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Xuperman
08-08-2021, 12:13 PM
This roster is loaded with proven talent and the experience factor is highly unusual. I am really jacked for this season if Covid can stay out of the way. Trying to visualize a former roster with this much quality depth.

This seems to be a fair player ranking.

Scruggs
ZFree
Johnson
Jones
Nunge
Odom
Stanley
Hunter
Kunk
Tandy*

There are 6 Four Stars in this group with 2 more in the newly arrived '21 class. I mean this team could easily floor TWO separate highly competitive squads!

*ranking reflects needing more opportunity

xukeith
08-08-2021, 02:13 PM
This roster is loaded with proven talent and the experience factor is highly unusual. I am really jacked for this season if Covid can stay out of the way. Trying to visualize a former roster with this much quality depth.

This seems to be a fair player ranking.

Scruggs
ZFree
Johnson
Jones
Nunge
Odom
Stanley
Hunter
Kunk
Tandy*

There are 6 Four Stars in this group with 2 more in the newly arrived '21 class. I mean this team could easily floor TWO separate highly competitive squads!

*ranking reflects needing more opportunity

Once a recruit signs and then plays a year for X, I really don't count them as a 3 or 4 star recruit anymore. A player can show after 1 year of D1 basketball if they are any good.

When players compete, not all the 4 stars exceed expectations. I recall Scruggs being the hyped(higher rated recruit) between him and Naji Marshall. I wouldn't rank Stanley until he can show he can play with his knee. Oh no, another Tandy solution.

UCGRAD4X
08-08-2021, 03:33 PM
I do agree that the depth is impressive (best ever?) and I think Xavier is generally being underestimated.

However, and I don't want to hijack this thread, but a big caveat is the coaching.

XUGRAD80
08-08-2021, 04:44 PM
Rankings are just…opinions….until the players play and prove that they can actually play. After a couple of years of playing, I’ve got to ask just what are some the Xavier players actually delivering? How do they actually compare to what the competition has? The HS rankings mean NOTHING at this point. All that matters is….have they SHOWN that they can actually play against the level of competition they have faced and will face?

MHettel
08-08-2021, 04:47 PM
It doesnt matter unless they play. The depth last year was very good. The year before as well. But guys got glued to the bench and we settled in on a short (7 man) rotation for much of the last 2 seasons. So either those guys were not actually good enough to warrant a deeper rotation, or the coach was too stuck in his ways to see that he had a competitive advantage at his disposal and he should build around it.

A higher tempo offensive and defensive gameplan is how to utilize the depth. The goal is to get the other team to go deep into their bench where the talent mismatch plays in your favor.

I was disappointed in Steele the last 2 years. if he fumbles this roster and plays a 7 man rotation, he's gonna lose his job.

JEHARDI
08-08-2021, 09:30 PM
It doesnt matter unless they play. The depth last year was very good. The year before as well. But guys got glued to the bench and we settled in on a short (7 man) rotation for much of the last 2 seasons. So either those guys were not actually good enough to warrant a deeper rotation, or the coach was too stuck in his ways to see that he had a competitive advantage at his disposal and he should build around it.

A higher tempo offensive and defensive gameplan is how to utilize the depth. The goal is to get the other team to go deep into their bench where the talent mismatch plays in your favor.

I was disappointed in Steele the last 2 years. if he fumbles this roster and plays a 7 man rotation, he's gonna lose his job.

The depth of that 2018/19 was not good by any means. Cupboard was bare; Steele had to go out and find 3 grad transfers to get to 7 and they were not Top tier BE caliber.

Xuperman
08-08-2021, 11:57 PM
Rankings are just…opinions….until the players play and prove that they can actually play. After a couple of years of playing, I’ve got to ask just what are some the Xavier players actually delivering? How do they actually compare to what the competition has? The HS rankings mean NOTHING at this point. All that matters is….have they SHOWN that they can actually play against the level of competition they have faced and will face?

