(I hope I don't offend any of you, but while I'm here I thought I would drop this post that I made a week or two ago. Enjoy the season and cheer this bunch on. WDE!)
We begin making major talent upgrades since the day we hired CBP, and we've continued to the point where we've stacked amazing talent on top of talent. I don't know that we've ever had as much pure talent, so deep down the roster. Typically, when we lost a key stud due to academics, injury, suspension etc., we'd take a MAJOR hit, but now, even with two players who'd star on most Auburn teams, we're still rolling, (just as it was predicted would happen if we continued to stack talent).
We seemed to have built on the trip this summer, continued to bond, gel and grow into a TEAM, ([with a healthy dose of adversity that it appears we have used to bond the team even more and come out with an "us against the world" attitude). We certainly passed the pre-season test, and now we've gotten off to a great start in league play. I wouldn't be surprised at all if we won the SEC. Now, I'm not saying that I EXPECT us to win an SEC championship, but it really wouldn't surprise me. With no truly dominant team out there this year, it's RIGHT THERE FOR THE TAKING! Of course, we might have some challenges and rough patches to plow through, but as long as this team stays hungry, focused, and continues to function as a TEAM, I don't think there's anyone out there who has been as consistent as we have to this point. Right now, we're flat better than UK, A&M, and even Florida IMHO, (unless Egbunu has some type of miraculous recovery and comes back in mid-season form, which is very doubtful), and other teams who were picked as top dogs in the league.
How many of you, in your wildest daydreams and ruminations about our B-ball team's path to success, thought we would ever have the talented depth, especially the shooting fire power that we possess? Most years, we would have been ECSTATIC just to have two very good to great shooters on our team, and now, we have that kind of firepower at most every position, (and that's even without Danjel). In most cases, most teams in our league just won't have the firepower to keep up with us. However, the one place we're vulnerable, is inside. I expect some of the teams that have size to try and exploit us inside during league play, and that's the one question mark that we'll likely, eventually have to answer. If we get Austin back, it'll be a bonus....., icing on the cake. Other than that weakness, with the rare exception where everyone is cold, (and it shouldn't happen too often with the number of shooters we have on the roster), we are going to rain down three's on folks head, and it's going to be hard for them to keep up most nights. Arky was the one team that had the firepower, scoring ability and shooting to run and gun and splash three's with us, but it didn't turn out too well for them playing us in Auburn arena.
At any rate, let's enjoy and savor every step of the journey, (including the inevitable ups and downs). It's still a process, and despite it not happening quite as fast as we'd all hoped, we are still right on schedule IMHO. This is the exact year that several of us said we would probably have our first realistic chance to really make some noise and get back to the tourney, (back when we hired CBP). Thank goodness, it's happening!
We begin making major talent upgrades since the day we hired CBP, and we've continued to the point where we've stacked amazing talent on top of talent. I don't know that we've ever had as much pure talent, so deep down the roster. Typically, when we lost a key stud due to academics, injury, suspension etc., we'd take a MAJOR hit, but now, even with two players who'd star on most Auburn teams, we're still rolling, (just as it was predicted would happen if we continued to stack talent).
We seemed to have built on the trip this summer, continued to bond, gel and grow into a TEAM, ([with a healthy dose of adversity that it appears we have used to bond the team even more and come out with an "us against the world" attitude). We certainly passed the pre-season test, and now we've gotten off to a great start in league play. I wouldn't be surprised at all if we won the SEC. Now, I'm not saying that I EXPECT us to win an SEC championship, but it really wouldn't surprise me. With no truly dominant team out there this year, it's RIGHT THERE FOR THE TAKING! Of course, we might have some challenges and rough patches to plow through, but as long as this team stays hungry, focused, and continues to function as a TEAM, I don't think there's anyone out there who has been as consistent as we have to this point. Right now, we're flat better than UK, A&M, and even Florida IMHO, (unless Egbunu has some type of miraculous recovery and comes back in mid-season form, which is very doubtful), and other teams who were picked as top dogs in the league.
How many of you, in your wildest daydreams and ruminations about our B-ball team's path to success, thought we would ever have the talented depth, especially the shooting fire power that we possess? Most years, we would have been ECSTATIC just to have two very good to great shooters on our team, and now, we have that kind of firepower at most every position, (and that's even without Danjel). In most cases, most teams in our league just won't have the firepower to keep up with us. However, the one place we're vulnerable, is inside. I expect some of the teams that have size to try and exploit us inside during league play, and that's the one question mark that we'll likely, eventually have to answer. If we get Austin back, it'll be a bonus....., icing on the cake. Other than that weakness, with the rare exception where everyone is cold, (and it shouldn't happen too often with the number of shooters we have on the roster), we are going to rain down three's on folks head, and it's going to be hard for them to keep up most nights. Arky was the one team that had the firepower, scoring ability and shooting to run and gun and splash three's with us, but it didn't turn out too well for them playing us in Auburn arena.
At any rate, let's enjoy and savor every step of the journey, (including the inevitable ups and downs). It's still a process, and despite it not happening quite as fast as we'd all hoped, we are still right on schedule IMHO. This is the exact year that several of us said we would probably have our first realistic chance to really make some noise and get back to the tourney, (back when we hired CBP). Thank goodness, it's happening!
