Why We May Not Be Worse Next Year

[UNK_LOPERS]

I think we are going to run with a 10 man rotation next year.  I think we are going to get up and down the court.  This will really open up our offense I feel.  Right now, working the ball through Maric gives us our best chance to win.  With Sallie, Edwards, and Richardson in the mix, Ryan in his natural position, and our young guards a year older, I think we will put up a lot more points a game.  

I think our points will be spread out a lot more next year.  Rebounding and interior defense will be are problem areas next year.  Sadler can teach could defense…we know our kids will play good defense next year.  With the up and down game that Doc’s going to put in, our guards are going to be given opportunities to score.  We don’t have the ability inside to be a half-court team.  We are going to have to get up and down to be competitive.  

Here is the staring lineup next year….

PG: Cookie Miller.  I think Cookie is a really good player and should only be better next year.  He's a top 5 PG in the Big 12 I feel right now and he is only going to get better.  He is past the nervous stage and is beginning to create opportunities for the entire team with his quickness.  He's starting to knock down shots this year as well.  I think he's a guy who can get us 8 points and 6 assists a game next year.

G: Roburt Sallie.  I think Doc Sadler will let Roburt know who’s boss early, but by Big 12 play he will be easily starting.  Sallie is a gamer who could see time at the 1, 2, or 3.  Due to the fact we have a lot of smaller gaurds (and Cookie Miller), I think we will see Sallie mostly at the 2 and 3.  It’s really hard to project what a kid is going to do his first year in the Big 12.  All I can tell you is this kid is big (6’5” 210+ pounds), strong, quick, good perimeter rebounder, athletic, above average shooter, can jump out of the building, and has ice running through his veins.  He also can take it to the rack and finish.  While it is hard to predict what a kid who has never put on a Nebraska uniform is going to do, I think he is fully capable of 13 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists a game next season.  He may dip a point or two per game in conference play, but he’s going to score some points for us.  I really think he has the ability to have big games against top 25 opponents.  He’s very confident, almost to the point of being cocky.  At least next year we will have somebody on the floor with a little swagger!  

G: Ryan Anderson.  I think finally Ryan will be playing in his natural position.  He’s done well defensively at the 4-spot in his 2 years there, but it’s time to get him into a position he can help us better offensively.  He should get a lot more looks from outside next year and his sophomore slump should be history.  I could imagine a few situations where he would come in off the bench next year.  I would think Ryan would be good for around 11 points and 5 boards next year.  

F: Alonzo Edwards.  From watching him in practice (and hearing from others who have as well), this kid will be a pretty good player for us.  Offensively, I think he’s ready to play now.  Defensively, he still needs some work.  Right now the good posts in the Big 12 would put on a point clinic at Alonzo’s expense.  He’s working hard on it though….and getting better.  Defense can be taught, Offense can not.  With Doc as his coach, he will be a good defender by next year.  He’s going to have a good pre-conference but the reality check will be there when Big 12 play rolls along.  Unless something happens, I think we are going to see him start more games than not for us next year.  I think he is capable of 7 points and 6 boards a game next year if he gets quality minutes.  

F: Balham/???:  I think an X-factor may be holding down one of these spots when it is all said and done.  Let’s pretend Balham is the starter though.  His knees will limit his minutes next year as well.  I don’t think he’s able to log enough practice each week to become the player he can be.  But he’s a warrior.  Doc Sadler loves this kid like a son…not even joking.  Guy busts his ass every single minute he gets.  He is athletic, gets good position, hustles, attacks the basket on rebounds.  If he does hold down the starting spot next year, he will probably only play around 20-25 minutes a game.  He’s not going to score a ton of points, but he will help fill the void down low on a Maricless Nebraska team.  I would think he would be able to pull 4 points and 5 boards a game with the minutes he does play.  


Bench

Shang Ping:  He’s going to have to play next year, ready or not.  Doc rides this kid into the ground in practice every single day, and you know what?  Ping loves it!  He wants to become a good basketball player and is willing to do everything Doc tells him at 100% effort.  I think this kid will be much improved next year.  I don’t think he will be as lost as he is this year.  With that said, Ping still needs a few more years to develop.  He’s going to see minutes next year.  I think he will give us 10-15 minutes next year and can get us 3 points and 3 boards a game.  

