I love JT3 to death. However I hope he learned from this season, which I believe he will have.
Things that need to become evident;
1) Beat the press to score.
2) Get rid of the 5 turnovers a game that everyone sees coming.
3) Adapt the pace and system to the talent. We have the athletes to get out and run sometimes. And no Roy will force the issue. The Villanova and West Virginiagames from the BET show a glimpse of the future. We will have big men, Sims and Monroe and they will keep up and be a part of it. Roy couldn't adjustagainst Nova the first day but we kept the increased pace and you see, he adjusted.
4) More Fire; JT3 and the leftovers have to develop a killer instict. We were up 17 yesterday, don't let off, attack, attack, attack. Our talent will bebetter than everyone's use it.
Lastly, with JT3...I hope he keeps on developing players the way he has.
He has been fantastic and I wouldn't trade him for anyone, just some things I hope he has learned from, and I fully believe he will adjust.
Now with the roster...
First Dajuan, this year he didn't take the steps expected. Perhaps too much thinking on replacing Jeff, the NBA or his offseason surgery. I hope this offseason he uses to his full advantage. His handle and mid range game have to come around. IF they do, he will be unguardable. He also is too talented to limithimself to just shooting 3's.
Sapp....he's solid. I just wish he would limit the careless turnovers. I hope he emerges as the leader and brings the fire to this team and makes some ofthe more laid back members of the team to have more toughness.
Chris Wright...I have to think there is a good chance he starts next season. We all have become so used to Jon being so steady...and he'll be missed tostart the year. However there is no denying Chris is the far more talented player. His quickness and play making ability is going to be such a great asset tothe team. If his game matures, which all indications say it will...he will be special. You saw how different the offense looked in the Villanova game from himcreating plays, he adds a whole different dimension.
Vern....Have to like what you saw yesterday. He needs to get stronger and more confident. He can thrive in a more uptempo pace which we should implement nextseason. I liked how he played over the last couple games. He'll have to be a consistent and more reliable option next season as the rest of the frontlinewill be freshmen.
Rivers...well, hopefully his offense comes around. At this point, I don't know if it will. He still brings defense and will be a junior that can provideexperience. He will get minutes...but hopefully Jason Clark becomes what Rivers is with an offensive game. I still like Rivers, but he's a liability onoffense.
Freeman....like him a lot. I hope he drops about 10lbs tho, and gets some quickness back. Maybe he can move to his natural 2 spot, which would be beneficial.He can shoot, that's for sure and he showed the capability of putting the ball on the floor and attacking, which is nice to see. His handle has to improve,too many careless TO's for him too. Like Wright, he can be special.
Nikita...maybe he becomes part of the rotation, I doubt it. But there's always a place for a kid who can shoot, which supposedly he does.
Wattad...He cares. Nice to see.
Greg Monroe - I can't wait for him to step on the court. Him at the top of the offense can be
. His passing is incredible for his size and he can put the ball on the floor. Onething I hope he brings is intensity. I think he might be like Jeff in the sense of laid back, but on nights we need him, he just won't let us lose. Fromwhat I hear he really is a strong rebounder and shot blocker which will be great to have and something we severely lacked this season.
Chris Braswell- I think I'm going to like this kid a hell of a lot. Tough, great rebounder. Hopefully a throwback Hoya. And from what I hear he has greatfootwork and is more skilled then given credit for. His rebounding can be used immediately next season.
Henry Sims- Versatile big man, who will play the 5 spot, probably coming off the bench. From what I've read, has a great face up game, and hopefullydevelops a back to the basket game. Again, a good shot blocker. Every recruiting site seems to be high on him, came on strong this past season.
Jason Clark - A sapp type guard who adds a lot of things to team. Does everything well. Has nearly 1000 rebounds in his HS career for a GUARD playing in one ofthe tougher conferences around. Supposedly can be the best defender on the team the moment he steps on the court. Which is saying something
Hopefully Vern can become a starter and Dajuan can move back to the 3, which would be great for him. It will be interesting to see if Chris Wright starts.
I think if Chris starts...
- Wright
- Sapp
-Freeman
- Summers
- Monroe
if not,
- Sapp
- Freeman
- Summers
- Monroe
- Macklin
The future is bright. The 09 class includes Hollis Thompson and most likely Dashonte Riley...and on top of that the 2010 class is loaded in the DMV.
I believe we are scratching the surface of what can be done here, and the 4 years are a great foundation.