Speculation Tuesday this week centers around Vlad "the Impaler" Moldoveanu. All season we've been hedging our bets saying that "this team will be a lot better when Vlad comes on." I don't disagree with that, in fact, if you look at the number of close games we've had, AU might be 4-5 or 5-4 if Vlad had been in the lineup from the beginning of the season. (Is it possible that we would've been better than 5-4 or worse than 4-5? Sure, is it realistic? I don't think so.)
So the speculation centers around what kind of player Vlad will be for us. With the purported level of inside-outside game that Vlad has, he could be the complement to Mike Bersch that our Eagles need on the perimeter. He also is probably a more natural swing man than Riley Grafft on the perimeter, which will leave Riley to play closer to the elbow where his jumper will be most effective.
My sincere hope is that Vlad will be this year's Brian Gilmore. Everyone should know by now the respect that is blog has/had for Gilmore as a player. An outside threat with the ability to pound the ball inside. Makes smart decisions, plays solid defense, and, perhaps most importantly, the vocal leader of the team. I don't see a leader on the court right now to be honest; Hendra comes close, but he's been in a funk for a lot of the season. I hope Vlad will step on the court and be the vocal leader to fire up the rest of the team. Will he be? We'll find out next week against DePaul.
What are all of your thoughts re: Vlad?
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
I think alot of good things are ahead with Vlad coming back but, he hasn't played a real live game in at least a year so conditioning and just general rustiness could be a problem. Hopefully by Patriot League play he will be ready to go.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the sincere comments. I know the Vlad will be very helpful for this team if for nothing more than his desire to play and his hunger to win games. Vlad is as skilled a player as the league as seen in a long time - great passer, deep threat shooting, good post up player, and over all a very saavy player. While there will be a lot of pressure on Vlad to step in and make an immediate impact, I expect his play to open up scoring options for others and for the team to rally behind him and his vocal leadership. Being a close friend of Vlad I am excited for him to return to college basketball and hoping for great things. I am very proud to see Vlad wearing the number 14 this year!
ReplyDeleteBrian, thank you, it is always great to hear from you. I'm an avid reader of your blog as well.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Vlad did play for Romania in the European summer league a few months ago, so it hasn't been THAT long since he's been in a real game. You make a good point though, and I can only imagine Vlad is itching to get out on the court just as much as we want to see him there. I agree that by Patriot League time he'll be in full gear, if he doesn't already come out guns blazing versus DePaul.