VTTW Board Index

This year - Looks like we are doing what we have done every year under Cuonzo - Start weak, finish strong, and be a bubble team. Maybe we make the tourney, maybe not. However, the expectations this year were high - a veteran team with some good talent, should have been a 5 seed type team.

Now fast forward to next year - the team will be all Cuonzo recruits. What will we look like? Stokes, Maymon, McRae, and Barton will be gone.

I think we have to go to essentially a 4 guard, 1 forward lineup next year. I see the starting lineup as this:

1 - Darius Thompson, 6'5 soph PG. Good player, with improvements in his game I can see him develop into a good PG. he isn't a huge offensive threat. I see him averaging about 6-8 points a game.
2 - Robert Hubbs 6'6 RS Fr (or soph) G. He's a five star recruit, but injuries set him back. I am not sure if he will get a medical redshirt. Hubbs has offensive skills and should be our perimeter threat next year. We will need him to be. To do that he will have to improve a lot.
3 - Armani Moore, 6'6 Jr G. Moore is a high energy player, decent ball handler, and a good defensive guy. Not a great offensive threat - will need to work on that part of his game.
4 - Josh Richardson, 6'6 Sr G/F. Josh will have to be our leader next year. he has improved his offensive game and has become a perimeter threat. Good defensive player.
5 - AJ Davis, 6'9 Soph F. AJ's going to have to develop his inside game, but he's a guy who is a good athlete, can handle the ball, and make some shots.

You can see that this starting five will be good defensively, but struggle with the inside game, and probably rebounding. Overall a guard oriented starting 5 with three sophomores.

bench:

I see Cuonzo going 3-4 deep on the bench. Guys who will play next year

1 - Derek Reese, 6'8 Jr. Reese is a role player who can come in and help, maybe hit a few threes, but he is limited. he is a decent rebounder.
2 - Larry Austin, 6'1 Fr. Thompson will need a backup. I see Austin playing about 10 min per game as a freshman. He is a true PG, and has a decent offensive game.
3 - Phil Cofer, 6'8 Fr. I can see him coming in to give us a bigger lineup when we need it. Cofer is athletic, aggressive, and will help with rebounding and some inside game. he has potential,  however, he will be a freshman.
4 - Jordan Cornish, 6'4 fr. Cornish is a very good athlete and probably has the best offensive game of the freshmen. I can see him coming in and helping.

Guys who I don't see playing much next year: Chievous (Jr), Ndjiaye (Sr), Turman (fr)

Bottom line: we are losing a lot of reboundng, points, and experience, and even that team has been inconsistent offensively. How can we expect the team next year to do better? I see next year's team as maybe winning 12-15 games and lucky to be in the NIT.

I think next year's team will be really, really awful if Cuonzo stays. (And, if this team makes the NCAA Tournament, I have every confidence that he'll be back; I'm still not convinced that Hart pulls the trigger even without a tourney bid.)

I have zero confidence in his ability at this point. For that reason, I have to hope we don't make the NCAA tourney. If that makes me a bad fan, I guess I am one, but IMO the future of the program is more important than a single NCAAT appearance.

I agree 100%.  I fear for the future of the program, and if we get in the Big Dance (with Cuonzo being retained), I think it sets the program back even farther than it has already been.  I hate seeing the team lose (it always suxes), but losing a couple of games now may save us from seeing many more losses in the near future.  I just hope none of the losses is to that red team.   :smile:

I guess the consensus is that Stokes is gone.  This is what I have believed until recently, but some bloggers think he might stay.

According to this site he ranks 41st:

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/draft/prospect-rankings

That seems high enough to go....high second round.

Would be nice if he stayed though.

With the above personnel set that Nut has listed, I would venture to say that it will be a real struggle either with our without Double Live Cuonzo next season.

It will all be a mute point, however, if UT makes the NCAAs this year.  He's not going anywhere if he does.