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Post by soljah808 on Oct 30, 2024 10:31:48 GMT -5
And even aside from their pure talent, the amount of time they’ll have together is huge. With the exceptions of Kearney (either redshirt or Serving Specialist) and Wheels (most likely redshirt), all of them are very likely to start this year. Tread coming in early honestly hurts them, with only having 3 years together, if he had come in this year like originally planned, 4 years with a mostly consistent lineup throughout would put these guys on another level, especially in their Jr/Sr seasons. That said I wonder how often the goal in college teams is for a team to be one class heavy. On one side, 4 years together could make a crazy difference in building a championship dynasty. On the flip side, dealing with the drop off if they all graduate at the same time has to also be a consideration. Add Justin Todd to that 4-year list. JT is on the USA U21 National team and has been in the USAV pipeline for years, he and Tread have known each other for a long time, since Tread lived in Austin and Justin lived in Houston. He trained with Alex Nikolov and the Italian pro team Volley Lube this summer and has aspirations to play professionally. Keep in mind coach Charlie develops a deep talented roster but also wide, meaning players can shift roles and responsibilities over time and situations.  For example, Cole Hogland played Oppo/MB, Taylor Averill played as a setter and MB. Coach Wade told Finn from the beginning that he wanted him as an OH. Finn is a very good lefty with a killer serve, he'll likely play and not redshirt this year. Ofek is a great middle but also a great all-around player so he may fit as a pin as well. JT is a great pin but could also fit well as a big and powerful MB.  I like Charlie's idea of moving Finn to the left not only because of his height but because i trust his and Milan's instincts. Remember when Stijn was killing it at Oppo but they made the bold idea to put him on the left? The rest was history after that. Even when they moved Averill from setter to middle. I trust the coaches on this one. |
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Post by cosmo on Oct 30, 2024 13:26:43 GMT -5
And even aside from their pure talent, the amount of time they’ll have together is huge. With the exceptions of Kearney (either redshirt or Serving Specialist) and Wheels (most likely redshirt), all of them are very likely to start this year. Tread coming in early honestly hurts them, with only having 3 years together, if he had come in this year like originally planned, 4 years with a mostly consistent lineup throughout would put these guys on another level, especially in their Jr/Sr seasons. That said I wonder how often the goal in college teams is for a team to be one class heavy. On one side, 4 years together could make a crazy difference in building a championship dynasty. On the flip side, dealing with the drop off if they all graduate at the same time has to also be a consideration. I think the bigger question is if we can keep them for all four years, something i have to think factored into the decision to bring in Rosenthal a year early. We were blessed to be able to have Chakas for as long as we did, he could easily have gone pro after his junior year. Hazan, Roure and Titryski in particular I can see leaving early to turn pro. I think having a core seven plays a pretty big role in that, the 22-23 team being the example in my head. Over half of the 22 season’s starting 7 could have gone pro after their championship. But knowing all 7 would return together is something I believe played a role in all choosing to stay. Meanwhile after 23, Thelle was the only one out of eligibility. But 3 others chose to leave, because the lineup was no longer together. If players choose to go pro early, I think it will be after the target 2027 season (Rosenthal’s Senior and everyone else’s Jr), and I can’t help but think having Rosenthal play till 2028 might keep them together. Although, if they can win a championship in 2026 (Hawaii hosts if I’m not mistaken), I suppose we could see a couple leaving in hopes of making 2028 Olympic teams. |
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Post by Timeless on Oct 31, 2024 17:56:34 GMT -5
 this is about to be the longest two months of my life. Seriously can the men's season start already?! |
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