#294 R.P.I. Maryland-Eastern Shore @ #1o9 R.P.I. Virginia Tech
PEACE-out Virginia Tech retread head coach and telephone killer Frankie Allen!!!
WELCOME new coach Bobby Collins from Division II Winston-Salem State!!!
And there ends the Maryland-Eastern Shore good news, as this sure looks like another rip-tide of a men’s hoops season to me, for this H.B.U. up in Princess Anne Maryland.
As this is just not a good men’s hoops club folks.
No really, as in really really bad.
Maryland Eastern Shore bullets:
- Three decades (30 years) since they last made the post-season!
- Only 1 Hawk is north of 6’8”!
- Only 1 Hawk weights more than 240 lbs.!
- 5 of the expected 9 man rotation have never played college basketball, before!
- M.E.S. was 336th in shooting last year, for a reason.
M.S.E. Backcourt: (returning starters=0)
6’2” 2o4 lb. junior season and junior college transfer Kyree Jones scored a respectable looking 13.4 ppg (points per game) last year after transferring in from Christian Life Center Academy (Houston, Tx). That being said, the book reads that Kyree is he’s quite prone to falling in to gunner mode from the outside and that he could intern for Remington or Smith & Wesson in the off-season. As this kid never meet a shot that he did not like –or that he would not take. Ditto the fact that he attended six high schools in three yeas and his favorite pastime is “…watching the Cartoon Network.” Mmmm-k, and wait it gets better, as Kyree is prolly the one single solitary Hawk who could possibly play at Virginia Tech.
Final year Brooklyn native Ishaq Pitt starts somewhere in the Hawks backcourt. He of 5.3 ppg in bench relief mode just a year ago. Pitt is a utility guy for the Hawks, what with having already logged starts at Pt.Guard, Forward, and even at Center! No, I’m not making that up. As Pitt was second on the Hawks in board work with 4.2 rpg (rebounds per game) just last year; while going o for the year from downtown! Issac Smith III does what he can running the Point, as he’s a fairly hard-nosed Texas native in terms of playing physical enough defense. However a 1:1 assist to turnover ratio and 28% from the floor last year speak to a rather low ceiling indeed.
Eastern Shore Frontcourt: (starters back=0)
Devon Walker is a 6’4” Philly S/F (Small Forward) for the Hawks; who is an off the bench off-Guard for anyone else; who just so happens to look like Djimon Hounsou, more than a little bit. Walker netted almost 7 ppg last year and he is the Hawks leading threat from downtown (by far) at just a scosche under a rather smart looking 40% from range. Walker also lead M.E.S. in steals last year and that makes him handy enough.
All four big men from last years 6 win squad are now gone. Making this years incarnation a 4-guard offense, or maybe even a 5-guard offense from necessity alone.
As William Tibbs the rookie year 6’6” 195 lb. high flying Swing is the closest thing I could find to a credible frountcourter in the tradition 3 through 5 frontcourt old-school non stretch-Forward spots. William is quite possibly a four year de facto starter at Eastern Shore, as someone has to start after all. Tibbs is a finisher who won three straight State Titles in high school and at least he does bring a victorious pedigree to M.E.S. with him.
Transfer balller’s Joshu’a Warren and Dominique Elliot at least both go 6’8” and Elliot is at least 26o lbs. And Elliot is the sleeper here, as he did log 28 redounds on one game last year and could possibly flirt with being a lower level overseas pro with any offensive development at all. Warren will rebound a bit (6.8 JuCo boards) and block a shot while scoring almost entirely on a diet of put-backs and dunks.
Fighting Hawks Bench: (depth=what depth?!?)
The Hawks are set to deploy nearly an entirely freshmanic set of substitutes in coach Bobby Collins first year. Need I say more? JuCo transfer Devin Martin will be joined by a slew of 2-star prospects, such as: Isaac Sutton, Ryan Andino, Stephen Spurlock and Jaiquan Manning. And Sutton is no longer on the Roster!
Loading ...Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:
Not real sure what I’m supposed to say here, as this one hails forth with all the earmarks of a glorified scrimmage; if it hails forth with even that.
The book says that coach Collins’ teams historically favor a high-tempo, fast-break style of offense whereby his previous teams will attempt to win all out track-meets in sneaks (sneakers). That seems to be just what sleepy looking Cassell Coliseum ordered and just what coach Williams needs to get the place buzzing again.
This one is low-hanging fruit, and no less than low-hanging fruit. My only wonderment is …just how much does Buzz wanna win by? Or rather, just how much tinkering and puttering does Buzz wanna go by? As coach Buzz Williams O&M debuts and wins this one handily or blisteringly enough, take thy pick.
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My best take is that Buzz knows he needs to get off to a electrifying (as possible) start with a 2014-2015 men’s hoops team that is a few amps short of enjoying some real live offensive voltage of its own. As double affirmations go … yes, I expect coach Buzz to empty the bench and I yes also expect him to go ahead and smoke little ole Maryland-Eastern Shore right on out.
(94% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=82, Maryland-Eastern Shore=53
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**