The thing too about the Hawkins team was that we knew roughly how high its peak could be, even before the season started. (It was always a question of who was healthy) And we were so dominant in conference play that about halfway through it was pretty clear what the most likely outcome was.

This season though. . . Well, I woke up this morning and still couldn't believe it. This might have been one in a thousand considering everything that happened. So many things had to go right to set us up for this, and even then the team had to play the game of the decade to pull it off.

I hope that Aggie fans will keep in mind that Chima has also been a big part of us getting to where we were before the suspension. Sure, it's apparent that he messed up, how big and why, we just don't know, but he was the team leader up until then and he had a lot to do with many of our wins up to that point. The team has been unbelievable since his suspension but he deserves a Big West Championship ring too regardless of how things turn out.

I do agree with Blue. The tournament will be a real test and we are undermanned. But, this team seems different. Although we apparently we aren’t favored to win it out for that reason, i have great confidence that we can and will do it. Think of what goes thru the minds of these other teams? What the Aggies have done game after game is impressive because there is no quit in them and they have an overwhelming confidence to score. But, the real dagger these teams are looking out for is our defense which is downright scary. ESPN crew said this was the best contest they had seen all year at any conference or level. That says a lot!

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how Chima's role gets remembered in the annals of Aggie history. (Of course the results of the investigation will play a huge role in that.)

Can't take away from the fact that he's one of them most talented players the team ever had and was the star during 1.75 out of the 3 most exciting seasons of D1 MBB. If he's innocent people will remember him for that hopefully. And if it turns out he's guilty of something very bad then the suspension will be an example of the standard the program holds itself to in both conduct and on-court performance.

Chima’s situation must be really bad; hopefully he can learn from his mistakes and move on.

I bet you the school administration just want to distance themselves from the investigation and will spin the focus on the team other than Chima (especially the team has been performing well against all odds without Chima). Even the investigation ends with no charge on Chima, you probably don't see any UCD affiliated medias covering Chima going forward (or someone may question the school decision on suspending someone). I had a mix feeling after the team winning the regular season title. The rest of the team have been taking the extra workload to win this but the official winning picture without Chima is a disgrace (Chima has been a big part of this team and has been showing support to his bros since suspension). As I said in earlier post, Chima decision on hiring an agent tells you he is not going to be reinstated (whether his/school decision) and there must be some sort of deal to resolve this issue under the table between him and the administration.

On the prediction of the BW tourney, I hope the team can get into the final but everyone is looking to take revenge on the team who beat almost everyone without Chima. The result of 2nd round will determine whether we will win the tourney this year (I still recall the HI nightmare couple seasons ago when we lost to HI badly in the 2nd round of the tourney).

I agree that it seems reasonable that some under-the-table deal was made so Chima had an idea of where he stood with possibly getting reinstated (or not), but I don't think it's disgraceful that the team picture didn't include him. The school has a lower threshold of required evidence for disciplinary action than the legal system, which means that they could be much closer to resolution than LAPD and be reasonably sure of the outcome already. It's also kind of hypocritical to suspend someone then still use his likeness as a promotion.

Also if Chima leaves the team or hires an agent that could mean he regains control of his image. I'm not entirely sure how the rights work in that scenario.

We can't get Jackson back for depth, or does Les not want to spoil the vibe / flow? We could really use a 10th man.

Deleted. :)

I have not seen Delveion Jackson play this season so all I know about him is from his bio and stats. Sounds like he was a pretty good high school player, but he does not seem to have done much this season. Can I ask one of you to fill me on why this group is so focused on him? Does he pass the "eye test?"

Process of elimination. Who could give us depth? We play 9, Jackson out, and Chima suspended.

Edit #2.

Five additional players. THREE transfers, Underwood (a 20/10 guy at SJCC) looks solid, 6'8", but Les won't blow a year eligibility for a few games. Gonzales sits a year (St. Marys). Neufeld, 6'11" Center. Then 2 freshmen, not sure what they could contribute after sitting all year. Strom, Nelson.

We could potentially make the tourney with 9 players, 2 5'9" or under?

I'd have to watch practice a lot to know which Freshman could help. Looks like Jackson has struggled a little, shooting around 25% in all 3 categories. Assists to TO ratio OK.

Jackson was getting a few minutes early in the season and less it seems as the season progressed. He's a very, strong, athletic player but he did not look comfortable on the floor the few times I saw him. We know Les like defenders and Jackson has the size and strength to give us a tough body inside and help give Goode and John a respite. Colin Russell is looking better all the time as he logs more minutes but Jackson could add a bit to our depth in a pinch. Since he has been out so much lately and has not been seen with the team recently, I wonder if things may not be working out for him.

My impression was that Delveion Jackson was ahead of the depth chart over Rogers Printup and perhaps Mooney early in the preseason. He seemed to play like a freshman meaning that he was still learning, and I thought he was getting minutes primarily because he was known as a defensive player. I personally didn't think he stood out when he did play. I just agree with movielover that we need depth for the postseason.

If I recall correctly, we recently had Logan Strom suited up as an emergency player. I personally don't like seeing that.

I always thought Delveion's status as just as mysterious as Moneke's. Didn't Delveion play one time after Moneke's suspension, and then he disappeared again?

It's just strange, strange, strange.

I just see BlueGoldAg post before this post, but I don't want to change my content if it's the same as BlueGoldAg's.

Yes, Jackson came back for one game and then disappeared again. Strom will not be an option at all since he is now wearing a cast on his wrist.

Strom. 6'8", 240, had 26 offers to play BB or FB. ... Cast? More effective picks.

D. Jackson played against Fullerton and Cal Poly.

Thanks for the info on Jackson. I agree that depth is nice to have, but mostly in the event of injuries or other problems. In my experience, though, what really matters is effective depth, meaning that you have to have 8-10 players with enough ability and game minutes to create a good bench. So UC Davis had at least 10 prior to Moneke going out. Two factors weigh against the Aggies in this respect: first, they play a very tight defense and that requires a lot of stamina. Second when games go into overtime or you have to play in 3 consecutive games, i.e., the tournament final, depth can be a factor. It is worth noting, on the other hand, that whomever they face in the final (assuming they get there) will also have played two previous games and the schedule favors the Aggies, e.g. if they beat Riverside, their game ends around 2 p.m., but their next opponent will have played until about 10:30 that same night. As for overtimes, it seems that the Ags have a knack for keeping it together in their 3 OTs (without Chima) this season. I'm trying to be optimistic.

I could play forever at that age.

You are absolutely right about having quality depth but sometimes you just need a another body. We're just thin overall with only 9 players but what's even tougher is that we have lost 2 big men: Chima and Jackson. In the LB 2OT game Goode, Schneider and John had all fouled out and Shorts, Onybalu and Russell each had 4 fouls. We were close to ending up with 4 or even 3 players on the floor. Having another player on the bench, however inexperienced, would have been good to have.