He's the only one with starting experience in the Big XII. I'm sure the incoming freshman are great, but they need time to develop and learn the system.
Diante also has Big XII experience. The great thing this year is that our new guards will have someone there to help them learn what its about. Petey and Diante came in last year with no experience and no teammates that could help them when they have problems. The fact that Petey and Diante can help Buckley out will be HUGE.
Another disadvantage they had was a lack of playmakers and shooters on offense. Rashon was not an offensive player. Wes's injury held him back. Our inside guys were good, but teams could sag on them. Haluska was not a good shooter for most of the season. We really didn't have an outside threat. Another issue is a lack of ball handlers. Rashon at the 3 really wasn't much of a ball handler and neither was WJ. Neither of them were bad ball handlers, but they weren't guys that were going to run the offense either.
This year, I believe Petey and Buckley will run the point. Petey will look like a much better player for a multiple of reason. First off, if he gets pressure, an outlet to a guy like DG or maybe even Lucca won't just be an escape, it will be a pass to a guy who can make something happen. The main reason he will be better is outside shooting. Haluska heated up late last year, Lucca should be a shooter and even Eikmeier might open things up. This will help to get the ball inside and help the perimeter scoring. That said, Buckley has more talent and the fact that he has Petey and DG mentoring him should help him to develop faster that DG did last season. My prediction is that Petey will start the vast majority of the games, but Buckley will get more playing time.
