Billikenboy

I think we are about to embark on another great season!

Wouldn't it be a shocker to most if this season is better than last. In JC and Crew we trust.

Crawford is a heady player that has certainly made alot of stride since the seniors left as per my source. He has improved in all areas from defense, breaking down defenders, and showing that leaping ability. He is a gifted shooter. He is undersized to play the 3 but that is his skill. I believe he may be more successful at the 2 but that is my thinking and he has 2 more years to develop the skillset to do so. I do not believe he will lead the team in scoring because we have other scorers on this team that will do so but his contribution will be essential to our success. I say this because he generates his points mostly shooting from the long range and that will not be the emphasis on this team. Offense will start on the inside and ball worked out to the open spots for the shot.

New team, new opportunities, looking forward to watching the new guys gel into a cohesive unit we can be proud of. I would not write them off just yet as having a losing season.

Just hope these are not lingering injuries. This could set the team back a bit. We need all these guys to be healthy for the season.

I think if we base our idea off of what we saw last year we will generally be wrong. That senior dominated team did not allow any of the freshman to thrive. Injuries also played a role them seeing time. Any position with 3 or more potential players is a log jam. We have a few those this season which may not be a bad thing. MY is listed as a small forward but physicality and ability to score with his back to the basket actually works out to fill a role as a 4. Not saying he will play the 3 as well but we do not need more shooters.

MY is a natural undersized 4 and a pure scorer to boot. He is not not afraid to mix it up in the paint. Log jam at the 3 so I do not see him spending anytime there. If defensively he proves well he will give us at the 4 what has eluded GG all these years.

Remember energy guy who scores on putbacks, drives, and dunks all rank high in those percentages but it does not interpret to full game production because once the lane is closed this person is useless offensively. On defense, he is a beast. I will give him that!

With GG being hurt I think he will fall behind a couple of other players in playing at that 4 spot. I see him more as a backup to the backup. I see TL and MY being used at that position ahead of GG since both bring real skills to the table. More so MY since TL is not a traditional 4. I suspect GG would have been 3rd in line but his injury may have slowed his progress. At the PG position, AM gets the start but I think a frosh or two will get the major mins and AM playing at the 2 mainly behind AY as the season goes on. At the 3, MC and TL, will get the minutes there but TL might have the upper hand with his size. Either way there will be some good pt to go around for both guys regardless of who starts.

My prediction for starters are: AM - 1 AY - 2 TL or MC-3 RA - 4 JM - 5 This is subject to change since certain positions have more player options. I also expect to see walkons enter the fray as well. I do not expect that this group will have any problems scoring. Defensively if they can raise their level over the season I am confident they will be hard to beat. I expect Crews to drill that into their heads daily.

What is in the water at UCLA? Where are our SLU cheerleaders?

I can understand they do not know what team will do this season. Fine with me

No respect for SLU! This year will be big test for JC and Crew. I am optimistic it will be a good one...

Yep

Guess time will tell soon enough.

Yep...do not sleep on this kid. Not your average walkon.

That is the nice get! Heady guard who makes depth at PG position very solid. JC has alot of versatility at this position with this addition. Keep a close eye on this kid...someone is gonna lose minutes to this walkon.

Wait and see who SLU has this year. Nice grab.....

Do not give up just yet. It will be fun year to be a Billiken!

Watch and see, all true Billiken fans should get ready for the ride.

+1000

I think they will be very competitive and I expect a much higher finish in A10 play than we have be given. Main thing for me is as long as guys are healthy since we will need every player to step up and be productive.

No showcase event? I find that hard to believe...

Yes I have, 2 aau games.

I guess it will only matter in the end if we get him!