The land of big and tall

[GarySJ]

people expecting immediate gratification, then being promised it by other fans, and crushing down on Stan before it's time, and putting unneeded pressure on him.  We had some close games last year, true, but some teams clearly overlooked us, and the BE will be tougher this year

Good stuff as usual from S. Bien.

I hope our fan base will remain patient. One thing I think will help is that we'll get to play in the Big East tournament for the first time. We can sell our traveling fans and East Coast alumni on the Big East tournament tradition, the trip to Madison Square Garden, and the possibility, however miniscule, of playing in the NCAAs. (Hey, it worked for Georgia.) So we've got a shiny new object to play for in 08-09, which I think will help keep the fan base appeased for a year or two.

I do hope you're right, and I do feel good about hoops again, and love Stan Heath.  But with all the transitioning that will be experienced in 08-09 I am just hoping for modest improvement, maybe 4-6 wins

The problem with USF's status in the Big East is that the Bulls can improve by leaps and bounds and not see much of a gain in the standings. In fact, I would argue that this happened last season. This isn't the old Conference USA, where even minimal improvement could quickly put us past the Southern Misses and Tulanes of the world. There are no Southern Misses or Tulanes in the Big East. Every team in this conference, even the 14th and 15th place ones, brings in serious talent every year. Go to any Top 100 list and you'll see seven, eight, nine, ten Big East schools mentioned. Look at the Top 200 and you'll see most of them.

Basketball's always going to be an uphill battle for USF. "We have warm weather" only counts for so much. If USF is to have a competitive team in a given year, it must be a convergence of diamonds in the rough (like Dominique Jones), talented players who fall through the cracks due to injury or attrition at other schools (Gilchrist, Belardo, Gransberry, Verdejo), and -- a category of player not seen lately at the Sun Dome -- classic USF overachievers. Until recently, it seems like the Bulls basketball team has always had a James Harper or Reggie Kohn type who works hard every trip and gets the most out of his god-given talent. I think we've been missing that kind of player lately, as our various coaches' misguided attempts to get top talent have resulted in players who weren't quite talented enough and weren't quite hard-working enough either.

[NormalBull]

Gary, good post.  I would add that when it comes to hard working players in recent years, McHugh Mattis fits that bill to a "T."  We haven't had enough of these types of players lately but McHugh had no business playing the 4 spot and seriously had no business averaging double digits in points in the Big East....but he did these things.  He was a worker.

I really think that just being a hard worker is not enough in the Big East and that is why our old reliable 'hard worker' types of players have not surfaced in the BE as much as they did in CUSA and the Metro Conf.

Normal

[Bullpride08]

Good post Gary.  Those are my sentiments about not getting to excited about this season.  There is a lot of new blood coming on the court and they're going to have to get use to playing with one another.  Last year, less talented or not then the current roster, they all had played a full season together and were comfortable with the system and one another.  That cannot be overlooked, this upcoming season we could be a better all-around team but still be learning to play with one another.  I would be happy as hell if we remain competitive in the BE and manage say 5-6 BE wins with this group.  It is possible, and capable.

I am looking to 09-10 for this group to excel, particularly because I believe that Stan will land another highly regarded recruit or two in the next recruiting class to further increase our talent level.  Then I believe we'll be on par with the Depauls, Quettes, WVU's, and Seton Hall's of the league in terms of overall talent.

Mama bull, those rankings are skewed as they only are the available 5th year players, not comparing them overall.  Overall of all incoming recruits (HS, JC, and 5th year prep) Teeng was ranked around 225-275 depending on who's site you prefer, and ditto for the other guys.  Again, that was in the same range that Chin was ranked last year.  Look at where many of those kids in that list that are with Teeng, McMillan, and Belardo were going, mainly mid-major schools.  The top 25-30 were all majors.  Teeng has been described as a raw player, with lots of potential, but still very raw with a limited offensive game right now.  That's ok because he has 4 years to play so he's not going to be asked to do everything immediately.

We'll see what they all can do when they arrive, but like Chin, coming into the BE is not like coming into C-USA as Gary put so well.  Many of those players will take half a season or a full one just getting use to the physical nature of the league, and constant competitiveness of every team.  In HS guys like Teague, or McMillan could get by, or take plays off, in the BE they have to get accustom to bringing their A game every time down the court.  Do not underestimate that learning curve.

[Guest BasketBull.]

Here's how I see it. Last season we had good guard starters but no one to come off the bench. We had a good center, but no backup. We basically ran with that all season. We simply didn't have a team that could hang the whole time with Big East teams night in and night out.

Now, we potentially have a roster with talent, including bench players (when the roster shakes out and shapes up).

Yup, like many have stated, youth is going to be the big challenge. But at least we can afford to foul people and we can rest our people. We don't need to play our starters for every tick of the game clock --even the Beast needs his rest.

