According to verbal commits
2 more offers went out yesterday to some JUCO teammates. Northeast Miss CC has Trey Potts listed on their roster, but he is not the one showing an offer from MT. It is Wesley Harris (listed as a 6-8 SF) and Leroy "Shaq" Buchanan (Listed as a 6-3 SG). Harris would likely be fitting the mold of a Davis kid. He averages about 36% from behind the arc, but also pulls down over 8 boards a game. NMCC was ousted in the first round of the NJCAA tournament. They still went 18-10 and these two guys receiving offers were the top 2 scorers (Harris 18, Buchanan 14) on the team. Another offer went out to 6-6 SF JUCO Freddie McSwain about 5 days ago.
This season...
The absolute enigma of a season. Unreal how we were able to rally at the end of the year. The biggest positive was we were 7-1 in tournament games. There were all sorts of issues through this year. Ivory - Gone again, Potts - not confirmed, but didn't take care of business at the end of the first semester, Simpson - Broken foot, Potts - Concussion. The best 2 players (as far as consistency) were Potts and Upshaw. Raymond waited and waited. He always showed flashes, but never put it all together (until the last 6-7 games of his senior year). He really filled a huge hole at the end. Can't say how proud I am of his efforts. I have probably been his biggest critic and didn't see what Kermit saw in him. Now, I eat that crow with a big grin. Way to go kid! Harris provided outstanding play and hit BIG shots down the stretch. We will definitely miss him and his toughness. Buford did an admirable job, but I have to be honest. I expected more production from him based on how he finished out last season. All we can say is "wow" I didn't see that coming. I expected next year to be our best year in the cycles Kermit's teams go through.
Recruiting
Okay, let's be real honest. I don't think you can have a real jump up in recruiting unless you can maintain the spotlight you earned. It took Butler 2 big time runs to pull Dunham into the program. Not saying we are exactly the same as Butler. They are a basketball school. You see where their priorities are. I just don't see Kermit going after the "big time" Jared Vanderbilt or Billy Preston. Kermit puts a lot of trust in JUCO kids because he feels they are more physically capable of coming in and contributing immediately. Look at the success he has had with JUCO's - Cuffee, Cintron, Hunter, Harris, Massey, Knight, etc. Transfers have been hit or miss. Steele never showed up on campus. He finished out his career at D2 Lincoln Memorial in the national championship. Dendy was unreal for our program as he was probably the most important player during Davis's tenure. He changed the game and really brought the program to true relevancy. Mike Dean turned out alright, but Steve Thomas underachieved. All this said, I don't see our success from the season really affecting this year's recruiting class. I see it affect next seasons more than anything. It would be those seniors next year. I think we really hit that class hard, and we need to bring in one or two kids that should be higher caliber players to help with the graduate losses we will experience. Who do we go after? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will say whoever the best available player is no matter what position they play.
Next year
Like I said, I feel we are better set up for a run next season. Take a look at personnel. Wild guess at the starting five would be a Copeland/Ivory, Potts, Simpson, Upshaw, and Williams. We have Gamble, Habersham, and Foote that have all played significant minutes this season. Phillips has been... well... shaky? Our big question has been... and seems to be a theme every since Massey walked out those doors... who will truly be our point guard next season. We will see if Ivory can heal (I'm not optimistic considering history) and if Que can really improve over the summer. If those 2 don't pan out then Johnson and Davis will be fighting for that spot. The strength of this team is where? This year it was the fact we could make you play everyone out to the arc. Next year we do seem more athletic on the surface. With the exit of Buford it seems to be an incredibly wise decision to redshirt Habersham who is also 6-6 while bringing in another 6-6 Aldonis Foote. Williams is considered the most athletic player on the team. I am really excited to see he and Reggie on the floor together. Potts may still be considered our best player.
Again, I know I am not mentioning everyone, but if we lose nobody we go 9 deep at least. Our 3 "new to the program" guys will determine how deep we actually go.
Future of the program?
It looks bright. I cannot say it enough. Kermit has managed to string together 20+ win seasons 4 out of the last 5 years. We seem to be on the rise rather than stagnant. How many will we win next season? Great question. I am interested to see who we lose and gain. I will say next season should be one of the more intriguing ones we have seen. Based on the success of this year there should be some buzz around town and on campus about the team. I will say my expectations are very very high next year. Reggie, Williams, and Potts should lead the way. Hopefully everyone else jumps on board!