"Some of the players"? Can you be specific? I posted this thread because the conversation here had become a bit stagnant. I go back to the Fieldhouse days and IMO this is the most stacked roster of all time. ALL 10 of our guys listed are already proven to be productive D1 players....even proven at the Big East level of competition. I was hoping to get in some honest debate on the subject....just to burn off some of my usual pre season giddiness.

When the likes of Tandy and Kunkle are seated at 9/10 down the bench, it just creates a very unique situation.

xudash
08-09-2021, 12:38 AM
"Some of the players"? Can you be specific? I posted this thread because the conversation here had become a bit stagnant. I go back to the Fieldhouse days and IMO this is the most stacked roster of all time. ALL 10 of our guys listed are already proven to be productive D1 players....even proven at the Big East level of competition. I was hoping to get in some honest debate on the subject....just to burn off some of my usual pre season giddiness.

When the likes of Tandy and Kunkle are seated at 9/10 down the bench, it just creates a very unique situation.

Point well made.

Xville
08-09-2021, 08:39 AM
Depth is overrated unless (knocks on wood) there are injuries. Only 5 can play on a court at a time, and I’d rather have 7 or maybe at the most 8 in the rotation so that everyone knows their role and knows how to play together. With that said, there is an abundance of talent on this team if everyone stays healthy. We will see if it can be used properly this year and adjusted based on game performance.

xukeith
08-09-2021, 09:26 AM
I don't think Tandy, Stanley, Kunkel or Miles are all that great.
If they can perform well, they haven't shown much.

Starting 5 and 2-3 deep bench is top quality IMO.

paulxu
08-09-2021, 10:02 AM
If you have a potential of 10 rotation players, that should make for some good practice time.

Xuperman
08-09-2021, 10:07 AM
I don't think Tandy, Stanley, Kunkel or Miles are all that great.
If they can perform well, they haven't shown much.

Starting 5 and 2-3 deep bench is top quality IMO.

Unless Tandy and Steele can come to terms with whatever is was last year, he will continue to be hamstrung, but there is no way Kunk or Stanley will get lost in the shuffle.

Kunkel won 2 of our games outright last year and basically out hustled everyone on the floor the rest of the time. Stanley was only 100% in 2 of his 4 games, netting 21 pts in 25 minutes vs Creighton & Seton Hall. He can flat out score, but he also has the necessary intangibles that the Big East demands. Attitude, toughness and physicality......he plays a nasty brand of basketball.

Whatever Miles can contribute this year is pure gravy. His opportunity will come when Nunge is gone, but probably won't realize his ceiling until 2023-24.

Xuperman
08-09-2021, 10:37 AM
If you have a potential of 10 rotation players, that should make for some good practice time.

No doubt! The Musketeers Madness scrimmage is going to be hotly contested!

It's certainly possible to keep all 10 guys happy, fresh and engaged. Scruggs & Free will hover around 30 minutes per and if Odom makes the expected progression at the point, will get significant PT for lack of another PG. Shooting and defense will get Johnson 20+ and Jones' production gets him there as well. Nunge will have to stay healthy and be really effective to get 20+ IMO. That leaves around 45-50 minutes for the remaining 4 guys, but of course the hot hand should always be taken advantage of.

If Edwards and/or Tucker emerge with some early traction, things get very interesting.

whopper
08-09-2021, 10:59 AM
if we are winning it will be all smiles. Losing breeds jealousy over playing time so lets hope we play an exciting brand of ball with a decent winning percentage. Honestly I could see players on the bench the last 3 years kind of half heartedly supporting the players in the game during time outs when we were playing poorly. It is only human nature in every profession.

xukeith
08-09-2021, 11:09 AM
Unless Tandy and Steele can come to terms with whatever is was last year, he will continue to be hamstrung, but there is no way Kunk or Stanley will get lost in the shuffle.

