Another season on the brink; it always seems that we are either a year away or a year behind. What would this team have been like with an outside shooter like Carlino (a year behind) or Rowsey (a year away)? What would that Marquette team, coming off an elite 8, have been with Vander Blue and a monster recruiting class including Jameel McKay?

I like this team and it has pretty much performed in a manner I thought it would. Experience cannot be taught only learned and this year’s trials will serve this team well next year. Frankly, I’ve been impressed with the way this team has held up in tight games and their solid performance is validated by their record. Sure there were some losses that are tough to swallow (DePaul @ home comes immediately to mind) but there’s a good chance this team finishes 9-9 (I had predicted 10-8). The unforeseen, as others have pointed out, has been Seton Hall and Creighton being significantly better than expected (although with Whitehead, Rodriguez and Degado the Hall shouldn’t have been that big or a surprise).

Next year will be different but I think it’s fully reasonable to expect a return to the NCAA tournament. Henry is gone. Get over it. The way he’s been physically assaulted who could blame him. If you’re going to be roughed up every night you might as well get paid. So thanks Henry for being a part of the program, behaving with class and playing at such a high level. I do hope Wally comes back. Is he a star? Of course not but he does bring an energy and spirit that is needed and let’s not shortchange him as a player, the dude has some game.

I think we’re going to see a 4 out 1 in offensive set and I expect JaJuan Johnson to have a breakout season. We’ve already seen the start of it late this year. This was a dude whose confidence had been shattered and has now been rebuilt. Let’s not forget this young man was a top 40 recruit. Duane Wilson will be another year older and wiser and I expect more of the moments of brilliance (of which he is capable) and fewer of the infuriating mental errors of which he is also capable. Cheatham will go down as one of the best to play at MU when everything is said and done and, were it not for an amazing season by Henry, we would all be talking much more about what a great season he has compiled. I think Rowsey will be a real difference maker. This is not Jake Thomas (not to take anything away from Jake). Rowsey averaged 19 per game in a D1 conference and saved his best games for the best competition. Unlike Jake, there were a number of D1 programs (including N C State, Cincy and Virginia Tech) who wanted him.

I’ve seen people ripping Traci on twitter which is just mind boggling to me. For a frosh he’s done quite well and that was before dropping 10 dimes in yesterday’s game vs Villanova. I think between Traci, Rowsey, Duane and Haney we’re pretty set for depth at guard. That said I take Markus Howard in a New York minute.

As for the frontcourt Luke will need to come up big and I think he has it in himself to do so. Cheatham, as noted, has already established himself and his just scratching his potential. The reclamation project will be Sandy Cohen who seems to have regressed and is clearly lacking confidence. There are definitely minutes there for Sam Hauser and I think we’ll see Matt Heldt emerge to play meaningful minutes in the post. Sacr remains a mystery to me. He’s shown some athleticism and might need to see some minutes at the 4 next year.

As for other issues, I see a lot of hate for the Badgers. Maybe it comes from never having lived in Wisconsin either before or after my 4 years @ MU but I really don’t care about the Badgers. That said they’re crazy if they don’t hire Gard who could, very easily, be named Big 10 coach of the year. People get pretty spun up about the moronic comments made by their fan base. Hey after 40+ years of ineptitude they’re finally experiencing some sustained success. Good for them; let’s see how long it lasts.

We do need to upgrade the schedule significantly. I do hope that this year's schedule was in place largely in recognition of this being the 8th youngest team in D1. That said we simply cannot afford to carry the number of low RPI teams because those victories do little to enhance our reputation. I would also like to see some geographic diversity in scheduling like maybe a couple of home and home series with Pac-10 or SEC/ACC schools (hey maybe even a home and home with a West Coast non-major like Gonzaga, San Diego State or St. Mary's).

I like where Coach Wojciechowski is taking this program. I like the quality (both on the court and off) of the individuals he’s brought into the program as well as those he is recruiting. I’m quite optimistic about the future and look forward to see how it unfolds.