Which Senior will make the biggest splash this year?

[Skatastrophy]

I think we all agree that Wilson has the highest ceiling, but which of our Seniors is going to step up and get us the most wins this upcoming season?

[GGGG]

For the sake of discussion, I am not sure what you mean by "highest ceiling."  I honestly don't know if we are going to see anything but marginal improvement out of him this year.  He has been a regular rotation player for two full-seasons now, and has been in the program for three years.  He hasn't been hampered by injury.

I know we get excited because he "looks the part," but is he really substantively better than what we have seen toward the end of last year?  Perhaps more consistency? 

[Tugg Speedman]

The answer is easy ... as long as he stays healthy, it will Otule.  

If MU has an entire season of the Otule we saw in the last 5 or 10 games of last season, after he was 100% healthy and regained his confidence, he will win this poll hands down.

[Sunbelt15]

For the sake of discussion, I am not sure what you mean by "highest ceiling."  I honestly don't know if we are going to see anything but marginal improvement out of him this year.  He has been a regular rotation player for two full-seasons now, and has been in the program for three years.  He hasn't been hampered by injury.

I know we get excited because he "looks the part," but is he really substantively better than what we have seen toward the end of last year?  Perhaps more consistency? 

Your choice is? Cause I'm going with Wilson also. Unless the others increase their mobility, which I doubt, we will see the same from Chris and DG.

[MUCam]

The answer is easy ... as long as he stays healthy, it will Otule. 

If MU has an entire season of the Otule we saw in the last 5 or 10 games of last season, after he was 100% healthy and regained his confidence, he will win this hands poll down.

Agree. We know what we will get with Gardner, splash wise, and I don't expect that to change much.

Jamil is Jamil. I think he is great, but I question whether he has the killer instinct needed to get to the next level. That said, I don't know if Jimmy Butler exhibited the killer instinct either before his senior year. If Jamil consistently plays to the limits of his abilities, watch out.

Otule, we expect the least of. However, he does so many little things well. More importantly, his confidence absolutely sky rocketed at the end of last year. He has size and experience. I just think he is going to suprise a ton of people if he can play, injury free, the way he ended last year.

[Dawson Rental]

I'm going with DeDe because I think that he has the greater ability to improve.  I think that Jamil and Chris are who they are at this point.  DG showed growth on defense last year, but I think he can still learn to make better use of his girth down low.  Having to deal with being the focus of many teams defenses this year will allow him to be better prepared for that attention this year.  Finally, with Cadougan graduated, a move back to his natural position of PG should be a huge boost.

[GGGG]

Your choice is? Cause I'm going with Wilson also. Unless the others increase their mobility, which I doubt, we will see the same from Chris and DG.

I think Wilson will make the biggest splash...but I am not sure he has the highest ceiling.

[Galway Eagle]

If Buzz lets Gardner play outside of the natural center position where he can drain more of those midrange shots, then he will be the one with the most gain. If Jamil steps up like we saw flashes of in the early season (3 games he only missed one shot) and in March then Jamil will be the one who makes the biggest splash.

[Skatastrophy]

I think Wilson will make the biggest splash...but I am not sure he has the highest ceiling.

I think Wilson's body and athleticism give him the highest theoretical ceiling. I think that Davante and Chris are peaking right now, where Wilson should be able to (theoretically) take the next step.

[BCHoopster]

I do not see Wilson taking any major steps of improvement.  he might get a few more shots but he is not a low post player, really does not have any moves, not quick enough to play the
3, and is to passive most of the time, many halves he did not show up in.  He seemed to always have 1 good half per game, his improvement has to be consistency.  I see the biggest
improvement from the point and hopefully Mayo, if not him, Johnson. 

[Litehouse]

This past season, CO's mobility was limited from his knee-injury until about half-way through the Big East season.  He was still running awkward at the Providence game.  Toward the end of the year, he looked much more comfortable and showed a lot more mobility, and his production also increased.  If he stays injury free into next year, hopefully that trend of better mobility and increased production continues.

For Wilson, hopefully he steps up to be our go-to guy.  It depends how you define "big-splash", but I think he'll take the biggest step up.

For Gardner, I don't think there will be any surprises.  Hopefull we'll see more consistency at the top of his game, but we know what to expect.

