Censored by Laurie

Thetwo on the far left, one in gray and one in green have to be managers...then Coby Ray, Adam McCoy,Collin Mangrum, Dez Willingham, Keith Wooden (glad to see you're eating again Keith), Tristan Thompson, Harold Stewart, Collin Dennis, Justin Howerton, Josh White, and George Odufuwa...the last kid is another manager...so now looking back at your list...you were pretty accurate...Kendrick Hogans and Quincey Williams are MIA here.

Brandon Roberts' injury was huge...their offense could best be described as a modified Grinnell...they don't shoot well because they take so many 3s...when Roberts is on the floor, he is the undisputed point guard who will find Hooper, Brown and Payne their shots...when he was gone, all three combo guards wanted to play point, and the quality of shot went way down...Hooper got hot late and they tried to ride him. The reason I have them pegged above UNT this year is the improvement in their frontcourt...Nweke boards and defends, Jackson is one of my favorite types of college players...the 6'4" or 6'5" bruising power forward with moves and touch, think P.J. Tucker from UT two seasons ago. Melendez as some talent, but the two freshmen will be impact guys.

In Bennett, Merritt, Hayles and Tilford they have the best backcourt in a guard-rich league. If any of their frontcourt players can put up 8 and 8...this is still the team to beat...WKU will be really good, but all players being equal...Ronnie Arrow is simply a better coach than Darrin Horn.

Just to update: USA has gone through numerous changes this offseason...starting with Pelphrey leaving and Arrow coming in, and continuing to their player personnel. Star bigman Ernest Little is gone...as are a host of role-players and some of Pelphry's recruits failed to qualify. Dominic Tilford, the former Cincinati guard will be eligible and playing. JUCO Post Ronald Douglas was signed as a likely replacement for Ernest Little Texas product post Kem Nweke was released from his scholarship and transferred to New Mexico Adding depth, Arrow has added four walk-ons: Eric Chessner 6'5" 191 Fr. Brent Culpepper 6'5'' 181 Jr. B.J. Ford 6'0" 165 Soph. Chip Ivany 5'11" 157 Soph. Ivany and Culppeper played JUCO ball last season, Ivany at Hill College in Texas. Ford played last season for Eastern Michigan and scored 3 total points. Adding 3 players with college basketball experience is a nice luxury without having to spend any scholarships. New Projected Starters PG. Daon MerrittSG. Demetric BennettSF. Daniel HaylesPF. Brandon DavisC. Ronald DouglasKey ReservesG. Dominic TilfordF. Kenny HooksF/C. DeAndre ColemanG. Kevin Hayden

This is awful news. FIU's football program is in a similar situation as ours, rebuilding with a new coach they're excited about...and if Sergio Rouco were just in charge of basketball recruiting and let someone else coach his teams, FIU basketball would be really good. Bad news for the Sun Belt.

Deginald Erskin was a big part of UT's 2002 - 2003 to the final four where they eventually lost to 'Melo and Syracuse. Jason Miller was on his way to a solid career at UNT, however he may've been a bit in over his head at OK State.

Lets get Tobe Nwigwe, Joseph Miller, Colt Mahan, Eddrick Gilmore, Germaine Dawson, Craig Robertson and A.J. Penson some more snaps on the defensive side of the ball. If the collective energey of GMG.com could get a true freshman QB starting the remainder of the season...lets get some more speed and athleticism at linebacker and something of a pass rush on the D-Line (b/c blitzing is a sin).

JayDub...I know what you do for a living and all...but damn...thats still kinda creepy

