[Eaglesfan27]

A look at our roster after fall training:

PG

Everett Huffman: He's added another 7-8 pounds. Now 5'10 193, but still has his great quickness. Now a junior, he's really improved his ball handling and 3 point shooting. Rated 72 overall.

Gus Walters: The true freshman will push Everett. He's 5'10 now, but only 159 pounds. Still, he's lightning quick with better moves than Everett. However, he isn't as good of a shooter. He is a better defender. We finally have a quality backup PG who I'll feel good about turning the team over to in 2 years. Rated 71 overall.

SG's:

Graves has worked on his game during the offseason. He didn't improve much, but he has become a slightly better shooter. Now rated 76. He's put on a bit of weight, now 6'4 193 and a sophomore.

Snow is 6'5 235 and has become a better shooter. Still not very athletic but his shooting has him up to a 76 in overall rating. If he didn't have such a bad release point, he'd be a dominant scorer I think. Now a junior.

Laurie Beachem is 6'5 215. Rated 55 overall. Will never see the court.

SF's:

Friedrich Collins has improved the most during the offseason. He's become an extremely good midrange shooter, but I think he suffers too much when a defender is near him. However, he'll hit the open 12-16 footer. He's also very quick for a SF, particularly for his size as he is now 6'5 235. Rated 74 overall. Now a sophomore.

I'm tempted to list Cornette here, but I won't for now as I'm thinking he might start at PF with Adams being something of a bust last year, not to mention T.J Hannan and Ortiz will be pressing for time...

T.J. Hannan is 6'8 228 now. The best news of all.. even after making it to campus our staff LOVES the potential of this true freshman and thinks he could be an NBA talent! Right now, he doesn't do anything great, but he is solid in most areas. He can hit the open 3, jump shot. He is a solid defender and solid rebounder. Rated 70 overall, so he needs to really grow if our staff is going to be right.

Reyshawn Ortiz is 6'5 185 and showed a lot of hustle last year. Unfortunately, he didn't improve much during the offseason. He's a solid contributor who doesn't thrive in any area. Rated 69 overall. Now a sophomore.

W.B. Meeking was a lost man last year and I feel bad about that. He can bury the open 3 on occasion. He's now a senior and might get some PT as a result. Rated 67 overall.

Branden Jenkins is a 2 star SF who walked onto the team. He's rated 53 overall and has a long way to go. I'm not sure why he chose us to walk-on as I hardly recruited him, only calling him a few times as a backup plan. He is 6'7 200 pounds and I liked his height.

PF's:

Whitney Cornette will start at PF unless I decide he fits in more at SF. He is 6'9 225 pounds now. Our staff has soured on his potential a bit, but they think he'll be a solid player. As it is, he is already a great finisher around the rim and a decent midrange-long range shooter. He is also a shot blocker which is nice. Rated 73 overall.

Alsfonso Bowers is a bit of a disappointment, but I knew he was primarily a 3 point specialist. He doesn't do much else well although he can block shots fairly well. He is 6'7 233 pounds. He is rated 66 overall. He doesn't have the speed to play SF, so he will play backup PF.

C's:

DeShaun Simon hit the Buffet Circuit during the offseason. He gained 15 pounds and is now 7'1 292. However, he also worked on his game. He's still not a consistent inside scorer, but he's improved. He's really working hard on his rebounding and now is rated as an excellent rebounder which combined with his size should continue to see him lead the league. Rated 71 overall. The sophomore should get lots of boards as we'll be running and gunning this year.

Jerome Adams is a sophomore who is recovered from his injury, but hasn't improved much. He's a player who doesn't excel in any area but is solid in most areas. He's now 6'10 230 and with his size will get time at backup center. He's rated 69 overall.

Jerel Bogans played a lot last year due to the injuries and I like him so he'll get some PT again this year. However, he is down on the depth chart. He is 6'8 226 and is now a senior. Has a decent midrange shot and is a good rebounder for his size. Rated 67 overall.

My staff wants to redshirt Bowers, but I'm not doing that. We might need his 3 point shooting since we struggled with cold spells last year and I think this team can compete for a title even though we are young.


My plan for the starting 5:

PG Everett
SG Graves
SF Hannan (While Collins is better, I think the best way to develop Hannan's potential is to play him. I also like his size on defense.)
PF Cornette
C Simon

Main Bench Contributors:

SG Snow
PG Walters
SF Collins

Depending upon the situation, Bowers or Bogans will get minutes at backup PF and Adams at backup center.

The rest will depend upon the situation. Sadly, as I make my plans, I realize that I'll have to put someone I like on the reserve list - Meeking will not play unless we have injuries.