All the housecleaning after the season now looks to be a good move.

[Mama_Bull]

Speaking of "big and tall," John Riek has withdrawn his name from the draft. I know he was seriously considering USF and is a good friend of Akol, but I don't know if he is qualified. Maybe he can walk-on. LOL 

[Velcro]

Speaking of "big and tall," John Riek has withdrawn his name from the draft. I know he was seriously considering USF and is a good friend of Akol, but I don't know if he is qualified. Maybe he can walk-on. LOL 

We don't have enough schollies right now... but I would bet if Riek seriously wanted to play here... Stan would make room... and we probably know what that entails.

[Velcro]

A little more info on John Riek from nbadraft.net

Strengths: Has great height and length. Riek stands 7-foot-2 and has an incredible wingspan ... He can touch the rim without jumping, and needs little lift to dunk the ball … Shows good timing as a shot-blocker and can redirect shots on or off the ball … He's still extremely raw, but if his age is legit, he shows a good deal of potential, particularly defensively … Not a good shooter, but has decent touch from the line and has the form to be an average free throw shooter at best … Does a good job of keeping the ball high when he catches it facing the basket.

Weaknesses: A major project. Does not run well and can't hold position on the block ... On the rare occasions that he does establish position, Riek struggles to catch the ball and even if he is able to do that, he has absolutely zero back-to-the-basket game ... Physically, he is extremely weak and is boxed out easily. Lacks the strength and agility re-gain position after being boxed out...Has terrible hands and often fumbles rebounds and drops passes. Really, really struggles to dribble the ball … Doesn't jump very well and possesses very little athleticism … Will have trouble doing anything offensively against major college or NBA competition … Lacks fire and intensity in his play. There are major question marks about his age. For one thing, his face looks like he's closer to 30 than 18, and given the track record of African players, his birth documents saying he is 18 are extremely suspicious. If he is 25 (or close to it) there's real concern about his ability to get stronger and ever run the floor and hold position in the post at an NBA level ... He's beginning to develop a reputation as being injury prone ... He has missed a number of games due to various injuries this season.

Notes: Did a year of post-grad at Winchendon School and apparently will be eligible for this years' NBA Draft ... Riek is clearly not ready to contribute at the NBA level, let alone the NCAA. Right now, he has the option to declare for the NBA Draft, return to Winchendon for another year of post-grad, or commit to a college (he lists UConn, Duke, Florida and Georgetown as his top choices). There has been a lot of hype around Riek, but 2008 is projecting to be a deep class for big men and Riek does not figure to be selected in the first-round and get a guaranteed contract. He would benefit from developing his game at the collegiate level, but probably won't be ready to leave for the NBA without 2-3 years of seasoning in the NCAA.

http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/johnriek.html

[Velcro]

Youtube video of john riek

b-4qZGcfTew

[Held_AccountaBull]

hello riek, so long aris williams. riek would be a decent backup when gilchrist needs a breather

[GarySJ]

I would add that when it comes to hard working players in recent years, McHugh Mattis fits that bill to a "T."  McHugh had no business playing the 4 spot and seriously had no business averaging double digits in points in the Big East....but he did these things.  He was a worker.

Yeah, I think you're right. I may have overlooked McHugh Mattis' efforts. But Robert McCullum's teams were so boring that a naked Scarlett Johanson could have played for them and nobody would have noticed.

I really think that just being a hard worker is not enough in the Big East and that is why our old reliable 'hard worker' types of players have not surfaced in the BE as much as they did in CUSA and the Metro Conf.

I disagree. I think such players still have an important place in our program.

We're never going to sign four blue-chippers like UConn does every year. USF has to manufacture its stars, like a small-market MLB team. Some of them will be legitimate talents who get overlooked, like Dominique Jones. But we also have to find players who can contribute above what their raw skills would dictate. The beloved overachievers of USF seasons past may not start as much or play as many minutes as they would have in the old conferences, but there's still a place for them on a winning Big East team.

To that end, I'd like to see more recruiting efforts on Florida athletes. The state of Florida doesn't produce polished basketball players but it does produce athleticism out the yin-yang. This was one thing that the much maligned Seth Greenberg had right: he found contributors in a lot of under-recruited athletic types: Marlyn Bryant, Terrance Leather, Jimmy Baxter come to mind. Even the BB Waldon/Altron Jackson duo were arguably great athletes first and basketball players second.

If a USF coach can find overlooked superstars like Dominique Jones or Radenko Dobras, and make contributors out of super Florida athletes like Terrance Leather and Jimmy Baxter, and find overachievers like James Harper and Reggie Kohn, and build a bench of hardworking role players and prospects, he'd have something that could play in the Big East. It's a tall order, and difficult to have a great team every year, but I think it can be done.