I will be blunt with my updated assessment, and I want to start by saying that I do not believe that Cooley is the type of guy who will "give" anybody anything. I believe Cooley tells recruits that they have the ability to earn starting positions and that practice and pre-season preparations help determine the starting lineup. Beyond that, I bet he's told some guys he expects them to earn a starting position. Once the season starts, game results ultimately matter, and if you're not performing, the hope is that there is somebody else able to do so. But to get top 50 players, I think everybody needs a fair opportunity out of the gate.
I'll start with Jimmy Nichols Jr because he's clearly an athletic freak and it sounds like he dominates when it's not live action. I liked the idea of starting him to start because if he could ever get his shot falling, his value on defense could be huge, but he's turned out to be too green. JNjr has a world of potential, and I believe that Cooley will very clearly outline plans for development, while acknowledging that his own selfish role in USA athletics will limit his ability to babysit.
Maliek White has not lived up to my personal expectations. Other guards have developed into good players, and I thought it would be reasonable to expect him to develop into a guard capable of managing a game, but he has not successfully done so. I don't know why he would ever leave at this point in his career, and if he stays, he should be able to contribute when his shots fall. If he could only make bunnies...
MAL was a disaster for much of the first 1.5 seasons, but he has talent, and he's emerging as a contributor. I like him getting minutes, but at least at this stage, I like him as a second PG. During the rare moments Cooley decides to press, MAL should be on the floor.
David Duke hasn't had the best year as a starting PG, but as people like to remind us, he was never really a "true" PG. Cooley is taking advantage of his size, athletic ability, and ball handling ability and Cooley started him at PG because he provided the best chance to win. DD has a ways to go, but he was a better option than MAL early, and Maliek White had and lost his chance. While I like his ability to drive, he hasn't always finished strong, but that should change, sooner than later. I do think he should look to distribute more when penetrating. Overall, he plays great defense and doesn't really hurt us, even without a polished offensive game. I like seeing him out there, and I think he's our best option at PG, right now, and long-term....because I think Cooley is going to develop him into a great one. When I say that, I think back to Kris Dunn's freshman year where he could barely dribble a basketball and I remember this board dubbing KD the worst McD AA of all time.
AJ Reeves has flashed a world of potential, but he's had to deal with a concerning injury, and during this lost season, Cooley is taking extra precaution to make sure there are no setbacks. Provided Cooley is communicating with AJ, there is no harm in easing him back into action this year. He seems to run a little hot/cold, and I'm hoping there's something he can do develop a touch more consistency. That said, I think he's going to be a special player and I expect big things next season.
It's too bad that Kalief Young hasn't developed much of an offensive game because it's hard to keep him on the court when the entire team is struggling to score. Kalief Young compliments Nate Watson nicely when Nate is struggling on defense, but Nate's potential on offense is vital to our team's success, and we need to hope that Nate continues to improve and continues to offer max effort on defense and rebounding because I think he's always going to work a little harder to keep up with lighter players with lighter feet.
I hope Kris Monroe hangs around because I like his size. I hear he's a pure shooter, but I hope more shots start falling, and I'd like to see him try to take advantage of his size more, opposed to just jacking up 3s as quickly as possible.
Alpha is Alpha and I love the way his game is developing, but he needs help. I think help will be coming because I believe that a year of experience will combine well with the talent that David Duke and AJ Reeves possess, and MAL is on track to provide value though his continued development.
I am trying to temper my expectations with Greg Gantt, but we know he will get an opportunity to play, so know knows, but nice to have a wild card like this to potentially fall back upon.
I wish Emmitt Holt the best and I'm not sure what to say beyond that. I hope he can get back to 100% and he can Cooley can work out whatever plans work for them.
Walk, I picked up an invitation to Valhalla this past week