Kunkel won 2 of our games outright last year and basically out hustled everyone on the floor the rest of the time. Stanley was only 100% in 2 of his 4 games, netting 21 pts in 25 minutes vs Creighton & Seton Hall. He can flat out score, but he also has the necessary intangibles that the Big East demands. Attitude, toughness and physicality......he plays a nasty brand of basketball.

Whatever Miles can contribute this year is pure gravy. His opportunity will come when Nunge is gone, but probably won't realize his ceiling until 2023-24.

Stanley played 4 games. Stanley tore his ACL. Stanley probably was not in game shape when he did play. I don't know a past X player who tore their ACL and then played better. He was awesome for Hampton against sub talent. Injured, not 100% , who knows?

Nunge has 2 years of eligibility, If Miles gets a shot when Nunge is gone, Miles will have waited for 4 years. This is the year for Miles to play or transfer.

Kunkel was not great last season. He shot horribly. He did hustle but he was not an impressive scorer or shooter. Can't get much worse for Kunkel after last season.

Xuperman
08-10-2021, 09:40 AM
Everything you need to know about Johnson's injury..... He says he's100% for the first time in 2 years.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2021/08/09/xavier-basketball-offseason-surgery-has-nate-johnson-healthy-again/5511844001/

Xville
08-10-2021, 11:21 AM
Everything you need to know about Johnson's injury..... He says he's100% for the first time in 2 years.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2021/08/09/xavier-basketball-offseason-surgery-has-nate-johnson-healthy-again/5511844001/

Great news here...think we all expect some big things from him this year.

XU 87
08-10-2021, 03:50 PM
Kunkel was not great last season. He shot horribly. He did hustle but he was not an impressive scorer or shooter. Can't get much worse for Kunkel after last season.

He absolutely has to shoot better this year. I think he was around 27% from the three last year.

boozehound
08-10-2021, 03:59 PM
Depth is overrated unless (knocks on wood) there are injuries. Only 5 can play on a court at a time, and I’d rather have 7 or maybe at the most 8 in the rotation so that everyone knows their role and knows how to play together. With that said, there is an abundance of talent on this team if everyone stays healthy. We will see if it can be used properly this year and adjusted based on game performance.

That's true. I remember some past years thinking we had very deep teams but it never really translated. Depth is awesome, but it's rarely a substitute for having 6-7 really good guys that you can depend on.

MHettel
08-10-2021, 05:33 PM
Stanley played 4 games. Stanley tore his ACL. Stanley probably was not in game shape when he did play. I don't know a past X player who tore their ACL and then played better. He was awesome for Hampton against sub talent. Injured, not 100% , who knows?



Responding to the Stanley comments only.

Stanley played 38 minutes, over 4 games in a 17 day period. He played ONLY against BE competition. his per minute stats were right in line with his monster sophomore year at Hampton. about 22 / 7 with a few assists and a block per 32 minutes.

I dont have any reason to doubt his readiness, and ability to play at this level. He didnt miss a a beat. I cant see how he doesnt play and contribute in a meaningful way. He will be a beast.

whopper
08-10-2021, 08:08 PM
I agree and am very hopeful for Stanley. He was made available with no warning and against an extremely aggressive St John may not have been game ready. The play he got hurt was kind of a nothing play. He is a baller and while not a Carter hater he could easily have been plugged in last year in his place and the results would have been different. He can make his own shot which has been rare on this team recently. I almost feel like we owe him some allegiance as he was a big pickup and seems like a good teammate. Plus as a lefty he offers a different look

IM4X
08-11-2021, 12:00 AM
Scruggs & Free will hover around 30 minutes per and if Odom makes the expected progression at the point, will get significant PT for lack of another PG. Shooting and defense will get Johnson 20+ and Jones' production gets him there as well. Nunge will have to stay healthy and be really effective to get 20+ IMO. That leaves around 45-50 minutes for the remaining 4 guys, but of course the hot hand should always be taken advantage of.

