In looking at this team for next year, they lose 3 starters from the starting lineup: An All-Summit 1st team player in Marlon, A solid starter in Walter who came on in his last year, and Billy who was a glue guy who can knock down a 3.
Lets look at the situation by classes:
Seniors: As of now, UND has 2 seniors on scholarship with Panoam and Saddler. As I have say many times, there hasn't been a lot of production from this class. Panoam was the first point guard off of the bench for parts of the season, but then lost his minutes to Davids and then was limited to mop up duty. Saddler was basically in mop up duty, minus the 24 minutes against North Central and the game against ORU when Rebraca was out. We don't know as of yet of their plans but I would expect similar roles for both next year.
Juniors: As of now, UND has 2 Juniors* on scholarship and 1 walk-on. This class has lost 3 players to transfers. Lets start with the known quantity: Rebraca. He stepped up in a lot of areas as his first full year as a starter was very good. An All-Summit Honorable mentioned (although a case could be made he should have been 2nd team). He averaged a little over 14 points per game and just under 9 rebounds a game. He is a guy that I think has another level to him and can be a potential POY candidate next year and could average a double-double next year. Free throw percentage improved, but I think he can continue to work on that to get above 70%. I also think he needs to put on a little more muscle to deal with some of the heavier bigs in the league. Working on his touch and that 12-15 foot jump shot would be great.
Now lets discuss the unknown: Igbanugo started to get more minutes late in the season and had some moments in Sioux Falls. Will see what he decides to do but I think he will stick around and continue to carve out a role. The big question mark here is Moody. Lost most of last year due to injury. When does he come back? Is he even cleared to do basketball activities? What will be his role going forward? He definitely is a weapon off the bench from an offensive standpoint but his defense needs to be worked on. What role will he play on next years team? Starter or Bench?
Sophomores: As of now, UND has 3 scholarship players here, all played a role as freshman and all 3 need to take steps up in their sophomore campaigns. DAE stepped on the court and made an impact on Day 1. He broke Troy Huff's freshman scoring record and showed a lot of potential to become a star in the conference. I felt he was robbed of a spot on the all-newcomer team. He averaged just under 14 points a game and 5 rebounds. With that said, this is a big offseason for him. He needs to work on his dribbling and his outside shot quite a bit. Like Rebraca, he could also be a potential POY candidate down the line. I think he could go down as UND's all time leading scorer when it is all said and done. He will have to adjust to being more of the focal point of the offense and being treated as such. It will also help that he won't be recovering from an injury this summer.
G was mainly the first big off of the bench whenever Walter or Rebraca got in foul trouble. He shows some flashes but was also the game seemed a little fast for him at times. When he did get big minutes (replacing Rebraca in the starting lineup against ORU) he played pretty well. I see a lot of growth coming from him in this offseason and will be excited to see how he has changes from freshman to sophomore season. He will be asked to do a lot more and wouldn't be shocked if he slid into the starting lineup at the 4 spot. I like his range and his shot at the free throw line. I think he needs to keep getting stronger and have the game slow down for him a lot more.
Brady was the first guy off the bench and this will be a role he will likely play in next year as well. He was a guy who played hard and was a glue guy off the bench. He also showed a knack for making a big play on both sides of the ball (see the USD game in Sioux Falls, you can't teach that) Sather is known for getting the most out of his players so we will see how much he can get out of Brady and how much he grows next year. I would like to see work on his outside shot and continue to hone in his defensive skills. I would love to see him turn into a player that UND fans love but the other teams hate, a true 3 and D guy.
Freshman: This class has 4 members (3 incoming, 1 redshirt). Ramsey is the redshirt and I don't have a lot on him or what impact he will bring to the team. I hope that he can be counted on being at least a rotational player. The incoming freshman might have to be counted on to give at least a similar impact to what the freshman did this year. The headliner is Shockey, who will take over the PG position and there will be a lot of pressure for him to have an impact Day 1. Bergan will play the Walter role and more than likely be the first big off the bench. My sleeper is Ihrenacho, the combo-guard from Prior Lake. I think he can handle the ball a little bit but can also be an impact from the bench as well. If this class can come in ready to make an impact, that will help tremendously.
Still a need for another point guard and another big with the two open scholarships (according to verbals). If you asked me right now what is the big key for next year... look at the Sophomore class. Can DAE take the next step to stardom? Can G step up and be a solid starter? Can Brady develop into a reliable threat off the bench? If UND can answer yes to those three questions.... I don't see why they can't compete for a top 3 spot in the Summit. Would it shock me if they finished with a similar record next year? No.
*For now, we will treat Moody as a Junior until officially told otherwise.
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