As we move into the meat of our schedule in conference, we will need to improve to be a true national title contender. Sure, we are a very solid basketball team right now but we probably couldn't compete with the likes of UCLA and North Carolina in a game tomorrow. I might be too cynical, but we still do need to improve.
Brandon Rush - Shoot More
Now, I'm not saying that he should go all Kobe on us and shoot 20+ times a game. Still, Brush is probably our purest scorer, and he should at least have stretches of dominance. As I have talked about before in this blog, at least once or twice a game he needs to have a minute stretch where he takes every shot. While most youngsters are too selfish, he passes up shots too much and he needs to become more of a scorer for us to take the next step.
Mario Chalmers - Become Super Mario
Super Mario is our most valuable player game by game, and he needs to keep this up for us to take the next step to elite status. He isn't quite as talented as Slim Shady, Julian or Brush, but he is amazing on the defensive side of the ball and if he continues to score like he has been doing, our team will be that much better.
Julian Wright - Don't Disappear in Games
Everyone who watched the Florida game knows just how good this kid can be. He single-handidly kept us in the game in the 1st half, and while we can't expect him to play that well every single game, he has to not disappear like scoring 5 points against Detroit. That can't happen, he needs to be that complimentary scorer down in the post, not by being a traditional post scorer but by playing his game.
Russell Robinson - Don't Get Sick
While he was under the weather against Rhode Island, our offense did better. Some people believe that RR is holding our offense back, but that is as far from the truth as possible. RR is the "glue" of this team, and if we were without him for an extended period of time we would be in big trouble. Just stay healthy RR, us at RCT love you.
Sasha Kaun - Become an Inside Prescence
Now, I think that Sasha might be the most important person for our move from a really good to a great team. He is the only guy on our team, now that CJ has left us, that can be a true inside presence, something we might need come Tournament time. According to the poll over on the right side of the screen, you guys agree with me that he should be the 5th starter, so he should take full advantage of that position and become a true inside presence.
Darrell Arthur - Don't Commit Stupid Fouls
Slim Shady has been more than impressive as a freshman, especially in the Florida game wher ehe was our most consistent scorer late in the 2nd half and in overtime. He is still very young, but he needs not to get in foul trouble early in games and basically take himself out of the game. He has improved on this a lot since he has been sitting on the bench in favor of Sasha Kaun, but it is still something he could definately work on.
Darnell Jackson - Don't Accept Money
I can't think of anything major wrong with Darnell's play, so just don't take any more money and get suspended in the beginning of the season. He is the big guy off the bench this team needs, with all of the athleticism and talent we have at all of the positions we need a guy to come in and do all the dirty work. Darnell is the perfect guy for this team, so just keep on doing what you do DJ and you'll be fine.
Sherron Collins - Be More Consistent
Now, I know this is a hell of a lot to ask of a freshman, but with the way he played against Rhode Island after RR went out, he proved he can be a major contributor. At least while RR isn't at 100%, SC needs to get more minutes and become a solid guy off of the bench. Right now he can be that guy, but sometimes he just commits stupid turnovers and his shooting is streaky. Still, SC figures to be a major contributor next season, so just work on becoming a consistent threat the rest of this year.