Wufan wrote:Drakey wrote:Jensen will be pushed hard by Olejniczak. I think the Bulldogs would be better with him in the lineup immediately, but I'm sure it won't happen. Drake should be playing at least ten guys through all of the non-conference as it does not appear that there is much separation.
Two interesting things in this post:
1. Drake has two young 7 footers that can play. I've seen some highlights of the incoming Eurofrosh, and the kid is agile, coordinated and skilled. Good chance that the Bulldogs dominate the paint often.
2. No separation between first string and second string. The problem I see here is that most of the talent seems like second string talent. Most of the guys are freshman and sophomores so improvement could be coming in leaps and bounds in some players, but Drake needs a go-to star (probably two) to elevate above middle of the conference. It seems that everyone on the team is either a wing guard or a center.
Woodward and Abrahamson I suspect will be good players. Both are P5 transfers and are older than the majority of the team.
1. Bulldogs also have soph-to-be Kory Kuenstling who is 6'11", and has added about 25 of muscle since he got to Drake. He will probably redshirt this year, and I expect that he'll add another 15-20 pounds of muscle by time of the 2016-17 season. Then, at the 4 position, Drake has three freshmen, all between 6'8" and 6'10". I think you might be onto something about Drake dominating the post.....but, they're very, very young.
2. Little to no separation between first and second team is a mixed blessing. As you mentioned, there's no one standout, all-conference type player. But, it leads to very spirited battles in practice, as nobody has a guaranteed starting spot. There are a few players who do have star potential...I would say Timmer, Olejniczak, and believe it or not, Arogundade, who was somewhat disappointing as a freshman last season.
Your comment about all centers and wing guards.....we've had that discussion many times over on Drakenation. Drake is certainly missing the athletic 6'5" to 6'7" guys that every other MVC team has, and overall, team quickness on Drake isn't very good. Bulldog fans have to hope that the great size of the team can overcome the lack of quickness. Also, an incredibly young team. Only 1 senior and 2 juniors, and the senior (Karl Madison) probably won't play much.
Abrahamson and Woodward....I think both will be decent MVC players, but I don't see either one as a star. I think Woodward has more potential of the 2. Abrahamson is in a really unique situation, one that I'm not sure I've seen before. He has two seasons left to play, and he's already graduated.
Posted: August 9th, 2015, 5:22 am