If Edwards and/or Tucker emerge with some early traction, things get very interesting.

Agreed that his shooting and defense will keep him on the floor if his leg truly is 100%. If that’s the case, it might be hard to sit him sit more than 10 or 12 minutes. He averaged over 30 last year - I would not be surprised to see him still averaging 24 or more minutes- even with all the extra players. Maybe if the bench players step up, Scruggs even drops below 30 minutes.

A possible scenario of allocated minutes to start the season.

Scruggs-29
Free—-- 29
Johnson-24
Odom— 20
Jones-— 17
Nunge-—15
Stanley--15
Hunter-—12
Kunkel—-12
Tandy-—-11
Miles—-—-8
Edwards—4
Tucker——4

XUGRAD80
08-11-2021, 09:01 AM
While I will agree that X has several players that can be plugged in without a serious drop off in talent, does that really mean all that much if the talent level is not that high to begin with? Each of the starting players, nd the subs, bring SOMETHING to the table. They all have skills. BUT is there a single player on the X roster that we know (based on past performances) will bring a COMPLETE game to the floor every night? They have a lot of very serviceable players, but have NO player that will without a doubt be a 1st team all-league player. Scruggs disappears at times for a half or even for a whole game. Freemantle can score, but can he rebound and defend well enough down low? He hasn't shown that ability against bigger players, not consistently. All of the other players have had their moments, but NONE has shown that they can do it game in and game out. Xavier lacks a player that the other team has to fear and knows they need to shut down.

This is NOT a knock against any single player, its not! It is merely the acceptance that X does not have a super-star player anywhere on the roster. Now they MIGHT have a player or two that can BECOME that type of player. It COULD happen. But it's been my experience (and I go back to Schmidt too) that the really GREAT teams have at least one player that fits that description. I look at this roster and I don't see that player there. I only see prospects and suspects.

Xavier will have a good team this year, I truly believe that. But a GREAT team? Not unless they have some players that can play great, game after game. SO FAR, none have shown that ability.

Xville
08-11-2021, 09:12 AM
I agree xavgrad80 to an extent. My hope is that one of these underclassmen or transfers becomes that guy. I think Odom has the talent/athletic ability to be that person. I think kyky could if Steele loosened the reins on him and let him be the player he is. It’s going to be a very interesting year.

XUGRAD80
08-11-2021, 10:39 AM
I agree xavgrad80 to an extent. My hope is that one of these underclassmen or transfers becomes that guy. I think Odom has the talent/athletic ability to be that person. I think kyky could if Steele loosened the reins on him and let him be the player he is. It’s going to be a very interesting year.

I agree that one or two of the players COULD BE and I sincerely HOPE that happens. But until that does happen, I’m going to guard my optimism. If the last couple of years have taught us anything, they should have taught us not to get our expectations up to high.

XU 87
08-11-2021, 12:23 PM
Depth is overrated unless (knocks on wood) there are injuries. Only 5 can play on a court at a time, and I’d rather have 7 or maybe at the most 8 in the rotation so that everyone knows their role and knows how to play together. With that said, there is an abundance of talent on this team if everyone stays healthy. We will see if it can be used properly this year and adjusted based on game performance.

I agree with this. A team needs a core group of 7-8 players. I think it's very, very difficult to juggle a lineup playing 10-11 guys meaningful minutes.

xukeith
08-11-2021, 12:36 PM
While I will agree that X has several players that can be plugged in without a serious drop off in talent, does that really mean all that much if the talent level is not that high to begin with? Each of the starting players, nd the subs, bring SOMETHING to the table. They all have skills. BUT is there a single player on the X roster that we know (based on past performances) will bring a COMPLETE game to the floor every night? They have a lot of very serviceable players, but have NO player that will without a doubt be a 1st team all-league player. Scruggs disappears at times for a half or even for a whole game. Freemantle can score, but can he rebound and defend well enough down low? He hasn't shown that ability against bigger players, not consistently. All of the other players have had their moments, but NONE has shown that they can do it game in and game out. Xavier lacks a player that the other team has to fear and knows they need to shut down.

