Added a few things to the notes I posted in another thread:
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IMO not good news on the injuries, especially KK
My wife has gone through foot problems for years. She suffered a Liz Franc fracture. There was a failure to identify the fracture at first and consequently she has permanent disability. I know these young athletes have the best of care, but it still concerns me to hear KKs problem is lingering
Coach Muss has dealt with injury issues, both major and minor, his first 2 seasons here. Hopefully all these guys can get healthy enough this pre-season and we get thru a relatively injury-free season for once.
Glad to hear Connor’s gained some of the weight back he lost when he was sick.
Can’t wait to see Umude and Lykes play.
Really like the makeup of this team but Connor and Jaylin both need to elevate their games to replace Justin Smith’ absence in the paint.
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Obviously, we will not know how good our team chemistry is until we play a few games and see how the team responds to adversity. If this team can mesh, I can see that they can compete and win with other top teams.
On paper, the only thing that concerns me is the play and depth of the front court. I believe that J Will will be a top big man, but I think rhat we will need to find some aggressive rebounders and players can score inside to help him with our bigger opponents. K Johnson has some size and apparently has a knack for physical play. When Trey Wade recovers from his knee injury, he should be able to contribute inside. And of course, Conner can help in some situations with his 3 point shooting and his 7’3”” height. Don’t worry though. We will be a devastating “small ball” team that can play great defense with quick rebounders and can score in big runs.
We will be a strong contender for the SEC title and I predict that we will make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. After another strong year, Arkansas will reclaim it’s place as a basketball blue blood and will be a contender for a Final Four every year.
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Yep, need Wade to heal quickly. He’s as close to a replacement for Justin Smith this team has, at least in terms of physical build.
Hopefully, Jaylin’s sore knee won’t be a season-long issue.
Overall quickness and perimeter shooting should be much improved over last season.
Arkansas will be able to put three All-Conference players on the court in Lykes, Umude, and Toney plus Devo. I think this team will easily score 90+ ppg. Loads of offensive talent. How the new players buy-in to Muss’ defense-first philosophy will determine how far this team can go. On paper, this has the makings of a final 4 team.
Frontcourt depth is a potential issue I see with this team. It might not even be an issue if Jaylin and Connor can stay healthy thru the course of the season.
On paper, this looks like Muss’ best team talent-wise so far, even w/o Moses and Justin. The injury bug is the only thing I see that could possibly derail this team from having a hugely successful season.
Forgot that Johnson was 3rd team All-Sun Belt at ualr. Nice mix of talent/skill + experience.
Can’t wait for season to start.
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