Olympic Fan
04-17-2010, 11:43 AM
Several threads and a lot of speculation on this board about next season -- both in the ACC and the nation. Many of us acknowledge that it's still too early to make any firm declarations. There are still issues we're waiting on. Most will be decided by May 8 -- I believe that's the day that early entry candidates have to withdraw their names if they want to return next season. There are still a few recruits out there that could really impact the national scene.
I noticed that Michigan State resolved its issues yesterday when Lucas and Summers announced they were returning. That certainly makes Michigan State one of the preseason favorites in 2010-11.
With all that in mind, here are the most important issues that I'm waiting to see resolved:
(1) Will Kyle go or stay? Best of luck either way and no hard feelings if he goes. But if Singler decides to return to Duke next season, the Blue Devils will be the prohibitive favorite in the ACC and a strong challenger to MSU for preseason No. 1 in the nation -- I would expect to see the preseason polls split with outlets picking both teams.
If Kyle enters the draft, Duke will still be strong going into next season ... still No. 1 in the ACC (although there would be challengers) and maybe No. 5-10 in the national polls.
(2) Will Malcolm Delaney stay in the draft? He's not hiring an agent and most projections I've seen have him in the second round. If he returns to Virginia Tech, it could have very much the same impact on the ACC as when Vasquez pulled his name out of the draft last year. Don't forget he's coming off a great junior season -- he was unanimous first-team All-ACC along with Jon and Vasquez. The Hokies have a strong senior core coming back with Jeff Allen, Dorenzo Hudson and JT Thompson. They add a strong post player in Chaney, the transfer from Florida, who (like Duke's Curry) worked out with his team all year.
If Delaney returns, you've got to pick Virginia Tech very near the top of the ACC -- if Delaney returns and Singler doesn't, they could push Duke for the top spot in the ACC. If he stays in the draft, I don't think they can replace his floor leadership -- they drop even more than Duke would without Singler.
(3) Will CJ Leslie pick NC State or Kentucky? A player who decommits from a school almost never recommits to the same school, but the talk in Indy was that Leslie was now leaning to State (Ryan Harrow has been working on him hard). If he picks State, they would have the best incoming class in the ACC with Harrow and Brown (assuming he qualifies). State is going to be better next season no matter what, but throw Leslie into the mix and they could make a big, BIG jump in the standings.
Nationally, Leslie's decision could have a big impact on where Kentucky falls. Calipari is replacing five early entry picks. He's added Knight and Lamb, a superb freshman backcourt, and has a great Turkish big man, Kanter (who has played at least three years of pro basketball in Turkey) in the middle, plus a nice wing in Stacy Poole. That's still not quite as much as he's losing -- Knight is no John Wall and there's not a veteran to fill Patrick Patterson's role. Still, if the 'Cats add Leslie, they could be a top 5-10 team again.
(4) Will JaJuan Johnson stay in the draft or will he pull out? Assuming Hummel comes all the way back, Purdue could be in the preseason No. 1 mix -- IF Johnson returns. If he stays in the draft, the Boilermakers have a huge hole in the middle of their lineup ... I'm not sure they're even a top 10 team.
(5) Will there be any more fallout from the ACC's three coacing changes? In the last few days we've learned that Rakim Sanders is leaving BC and that Devin Booker is staying at Clemson. Anybody else thinking of leaving? And what happens to the strong recruiting class that Dino Gaudio had assembled at Wake Forest. You can bet that all five got calls from rival coaches, trying to steal guys like McKie, Terrell and (the most important of all) Chennault. If all five stay, Bzdelik has a chance to build quickly. A couple of losses could leave the Deacons in a hole for years.
Other than that, I can't see anything on the immediate horizon that would have a huge impact on the ACC/nation next season. Yeah, UNC may lose a transfer for two, but the loss of Justin Watts or even Leslie McDonald (not saying it's going to happen ...) will have very little impact. Now, if Jon Henson leaves or turns pro, I'll get back to you. But at this point, that seems about as likely as Nolan Smith jumping into the draft.
I noticed that Michigan State resolved its issues yesterday when Lucas and Summers announced they were returning. That certainly makes Michigan State one of the preseason favorites in 2010-11.
With all that in mind, here are the most important issues that I'm waiting to see resolved:
(1) Will Kyle go or stay? Best of luck either way and no hard feelings if he goes. But if Singler decides to return to Duke next season, the Blue Devils will be the prohibitive favorite in the ACC and a strong challenger to MSU for preseason No. 1 in the nation -- I would expect to see the preseason polls split with outlets picking both teams.
If Kyle enters the draft, Duke will still be strong going into next season ... still No. 1 in the ACC (although there would be challengers) and maybe No. 5-10 in the national polls.
(2) Will Malcolm Delaney stay in the draft? He's not hiring an agent and most projections I've seen have him in the second round. If he returns to Virginia Tech, it could have very much the same impact on the ACC as when Vasquez pulled his name out of the draft last year. Don't forget he's coming off a great junior season -- he was unanimous first-team All-ACC along with Jon and Vasquez. The Hokies have a strong senior core coming back with Jeff Allen, Dorenzo Hudson and JT Thompson. They add a strong post player in Chaney, the transfer from Florida, who (like Duke's Curry) worked out with his team all year.
If Delaney returns, you've got to pick Virginia Tech very near the top of the ACC -- if Delaney returns and Singler doesn't, they could push Duke for the top spot in the ACC. If he stays in the draft, I don't think they can replace his floor leadership -- they drop even more than Duke would without Singler.
(3) Will CJ Leslie pick NC State or Kentucky? A player who decommits from a school almost never recommits to the same school, but the talk in Indy was that Leslie was now leaning to State (Ryan Harrow has been working on him hard). If he picks State, they would have the best incoming class in the ACC with Harrow and Brown (assuming he qualifies). State is going to be better next season no matter what, but throw Leslie into the mix and they could make a big, BIG jump in the standings.
Nationally, Leslie's decision could have a big impact on where Kentucky falls. Calipari is replacing five early entry picks. He's added Knight and Lamb, a superb freshman backcourt, and has a great Turkish big man, Kanter (who has played at least three years of pro basketball in Turkey) in the middle, plus a nice wing in Stacy Poole. That's still not quite as much as he's losing -- Knight is no John Wall and there's not a veteran to fill Patrick Patterson's role. Still, if the 'Cats add Leslie, they could be a top 5-10 team again.
(4) Will JaJuan Johnson stay in the draft or will he pull out? Assuming Hummel comes all the way back, Purdue could be in the preseason No. 1 mix -- IF Johnson returns. If he stays in the draft, the Boilermakers have a huge hole in the middle of their lineup ... I'm not sure they're even a top 10 team.
(5) Will there be any more fallout from the ACC's three coacing changes? In the last few days we've learned that Rakim Sanders is leaving BC and that Devin Booker is staying at Clemson. Anybody else thinking of leaving? And what happens to the strong recruiting class that Dino Gaudio had assembled at Wake Forest. You can bet that all five got calls from rival coaches, trying to steal guys like McKie, Terrell and (the most important of all) Chennault. If all five stay, Bzdelik has a chance to build quickly. A couple of losses could leave the Deacons in a hole for years.
Other than that, I can't see anything on the immediate horizon that would have a huge impact on the ACC/nation next season. Yeah, UNC may lose a transfer for two, but the loss of Justin Watts or even Leslie McDonald (not saying it's going to happen ...) will have very little impact. Now, if Jon Henson leaves or turns pro, I'll get back to you. But at this point, that seems about as likely as Nolan Smith jumping into the draft.