Final Grades

A.J. Price. A-. He had a great season, which ended badly. He came out of his shell and found his game, but he struggled down the stretch. He flourishes against man to man defenses, but has yet to figure out the zone. Where would this team be without him though?

Jeff Adrien A-. Adrien had a solid year. Coming out of the box slow, he hit his double-double stride through the middle of the year. He had to defend bigger and quicker offensive players, and came to play. He was the heart and sole of the defense. He was the only legitimate low post threat all year and still produced, but had trouble figuring out the double team.

Hasheem Thabeet. B. He has improved leaps and bounds from last year. Yeah, you know he was going to block the hell out of the ball, but his improvement at the free throw line, rebounding, finishing plays, and playing with passion is impressive. One word for him, potential. He needs to develop some go to moves in the post. He seems to be thinking to much, instead of reacting.

Stanley Robinson. B. Unlike his disastrous last year, Stanley has been able to consistently place his stamp on a game. Long gone are the invisible man days. He rebounds with tenacity, and has flourished his outside game. He is more active defensively, but fouls way to much.

Craig Austrie. B-. Credit goes to Austrie for playing out of position, and doing it well, but down the stretch his shot wasn’t there, hitting 5 of 16. He is mostly a three point shooter and if he is clanking those, his game isn’t the same. He is a clutch free throw shooter and an asset, but he needs to be more consistent from deep.

Doug Wiggins. C. Where there is smoke there is fire. Wiggins has improved in dribbling and creating havoc on defense but his shooting is to streaky. There are stretches where he hesitates, and passes up good looks. He also dribbles into trouble.

Gavin Edwards. B. He has securely locked down a position on the team. He has good footwork, blocks shots, and can hit an outside shot. He needs to be a solid rebounder.

Jerome Dyson. D. The game really is 90% mental. Jerome could not find his stroke all year and made some horrible mental judgments. There is no denying his skills, and tenacity, but he couldn’t find his game. He drove when he should have pulled up, passed the ball when he should have drove, or didn’t fight through a screen. This next year will be make or break for Dyson.

Jonathan Mandeldove. C. He played in two minute spurts, but showed some positives. He needs to bulk up and be able to push his weight around.

Curtis Kelly. D. I don’t know what happened to Kelly during the middle of the season. His minutes began to get gobbled up by Gavin and Mandeldove. Then his season came to an abrupt end on an injury. He has been in a funk for awhile and is lacking in confidence. He has all the skills to become a player, but hasn’t been able to put it together.

Donnell Beverly. C+. He did what he had to do. He didn't turn the ball over, played under control when on the court, and made some outside shots. He just hasn't had the minutes to show his stuff.