The Hurricanes suffered through an odd season in 09-10: winning 15 of their first 16 games against middling opposition, then losing 11 of their last 14 regular season games, only to catch lightning in a bottle in the first couple rounds of the ACC Tournament before eventually having their season ended by the eventual national champion after a tough battle. The bright side of the down season was the development of their younger players, with center Reginald Johnson in particular taking some serious strides late in the season. Highlight-reel forward Dequan Jones will likely join Johnson in the starting lineup with either Adrian Thomas or perhaps Julian Gamble rounding out the front-line. Head coach Frank Haith has a couple recruits coming in to provide some depth in the frontcourt in center Raphael Akpejiori and forward Erik Swoope.
In the backcourt, Durand Scott had a decent freshman season but will need to improve his range and take better care of the ball in the future. Scott should start alongside Malcolm Grant to make a pretty explosive backcourt for the Hurricanes, with sophomore Garrius Adams and incoming freshman Rion Brown providing depth.
This ‘Cane team is still a long way from being able to challenge for an ACC title, but they have good young talent to build around and should be an improved team next season.
With a frontline featuring two future NBA lottery picks and a backcourt full of talented youngsters, more was expected of the 09-10 Yellow Jackets than a sub-.500 ACC conference schedule and a first-weekend loss in the NCAA tournament, but that’s exactly what Georgia Tech got. Now, with Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal off to the NBA, head coach Paul Hewitt is left with an incomplete roster and a pile of questions. Not that there is a complete lack of talent, as point guard Mfon Udofia will return for his sophomore season and combo-guard Iman Shumpert for his junior. Brian Oliver and Glen Rice are a pair of very capable wings, Jason Morris is a four-star recruit at the three and Maurice Miller will be a steady presence as the backup point, but beyond that there will be a lot to be decided between now and November.
Hewitt does have several available scholarships, so he’ll certainly be scouring the country for unsigned help, and he’ll especially need some frontcourt players, as the options in the paint currently on the roster are limited at best. Center Brad Sheehan looks like he’ll be a starter at this point, and he averaged under eight minutes and two points a game last season. Another option in the frontcourt will be redshirt freshman power forward Kammeon Holsey who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Andrew Miller will be a six-foot-eleven redshirt freshman who is almost a complete unknown at this point. But beyond that, it is likely that the interior players that Hewitt will be relying on next season are not on the roster yet. Or at least, that’s what Tech fans have to be hoping for.
With all that said, the Ramblin’ Wreck will have to rely on their perimeter players for most of their scoring, and they’ll need Shumpert and Udofia to improve their decision-making and leadership for this team to have serious post-season hopes, even given the possible expanded field.
The 09-10 Terrapin season, and with it the careers senior leaders Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes, ended in heartbreak fashion against Michigan State a few weeks back. Vasquez, Hayes, and fellow senior Landon Milbourne were the team’s three leading scorers and their departure will leave head coach Gary Williams in rebuilding mode. But all is not lost in College Park, as the Terrapins look forward to the growth of sophomore center Jordan Williams, who really turned it on down the stretch of his freshman year and threw in back-to-back double-doubles in the NCAA tournament. Teaming with junior Sean Mosley, a versatile scoring guard, the Terps have an inside-outside combo already locked in, and just need to build around that duo with the various parts they already have. Senior Adrian Bowie will likely run the point for Maryland, but he’ll get pressed some by incoming freshman Pe’Shon Howard. Sophomore James Padgett will be a good running-mate for Williams up front, and Cliff Tucker can man the small forward position in his senior season, with Dino Gregory, another senior, providing depth at both spots and possibly even pushing Padgett for the four-spot. Six-foot-ten junior center Steve Goins could also provide some minutes up front, and Jerome Burney will return from 2009-10 season that was lost due to injury.
Aside from Howard, Williams has four other freshman coming in next season in a pretty strong recruiting class. Six-foot-six wing Mychal Parker is the most highly regarded of the class and is likely to get some immediate run in a depleted backcourt where Terrell Stoglin, a small-ish combo-guard will also provide depth. Ashton Pankey is an athletic power forward who missed his entire senior season with a stress-fracture in his foot, so he’ll need to prove himself healthy before he can be counted on for any serious minutes. And the fifth member of the class is a little known recruit from Iceland, Haukur Palsson, who will likely struggle to get consistent minutes in his first year.
Clearly the 10-11 version of the Terrapins will not have the same type of expectations as the team that preceded it, but this team doesn’t have a lot of holes, and if Williams can get one or two of the freshmen to pick things up early, this has enough talent to be an NCAA team.
