererly, it is not a "no brainer".

Also, it is actually fair to compare Hicks and Williams because the main point was whether the current team (Williams as a junior) is talented enough to play .500 ball in the BE - which the 05-06 team did when Hicks was a senior.

At this point, I take the 05-06 team.

Go Cats!
DF

Definitely Hicks over any of them. But....I would also take my chances with Williams over McGowan, and Williamson/Wilks over Barwin.

[Bearcat_DF]

Definitely Hicks over any of them. But....I would also take my chances with Williams over McGowan, and Williamson/Wilks over Barwin.

I'd love to be able to mix and match, but under the basic premise - is 05/06 better than 07/08 you can't really do that. So, you have to choose the whole rotation and ultimately the whole team.

back court - I think would be a push, slight advantage to 07/08
front court - goes to the 05/06 - White - Hicks - McGowan (I don't think you can come up with 3 players to beat those 3 - even with McGowan as a weak link).

Go Cats!
DF

[gocats45]

I'll grant you all that, but you also have to consider the bench play. The 05-06 team had almost no effective bench play once Kirkland got hurt. You had Barwin, and then you were crossing your fingers. This team will have a much deeper bench (so much deeper that Barwin is no longer even necessary).

Also, while Hicks was a great player, the 05-06 team suffered from constant matchup problems. It is just hard to guard 6-10 guys when your top three post players are 6-6, 6-5, and 6-4. Even though McClain & H will be inferior players compared with Hicks as a senior, their size, combined with decent skill level, should make the team more effective at defending the post.

Why would McClain and Adam H be considered inferior? You are comparing Eric Hicks to two players that are good at basketball for completly different reasons. I see McClain shutting down the Big East centers this year and freeing up room for the rest of his team to score, and they allow for us to defend the perimiter this year, which is a huge upgrade. It was pick our poison last year. I think when its all said and done, McClain will go on to the NBA before his senior season, something Hicks couldn't do even with four years under his belt.

[Eastside_J]

Mike Williams is going to add a lot. Also I think everyone is underestimating the value of John Williamson, as well as Sikes, Warren and Gentry.

Jucos usually take a significant leap from year one to two.

[Thegreatone]

He is the line-up I would like to see after about 10 games.

PG) Vaugn
SG) Mitchell
SF) Wilks
PF) Williams
C) Adam H

1st Backups

PG) Warren
SG) Gentry
SF) Williamson
PF) Sikes/Belton ( I think if we are winning you will see more Belton for his D and if we are trailing the Sikes shooting will be a valuable assest.)
C) McClain

[waterhead]

He is the line-up I would like to see after about 10 games.

PG) Vaugn
SG) Mitchell
SF) Wilks
PF) Williams
C) Adam H

1st Backups

PG) Warren
SG) Gentry
SF) Williamson
PF) Sikes/Belton ( I think if we are winning you will see more Belton for his D and if we are trailing the Sikes shooting will be a valuable assest.)
C) McClain

I agree with most of your lineup except for it would be nice to see Biggie develop over Adam H. The future is in the 07 and 08 class.

[Bearcat_DF]

A new day, a new measuring stick.

I realize that without knowing the schedule (especially the mirror games in the BE) it is very difficult to predict how many wins this team will achieve (though that doesn't stop Tom from predicting a 20 win season).

Still there are a few ways to gauge the potential of this team. Yesterday I looked into my crystal ball (comparing the current team to the 05-06 team). Today I will read some tea leaves.

The tea leaves are last year BE standings (see below).

Last year - Providence ended up with a .500 season; they finished 10th. So we might assume that the Bearcats will need to finish 10th this year to be a .500 team. So what 6 BE teams will the Bearcats be better than?

Rutgers, South Florida, Seton Hall, U Conn, St. Johns, and Providence?
Teams 15-10 (UC was the last place team)?

Some how I don't think U Conn will be there again. St. Johns has been improving too.

So I believe there are 3 teams UC should clearly be better than - Rutgers, South Florida, and Seton Hall.

Then there is a group of about 9 teams that I think will battle for the middle of the standings, this battle will hinge a lot on the unbalance schedule of the BE.

UC, Providence, St. Johns, Villlanova, DePaul, West Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette and Notre Dame.

That leaves 4 teams to the top tier - Georgetown, Pitt, U of L, U Conn.

From this perspective, the possibility of 20 wins looks a little brighter.

At this point, I can imagine UC being better than Rutgers, So. Fla, Seton Hall, Providence, St. Johns, Depaul and Nova. Depending on player development, they could possibly be in the top 6 of the league!

Today, I'm with Tom - 20 wins at least!

When we see the schedule, we'll have a better sense.

