At it's core, this team is terrific. Dee and Sheed are amongst the best 100 players in the country this year, Obekpa will possibly be on the fringe of that season's end. Bottom line, the frontline depth took a hit, but I truly think that this unit can withstand it.
What people are sleeping on is the overall maturity and experience that our guards have. Harrison and Greene are ready to lead, they are going to be the captains by example. They are a cohesive and determined unit. One game wasn't played against an opponent with Keith to measure themselves and truly know what they're missing. The timing of his expulsion is huge for the psyche, if this were to happen in mid-December there would be reason to panic.
These guys have been in the gym working on their games all summer long. Measurable improvement will be seen throughout a roster that produced 20 wins last season, that's exciting. We have added 2 physical 7 footers and 2 redshirts that have been in this program for 3 years to our core.
This week is now in the past, practice has continued, drills and sets are still being designed. The staff still has a generous amount of time for to form an identity, renew chemistry, and amplify intensity before the NIT test. This is still the offseason!
Bring on Minnesota, bring on Gonzaga, I'm ready to go to war with this unit. One week ago, a BE regular season and conference title was the goal at media day. A JUCO PF that hadn't played one D1 game shouldn't change that for these players or anyone else.