Roster, Rotation, Depth Chart for 2022/23

General Athletics
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College and pro football are about to begin but the Euro tour and games have me looking ahead to the Bronco hoops season.

With 3 of our top 4 scorers (Jalen, Vrankic and Pipes) moving on, there are a lot of question marks for the upcoming season. But the incoming transfers, frosh, and potential growth of young returners from the 2021 recruiting class (Stewart, Holt, Tongue and Knapper) make what looks to be a deep and talented roster. There will be lots of competition for PT and there will be winners and losers in this regard.

As I said, lots of question marks:

  1. Who’s the starting or primary point guard? Stewart seems the favorite but what about Knapper or Ensminger? Can Podziemski play the point? or is it some other approach such as point guard by committee?
  2. Who’s the starting 5? Bediako or Braun? Or does a dark horse like Holt or Tilly steal the spot?
  3. Appears to be no shortage of talent at the 2 and 3 spots (shooting guard and wing) with Justice, Marshall, Podziemski, Giordan, Akametu, Stewart and Ensminger all capable of playing those positions…so how does PT shake out?
  4. Will any of the frosh be breakout, impact players from the start the way Carlos Stewart was last year or JWill was a few years back?
  5. Ensminger is listed at 6-9. Is he really a point guard? Does he have the quickness to deal with typical athleticism and on-ball pressure of opposing pt guards?
  6. Podziemski appears to be legit on offense…but can he defend?

Depth Chart
In my mind, Justice is the only lock to start. With all the apparent competition for PT, it’s tough to forecast lineups, PT and a depth chart but here’s my best guess.
1 (PG)- Stewart, Knapper, Ensminger
2 (SG)- Podziemski, Marshall, G Williams, Stewart, Ensminger
3 (SF)- Marshall, Justice, Akametu, Podziemski, G Will
4 (PF)- Justice, Braun, Tongue, Holt
5 (C)- Braun, Bediako, Holt, Tilly

Potential Starting Lineups:
Lots of options here, but I have a feeling Sendek goes with a ‘small’ lineup with Justice at the 4 in order to get both Marshall and Podziemski on the floor at the same time at the 2 & 3. Here’s a few options:

  1. Stewart, Podziemski, Marshall, Justice & then either Braun or Bediako at the 5.
  2. Stewart, Marshall, Justice, Braun, Bediako (or replace Marshall w/ Podz).

With what appears to be lots of depth and a good balance of skill, athleticism and size represented on the roster, there is a long list of rotation and lineup options.

One thing I like in this roster is that many of the guys who are likely to come off the bench (Knapper, Giordan, Akametu, Tongue) are very athletic and in the case of Akametu and Tongue also very strong. There may be a slight drop-off in skill/execution but not in athleticism…those guys should be able to bring good energy, and defend and rebound as well as and maybe in some cases better than the starters.

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Thanks 92bronc for the detailed analysis! One thing I really like about this is that Justice will finally get optimal time at the 4 now that Vrankic graduated. The times Justice played the PF last year he did a good job in the paint and pushing guys down low. Like you said, this year we have a ton of talent and a lot of depth. Should be an interesting season.

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FYI Torvik has now updated all of the teams for the upcoming season. SCU checks in at 111, good for 5th in the WCC after the Zags, SMC, BYU, and USF in that order. Portland follows closely behind at 114.

Keshawn has the 3rd highest rating of any player in the conference (3.7 points over replacement). But after that, it’s a pretty big drop to Carlos Marshall, Parker Braun, and Jaden Bediako (each about ~1.5 points over replacement). That said, Jalen finished 2021 off with only a 1.6 rating and followed up the next season by being a lottery pick.

So scrutinize the metrics as you see fit. Excited for the beginning of the season, though!

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I’m cautiously optimistic on this upcoming season, mostly because we have the most size (both height and weight) on this roster in very long time. We have four guards at 6’5" or taller. Braun is 6’10" at forward spot. Podz looks like he can score, perhaps filling in a big void left by JW. I’m truly hoping that Tilly has some skills on the offensive side to complement Bediako’s defensive presence. When is the last time we’ve had a true 7-footer? Ron Reis? Or was big John 7’? I seem to remember he was 6’10" or 6’11".

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Rob Garrett???

When was the last time we had one who was a real threat… a while.

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According to the article below, our starting lineup for Monday will be Carlos Stewart, Podz, Justice, Parker Braun, and JB.

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Interesting. Sendek going with the ‘big’ lineup, at least to start. Rebounding and interior D shouldn’t be a problem with that frontcourt.
A few things to keep in mind:

  • this may not be the starting lineup we see 5 or 10 games in to the season. Herb has certainly changed his starting lineup before (Jalen and Justice replacing DJ Mitchell and Tahj in 19/20, there are other examples).
  • Overall PT and who’s on the court the last 5-8mins of the game matters as much as who starts. I expect Carlos Marshall will still play 20+mins/game. And the ‘closing’ lineup could be Stewart, Podz, Marshall, Justice and then either Braun or Bediako at the 5.
  • Frontcourt vs. backcourt depth and experience may be a consideration.
    We’re pretty deep in the frontcourt but with Giordan out we’re thinner and very young/inexperienced in the backcourt. If Marshall were to start, the remaining backup backcourt guys (Knapper, Ensminger, Akametu) would all be 1st year guys w/ zero D1 game experience. I expect Marshall will be the 1st backcourt guy off the bench; nice to be able bring an experienced player off the bench to settle things down if things aren’t going well.

Looking forward to the start of the season…I’ll try to get a game 1 thread up soon.

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