2010-2011 BEast Preview (Slideshow)

[PGsHeroes32]

No not Maurice Walker, probably Gardner if we get a big. Walker is down to Pitt and Minnesota and hes visiting the gophs next weekend. Pitt has no room for him right now and hes been trying to reach out to Cory Joseph to commit with him. Tubby is going to build the gophers into a big 10 power house in a conference that will be very good next year.

[willie warrior]

no one can say the name, but we know his height? what's the point of staying quiet at this point?

Good one!! I know that he has the height wrong. This unnamed recruit is actually 7'1", and is the most highly regarded big man since Lew Alcindor. But we must keep his identity under wraps. And we also must not identify who will have their scholie pulled.

[PGsHeroes32]

Heres the thing. I havnt seen any high rated 7'1 recruits out there

[Golden Avalanche]

All we can do is just wait and see; they have potential, but so do so many BE teams.  And their height, which has been their achilles over the past couple of years, will be more evident this year.  Otule is not proven and Mbao is immobile.  And regarding that big guy, are you talking about Maurice Walker?  B/c he is probably going to Minnesota.

I agree Otule is not proven, which is why I wrote we will have height but not necessarily an inside game. And it seems based on your writings that you value the actual heights of players rather then their skills in relation to scoring in the lane (because there aren't that many dominant low post scorers in conference).

But to write Mbao is "immobile" goes to show you have no idea what you're writing about. He is raw, stick thin, and has played ball for only three years but the one thing Yous can do well is get up and down the court.

[damuts222]

I agree Otule is not proven, which is why I wrote we will have height but not necessarily an inside game. And it seems based on your writings that you value the actual heights of players rather then their skills in relation to scoring in the lane (because there aren't that many dominant low post scorers in conference).

But to write Mbao is "immobile" goes to show you have no idea what you're writing about. He is raw, stick thin, and has played ball for only three years but the one thing Yous can do well is get up and down the court.

+1, Beat me to it.

Also, Monroe is staying in school he stated it in the news conference immediately following there loss to Ohio. Also, just because your in a mock draft months before the actual draft doesn't mean that you are signing an agent and leaving school. Mock drafts are made up predictions "presuming" that he will enter, which he won't.

Finally, if Hazell is drafted I would like to hear the explanation from that team's GM on why. He offers....what a lot of points on a bad shooting percentage.

Hopefully for next year our incoming freshman can offer more than this years, JUCO's aside.

[Hayward19]

Hayward 19, it came from Greg Monroes mouth himself that he was staying saying he still has work to do and wants to help THIS team not an NBA one. And non of seton halls guys are going anywhere. Especially Hazell

Monroe declared.  Case closed.

[Dawson Rental]

Ya but hazell will get picked and pope will probably also be taken;  Robinson might not but he also might be picked.  And please tell me where the fact that Monroe is staying came from.  And to Willie Warrior, Abromitas will have a huge year without Harangody, Pena is improving and might be the best Center in the Conference due to graduation and early leaves, and Brad Wanamaker fills up the box score.  In regards to teams, Cincy didn't lose much and they're getting two good bigs for next year.  They have to many big men for Marquette to handle and Lance Stephenson will emerge as a star.  St. Johns returns all except one rotation player in Anthony Mason Jr, and they had a solid team last year, so they will only get better.  Uconn still has a great team despite the losses of Dyson and Robinson; Kemba Walker is an amazing point guard, they have plenty down low (Oriakhi, Majok, Okwandu), and Roscoe Smith is the most talented freshman coming into the BE.

As did Lance Stephenson.  Case Closed.

[brewcity77]

Well, I think it's safe to say that until after we find out which early entrant draftees pull their names out, we'll have no idea what the Big East landscape will be for next year. I would say we are being underrated again, but I don't think we're being criminally underrated considering what this team looks like to an outsider.

We lost our two starting point guards, and are only returning one natural point, a sophomore who didn't see much time in Junior Cadougan. That would likely lead to more turnovers and more struggles against pressing teams. We also didn't add any significant size, and while Otule and Mbao are back, neither are especially proven commodities at the 5. Remember, this article is coming from people who aren't watching Marquette regularly.

Of course, at this point of the season, we are looking through rose-colored glasses. I think that Crowder could come in and immediately prove to be a solid near-clone of Hayward. A guy who can get us 15 and 7 a night, taking the pressure off Butler down low. I think that DJO could take over the scoring duties on this team, and raise his ppg average to around 20 per game. How many other guys in the nation have the complete scoring package he has, from the shooting range, to the driving ability, to the pump fake? I think that Otule and Mbao could both develop their games to create a reliable tandem down low. I think that Butler could be a first team All-Big East player, putting up similar numbers to what Lazar did last year. I think that the young guard combo of Blue and Cadougan could be better ball-handlers than we expect and lead an exciting attack, while our defense improves with the continued improvement of DJO, Butler, and the bigs. I think that our solid young recruits could really improve our depth and allow us to be fresh and competitive in close games. And I do think that all of that could lead to us being a top ten team in the country.

But that's also all pie in the sky. We could just as easily go through more injuries at the 5, struggle as no one can replace Lazar, and become turnover-prone because of our lack of experience at the point. Until the season starts, no one really knows. So let's not put too much stock in what we think we know, because the simple truth is that we don't.