One big question looms over the short-term future of the Seminole basketball program, and at this early date, the answer isn’t yet known: will seven-foot-one center Solomon Alabi be returning to Tallahassee for his senior season, or will he be lured by the promise of NBA millions as a likely first-round draft pick? If Alabi returns, the ‘Noles will have the potential to challenge for an ACC title; if he goes, while still a talented squad, FSU’s hopes diminish greatly.
With Alabi, the Seminoles will return four of their five starters from a team that finished third in the ACC and made life on the offensive end miserable for their opponents. With Alabi manning the middle and long, athletic and versatile forward Chris Singleton alongside, the ‘Noles have the ability to dissuade opponents from exploring the middle of the defense. They’ll need to replace Ryan Reid at the four-spot, but have plenty of contenders to do so, including junior Xavier Gibson, sophomore Terrence Shannon, incoming freshman Okaro White, or one of two JuCo transfers: Bernard James or Jonathan Kreft, a player who originally committed to FSU in 2006 before having his scholarship revoked following some trouble with the law.
In the backcourt, Derwin Kitchen started all of FSU’s games in 09-10, and could do the same next season, but former McDonald’s All-American Michael Snaer came on down the stretch of his freshman season and could move into the starting position at the two-guard. Snaer and Kitchen did get a few starts together in the backcourt, but neither is a true point and ideally for head coach Leonard Hamilton, someone else will step up and take hold of the point guard position. While Deividas Dulkys ran the point some for the ‘Noles last year, it is likely that incoming freshman Ian Miller will have every chance to win the position. Senior Jordan DeMercy will provide depth at the two and the three while junior point Luke Loucks will also get some time in the backcourt.
For the Seminoles to really become a national power, they’ll need to improve their offensive game, and there are a number of things that need to happen on that front: someone will have to take the reins at point, one of the wings (Snaer, Kitchen, DeMercy or Singleton) will have to accept more of the scoring load, and Alabi will need to return and add a go-to post move. Any one of those things will improve the team; all of those things will have the ‘Noles, already a stout defensive team, making big waves in March.
Mike Krzyzewski is back on top of the college basketball world, having done it his way, building a program step-by-step with character guys who generally stick around for the majority of their eligibility. So, what to do for an encore? Introducing freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, one of the nation’s top recruits and a guy who could head the NBA after one year. While Irving will be ready to step right in for departed point guard Jon Scheyer, there is still one big unanswered question for the Blue Devils as of April 15: will wing Kyle Singler return for his senior season? If so, expect Duke to be a strong favorite to win the ACC again. But, even if Singler is to head to the next level, this Duke team will still have firepower. Nolan Smith will return for his senior season and start alongside Irving in the backcourt. Seth Curry (Steph’s little brother) joins the team as a sophomore transfer from Liberty (where he led all freshman in the country in scoring two seasons back with 20.2 a game) and could give the Devils either depth in the backcourt or a third-guard, if coach K decides to go that way. Add in Andre Dawkins returning for his second season and incoming freshman point Tyler Thornton and the Devils will not be hurting in the backcourt.
However, regardless of Singler’s decision, the Blue Devils will need some of their talented frontcourt players to take the next step and improve their consistency. Brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee (a junior and a sophomore, respectively) have shown flashes of the type of talent that made them highly sought-after recruits, but need to be able to bring that type of game for more than just a few bursts here and there, and with Greg Zoubek’s Duke career over, they’ll be counted on to provide most of the minutes in the middle. Former McDonald’s All-American Ryan Kelly will also be called on to provide some help up front, but despite his six-foot-ten frame, he is more of a perimeter player and will need to add more strength and toughness to compete in the paint in the ACC. Freshman forward Josh Hairston will likely also need to contribute for the Devils up front, but he is also more of a skilled forward than a grinder.
What put Duke over the top in 2010 was its ability to create points by hitting the offensive glass, and in order for the Devils to replicate that kind of success in March, they’ll need to get some serious improvement from their front court players. But given the talent and upside of those players, that is far from out of the question.