Go Cats!
DF

Overall Conf Overall Non-Conf
W-L W-L RPI SOS RPI SOS
(Georgetown) 26-6 13-3 9 14 63 129
Pittsburgh 27-7 12-4 5 6 9 23
Louisville 22-9 12-4 37 36 135 145
Notre Dame 24-7 11-5 31 106 68 309
Marquette 23-9 10-6 22 17 42 98
Syracuse 22-10 10-6 50 46 79 122
Villanova 21-10 9-7 19 7 22 46
West Virginia 21-9 9-7 57 99 58 271
DePaul 17-13 9-7 68 29 86 85
Providence 18-12 8-8 76 48 59 74
St. John's 16-15 7-9 133 79 196 204
Connecticut 17-14 6-10 111 65 81 176
Seton Hall 12-16 4-12 153 81 129 184
South Florida 12-18 3-13 192 112 193 299
Rutgers 9-19 3-13 215 97 205 185
Cincinnati 11-19 2-14 174 47 114 82

[loshow22]

Mike Williams is going to add a lot. Also I think everyone is underestimating the value of John Williamson, as well as Sikes, Warren and Gentry.

Jucos usually take a significant leap from year one to two.


I agree about John Williamson. Last season did not do him any justice with the "rebuilding process", but he did pull down 16 or 17 rebounds against the national runner up and #1 pick, Mr. Oden! The man can play bigger than his size....I do not need to cite examples of previous Bearcats that played bigger then they were. Kudos to JW

[Kindog202]

FYI, Josh Katzowitz has posted on his blog that Pitt, UConn and St. Johns are our mirror games this year. Entire BE schedule to be released sometime today.

Just saw the home and away games on the blog site. Interesting to note, we play WVU on the road only this year. Huggs won't be back this year to 5/3 arena

[General Woundwort]

Why would McClain and Adam H be considered inferior? You are comparing Eric Hicks to two players that are good at basketball for completly different reasons. I see McClain shutting down the Big East centers this year and freeing up room for the rest of his team to score, and they allow for us to defend the perimiter this year, which is a huge upgrade. It was pick our poison last year. I think when its all said and done, McClain will go on to the NBA before his senior season, something Hicks couldn't do even with four years under his belt.

I think it is highly unlikely that McClain, as talented as he is, will be anywhere near as effective (as a freshman) as Eric Hicks was (as a senior). If he is, then he is a top 5 pick in the draft next year. Hicks averaged 15 ppg, 9.7 rpg, and 3.3 bpg as a senior. If McClain matches those numbers as a freshman, then he is the next Greg Oden (coincidentally, Oden's numbers last year are almost identical - 15.7/9.6/3.3).

McClain may well become a superior player eventually, and he certainly has a better chance at making the NBA. But next year, I'd be shocked if he wasn't significantly inferior to Eric Hicks circa 2006. And I would love to be wrong about this.

As for H, the guy averaged 12 ppg in JC 2 years ago. He's going to be a big help, but he's no Eric Hicks.

That said, just having these guys is going to make it tougher for teams to throw the ball over our interior defense, and for big guys to get clear looks at the basket. There is something to be said for having players over 6-6 to guard the post.

[waterhead]

Hicks vs Mike Williams may be a better comparison than Hicks vs Adam H or Biggie because Hicks wasn't supposed to be a center. Either way replacing a player of Hicks caliber or Max's caliber will be tough to do but we are picking up a McDonalds AA in Williams and a possible top 25 recruit in Gates (in 08') so I like our chances. The addition of Adam H and Biggie are player/positions that we haven't had at our disposal recently so we are doing much better at center than say Herrera or Allen or NOBODY in other words. If we can't replace McGowan and Barwin with better players we are in a sad state of affairs. Good role players...fine...but not what we need to contend in the Beast.

Overall the reason our baseline is better is because we have more depth period. Adam H, Biggie, Williams, Williamson, Sykes, Benton. Fresh legs all the time if necessary. In my opinion we have much better depth and better talent with the possible exception of Hicks but we will have to see what Williams can do. I don't think he will put up 3.3 blocks but scoring and rebounding I think he can do.

[Inchickinkick]

He is the line-up I would like to see after about 10 games.

PG) Vaugn
SG) Mitchell
SF) Wilks
PF) Williams
C) Adam H

1st Backups

PG) Warren
SG) Gentry
SF) Williamson
PF) Sikes/Belton ( I think if we are winning you will see more Belton for his D and if we are trailing the Sikes shooting will be a valuable assest.)
C) McClain
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does mick ever read these forms?

[BigDaddyCornHusker]

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does mick ever read these forms?

He'd be undefeated if he did.

[Thegreatone]

haha we are really smart arent we

[Inchickinkick]

yea smarter than everybody else>

[Irishbearcat]

Mick is doing about as well as I thought. Keep up the good work!

[Inchickinkick]

last years team was better than 9-19, seems like after the ohio bobcat game

[Irishbearcat]

I see Sikes filling in more as a small forward. He is not exactly meant to be underneath the hoop at all. I agree with the first poster, a big question is how soon can the athletic Wilks fight for playing time. I would expect Gentry and Mitchell to be very good at the SG spot. Can't wait for the season!
(I went to five games last year, we lost 'em all, including one to the Irish).