Players 2023-24 Roster Thread

I did this earlier in the offseason, and since I'm bored and it's so quiet here I thought I'd do it again. At that point, we didn't have a couple of the players we have now. For the purposes of this exercise I'm going to assume that Jacob Patrick eventually officially commits and Bamisile is eligible to play. Also note that I tried to list the players in the order of minutes they'll receive, but it's a complete and utter guess at this point with the new roster.

So ... which is better ... last season or this season?

Point Guard
Old: Baldwin, Zeb, Nunn
New: Nelson, Zeb, Shulga
My thoughts: It's hard to beat what we had in Baldwin. Next season's point guards will be very different and while I'm not concerned about their potential efficacy, we'll be taking a step back.

Shooting Guard
Old: Nunn, Zeb
New: Shulga, Zeb, Bamisile, Patrick
My thoughts: This is no worse than a push. Nunn was great, but seemed to defer to Ace too much for my taste. Shulga is a great shooter, and the additions of Patrick and Bam mean VCU can mix and match a lot of different pieces.

Wing
Old: Kern, Watkins
New: Bairstow, Billups, Bamisile, Belle
My thoughts: New might be better. Kern and Watkins did a great job last season, particularly once Watkins came around post-injury. I loved Kern's slashing, and toward the end of the season we saw the weapon that we all thought Watkins could be. However, with the presumed starter in Bairstow, we have more size, more experience, and very good shooting. A mix of Billups, Bam, and Belle backing him up might make this a very good group.

Forward
Old: Johns, Shriver, Watkins (a bit toward the end of the season)
New: Kuany, Bairstow, Belle(?), Lawal
My thoughts: It's hard to understate the impact Johns had on this roster last year, and Shriver gave us the deep threat we needed so desperately. Therefore, it's hard to not say we're going to take a step back at this position.

Center
Old: Deloach, Johns, Fermin, Lawal
New: Roosevelt, Fermin, Lawal, Kuany(?)
My thoughts: Last year's back-to-the-basket players were quite good, particularly when you toss in Johns' ability to shoot from some distance. The addition of Rose gives us more size, but he's a bit of an unknown at this point. Not knowing how much of a sophomore leap Fermin and Lawal will take brings even more question marks to the new group.

Coaching
Old: Rhoades
New: Odom
My thoughts: We're all VERY excited about Odom, and I'm no exception to that. I think he has the potential to do great things at VCU. However, say what you will about Rhoades, but his players would go all-out for him and that's not nothing. VCU likely upgraded in this area, but much remains to be seen.

TL;DR
As I said last time I did this exercise, it's downright shocking that we could be looking at a comparable or better roster than last year, after the complete wipeout of all but one of the key players from a squad that went to the NCAA Tournament. To me, the only question is how well all of these new players will gel. Things may be a little rough at the beginning of the season, which is unfortunate because that's what killed our at large chances last year.
 
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SteveMM said:
I did this earlier in the offseason, and since I'm bored and it's so quiet here I thought I'd do it again. At that point, we didn't have a couple of the players we have now. For the purposes of this exercise I'm going to assume that Jacob Patrick eventually officially commits and Bamisile is eligible to play. Also note that I tried to list the players in the order of minutes they'll receive, but it's a complete and utter guess at this point with the new roster.

So ... which is better ... last season or this season?

Point Guard
Old: Baldwin, Zeb, Nunn
New: Nelson, Zeb, Shulga
My thoughts: It's hard to beat what we had in Baldwin. Next season's point guards will be very different and while I'm not concerned about their potential efficacy, we'll be taking a step back.

Shooting Guard
Old: Nunn, Zeb
New: Shulga, Zeb, Bamisile, Patrick
My thoughts: This is no worse than a push. Nunn was great, but seemed to defer to Ace too much for my taste. Shulga is a great shooter, and the additions of Patrick and Bam means VCU can mix and match a lot of different pieces.

Wing
Old: Kern, Watkins
New: Bairstow, Billups, Bamisile, Belle
My thoughts: New might be better. Kern and Watkins did a great job last season, particularly once Watkins came around post-injury. I loved Kern's slashing, and toward the end of the season we saw the weapon that we all thought Watkins could be. However, with the presumed starter in Bairstow, we have more size, more experience, and very good shooting. A mix of Billups, Bam, and Belle backing him up might make this a very good group.

Forward
Old: Johns, Shriver, Watkins (a bit toward the end of the season)
New: Kuany, Bairstow, Belle(?), Lawal
My thoughts: It's hard to understate the impact Johns had on this roster last year, and Shriver gave us the deep threat we needed so desperately. Therefore, it's hard to not say we're going to take a step back at this position.

Center
Old: Deloach, Johns, Fermin, Lawal
New: Roosevelt, Fermin, Lawal, Kuany(?)
My thoughts: Last year's back-to-the-basket players were quite good, particularly when you toss in Johns' ability to shoot from some distance. The addition of Rose gives us more size, but he's a bit of an unknown at this point. Not knowing how much of a sophomore leap Fermin and Lawal will take brings even more question marks to the new group.

