[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 11, 2034 -

We host 6-16 WSU.

We beat them 103-60. Nelke led the team with 30 points, 10 boards, and a block. He shot 8 of 15, 1 of 2, and 13 of 14.

Zimmerman with 18 points and 6 boards. Halsch with 11 points. Troy with 10 points. Kabba and Connolly with 8 each.


We are now 20-2. Our team is looking like a real title contender as we maintain the #1 ranking. Even though there are a few weeks left in the season, I thought it would be fun to compare the overalls of my guys when we started the year and now. This new coaching staff has done great things for their development..

This is a copy of the post from the beginning of the year with updated thoughts and current overall ratings:

PG is a strong position with 2 veteran options and 1 young player ready to contribute:

SR PG Rashard Galbreath is being pushed by McDade, but his defense should allow him to remain the starter. Galbreath is 6'1 199 and is rated 86 overall. His shooting still needs work, but his defense is at the very top level in the game now. Galbreath has really developed his passing during the season and his outside shot has become respectable. Overall is now 90!

JR PG Keon McDade is now the best 3 point shooter on the team. Could play late in games we are down in. McDade is also the better passer and ball handler, but he really is a significant notch down on the defensive end. He's rated 84 overall. He is 6'1 175. One of the slowest to develop this year after an early good start. However, I feel bad that this great shooter isn't getting more minutes. Of course, he will be the man running the entire show next year. Overall is now a 86.

RS FR PG Antone Dawson is 6'1 186 and is rated 77 overall. He's a very good midrange shooter which is his best strength. His passing is also a strength. Defensively, he is the worst of the 3, but he isn't bad. Has hardly played, I need to rectify that or I'm afraid he'll transfer. He's good enough to start for a lot of teams. He is already a better passer than McDade and almost as good as Galbreath. Going to be a dynamite player. Rated 80 overall now.

At SG, we have an interesting cluster of options, all of them good:

RS SR Bernard Mack would appear to be the incumbent, but he'll get pushed by Connolly and Dillard. Mack has the experience and has showed that he can be a big time scorer. He is also the best defender of the 3. He is 6'4 240 and is rated 84 overall. He hasn't been the huge scorer this year, because we have so many other options, but he can hit the critical 3 when needed as we saw in the recent Oregon game. Rated 87 overall now.

SR SG Keon Connolly is the most consistent 3 point shooter of the group. He's 6'3 211 and he is the fastest of the 3 as well. However, his defense is the weakest of the 3. He is rated 83 overall. His early big improvement tailed off this year. Still, his 3 point shooting is a big weapon if we need to comeback and he'll continue to get plenty of bench minutes. Rated 85 overall.

RS SO Jerald Dillard is pushing hard for PT. He's 6'2 190 and is rated 82 overall. He is the best ball handler of the 3 and has the best lateral movement. He is the worst at shooting from the arc of the group. He continues to push hard but is getting crunched by the numbers. Another guy that I need to find more minutes for as I fear he might transfer. He'd be a star on most other teams. He's rated 85 overall now. He is the quickest SG I've ever had, of course, he is also among the smallest.


SF, is the big question mark. Lots of youth here:

SO SF Troy Toussaint looks like he'll win the starting job. He's now 6'7 240 and is rated 79 overall. He has the best potential of any of the options. However, his 3 point shot has been inconsistent. He is the most athletic of the 3 at this point. While Nelke has cut his minutes down significantly, he is still thriving in his role. Rated 82 overall. Everything is set up for him to be a major scoring option next year.

FR SF Lucious Kabba appears to be the real deal. He's 6'6 220 and is rated 78 right off the bat. He's going to push for PT and should be the #1 option at SF off the bench if he doesn't win the starting job. He appears to be a more consistent shooter from the arc. We'll see if that holds. He also appears to be the best rebounder of the 3. Our staff thinks we overestimated his potential in the past evaluation of him. Playing very well for a true freshman, but has my staff wondering if his ceiling may be lower than other options. Rated 80 overall as a true freshman, so I can't complain much.

FR SF Leo Annen is one that our staff is recommending redshirt. He is the rawest of the 3, with subpar defense, subpar outside shooting, but explosive hops. He is 6'8 199 and is rated 74 overall. Redshirt year still ongoing. Overall up 2 points to a 76.

PF is on paper our strongest position although depth will be a concern if we have injuries:

SR PF Gerrod Halsch in practice is the better player, but it didn't translate on the court last year. However, he appears poised for a breakout year. He's really worked hard on his post game, his midrange shot, his rebounding, and his shot blocking. He's 6'9 262 and is rated 87 overall. He seems to have hit his ceiling, but it's very good for this level. Rated 88 overall. Scoring 3 points above his freshman mark of 8.1 which was the highest of his career up until this year.

SR PF Dameon Nelke had a breakout year last year. He's now 6'10 230 and is rated 85 overall. He's incredibly quick with SF speed and lateral movement. He's got a great midrange shot. He has 3 point range. He's developed a very nice post game. He has become an all around threat. Has become one of my most complete scorers in my years at USC. Rated 88 overall. Averaging 19.3 ppg.

Center is an area of concern with not much depth:

JR Timon Zimmerman appears set for a breakout year. He is 7'4" 290 now. He's rated 81 overall. He's improved his rebounding and his low post game. Has the best size of any center I've had and is really establishing himself as an inside force now. Scouts think he may come out after this year and be a 1st round pick. Rated 84 overall. Scoring a career high 13.3 ppg.

FR Olu Vega is an interesting player. He's got great size for the post at 7'1 254, but his post game is non-existant at this point. However, his midrange game is a legit threat. He even has some 3 point potential. He is a tremendous dunker, as one would expect. Too bad, he has HORRIBLE ball handling ability and will never be able to beat guys off the dribble. Defensively, he is very bad except for his shot blocking ability which is very good. He's rated 75 overall. Disappointing growth so far. Rated 76 overall. He's not shooting as well as I hoped from the outside.