Where do we stand talent wise...

[vu72]

Valporun has suggested that we discuss recruiting issues and I thought I'd start a new thread discussing what we have and what we need going forward to get over the hump and begin winning the conference on a regular basis, or at least once in the near future!

Everyone thinks we need a big and that will certainly help.  But what if we don't get one now?  If Brandon returns, we start Brandon, Erik, Matt, Ryan and...It could be Kevin but I'm guessing Richie Edwards.  We will be VERY deep at guardand will need some playing time from Cam, Vuc or the new kid.

Can we compete for the title next year without a new big?  I say yes, and will post another lengthy thread on who is losing what and what the conference will look like next year.

[milanmiracle]

That's a really open ended question. Talent wise compared to what? In what context? In winning a tournament game? In beating a BCS school? Beating Butler? Wow.

My vote for the starting lineup would be Wood (can we just clone him?), Harris, Kenney, Broekhoff and Van Wijk. One thing that needs to be remembered is how the roles on this team will change without Cory. Was he great? No. Did he provide some theat of interior scoring? Yes. Until Van Wijk can prove he can both score and stay on the court, most teams will try to take away the outside and make Valpo beat them inside as they did at the end of this season.

The Buggs situation is an interesting one. He's a defensive presence, but his offense is so bad, he's a liability on the other end. How does that play out over the course of a season (see Iona). The other big question is Kurth. While i think he's a good bench player, his outright refusal to score and his inability to create for others poses a problem. Granted he doesn't make mistakes or turn the ball over, but is that enough to offset playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end of the court?

I think Valpo is 1 or two players away from being a good team. Those players might even be on the roster right now and improving as the summer progresses, but with the information I have been given so far...

Oh, and I know this is a sore subject, but how much better would this team have been with the late freshman year version Bryan Bouchie?

[sectionee]

I think Detroit is the team to beat next year.  I haven't looked at any of the other schools' rosters yet, but from the looks of things Detroit did not graduate anybody off their team.  To me, they were the most athletic team in the league last year and their lack of success was due to not having much time playing together.