[UticaBusBarn]

I'm going with DeDe because I think that he has the greater ability to improve.  I think that Jamil and Chris are who they are at this point.  DG showed growth on defense last year, but I think he can still learn to make better use of his girth down low.  Having to deal with being the focus of many teams defenses this year will allow him to be better prepared for that attention this year.  Finally, with Cadougan graduated, a move back to his natural position of PG should be a huge boost.

Gardner, as we all know, is a unique player. I have long likened him to Wes Unseld. However, I may be wrong, and Murs may be correct.

During his NBA career, Magic Johnson was listed at 6'9" and 255 pounds. So, if Gardner were to shed, say, 30 pounds, and play at 260, the Warriors would still have a unique player. However, the unique Gardner would probably would be playing various other floor positions, along with the 5.

Wilson has incredible physical talent, but may not be an intuitive a player (see Jae Crowder). Chris Otule may not have much talent, but 6'11" 285 pound guys, who know what they are doing on a basketball floor, remain a rarity.

Gardner, showed a great deal of floor leadership at the end of 2012/13 (look at the NCAA tapes and watch who is giving out direction/anticipating/shouting/leading). However, it will be Gardner's playing weight that will determine the size of the splash (no pun intended) in 2013/14.

[Goose]

I think Jamil will be our go to guy and expect him to be our top player across the board. Too good of an athlete not to make additional improvements.

[keefe]

No question that Gardner makes the biggest splash. Especially if he cannonballs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=v0q54tGIHP4&NR=1

[martyconlonontherun]

The answer is easy ... as long as he stays healthy, it will Otule.  

If MU has an entire season of the Otule we saw in the last 5 or 10 games of last season, after he was 100% healthy and regained his confidence, he will win this poll hands down.

I think we are starting to overrate Otule. He had some great moments but his production still was slightly above average. In the last 8 games (month of March) he averaged 6.25 points and 4.75 rebounds. The guy took advantages of some mismatches and lack of preparation by opponents but he wasn't some stud you could even count on having a 10/10 every game. He's just not a guy who can create for himself.

If neither Jamil nor Gardner step up to be 15 pts a game, we are going to be in trouble next year.

[joe pop]

LET THE BIG SANDWICH EAT!!!!!!

[RawdogDX]

Wilson:
Frist 20 games 8.0 ppg
Last 15 games 12.5 ppg

We saw more than a marginal improvement mid season from him.  I don't think it's unreasonable to say he'll end up in the 14-16 range on the year.
Gardner had 4 games of 5 points or less over the last 15(wilson 1).  Gardner and Otule will still share time.  He's more consistent down the stretch and more versatile, although he never had the dominating performances that Gardner ha

[Dawson Rental]

Gardner, as we all know, is a unique player. I have long likened him to Wes Unseld. However, I may be wrong, and Murs may be correct.

During his NBA career, Magic Johnson was listed at 6'9" and 255 pounds. So, if Gardner were to shed, say, 30 pounds, and play at 260, the Warriors would still have a unique player. However, the unique Gardner would probably would be playing various other floor positions, along with the 5.

Wilson has incredible physical talent, but may not be an intuitive a player (see Jae Crowder). Chris Otule may not have much talent, but 6'11" 285 pound guys, who know what they are doing on a basketball floor, remain a rarity.

Gardner, showed a great deal of floor leadership at the end of 2012/13 (look at the NCAA tapes and watch who is giving out direction/anticipating/shouting/leading). However, it will be Gardner's playing weight that will determine the size of the splash (no pun intended) in 2013/14.

I was making a whimsical reference to Buzz's comment that Davante was a PG trapped in a big man's body.  He does have a much better handle than one would suspect.

[willie warrior]

I think we are starting to overrate Otule. He had some great moments but his production still was slightly above average. In the last 8 games (month of March) he averaged 6.25 points and 4.75 rebounds. The guy took advantages of some mismatches and lack of preparation by opponents but he wasn't some stud you could even count on having a 10/10 every game. He's just not a guy who can create for himself.

If neither Jamil nor Gardner step up to be 15 pts a game, we are going to be in trouble next year.

How dare you criticize a first round pick.

[MUSF]

I picked Wilson.

He is more versatile and has a higher ceiling. I wouldn't be surprised if Gardner is our leading scorer and most consistent player.

[77ncaachamps]

Jamil.

Because he can run faster, jump higher, and play more positions than DG, who in his own right is an awesome college player.