It’s almost that time. I’m excited for the start of the MBB season next week. Maybe we will get our first look at Musa Jallow if he is healthy enough to play. Monmouth should be a good test to start the season. We will look to even the series with Hawks as Monmouth won the only other previous meeting between the two teams in the 2007 Paradise Jam 58-56 in OT (Link). Many of us old heads remember this game very well. We can’t afford to have an opening night loss which would kill the buzz around the season and excitement created with the pending move to the AAC.
The Hawks have somewhat of a Tar Heel feel to them with the head Coach King Rice and one of the assistant coaches JR Reid being former Tar Heel players. The projected starting center also transferred from Chapel Hill.
The MAAC coaches picked Monmouth to finish 4th in the preseason poll with George Papas earning a pre-season first-team all conference selection.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it translated to basketball attendance as well. These kids that suffered a year of no sports are hungry. Hoping for a rocking Halton tonight!
I was looking at the roster this teams seems undersized. Who is going to block shots and rebound? You combine that with less that stellar scoring and I don’t have high expectations for this season. I hope I am wrong and we win 20+ games.
Khalifa, Perry, Garcia, and Braswell are all 6’8 +
What this doesn’t include is our guards of Butler, Musa (Needs to get healthy), Threadgill, Trapp, etc… are all long and tall.
Jhamir would be considered smaller, but he rebounds the ball at a high level. The days of smaller guards such as Briscoe, Green, Harris are gone.
Now whether this translate to wins, I have no clue, but I saw a talented team a few weeks ago. If Sanchez can’t get it done with this roster, it ain’t ever happening.
