I've said this on the main college hoops board a couple times already, and I'll say it here: I believe the Runnin' Rebels could very well be the Xavier of next season.
Xavier was an 8-seed in the NCAA Tourney two seasons ago, lost in the second round to a #1 seed, returned some key veterans, and added a couple of big time contributors. The result? A 30-win season, a 3-seed, and a trip to the Elite 8.
Unfortunately for them, last season's college hoops landscape featured 4 dominant #1 seeds, and the Elite 8 probably represented that team's ceiling in terms of how far they were capable of going.
My guess is that we probably won't see all four #1's reach the Final Four again next season. That being said, I think UNLV is as good a candidate as any to be a major tournament sleeper come March 2009.
Talent is there. Chemistry & desire are yet to be determined. The great thing about the up-coming season is that based on raw talent, this years team is way ahead of the last two teams. Especially in depth. The question we are all waiting to have answered is "how far will they go".
If Wink, Darger and Rene, along with the other returnees, light a fire under the 6 incoming players and get them to play with the same passion and unselfish desire as last years team, anything is possibe. Obviously, LK & Staff have a little something to do with it, too!
I love next years team. I think the biggest key is going to be Senior leadership, which the Rebels will have in Wink, Darger, and Rougeau. With a top notch big man and several players that can score, I don't see this team underachieving.
Sorry to get distracted back to Jasper, but something wierd is going on. Jasper has asked for his release and it has not yet been granted. I wonder if Gillispie is trying to stall Kruger, hoping he'll take another transfer with the open schollie? Then maybe Jasper would reconsider and stay with the Cats? Gillispie has made no bones about his desire to keep Jasper. Now with Troy gone, it could shoot a hole in that strategy, as LK could take another available transfer, and still have room for Jasper. It would really be cool to know all the positioning that goes on behind the scenes, wouldn't it?
My thought exactly Hoop...it's funny that we all get stuck speculating about things that may have not even crossed the coache's minds and these guys have everything planned and under control. I wish someday one of these reporters would get a "raw" interview from coach Kruger with the ins and outs of how some of these players are recruited. I wish one time, we could get a non-politically correct statement from him about how we landed a recruit over another school.......
It would be cool to be involved and know how everything happens. I think recruiting would end up being like shopping for Christmas, somewhat..... Schools go out looking for what they want early on and once everything that they want is gone they settle for the closest thing that they can get to what they wanted....kinda like rummagging for gifts at walgreens on December 24th at about 10PM.
Not the greatest analogy, but sometimes you can find the one gift hidden in the back of the shelf that somehow somebody missed (think Cal and Jorge G. from Findlay prep)....
The even better part of the findlay prep player going to cal is that the rebs didn't take a guy that a pac 10 school is happy to have and is one of there better recruits.
LK is just such a class act, he can tell you your wife is a dog and he comes across as being gracious and kind. In Lon we trust!
Todays article in the RJ is pretty telling. It seems Rene was going to room with Cage this season, and was tight with him. He seems pretty upset that he is leaving the program, as he feels Cage did everything "right".
Head Coach is a tough position. You can have a good kid that does everything right, and you still have to tell him he's not going to get playing time. I think LK has sent a signal that he has the room for interested transfers, and is willing to wait it out. My thinking is Gillispie will work on Jasper for a short time longer, and then grant the release and concentrate on recruiting to replace him.
All indications from sources, including his girlfriend I am told, is that he wants to be at UNLV and only the release is holding things up. I hope thats the way it goes down.
