Watching the game last night should have showed us all what a great program looks like. Tennessee recruits 3-4 stars and develops them. Plain and simple. Cuonzo is doing the same exact thing, except he has had only a little over a year to do so.
We have not had a true SEC-Level point guard since Jordan Clarkson. This will change next year as Dru is quite possibly the best player in the program if you do not count Jontay. If Pinson can put on 10-15 lbs which should be no problem, that makes for a great duo.
Pickett and M. Smith appear to be good long term players. Pickett is nothing like Puryear. Javon has long arms, displays good defensive grit and instincts, and can score within an offense. Mark is your typical 3 and D who also gets on the boards. He does not create for himself, but that is not his role.
Torrence and Santos have a role and can play in this league, but need another off-season in my opinion.
Everybody knows that Tilmon can be a top center in the SEC, but he seems uninterested in fixing his issues. He is great player who can foul out in less than 10 minutes on any given night. If/when the light turns on in his head, we have a dominant interior force every night.
One of Nikko or Mitchell Smith won't be here next year. This scholarship and Christian Guess's need to be used on one grad transfer post who can play the 4 and 5, and a late-bloomer post in the 2019 class. In other words try to find another long term option like Pinson except for in the form of a big man.
Tray Jackson is going to be good from the jump and get even better as time progresses. He has legitimate NBA potential. As for Mario, I think he should red-shirt. I have yet to see this path for him discussed on here but I think it would be beneficial. We have solid back court depth for next year and he is a guy who needs time to work on his skillet and playing within a system. This idea might sound crazy now, but all the good programs that are similar to us red-shirt players like him and they turn into monsters after 4-5 years.
Lastly, hope Jontay Comes back.
Mizzou basketball will be back in 2019-2020. The foundation is set and watching the players develop this season will be fun to see.
We have not had a true SEC-Level point guard since Jordan Clarkson. This will change next year as Dru is quite possibly the best player in the program if you do not count Jontay. If Pinson can put on 10-15 lbs which should be no problem, that makes for a great duo.
Pickett and M. Smith appear to be good long term players. Pickett is nothing like Puryear. Javon has long arms, displays good defensive grit and instincts, and can score within an offense. Mark is your typical 3 and D who also gets on the boards. He does not create for himself, but that is not his role.
Torrence and Santos have a role and can play in this league, but need another off-season in my opinion.
Everybody knows that Tilmon can be a top center in the SEC, but he seems uninterested in fixing his issues. He is great player who can foul out in less than 10 minutes on any given night. If/when the light turns on in his head, we have a dominant interior force every night.
One of Nikko or Mitchell Smith won't be here next year. This scholarship and Christian Guess's need to be used on one grad transfer post who can play the 4 and 5, and a late-bloomer post in the 2019 class. In other words try to find another long term option like Pinson except for in the form of a big man.
Tray Jackson is going to be good from the jump and get even better as time progresses. He has legitimate NBA potential. As for Mario, I think he should red-shirt. I have yet to see this path for him discussed on here but I think it would be beneficial. We have solid back court depth for next year and he is a guy who needs time to work on his skillet and playing within a system. This idea might sound crazy now, but all the good programs that are similar to us red-shirt players like him and they turn into monsters after 4-5 years.
Lastly, hope Jontay Comes back.
Mizzou basketball will be back in 2019-2020. The foundation is set and watching the players develop this season will be fun to see.
