Post by LumsdnA10Academc98 on Apr 20, 2006 1:03:26 GMT -5
From the A-10 Board. Accurate description of our current state. Sounds to be a bit more upbeat on our JC recruits than most here are.
Team Snaps -- ST. BONAVENTURE
The Bonnies proved to be quite competitive last fall in non-conference play (6-5) after a disastrous 2-26 campaign the season before, but the wheels quickly came off in A-10 play as St. Bonaventure finished 2-14 and missed the league tournament. The source of the team’s problems were obvious enough – a lack of talent … and effort. The Bonnies were the worst 3-point shooting team in the A-10 and the second worst defensively. The offensive inadequacy can be explained, but not the defense, which is all about effort. Coach Anthony Solomon simply needs to get his players to dig in on defense or the losing will continue.
Departing the program is the Bonnies’ best player, do-it-all swingman Ahmad Smith (15.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3 apg), who led the team in scoring, assists and steals and finished third in rebounding. He was also the team’s fiery leader and best defender. Another key loss is sophomore point guard Isiah Carson, who transferred. Carson (4.8 ppg, 2.1 apg) won back the starting job in the second half of the year with his aggressive play and better floor management. He wasn’t a great shooter, but used his strong frame to get to the rim repeatedly.
Fifth-year senior Patrick Lottin (7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) also graduated, but several severe injuries turned the once-athletic wing shooter/slasher into a shell of his former self. In addition, deep reserve Wade Dunston (4.3 ppg, 31% 3pG) used up his eligibility.
The Bonnies do have some talented players returning. Skinny forward Michael Lee (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 30 blocks) is emerging as a frontline A-10 player, though his thin frame prevents him from achieving his full potential. Siena transfer Paul Williams (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 52% FG) proved to be the best bigman the Bonnies have seen since the Jim Baron era. He’s not flashy star in the making, just a solid interior player.
On the wing, touted transfer Tyler Relph (6.9 ppg, 31% 3PG) was slowed by preseason foot surgery and never played up to his potential, but he has a good-looking long-range jumper. If he’s healthy, expect his shooting percentage to go up, but don’t expect Relph to be an answer defensively. Sophomore-to-be A. J. Hawkins (6.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) also played well in spurts and showed the sort of athleticism not often seen in Bonnyland. He’s not much of a shooter, but is an active scorer around the hoop and could be a defensive stopper in time. Senior Terron Diggs (2.2 ppg, 32% FG) will provide relief at point. He’s a good passer and ball-handler but his inability to shoot or score will prevent him from getting many minutes, barring injury.
Solomon signed two athletic recruits in the fall, prepster Jourdan Morris and juco James Williams, but neither addressed the team’s biggest weakness: poor offense. To address that problem, Solomon signed a pair of jucos from Southern Idaho. One is an athletic wing player who can shoot (Zarryon Fereti) and the other is a speedy point guard (Jermaine Calvin) who’s a better distributor than Relph and a bigger threat offensively than Diggs.
In his fourth season trying to rebuild the scandal-damaged Bonnies program, Solomon has to start to show some bigger progress. The jury is still out on his ability as a coach. Last year’s increase in wins to 9 from 2 is a decent start, but Solomon has to deliver again.
In a way, Solomon is stuck in a classic chicken-and-egg scenario. He needs to win more games but not at the expense of the future development of the program. So he’s been recruiting the best four-year players he can while filling in the gaps with jucos and transfers. Over time, if the Bonnies can up their win total, Solomon could recruit more and better prepsters. For now, though, he’s got to find the best players he can, no matter where they are. It’s a difficult balancing act, but good coaches have done it before.
RECRUITS
1) Jourdan Morris F 6-6 Greenbelt, Md.
2) James Williams WG 6-5 200 Cloud County JC.
3)Zarryon Fereti WG 6-4 College of Southern Idaho JC.
4)Jermaine Calvin PG 5-11 College of Southern Idaho JC/Utah
Jourdan Morris is a strong, athletic combo forward who scores mostly on layups and drives to the basket. He's a decent midrange shooter but has to work on his jumper.
James Williams is a big scoring guard who's most effective slashing to the basket. Quick and athletic, he's also a harassing defender and gets lots of steals. He's just a so-so 3-point shooter, however, and doesn't always make great decisions with the ball.
Fereti is also an athletic slasher who can play big guard and small forward, but he's a better outside shooter than Morris or Williams. Fereti hit 128 3-pointers in two years of junior college, though he only shot at a 34% clip in his second season after hitting on 42% of his treys as a juco frosh. As a bonus, he's an excellent free-throw shooter at over 80%.
Calvin, originally a Rick Majerus recruit at Utah, is a quick point guard who can penetrate and dish and play tough on-the-ball defense. While not a big scorer, he did shoot 30% on 3-pointers and should pose much more of a threat offensively than returning senior Terron Diggs. Calvin was rated No. 123 in the country in 2004 in HoopScoop's final national rankings. He saw limited time as a freshman at Utah and left the program.
