PG - Kriisa, Bembry
SG - Battle (if he gets his waiver), Seth and Kobe
SF - Perez, Harris, Naveh
PF - Slazinski, Akok, Harris, Suemnick
C - Edwards, Akok
Bembry and Naveh have never play a college basketball game. Not sure what we have in these two but there certainly is promise in both. I hope we can get a couple of guards to complete the roster. A PG for depth and a swing SG who can also play the 3. Omar is a big loss. He was an experienced 2 guard that provided very good depth. If Battle does not get his waiver, it will be a huge blow. We can't replace Battle at this late stage. After the Perez debacle and now Silverio (I realize his situation is different than Battle's), how confident can we be that a waiver will be granted?
If the gods smile on us and Battle get his waiver, we are likely a top 5 Big 12 team. If we add a couple of high quality guards, I think we can be a top 3 team that can make the Sweet 16 if not more. I hope we can get some late portal entries from graduates to complete this roster.
PG - A bit better offensively than last year's team but weaker defensively. Edwards and Akok will help defensively with their excellent rim protection. Bembry is very long for a PG. Word is that his length helps him defensively and he is a pass first PG. Perhaps he provides high quality depth but given the uncertainty, we need another player. Still, I think this is a slight upgrade over last year's team.
SG - Battle vs. Stevenson. Great question: Do we upgrade the SG position? From what I have heard, Battle is the real deal. Seth and Kobe are just role players and I don't expect either to make a major leap in performance. We need some quality depth and if we get one, we have a slight upgrade over last year's team.
SF - Perez is not as long or athletic as Matthews but is likely a better basketball player. He is a scorer. Can he become more lethal from 3? He has had a couple of years to work on it. And Perez is a more physical player than Emmitt. Slight upgrade, especially if Harris really comes on. We need some insurance at this position. Naveh is a wild card.
PF - Slazinski vs. Mitchell. I realize Mitchell was not physical and wilted at times in the Big 12. But he was a player that needed to be accounted for and was a mismatch inside. I think Slazinski can stretch the floor and Akok can likely play with Edwards for short bursts although Akok is not much of a true threat from 3. The wild card is Harris. If he really ups his game, this helps greatly at the 3 and the 4. I am not expecting much from Suemnick, but hope I am wrong. Slight downgrade.
C - Big upgrade. Edwards will likely be the 2nd best center in the Big 12. And one of the best in the country. Akok provides quality back-up. If they get into foul trouble, it will be interesting to see who the 3rd center is on this team. Suemnick? Not an appealing thought. Can we go small with Slazinski or Harris?
SG - Battle (if he gets his waiver), Seth and Kobe
SF - Perez, Harris, Naveh
PF - Slazinski, Akok, Harris, Suemnick
C - Edwards, Akok
Bembry and Naveh have never play a college basketball game. Not sure what we have in these two but there certainly is promise in both. I hope we can get a couple of guards to complete the roster. A PG for depth and a swing SG who can also play the 3. Omar is a big loss. He was an experienced 2 guard that provided very good depth. If Battle does not get his waiver, it will be a huge blow. We can't replace Battle at this late stage. After the Perez debacle and now Silverio (I realize his situation is different than Battle's), how confident can we be that a waiver will be granted?
If the gods smile on us and Battle get his waiver, we are likely a top 5 Big 12 team. If we add a couple of high quality guards, I think we can be a top 3 team that can make the Sweet 16 if not more. I hope we can get some late portal entries from graduates to complete this roster.
PG - A bit better offensively than last year's team but weaker defensively. Edwards and Akok will help defensively with their excellent rim protection. Bembry is very long for a PG. Word is that his length helps him defensively and he is a pass first PG. Perhaps he provides high quality depth but given the uncertainty, we need another player. Still, I think this is a slight upgrade over last year's team.
SG - Battle vs. Stevenson. Great question: Do we upgrade the SG position? From what I have heard, Battle is the real deal. Seth and Kobe are just role players and I don't expect either to make a major leap in performance. We need some quality depth and if we get one, we have a slight upgrade over last year's team.
SF - Perez is not as long or athletic as Matthews but is likely a better basketball player. He is a scorer. Can he become more lethal from 3? He has had a couple of years to work on it. And Perez is a more physical player than Emmitt. Slight upgrade, especially if Harris really comes on. We need some insurance at this position. Naveh is a wild card.
PF - Slazinski vs. Mitchell. I realize Mitchell was not physical and wilted at times in the Big 12. But he was a player that needed to be accounted for and was a mismatch inside. I think Slazinski can stretch the floor and Akok can likely play with Edwards for short bursts although Akok is not much of a true threat from 3. The wild card is Harris. If he really ups his game, this helps greatly at the 3 and the 4. I am not expecting much from Suemnick, but hope I am wrong. Slight downgrade.
C - Big upgrade. Edwards will likely be the 2nd best center in the Big 12. And one of the best in the country. Akok provides quality back-up. If they get into foul trouble, it will be interesting to see who the 3rd center is on this team. Suemnick? Not an appealing thought. Can we go small with Slazinski or Harris?
