Date Posted:05:37:19pm 12/17/05 Sat, Author: JCM Subject: Darrin Phillip In reply to:
ol' Salty
's message, "Question for JS" on 03:28:49pm 12/16/05 Fri,
DP was not heavily recruited out of high school. He joined Fairfield and contributed marginally his first two years before developing into an all-Maac MVP (should we start this debate again) his junior and senior years.
If we are comparing the freshman Phillips to Herbie Allen or John Han, I would say both come to the school with more talent than phillips. Whether they will develop as Phillips did remains to be seen.
The true point about talent level however is that it can not be measure by one player. The question isn't was Phillips a better player than anyone on the current stags. The question is - is the talent level on this team overall better than the talent levels under the previous coaches. I think it would be impossible to argue that it is not. After Phillips, is the second best player on that team better than MVS, Todd, Maxwell, Bell, Mamadou or Han? How about the third best player? Another way to ask the question would be - what player from another other team over the past 15 years would be good enough to start on this team.
The top player or maybe even the top 2 players from some past teams might crack the top 5 but when you look at overall talent level, this team stacks up favorably to most teams in the past. And as far as the bench goes, the first 4 guys off the bench on this team would be ahead of any number 6 man on any stags team in the past 15 years.
While Middleton and Carter do not possess the talent level of Deng Gai or Rob Thompson, what centers recruited by Cormier or Buonguro were better than Middleton? Andy Woodli? Sunday Enojukian? Tom Squeri? Swartz? This program has had 5 legimate centers over 20 years and 2 of them were recruited by O'Toole (Thompson and Gai).
The Stags lost some senior leadership with Goode, Gai and KS. They had some key injuries with Hawkins and O'Sullivan. They have suffered a major setback with the suspension of Maxwell. A key player for the team this season is not yet eligible (Mamadou). I guess if we measure the program over the last 8 games we could say it has moved backward. But these events are short team issues that are not indicative of where the program has come from, or where the program is going.
This team played a tough out of conference schedule. But even with a tougher schedule than any of the schedules played by Cormier, O'connor or Buonguro, this team will win more than the 8 games these other coaches won during their rebuilding years. In fact, I'm still not convinced this team won't win 13, 14 or even 15 games.
Without Shannon Bowman, the 1996 stags could not win a game. With Bowman they were the best team in the Maac capable of playing with any team in the country including top 25 BC and #1 North Carolina. Maxwell is not as good as Bowman. But his return will make a big difference to this team.
The question as to whether the program is moving forward or backward needs to be answered. But it is too early in the season to draw any conclusion.
re: Darren, he had his coming out party vs. Iona last home game his freshman year. He was the reason FU went to the NCAAs that run in '96.
He more than contibuted his fresh/soph year.