Steve Harley:  I think Harley is finally starting to adjust to the speed of big-time basketball.  This kid is a scorer.  Doc is really working hard to make him more consistent.  This year, Harley will drop 15 or 16 points on some pretty good teams back-to-back then the next game he just is no where to be found.  Iowa State was a perfect example of that.  Harley had a great match-up against them and didn’t really do much.  Harley and Sek becoming consistent is what is going to make us an average team or a decent team next year.  He’s going to see a ton of minutes next year (some starting, some not).  I think he gets a little more consistent and is good for 10 points a game next year.  He’s averaging nearly 8 so far this year…I think it is highly possible.

Sek Henry:  This kid makes me want to pull my hair out.  He is loaded with potential that, for some reason or another, has not been brought out yet.  He is so much stronger this year, this year should have been his coming out party.  Instead, he keeps making silly mistakes.  This kid is a good defender, a great perimeter rebounder, and can finish around the basket.  The past few weeks, we have seen him take the ball to the rack and make some amazing plays!  I just don’t know why he’s not able to play with that ability all game long.  Next year, we need him more than ever!  We will see.  He’s a key to our season next year…I can’t stress that enough.  He’s going to play a lot of minutes, I just think he will be the same old Sek though.  He will probably improve his scoring average by a point, but I don’t expect much more than 7 points and 3 boards a game with more flashes of brilliance without any real consistency.  

Ade Dagunduro: I think Ade has a legit chance to start at forward next year if Edwards doesn’t bring it.  Ade is still going to play great defense and provide match-up problems for those teams not equipped to handle him.  Should be interchangeable with Anderson.  Also will see minutes in the post.  If Doc Sadler does, in fact, pick up the tempo, a player like Dag may benefit greatly.  What post player can run with this guy?  He’s still athletic enough to grab some boards.  He’s athletic enough to play in the NBA right now.  In fact, he is a better athlete than many players in the NBA right now.  This kid was AMAZING when Doc started up practice before the season.  This is why I gave him such high reviews in my preseason synopsis.  I think it is mental with Ade.  If he can mentally get in the game and become even a slightly above average shooter, then this kid could be dangerous.  I think Ade will get his head together a little better and give us 8 points and 5 boards next year.      

Jay-R Strowbridge:  The only Big 12 guard (with meaningful minutes) who can play 30 minutes in a game and not score a single point.  It’s frustrating with him sometimes.  With Richardson and Sallie on board next season, I don’t think Jay-R is going to even get close to the minutes he did this year.  Despite his lack of scoring at times, he is a solid shooter.  In the Iowa State game, he hit several big shots.  I think Jay-R is going to move to the Velander roll next year.  He will come in anywhere from 5-10 minutes a game (depending on the match-up) and will be asked to shoot a few 3’s and play solid “hustle minutes”.  I think Jay-R will fit well in this roll because he is a phenomenal defender and has shown the ability to drain a 3.  His production will drop, but so will his minutes.  I think he will be good for 3 points a game next year.  

Paul Velander:  Paul has struggled this year thus far.  His shot hasn’t always been there and he’s had some mental lapses.  I am a Paul Velander fan, but I am afraid to say that his minutes will be scarce next year.  He’s a good enough player that Doc will play him if he gets his shot back, especially when he breaks his back everyday in practice.  When we are ahead by a ways, which won’t be too often next year, he will toss in around 2 points a game.  

Brandon Richardson:  This kid is good….real good.  He could really push Cookie for starting PG next year.  Watching him the next 4 ½ half years is going to be nothing short of fantastic!  He’s taller than Cookie and a much better shooter (the 2 probably correlate).  I think Cookie is a good enough player to hang onto the job, but it will make Cookie elevate his game to the next level.  Richardson is going to be a key part of the rotation and will see some solid minutes.  He’s going to knock down some perimeter shots for us.  He’s going to give us some solid minutes at the point next year and should play the roll that Sek Henry did this year.  I think he will average 5 points a game and dish out a few assists.      

Toney McCray: The kid is a pretty good player.  He needs to stop turning the ball over so much though.  I'm not sure he's going to see a lot of minutes with our log-jam at SG and SF.  He can score some points though and could steal Ade's minutes if Ade doesn't work on his shooting.  

Alex Chapman: I just don’t see this one working out.  He’s a big man who has an outside touch.  We have way too many guards to need a Conklin-type.  He’s been hurt all year, so it’s hard by watching practice to see what he can do.  From what I have seen though, he shys away inside and doesn’t play good defense.  If you are taking a bet on who won’t be on the team next year…I would say lay your money here.  