Team Snaps -- ST. BONAVENTURE
The Bonnies proved to be quite competitive last fall in non-conference play (6-5) after a disastrous 2-26 campaign the season before, but the wheels quickly came off in A-10 play as St. Bonaventure finished 2-14 and missed the league tournament. The source of the team’s problems were obvious enough – a lack of talent … and effort. The Bonnies were the worst 3-point shooting team in the A-10 and the second worst defensively. The offensive inadequacy can be explained, but not the defense, which is all about effort. Coach Anthony Solomon simply needs to get his players to dig in on defense or the losing will continue.
Departing the program is the Bonnies’ best player, do-it-all swingman Ahmad Smith (15.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3 apg), who led the team in scoring, assists and steals and finished third in rebounding. He was also the team’s fiery leader and best defender. Another key loss is sophomore point guard Isiah Carson, who transferred. Carson (4.8 ppg, 2.1 apg) won back the starting job in the second half of the year with his aggressive play and better floor management. He wasn’t a great shooter, but used his strong frame to get to the rim repeatedly.
Fifth-year senior Patrick Lottin (7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) also graduated, but several severe injuries turned the once-athletic wing shooter/slasher into a shell of his former self. In addition, deep reserve Wade Dunston (4.3 ppg, 31% 3pG) used up his eligibility.
The Bonnies do have some talented players returning. Skinny forward Michael Lee (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 30 blocks) is emerging as a frontline A-10 player, though his thin frame prevents him from achieving his full potential. Siena transfer Paul Williams (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 52% FG) proved to be the best bigman the Bonnies have seen since the Jim Baron era. He’s not flashy star in the making, just a solid interior player.
On the wing, touted transfer Tyler Relph (6.9 ppg, 31% 3PG) was slowed by preseason foot surgery and never played up to his potential, but he has a good-looking long-range jumper. If he’s healthy, expect his shooting percentage to go up, but don’t expect Relph to be an answer defensively. Sophomore-to-be A. J. Hawkins (6.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) also played well in spurts and showed the sort of athleticism not often seen in Bonnyland. He’s not much of a shooter, but is an active scorer around the hoop and could be a defensive stopper in time. Senior Terron Diggs (2.2 ppg, 32% FG) will provide relief at point. He’s a good passer and ball-handler but his inability to shoot or score will prevent him from getting many minutes, barring injury.
Solomon signed two athletic recruits in the fall, prepster Jourdan Morris and juco James Williams, but neither addressed the team’s biggest weakness: poor offense. To address that problem, Solomon signed a pair of jucos from Southern Idaho. One is an athletic wing player who can shoot (Zarryon Fereti) and the other is a speedy point guard (Jermaine Calvin) who’s a better distributor than Relph and a bigger threat offensively than Diggs.
In his fourth season trying to rebuild the scandal-damaged Bonnies program, Solomon has to start to show some bigger progress. The jury is still out on his ability as a coach. Last year’s increase in wins to 9 from 2 is a decent start, but Solomon has to deliver again.
In a way, Solomon is stuck in a classic chicken-and-egg scenario. He needs to win more games but not at the expense of the future development of the program. So he’s been recruiting the best four-year players he can while filling in the gaps with jucos and transfers. Over time, if the Bonnies can up their win total, Solomon could recruit more and better prepsters. For now, though, he’s got to find the best players he can, no matter where they are. It’s a difficult balancing act, but good coaches have done it before.
RECRUITS
1) Jourdan Morris F 6-6 Greenbelt, Md.
2) James Williams WG 6-5 200 Cloud County JC.
3)Zarryon Fereti WG 6-4 College of Southern Idaho JC.
4)Jermaine Calvin PG 5-11 College of Southern Idaho JC/Utah
Jourdan Morris is a strong, athletic combo forward who scores mostly on layups and drives to the basket. He's a decent midrange shooter but has to work on his jumper.
James Williams is a big scoring guard who's most effective slashing to the basket. Quick and athletic, he's also a harassing defender and gets lots of steals. He's just a so-so 3-point shooter, however, and doesn't always make great decisions with the ball.
Fereti is also an athletic slasher who can play big guard and small forward, but he's a better outside shooter than Morris or Williams. Fereti hit 128 3-pointers in two years of junior college, though he only shot at a 34% clip in his second season after hitting on 42% of his treys as a juco frosh. As a bonus, he's an excellent free-throw shooter at over 80%.
Calvin, originally a Rick Majerus recruit at Utah, is a quick point guard who can penetrate and dish and play tough on-the-ball defense. While not a big scorer, he did shoot 30% on 3-pointers and should pose much more of a threat offensively than returning senior Terron Diggs. Calvin was rated No. 123 in the country in 2004 in HoopScoop's final national rankings. He saw limited time as a freshman at Utah and left the program.