I mean Derkack has barely been mentioned in write ups by RU focused media, which says to me he probably isn't going to be a big contributor this year. Acuff has been hurt, so no one is really sure what he is at this level with a good team around him. More in depth stories would mention them.
Regarding Derkack - he's certainly someone we should have more confidence in being able to contribute than many of the guys from last season that needed to play big minutes. Same with Acuff - when he is healthy, I think we can expect more from him than from the guards we lost. The depth is now guys that have proven they can contribute heavily in lower-level conferences. Even if there is a drop-off coming to a major conference, that's still an upgrade.
I expect more than most from Acuff, but why should anyone expect more from Derkack than guys from LY? I have zero idea what to expect, but you telling me you don't think Simpson could light it up wherever Derkack came from? I guarantee Aundre Hyatt, despite his flaws is a bigger contributor.
You think Hyatt, or Oskar, who was closer to what Derkack will be replacing as a possible rotation guy off the bench, would be as good enough to win the Northeast Conference Player of the Year or NEC Defensive Player of the Year , if they played for Merrimack? I strongly disagree, although Hyatt as a scorer is likely as good as Derkack could be.
Interesting perspective ... Cannot say I disagree with the reasoning.
Derkack is a guy who needs the ball in his hands to be remotely effective on the offensive end. Neither Hyatt or Oskar are anywhere near like for like, they were our 4's last year. Simpson is the guy I mentioned, and yeah, I think he could win those in the NEC. Derkack will have a bench role, likely as 8th or 9th man, but it feels like he's behind Hayes on the wing.
I singled out Hyatt because you said you guarantee he would be a bigger contributor than Derkack, despite Hyatt's flaws. Hyatt and Derkack are both listed as 6' 6" on scarletknights.com, although Hyatt is 20# heavier. I think of Derkack as more of a 2/3 than a 3/4. Simpson would have been a bench guy this year, too - maybe the 3rd guard off the bench, too, behind Acuff and Davis.
This is a non issue. There is one paragraph about each team and obviously the focus is on Dylan and Ace, not a bench role player
I probably should have been a little more specific mentioning Hyatt since he turned into a starter, even if he probably shouldn't have been. Take Hyatt off the bench from two years ago, not his last year. Played about 18 per, scored 7 per, 3 boards, shot 33% from three in the games he didn't start. These are the average numbers I don't think Derkack hits.
