(10-20-2021 05:23 AM)70shawk Wrote: CBS Sports Preseason Ranking of All 358 College Basketball Teams
303. UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks lost 11 league games to COVID cancellations last season. Rough. This team brings on eight new players, including the not-so-common "boomerang" transfer: a guy who started at one school, left, and came back. That's Jaylen Fornes, a career 38% 3-point shooter.
Typical, unstudied and uninformed, assessment - but gives you an idea of what the sports writing world knows or thinks (to the extent that it does either one) as the season kicks off.
Honestly, unless you have intimate knowledge of the incoming players who transferred in, there is no way to evaluate this team. You can't base it on last year due to Covid shutdowns and injuries, but that's all you have if you're a writer.
On paper we are much bigger overall, and especially at the 4/5 spot. That will help with defense and rebounding. It's easy to forget that we could put up points last year and were second in the CAA in scoring. If we can improve on the boards and on defense, we can close the gap and win some games. We were also competitive in almost every conference game we played. Amazingly, we never played Drexel, NU, JMU, William and Mary or CofC
Lost two games to Towson combined 7 points
Beat Delaware by 7 then lost by 5
Lost to Hofstra by 9 and 6
Lost to Elon by 3
We are going to have the depth to finally press like Siddle will want to, and the size on the back end of the press to defend when the press is broken. We can go really big, but we also have ball handlers and three point threats. This roster leads me to believe we are a top 5 team. No way we finish last.
Shy is our PG, but it's going to be hard to keep an explosive player like Jamarii Thomas on the bench. Siddle may just rest Shy more to get Thomas some PT. I've watched Shy and Thomas go at it against each other in scrimmages, and Thomas doesn't back down an inch. He will bring fire to this team where Shy is more composed. The only problem we have with Shy and Thomas is that neither of them are a real three point threat, so they are both better at PG. I expect we won't have to have any ironman players going 40 minutes like last year.
Okaru was good but very inconsistent last year. He will be challenged by Fornes and Oglesby for PT.
The real question this year will be at the four. Will Siddle go for size and rebounding or will he go for an outside shooter? Does Siddle use Sims at the 3 or 4 spot? What happens to Harvey who can score, but has a slight frame and has a hard time defending bulky players. We may have a problem of too many options this year and figuring out how best to use them and keep everyone happy with PT.
My bet is this will be our best lineup
Phillips 6'2" 180 lbs. Jr.
Oglesby 6'5" 195 lbs. So
Sims 6'6" 210 lbs Sr.
Baker 6'7" 205 lbs Grad
Kelly 6'9" 230 lbs. Jr.
That's a lineup that can score, rebound and defend. Upper classmen. And that kind of size will equal anything we see in the CAA. We can then rotate in Jamarii Thomas, Fornes, Okauru, Harvey and Samb and see almost no dropoff in play, just a drop off in size. Baker and Sims will probably play the most since Sims can play either 3 or 4 and Baker can play either 4 or 5. Then, we are loaded with guards who can play the 2 or 3 spot, with Shy and Thomas rotating at PG.