Coaching
Old: Rhoades
New: Odom
My thoughts: We're all VERY excited about Odom, and I'm no exception to that. I think he has the potential to do great things at VCU. However, say what you will about Rhoades, but his players would go all-out for him and that's not nothing. VCU likely upgraded in this area, but much remains to be seen.

Final Thoughts
As I said last time I did this exercise, it's downright shocking that we could be looking at a comparable or better roster than last year, after the complete wipeout of all but one of the key players from a squad that went to the NCAA Tournament. To me, the only question is how well all of these new players will gel. Things may be a little rough at the beginning of the season, which is unfortunate because that's what killed our at large chances last year.
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PG-Its hard to say you dont lose.a step when you lose the POY and DPOY all in one. So I agree but not as much as one would expect. The team was Sooo dependent on Ace that if he went down they fell apart. Next year other guys will feel empowered to act and will be ready regardless of who is a point. Fwiw, I think Zeb.

SG-I think the new group has a bit of an edge because they will have more freedom to act. Because of this I give them the edge.

W- I think its a wash. Kern and Watkins are better defenders. You wont get a better energy guy than Kern. Biarstow is bigger but really doesnt play much bigger than Watkins and he isnt as athletic. As to the others again they equal Kern.

F-If Bairstow is in this group we have the shooting covered. John's was a beast on and off the court a great leader. However, I think KK, Bairstow, and Belle. Yeah we lose a step but not much,

C-I give the new guys the edge. Wheeler, KK with Fermin and Tobi (who both have to get better) will trump essential Deloach and we wont have the emotional ups and downs. Plus Wheeler can defend the rim something JJ had a tough time doing against bigger opponents.


I wont rate the HCs as I dont think we have enough data to do so. I think Odom's resume is impressive but he hasn't really coached att the level and for this fan base.

Overall, I think we are in a slightlybetter place than we would've been. We wont be dependent on one guy, We are more well rounded, and there is an excitement in the air.
 
rammad90 said:
C-I give the new guys the edge. Wheeler, KK with Fermin and Tobi (who both have to get better) will trump essential Deloach and we wont have the emotional ups and downs. Plus Wheeler can defend the rim something JJ had a tough time doing against bigger opponents.


I wont rate the HCs as I dont think we have enough data to do so. I think Odom's resume is impressive but he hasn't really coached att the level and for this fan base.
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I hope you're right about Wheeler. I just think we haven't seen enough of him in college to truly know.

Regarding Odom, I agree that we don't have enough data, but I don't know how you can say he hasn't coached at this level. Utah State is very comparable to VCU, and the Mountain West was a better conference last season than the A10. USU to VCU was at worst a lateral move for him, but it got him back to the east coast where he probably wanted to be.
 
These are the questions I have about this year’s team -

Who is/are the junk yard dog(s)?

Who is the lockdown defender?

Who is the go to guy when we have to have a bucket?

Who is the utility knife do it all guy?
 
enonram said:
These are the questions I have about this year’s team -

Who is/are the junk yard dog(s)?

Who is the lockdown defender?

Who is the go to guy when we have to have a bucket?

Who is the utility knife do it all guy?
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We may not have the same team make-up as years past. Not a bad thing.

Maybe we have several players that can do several things, as opposed to one player for each mentioned above.

And......who knows, we haven't seen this years version yet.
 
SteveMM said:
I did this earlier in the offseason, and since I'm bored and it's so quiet here I thought I'd do it again. At that point, we didn't have a couple of the players we have now. For the purposes of this exercise I'm going to assume that Jacob Patrick eventually officially commits and Bamisile is eligible to play. Also note that I tried to list the players in the order of minutes they'll receive, but it's a complete and utter guess at this point with the new roster.

So ... which is better ... last season or this season?

Point Guard
Old: Baldwin, Zeb, Nunn
New: Nelson, Zeb, Shulga
My thoughts: It's hard to beat what we had in Baldwin. Next season's point guards will be very different and while I'm not concerned about their potential efficacy, we'll be taking a step back.

Shooting Guard
Old: Nunn, Zeb
New: Shulga, Zeb, Bamisile, Patrick
My thoughts: This is no worse than a push. Nunn was great, but seemed to defer to Ace too much for my taste. Shulga is a great shooter, and the additions of Patrick and Bam mean VCU can mix and match a lot of different pieces.

Wing
Old: Kern, Watkins
New: Bairstow, Billups, Bamisile, Belle
My thoughts: New might be better. Kern and Watkins did a great job last season, particularly once Watkins came around post-injury. I loved Kern's slashing, and toward the end of the season we saw the weapon that we all thought Watkins could be. However, with the presumed starter in Bairstow, we have more size, more experience, and very good shooting. A mix of Billups, Bam, and Belle backing him up might make this a very good group.

