Vanderbilt Out with Foot Injury (UPDATE: Vanderbilt Still Not Practicing)

[Joneslab]

Crushing news. Makes an already thin, young team even younger.

http://ukathletics.com/news/2017/9/30/mens-basketball-vanderbilt-expected-to-miss-three-months-with-foot-injury.aspx

[George]

Major bummer.

Poor kid may just be injury plagued.

[Lighthouse]

A heart breaker for this young man for sure. Get well quick!

[TrueblueCATfan]

Sorry to hear this......hoping for a fast recovery for this young man

[Pobilly]

Get well soon JV.

This is the only position we could endure a setback. Still have many bodies that can fill in while he gets better. Next man up. We are young with or without JV. Now we are thinner at the forward position. Hope the injury bug does not hit this team an further.

[Joneslab]

Folks know I'm not a pessimist. At least I hope they do.

But we're about to enter into a tough year of UK basketball. I mean "tough" is relative at this point given what's going on in the sport, but this team is going to be raw, IMO. I don't like the way it's built on paper, and I didn't like last year's recruiting class on the whole. We'll win a bunch of games but folks are going to be super frustrated with this bunch.

Hope I'm wrong.

[KCKUKFan]

I'm not sure I agree with you, Will.

Even without Vanderbilt, there is still a LOT of talent on this roster.

They'll be raw and they'll drop some games that they should win, but I absolutely think that there's a lot of upside.

[Dwight Schrute]

I tend to agree with Will. Not sure this team is an elite one now or in March. I hope some of these kids stick around for next year and hope we can build a real team.

[George]

I tend to agree with Will. Not sure this team is an elite one now or in March. I hope some of these kids stick around for next year and hope we can build a real team.

Same. This team has early-round exit written all over it. We have talent, but there are glaring holes at numerous positions - namely PG and C.

[KCKUKFan]

Same. This team has early-round exit written all over it. We have talent, but there are glaring holes at numerous positions - namely PG and C.

Early reports are saying that Shai Alexander might be one of the two or three best players on the team, and certainly the one that nobody seems to be talking about amongst the fanbase.

Shooting is my biggest concern, but we'll see.

[teamchemistry15]

Same. This team has early-round exit written all over it. We have talent, but there are glaring holes at numerous positions - namely PG and C.

I actually think we will be fine at point guard with Green and SGA. Center worries me big time. Richards is raw with little offensive game, I don't think Sacha is big or tough enough to man the five, and who knows about Tai? We might see PJ playing the five if it wouldn't create a huge mismatch. I certainly don't want him guarding a guy like Tyler Davis.

[Joneslab]

I actually think Tai Wynyard is going to get quite a bit of time this season.

[George]

I actually think Tai Wynyard is going to get quite a bit of time this season.

That could go either way. Seems like he didn't do much after his one game (maybe two?) in the international event over the summer.

[George]

Early reports are saying that Shai Alexander might be one of the two or three best players on the team, and certainly the one that nobody seems to be talking about amongst the fanbase.

Shooting is my biggest concern, but we'll see.

I've heard fantastic things about SGA's athleticism, but not much about his actual ability at the point.

I think decision-making at that position will be our undoing when it's all said and done.

[Joneslab]

That could go either way. Seems like he didn't do much after his one game (maybe two?) in the international event over the summer.

They played seven games and he was the leading scorer in three.

Was sixth in the entire competition in ppg at 14. (Only shot 56% from the foul line however.)

I tend to think he'll get some minutes. I actually thought he was decent last year in his short time.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19/2017/playerstats