This is NOT a knock against any single player, its not! It is merely the acceptance that X does not have a super-star player anywhere on the roster. Now they MIGHT have a player or two that can BECOME that type of player. It COULD happen. But it's been my experience (and I go back to Schmidt too) that the really GREAT teams have at least one player that fits that description. I look at this roster and I don't see that player there. I only see prospects and suspects.

Xavier will have a good team this year, I truly believe that. But a GREAT team? Not unless they have some players that can play great, game after game. SO FAR, none have shown that ability.

This team is going to be led by Zach. He scores the most and rebounds the most. His defense is very small but he is a huge piece of the winning puzzle.

I hope Scruggs improves, he sometimes can be on fire. Often he disappears. He does play good defense. I trust Odom at the point. I trust Jones. I hope Nate and Nunge are 100%

XU 87
08-11-2021, 03:37 PM
This team is going to be led by Zach. He scores the most and rebounds the most. His defense is very small but he is a huge piece of the winning puzzle.



I am hoping (expecting?) that Zac will have put on about 20 lbs of upper body strength/muscle in the off season.

xukeith
08-11-2021, 06:03 PM
I am hoping (expecting?) that Zac will have put on about 20 lbs of upper body strength/muscle in the off season.

I don't know if gaining 20 pounds of muscle is physically possible for Zach. If he tips the scales at 240, I would be enthusiastic

xu82
08-11-2021, 06:18 PM
While I will agree that X has several players that can be plugged in without a serious drop off in talent, does that really mean all that much if the talent level is not that high to begin with? Each of the starting players, nd the subs, bring SOMETHING to the table. They all have skills. BUT is there a single player on the X roster that we know (based on past performances) will bring a COMPLETE game to the floor every night? They have a lot of very serviceable players, but have NO player that will without a doubt be a 1st team all-league player. Scruggs disappears at times for a half or even for a whole game. Freemantle can score, but can he rebound and defend well enough down low? He hasn't shown that ability against bigger players, not consistently. All of the other players have had their moments, but NONE has shown that they can do it game in and game out. Xavier lacks a player that the other team has to fear and knows they need to shut down.

This is NOT a knock against any single player, its not! It is merely the acceptance that X does not have a super-star player anywhere on the roster. Now they MIGHT have a player or two that can BECOME that type of player. It COULD happen. But it's been my experience (and I go back to Schmidt too) that the really GREAT teams have at least one player that fits that description. I look at this roster and I don't see that player there. I only see prospects and suspects.

Xavier will have a good team this year, I truly believe that. But a GREAT team? Not unless they have some players that can play great, game after game. SO FAR, none have shown that ability.

Depth talks to the bottom of the roster. I’m more worried about the top of the roster. Who will scare other teams and take over games? Praying for some pleasant surprises. We have some guys who could be “the man” on a regular basis, but I need to see it play out.

I will say, with all the roster turnover and our depth, it gets harder and harder to keep up and know what to expect next season.

bobbiemcgee
08-11-2021, 06:55 PM
Hopefully, we can annihilate opponents early in these buy games and get the second units out there for some good minutes. However, we need to up by more than 19 lol.

Xuperman
08-11-2021, 11:11 PM
While I will agree that X has several players that can be plugged in without a serious drop off in talent, does that really mean all that much if the talent level is not that high to begin with? Each of the starting players, nd the subs, bring SOMETHING to the table. They all have skills. BUT is there a single player on the X roster that we know (based on past performances) will bring a COMPLETE game to the floor every night? They have a lot of very serviceable players, but have NO player that will without a doubt be a 1st team all-league player.

Xavier will have a good team this year, I truly believe that. But a GREAT team? Not unless they have some players that can play great, game after game. SO FAR, none have shown that ability.

