CJBL - Oklahoma State Cowboys

[Coffee Warlord]

2043, Day 3. Northern Colorado 71, OK State 60.

That's all anyone need know.

[Emmett13]

That is definitely about 10% payback for the beating you took in the CJBL tournament.

[Emmett13]

The next season starts in the next day or two, so it's time to get my team preview and my initial thoughts on the squad before we sim the games.

We'll start with my starting lineup for day 1, which is going to be a home game against UNLV.



PG: Tevin Ridder, 6'2", 205, Junior, Chaska, Minnesota



Super happy he's my point guard. Had to play a ton of minutes last year since we were stretched so thin with guard depth, so I certainly see him closer to 28-30 this year. But, he's an absolute top notch defender, as good as any defender in the nation at the point. He shot the ball very well from three last year, and rarely turns it over even if he's not the best passing PG. When it comes to CJBL tourney time, he's probably looking at a return to 32-34 minutes a game.

SG: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Freshman, Deer Park, Texas


I was a little disappointed in Tusha after training camp, but I really shouldn't be since he does what I want him to do, very well. He's long, and a really solid defender. He's a lefty who can really shoot the three and should really space the floor for us. I promised him 28 mpg, and I aim to get him that. He'll probably see some time at the 3 as well.

SF: Ismael Green, 6'7", 205, Sophomore, Roseville, California



For his pedigree (#14 ranked HS recruit) he had an underwhelming season. He also was the 3rd or 4th option on the court in most lineups. I was underwhelmed by his progression, and he didn't improve in shooting like I was hoping he would. But, he's still a very valuable player for us. He's a good defender, will hopefully shoot a few points higher this year, and where I think he'll really be valuable for us, is I see him getting some time at the 4. It would allow us to be pretty switchy, and I think he could really be a floor spacer. He's a likely 30 mpg guy, and will probably go pro after the year is over.

PF: AJ Rushin, 6'10", 254, Senior, Katy, Texas



Our team captain is back and ready for his senior year. He's the same player he's been the last few years. He's a below average defender in the post, but is above average at just about every other aspect of basketball. He can shoot it, he's impactful on the glass and he's a really good passer for a big man. I played around with him initiating the offense from the high post, and it had mixed results. I'm sure I'll play with it again.

C: Isaac Lopez, 6'11", 245, Freshman, Woodlands, Texas


Lopez was the #3 recruit in last year's class, and he looks to step right into the large shoes of Marquese Henshaw. Lopez doesn't have the same game as Henshaw, who was a defensive oriented player. Lopez looks to be a major threat around the basket, and what I'm most excited about is his potential at drawing fouls and knocking down 85% or so of his free throws. He's a good defender, but not a great one. His rebounding is solid enough, but he's definitely more of a threat on the offensive glass than defensive. Early on, I plan to really feed him the ball and let him be the main guy and obviously I'll pivot away from that if it's too much for him.

Now our reserves:

I'm doing this by roughly who I think will play the most off the bench:

Garth Ludwig, 6'9", 245, Junior, New Orleans, Louisiana



Ludwig was really seeing himself as a marquee guy, and I thought there was a chance he'd transfer, but I'm super stoked to bring him back. He's just such a steady backup center to have. He's a really strong defender, who does good work on the glass despite his t-rexy wingspan. He's gotten better at finishing around the basket, which he has opportunities to do with his offensive rebounding abilities.

He's a poor passer, poor free throw shooter, and has no range to his game whatsoever. I do see the potential of a Ludwig/Lopez duo in the post being effective. Lopez isn't ideal at the 4, but he's got a little foot speed and probably handle it some.

Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Freshman, Orem, Utah


Goodlett is an odd player. Undersized for a SG, especially with his 6'2" wing span, but he seems to have all the skills of being a rough and tumble grit and grind guard. He defends, he's a legitimate rebounder, and it looks like he can shoot the ball well. Right now, he just needs to defend, catch and shoot threes and help out on the glass. And I think he'll be in lineups where he just has to be a role player and could perform well.

Marquez Ahart, 6'5", 182, Senior, Jackson, Mississippi



I think Ahart is a wild card to really get a lot of minutes this year. He's probably the only other true SF on the roster besides Green. He defends very well, has some ball skills, and like Goodlett will be a producer on the glass. His size would be an obvious issue, but he has the skillset to handle some time at the 4 in a small lineup if need be. I really want to pressure the basketball this year, and a guy like Ahart should be able to go all out for 4-6 minute blocks of time.

Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Freshman, Hampton, Virginia


Falls is looking like the guy who will get the majority of the backup PG minutes, at least to start the season. He's rangy and defends, and looks like he'll be an adequate offensive PG. He's a strong athlete and just doesn't have too many weaknesses to the game, but no real standout strengths. I promised him 12 minutes, and that's going to be tough to reach I think, unless I toss him a few minutes at the 2 every once in a while.

Tykei Lipp, 6'4", 186, Senior, Kaukauna, Wisconsin



Lipp has had an odd career, walk-on turned transfer turned MAC journeyman. For a 10th or 11th guy, I'm pretty thrilled. Even though his ratings didn't back it up, his assist rate last year was incredible. But what I'm crazy about is that he's almost as good of a defender as Ridder, but is longer and a better athlete. Like Ahart, I'm really excited to have him as depth as it hopefully allows me to play very aggressively and to bring a guy like him when we are in foul trouble or something like that is a heck of a luxury. I think there's a world he steals the backup PG job from Falls.

Eros Zenga, 6'8", 231, Senior, Cologne, Germany



Zenga's probably had a frustrating time in Stillwater. He's gotten bench minutes in the non-conference games the last two years, and really played just fine and even had a few games where he was extremely productive in limited minutes. But, he just keeps getting passed up by recruits. He can guard the perimeter and the post, but pretty average at both. Rebounds, can shoot it, and passes it really well. I don't see him getting a ton of playing time, but if we are getting smoked on the glass consistently or something, he has the ability to play and be productive.

Naje Masters, 7'0", 245, Senior, Carmichael, California



My emergency senior post transfer for the '44 season. Masters isn't much. He's a legit defender but it goes down hill after that. Solid enough on the glass, but his offensive game is very limited. Worst of all is that he brings poor intangibles to the locker room, which is not advisable for a guy who won't play. Hopefully the other players and Aucoin's culture will keep him in check.


We have 3 walk ons, yet again, Jakoby Broadway, Marquis Evanochko, Jaret Fredricks. They won't play, they will be released after the season. I won't even tell you what position they play.

I'm really optimistic about this team. We have so much playable depth and I'm really interested to experiment with some extremely high pressure, aggressive defense and be confident when the inevitable foul trouble hits that we have a lot of really solid depth who play defense just as well as the guys they replace.