Orlando Early is quietly building a very strong basketball program in Monroe. Picked to finish near the bottom of the SBC in their first year up from the Southland Conference, the Warhawks surprised everybody by winning the West division regular season title...and many publications have them picked to defend. Projected Starters: PG. Brandon Roberts 6'0" 175 Soph.SG. Tony Hooper 5'11" 165 Jr.SF. Jonas Brown 6'3" 180 Sr.PF. Lance Brasher 6'2" 215 Sr.C. Afam Nweke 6'7" 220 Jr.Frontcourt: I feel there should be quotation marks around the title of this section. There were points last season when Orlando Early ran out five players 6'5" or under, and a 6'2" power forward is non-traditional at best. Lance Brasher (6'2" 215 Sr.) will again see time up front in Early's four guard line-ups, and should see continued success in that role. Brasher averaged 10.4 points per game last season and finished second on the team with 5.8 boards per contest. A former walk-on, the "Bulldog" earned his nickname with his physical and scrappy play, collecting six double-doubles all while having to match up with players a half a foot taller than him. Brasher will have some actual forwards up front with him. Afam Nweke (6'7" 220 Jr.) started 26 games last season, and the active forward understands his role in Early's system. Nweke led the Warhawks in rebounds (6.9rpg) and blocks (18), scoring the majority of his points (5.1ppg) off of his team high 88 offensive rebounds. Gerard Jackson (6'5" 240 Sr.) became a key reserve once he gained his eligibility last January. The bruising, undersized forward contributed 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in Monroe's last 11 games, including 3 double figure scoring games. Dalky Melendez (6’8” 200 Jr.) had a solid freshman campaign, however he found his production dip last season (3.1ppg, 2.1rpg) as he found himself in Early’s doghouse most of the season. If things are patched up, Melendez will be a key contributor off the bench, if not, look for one of two talented freshmen to see significant minutes in the frontcourt. Raphael Turner (6’9” 260) is the closest thing to a legit post on the Warhawk roster and Mitchell Hampton (6’7” 220) is a strong and athletic and a solid defender. Nathaniel Roche’ (6’8” 230 Soph.) saw limited action last season and walk-on David Garrison (6’7” 200 Jr.) will give Early more frontcourt options than he had last season. Lawrence Gilbert (6’7” 201 Jr.) will sit out this season after transferring from Miami. The former Rivals 4 star recruit will be an immediate impact player up front in 2008. Backcourt: As much as anybody in our little guard oriented conference, UL-Monroe relies heavily on its backcourt. Leading the way is Tony Hooper (5’11 165 Jr.). Hooper paced the Warhawk attack with 15.4 points per game, but was a horribly streaky shooter who took more than half of his shots from behind the 19’9”. If Hooper can pick up where he left off last season (26.0 ppg in last four games) he can be an all conference performer. Brandon Roberts (6’0” 175 Soph.) is the only true point guard on the roster, and while Monroe didn’t skip a beat when he went down with a season ending ACL injury, having him back in the line-up will make the Warhawks all the more dangerous. Roberts was off to a strong freshman campaign (9.7ppg, 4.7apg), and will be the catalyst for this talented backcourt. Jonas Brown (6’3” 180 Sr.) was steady when pressed into the point guard role, but is most dangerous on the wing. Brown was an adequate outside shooter (35.8% from 3pt), but his strength is as a slasher and getting to the free throw line, where he led the team in attempts (114). Jordan Payne (6’3” 170 Sr.) filled the role of sixth man last season for the Warhawks, and will likely see the same roll this year. And why not? Payne is instant offense off the bench, finishing second on the Warhawks with 12.4 ppg, and leading the team in three point field goal percentage (60 of 150, 40%). Sei Paye (6’3” 170 Fr.) will be the heir apparent in the Monroe backcourt. A solid guard with good size who shoots and handles the ball well, Paye and Roberts give the Warhawks a solid future in the backcourt, but with the depth Early has, Paye will see limited action this season. Walk-on Drew Meyerchuk saw limited action last season, but will provide depth. Overall: UL-Monroe returns 95% of its scoring from a team that won 18 games and a regular season division title. Guard play clearly drives this club, Hooper, Brown, Payne, Roberts, Brasher and Paye all defend, shoot and rebound well and will be the key to Monroe’s success. However, Nweke, a full season with Gerard Jackson and two strong incoming freshmen will form a very solid frontcourt, and give Orlando Early numerous line-up options. ULM and UNT are the class of the West, and it’s hard to pick against the Mean Green…but UNT has a lot of questions. Early is building a strong program in Monroe and the Warhwks will be near the top of the belt for years to come…including this season.

atleast let us get to 10...then you can put us in timeout

#3 Is Justin the sexiest member of GMG? I say yes. This had better help my tab in 3 weeks!

I love you so much right now.

I think the majority of people calling for Vizza at this point would feel much better about a freshman making freshman mistakes rather than a fourth year junior...especially if this season is going to be a rebuilding year.

I heard they won their last game by 59 points so it seems like they're playing pretty well. I keep reading that people think Dodge's spread...or any spread...is meant to "fool" a defense. Its not...its just an offensive philosophy designed to create mismatches with the defense and exploit its weaknesses. It requires execution and players who understand the system the same way a wishbone offense does.

Yeah...damn those Nazi's.

Its a whole lot less shady then what happens up here in Northeast inner-cities where private schools give "academic" scholarships to top rate atheltes.

I'm working on an in depth breakdown of UNT to be posted after I finish the last of the SBC West schools...Monroe and UNO. Unfortunantly my job has actually been keeping me busy...I find this very inconsiderate of them. It'll be up by the middle of the month.

Wow...straight out of the womb with balls the size of grapefruits...well put and welcome to the board

Joe T. Garcia's is just not good Mexican food...Benito's on Magnolia or Tres Joses on the unfortunantly named White Settlement is where CSU should've gone. I'm ignoring the purpose of this thread

Bobby Fails Butterbean or Michael Chiklis or Demi Moore

Marlin Miller Ludacris

Deon Wallace Adrian Awasom

Drew Edmiston Any one of the vast species of fauxhawked douchebags

I wonder if we lead the NCAA in kick return attempts.

Im sure it happened in the pre-shot clock era when teams would run 3 minutes worth of four corners to nurse a lead and your final was 35-31. If you want more modern, think of low scoring basketball programs like Princeton...or really high powered football offenses like the Houston Cougars of the early nineties.