The Future (Version 3.14.09)

Well, gang. It's been over a year since my last post on this blog. But, things have slowed down a bit and I think it's a decent time for me to begin again.

So, I have decided to throw together a little Saturday morning reading for you. With Kansas State's NCAA Tournament hopes all but squandered with a loss to Texas in the Big XII Tournament, Wildcat fans are now shifting their focus slightly to the NIT, but primarily to the 2009-2010 Big XII Season.

Now, I'm not in the media, and I don't get to vote in Preseason Conference polls, so consider this my ballot (way too early) for the shakedown on the 2009-2010 Big XII Conference basketball season.

Underclassmen Leaving

It's easy to shake down a roster and see who is graduating and who isn't, but the really tricky part may be determining which underclassmen will declar early for the NBA Draft. The following is a list of players who I think have an above average shot of declaring early. There may be no greater impact of next year's season than the players on this list:

Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) - The consensus #1 Pick in the Draft. His days in Norman are numbered.

Cole Aldrich (Kansas) - Cole is being projected by many as a Lottery Pick in the year's Draft. That would be an opportunity too great to pass up.

Sherron Collins (Kansas) - People around the Kansas program are saying that Sherron has one eye on the NBA already. I personally don't think he's a good enough player, but then again, that's not my decision to make.

Willie Warren (Oklahoma) - He has apparently caused some turmoil within the Oklahoma program, and Warren is a player that most believed was a one-and-done when he arrived in Norman.

Underclassmen Staying

Craig Brackins (Iowa State) - Probably the best player in the Conference that nobody talks about. In fact, I almost forgot him when I was putting together this list. Brackins is essentially a poor man's Kevin Durant. But look for him to return and team with a couple solid recruits to try and make Iowa State relevant again.

Damion James (Texas) - James could be tempted at the possibility of being a First Round pick in this year's Draft, but ultimately he makes the smart decision and returns to lead Texas for his Senior season.

Denis Clemente (Kansas State) - This may seem crazy, and it probably is. But Clemente is a 4th-year Junior who would likely be a candidate to play International ball. However, that likely isn't an option that Clemente would consider at this point.

Dexter Pittman (Texas) - Perhaps the most improved player in the Conference this year. Pittman has the type of frame that will really catch the eye of an NBA scout. But Pittman is still a bit of a project and will return to Texas for his Senior year to solidify his spot as the Conference's best big man.

James Anderson (Oklahoma State) - A real breakout player in 2008-09. Anderson solidified himself as one of the elite players in this Conference, and in my opinion he was deserving of a spot on the Big XII First Team. He comes back for his Junior year with an even greater hunger and may be the top player in the Conference next year.

The All-Newcomer Team

Now that we have discussed who may be going and staying, it's time to take a look at the very best players who will be entering the Big XII next season.

All-Newcomer First Team

Avery Bradley (Texas) - Texas will be looking for help with the loss of A.J. Abrams. Bradley has drawn comparisons to former Wake Forest guard Chris Paul and will provide instant offense for the Longhorns.

Chris Colvin (Iowa State) - He is one of my sleepers for next year. This kid is an excellent point guard, and with teams focusing on Craig Brackins, Colvin will be able to shine.

Christian Standhardinger (Nebraska) - Who? Standhardinger is a very long wing from Germany who can play some in the post. He played on Germany's Junior National team and put up some huge numbers. Doc Sadler will be looking for some scoring with some key losses to graduation.

Curtis Kelly (Kansas State) - The former Five Star recruit for UConn finds that a change of scenery really does him well in Manhattan. He will provide the Wildcats with a post presence that they sorely need.

Keith Gallon (Oklahoma) - The Sooners will have a couple of options for trying to replace the production of Blake Griffin, and Gallon is one of the most polished big men in the country on the offensive end.

All-Newcomer Second Team

Cory Jefferson (Baylor)
Raymond Penn (Oklahoma State)
Jai Lucas (Texas)
Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
Wally Judge (Kansas State)

The All-Conference Team

Well, this one should be fairly simple. Or at least the first team. It may look a little familiar to you:

All-Conference First Team

Craig Brackins (JR) - Iowa State - Brackins is an elite scorer, and the type of player who can single handedly put an entire team on his back and will them to victory. Brackins will put up monster numbers again next year.

Damion James (SR) - Texas - Texas is poised for a huge run next year, and James will be the focal point of that run.

Denis Clemente (SR) - Kansas State - Clemente has proven that he is capable of scoring in bunches this year. He will remain the quickest player in the league, if not the country, and some key post additions will keep opposing defenses from being able to extend their defenses so far.

Dexter Pittman (SR) - Texas - Pittman is capable of being a dominant big man. He has shown flashes, though some inconsistency. One more year of offseason conditioning should allow Pittman to fully develop into the force that he can be.

James Anderson (JR) - Oklahoma State - It was a shame that Anderson wasn't selected to the First Team this year. But next year he should really be the primary focus of the Oklahoma State offense.

