Front court players

[msstate7]

Maybe we've been too quick to dismiss Herard and datcher. I'm watching OM play in the sec tourney and thinking it's amazing how far saiz has come as a player. Here's the freshman and current stats of saiz and another of the sec's best big men, maten.

Saiz --
Freshman: 19.9 mins 5.1 ppg 5.6 rpg
Senior: 33.3 mins 15.1 ppg 10.1 rpg

Maten --
Fresh: 18.2 mins 5.0 ppg 4.3 rpg
Junior: 29.2 mins 18.7 ppg 6.9 rpg

Herard: 19.0 mins 5.3 ppg 5.0 rpg

Datcher: 7.0 mins 0.9 ppg 1.4 rpg

Obviously nothing special stats wise, but Herard is right there with saiz and maten in his freshman stats. I still think Herard is gonna develop into a stud for us. Not sure EJ sticks around as a backup, but I think he can be a good bench player for us in the future.

[drummerdawg]

Herard will only get better. He's only played basketball for just a few years. But I don't see Datcher contributing much in the future. I'm hoping he leaves.

[Liverpooldawg]

Herard will be a VERY good player for us before he is done. He has only played basketball for 5 years since he came to the US.

[msstate7]

Herard will only get better. He's only played basketball for just a few years. But I don't see Datcher contributing much in the future. I'm hoping he leaves.

I won't stress either way; but if you avg datcher's stats out over 40 mins, it would be 8.0 rpg and 3.2 blocks. Do the same for Herard and he gives you 10.5 rpg and 0.5 blocks. I think datcher's ability to rebound decent and block gives him some value for 7-10 mins per game

[MarketingBully]

Herard will be a great player as he gets more experience and learns the game. One of our biggest issues this year which was very apparent today is we are having to play Herard major minutes before he is ready. Next year will be much much better because we can have Herard come off the bench and start Ado. Our frontcourt will be a strength next year by adding players like Ado, Brooks, and Faezel on top of having Holman, Datcher, Herard, and Kegler. We will have a very versatile team that should be able to match up with anyone we play whether they are a big physical team or small fast team. If we keep everyone that is on the roster now with no transfers, we will be a very dangerous team based on that premise.

[Liverpooldawg]

Herard will be a great player as he gets more experience and learns the game. One of our biggest issues this year which was very apparent today is we are having to play Herard major minutes before he is ready. Next year will be much much better because we can have Herard come off the bench and start Ado. Our frontcourt will be a strength next year by adding players like Ado, Brooks, and Faezel on top of having Holman, Datcher, Herard, and Kegler. We will have a very versatile team that should be able to match up with anyone we play whether they are a big physical team or small fast team. If we keep everyone that is on the roster now with no transfers, we will be a very dangerous team based on that premise.

I won't say anything about Ado till I see him play. It is quite apparent that Herard would have been better off to redshirt, but that wasn't an option. I wouldn't say our front court will be a strength just yet. You are placing a LOT of hope on guys that have never played on a D1 floor. You are also assuming major 1 year improvement from guys we HAVE seen on a D1 floor. I certainly agree they should be better, but I've been around long enough to know that is NOT a sure thing. Get back to me around Christmas.

[MarketingBully]

I won't say anything about Ado till I see him play. It is quite apparent that Herard would have been better off to redshirt, but that wasn't an option. I wouldn't say our front court will be a strength just yet. You are placing a LOT of hope on guys that have never played on a D1 floor. You are also assuming major 1 year improvement from guys we HAVE seen on a D1 floor. I certainly agree they should be better, but I've been around long enough to know that is NOT a sure thing. Get back to me around Christmas.

Expecting improvement from players we have seen is a logical assumption. Also, Ado isn't going to be a normal freshman but a redshirt which means he will go through an offseason just like our other freshmen will. He will be a freshman only by classification. As I stated earlier, we had a great next season from our 2005-2006 team which also finished .500. They finished the next year with 21+ wins and an NIT appearance and we have more talent on this team then that one.