(02-16-2020 09:04 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote: Maybe it’s a good time to have this discussion...
I feel like the clock starts this year. We’re finally playing with division 1 players for the most part. Wynter isn’t a freshman anymore. I would give spiker 2 years to have us in the top half. That might be generous but this whole thread lays out the inadequacies he is dealt at Drexel. He seems smart enough to walk away on his own if he thinks it’s ruining his career.
If Wynter is using Demir as a gauge to see whether a transfer is worth it...I would expect Wynter back next year. Demir is on TV a lot...setting screens and passing within the offense but not doing much else. He might have been better served staying put and being a focal point of our offense.
I felt like last year was his first year past all the transfers and cleaning up. He did get another setback in the offseason with Demir leaving and then early in the season with Kurk leaving, but at that point I felt like he was already on the clock. So I agree more with JB in that this upcoming season would be more like a true year 3 versus year 2 and that results next year really matter. He has a good core here now and the class coming in looks to be a nice fit as far as needs. TJ and Okros have shown flashes so year 2 will be crucial to see their development.
To me, if the team looks similar to what it does now (minus the seniors) we absolutely have to finish top 4 otherwise it will be another failure, in my eyes. Too much talent to not be good in this league. Quite honestly, this season played out how most felt it would. Many felt there was a chance at top 4 but top 6 was supposed to be guaranteed. Most felt steps would be taken as far as winning on the road. That didnt happen which is why we are a middle of the pack team that wont make top 6 due to a very strangely balanced season. 8-10 is not awful. I think most reasonably projected 9-9 (which meant winning all home and losing all away games or flipping a couple which seemed fair). 8-10 is usually good enough for top 6. It just won't be this season. So the only disappointing thing to me at this point is that we still can't win on the road even if it seems like the talent is there to do so.
Part of winning on the road is staying competitive which may or may not be happening. Going on the road and losing isnt the worst thing, but competing means a lot and there have been far too many times this team just did not compete on the road. This road trip against W&M and Elon is hopefully a promising start that we can go from competing to winning some games and that we have moved past not even showing up. How we do in Charleston and Wilmington, to me, will be a big gauge as to whether we have started that transition or if we just got lucky. Even if we go 1-1 or 0-2, I am looking for us to be competitive with a chance in each game. If we lay an egg in either, I will lean towards we still need to take the step towards competing before expecting to come out with victories.
So in summation, despite falling to the play-in round, there is a lot at stake for the rest of the season, namely whether this team has taken the steps required to move from 'not showing up' to 'competing' on the road. If we have accomplished that, next season has promise as close calls can get turned into victories.