This roster has been together a little bit now and obviously the alumni event this week with TBT coming up. Here is what I am hearing on the roster at this time.
- It feels much more like a program now. Guys are starting to take an ownership stake in this thing and there is a sense of pride now. It takes more than that, but there is the link between former players now again. The freshmen are being taken under wings.
- Obviously some of the alumni are aging and not what they once were. I think Sam has put more mileage on those knees than just about any athlete I can think of. Still, the current team showed well and impressed from everyone I have heard from.
- The freshmen can all play. Barnes may be a bit raw but is very athletic. Lowe has been extremely impressive and may pose a legit challenge to start. He has been that good. Plays well above his age. Carrington has also been just as impressive as Lowe. Advanced and skilled game to him. Can do so many things from the wing. Kante is somewhere around where Federiko was last year heading into the season. Has great feet and is more impressive laterally. Don't think he is as long as Fede though. Still, a great place to start for a freshman. Some think that the twins are in for a legit fight for minutes.
- Dior looks much better than last year. Last offseason, he kind of just looked like a guy. Really small and thin. Nothing special. This same person said he looks like a new player this year. Much more confident. Bouncing everywhere and winning off the dribble. More like the player that was touted until this point. There has been a lot of screen and roll action with him and Blake, and it has been nearly un-guardable.
- Will is in for a big fight for minutes as well. Carrington is legit and Austin will have an impact. Both fit best at this spot. Not really sure how it will play out but a big season here obviously.
- The athleticism on Austin may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it is there. He may not be as explosive as Nike but is bigger.
- Leggett sounds similar to Jamarius, but just not at that level. Physical kid that will eat minutes.
- Most of the excitement is with the freshmen and the front court. Easily the best freshmen class this program has seen in a long time. Three of the four can be special and Barnes has a relatively high floor.
- Blake looks really good and is down 25 pounds. One could ask the question of why it took the predraft process for this to happen, but it is basically irrelevant now. He is much leaner and he should have a more efficient season.
- My initial thoughts on this season have basically been confirmed. This team is more athletic. They will impress walking off the bus and it is a true ACC team athletically. The size and length is there too. They may be small in the back court at times, but they can go with so many different lineups. This team is deeper and more athletic than last year. The rebounding should be about the same. The concern remains shooting, specifically outside shooting. Can't say if the staff is worried or not, but I know that there are plenty of others that are. Myself included. This group will drive the ball like crazy and put a lot of pressure on teams in that area. They should also be better off the dribble across the lineup. It will be hard to replace the effectiveness of Jamarius here, but this team has at least 4-5 guys that can thrive here. If nothing else, we know that they can resort to Blake from outside. Now they have more players to collapse defenses for that kickout. I think if this team develops together and reaches their potential, they could be even better than last season. The big question remains the outside shooting for me. Regardless, a lot of positive rumblings.
- It feels much more like a program now. Guys are starting to take an ownership stake in this thing and there is a sense of pride now. It takes more than that, but there is the link between former players now again. The freshmen are being taken under wings.
- Obviously some of the alumni are aging and not what they once were. I think Sam has put more mileage on those knees than just about any athlete I can think of. Still, the current team showed well and impressed from everyone I have heard from.
- The freshmen can all play. Barnes may be a bit raw but is very athletic. Lowe has been extremely impressive and may pose a legit challenge to start. He has been that good. Plays well above his age. Carrington has also been just as impressive as Lowe. Advanced and skilled game to him. Can do so many things from the wing. Kante is somewhere around where Federiko was last year heading into the season. Has great feet and is more impressive laterally. Don't think he is as long as Fede though. Still, a great place to start for a freshman. Some think that the twins are in for a legit fight for minutes.
- Dior looks much better than last year. Last offseason, he kind of just looked like a guy. Really small and thin. Nothing special. This same person said he looks like a new player this year. Much more confident. Bouncing everywhere and winning off the dribble. More like the player that was touted until this point. There has been a lot of screen and roll action with him and Blake, and it has been nearly un-guardable.
- Will is in for a big fight for minutes as well. Carrington is legit and Austin will have an impact. Both fit best at this spot. Not really sure how it will play out but a big season here obviously.
- The athleticism on Austin may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it is there. He may not be as explosive as Nike but is bigger.
- Leggett sounds similar to Jamarius, but just not at that level. Physical kid that will eat minutes.
- Most of the excitement is with the freshmen and the front court. Easily the best freshmen class this program has seen in a long time. Three of the four can be special and Barnes has a relatively high floor.
- Blake looks really good and is down 25 pounds. One could ask the question of why it took the predraft process for this to happen, but it is basically irrelevant now. He is much leaner and he should have a more efficient season.
- My initial thoughts on this season have basically been confirmed. This team is more athletic. They will impress walking off the bus and it is a true ACC team athletically. The size and length is there too. They may be small in the back court at times, but they can go with so many different lineups. This team is deeper and more athletic than last year. The rebounding should be about the same. The concern remains shooting, specifically outside shooting. Can't say if the staff is worried or not, but I know that there are plenty of others that are. Myself included. This group will drive the ball like crazy and put a lot of pressure on teams in that area. They should also be better off the dribble across the lineup. It will be hard to replace the effectiveness of Jamarius here, but this team has at least 4-5 guys that can thrive here. If nothing else, we know that they can resort to Blake from outside. Now they have more players to collapse defenses for that kickout. I think if this team develops together and reaches their potential, they could be even better than last season. The big question remains the outside shooting for me. Regardless, a lot of positive rumblings.
