Men's Basketball Check in...

So.  When last we spoke....well, things were not so good.  There was a lot of turmoil around the Jans departure, which was a traumatic event.  A website called verbalcommits.com listed, as various times, that 7 of BG's players were leaving the program.

The roster has been updated now on the website, and it indicates that BG has lost one player...Delvin Dickerson.  Jovan Austin had his release, seemed to be leaving...then we heard he wasn't and he is still on the roster.

The others reported to be leaving?  Denny,  Gomez, Tisdale, Parker. Still on the roster.

I never really wrote very much on the "departures" because I don't like to talk about our players--who are people--unless it is something I observed or is from a 3rd party post.  Even when verbalcommits has a commit, I look for something that confirms it...usually the player's own twitter feed.  (Once, even this got me off the right path, but enough about that).

I have no idea...for all I know those guys did intend to leave at some time.  Until they have a release, they aren't going.

Anyway, BG did lose two of the three signees.  Jalone Friday went to Abilene Christian--and Jamir Andrews is going to Albany. Malik Hluchoweckyj stayed with BG...and then Demajeo Wiggins and Wesley Alcegaire signed are on the roster and Antwon Lillard is committed but is not on the roster yet.

This is how BG stacks up:

G:  Hluchoweckyj, Denny, Joseph, Austin, Tisdale, Alcegaire, Fox, Busutilli.  (Also Lillard)
F:  Wiggins, Parker, Worrell and Mayleben.
C:  Gomez

Obviously, you have a big hole down low, which is something we knew was going to happen but got worse with Dickerson leaving.  Some of the guards--Tisdale, Lillard, Denny--have the ability to play 3... but not 4.

Two early keys.  I thought Josh Gomez improved late in the year.  If Huger can give the the old Big Apple to Big Apple coach-up, that would be huge.  And we have not seen a lot out of Rasheed Worrell so we don't know what to expect, but any contribution from him would be big.

The team will still have 4 seniors and 4 juniors, so not too young.  Anyway, lots more to come on that in the future, but for now that's the state of play as I know it.