Lucy Wrote:Why thank you, kaiser...there are times I seem to work on a stream of consciousness, so I'm glad to know I haven't drifted too far...
I think your last points are very much on target. Overall the ACC lost a ton of experienced players from the 2002 season and every team suffered from that lack of leadership/experience at some point in the season, probably most of all in the NCAAs. Next year should be interesting because all of the rookies & part-timers will have that year of tough play under their belts, so it will be key to see who steps up to lead & shine on each team.
Another aspect that I look forward to observing will be how the teams who did suffer from chemistry problems deal with & recover from that in the offseason. How will Virginia bounce back from the personnel problems (i.e. Jenifer's mental/emotional crash)? How will UNC recover from the fallout from the Doherty fiasco as well as adjusting to having a healthy Sean May back in the rotation? Will Herb Sendek keep the "no-position" offense or will he change things to have his players playing in their natural positions, and will Julius Hodge have to play PG?
How many weeks till Midnight Madness? :laugh:
Let's start with VA. They still have some very good players, but they will fair no better than last year. Losing Watson will prove a back-breaker. I was never really sold on Jenifer's hype anyway. He only seemed to be consistent about one thing: being inconsistent. On the other hand, that Billet kid is a killer.
NC State has a good team and is always hyped up more than their record ever shows. They have great players and a coach that just seems unable to grasp the necessary fundementals that would make their team great. I think their major issue is confidence. If they ever found any, they would be a real threat to the big schools.
UNC to me just looks scary as hell. They showed absolute brilliance at times last year. With better, more structured coaching, they could be a top 5 team in the country. I haven't seen a PG as quick as Felton since AI. McCants is a very Dahntay Jones-ish type of player that if he ever finds his place will be great. May...God, where do I start? I sure wish he played for MD. If injuries don't kill him, he will be the best center since Tim Duncan in the ACC. Then you have to factor in reality. How many of these high ranked recruits will even stick around? May will be gone after one solid injury free year, McCants will do the same, and Felton will leave as soon as his place in the draft is high enough. There's always a price to pay when you take a chance on those higher recruits.
Now onto MD. MD had a great recruiting class coming in which includes a kid named Mike Jones. He is the most spectacular player I have ever seen MD recruit (#2 guard in the country behind Duke's Deng). This kid won the MCd's 3-point contest and was a #2 ranked track star in his home state. They have the answer for May coming by the name of Fofana (6' 10 270lbs). They have another high recruit that's a 2-3 position player who is fast and long (Ibekwe 6-9, 190lbs). Couple them with the Nik Caner-Medley, John Gilcrist, Jamar Smith and Travis Garrison and you have a great future. I won't waist all my time building up Gilcrist because that could take all day. I will say that he will be a premier PG in the NCAA's sooner than most would think. The question about MD is not whether they will be a great team as much as it it when they will achieve the greatness. Next year might be a stretch, but I would put money on the 2005 season (the season the ACC Tourney is held in DC).