How we feeling this morning everyone? I’m excited 🕷🏀
How we feeling?
- Thread starter SpiderDad75
- Start date
Crazy excited ... in retrospect, I thank Gilly this morning. At some level, he started the domino effect last year. Had the super seniors not been back, have to think last year would have been a struggle and fairly ugly. Tyler would likely have been in a very different position when considering his options.
I am ecstatic that Tyler has decided to continue playing as a Spider. With the other additions to next year's team and the development of our players next year will be fun. Having made The Dance and beating Iowa will increase the electricity and buzz around our program. Go Spiders!
So happy! This is fantastic! And I think Tyler will be in great shape for the NBA next year.
Think Tyler made the best decision both for himself and obviously for the program. Have to credit Mooney for the loyality that his players show him. Guys really like playing here and for him. That is something I hope we can capitalize on more moving forward.
Well, as you know I am typically pretty optimist, but have taken it to a higher level. I could not be more exited about our program going forward. I am also happy that everyone else is happy. Go Spiders!
You could be right. It is pretty remarkable, at a time when transferring is so common, how everyone important has come back the past 2 years. Jacob, Grant, Nick, and Nate last year, and Goose, Grace, and Tyler this year. That is just unheard of right now. This shows very clearly what kind of chemistry we have as a program right now, and also shows what a player's coach Mooney is. Everyone getting along and pulling for each other, along with a coach who never throws his guys under the bus, goes a long long way toward having success on the court. Of course, you have to have talented guys, and we certainly have that as well.
It is crazy thinking what next year's team looked like a few months ago, and what it looks like now:
Early March:
Nelson
Dji
Wilson
Randolph
Dread
Crabtree
Sal
Noyes
Walz
Goose?
Grace?
Burton?
Early June:
Nelson
Dji
Goose
Roche
Randolph
Dread
Burton
Crabtree
Grace
Bigelow
Noyes
Quinn
Walz
I just go back to 2011 after our last NCAA run and feeling we were in for some rebuilding years plus unknowns with the incoming freshman class. I do not feel that way this time around. Feel that we have reloaded. May take some time to gel together but I expect this team to do some damage with a pro prospect and ton of upcoming talent. I think a lot of people are underselling Walz coming in here. He looks like hell be able to contribute day 1.
yes, it's a pretty amazing rebuild considering we graduated about 7,000 points last month.
I don't know what the rest of the league will end up looking like, but we have the talent necessary to finish top-4 in the league and win the league tournament again next year. Dayton and SLU will be good, but we should be good too. We are deeper and more athletic than this past year. We lose some key experience and leadership, and we don't know how the new guys will all gel, but in a best-case scenario, this can absolutely be a tournament team again.
A little over 3 months ago, I watched the @VCU disaster game from my hotel room in Paris at 1am to 3am in a dark room in the corner since my wife/daughter were sleeping. I was as low about Spider bball as I had ever been after game. What a turn of events ...
So with the Tyler return (as well as Goose and Grace) and the addition of the transfers, that I think most people on this board are very high on - is this an NCAA or bust year? Is the expectation that we make the NCAA tourney?
What is also amazing is after losing 7,000+ points, I think this coming year we will be a better team than last year. Now, I'm not saying we will definitely get to the sweet 16, which is what we will need to do to go farther than last year's team, but I do think we should be better than 10-8 and 6th place in the A-10, and I would be surprised if we don't finish top 4 with a good chance to dance.
Trap,
not to me. not sure what "or bust" even means. we had a great offseason. probably better than could be expected. but no, I don't think we can look at this roster and say it should definitely be better than last year. it might be. it can be. and I can't wait to watch them. but there's no "or bust" here to me.
not to me. not sure what "or bust" even means. we had a great offseason. probably better than could be expected. but no, I don't think we can look at this roster and say it should definitely be better than last year. it might be. it can be. and I can't wait to watch them. but there's no "or bust" here to me.
I expect a top 4 A-10 finish with a good chance to dance. I don't like saying dance or bust because then the committee is deciding whether or not it was a good year or a bust year. If we go something like 22-9 and 13-5 in the A-10 with a 3rd or 4th place finish, I can't call that a bad year if we don't make the dance. Just my opinion, and fine if others are more in the dance or bust talk, but that's just not me. I am more in the have a solid year and give yourself a chance to dance talk.
Very interested to see how things play out next year and don't really know what to expect. For all the accolades of the guys who graduated, without an unexpected last-gasp four-day run in March, they would never have made an NCAA.
So in many regards, this is a clean slate with a totally new mix of guys. They could very easily be better than the previous group, or things could fall flat.
The "or bust" talk always seemed to be about Mooney's job security. From that perspective, this is absolutely not an "or bust" season...he's already bought himself another four or five years.
So in many regards, this is a clean slate with a totally new mix of guys. They could very easily be better than the previous group, or things could fall flat.
The "or bust" talk always seemed to be about Mooney's job security. From that perspective, this is absolutely not an "or bust" season...he's already bought himself another four or five years.
I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm.
Quinn's come a long way from a kid with one offer. but I doubt he's as good as Golden.
Bigelow brings something different than Cayo, but not sure he's at that level either.
and whoever we put at point probably won't be as productive as Gilyard.
the sum might be greater than the parts. we'll have to see. but we've gone down the path of annointing a team before they achieve anything with the greatest class ever talk.
