Originally Posted by jack72
Let's assume that Simmons can somehow replace Scoochie. Although two good years for a middle of the road Mid Am team, would not say he is another Scoochie.
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Simmons is the real deal. Problem is it doesn't seem real likely he is coming to Dayton. There will probably be more questions about the guy(s) Dayton does actually bring in, but PG play is obviously the biggest question mark of all. So big in fact, that it's hard to really even think about any other holes and question marks, so kudos to you for thinking about them.
Originally Posted by jack72
Who plays center next year? We will miss Pollard.
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No doubt we will miss Pollard. I think he was the emotional leader. A healthy Josh Cunningham is a very different player than Kendall Pollard but as far as stats go, he should give everything Pollard gave you and more, particularly rebounding, which is something Pollard should actually been much better at in my opinion. He played center at Bradley and will be a force in the post for UD next year as long as he can stay healthy. Xeyrius and Kostas have similar body types, incredibly athleticism, the ability to block shots and defend bigger guys though they may lack strength. Sam can throw his body around and will be needed in the paint. And then there's the new kid, Jordan Pierce, who is the center of the future, but counting on much of anything from a freshman big is ambitious. They always take time to develop. Though none may be ideal, we actually have more options at the position this coming year than last, with Big Steve having been taken from us so tragically and unexpectedly.
Originally Posted by jack72
We will miss Kyle.
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Great leader, best defender, glue guy, unbelievable in transition... There is probably no one on the roster that's going to replace Kyle. But what Dayton might be able to do is play a better scorer at the position. The Davises will have to step up. DD will need to step up leadership and needs to have a lot of 4-6 from three type nights. He's capable. Jordan's rep is as an unstoppable scorer. Here's hoping he's the next Brian Roberts. I'm reminded of the Mark Jones to Brian Roberts transition. Kyle Davis is much than Mark Jones and chances are Jordan Davis isn't Brian Roberts, but comparing the types of players they are/were is an optimistic way of looking at things.
Originally Posted by jack72
We will miss our leading scorer and rebounder, Cooke.
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Certainly. I think Xeyrius will be our high volume shooter, scorer and the guy who like Cooke, is the one opposing coaches will key on. I'm not counting on big offense from Kostas in year one, but I am interested to see if Dayton plays Kostas and Xeyrius at the same time. Slow down one Xeyrius Williams? Maybe. Slow down (basically) two Xeyrius Williams? Impossible. Who has a roster that can guard two guys with that combination of size and guard-like skills?
But anyway, back to Cooke... In regards to the rebounds he provided, replacing those is the least worrisome. See above. Cunningham will gobble those up. A healthy Josh Cunningham will be the closest thing Dayton has had to Ryan Perryman since Ryan Perryman. Fear not there.
The really great thing about Cooke is that he was he was a very good playmaker and passer who dished assists as well as being a great scorer who got buckets with relative efficiency. Perhaps most importantly, he really attacked the rim and got to the free throw line. Oh, and he could defend too. He had all the aspects to his game that I so wished Jordan Sibert would focus on.
Xeyrius is a great shooter, but he knows he can just shoot over anyone. He's by far the best contested three point shooter Dayton has, but contested threes aren't great shots for anyone. So I worry that we'll replace some of Cooke's offensive output with a ton of XW jumpers like we got at times from Jordan Sibert. Maybe we can get him the ball in the post some to get him going towards the rim as we did with Dyshawn Pierre... Maybe Xeyrius makes strides attacking the basket this year... Maybe that attacking mindset is what Kostas brings... Maybe Grant pulls in a grad transfer who is a bigtime scorer who keeps the Sibert/Cooke thing going... We'll see how it plays out.
Originally Posted by jack72
That is some mighty modern math that allows us to get to the NCAA next year.
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For the sum to equal an NCAA tourney bid next year, Grant obviously will have to add to the roster. He's definitely going to add guys. But who will he add and will it be enough? Expecting an NCAA birth after four straight, with a new coach implementing a new system with players not recruited specifically for that system is asking a bit much. But there are just too many unknowns on the roster to make a prediction one way or another at this time.
