The soph to junior jump is so important in college basketball. You really establish what kind of player you are in that span. A guy like Evans, for example, who averaged a rebound ever four minutes can officially become a double-double machine or stay the way he was. Burrell can become the beast he was meant to be with one of the finest 15 footers in the country or regress. Boothe can prove that he can stay healthy, penetrate and dish, and lockdown his man or he can just be known as a kid that can't shoot worth a darn.
DJ and Paris can soar to new levels. DJ can turn himself into a NBA-caliber player this year. He has good size and although he's not a freak athlete, he hits the boards and he showed that he can run an offense and pass very well for a wing. I think he's the key to our season when you factor in that he does things that noboby else really can (drive, create, rebound) and how imporant it is for him (and Horne) to mesh with Mason.
I don't think Mase is the ballhog most think he is. He was pretty much being forced to score. Playing with a junior Kennedy that will be able to create from the wing and a junior Horne that will be able to stretch the D, should lighten his load. I'm not sure how Horne and Mase will be able to without Kennedy on the floor. He seems like the perfect guy to serve as a buffer for the two since they both like to sit on the perimeter and shoot and DJ is so good taking it hard, forcing the help to suck in and then kicking it out.
DJ and Paris are pretty much the poster boys for picking a school that affords playing time over a roster stacked with top 100 kids.
As sophs you are still young physically and lack the experience, but taking two seasons of lgame lessons and understanding what you need to improve on into your summer is so huge. Then you find yourself as a veteran in the league. The stars that were in your way the year before are no longer there and you don't have the pressure of it being your last season like your senior year.
In summary, Marillac is excited. The Big East is down. We have a roster of great, likeable kids that work their tails off, play great D, have a ton of experience, and I believe they will come back exponentially better than where they left off. You learn 100000 times more experiencing the game and making mistakes than you ever could just in practice and watching the games from the bench. We have size, athletes, some shooter, FINALLY two ball handlers, and probably the most experienced roster in the conference.