2 more offers went out yesterday to some JUCO teammates. Northeast Miss CC has Trey Potts listed on their roster, but he is not the one showing an offer from MT. It is Wesley Harris (listed as a 6-8 SF) and Leroy "Shaq" Buchanan (Listed as a 6-3 SG). Harris would likely be fitting the mold of a Davis kid. He averages about 36% from behind the arc, but also pulls down over 8 boards a game. NMCC was ousted in the first round of the NJCAA tournament. They still went 18-10 and these two guys receiving offers were the top 2 scorers (Harris 18, Buchanan 14) on the team. Another offer went out to 6-6 SF JUCO Freddie McSwain about 5 days ago.
This season...
The absolute enigma of a season. Unreal how we were able to rally at the end of the year. The biggest positive was we were 7-1 in tournament games. There were all sorts of issues through this year. Ivory - Gone again, Potts - not confirmed, but didn't take care of business at the end of the first semester, Simpson - Broken foot, Potts - Concussion. The best 2 players (as far as consistency) were Potts and Upshaw. Raymond waited and waited. He always showed flashes, but never put it all together (until the last 6-7 games of his senior year). He really filled a huge hole at the end. Can't say how proud I am of his efforts. I have probably been his biggest critic and didn't see what Kermit saw in him. Now, I eat that crow with a big grin. Way to go kid! Harris provided outstanding play and hit BIG shots down the stretch. We will definitely miss him and his toughness. Buford did an admirable job, but I have to be honest. I expected more production from him based on how he finished out last season. All we can say is "wow" I didn't see that coming. I expected next year to be our best year in the cycles Kermit's teams go through.
Recruiting
Okay, let's be real honest. I don't think you can have a real jump up in recruiting unless you can maintain the spotlight you earned. It took Butler 2 big time runs to pull Dunham into the program. Not saying we are exactly the same as Butler. They are a basketball school. You see where their priorities are. I just don't see Kermit going after the "big time" Jared Vanderbilt or Billy Preston. Kermit puts a lot of trust in JUCO kids because he feels they are more physically capable of coming in and contributing immediately. Look at the success he has had with JUCO's - Cuffee, Cintron, Hunter, Harris, Massey, Knight, etc. Transfers have been hit or miss. Steele never showed up on campus. He finished out his career at D2 Lincoln Memorial in the national championship. Dendy was unreal for our program as he was probably the most important player during Davis's tenure. He changed the game and really brought the program to true relevancy. Mike Dean turned out alright, but Steve Thomas underachieved. All this said, I don't see our success from the season really affecting this year's recruiting class. I see it affect next seasons more than anything. It would be those seniors next year. I think we really hit that class hard, and we need to bring in one or two kids that should be higher caliber players to help with the graduate losses we will experience. Who do we go after? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will say whoever the best available player is no matter what position they play.
Next year
Like I said, I feel we are better set up for a run next season. Take a look at personnel. Wild guess at the starting five would be a Copeland/Ivory, Potts, Simpson, Upshaw, and Williams. We have Gamble, Habersham, and Foote that have all played significant minutes this season. Phillips has been... well... shaky? Our big question has been... and seems to be a theme every since Massey walked out those doors... who will truly be our point guard next season. We will see if Ivory can heal (I'm not optimistic considering history) and if Que can really improve over the summer. If those 2 don't pan out then Johnson and Davis will be fighting for that spot. The strength of this team is where? This year it was the fact we could make you play everyone out to the arc. Next year we do seem more athletic on the surface. With the exit of Buford it seems to be an incredibly wise decision to redshirt Habersham who is also 6-6 while bringing in another 6-6 Aldonis Foote. Williams is considered the most athletic player on the team. I am really excited to see he and Reggie on the floor together. Potts may still be considered our best player.
Again, I know I am not mentioning everyone, but if we lose nobody we go 9 deep at least. Our 3 "new to the program" guys will determine how deep we actually go.
Future of the program?
It looks bright. I cannot say it enough. Kermit has managed to string together 20+ win seasons 4 out of the last 5 years. We seem to be on the rise rather than stagnant. How many will we win next season? Great question. I am interested to see who we lose and gain. I will say next season should be one of the more intriguing ones we have seen. Based on the success of this year there should be some buzz around town and on campus about the team. I will say my expectations are very very high next year. Reggie, Williams, and Potts should lead the way. Hopefully everyone else jumps on board!
