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Who's coming back next year and what will the line-up

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I thought Larkin would be back next, but now I don't think he will. I think if he came back we could be a top 6 team in the ACC, with no larkin I see the bottom of the ACC. Who would be the PG? I like Tonye, Brown,Swoope off the bench and the new guys, but we need Larkin to run the team.
 
Three biggest questions (IMO) surrounding the off-season...

1. Player Development:

As it stands right now, Brown and Jekri are slated to be starters. Brown needs to shoot about 3000 shots per day in the off-season. He is a WIP but their is potential and athleticism. Jekri has a bunch of work too, he needs to get healthy (the hand/wrist) and work on his scoring in the low post. In addition, he needs to start eating a lot.

Two wild cards are Swoope and Adams. I have no idea if either of these kids can give us minutes. Swoope has shown little basketball skills but a lot of athleticism (kind of like DQJ minus the skills). I have no doubt in my mind he will work towards getting better but he just may be an athlete and not a basketball player. As for Adams, does anyone really know? In his Sophomore year, he started 24 games and has a decent shot.

(I am not going to talk about Elder or Griffin, since who knows their status and they will count as football scholarships once they arrive)

2. Recruiting and Transfers:

We have a bunch of spots open next year and we're not going to save them all for the 2014 class. If we're taking 4 more players, I would venture to say the following positions

1 PG, 1 SF, 1 PF and 1 Center

Here are some names on the radar:

PF: Demetrius Henry, Junior Etou
SF: Martez Walker, MiKyle McIntos
G: Isiah Lewis, Daxter Miles

3. Shane Larkin:

This kid is going to be a pre-season all watch and all world player. He is going to have shoulder more of the loan next year. Let's hope he takes another step-forward in his game even though he is a top 4 PG in the NCAA.
 
It would be very bad for the program if Larkin doesn't come back. I would hate for this to be a one year program that cannot sustain success.

Coming from a family like that, the money isn't as big an issue as a kid with a hardship need and there are a lot of guys who would love to come to Miami to play with him. Having said that, it would seem 50/50 at best given the way it ended yesterday.

LuvTheU32 said:
I thought Larkin would be back next, but now I don't think he will. I think if he came back we could be a top 6 team in the ACC, with no larkin I see the bottom of the ACC. Who would be the PG? I like Tonye, Brown,Swoope off the bench and the new guys, but we need Larkin to run the team.
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Larkin and Rion has the potential to be a very good backcourt if Rion could knock down his 3s consistantly. His athleticism and ability to cut to the basket is good but, he needs to learn to finish better.
 
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Before anyone compares us to the rest of the conference, I am curious who returns for the big teams. NC State is going to get hurt bad, they do have a nice freshman PG though.
 
Consigliere said:
Before anyone compares us to the rest of the conference, I am curious who returns for the big teams. NC State is going to get hurt bad, they do have a nice freshman PG though.
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That little white dude cant touch Shane. Their good PG just declared for the draft.
 
I think Larkin is gone. Someone I know close to the team seems to think he's gone and I just get that vibe from his interviews the last few weeks. Him leaving would put us in a very big hole. There are no true point guards or ball handlers on the returning squad or in the recruiting class as of right now.

If Larkin comes back, this is a tourney team in my opinion. He would be a top 5 player in the country and that alone gives you a shot to make it. Rion needs to take major strides but he should average about 12-14 points a game and Garrius Adams will play a similar role to TMJ this season.

If Swoope can develop any semblance of an offensive game, he will be a huge part to this team's success. He will be major on defense and rebounding. Jekiri is the one we need to see the most progression from. We obviously see the potential, but it's apparent (especially after last night) that he needs to put on a lot of weight. I have high hopes for him.

Hopefully Akpejiori can make a Gamble-like change because I haven't seen anything from him that indicates he can be productive against quality competition.

As far as incoming players

We will need Burnett to give us a big boost on the offensive end and he has the ability to do that. James Kelly is physically ready to start and I think it will be between him and Swoope to start at the 4. He would give us some scoring ability at the position that we lose with Kadji. I don't know what to expect from Reed because I haven't seen too many highlights, but he's highly-rated so I have high hopes. Good length

Need to add Henry.
 
Larkin is making a mistake to leave. He stays and we are a decent team. He leaves and we are bad.
 
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The wild card in everything is Rion Brown. Between right now and next November, he must develop a dribble drive game. If he doesn't, he cannot play the 2 guard at this level, and will be a wing 3 again. Which leads to the next two points...

Asking Burnett to step in immediately and be that guy is stretching it.

Don't count on Garrius Adams for anything. He's coming off a major injury and hasn't played in forever. But.... if he comes back with his mid-range game intact, it will help immensely. We were too much "feast 3 or famine" on the perimeter for my liking, in spite of results.

