It's Not Too Early To Start Talking Panther Basketball In '05/'06

[#1 Panther]

First off, I would like to congratulate this year's team on a very successful season. We represented our school and conference with class in the NCAA's, and that's all we can ask for. A win would've been nice, but what can you do about that now? I'm very excited about next year. We have all 5 starters coming back along with dylan grimsley who transferred from ISU, and some stellar recruits by the looks of their high school stats. Next year is the year we really make some noise in the tournament. Our team will be stocked with juniors and seniors that are full of tourney experience. The upper classmen along with coleman know what it is gonna take to not only make it to the dance, but know what it takes to succeed in the dance. I looking for big things from this team. I look for another NCAA berth, contending for a conference title, and possibly a ranking in the top 25.

[Panther AC]

Dylan Grimsley...

...transferred from North Carolina-Wilmington, I believe.

[UNI Guy]

a win was expected

Yes it was good that the basketball team represented our school and conference with class, but we did that last year as well. I, for one was expecting a win, because with continued success comes higher expectations. I certainly agree that with all of the starters and recruits that will be there next year, UNI should make some serious noise in the NCAA's. Maybe we can even kick SIU out of the MVC driver's seat and get the media noticing the quality of UNI's basketball program earlier than selection Sunday.

[Panthers to the Bone]

Next year's positional breakdown (to the best of my knowledge):

PG- McKowen (Jr.)
SG- Jacobson (Sr.)
SF- Crawford (Sr.)
PF- Stout (Jr.)
C- Coleman (So.)

PG- Josten??? (So.)/Stewart (Fr.)/Haack (Fr.)
SG- Viet (So.)/Brown (Fr.)
SF- Little (Sr.)/Grimsley (Fr.)/Griffin (Jr.)
PF- Raffington (Fr.)/JuCo???
C- Santos (So.)

I think that it is key that UNI gets solid play out of the PG spot. McKowen, Josten, and Stewart need to step to the plate in a big way. I think that Viet's role will be expanded. His stats this year weren't great, but his shooting is much, much better. Had he not been put in at the end of the half for the last shot (about five games), with no prior gametime that night, his numbers would have been much better. Look for his numbers to improve and play 10 minutes a game or so.

If Viet steps in and plays key minutes, I would look for Brown and Haack to redshirt. If Josten establishes himself as the #2 PG, then Stewart could redshirt too. If not, then I would imagine that the coaches would think about redshirting Stewart to use him four years with quality minutes (15+), instead of 1 year of less than 10 min/game playing time, and 3 years of 15+ minutes. I think Stewart is going to be a special player at UNI, and once out of the spotlight of Crawford, Jacobson, and Little, he will blossom.

The post positions seem to be set. The question remains as to who the 1st person off the bench will be. Santos showed quality early on in the season, and finished with an average of 0.5 pts and 0.3 rebounds per minute. He shot 58% from the field and 79% from the FT line. Jermain Raffington could be another guy to step into the depth chart. Jermain is a different player than Atila. He doesn't bang around down low, but is long enough to change shots like Atila and can step out to hit the mid range jumper. A 2-3 zone with Santos, Stout, and Raffington would be very LONG in the frontcourt! Then there is the to be named Juco player. Will he take over the first post off the bench spot? Are the Panthers going for that experienced post still? We should know in the next week.

Then, there is the schedule. It may be the most challenging to date. Games at Iowa State, home to Iowa, at Western Michigan, vs. Dayton, LSU, Wake Forest, Cinci (2 of the 4) in Las Vegas for the exempt tourney....home games with winnable games against Loyola-Chicago (who will be improved) and UMKC (who was one of the hottest teams in the nation from Jan. 1 through the end of the season). In addition, there is a game away for the Bracket Buster matchup, which should be a good one, considering we will probably be one of the better teams in it. This schedule, along with the MVC slate will give the Panthers a battle tested team going into post season.

Outlook:
20+ wins for the 3rd season in a row
NCAA at-large consideration if UNI loses in the MVC tourney
Multiple bids for the Valley for the 9th straight year(is the correct number?)
A home attendance average of 5,100.

[purpleandgold]

05-06

I can't wait till next year the panthers are going to be stacked again and with all the young guns getting better this offseason its going to be fun to watch.

[Panthers to the Bone]

The latest Bracketology came out (not that it really matters), but the Hawkeyes move into a 5 spot, the Panthers remain at #7, and the Cyclones fall to #9.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

That ranking means that Joe Lunardi thinks we are a top 28 team next season. Do you think the Panthers will be on any Top 25 polls to start the season, or will that come with time?

[panther2317]

Even though it doesn't mean anything in regards to wins or losses next season (we all know they have to be earned one game at a time!), it does mean added exposure for our basketball team. It's great to have the name NORTHERN IOWA on a #7 line as he's predicting these things all summer long. It keeps UNI in the public consciousness. That's a GREAT THING!

GO PANTHERS!!!

[Born-a-Panther]

We're gaining more and more respect. For those of us who have been Panther fans our entire lives, this is good enough to make one's entire day.