Very easy to be a total optimist in the off season and I am in that number. National Championship is on my bucket list so yes I am a dreamer! Every season before it starts I think we will be 34 (put in number of scheduled games and add ons for A-10 and The Dance) and 0. Always glad when we go at least 3 or 4 games without my bubble bursting!
Not for me at all. Yes, we went out and did what we all think was a really great job in the transfer portal. But, we graduated a ton of talent and experience, have essentially a whole new roster with key pieces from the portal never having played together and under Mooney's system.
I think if all the new pieces fit together nicely, Roche is a lockdown shooter, who can play some D, Quinn is the 7 foot center-point that thrives in Mooney's system, Bigelow and Grace provide the front court depth we need them to, our freshman PG doesn't play like a freshman PG, Tyler adjusts and thrives in his new role as team leader and the other team's top target to shut down, we avoid major injuries and Mooney's brand new staff is able to make this all happen. I think if all that happens, yeah this team has the potential to go the NCAA next year.
That is a lot of if's and scenarios to happen though. I will say, I have expectations of this team that I didn't have in March when the season ended though. And am probably more excited about this team, than any team for the past several years at UR.
That 2nd half, the St Joe game & the Providence game were the 3 bad performances in the last 24.
There were others that were disappointing 50/50 games...
It is extremely exciting to look at a 13 man roster for next season and see no obvious weaknesses.
We've got another veteran squad loaded from top to bottom with talent. Taller, more athletic, shooters at each spot; looking forward to a subtle change on defense simply because of the size at each position (even PG when Dji is at the helm).
I hope now that we've got all our on-court pieces in line, we get another great assistant coach and some more stellar OOC matchups. We need every bit of OOC help (Ws over the expected, a few Ws over the unexpected) in a much tougher A10 this season to get back-to-back NCAAs since 2010 - 2011.
I hope now that we've got all our on-court pieces in line, we get another great assistant coach and some more stellar OOC matchups. We need every bit of OOC help (Ws over the expected, a few Ws over the unexpected) in a much tougher A10 this season to get back-to-back NCAAs since 2010 - 2011.
I guess the question is - if UR doesn't make the NCAA next year - is that a failure?
I think given what we have returning and the additions we made - we should be an NIT team and if we get lucky or over-perform, we make a run at the NCAA.
But for me personally - if we don't make the NIT next year at a minimum - that would be a failure to meet expectation.
I think given what we have returning and the additions we made - we should be an NIT team and if we get lucky or over-perform, we make a run at the NCAA.
But for me personally - if we don't make the NIT next year at a minimum - that would be a failure to meet expectation.
No one will pick us to make the NCAAs, and it won't be a failure if we don't make it, but it's certainly within reach.
Agreed, we will know after the first game what we have. I am glad Nelson redshirted and had some time to learn in a couple years of practices. No matter what everyone else does, we know Mooney’s whole philosophy is based on an excellent PG that doesn’t turn the ball over and can save the Globetrotter offense with a late clock outside shot or drive to the basket.
Wrong. I’m picking us to go.
And further making a prediction that the A10 gets 3 or 4 bids this year.
What a thread. Count me in for looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds. As far as expectations, as has been discussed too many times to count, there are none. The stated goal is always to compete.
But the unspoken goal for the upcoming season has to be a top 4 A10 finish. That would lead to a likely NIT birth and the best possibility of earning the NCAA auto bid. That goal of course is a tall order since the Spiders finished 6th last year without Loyola Chicago in the mix.
Can the Spiders do it? Going to be fun to watch.
But the unspoken goal for the upcoming season has to be a top 4 A10 finish. That would lead to a likely NIT birth and the best possibility of earning the NCAA auto bid. That goal of course is a tall order since the Spiders finished 6th last year without Loyola Chicago in the mix.
Can the Spiders do it? Going to be fun to watch.
I agree Eight. I think with what has transpired in the off-season, my expectation is that we finish top 5 in the A10 (hopefully top 4), and then that should put us in position where if we make a run in the A10 tourney - maybe we are in the bubble conversation or at the very least - a solid pick for the NIT (3-6 seed somewhere in NIT bracket).
I have no earthly clue what to expect, and will enjoy finding out what personality this team will take on.
Chemistry is biggest question mark for me? Goos, Grace and Tyler seemed to be quiet but
then with Gilly and Golden, you had the spokesmen for the team. I want a “Band of Brothers”
mentality where these guys compete for the benefit of each other and don’t care who gets the
glory so long as the team wins.
then with Gilly and Golden, you had the spokesmen for the team. I want a “Band of Brothers”
mentality where these guys compete for the benefit of each other and don’t care who gets the
glory so long as the team wins.
Two teams will be top 25 in Dayton and SLU. Adding Loyola Chi to VCU and GM. I don’t see the rationale
I think the committee was exposed last year with how many selections they have the Big10. An absolute joke that I don’t think will be repeated.
Of course it will. The Big 10 was one of the major disappointments of the 2021 tournament when they got 9 bids and only went 8–9.
So what did the committee do this year? Rewarded them with 9 bids again and they went 9–9.
So what did the committee do this year? Rewarded them with 9 bids again and they went 9–9.
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