Next year, more interest and uncertainty

[Billikan]

If this team develops a personality early, one that displays toughness, defensive intensity and some effective, if not spectacular scoring, I think that there will be more interest in Billiken basketball than we have seen in several years.

One of the keys will be getting off to a good start! Despite the miracle heroics of Perry, the fansastic coaching by Brad, and the great defensive efforts by the whole team as the season progressed, last years season was permanently damaged by the losses in our first 2 games at home.

This year we need the miracle to happen early. Wow, does this coaching staff have its work cut out for them! Most of our key players will have played very limited or no minutes in a Billiken uniform. Sloan and Fischer, as the old hands, will have to continue to play fantastic defense and they will need to be solid leaders and calming influences on all of the young players. Drejaj really came on at the end of the year but he is still very new to the program. IO did not have many quality minutes until the very end of the season. That leaves us with Bryant, Morris, Clarke, Fredricks, the Greek fellow, JJ and, if healthy, McClain--all new and for us to be successful at least 3 of them must be significant contributors.

The uncertainty created by all of the young and new players will keep all of us from being too sanguine about our beloved Billikens! I, for one, cannot wait to see them all in practice in October!

[p diddy]

although it will be his first year in the program, you have to count Bryant as one of the veterans. He has two seasons of college basketball under his belt and two years of Big East basketball. based on that, i will be terribly disappointed if he wasn't the leading scorer next season.(at the very least, one of the top two). from what i've seen from him at villanova and in practices last year, he has to step up and be one of our main guys. he is a scorer, who can shoot. There's a difference. he can do both. I expect him to hit the ground running like H and Jamal Johnson did when they transferred over.

i think i.o. must step up and do the same with about 15-20 extra pounds and a year of experience under his belt. he has too many skills.

if these two things happen, i'll like our outlook much better. if not, it's going to be a mighty struggle, imo.

bad boyz for life

[p diddy]

just to clarify, he was productive at villanova during his soph. year. plus, he's put on about 15 pounds.

[Billikenbooster]

Few Bills' JUCOs do much their first year. some due to injury..Love, Jeffers, but i think most just have a transition to D1 ball, and also to the new academics at a good school. It is only natural.

Bryant is a gifted athlete and is probably being groomed appropriately as the 'go to' guy this summer. Let's not put too much pressure on him so early, though.

[Major Majerus]

We can field a starting lineup without any D1 virgins, so I'm not worried about experience. The second tier are also good players. So many posters seem worried about the talent level. I think it's quite good. I'm not worried about the coaching; I think it's quite good. I can worry as much as the best of the posters, but I worry about injuries. They can sink a season faster than anything.

[Basketbill]

juco transfers and D 1 tranfers are different. Examples H waldman, Johnson (the one who came from Miami or U of Fla. Reggie Bryant would fall into this category he has practiced with the team now for a year.....and I am sure he is raring to go.

[thetorch]

Frericks is also not the average Juco transfer as he has played one year of D-1 ball at UAB.