Bizzaro Season

[mathguy]

Dort will also have to go from someone who might or might not play to a 24 mpg starter who averages double digit points and rebounds and fills the void in the middle.

Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I truly honestly totally absolutely believe that the floor for Dort next year is starters minutes while averaging 8pts/4reb ... 11/6 seems more likely to me. And 11/6 are solid numbers. Not Liam numbers ... but we already know we're not getting Liam numbers from any individual next year. But I can take 11/6.

[Jason94]

Dort will also have to go from someone who might or might not play to a 24 mpg starter who averages double digit points and rebounds and fills the void in the middle.

Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I truly honestly totally absolutely believe that the floor for Dort next year is starters minutes while averaging 8pts/4reb ... 11/6 seems more likely to me. And 11/6 are solid numbers. Not Liam numbers ... but we already know we're not getting Liam numbers from any individual next year. But I can take 11/6.

I think that is also possible, but even with that we are not an obvious tournament team. As we've seen from the last two seasons, we need a margin of error to account for the inevitable injury or loss from some team having the game of their lives. But this is true of most every team. I guess why would you expect that if we have a team that needs a lot of things to go right to make the tournament that a lot of things will in fact go right based on say, the last 12 or so seasons?

[Jason94]

What is beyond bizarre is this thread about next year when we have yet to complete the stretch run this season - good grief - enjoy (or hate) the moment. We could be in WW III next year.

While I appreciate the feedback, many have the ability to focus on multiple things at once and don't feel particularly constrained by whether you think we are living in the moment sufficiently. I think the question of whether or not we are building to a NCAA tournament level team is one that is very pertinent since we haven't been there in 6 seasons and while it isn't mathematically impossible for us to make the tournament this season, it is very unlikely at this point. My question to you would be are you not interested in having Vanderbilt make the tournament again? If so, are you curious as to whether or not it will occur within the next year? Or do you simply trust the coaching staff that it will happen? If so, what do you base this trust upon?

Note that if we don't make the tournament this year or next CJS' seat will be quite hot. I'd prefer that he make the tournament so we don't have to worry about a coaching search, which is very risky for us and probably sets us back another couple of seasons. I'd hate to go a decade between tournament appearances.

This is an off-season topic: my thought is to concentrate on supporting this year's team and worry about tomorrow tomorrow. Maybe it is my age.

Then you can do you and I can do me. I don't know why you would have a problem with what I post about anyway.

[Obvious]

I don’t see this as a negative thread and the thread was started to be about the current season. We lost pippen who was all sec and I think we put together a much better team without him this year. I think Liam will be a bigger loss because he’s a very rare talent for that size. Players like him don’t come about very often. Who knows what the portal will bring us. Maybe a solid post player that can put up 10 and 10.
I will say the program is trending in the right direction. The level of talent that the coaches are bringing is getting better. Whether it’s new recruits or transfers. Remember our first couple transfers? Harvey and Moyer. Moyer might have signed under Drew. Now we have the Liam and Ezra. We’re going in the correct direction. How soon until we can put it all together for a regular ncaa births? Hopefully that starts very soon. We put together decent back to back seasons these past couple years. That’s a big step up from being winless in the conference. I still hope for a miracle this season. Always great to beat Kentucky. And harder to do at rupp. But Florida first.

[mathguy]

Dort will also have to go from someone who might or might not play to a 24 mpg starter who averages double digit points and rebounds and fills the void in the middle.

Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I truly honestly totally absolutely believe that the floor for Dort next year is starters minutes while averaging 8pts/4reb ... 11/6 seems more likely to me. And 11/6 are solid numbers. Not Liam numbers ... but we already know we're not getting Liam numbers from any individual next year. But I can take 11/6.

I think that is also possible, but even with that we are not an obvious tournament team. As we've seen from the last two seasons, we need a margin of error to account for the inevitable injury or loss from some team having the game of their lives. But this is true of most every team. I guess why would you expect that if we have a team that needs a lot of things to go right to make the tournament that a lot of things will in fact go right based on say, the last 12 or so seasons?

Just not really sure what you mean. I said that we have a pathway to being a better team next year ... part of that pathway is my expectations for Dort. We also have a pathway toward backsliding ... injuries or a poor offseason experience in the transfer portal the most likely culprits. I'm not sure I said I "expected" anything of the team. Way to early to get into expectations of the team.