Like other programs around the ACC, the big story in Clemson this offseason is new leadership. Head coach Oliver Purnell bolted for DePaul at the end of the season in a surprise move, leaving Clemson scrambling for a new coach, which they just filled with Brad Brownell, formerly of Wright State and before that UNC Wilmington. The coaching change has left some of theroster in question, with sophomore forward Devin Booker and Noel Johnson reportedly considering their options and incoming freshman wing Marcus Thornton (the 2010 Mr. Basketball from the state of Georgia) reportedly asking the school for a release from his letter of intent. The first order of business for Brownell will be to find out the status of those three players, all very talented pieces on this Tiger team, but perhaps pieces that won’t necessarily fit in well with the style of basketball that Brownell has historically run. Under Purnell, the Tigers were a high-tempo team, pressing defensively and getting out on the break on offense. On the other hand, Brownell’s team have historically controlled tempo, played tight man defense and gotten most of their offense in the half-court. Of course, even as good as the best of the Wright State or UNC Wilmington teams were, they never had a collection of athletes like Booker, Johnson, Thornton and the like, so while it is unlikely that the Tigers will continue to play the type of ball they did under Purnell, they may not turn into Wright State overnight.
Beyond the three question marks mentioned above, the Tigers aren’t exactly hurting for talent. Regardless of what happens to Booker, Johnson and Thornton, senior Demontez Stitt will start at the point and senior Jerai Grant will start up front somewhere. If all goes well, sophomore Milton Jennings will start alongside Grant, and then one of Booker, Johnson and Thornton will complete the Tiger front line while the other two provide depth, with junior Tanner Smith likely manning the two-guard spot. If Brownell can get all three of the question marks to return, the Tigers will have plenty of athletic depth, but even if only one of them remains, this isn’t a Clemson team that is going to immediately sink in the ACC standings. Junior Andre Young will likely back up Stitt, junior Brian Narcisse will provide some depth, and plenty of energy, up front, and sophomore Donte Hill may also get some time in the backcourt. Seven-foot-one junior center Catalin Baciu is in intriguing prospect up front, but he’ll need to add some strength to be a legitimate contributor in the ACC.
Clemson can still be in the conversation for one of the 65 tournament spots this season, but it is going to be interesting to see how Brownell imprints his style on a roster full of players who have gotten used to the Purnell way. Brownell may be an upgrade over Purnell in the long run, but the Tigers could suffer some short-term setbacks if their players chafe at the tightened reins.
**Update 4/15** As expected, Marcus Thornton has asked for and received a release from his letter of intent and has opened back up his recruitment. It is possible he will follow Oliver Purnell to DePaul, Memphis has jumped into the discussion, and schools like Kentucky, Florida and Georgia Tech are interested as well.
Devin Booker and Noel Johnson have not yet announced their decisions regarding possibly transferring out of the program.
The big story this offseason for the Eagles is the head coaching change: Al Skinner out, former Cornell head coach Steve Donahue in. And, clearly, along with the change in personnel at the top will come a change in style, as Skinner’s defense-first system goes away and Donahue’s Princeton-style offense takes over. The transition will take time as Donahue will be forced to play with mostly the players that Skinner leaves behind, but there is some talent there, with four players who averaged double-figures returning (seniors Joe Trapani, Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji and junior guard Reggie Jackson). Trapani and his three-point ability may fit in nicely with Donahue’s style, and Jackson is a talented offensive player who can play in several different styles, but Donahue will have to get improvement from others on the roster to contend for a NCAA tournament bid (and, for the record, in these posts, I am going to assume that the size of the tournament does not increase this offseason, perhaps a sketchy assumption). Returning point guard Biko Paris will need to improve his ball control, cutting the turnovers and getting the Eagles into some more effective offense, all of which will enable Jackson to play off the ball more at his natural position, the two. Senior big guy Josh Southern is going to have to play up to his talent to give the Eagles a legitimate interior threat. Raji and Sanders may not be natural fits for Donahue’s offense, but they are both athletic wings, with Raji capable of playing bigger than his six-foot-five frame on the interior and Sanders capable of knocking down threes or scoring off of his athleticism. Juniors Evan Ravenel and Dallas Elmore along with senior Courtney Dunn will provide depth along the frontline as will incoming freshmen Kevin Noreen and Papa Samba Ndao. Incoming freshman Brady Heslip could backup Paris at the point.
There is some talent on this Eagle team, but already some around the program are looking towards 2011-12, when Donahue will have six open scholarships with which to begin to mold this team and this program in keeping with his vision.
**Update: 4/15/10**
As can be expected when coaching changes are made, personnel changes. Rakim Sanders has announced his intentions to transfer out of the BC program, a blow to a program in transition. It will be interesting to see if this is an isolated incident or if this is the beginning of Donahue remaking the program in his image, but I suspect Donahue would have rather had Sanders stick around for his senior season, as he is clearly a talented player.
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