Not sharing this sentiment at all. Is there a DWest or Trevon here? No but that is a high bar and a somewhat short sided perspective. Strength in numbers. This is a vastly talented group....1 thru 10 the best all time IMO. Paul, Zach, Colby and Dwon are the type of guys that will continue tp ascend the program. Granted, the coaching needs to parallel the talent on the floor, but just keep stacking up this high level of talent and success is inevitable.

Let's GO X!!

XU_Lou
08-12-2021, 12:13 AM
Not sharing this sentiment at all. Is there a DWest or Trevon here? No but that is a high bar and a somewhat short sided perspective. Strength in numbers. This is a vastly talented group....1 thru 10 the best all time IMO. Paul, Zach, Colby and Dwon are the type of guys that will continue tp ascend the program. Granted, the coaching needs to parallel the talent on the floor, but just keep stacking up this high level of talent and success is inevitable.

Let's GO X!!

I don't know if this is the best roster we ever had, but certainly a very deep one for sure.

May be a little early at this point, but I actually think that Colby Jones could end up in the upper tier of Xavier all-time greats....

XUGRAD80
08-12-2021, 05:51 AM
Not sharing this sentiment at all. Is there a DWest or Trevon here? No but that is a high bar and a somewhat short sided perspective. Strength in numbers. This is a vastly talented group....1 thru 10 the best all time IMO. Paul, Zach, Colby and Dwon are the type of guys that will continue tp ascend the program. Granted, the coaching needs to parallel the talent on the floor, but just keep stacking up this high level of talent and success is inevitable.

Let's GO X!!

BUT……all that depth of talent does not exist in a vacuum. There are at least 4 other Big East schools (Nova, UConn, SH, SJU) that have rosters as deep or deeper based on the star rankings that everyone like to use. A few of the OOC opponents will also have comparable depth. Yet many of those schools also have at least one player that can be considered a true “star”. Something X lacks. I’m just saying to have some perspective and don’t get all giddy based on press clippings, recruiting rankings, etc. They have to actually beat teams on the court, not just on the Internet. That’s going to take some players that refuse to lose and can take over a game when the game is in doubt. I can’t see any player that X has that has shown IN THE PAST the mental and physical ability to do that consistently. So while having all this depth of talent is nice on paper, until they actually PROVE that they can WIN games that really matter, it will remain just potential. One things for sure, the coaching staff has certainly not proven that they can out coach the opposition or that they can effectively utilize all that depth. Can we say that same thing for many of the coaches that will be leading teams against X this year?

BigMoeMusketeer
08-12-2021, 07:24 AM
1 thru 10 the best all time IMO. Wow, that is a BIG comment. I'll stick with 07-08 until someone shows me otherwise.

Drew Lavender
Stanley Burrell
BJ Raymond
Derrick Brown
CJ Anderson
Jason Love
Josh Duncan
Dante Jackson
Adrion Graves
Charles Bronson

Not to mention, the Coaching Staff included Sean Miller, Chris Mack, and James Whitford.

Xville
08-12-2021, 07:38 AM
I’d argue 2011-12 was better than both, and the 17 team was great as well. It’s kind of hard to compare this upcoming team with anyone since they haven’t accomplished anything yet.

Tu
Lyons
Frease
Wells
Walker
Travis taylor
Robinson
Redford
Martin
Dee Davis

17 team:

Tre
Jp
Gates
Omara
Gaston
Bernard
Jones
Sumner
Q
Leighton

Xuperman
08-12-2021, 11:07 AM
I don't know if this is the best roster we ever had, but certainly a very deep one for sure.

May be a little early at this point, but I actually think that Colby Jones could end up in the upper tier of Xavier all-time greats....

