And then there were 10. The Erie BayHawks waived guards Oliver Lafayette and Rod Wilmont today to set its opening day 10-man roster.
The 2009-10 BayHawks roster is as follows:
Analyzing the cuts
Both of the final cuts came as surprises to me. Lafayette started 23 games for Erie last season and started the BayHawks' only preseason contest Friday against Fort Wayne. He scored 14 points on 3-7 shooting, (1-3 3PT, 7-7 FT), grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists with 2 turnovers in 21 minutes. As one of only four players returning from last season, it seemed like Lafayette would be back, but the coaching staff obviously felt differently.
Equally surprising to me was the decision to waive Wilmont. Not only did Wilmont have D-League experience, playing the full 2007-08 season with Fort Wayne, he also had played under BayHawks coaches John Treloar and Ben McDonald when they were assistants at Indiana University. After Wilmont led Erie to victory with a 23-point performance in the preseason game against his former team, his roster spot seemed secure. Clearly the coaches saw something in practice that overshadowed the lone preseason game.
The only thing that I can figure is that the coaching staff must have felt set in terms of scoring. Lafayette and Wilmont are both scoring guards capable of catching fire in a hurry. However, the coaches may have decided that more backcourt scoring was not necessary. Instead they ruled in favor of guards Zach Sowers and Martin Zeno., who scored a combined 8 points on 3-9 shooting but showed their worth in other ways that may not necessarily show up in a box score.
Analyzing the roster
Now that the final cuts have been made, a few things jump out at me:
- Size
This year's bunch of BayHawks is significantly bigger than last year's version. Four players are listed at 6'10" or bigger and no one is smaller than 6'3". - Youth
Inexperience is sort of the status quo at this level. After all, it is called the Development League for a reason. Still, by cutting Lafayette and Wilmont, two guys with D-League experience, Erie will start the season with just five players with any pro basketball experience. - Diversity
The BayHawks have players from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, WCC, and the Horizon League as well as NCAA Division II and NAIA Division II. The 10 players hail from nine different states—Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Lousiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. - Versatility
The official press release credited only Jackie Manuel with a slash in the position column, but I'd argue that every player is well-suited to play two positions with the exceptions of Cedric Jackson (point guard) and John Bryant (center). - Fan Appeal
BayHawks fans will recognize some familiar faces when Erie hosts its home opener Dec. 12. Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, and Jackie Manuel return from last year's team, and they'll be joined by Gannon University alum Kyle Goldcamp.
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