Do we have underclassmen leaving in bball?

[Corkscrew Johnson]

I have heard some vague references over the past few weeks about underclassmen who might not be with the team next year.  No rumors directly about people leaving, but only allusions in the recruiting columns about how we might have an extra scholarship or two.  Is there a walk-on with a scholarship this year?  Or are we thinking about providing some, uh, directed guidance to a few underachievers?  I assumed the references were in regards to either McCurdy or McGowan, but if someone with more insight on the situation could clear this up, I would be appreciative.  Thanks!

[Hog Realist]

McCurdy is playing more, those rumors were when he wasn't sniffing the floor

[jhudson84]

we can only hope

[The_Bionic_Pig]

we can only hope

With 2 More Guard/Forward types coming in I think you may see a defection or two.  Especially when they start getting verbal's for the class of 08'.

[Tomhog™]

I'd be surprised to see Vincent Hunter stay.  He's down at the bottom of the depth chart with only mopup duty as a future.  He'll be a senior next year and won't sniff the floor.  Maybe he'll stick around and get his degree...

[Corkscrew Johnson]

we can only hope

With 2 More Guard/Forward types coming in I think you may see a defection or two.  Especially when they start getting verbal's for the class of 08'.

more allusions!!  so if assumed mcgowan, mccurdy, or hunter might be the disenfranchised players, would i be getting close?

[mbgrulz]

if they defacted, could we use their schollies immediately? it would be nice to get mulligans on some of those guys.

[BennyBlancofromtheRock]

McCurdy's future isn't that bright....he's being outplayed by both freshman guards, and Bush is committed. Mcgowan, he's got a chance to see some PT after next year, but Washington is the future at PF.

[mbgrulz]

i think mcgowan will pay off in the end. he has been injured, and PF is a very congested position for us right now. wait till he is a JR or SR, and he will be a good reserve.

McCurdy is just not a SEC player. i dont see how anybody could argue different. welsh looks to be the 1st guard off the bench for the next 4 years, and SM will just be dead weight for 2 more years if he stays.

Hunter was just waiting for washington or mcgowan to come up and take his minutes. washington still scews up a lot, but he actually understands the concept of 6-10 guys needing to play on the inside. i wish VH the best, but i hope he is at UAPB or something next year.

[Adam Stokes]

  Cranford is also on schollie this year if I'm not mistaken, he will almost indefinantly lose his if he does.

[mbgrulz]

i think cranford's schollie is kind a like "hey, we have one left over that we dont want tied up for 4 years. we'll give it to you with the understanding that you'll give it back when we need it." i am pretty sure that since we signed 2 guys for next year instead of one, he'll have to give it up.

[snag]

i think mcgowan will pay off in the end. he has been injured, and PF is a very congested position for us right now. wait till he is a JR or SR, and he will be a good reserve.

McCurdy is just not a SEC player. i dont see how anybody could argue different. welsh looks to be the 1st guard off the bench for the next 4 years, and SM will just be dead weight for 2 more years if he stays.

Hunter was just waiting for washington or mcgowan to come up and take his minutes. washington still scews up a lot, but he actually understands the concept of 6-10 guys needing to play on the inside. i wish VH the best, but i hope he is at UAPB or something next year.

McGowan will be a junior next year. So....I'll guess we'll have to wait for his senior year to see the big payoff.

[The_Bionic_Pig]

we can only hope

With 2 More Guard/Forward types coming in I think you may see a defection or two.  Especially when they start getting verbal's for the class of 08'.

more allusions!!  so if assumed mcgowan, mccurdy, or hunter might be the disenfranchised players, would i be getting close?

Hey Cork you may be right, I am not saying its a given but where their is smoke....

[imisswarrenlinn]

Maybe it is just me, but watching Mike Washington play is very exciting for a different reason than most are mentioning. Several times against USC he was getting the first pass in the backcourt from Ervin before a trap. Unlike most big men, he was showing some ability to put the ball on the floor and handle it with some skill. He is tremendously quick for his size and has a developing outside jumper as evidenced in the SEC championship game. On the defensive end, he is very solid at the top of the zone with his long arms and good lateral movement. My point in saying all of this is this. By no means do I think he is on the level with Kevin Durant and Corey Brewer, but I can see him developing into one hell of a small forward as his career progresses. I think forcing him to play the 4 or the 5 with his back to the basket would under utilize his ability to slash from the wing and get to the hoop and score. He is definitely raw at this point, but think of what he could be as a 6'10" wing man if he is developed more as a Durant or a Brewer than as a Darian Townes. If that was the case, then you open up some room for a guy like McGowan at the 4. I have not seen enough of Cyrus at this point to give up on him. He has a frame that can handle 10-20 pounds of muscle and has shown in his limited amount of PT to be a guy who will go up strong for an offensive board and stick back. I think Hunter is a prime example of a "could-have-been". Without the injuries he sustained he could have been a great ballplayer. However, his development is probably over at this point and I don't really see him contributing much. McCurdy has been a disappointment and neither him or Cranford are D1 caliber players. That is my two cents, for what they are worth (very little, probably).

[bigguy551122]

Maybe it is just me, but watching Mike Washington play is very exciting for a different reason than most are mentioning. Several times against USC he was getting the first pass in the backcourt from Ervin before a trap. Unlike most big men, he was showing some ability to put the ball on the floor and handle it with some skill. He is tremendously quick for his size and has a developing outside jumper as evidenced in the SEC championship game. On the defensive end, he is very solid at the top of the zone with his long arms and good lateral movement. My point in saying all of this is this. By no means do I think he is on the level with Kevin Durant and Corey Brewer, but I can see him developing into one hell of a small forward as his career progresses. I think forcing him to play the 4 or the 5 with his back to the basket would under utilize his ability to slash from the wing and get to the hoop and score. He is definitely raw at this point, but think of what he could be as a 6'10" wing man if he is developed more as a Durant or a Brewer than as a Darian Townes. If that was the case, then you open up some room for a guy like McGowan at the 4. I have not seen enough of Cyrus at this point to give up on him. He has a frame that can handle 10-20 pounds of muscle and has shown in his limited amount of PT to be a guy who will go up strong for an offensive board and stick back. I think Hunter is a prime example of a "could-have-been". Without the injuries he sustained he could have been a great ballplayer. However, his development is probably over at this point and I don't really see him contributing much. McCurdy has been a disappointment and neither him or Cranford are D1 caliber players. That is my two cents, for what they are worth (very little, probably).

pretty good assessment, i agree with everything thing you said

[Louis33]

As a fan,I've been waiting for a guy like Washington to come onto the scene.But if you confine him to the post you will limit him too much.Let him post up when he is defended by a smaller player,and let him take it outside when a bigger,slower player is on him.The sky is the limit with this kid.But that's just my opinion.

[HawgG]

Michael has good offensive tools to work with.

However is a liability on defense and ARK was hurt badly by it against Florida and especially against USC.

On this level opposing coaches are able to breakdown a players weaknesses and strengths as soon as they get a little film on you.

We saw Florida and USC isolate Michael out high and his man would just drive right past him for an easy two.

The UA coaching staff went to a zone defense in order to hide Michael from the isolation play, but we saw USC get some open 3 pointers when that happened.

Pookie Modica was a liability on defense for 4 seasons at ARK.I hope that Washington has the drive to not only improve offensively but defensively as well over the summer.