VTTW Board Index

If you had told me in December that we'd go .500 in the SEC, I would've taken it with a smile.  But I'm greedy.  I want more.  10-6 sounds a lot better.  These next two will be tough, but they're winnable. 

And I hate to say it, but we should also be rooting for the tahd to keep winning and beat us out for that 4 seed.  We need a first round game in the SECT, and they are more than welcome to "beat" us out for a spot on UK's side of the bracket, thank you very much. :cool:

We've definitely exceeded my expectations this year.

:thumbup:

I've been happy with what Cuonzo has done, I think we got a winner.

I'm really excited about what this team can do next year.  I think they can challenge cal's semi-pros for the SEC title. 

I have absolutely no complaints about Cuonzo. Every player on the team has gotten better since the beginning of the year except for possibly Cam Tatum's offense. But Cam's problem on the offensive end looks like a result of him being mentally fragile, and he still plays good defense and rebounds well. McRae, McBee, Maymon, and even Hall before his suspension are completely different players than they were last year. McRae especially looks to have completely transformed his game.

The team plays hard and works hard. That bodes well for when he gets more top flight talent. With Stokes having a whole offseason in the program, I expect this team to be a surefire NCAA team next year.

The only question I have is whether he can recruit enough of that top flight talent.  Landing Stokes was great, but I think his high school circumstances had a lot to do with that one, and Bruce Pearl also gets an assist.  Can Martin land that type of player straight up on his own?  That's the question. 

Even if he can't, I think he'll still field a competitive team every year.  This year's team is proof of that.  This team is fundamentally sound, and communicates on both ends as well as any team we've ever had.  And with the type of defense we play, we should be competitive with any team in the league.  Getting more blue chip talent will be the difference between just being competitive and being a championship contender.

I only have two. Regardless of any roster issues and the coaching change, there are 2-3 games that we absolutely had no business losing. Win those, and we are a bubble team right now. All coaches lose these games on occasion and clearly he has the players' buy-in at this point, but those losses may prove crucial if we end up just outside the tourney (or just off the bubble).

The second relates to this comment:


I just hope he does get more top flight talent. He took too many projects early on and it's going to take some time for the roster to make room for better talent. Obviously Stokes was a major coup but with the tight roster, pretty much every signee in the next couple of years needs to be top flight or our talent will degrade over time.


I agree with all of the rest of this. Of the three major components of coaching (gameday coaching, player development, recruiting) he has proven beyond all doubt IMO that he can develop players, and he's done that in a matter of months. Gameday coaching will take time to see for sure, and he took a big step forward in recruiting by getting Stokes.

In terms of total wins we are more than likely going to exceed my expectations by a game or two, but we've done it in an odd way by losing some gimmes and winning some I couldn't have forseen.

I agree that we shouldn't have lost APSU and probably shouldn't have lost one of Oakland and Charleston. But, I expected a couple of those early on.

I think that Washpun and Cheivous will be gone as transfers. With Woolridge and Cam leaving, that would open up 4 scholarships. I don't think the roster will be that tight, and the other guys he took... Richardson, Miller, and Makenjoula, look like solid contributors to me.

Losing Washpun and Chievous would be fantastic, as awful as that sounds to say about a kid. They were tremendous reaches and I am sure we can upgrade those two slots readily. I agree that freeing up two extra slots will make a big difference in filling out a talented roster.

It's also true that losing Tatum and Woolridge will not be a major hit, as much respect as I have for both of those guys. They have been committed Vols but neither has panned out as expected. I'm looking forward to seeing McRae, Golden, and Stokes next year, as I think they all stand to improve tremendously. Add that to a Sr. in Maymon and you have the core of a really solid team.

Also there is the possibility that Kenny Hall will not be back, although I think he could be a really valuable piece if he could stay out of the doghouse.

I think the combo of Maymon and Stokes gives us one of the better frontcourts in the league next year, at least on paper. So far they seem to have really meshed. 

Yep. It's tempting to be disappointed that Stokes is not more of an impact player right now (especially since he looked so good in his first couple of games), but one has to remember that he's barely 18 and should be playing high school basketball right now, and that he got NO offseason coaching, NO conditioning, and very little team practice before he was asked to step in and play. He really is doing well but I think by this time next year he will be making a substantial impact.

Agreed. He obviously has the physical tools and the things you can't teach... he is a great rebounder and a great passer with really good hands. I refuse to believe that he won't be a really good player next year.

I can't wait to see how he does next year.   A year in the weight roonm and summer workouts.  He will be a force inside.

Stokes will be might years better next year, no question.

I understand we have a PG transfer from Clemson next year.

I agree Chievous and maybe Washpun are gone next year, and the Juco Edwards coming in will be a very solid wing for us. I am not sure what CCM saw in Reese, he hasn't been impressive at all.

CO you are right about some of the losses being unacceptable but don't overlook that its headed in the right direction.