aggies22 wrote: ↑

August 24th, 2021, 8:16 pm

Blitz79 wrote: ↑

August 24th, 2021, 8:00 pm

We need a couple of break out players to be competitive this year. Hopefully Zapala and Shulga will surprise. Thelissen needs to be a major contributor. I just don't see many needle movers on this team.

In regards to Shulga, remember, he played most of last season at just 17 years old. He's got lots of time to improve.

I really liked how much we saw Shulga at the end of last season. Can we anticipate him getting significant minutes, or will he be fighting to get off the bench in big games?

Real Life Aggie wrote: ↑

August 25th, 2021, 2:08 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑

August 24th, 2021, 8:16 pm

Blitz79 wrote: ↑

August 24th, 2021, 8:00 pm

We need a couple of break out players to be competitive this year. Hopefully Zapala and Shulga will surprise. Thelissen needs to be a major contributor. I just don't see many needle movers on this team.

In regards to Shulga, remember, he played most of last season at just 17 years old. He's got lots of time to improve.

I really liked how much we saw Shulga at the end of last season. Can we anticipate him getting significant minutes, or will he be fighting to get off the bench in big games?

I would say this totally depends on how well he's prepared himself for the moment by how much work he's put in during the offseason.

Coloraggie wrote:

Pacobag wrote: ↑

August 24th, 2021, 9:04 pm

Blitz79 wrote: ↑

August 24th, 2021, 8:00 pm

We need a couple of break out players to be competitive this year. Hopefully Zapala and Shulga will surprise. Thelissen needs to be a major contributor. I just don't see many needle movers on this team.

I think Bean, Eytle-Rock, Horvath, and Jones will be solid MW level contributors. Will we have a few others make enough of a difference to put us in the top 3rd of the league....

I would include Miller in that list since he's a proven Mountain West contributor.

I know Bairstow isn’t quite proven in the MW yet, though he has experience in the league, but I feel he’s on the precipice of breaking out. His 3% increased to nearly 40% last year. With a little different role, I think he’ll thrive. Ashworth should also take another step and should be more than capable to come in and provide some spark and playmaking. We have the pieces, just need the chemistry to develop and fast acceptance of roles by the players.

This coaching staff loves Bairstow and believes he was miscast in his role last year. He is no longer a point guard and will be strictly a 2-3 going forward, which he is very excited about.

Having watched the team practice a couple of times, Eytle-Rock reminds me a lot of Nate Williams. Not in his overall ability--Nate Williams could take over games. But in his physical-ness, his ability to take the ball inside and not be deterred from getting to the hoop. I think folks will be very happy to watch him play this year!

I think Hamoda is going to have a redshirt year. He's got skills but he needs to spend time in the weight room. We have plenty of guys in the nine-deep and I just don't see a need for him on the active roster. Let him take a year to develop. We'll be glad we did!

I'm so glad to hear Bairstow is moving to the wing. He can play, but he's not a point guard and never will be.

AggiesForever wrote: ↑

September 7th, 2021, 7:46 pm

This coaching staff loves Bairstow and believes he was miscast in his role last year. He is no longer a point guard and will be strictly a 2-3 going forward, which he is very excited about.

Having watched the team practice a couple of times, Eytle-Rock reminds me a lot of Nate Williams. Not in his overall ability--Nate Williams could take over games. But in his physical-ness, his ability to take the ball inside and not be deterred from getting to the hoop. I think folks will be very happy to watch him play this year!

I think Hamoda is going to have a redshirt year. He's got skills but he needs to spend time in the weight room. We have plenty of guys in the nine-deep and I just don't see a need for him on the active roster. Let him take a year to develop. We'll be glad we did!

Can you say who the top 9 will be? How’s thelissen?

AggiesForever wrote: ↑

September 7th, 2021, 7:46 pm

This coaching staff loves Bairstow and believes he was miscast in his role last year. He is no longer a point guard and will be strictly a 2-3 going forward, which he is very excited about.

Having watched the team practice a couple of times, Eytle-Rock reminds me a lot of Nate Williams. Not in his overall ability--Nate Williams could take over games. But in his physical-ness, his ability to take the ball inside and not be deterred from getting to the hoop. I think folks will be very happy to watch him play this year!

I think Hamoda is going to have a redshirt year. He's got skills but he needs to spend time in the weight room. We have plenty of guys in the nine-deep and I just don't see a need for him on the active roster. Let him take a year to develop. We'll be glad we did!

Well..... with the transfer portal ballyhoo, someone will be glad we did.

Norbert Theilssen is A 6-7, 215 forward who can play a variety of ways. He's pretty quick defensively and will not get beat off the dribble. He also appears to be a good and willing rebounder with a very nice shooting touch, but who loves to mix it up inside. With a year of European pro ball already under his belt, he will be a very good player for us this year.

I think you could easily see a line-up featuring 6-7 Justin Bean, 6-7 Norb Theilssen and 6-11 Brandon Horvath, all forwards, starting for the Aggies. Suprisingly, Theilssen would probably be your low post guy and Horvath more of a wing, outside shooter type. USU will run a motion offense, so it really won't matter too much if we have a true center on the floor or not.

From what I have observed, or been told by others who have also watched the basketball team a lot, your top ten players are (*= projected starters):

Sean Bairstow, SG-SF
Steven Ashworth PG
Brandon Horvath F*
RJ Eytle-Rock, SG-SF*
Max Shulga, SG
Rylan Jones PG*
Norbert Thelissen, F*
Brock Miller SG-SF
Trevin Dorius, C
Justin Bean, F*

A lot can happen between now and the first game. But this is what I'm hearing. You can see the entire roster at
https://utahstateaggies.com/sports/mens ... all/roster

This is going to be a really good team.

I'll be shocked if Miller doesn't start if he is healthy. I know the new coach does not owe him any allegiance but he is a veteran starter on the team. Also, if Thelissen starts then you don't have depth for the front court, the only sub you have in your top 10 for Bean/Horvath at that point is Dorius unless Potter and Zapala surprise. I would think Miller starts and Thelissen comes off the bench for Bean/Horvath with Thelissen/Bean/Horvath getting a few minutes together during the game. Otherwise, you have Bairstow/Ashworth/Jones/Eytle-Rock/Shulga/Miller/Thelissen battling for minutes at 3 positions. With Bean/Horvath/Dorius battling for minutes at 2 positions. I'm a fan of Dorius but would rather see him in 10 minutes situationally than requiring 20 minutes taking away minutes from the players at the 1-3 positions.

I hope Zapala is putting in the work. We need him. Dorius is very one dimensional. Miller can come of the bench.

I like the projected lineup in AggiesForever's post.

One of the strengths of this team will be versatility. Bairstow, Thelissen, Bean, and Horvath give us the ability to go super big or small depending on the situation. Smith played his starters heavy minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see minutes more evenly distributed this year given the overall depth and versatility we have on the roster this year.