I agree and feel even stronger in Dwon Odom getting there. If he doesn't challenge for the assists record at X, something unexpected would have to happen.

xukeith
08-13-2021, 01:33 PM
Not sharing this sentiment at all. Is there a DWest or Trevon here? No but that is a high bar and a somewhat short sided perspective. Strength in numbers. This is a vastly talented group....1 thru 10 the best all time IMO. Paul, Zach, Colby and Dwon are the type of guys that will continue tp ascend the program. Granted, the coaching needs to parallel the talent on the floor, but just keep stacking up this high level of talent and success is inevitable.

Let's GO X!!

Some X teams that had maybe more talent:
Gillen's last X team in 93/94 - Grant, Walker, Massey, Sykes, Hawkins, Edwards, Anderson, Sears, Walker
Miller's X team led by Burrell, Love, Anderson, Duncan, Lavender, Brown, Raymond, Jackson

MHettel
08-13-2021, 04:25 PM
Wow, that is a BIG comment. I'll stick with 07-08 until someone shows me otherwise.

Drew Lavender
Stanley Burrell
BJ Raymond
Derrick Brown
CJ Anderson
Jason Love
Josh Duncan
Dante Jackson
Adrion Graves
Charles Bronson

Not to mention, the Coaching Staff included Sean Miller, Chris Mack, and James Whitford.

I'll give you the first 8 guys. All solid contributors at various points in their careers. I cant recall which class each of these guys were in, so i dont know if we went 8 deep or if some of these guys didnt play much that year. But Graves and Bronson? Just call it what it is and say that team was legit 8 deep.

Jumpin_Jamal_Forever
08-13-2021, 04:33 PM
BUT……all that depth of talent does not exist in a vacuum. There are at least 4 other Big East schools (Nova, UConn, SH, SJU) that have rosters as deep or deeper based on the star rankings that everyone like to use. A few of the OOC opponents will also have comparable depth. Yet many of those schools also have at least one player that can be considered a true “star”. Something X lacks. I’m just saying to have some perspective and don’t get all giddy based on press clippings, recruiting rankings, etc. They have to actually beat teams on the court, not just on the Internet. That’s going to take some players that refuse to lose and can take over a game when the game is in doubt. I can’t see any player that X has that has shown IN THE PAST the mental and physical ability to do that consistently. So while having all this depth of talent is nice on paper, until they actually PROVE that they can WIN games that really matter, it will remain just potential. One things for sure, the coaching staff has certainly not proven that they can out coach the opposition or that they can effectively utilize all that depth. Can we say that same thing for many of the coaches that will be leading teams against X this year?

This is all true. Perhaps Scruggs and Johnson really emerge this coming season, given it is their last bite at the apple. I like Odom's mental toughness (even if his shooting is suspect) and he may ultimately become the type of leader who as you say "refuses to lose". Its the offseason and all of us on this board generally exhibit high levels of optimism heading into the season. Sometimes we over-rate our talent. So your point is well taken. If we assume that X, while talented, isn't a dominant B.E. team, it will come down to coaching. And, if it does come down to coaching, is there anyone on this board who thinks our coaches have, so far, shown they can consistently give us an advantage? Maybe this is the year. I hope. I hope.

MHettel
08-13-2021, 04:35 PM
I’d argue 2011-12 was better than both, and the 17 team was great as well. It’s kind of hard to compare this upcoming team with anyone since they haven’t accomplished anything yet.

Tu
Lyons
Frease
Wells
Walker
Travis taylor
Robinson
Redford
Martin
Dee Davis

17 team:

Tre
Jp
Gates
Omara
Gaston
Bernard
Jones
Sumner
Q
Leighton

I'll give you 2011-12. All 10 of those guys played in 30+ games and averaged at least 11 minutes per game. THAT is how you use depth.

The 2016-17 team went 9 deep. Leighton Schrand played 8 minutes....all year. With that said that team SHOULD have been 10 deep, but dumbass Myles Davis didnt have his head on straight and got tossed midseason after only playing 3 games. But also THAT is why you need depth. Davis was the 3rd leading returning scorer (.2 behind Sumner), and we didnt really miss him after he got tossed.