WWW.PANTHERNATION.COM
GO PANTHERS!
welcome

Welcome to the best UNI Panther forum on the net!

Become a PN Supporting Member! Get exclusive access to the Panther Den forum and more. Click here for info.

30-minute show exclusively highlighting UNI Athletics. Click here for info.

  • You need to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
  • To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
  • If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the help page by clicking this link.
  • If you have any questions please use the Contact Us form.
This website is not affiliated with the University of Northern Iowa or the UNI Panther Athletic Program.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

***ARTICLE***A 2008-09 Basketball Sneak Peak---Part VI (The Breakdown)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ***ARTICLE***A 2008-09 Basketball Sneak Peak---Part VI (The Breakdown)

    Okay, so we have now gone through all ten MVC teams. There will be more student-athletes added and subtracted as the months go on, but we have to stop somewhere in order to evaluate the teams.

    Let's look at who returns the most minutes. Kwadzo's minutes are used in this comparison as he is the only player to sit out this year for a MVC team after playing the year before. Illinois State's Bobby Hill went to ILSU as a freshman, then a JC as a sophomore, and is now back at ILSU, but he has not been added to this conversation. Kwadzo's impact is seen as the higher of the two percentages listed.:

    Code:
    	Minutes Returning			Last Year Finish
    1.	Evansville		83%			10
    2.	Creighton		71%			 4
    3.	Indiana State		66%			T7
    4.	Northern Iowa		62%/69%		        T5
    5.	Bradley		        60%			T5
    6.	Southern Illinois	56%			 3
    7.	Drake			55%			 1
    8.	Illinois State		51%			 2
    9t.	Missouri State		42%			T7
    9t.	Wichita State		42%			 9
    So, what does this tell us? Evansville, a team that finished last in the MVC returns a high percentage of minutes. It could be a "well, the good news is the majority of the team returns. And, the bad news is the majority of the team returns!" Evansville also returns their point guard, which is always a good thing.

    Creighton, hands down the deepest team in the MVC this past year, returns not just quantity, but quality. You can expect the Jays to be the pre-season pick to win the Valley.

    Indiana State and UNI are the next two teams on the list with 60%+ of their minutes returning (with and without Kwadzo's numbers added). Indiana State will probably start three guys who spent most of the year as starters. In addition, they will probably bring talented sophomore Isaiah Martin into the starting lineup to contend as front court mates with senior Jay Tunnell. However, outside of the projected starting five, only one player returns with Division I experience, with that athlete being senior Adam Arnold.

    UNI on the other hand is in a different situation. Similar to Indiana State, UNI will bring back four full to half-time starters in sophomore Kerwin Dunham, juniors Koch and Eglseder, and senior Travis Brown. It's probable that either Carlton Reed or Travis Brown will receive the nod at the starting shooting guard spot. What differentiates UNI from Indiana State is that their bench is deep and experienced. UNI will return eight players with at least ten minutes/game of D1 experience, in addition to Brian Haak's 8.7 minutes/game. Where UNI's depth will be challenged is at the point guard position, as it will probably be a three man race between freshman John Moran, junior college All-American Ali Farokhmanesh, and redshirt sophomore Kwadzo Ahelegbe. Whoever emerges as the starter will have little to no point guard experience at the division one level.

    Bradley is the next team with 60% of their minutes returning. They return five players with at least ten minutes/game of D1 experience (six if Dodie Dunson's Iowa State minutes are included). They also return veteran post players Sam Singh and David Collins who average around 9 minutes/game. Bradley also returns Sam Maniscalco who spot started at PG for Daniel Ruffin, who was injured and suspended at times throughout the year. Bradley will also usher in Chris Roberts, a junior college wing guard.

    Southern Illinois, Drake, and Illinois State return the next most minutes, with all three being in the low to mid-50% range. Drake, the returning MVC champs will be without several key players from this past year will usher in a new point guard, with Josh Parker. Even with the departures, Drake may just start three seniors and a junior...all with double digit minutes per game. The questions will be who can step in for sharp shooting Klayton Korver's offense stretching deep three point threats. That may come from UC-Irvine transfer Adam Templeton, who was a coveted high school recruit from South Dakota. Outside of the starting five, only one name will probably echo any memories, and that being senior Jacob Baryenbruch. SIU will lose two of their most recognizable players in recent history with Randal Falker and Matt Shaw using up their eligibility. Their possible starting five will still include double digit minutes/game contributors, but beyond that, the bench will be both young and talented. SIU's freshman class may very well be the best the Valley has ever seen, however, there is something to be said about experience. Look for SIU to struggle at times early on, but continue to dominate at home and be slightly inconsistent on the road. Having senior point guard, and defending conference Defensive POY, Bryan Mullins back will be a luxury most teams don't have. Illinois State rounds out this group with major defections in the front and backcourts. However, they return MVC POY candidate Osiris Eldridge. Including the starting five (which my projections are definitely arguable, especially at the point guard spot), only five players return with ten minutes/game or more experience (with an exception being former ISU guard Bobby Hill who returns). Illinois State will probably start alot of upper-classmen which may keep them from falling too far in the standings from this past year.

    Missouri State and Wichita State return the last two minutes in regards to minutes/game. MSU and WSU both return 42% of their minutes. For two teams who played on Thursday night in St. Louis this is just the opposite of Evansville. They both lose a ton of experience from both the front and back courts, but Wichita State has what some are saying a very nice recruiting class. WSU will probably start a junior college point guard, with numerous juniors and seniors dotting their roster. Six athletes return with more than ten minutes per game of experience. That could be enough to help bump Wichita State into a higher place than this past year. However, they have no experience returning at the point guard position, as both Matt Braeuer and Gal Mekel are no longer in the program. This is a key position in the Valley, and will be one to watch. Missouri State loses 112 of their 165 starts from this past year. Only Justin Fuehrmeyer and Shane Laurie bring back double digit starts. Of their returners, only four played double digit minutes. The positions that MSU will have to immediately improve upon is in the post, as Drew Richards, Deven Mitchell, and Dale Lamberth graduate.

    So, as you can see, if based on minutes returning, what we as Panther fans are concerned about in regards to the number of minutes lost in our three seniors, we are not alone. In fact, as compared to the rest of the Valley, we may return more than we think.
    The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice, clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him, and consumes his foes on every side; His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles; the mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness and all peoples will see His glory.

  • #2
    Re: ***ARTICLE***A 2008-09 Basketball Sneak Peak---Part VI (The Breakdown)

    Oh 2317, you know that stats can be twisted any way, shape, or form to prove a point. It's opinions that make this board thrive, not stats! This just allows me to exercise my analytical side of my brain!
    The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice, clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him, and consumes his foes on every side; His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles; the mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness and all peoples will see His glory.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: ***ARTICLE***A 2008-09 Basketball Sneak Peak---Part VI (The Breakdown)

      I thought I would dig this up and compare where things finished, based on minutes per game returning. If you took Stinson away from Indiana State (as he left at the beginning of the year), based on MPG returning, I'm pretty sure the bottom four teams would be the same, four teams playing on Thursday night in STL, minus Illinois State.

      I think Evansville's problem was that they didn't develop enough of a bench to keep the guys fresh as the year went down the stretch. UNI's depth (in addition to Creighton's) was as good as I/we thought it would be, and that really helped to keep them fresh in late ballgame situations and in the season.

      If that's the case next year, things should look good for UNI, with 9 of the top 10 returning.
      The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice, clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him, and consumes his foes on every side; His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles; the mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness and all peoples will see His glory.

      Comment

      Working...
      X