Akpejiori needs to have a "come to Jesus" summer or he will be riding the pines yet again.

Jekiri should be begging Gamble and RJ to teach him footwork before they leave for good. They were damned good at stepping through and spinning in place, in spite of their other physical limitations.

Swoope has a chance to be a 6 and 6 player in the ACC, if he can play more under control and harness his athleticism. I'd take it.

None of the above matters a lick if Shane goes pro.
 
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DCF in LA said:
The wild card in everything is Rion Brown. Between right now and next November, he must develop a dribble drive game. If he doesn't, he cannot play the 2 guard at this level, and will be a wing 3 again. Which leads to the next two points...

Asking Burnett to step in immediately and be that guy is stretching it.

Don't count on Garrius Adams for anything. He's coming off a major injury and hasn't played in forever. But.... if he comes back with his mid-range game intact, it will help immensely. We were too much "feast 3 or famine" on the perimeter for my liking, in spite of results.

Akpejiori needs to have a "come to Jesus" summer or he will be riding the pines yet again.

Jekiri should be begging Gamble and RJ to teach him footwork before they leave for good. They were damned good at stepping through and spinning in place, in spite of their other physical limitations.

Swoope has a chance to be a 6 and 6 player in the ACC, if he can play more under control and harness his athleticism. I'd take it.

None of the above matters a lick if Shane goes pro.
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A few things:

1. I think the main thing Brown needs to be is consistent. He needs to get his shot fixed (mental or whatever) and become a consistent 3-point threat. I do agree on the dribble drive, he cannot be a one dimension player. Brown has incredible hops and can create mismatches with his athleticism. Any SG in a line-up with Larkin will have a mismatch if the guards on the opposing D focus on Larkin.

2. IMO, Burnett could come in right away and contribute serious burn. He prepped this year and is more ready for the game than a normal HS senior. The thing with him is I believe he is more of a SG than a PG. I believe he is more of a scorer than a passer, but we will see in due time and we need depth at PG.

3. If you asked me, before the season, who would contribute more at UM this season Gamble or Akpejiori...I would have said Akpejiori. This kid looks clueless, if coach (any coach) could get him to contribute anything positive (i.e. 3 Pts & 3 Rebounds) mazel tov.
 
I would like to add in that coach will be here. He will likely retire here (signed through his 70th year of life) and he is still hungry.
 
LOL at anyone who think Larkin is coming back. Hope you enjoyed watching him in orange and green. This team was special, I wish the seniors and Larkin well in their future endeavors.

As for next year, just for now, pretend Larkin is not coming back. That alone means we are bottom dwelling. We will lose 5 of our 6 scorers and a ton of experience. That would kill the Duke's and UNC's of the world much less us. But, we do have a coach who has a track record, a great conference, very nice facilities, and going forward, proof that UM can be a legitimate place to play college basketball at a high level. Trust Coach L and his staff to get us to decent next year and have a great class coming in for 2014.

Next year is about development and not falling too flat on our face. If we can at least make the NIT and be decent, I think Coach L will set the program up for '14 and '15.

Just my opinion.
 
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JefeGringo said:
LOL at anyone who think Larkin is coming back. Hope you enjoyed watching him in orange and green. This team was special, I wish the seniors and Larkin well in their future endeavors.

As for next year, just for now, pretend Larkin is not coming back. That alone means we are bottom dwelling. We will lose 5 of our 6 scorers and a ton of experience. That would kill the Duke's and UNC's of the world much less us. But, we do have a coach who has a track record, a great conference, very nice facilities, and going forward, proof that UM can be a legitimate place to play college basketball at a high level. Trust Coach L and his staff to get us to decent next year and have a great class coming in for 2014.

Next year is about development and not falling too flat on our face. If we can at least make the NIT and be decent, I think Coach L will set the program up for '14 and '15.

Just my opinion.
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I thiink your opinion is spot on unless Shane stays. I think we could sneak into the tournament. If he stays, he could have a really special year
 
Someone educate me on why Larkin is even thinking about leaving. He's undersized (height wise) for the NBA and last I heard, he wasn't even a projected first round pick (no guaranteed money). Developmentally, I feel like he might benefit more from having to be the man for UM next year versus playing in the D-league or Europe.
 
If Larkin comes back, I expect something like this

Starters

PG: Larkin
G: Brown
G: Burnett / Adams
PF: Kelly
C: Jekiri

Bench

PG: Elder
G: Adams / Burnett
G: Reed
F: Swoope
F: Crazy freak athlete TE/WR guy (Griffen? Griffith?)
F/C: Akpejori
 
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