QBL Mens Season Previews - Ipswich Force
2015 Season 2015 W/L: 7-10 (2014 W/L: 10-6) Made Quarter Finals (Lost to Brisbane) Coaching Staff Head Coach: Mick Conlon (2nd Year) Roster Transactions In: Ben Wilson (after guaduation from Idaho State), Brent Wallace, Jaryd Eustace, Matt Strybos Out: Zarryon Fereti, Matineng Leahy, Tim Weigh, Jeremy Hicks, Jai Soloai, Adam Koppitke, Projected Starters: Jason Ralph, James Legan, Ben Wilson, Kyle Harvey, James Kuon Key Bench: Kane Bishop, Jaryd Eustace, Brent Wallace
Key Gains
Ben Wilson: Talented U-20 guard that has had a good collegiate career at Idaho State. At 195cm he can play and guard multiple positions and is a solid replacement for the retiring Zarryon Fereti. Key Losses Zarryon Fereti: A huge loss for the Force, one of their more reliable scorer in the past few years and captain of the squad. Averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 2015.
Position by Position Analysis
Guard: Legan is one of the purest scorers around and will have Jason Ralph back in town after his stint in college. While I anticipate Ben Wilson will play as a small forward I can see him at the guard spot in situations. They are expected to get another college player midway through the season that should help in the backup guard spot. Forward: Kyle Harvey is an undersized forward that is one of the hardest working players around. Can be a difference maker when his on. Should be complement by the likes of Ben Wilson. Jaryd Eustace is an interesting signing, played for Northside last season and while he had a great game vs. Cairns he struggled in the remaining games. He has talent and length; it remains to see if he can put it together. Matt Strybos should be a solid backup forward for them
Centre: James Kuon had his moments last season and should be compliment with the signing of Brent Wallace. Kuon show some potential last year, while Wallace should have improved after a season training with the Townsville Crocodiles. While neither scream QBL star, both have promise and could do some damage depending of the scenario.
How has the most pressure on them James Legan or Mick Conlon? That would have to go to the guy who takes defensive advice from Manti Teo’s girlfriend (Google her), James Legan. Legan is one of the finest scorers in this league in recent times and while that is great, if you want to have a shot and advance further in the playoffs, you need to show that you can play both ways (P.S steal numbers don’t count as defence). Legan is the senior player now that Fereti is gone, he has to lead by example at both ends of the game. Think about it, Legan had the best stretch of shooting in the quarter final against Brisbane and yet they couldn’t guard a chair and not surprisingly lost. How many times do you think you will get opportunities like that? What gets Ipswich into the playoffs?
One out of Eustace or Wilson becomes a solid replacement for Fereti. They get decent production out of their bigs. Overall improvement on defence. Strong and consistent performance from their imports Legan and Harvey What gets Ipswich out of the playoffs? They continue their struggles in defence, either through their bigs or overall. They struggle to get any production from Eustace or their bench.
