[Vouyoukas]

It is encouraging to hear that Fredricks scored well against Kenny Brown because Kenny is one of the best post defenders that the Bills have ever had. If he continues to develop his ofensive skills I think he would really be a help to our team next year.

I think we can all see why the coach was talking about a possible redshirt year for Bryce. As we all know, it often takes longer for a seven footer to develop. With our Greek/Israel combination we might have two quick and talented big men who can score and run the court. If you add the toughness and tenacity of Sloan and the inside bulk of fredricks we might have a nice indside game next year with a lot of potential for the future. Kudos to the coaching staff!

[Bernies Bits]

Warrick will be one of the finest players in the country next year now that Anthony left for the big show. He is an incredible athlete and a feirce competitor. It is absolutely ridiculous to set him up as the standard of play for our new big men. They can be damn fine players who contribute and grow and mature and yet never be the player that Warrick will be this year.

I disagree strongly with the comparison with Heinrich. No one ever said he was "skilled" in anything when he was recruited. He was big and rawboned and he put on enough muscle to be a real force in the middle on the defensive end if he could stay out of foul trouble. He could not make a layup for 3 years. I have not seen the new guys but everything we have heard from all sources says that they have some skills and footwork. Heinrich was an utter disaster until his senior year. I would be shocked if at least one or two of these young men do not contribute this year and by next year, after they have become acclimated to the system and the tougher competition I would be shocked if they aren't all better offensive players than Heinrich ever was.

[Recruiting]

With all due respect, if he had not been hyped before I think your comments raise the bar significantly--a poor man's Wade of a more dedicated Edwin--that would be an outstanding player! I hope you and the others are right about this guy. We have not had a really effective high flier 2/3 who could shoot from outside effectively in a long time. Love and Jeffers could at times fill that bill but Love was affected by his injury and was never the player he might have been and Jeffers was very inconsistant in his shooting. It will be fun to watch these new guys in practice!!

[Recruiting]

I see from the ESPN website that they say that Louisville, Memphis and Cinn. are rated 5, 6 and 7 nationally in this year's recruiting class and that DePaul is in the top 15. this is great for conf USA-- if it stays together.

As to the Bills recruiting, I think this is the most interesting and unpredictable class we have had in many years. coach brad has shown his ability to find diamonds in the rough--i.e Drejaj and Ohannon-- on short notice. I find his comment about the 2 freshman big men to be very instructive. He emphasizes that they can run and have some skills. We have not had a tall center with skills for at least 20 years. Heinrich, as a senior, was a tough defender and rebounder but he was not skilled by anyone's description. Kenny Brown was a wonderful defender but he had no real skills on the offensive end. If even one of these guys develops into a skilled low post player it would be a huge lift to this team over the next 4 years. My guess is that Fredricks will man the post most of the time next year and he sounds more like Heinrich--not a bad thing if he is tough and can rebound and defend--just limited on the offensive end.

Morris sounds like a perfect man to run the motion offense but he will fight for time with Fisher and Drejaj. He will need to show he can defend-- a must for Coach Brad. Clarke could be a great find--or the addition of another overhyped swing man. I hope 3star is right about him.

I love the fact that we are getting Polk even though I think it is a high risk use of a scholarship because of his knee problems. If he can come back and play like he did as a sophomore--with some seasoning--we will have a very nice player. The fact that he is local and from vashon is also a plus.

A wuestion for those of you who have seen Shaw play--How does he compare to Chris Sloan? He sounds a lot like chris in his first 2 years at SLU before he starting shooting the 3ball. He also sounds like the kind of personality who would be a perfect fit for coah Brad. In my opinion, every team needs a player like Sloan who will leave his guts on the floor every night! Shaw coming in as Chris is leaving might be a perfect situation because you probably cannot afford to have two of this type of player.