Chrisopher Nienmann:  A 7’ big who may not even qualify.  If he does, I’m fairly sure he will redshirt if Ping and Balham improve even a little.  You never know though.  It’s really too early to tell if he will knock someone out of the rotation yet.

[jablonsker]

I'm pretty confident about next year. Cookie should be better and maybe we'll gt to see the redshirts play some.

[HuskerFan2002]

Excellent analysis, UNK.

I'll be really curious to see how Doc will play his style of offense without Maric. He's going to be a big loss for us. Yeah, there were times when I wanted to pull my hair out because he misses a lot of easy shots, but his inside prescience makes opposing defenses change their style of play.

When Ping arrived to Nebraska, I had a feeling that he was going to be the guy to replace Maric next year. Maybe that's not the case right now. Did Doc ever say he wants a Center in his lineup for his own offense?

[Shockrfan]

what is doc brining in for recruits next year? is it just sallie? i dont really follow basketball recruiting.

[T Husk]

Thanks for the detail, UNK.

Unfortunately, I don't hear much about the team & this was very helpful.

[DieHard]

great detail ...

isn't the title a double negative though?

[no1huskafan]

what is doc brining in for recruits next year? is it just sallie? i dont really follow basketball recruiting.

We are bringing in a 7 foot Chris Niemann who may not qualify.

[UNK_LOPERS]

I kind of started this thread to show everyone that we are going to be a lot more spread out next year.  Everybody is just ready to write off Doc's 3rd year just because we are without Maric.  That isn't exactly going to be the case.  

Sallie and Richardson are easily going to make up for Maric's 16 points per game.  In fact, I think we will average (as a team) around 8-10 more points a game next year just because we are getting up and down the floor more and players are getting more experienced.  It's Maric's 10 rebounds a game and interior defense that I am worried about.  That's going to be very hard to replace.  Sallie, Sek, Ryan, and Ade are good perimeter rebounders...that may help offset the rebound issue.  Balham defense is pretty good, but he's not going to be able to play anywhere near the minutes that Maric does.  

The bottom line is that we are going to miss Maric.  I'm fairly certain that his points per game isn't going to be the issue...it's going to his rebounding and interior defending that is going to be hard to make up.  

I don't know a whole lot about Niemann, what I do know is that there is a decent chance of him not qualifying.  I don't know what kind of work he needs or really what kind of player he is.  He's playing European club ball so his stats don't really tell us enough information of what he can or can't do.  I have the slighest idea if he is ready to play or not.  At 7', I think any player can be coached up enough to at least provide quality minutes.  I've also never seen a European big-man who isn't athletic so I highly doubt he's some strickly back-to-the-basket plodding center.  

So our recruiting class is full if Niemann qualifies.  However, we are still actively recruiting forwards.  We do have a couple of very good posts who are more than interested in us that we are looking at.  Even if Niemann qualifies, I think we will still bring in another post.  Some sort of  attrition will occur.  If Niemann doens't qualify, I think we will bring in 2 more posts.

[UNK_LOPERS]

He's not a post player, but a Roby type that may suit up for us in the near future.  

[Shockrfan]

who are the 4 guys that doc is redshirting this year? i'm lazy and i know someone knows the answer to this question.  

[HuskerFan2002]

I think its Brandon Richardson, Alonzo Edwards, Toney McCray and Alex Chapman.

Someone correct me if I got one of those names wrong.

[bowz]

I think its Brandon Richardson, Alonzo Edwards, Toney McCray and Alex Chapman.

Someone correct me if I got one of those names wrong.

Correction: Ned Needlelander, Dusty Bottoms, Lucky Day, and Turd Fegueson...  

[Daniel]

We may not be worse but we aren't going to be any better either, thats the bad part.  I'm not sure Doc's the answer imo.  No i'm not calling for his head, but even since last year, I haven't been all about the hype he's getting.  He hasn't proven squat yet.  A couple more years he'll get to prove his worth.

[UNK_LOPERS]

Sadler is bringing in better talent.....

Barry Collier's First Class

Kevin Augustine (transfer)
Kedrick Ford (juco)
Danai Young (juco)
Marques McCarty (HS)
Justin Boeker (juco)

Career totals for Barry's first class:

pts: 180
bds: 87
stls: 21

Doc Sadler's First Class (I'll even throw out Jay-R and Ryan)  

Career totals for Sek Henry 23 games into his soph season:

pts: 312
bds: 137
stls: 40

(per Norm P. on HHC)

[huskerrod]

Thanks for the great info UNK