All-Conference Second Team

Juan Patillo (SR) - Oklahoma
Cory Higgins (JR) - Colorado
Lacedarius Dunn (JR) - Baylor
Marshall Moses (JR) - Oklahoma State
Tyshawn Taylor (SO) - Kansas

All-Conference Third Team

Josh Roberson (JR) - Texas Tech
Donald Sloan (SR) - Texas A&M
Jacob Pullen (JR) - Kansas State
J.T. Tiller (SR) - Missouri
Tony Crocker (JR) - Oklahoma

Honorable Mention

Avery Bradley (Texas), Bryan Davis (Texas A&M), Curtis Kelly (Kansas State), John Roberson (Texas Tech), Marcus Denmon (Missouri), Mario Little (Kansas), Tweety Carter (Baylor)

Preseason Team Rankings

Alright, this is the part that everyone wants to know. Remember, I am using all of my predictions above as a basis for these rankings. And, of course, all of that is subject to change. A guy that I have pegged for the NBA deciding to come back to school (or vice versa) would throw a giant wrench in the spokes. But don't worry, I will revisit this in a few months when all the dust has settled:

1. Texas - If you haven't gathered by now that I'm a big fan of the team Texas will put on the floor next year, then you haven't been paying very close attention. In a Conference that will really lack an abundance of talented big men, Dexter Pittman and Clint Chapman should really be able to pose matchup problems for opposing teams. Damion James and Gary Johnson make up probably the most talented wing combo in the Conference, and incoming freshman Avery Bradley is an elite scoring guard who can also distribute who should team with Florida transfer Jai Lucas to give Texas a formidible guard combo. As with most years, Texas will be as good as Texas wants to be.

2. Kansas - Until they prove otherwise, Kansas is always deserving of being one of the top two teams in the Conference. They won the regular season crown this year despite losing all five starters off of last years National Championship Team. Replacing Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich will be difficult, but I expect Tyshwan Taylor to step up and be the man at Kansas. Ther are a host of big men who can platoon and replace the production lost from Aldrich. And with the amount of effort Bill Self gets from his teams, Kansas will have plenty of talent to again compete for a Conference Championship.

3. Oklahoma State - This one may be a bit of a suprise. I really like Travis Ford as a coach, and what he has been able to do with this year's version of the Cowboys has been phenomenal. Considering he completely changed the style of play from the Sutton/Sutton Era, Fordhas proven to me he is a capable coach in the Conference. The Cowboys lose only Byron Eaton and Terrel Harris, and will add a very nice recruiting class to the Conference's best all-around player in James Anderson.

4. Kansas State - The Wildcats return what is probably the most dynamic backcourt combination in the Conference with Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen both coming back. UConn transfer Curtis Kelly and McDonald's All-American Wally Judge will give the Wildcats what they hope will be the post presence that was missing from this years team. We know Frank Martin is a master motivator and I would expect that with a more talented team than this past season, the Wildcats will really be able to make some noise next season.

5. Oklahoma - The Sooners will likely lose their top two scorers in Blake Griffin and Willie Warren, but do return a very nice supporting cast of players and add to it the second best recruiting class in the Conference. Of course, this is assuming Jeff Capel stays put in Norman and doesn't bolt back to the East Coast. But in a guard oriented league, Oklahoma will still have plenty of firepower to give several teams a run for their money.

6. Texas A&M - For starters, I'm not sold on Mark Turgeon as a competent coach in this Conference. That said, despite losing thei best player Josh Carter, the Aggies still return plenty complimentary players. Junior Elonu and Bryan Davis should also give them matchup edges against some of the smaller teams in the Conference.

7. Missouri - In year three, Mike Anderson finally got his Tiger ball club to turn a corner. Unfortunately for Missouri fans, the main elements of that turn-around will be graduating. While Missouri will return enough solid players to remain relevant, they don't have the talent waiting in the wings to be expected to compete at the level they did this year.

8. Baylor - Scott Drew's club is in the midst of one of the greatest runs in Big XII Conference Tournament history. But, like Missouri, many of the key contributors to that run will be leaving. Tweety Carter and Lacedarius Dunn are streaky enough to allow the Bears to beat any team in the Conference. However, they are also streaky enough to allow them to lose to any team in the Conference. They do not bring the same level of consistency defensively as Missouri, which is why Missouri gets the 7th spot with Baylor landing here.

9. Iowa State - Craig Brackins is the best scorer in the Conference. He can single-handedly keep the Cyclones in many games. They add some nice pieces to the puzzle through the recruiting process, and although the Hilton Coliseum Magic isn't what it used to be, there still isn't a team in the Conference that goes to Ames without a little doubt in the back of their minds.

10. Texas Tech - The talent is there for the Red Raiders to be a force in this Conference. Unfortunately Pat Knight is still feeling his way around in the darkness cast by the shadow of his father. But Tech returns three players who are capable of puttin gup huge scoring numbers on a given night, and they will beat some of the teams at the top of the Conference next year.

11. Nebraska - Doc Sadler is a very good coach. Nebraska loses their top player in Ade Dagunduro, and while they will still play hard and compete in every game, they will lack the scoring ability to be much of a threat to most teams.

12. Colorado - Same song, different verse for the Buffaloes. Cory Higgins is a very good player who is utilized incorrectly in Coach Jeff Bzdelik's offense. The Buffaloes will again struggle to put 5 competent players on the court, and the Coors Event Center is the least threatening environment in the entrie Big XII.