Well done, Ashley. The trip to Florida was a learning experience for the younger Bears, and also for the newer ones. I expected better outcomes against Ole Miss, but you cannot miss so many three point shots and prevail. I thought Ole Miss was tough defensively, particularly in the early going, but the Bears got into more of a comfort zone by the end of the first quarter and did a good job of hanging in -- they just couldn't get over the hump because they did not shoot well. McClure disappeared in that game, and while he was outstanding in the game against lesser competition the following day, he cannot have those kinds of games if Baylor is going to have much of a season.
I am looking forward to the return of Kegler, whose absence was, as you say, a critical one for this team, I cannot argue that our two defeats would have been wins if he had been in the lineup (and even more, Mason in the first loss), because I have not seen Kegler in action other than in practice. I hope that his presence will be as useful to the Bears as you suggest.
These two losses put the Bears in a difficult position going forward. I am not as hopeful about their conference schedule as I was prior to the Ole Miss game....I thought that that game really highlighted some of the weaknesses of this team. I was hoping that Allen would be more of an asset than it now appears that he will be. Bandoo still impresses me as a player who can do some good things when he is on the floor, and I am hoping that he does not get lost in the shuffling that seems to be going on in the effort to find the best combinations.
As for Mayer, we will just have to live with his lack of discipline for awhile. Drew has certainly given him his chance to shine, probably because they needed his height on the front line, but his tendency to turn the ball over is critical. I suspect that Kegler's return will reduce Mayer's minutes, but Drew seems to like him a lot, so we will see. Drew has a tendency to play those individuals who he likes, and particularly when they are a high profile recruit. I predicted that if he stays four years, Mayer will be one of the all-time greats, but right now he needs to learn the difference between Division I college basketball and summer AAU ball. If he cannot figure that out, I would sit him until he acquires just a wee bit of humility and a bit more of an orientation toward team.
I am looking forward to the return of Kegler, whose absence was, as you say, a critical one for this team, I cannot argue that our two defeats would have been wins if he had been in the lineup (and even more, Mason in the first loss), because I have not seen Kegler in action other than in practice. I hope that his presence will be as useful to the Bears as you suggest.
These two losses put the Bears in a difficult position going forward. I am not as hopeful about their conference schedule as I was prior to the Ole Miss game....I thought that that game really highlighted some of the weaknesses of this team. I was hoping that Allen would be more of an asset than it now appears that he will be. Bandoo still impresses me as a player who can do some good things when he is on the floor, and I am hoping that he does not get lost in the shuffling that seems to be going on in the effort to find the best combinations.
As for Mayer, we will just have to live with his lack of discipline for awhile. Drew has certainly given him his chance to shine, probably because they needed his height on the front line, but his tendency to turn the ball over is critical. I suspect that Kegler's return will reduce Mayer's minutes, but Drew seems to like him a lot, so we will see. Drew has a tendency to play those individuals who he likes, and particularly when they are a high profile recruit. I predicted that if he stays four years, Mayer will be one of the all-time greats, but right now he needs to learn the difference between Division I college basketball and summer AAU ball. If he cannot figure that out, I would sit him until he acquires just a wee bit of humility and a bit more of an orientation toward team.