Recruiting - 2016

[DanesRGood]

Land a couple guys and everyone will start feeling a lot better. Having zero commits this late in the year when you only have five or six returning will cause some uneasiness.

 

Verbal Commits shows we have interest in 9 players and I'm sure there are more they don't have listed there. They didn't have Nate Johnson on there until I sent them the link to the story from here. The players are out there. As I said, we only need probably 2 impact guys for next season and if a couple of the others pan out we will be in good shape. That is of course with the hopes that Nichols and Andrews are good.

[UA'08]

Still lost all front court depth and the two returning were always in foul trouble last season. In the last UA weekly basketball show coach was expecting McKinley to be able to contribute next year.

[DanesRGood]

Still lost all front court depth and the two returning were always in foul trouble last season. In the last UA weekly basketball show coach was expecting McKinley to be able to contribute next year.

 

Well hopefully Charles will come back healthy and Brown brings in 1-2 more bigs with the open scholarships that would give us 5 players down low and there is Ennema as well.

 

Also, what was coach supposed to say in the last show when asked about McKinley? Well, he didn't develop the way we hoped during his redshirt year so he will probably sit a lot next year.

 

Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic but until I see who they bring in with the 5, or is it 6, scholarships they have I'm going to try to remain positive.

[justdrastik1]

It's a concern we've all talked about for some time. You need a freshman class. Our program has historically done its best with 3-4 year players, with a JUCO or two sprinkled in each year. The problem is less this year, but the year after. This year we have a serviceable starting 5 as it stands. We may not have much depth though.

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

On the positive side, recruits next year can be wooed with a lot more potential playing time

[McFan]

New life of college basketball unfortunately. Read there's already more than 700 DI transfer this year alone. Looks to break last year's record.

 

Return the core of Cremo, Andrews, Nichols, Ennema, Stire, Rowley and Charles, if healthy.

 

We certainly should be able to offer the opportunity for playing time! With an increasing number of grad transfers..I wonder if that's a route the staff is interested in.

 

 

I'll wait and see how this shakes out but I'm not sure how Andrews, Nichols and Charles are considered core at this point. How many minutes per game have they played. And of those minutes were any of them meaningful?

[Eli]

 

New life of college basketball unfortunately. Read there's already more than 700 DI transfer this year alone. Looks to break last year's record.

 

Return the core of Cremo, Andrews, Nichols, Ennema, Stire, Rowley and Charles, if healthy.

 

We certainly should be able to offer the opportunity for playing time! With an increasing number of grad transfers..I wonder if that's a route the staff is interested in.

 

 

I'll wait and see how this shakes out but I'm not sure how Andrews, Nichols and Charles are considered core at this point. How many minutes per game have they played. And of those minutes were any of them meaningful?

 

Charles would have been our first big off the bench ahead of Peters and Enemma had he not had his ailment. Dude was borderline as good as Rowley, IMO. Both Andrew and Nichols played in spot minutes and didn't get their doors blown off...both look more than capable and will now have a LOT more playing time since Evan/Ray and Peter are gone.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Eli

[Phoenix]

Ede used it this year. Peters and Williams can as well depending on what they decide. I just think If it's not a medical or transfer red-shirt, I would keep everyone active. How many players have we had in recent years that used up all four years of eligibility at Albany? It's a rarity in college basketball these days.

 

Good point..Ede did use the option. I thought we were talking in the context of what to do with a four-year player's freshman year if they weren't going to play much..red-shirt vs. play a few games a year.

[Phoenix]

I won't panic yet, but the rumors of WB leaving that I have heard while speaking with some people who are much closer than I am may have more teeth than I thought? If the players think he is leaving maybe it makes them nervous and start looking elsewhere?

 

For McElroy's deficiencies..I did think he was very good with coaches. Hiring the right ones and keeping them. He managed to keep Vives, Cannata, Sykes, Marr, Ford, Brown and Abe..despite all their successes. I think Sheffield was the only one who left for a bigger gig.

 

That's something I hope Benson can keep up. Coach Abe is now gone..and Brown is entering the second to last year of his contract. Really want to see an extension ASAP.

[McFan]

 

 

New life of college basketball unfortunately. Read there's already more than 700 DI transfer this year alone. Looks to break last year's record.

 

Return the core of Cremo, Andrews, Nichols, Ennema, Stire, Rowley and Charles, if healthy.

 

We certainly should be able to offer the opportunity for playing time! With an increasing number of grad transfers..I wonder if that's a route the staff is interested in.

 

 

I'll wait and see how this shakes out but I'm not sure how Andrews, Nichols and Charles are considered core at this point. How many minutes per game have they played. And of those minutes were any of them meaningful?

 

Charles would have been our first big off the bench ahead of Peters and Enemma had he not had his ailment. Dude was borderline as good as Rowley, IMO. Both Andrew and Nichols played in spot minutes and didn't get their doors blown off...both look more than capable and will now have a LOT more playing time since Evan/Ray and Peter are gone.

