Now that it's official that Trevor Mbakwe is indeed suspended from game action until his issue off the court is "resolved"...I want to quickly break down the roster for our nationally ranked #18 team for this upcoming season...on a side note: should our national ranking be in jeopardy, or at least changed to reflect the loss of contribution from Mbakwe...??
0 Al Nolen - Point guards are supposed to get better with more talent around them. I thought Nolen was horrible last year (excluding the Louisville game) even though the roster was significantly better than his freshman year. I like his defense, but cringe when watching him play offense.
1 Paul Carter - I just like his overall game. And I like him even better because I just found out he's only a junior. Since he came from a juco I just assumed he was there for two years. This means he will not just rot on the bench because of all the influx of talent on the roster coming in at his position, he would just assume Damian Johnson's role next year.
3 Justin Cobbs - Freshman point guard from California. His playing time, if any will be contingent on what position Tubby plays Devoe Joseph. If Tubby slides Joseph to the two spot, I can see Cobbs getting some meaningful time behind Nolen. Other than that, I don't know much about him.
4 Dominique Dawson - A freshman (Southwest Minneapolis) project that will probably be red-shirted this year. Tubby's son is an assistant coach at Southwest High School. Not too surprised by this given the connection of the family genes.
5 Devoe Joseph - I think he's solid. I don't believe he's a prototypical point guard (lacks some quickness and I don't think his handling of the ball is the strongest), but I think he's savvy enough to play it on occasion. I wasn't impressed with his outside shot, but he did have a breakout game at Penn State.
20 Lawrence Westbrook - He's the x factor on the perimeter for us. Not sure how 20 less pounds on his frame will affect his game, but if he doesn't produce offensively for us (without getting too out of control and jacking unnecessary shots up) it could be another frustrating year in terms of lack of offense. The ironic part is that the success of this year for this team will be contingent on Dan Monson's recruits in the backcourt (Nolen and Westbrook).
22 Devron Bostick - I think he'll be buried in the bench throughout much of the season. He has offensive capabilities, but if he's a liability defensively like last year...I don't believe Tubby will play him in his regular rotation.
24 Blake Hoffarber - With more legitimate options behind Nolen at point guard, I see Blake's playing time to decrease even more this year. Obviously, his shooting is an asset and if we see zones thrown at us on a regular basis...he will get more minutes, but he's still more of a situational player than anything.
30 Royce White - Word is that he's already penciled in the starting lineup and the offense seems to be going through him in practice. I don't really care if the offense runs through him, but usually when they say "an offense runs through them" about a 1. Hopkins High School kid...2. Power Forward...3. that continues their basketball career at the University of Minnesota...that means the offense stops at them (compliments of Kris Humpheries and Dan Coleman).
33 Rodney Williams - Rodney Williams is already a youtube legend because of his high-flying dunks. Speaking of youtube legends...I got wrapped up in this UFC reality show that had Kimbo Slice on (who is also a youtube legend in his own right). Guess what...Kimbo lost to some fat slob in his first fight on the show. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
34 Damian Johnson - One of the more underrated players in the Big Ten. He doesn't do anything flashy...but, just a solid player that plays excellent defense every time out on the floor. Out of the three seniors this year, I'll miss him the most...and I think that will hold true with the program as well...even though they are stacked at the position, he does all the little things that are not exactly in the boxscore.
45 Colton Iverson - Not a lot of post moves down low, but I thought he really asserted himself as the year went on...even though Ralph started stealing most of his minutes towards the end of the year. You need big bodies in the Big Ten, and for the most part I think he held his own last year defensively. My only complaint is his acne problem on his face. My wife wanted to name our youngest after his name...all I could think about was Colton's acne infested face.
50 Ralph Sampson III - Isn't he a typical big man in a nutshell. Kind of out there in his own world, shows flashes of excellence here and there but for the most part just basically plays ok. Tubby seemed to favor him over Colton towards the end of the year. I like both of them, but with the logjam of power forwards this year...maybe one, or possibly both will see even more limited time due to shifting to more athletic lineups depending on our matchups. I just hope I don't have to see 15-18 foot jumpers from him on a regular basis this year. Stay on the block and go to work.
SBG
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