This team is undoubtedly more cohesive than last year’s team. All and Cooper were great and Carson emerged as key player around this time last year. This team is a complete departure from the previous one. We have a strong bench, and multiple players are performing exceptionally well as a unit. Owen has had a few low-scoring games, but don’t expect that to be the norm. There’s a palpable energy in this team compared to last year. Our social media engagement has skyrocketed, with current posts generating 20 times the engagement compared to the early season. This team has momentum and is having a great time! Many of us here recognized our potential, but many are surprised by the progress we’ve made. The more exposure we get, the more growth we experience, and the more growth we achieve, the more opportunities we have. We’re building this thing brick by brick. However, as many have already mentioned, retention is crucial. I believe we have a better chance of retaining players compared to last season, but that remains uncertain.
This is the first real “team” we’ve had in awhile. These guys are playing together and the sum is greater than the individual parts.
Give Roger and staff credit for 1) identifying talent, 2) developing talent, and 3) creating a cohesive unit with the talent. I’m hoping enough players have bought into his vision and are willing to play for him next year.
Between the $1 million gift and the new leadership at VU, I’m hoping the program is in a better financial position. We’re never going to spend our way to a championship but hopefully we have enough to keep a core around.
Right now we can dream on this program. Considering March is around the corner, that’s all you can ask for.
We need to simply enjoy the ride. All that is certain is that we have this year with at least a couple more weeks as a team, hopefully more. Let’s hope we finish strong and secure a 1st round bye. Paul put out an article today laying out some of the possibilities. It’s a great read!
The gift and the curse of winning in this era. yes concur with many of you. The team is figuring out how to win, a nice mix of experience and youth. It's tempting to think what our roster might be by early April, but the optimist says in me they like the culture and coach so much that a few might stay for less money, also in a wild scenario if we win the MVC Tourney, more finances roll in and we keep more of the core. All those that transferred last year, only All and Coop moved up, while the rest were lateral or step down moves with Sepp, Schmidt, Monegro etc. . The one with the most upside to leave is Pettigrew. The pessimist says in me we loose 5-8 players every year, and winning and culture don't matter, only money. I digress, lets enjoy the next two weeks of the season.Would love to see us clobber Drake and Evansville to close things out!
Pettigrew is as good as gone unfortunately. His manager is too much in his and his parents heads for him not to leave at first opportunity. Heck, they are already shopping him around on socials and have been since the start of January
Belmont has 8 rotational players this year that were in the program last year, 6 who saw significant minutes and 2 others who redshirted and are now among their top players. Continuity/retention remains incredibly important. Murray has an entire new roster, which is the highest paid in the league by a large margin, and they've really struggled over the last 6 weeks.I have zero idea how much money we have available for NIL nor who might stay or go. Having written that, I think Roger has done an extraordinary job molding players into a team. So how about teams who were successful in keeping players? I guess Illinois State and NIU were the most successful, who now stand tied for fifth, with us. The team with basically a whole new team, other than us, is Belmont, now in first place. Go figure, or, be grateful we have a coach and staff able to put a competitive team on the floor.
