The '09-'10 Aggies will struggle to live up to the standard set at A&M over the past four years. Over these last four years we have consistently had a dominant inside game with plenty of depth off the bench. We were an inside-outside team that was most successful when going down low, and kicking out to Josh Carter for open 3-pointers. A quick glance at our roster will tell you that this years team is going to be different. We do not have the height that we have had in the past. We return one proven low post scorer in Bryan Davis. We have a potential star in David Loubeau who will start at power forward this season while Davis will move to the five. If Loubeau does not progress, we are really going to struggle on the inside. As it is, with out limited depth if Davis gets into foul trouble we could be in real trouble. We are going to be a guard dominated team with Donald Sloan, Dash Harris, and B.J. Holmes determining the success of our season.

The irony of our predicament, is that this is the kind of team Mark Turgeon has wanted to run his motion offense since he arrived three years ago. Turgeon openly complained about how we had too many post players two years ago in a year when the league was dominated by guard play. The past two seasons were spent attempting to run the motion offense early in the year, then begrudgingly moving back to a hi-lo game in order to take advantage of our size and win conference games. This year we should be a running team that presses people on defense and scores a lot in transition. We really should be Turgeon's type of team. Whether he can win with a guard dominated lineup remains to be seen.

I expect us to start a three guard lineup in most games with Donald Sloan, Derrick Roland, and Dash Harris to get the starting nods. Davis will start at the five and Loubeau will be the four. B.J. Holmes will be the first player off the bench and will likely see more minutes than Roland because he is our best outside shooter and can play either guard spot.

Bryan Davis averaged 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year. We are going to need him to increase those rebounding numbers this year. Davis has a wide array of low post moves and is a good defender on the inside. He needs to learn to move his feet more so he can stay out of foul trouble. He led the team last year by fouling out of four games. We are going to need him to be on the floor 30 minutes per game in conference play. He is probably the most important player on our team.

David Loubeau enters his sophomore season after showing flashes of brilliance as a freshman. He ended the year averaging 4.6 and 3.2. He is going to have to double those numbers this season if we are going to go dancing this year. Loubeau has a great baseline jumper and should be one of the better inside scorers in the conference. He just has to get it done on the court.

Donald Sloan in the uncontested leader of this team. He averaged 11.8 and 3.6 and led the team with 108 assists last season. Sloan's slashing style has given opponents fits for the past three years. Sloan is the best dribble penetrator on the team, although Dash Harris should give him a run for his money this year. Sloan is really a two guard, but has been playing the PG spot on the floor for the past couple of years. With the emergence of Harris, Sloan should be able to concentrate more on scoring this season. Sloan and Roland terrorized opposing teams in HS while running the press. Hopefully we will see much of the same on the court for A&M this year. I expect Sloan to up his point total closer to 15 per game this year. He and Holmes are the two who will have the ball in their hand with the game on the line. 

Derrick Roland is the best defender in the Big 12. He should excel even more this season as Turgeon utilizes the press more. Roland is good for a three pointer or two during a game. He is a great athlete and slashes to the basket well, he is just not a consistent finisher. Roland averaged 6.3 and 2.5 last season. The switch to a guard dominated transition offense and defense should really benefit Roland.

Dash Harris is a bigtime dribble penetrator who will be counted on to direct our offense this year. Harris is very effective and being a true point guard and getting everyone else involved. His biggest struggles last year occurred when he was asked to actually shoot the ball. He spent the off season working on his jump shot. We do not need Harris to be a bigtime scorer for us. He needs to hit the open jump shot, and direct the offense. I expect Harris to average 5-6 assists per game and to improve his scoring average to 5-7 points per game. The most important this is that he get his teammates involved in transition and hit his free throws. Harris' play this season will probably determine more than any player on the team, whether we are a competitive team in the conference, or an also ran who scrapes by to a winning season and a NIT bid. 

B.J. Holmes is one of the best 3-pt shooters in the conference and should make teams pay when they double Davis and Loubeau down low. Holmes can play the point, the two, and is a very good defender. Now that Josh Carter has graduated, Holmes assumes the role of our outside threat. He just needs to play solidly like he did last year. He averaged 8.8 and 2.1 last year. I expect his scoring average to creep up to around 10 since he will see more shots in the offense this year. 

Of the incoming freshmen, I expect Kris Middleton and Naji Hibbert to see the most playing time. Middleton is a 6'7" small forward from South Carolina. He is a slasher and a shooter. He should help Holmes, Sloan, and Nathan Walkup keep teams from playing zone against us. Hibbert is a slashing shooting guard from Dematha High School, one of the top high school programs in the country. I expect to see both of these freshmen have the typical first year struggles on the court. Hopefully, with their height they will be able to contribute some rebounding from the guard/small forward spot.

I expect to see Nathan Walkup hit at least one game winning shot this year. He just has a knack for it. Wal;kup will provide us with a little height off the bench and will provide depth at the small forward spot,. I think Walkup is ideally a two and would create bigger mismatch problems as a guard, but that is an area where Turgeon and I just disagree. 

The bottom line on this season is that Dash Harris and David Loubeau are going to have to step up or we are going to be in some real trouble. It is disappointing that Turgeon did not have a contingency in case Kourtney Robertson did not gain admission. The silver lining in this whole deal is that a guard based, transition type offense and pressing defense may fit the personnel on this team better anyways. After a glance at the schedule, barring any major injuries I expect us to go 19-11 or 20-9. Turgeon proved last season that he could beat the odds and win the games he had to win in order to get us into the tourney. I am cautiously optimistic that with the team playing his style of basketball, with as many guards as we have that we will go dancing for the 5th year in a row.