Forward
Old: Johns, Shriver, Watkins (a bit toward the end of the season)
New: Kuany, Bairstow, Belle(?), Lawal
My thoughts: It's hard to understate the impact Johns had on this roster last year, and Shriver gave us the deep threat we needed so desperately. Therefore, it's hard to not say we're going to take a step back at this position.

Center
Old: Deloach, Johns, Fermin, Lawal
New: Roosevelt, Fermin, Lawal, Kuany(?)
My thoughts: Last year's back-to-the-basket players were quite good, particularly when you toss in Johns' ability to shoot from some distance. The addition of Rose gives us more size, but he's a bit of an unknown at this point. Not knowing how much of a sophomore leap Fermin and Lawal will take brings even more question marks to the new group.

Coaching
Old: Rhoades
New: Odom
My thoughts: We're all VERY excited about Odom, and I'm no exception to that. I think he has the potential to do great things at VCU. However, say what you will about Rhoades, but his players would go all-out for him and that's not nothing. VCU likely upgraded in this area, but much remains to be seen.

TL;DR
As I said last time I did this exercise, it's downright shocking that we could be looking at a comparable or better roster than last year, after the complete wipeout of all but one of the key players from a squad that went to the NCAA Tournament. To me, the only question is how well all of these new players will gel. Things may be a little rough at the beginning of the season, which is unfortunate because that's what killed our at large chances last year.
Click to expand...
I am glass-half-full guy around here. I don’t understand how one could confidently predict that we will be as good or better than last year, nor do I think this is an indictment of the current roster or staff. We won the conference by 3 games and the tournament, then dumped almost the entire roster and the entire staff and started from scratch. There are huge question marks everywhere you look. If we are top 4 Odom deserves a medal.

I’m not saying it can’t happen; but I am saying it likely won’t.
 
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N Mollen said:
I am glass-half-full guy around here. I don’t understand how one could confidently predict that we will be as good or better than last year, nor do I think this is an indictment of the current roster or staff. We won the conference by 3 games and the tournament, then dumped almost the entire roster and the entire staff and started from scratch. There are huge question marks everywhere you look. If we are top 4 Odom deserves a medal.

I’m not saying it can’t happen; but I am saying it likely won’t.
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Eh ... it's just an exercise I like doing. My predictions could be wildly off in either direction. I do think we have an excellent chance of being top four. I'm more worried about whether the team chemistry can come together early enough in the OOC for us to steal a quality win or two.
 
N Mollen said:
I am glass-half-full guy around here. I don’t understand how one could confidently predict that we will be as good or better than last year, nor do I think this is an indictment of the current roster or staff. We won the conference by 3 games and the tournament, then dumped almost the entire roster and the entire staff and started from scratch. There are huge question marks everywhere you look. If we are top 4 Odom deserves a medal.

I’m not saying it can’t happen; but I am saying it likely won’t.
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I'll still always have questions about WT exact F happened in that NCAAT game. How does VCU go from a week off to bombing out like that?
 
MobileMunchies said:
I'll still always have questions about WT exact F happened in that NCAAT game. How does VCU go from a week off to bombing out like that?
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That team came together for a nine game run to save the season and create what became a complete reboot for the program. It was like watching paint dry for most of that season.
 
N Mollen said:
I am glass-half-full guy around here. I don’t understand how one could confidently predict that we will be as good or better than last year, nor do I think this is an indictment of the current roster or staff. We won the conference by 3 games and the tournament, then dumped almost the entire roster and the entire staff and started from scratch. There are huge question marks everywhere you look. If we are top 4 Odom deserves a medal.

I’m not saying it can’t happen; but I am saying it likely won’t.
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With our financial and infrastructure advantages over our conference opponents no medal should be passed out for a top 4 finish. I could see if we were in a tougher league but the A10 AQ is a double digit seed most years.
 
SteveMM said:
Eh ... it's just an exercise I like doing. My predictions could be wildly off in either direction. I do think we have an excellent chance of being top four. I'm more worried about whether the team chemistry can come together early enough in the OOC for us to steal a quality win or two.
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I certainly wasn't criticizing the exercise or even your conclusions. I just think the uncertainties about the team are so pervasive that any prediction rests on quicksand
 
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rollins77 said:
We went 21-3 during a three-month stretch, so distilling the season down to nine games seems overly simplistic.
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Not really. I was talking about watching the team. I felt like that was one of the most underwhelming yet achieving team I have watched at VCU. I had fun at the end of A10 play and then they reverted to the Jax and Bona games.
 
SteveMM said:
Eh ... it's just an exercise I like doing. My predictions could be wildly off in either direction. I do think we have an excellent chance of being top four. I'm more worried about whether the team chemistry can come together early enough in the OOC for us to steal a quality win or two.
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With you on the chemistry.
 
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