Most of those who are cynical (including Zach) of this team’s prospects are so because of the: (1) lingering taste of too many years of disappointment; and (2) a perception that this coaching staff has underachieved, on multiple levels). (To a lesser extent, there is some skepticism attributable to the unproven frontcourt, but I think it’s a distant third to the other two reasons.)
Just look at this collection of talent, including the BE pre-season player of the year; a member of last year’s all-SEC 2nd team; transfers from other top programs (e.g, MSU, Arizona, South Carolina) who were top 100 high school recruits; a junior college all-American; a mid-major conference’s newcomer of the year. If one were to replace the SJU logo with that of a school with a proven staff and history of winning I believe that today’s cynics would instead be predicting a likely deep run in the NCAA tournament. It all comes down to coaching (including instilling discipline and inspiring energetic play) and perception — the forner of which can change the latter.
In my 35+ years of being a diehard fan, I have rarely been this optimistic. Other than at the perennial blue-bloods, this really is as good as one could hope as far as student-athletes (personnel).
