Topic: Herd Hoops 2006 Starting Five

[Bigoherd]

I will take the first crack at it. Players will swing back and forth between positions but you should get the idea.

1 - Merthie (Fr.) starts / Lamb (So.) backup

Hard to start a freshman at the point, but Herd fans will have to put up with the typical pull your hair out freshman mistakes early in the season because the kid is going to play. Merthie will be expected to score from the point and he will meet those expectations. Lamb will certainly see more time next year and develop into a solid backup (albeit one with defensive liabilities).

2 - Aikens (Jr.) starts / Miles (So.) backup

Aikens will bring a toughness to the Herd. Will do the dirty work on the defensive end and get you some rebounds and consistent points from the 2 spot. Miles will continue to develop. He has that swagger that I like. He will score more points (off of fewer but better shots) as he continues to mature. Although he isn't in my predicted starting 5, he will garner just as many minutes as most starters because of his tenacity.

3 - Whited (Jr.) starts / Wohlleb (So.) backup

Whitted or Wohlleb? Whitted more physically ready, but a year in the weight room will help Wohlleb. They will share time about equally next year. Both of these guys have displayed a willingness to improve, and will need to continue to do so for the Herd to not be over matched night in and night out at this position in CUSA play.

Potential redshirt for Humphrey due to Miles, Aikens, Wohlleb and Whited crowding the 2 and 3 spots.

4 - Patton (Sr.) starts / Carter (Sr.) backup / Oakafor (So.) backup

Without question Patton will be expected to provide leadership to a group of guys that haven't played much together. He will need to average a double double and he will do so. If he learns to control his fouling, Patton will be one of CUSA's steadiest players. While Carter needs to develop a "feel" for the game his physical play will be needed. Oakafor looked lost this year. Hopefully he dropped bread crumbs in order to find his way off the bench and become a contributor next year.

5 - Bro-Grebe (So.) starts / Oglesby (Fr.)backup / Late JC Recruit?

Bro-Grebe was a top 50 player coming out of high school. I have watched his stats and he isn't logging many minutes (10-15 usually) for his JC. Is this due to them protecting his knee? He does block a lot of shots and his points and rebounds per minutes played aren't bad. Expect him to be a defensive presence in the middle if he, like Patton, can avoid foul trouble. Oglesby was a project out of high school. Being able to rehabilitate and actually practice late this year should help him. I predict limited minutes for him if Herd signs JC center late this year.

[Garbanjo]

I'll play:

PG Merthie
SG Miles
C Bro-Grebe
PF Patton
SF Aikens