One thing we've never had to worry about during the DeCuire era: Our guard line. From Oguine and Rorie through Pridgett, Manuel and Falls, right up to Beasley and Parker, guard play at Montana has never been an issue.
But bigs? Always an issue. And the stats bore it out. Last year we were the worst rebounding team in a mediocre conference, and one of the worst in the nation.
Next year? The script may have completely flipped.
Anderson and Bannan are both back. Rhett Reynolds enters as a freshman and John Solomon comes off a redshirt year. Plus we add two seemingly talented bigs through the portal, Laolu Oke and Dischon Thomas.
Suddenly this team is big. But--what about our guard line? Do we have enough fire power there?
I think Beasley and Parker were huge losses. Beasley will prove out at Davis as a big-time talent, and much of our offense last year was built around Parker.
Can Vazquez and Whitney pick up the slack? Can Isaiah Kerr contribute as a freshman? (He was only "Honorable Mention" all-Bay Area this year, while Will Cherry and Beasley were both ranked much higher as high school recruits.)
I believe Josh Vazquez now emerges as a huge key to our success next year. Can he regain his stroke from deep? Is he the distributor that DeCuire touted when he entered the program?
I love our new roster. As to bigs, it was time. But this is still the three-ball era. We need shooters.
Do we have them?
But bigs? Always an issue. And the stats bore it out. Last year we were the worst rebounding team in a mediocre conference, and one of the worst in the nation.
Next year? The script may have completely flipped.
Anderson and Bannan are both back. Rhett Reynolds enters as a freshman and John Solomon comes off a redshirt year. Plus we add two seemingly talented bigs through the portal, Laolu Oke and Dischon Thomas.
Suddenly this team is big. But--what about our guard line? Do we have enough fire power there?
I think Beasley and Parker were huge losses. Beasley will prove out at Davis as a big-time talent, and much of our offense last year was built around Parker.
Can Vazquez and Whitney pick up the slack? Can Isaiah Kerr contribute as a freshman? (He was only "Honorable Mention" all-Bay Area this year, while Will Cherry and Beasley were both ranked much higher as high school recruits.)
I believe Josh Vazquez now emerges as a huge key to our success next year. Can he regain his stroke from deep? Is he the distributor that DeCuire touted when he entered the program?
I love our new roster. As to bigs, it was time. But this is still the three-ball era. We need shooters.
Do we have them?