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ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Urika on 7/25/2012, 8:37 am

http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/summershootaround120725/west-coast

The song says you're supposed to go to San Francisco, not leave it: The Dons posted a perfectly respectable, even surprising, 20-win season in 2012, but this offseason brought a sudden, unexpected and potentially devastating exodus from the program. Perris Blackwell, Charles Standifer, Michael Williams, Avery Johnson, Khalil Murphy and Justin Raffington all transferred away from San Fransisco. Blackwell and Williams were the team's two leading returning scorers expected to help plug the gap presented by the graduation of 2012 leading scorer Angelo Caloiaro. Head coach Rex Walters will enter the fifth season of his tenure with a major rebuilding project on his docket.

San Francisco
Best-case scenario: When you lose nine players in one offseason, including your three leading scorers (one of which graduated; the others transferred), then your best-case scenario shouldn't even address wins and losses. It's all about laying a foundation, finding new blood and hoping stranded returners Cody Doolin and Cole Dickerson (and UCLA transfer De'End Parker, who transferred to be closer to his ailing mother and is awaiting an NCAA decision on his immediate eligibility) can patch the leaks.

Worst-case scenario: The loss of nine scholarship players does what it is supposed to do: It cripples USF in the short term, dropping a team that won 20 games just a season ago to the very bottom of the WCC.

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Big Frisco on 7/25/2012, 9:38 am, in reply to "ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

Will be interesting year. Looking like more of a rebuilding year, but not too far off.

I think our back court is gonna be way better this year, but front court is a big question.

Plus our non conference is gonna be 10x tougher. But it will be fun.

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Jay on 7/25/2012, 10:19 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

As always, ESPN is too detached from the west coast to actually offer new research and analysis.

Let's be honest, Perris and maybe Mikey Williams were the only losses that truly mattered. We plugged the rest of the holes nicely and the eligibility of De'End Parker is a big x factor for our success going into the season.

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Big Frisco on 7/25/2012, 10:26 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

Agreed, De'End is going to need be 1st team all league to keep us in the top 4-5.

Dickerson is going to need to step up. He's got the talent to do so.

I think Doolin is going to have a great year - probably only certainty at this point.

Hopefully Derkson, Christiansen and Xu can give us solid minutes.

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by bkc on 7/25/2012, 11:12 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

I don't think we're looking at rebuilding. We're looking at addition by subtraction. Some things are hard to replace and other things are best to replace.

IMO, when the games start, we won't be talking about the players that left, only the players that arrived.

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Don Solo on 7/25/2012, 11:23 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

I still remain unconvinced that Mikey was all that big of a loss, especially when you have Parker coming in. It's Perris that leaves a GAPING hole in the middle. That's the biggest question mark of the season IMHO

Death of Journalism

Posted by Info on 7/25/2012, 11:29 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

You will see the same "mass exodus" and loss of "All WCC Mikey Williams" repeated over and over by so called journalists. Zack Farmer knows the WCC, not some writer who just scans the internet for their "information".

USF lost Perris. That was big, no doubt.

Mikey Williams? He was all league 2 years ago. Since then, a volume shooter with academic issues. Not a team player.

The rest? Not even remotely D-I players. Standifer? Come on. He is back at JC ball and he is 22. Raffington? Nice kid, but a stiff. Murphy? Could not get on the court. Avery Johnson? The guy literally could not make a layup.

The DOns may not be top 4, but we won't be the SCU of last year either.

Re: Death of Journalism

Posted by W on 7/25/2012, 11:37 am, in reply to "Death of Journalism"

I heard Brennan on Damon Bruce show last year. He's never left Illinois or the Big 10 country and sounded as if he was 19 years old. He was very clueless about anything west coast except UCLA. So of course he is ESPN's national writer.

Re: Death of Journalism

Posted by Link on 7/25/2012, 11:53 am, in reply to "Re: Death of Journalism"

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/61529/best-caseworst-case-scenarios-in-the-wcc

Re: Death of Journalism

Posted by Another link on 7/25/2012, 11:54 am, in reply to "Re: Death of Journalism"

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/61534/west-coasts-most-important-players

Re: Death of Journalism

Posted by Link on 7/25/2012, 11:56 am, in reply to "Re: Death of Journalism"

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/61524/five-offseason-storylines-in-the-wcc

Sam Dower

Posted by Info on 7/25/2012, 12:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Death of Journalism"

Another kid that has made the "sports writer" echo chamber. Career average of 7.9 ppg and 3.5 rpg. Career backup. Should be a senior. Why so much hype?

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Big Frisco on 7/25/2012, 11:45 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

The ESPN article did say the WCC is a top 8 conference...

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Cresco Dave on 7/25/2012, 11:51 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

Rex has got it all handled.... we are going to win a lot of games this season!

re:Don Solo correct opinion

Posted by DonB on 7/25/2012, 12:00 pm, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

IMHO Williams was going to get less playing time in 12/13 year, and was disappointed about the playing time he was getting last year, but he lost his shot that was so successful for him in his So. year. Blackwell what a loss.

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by SoCal Don on 7/27/2012, 7:18 am, in reply to "Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

Funny how LMU Max Good is choking Ireland in the picture. Didn't he do that to Kevin Young one season and the next season Young transfered to Kansas. Will Ireland transfer to a major?

I did not know that LMU Jarred Dubois transfered? Don't know what is up with that LMU program, but Go DONS!

Re: ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC

Posted by Big Frisco on 7/25/2012, 10:59 am, in reply to "ESPN Summer Shootaround: WCC"

Zack Farmer also drafted a nice article on the Dons...

http://www.examiner.com/article/usf-walters-fully-prepared-for-exodus-of-players

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