we get certain guys and we lose others. this team really could have used cdr, but i do not think they would have beaten mizzou. too many fouls not called under the basket for Memphis to stay in the 1st half - the 3's at the end of the half really hurt as well.
if a few of the Tigers got and 1's after a few of those layups/dunks maybe mizzou would have backed off a bit., but i doubt it. memphis lack of a true pg hurt them, and we had no rhythm when tyreke went out. truly Cal did not have us prepared to play and i am not sure he could have. a few more timeouts and slowing the game down would have helped, but we did not do that. notice mack coming in and missing 3's really took us out of our attacking the rim style we started with. it should be noted that i hate mack as a player.
look for mack to be gone next year. he is plain terrible anyway. kemp may stay, but only because he knows he has no basketball future after college. mack is too stupid to know anything at all.
Recruits: X henry, nolan Dennis - 2 sg that would start for probably any team in the country not named UNC.
Darnell dodson, juco again, couldn't get into pitt (his original choice)
Will coleman, C, juco who is a beast, but had to go juco due to poor grades. this guy is explosive and will provide depth.
Demarcus Cousins, PF/C, who is the most gifted big man to ever come to our school (thank uab admin for that).
Latavious Williams ? GEO or MEM, we will see. if he is a one and done he will not choose Mem because of playing time. however, if he plans on sticking around for 2yrs maybe we get another....
John WAll ? Mem, duke, KU, baylor. he is the difference for this team making the final four/ Title game again, or being another dissapointing elite eight finish.
Angel Garcia, didn't clear the clearing house, and will be here next year as well. not sure how he will fit in. he is a smooth 6'10 forward but is very lean. i do not know that he will be able to defend or rebound well enough to play significant min. i really wish he would have played this past year.
this group is the best class we have ever had with regards to talent, but chemistry is a huge piece (ask UConn about that when rudy gay was a frosh). truly need a floor general. this commitments are talented enough on paper to make a serious run, but the pg's own this tournament -. imho
there is no PG if wall doesn't come. there is only one pg left in the top 15 after Wall. eric bledsoe is a pg from bham, al. he may not be what Cal wants, but i would recruit him and Wall. let him back up Wall if they both come. I love Cal, but we really roll the dice on pg's every year. darius smith is a top 20 pg on the board and that is it. unless he wants to convert Dennis...... always the pg thing.... I would recruit bledsoe hard if Wall doesn't come. I would go to bham myself but that would a ncaa violation. Hoping for WAll, but bledsoe may follow Cousins if we go after him
the other side of this coin is that there is little experience left on this team next year. Rose was so special, but the others were all juniors and he just had to "flip the switch".
all the teams in left tourney have several upperclassmen on their roster - Memphis won't have hardly any. except for mack (already covered this loser) kemp (doesn't really count either because he plays so little). taggart could return as a grad student, but he may worry about pt as well. I would like to see tags come back. he is a senior that has played significant min in the last two tourneys. and he provides depth to the pf/c position that will be needed in the tourney.
Memphis vs UNC 2010 for the title ? we will play them next year during the regular season and it should be a good gauge for where we are.
Peace.
