Houston's system keeps expectations sky high even as Final Four stars move on

Cougar Basketball
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Good article. I’ve been thinking a lot about the guards this year. By far, the biggest net loss will be Jarreau as a facilitator. But I am very interested in seeing how Sasser does as a PG. As @pesik pointed out a lot over the last year, Sasser’s perimeter shooting numbers weren’t great because he spent so much time trying to create his own shot and taking off-balance 3s. If he’s playing the role of primary facilitator this year, having Edwards as a primary catch and shoot guy, and some front court guys who can actually provided a threat to score in the post, the hope is that defenses will need to contract somewhat in the middle and rotational perimeter passing will provide better catch and shoot looks for Sasser. The same would be true for Edwards and Mark. I can see a scenario where our offense is much better/more efficient than last years even while losing Grimes and Jarreau.

But all that said, by far the biggest net gain will be a fully healthy Fabian. I expect a monster year from him, the likes of which we haven’t seen in the front court since Devin Davis. I can’t wait for the season to start!

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I still think Shead will see a lot of time at point…

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Yes, I liked Sampson’s quote about him, specifically mentioning shooting. If the game slows down for Shead this year and he can shoot it from outside, that would be a huge bonus for us.

For those without a subscription, this is what CKS said about Shead:

“We like him a lot,” Sampson said. “We think he’s athletically really good, he’s got basketball IQ, toughness, guarding purpose, shooting. He’s a good player.”

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My takeaways

  • Sasser’s improvement at the point will be huge
  • Francis is going to be good
  • Taze and Shead are going to provide good depth this year if they pan out as expected
  • Powell maybe in the portal at the end of the season
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I don’t really like discussing portal before the season but curious why you came to that conclusion?
Keep in mind after this season there will be no Carlton, White and possibly Carlton Chaney.

Now if Francis has does pass him I can see that happening or if we bring in another new comer that jumps him immediately.

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