SBC Preview - FIU Golden Panthers
Take A Knee’s 2009-10 SBC Basketball Preview
Florida International Golden Panthers
Probable Starters:
PG. Phil Gary, Jr. 5’10” 175 Jr.
(19.0ppg @ Malcolm X College)
SG. Antoine Watson 6’4” 200 Jr.
(24.8ppg, 8.4rpg, 5.6apg @ Redlands CC)
SF. Marvin Roberts 6’5” 210 Jr.
(29.6ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.9apg @ Redlands CC)
PF. Cedrick Essola 6’9” 210 Sr.
(4.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 0.6apg)
C. Nikola Gacesa 6’9” 235 Sr.
(10.0ppg, 4.6rpg, 0.8apg)
FIU Certainties:
Fresh talent. On paper, Isiah Thomas landed one hell of a recruiting class.
Redlands CC teammates Watson and Roberts both finished in the top 5 in all of NJCAA in scoring last season. Plus, Watson shot a ridiculous 72% (54-75) from three last season.
Gary will be pushed at the point by Stephon Weaver (6’3” 180 Jr.), a former Arkansas State signee, who is in his first season with the Panthers from Connor State.
At Christmas break, Temple transfer Martavis Keys (6’2” 190 Soph) will become eligible and give Thomas another perimeter weapon.
FIU Questions:
Coaching. Basketball Hall of Famer or not, Thomas has yet to prove, at any level, that he can handle the responsibilities of a head coach.
Even with all the influx of talent, Thomas is going to have to rely heavily on returnees. Sergio Rouco guys, many of whom Thomas immediately ostracized upon his arrival (Aspirilla, Soto). In order for FIU to have success, Thomas is going to have to blend a varied group of players brought in under different coaching regimes; a daunting task for even the most experienced and talented of coaches.
A Nice Luxury Would Be:
Continued development from Gacesa.
The only returning starter, Nikola Gacesa has developed into a very consistent secondary offensive contributor with his perimeter shooting from the 4/5 position. His role in the offense shouldn’t change too much.
But now, without the likes of Russell Hicks and Freddy Aspirilla, Gacesa will have to contribute more on the inside and on the defensive end- especially in the rebounding category.
This Team is Special If…:
Enough 17-21 year old kids associate Thomas’s name with something other than ruining the Knicks, sexually harassing ugly women, and being an AIDS denier.
Thomas is pulling some significant talent. This season from just the JUCO ranks… But he has also landed commitments from 3 highly sought after 2010 freshmen, including one of the top 100 recruits in the nation.
I don’t think Thomas can coach… At all. But there may come a point where the Mike Brown phenomenon overcomes Isiah’s limitations, and Miami rejoices as the talent completely overwhelms the coaching.
Email the author: jhemingway.sbc@gmail.com
the mike brown phenomenon??? is that the interwebs famous dahbeed ‘80/20 tipping point ratio of talent/coaching’???
that’s what i’ve been trying to ’splain to folks in topper land. i’m not so sure it’s not 85/15 or even 90/10. many folks like to argue they believe it is 70/30 but i think that is just to take issue with me. (yes, i believe everything revolves around me even when it doesn’t)
if ‘zeke gets the talent that says they’re coming he can eat sleep aids like m&m’s, blame it on his sister’s cousin and roll a ball out at practice and kick back and enjoy the buzz…they will win in the belt.
Yeah… But if he doesn’t, Florida International basketball may be in for the CBA euthanasia treatment.
I’ve got my fingers crossed for them, and I certainly don’t fault them for rolling the dice with Isiah. The sky’s the limit if he can get it together for them.
But the dude has a storm cloud of failure and destruction that follows him everywhere since his playing career ended. If I were an FIU fan, I’d be very worried about his track record and personal instability.
Maybe if he can bring Laimbeer in from the Timberwolves for thug lessons, they can make it work together. Hell, Bill has a couple of WNBA rings… At least he can work somewhere without killing the whole operation.
“Hell, Bill has a couple of WNBA rings… At least he can work somewhere without killing the whole operation.”
Um, try buying Detroit tix next year.