Up until a month ago, the Springfield Falcons were one of the major winners from the offseason, with Ben Chambers and Malcolm Thomas seen as strong additions that would bolster their status as title contenders. Then, things started to fall aprt.
Thomas tore his ACL while playing for Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifer and is expected to miss the entire 2023 season. Jamison Jones III's troublesome knee required surgery that will keep him out 12-16 weeks, and, of course, head coach Will Jenkins called it quits and just recently retired to Puerto Rico.
With Jenkins out of the picture for at least this season, and likely for good, 34-year old Bryce Thompson -- 10 years younger than Jenkins was given the reins as interim head coach. He appears to have the respect of the front office and the players, but his only other previous head coaching experiecne was at the NCAA Division II level with Fairmount State.
The injuries, coaching change and title expectations should make for a fascinating season in Illinois. Will Chandler Dawes, Conor McCaffrey and Paul Hammond be able to lead this team through the turmoil, or will it prove too much? We're about to find out.
Top of the key: Jamison Jones' health
If the Falcons want to get back to the AAU National Championship and win the 2023 National Chip, they need Jamison Jones to be healthy, which, the 17-year-old has had trouble staying on the court throughout his career, and in recent months his left knee has been the main culprit.
Surgery on his meniscus and a subsequent bone bruise limited his playing time and effectiveness in the National Championship last season, and a second arthroscopic procdure just before training camp will put him back on the sidelines for 12-16 weeks. It's likely he wont play until sometime in 2023.
The Falcons will still be an elite team without him, and how they operate in his abscense to start the season will be intresting to watch. Do they go small and replace Jones III in the starting lineup with Jake Pollen? Or stay big with Clarence Davis or Jaiquan Marquez Jr taking the spot? Looking at the bigger picture, how do they keep Charlie Dawes' workload manageable without Jones III.
Regardless, the facts remains that the Falcons need Jamison Jones III on the floor in order to reach their full potential. His athleticism and rebounding on the backline turns them from a strong defensive team into a dominant one, and his passing and vertical threat on the offensive end is underrated in its importance.
One more thing: Can they solve their late-game issues?
If the Falcons were better in late-game situations, they would have likely won the AAU National Championship much sooner than a Game 7 in which Team Captain's Conor McCaffrey and Chandler Dawes played out of their minds and brought the Falcons down from 3-1 to win in Game 7 vs the California Dream Vision.
To put it simply; Chandler Dawes and Paul Hammond have been awful in late time situations, just shooting over 28% from the field and turnovers with a rate of 18%. Dawes ability to finish in games down the stretch would turn him into an instant 5 Star recruit for the class of 2024, but with his recent struggles in late game, he has seemed to slip off some college radars.
Conor McCaffrey on the otherhand has made a name for himself at the AAU level and High School level in this recent 2022 campaign. McCaffrey hit 5 of his 7 go ahead shots in High School last season with under 30 seconds to play. And in games where the game is within 2 points with under 2 minutes, McCaffrey shot 31-53 in those moments, an out of this world 58%.
Even though Dawes and Hammond are the two higher rated recruits of this trio, it's going to be the point guard McCaffrey who guides this time down the stretch in the clutch moments, and his effectiveness in the postseason will prove how far this Falcons team is able to reach, and possibly repeat as AAU National Champions.