Outlook Changed For Upcoming Season?

[Dish]

With Blue's verbal, has your opinion changed on the upcoming season? I'm assuming most expectations are low/mid level for this season, but next year's team (albeit young) has a chance to be loaded. Buckys, Odom, Junior, Blue should set up as an outstanding group of guards, and some pop down low with Maymon, Williams, Jones. Knowing that next years team should be very good, are you ok taking it on the chin this year?

I don't like to have low expectations going into this year, but if this team takes some bumps, and the new guys show improvement from November to March, I'm ok with that this year.

I almost wish Hayward could red shirt this year, imagine him on next years team!

[NavinRJohnson]

Knowing that next years team should be very good, are you ok taking it on the chin this year?

Do I have a choice?

It will be a struggle this year, but at the same time, I think they'll win some games. The key is that they get better individually and collectively, because as you said, they will get a serious infusion of new talent next season, and they should be pretty well set up to win...and hopefully keep winning.

[radome]

Although there will be a few surprises, I think that there will be a lot of "wait until next year".

[Benny B]

I still think MU will outperform expectations this year... not extremely difficult considering they're picked to finish 11th-12th in the BE.  They could be good this year, not great, but good as in somewhere between 5th and 10th.  They have the size and talent, and I'm anxious to see what they put together.

Finishing 12th-16th this year will be a disappointment in my book, regardless of who's incoming in 2010.  Granted, I'm excited about the prospect of having a top 20 (maybe top 10 depending on who else they land) class next year plus a healthy Junior Cadougan, but with all the raw talent they have coming in this year, if they finish in the bottom quartile, I would say the outlook for 2010 and beyond, even with Vander, is as much in question as it was 48 hours ago.

[jaybilaswho?]

My outlook remains the same- I am expecting the worst and am looking forward to being surprised.

With that being said, if I am not surprised at least knowing that next year is gonna be different will help me through it.

[RawdogDX]

if anyone starts calling for buzz's head after we fininsh 12th they will get booed off the board if that is what you mean by are we ok with taking it on the chin.

[thanooj]

if anyone starts calling for buzz's head after we fininsh 12th they will get booed off the board if that is what you mean by are we ok with taking it on the chin.

i totally agree.  Buzz's learning curve as a head coach is still in play.  His preperation and game coaching are both going to develop alongside this young team.  He can and will make mistakes, but probably not bad enough for me to boo him or call for his head.

This is shaping up to be an exciting time for MU.  I am so pumped about Blue. 

awesome.

[radome]

I am not a basketball expert.  Regardless, I have heard so often that recruiting is 90% or so of the equation for success.  Just thinking out loud but if recruiting is 75%, teaching 15%, Xs and Os (planning/scouting) 5%, and in game management 5%, then Buzz is off to a great start.  I think that you can hire someone to do most of the rest but Buzz has to close the recruiting deal.

[tower912]

Nothing has changed.   We still have 11 scholarship players, one of whom will be ineligible for an undetermined number of games.   One of whom is already falling behind in learning Buzz' offense and defensive rotations and does not have a return date from his injury.   Our likely starting PG can't post up my 14 year old daughter.    We have two players who have ever started a D1 basketball game.   We are counting on a player recovering from such a rare injury that no one really knows what his long term prognosis.   We may frequently see a 1 guard, 4 forward set in which the guard is a JUCO, two of the forwards are JUCO's and one is a freshman.   We have 14 feet and 475 lbs of center that may or may not be able to successfully receive an entry pass, turn and dunk.     
This year is truly an unknown.   It could be our worst record since the Dukiet years, yet if the players on the team progress and compete, the disappointment will be tempered, since there is much to build on. 

[warriors_mu]

I wouldn't say that my outlook for this season have changed. If Blue was suddenly able to suit up this year, then yes, I'd be more optimistic. As it is, I think it will be an up and down season that will feature many frustrating moments for fans due to mistakes of inexperience. However there will hopefully also be flashes of great potential.

It definitely has me looking forward to the future though.

[NCMUFan]

In the end it will be how they do on the court.  I think we will have more pleasant surprises than expected disappointments.  The upside, potential and talent is there this year.  The biggest lack is experience.  That is where Buzz and his 1% improvement per day outlook could be the difference.  60% of success is having confidence.  We have to replace the 3 Amigos.  One capable replacement is Jimmy Butler.  That leaves Buycks, DJO, Erik Williams, Maymon, Fulce and Otule to ratch it up to Amigo level.  I think some future stars will emerge and be up for the challenge.

[Daniel]

The freshmen and sophomores are probably more excited about the future prospects, and juniors probably too.  But I don't think we'll play any better this year, and we will face serious challenges this year.  That said, I still hope we surprise in a positive way, and an NCAA bid would be a very successful year.

[chapman]

I'm optimistic.  A few reasons why...

-Comparing what our team had to do last year to be a tournament lock in possibly the best conference ever assembled to the more realistic goal of just being respectable and maybe a bubble team in a down year for the conference just doesn't line up.  It won't be easy, but there's something wrong if they look and play like the perennial BE bottom-feeders.

-As far as the list of shortcomings on the team, to look at our players in a positive light:
We have a fifth year senior who started a good chunk of games at the end of last year starting at point guard.  Our likely starting two guard is regarded as perhaps the number one Juco recruit in the nation, and he can also play the point.  Some say our other Juco guard may be even better.  To round out the guards, we have another senior who has plenty of minutes under his belt.  Our forwards consist of a player who showed last year he may have a very high ceiling, a player who has recovered from injury and was originally billed as being better than the first, a senior star who last year averaged 16.3 and 8.6 with a solid inside/outside game and who could very well be first team All Big East, a 6'6" top 50 recruit and a 6'7" top 100 recruit, both which were dominant high school players and have tremendous upside.  Likely starting at the five we have a 6'10" player who is said to have "aged 14 years" and become a "completely different person" from a year ago.  His backup is 7'2".

Or, to keep the negativity, here's the pessimistic view of four years ago:
We began the year starting three freshman guards and a Juco forward along with a sharp shooting big man who really didn't have an all-around game.  The Juco missed a lot of time; one of the freshmen was a star, one showed signs of brilliance and at other times was a turnover and getting stuffed machine, one missed eight games and disappeared at times.  Our backup point guard was a 6'9" transfer from Tulane.  We had a senior guard who could defend but rarely did much on offense.  Our big men were a project who barely played high school basketball, a guy who couldn't stay healthy, a guy who averaged more moving screens per game than points and rebounds, and a headcase with subpar defense who was a black hole on offense.  Only two players expected to earn significant playing time had ever started a game and five players had never played a minute of D1 basketball.

[muwarrior87]

One change I have made in my thoughts on this coming season happened after watching MM.  I have a feeling Zar will be spending the majority of his time at the 3 this year.  He looks leaner than last year and also appeared to have quicker feet.  The spin move he pulled out off the dribble right after the opening tip seemed a lot quicker than anything he did last year.  I'm expecting a lot of fast break baskets for us off of steals/outlet passes off of defensive rebounds but I think we will also give up our fair share of fast break points off of turnovers.  Which ever way you look at it, I cannot wait for the games to start.