 

 

I like the potential just wasn't ready to include them in the core. They played a combined 364 minutes in 33 games, much of it in mop up time (including 51 against DIII comp). They played 0 minutes in our big win vs. Stony Brook and 2 minutes in our loss to Hartford. Again I think there is some potential but I would think if coach had a lot of confidence they would have played some minutes in the big games. My analysis is a bit unfair given the health issue for Charles but you get the point.

[DanesRGood]

 

 

 

New life of college basketball unfortunately. Read there's already more than 700 DI transfer this year alone. Looks to break last year's record.

 

Return the core of Cremo, Andrews, Nichols, Ennema, Stire, Rowley and Charles, if healthy.

 

We certainly should be able to offer the opportunity for playing time! With an increasing number of grad transfers..I wonder if that's a route the staff is interested in.

 

 

I'll wait and see how this shakes out but I'm not sure how Andrews, Nichols and Charles are considered core at this point. How many minutes per game have they played. And of those minutes were any of them meaningful?

 

Charles would have been our first big off the bench ahead of Peters and Enemma had he not had his ailment. Dude was borderline as good as Rowley, IMO. Both Andrew and Nichols played in spot minutes and didn't get their doors blown off...both look more than capable and will now have a LOT more playing time since Evan/Ray and Peter are gone.

 

 

I like the potential just wasn't ready to include them in the core. They played a combined 364 minutes in 33 games, much of it in mop up time (including 51 against DIII comp). They played 0 minutes in our big win vs. Stony Brook and 2 minutes in our loss to Hartford. Again I think there is some potential but I would think if coach had a lot of confidence they would have played some minutes in the big games. My analysis is a bit unfair given the health issue for Charles but you get the point.

 

 

They had three seniors and the ROY playing in those big games. Hard to find time for two other guards even if Brown had confidence in them.

 

This next part is just pure speculation on my part but it seems if Brown doesn't think a kid can play or works in his program they "transfer" the next season. I am not saying he pushes anyone out the door but maybe during the exit interview at the end of the season he makes it clear that they will not get more playing time the following year. This leads to their transfer. I think if he didn't have confidence in Nichols and Andrews they wouldn't be here. I may be way off base and they will bring in kids who will get those minutes next year and Nichols and Andrews will just be backups and play only a few minutes.

 

Again, that previous paragraph was pure speculation and I have no clue what actually goes on. I wish I did though.

[McFan]

 

 

 

 

New life of college basketball unfortunately. Read there's already more than 700 DI transfer this year alone. Looks to break last year's record.

 

Return the core of Cremo, Andrews, Nichols, Ennema, Stire, Rowley and Charles, if healthy.

 

We certainly should be able to offer the opportunity for playing time! With an increasing number of grad transfers..I wonder if that's a route the staff is interested in.

 

 

I'll wait and see how this shakes out but I'm not sure how Andrews, Nichols and Charles are considered core at this point. How many minutes per game have they played. And of those minutes were any of them meaningful?

 

Charles would have been our first big off the bench ahead of Peters and Enemma had he not had his ailment. Dude was borderline as good as Rowley, IMO. Both Andrew and Nichols played in spot minutes and didn't get their doors blown off...both look more than capable and will now have a LOT more playing time since Evan/Ray and Peter are gone.

 

 

I like the potential just wasn't ready to include them in the core. They played a combined 364 minutes in 33 games, much of it in mop up time (including 51 against DIII comp). They played 0 minutes in our big win vs. Stony Brook and 2 minutes in our loss to Hartford. Again I think there is some potential but I would think if coach had a lot of confidence they would have played some minutes in the big games. My analysis is a bit unfair given the health issue for Charles but you get the point.

 

 

They had three seniors and the ROY playing in those big games. Hard to find time for two other guards even if Brown had confidence in them.

 

This next part is just pure speculation on my part but it seems if Brown doesn't think a kid can play or works in his program they "transfer" the next season. I am not saying he pushes anyone out the door but maybe during the exit interview at the end of the season he makes it clear that they will not get more playing time the following year. This leads to their transfer. I think if he didn't have confidence in Nichols and Andrews they wouldn't be here. I may be way off base and they will bring in kids who will get those minutes next year and Nichols and Andrews will just be backups and play only a few minutes.

 

Again, that previous paragraph was pure speculation and I have no clue what actually goes on. I wish I did though.

 

 

I think you're correct (and not just Brown of course) that coaches push/nudge/advise kids to find other options. Now I'll speculate: Can he take any different approach w/ Nichols and Andrews. It's not like we have other options at this point. If he pushes them out the door how many players do we even have?

 

Again I think there is some potential there but if they are the answer I think they would have found their way on the floor a bit more even with those guys in front of them. Let's face it Peter was not good in a lot of games this year.

[Eli]

I wouldn't be surprised if coaches (even the good/moral ones) subtle push kids to 'come to a decision on their own' to leave...

[jimbo]

I would like to think that any responsible coach would be honest with a kid. If they don't have the chops or the desire the coach needs to be straight with them. A disgruntled player riding the bench

is not helpful for either the team or the player so it's in the coach's best interest to give an honest assessment of where they belong.

[justdrastik1]

Yeah but every team is going to have kids who don't play. That's just a fact. At some point, you need to keep kids who know the system and have developed some chemistry.