TarHeelIllustrated - Daily Drop: How Would Onyenso, Hawkins & Lubin Fit At UNC?!
As North Carolina continues its quest to add to its 2024-25 roster through the transfer portal, the focus is on a trio
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Could be wrong, but I think those three together do not fit. It's the Jalen Washington and Withers conundrum. Hubert let it be known to Dunn, Styles, and Puff that if you want to stay we are bringing in someone that will be our focus next year. Cormac and Harrison came in established.
Not so this year, you will split, at 5 or 4 with Withers and Jalen it will be a competition. Now Hawkins if he returns to college ball fits last year, your guarenteed big minutes, no doubt, yours to lose, you are the 4. The others ?
TP, if we get only 1 more guy or say we get only one of the 3 names bantered about, I think it has to be Lubin, fortunate that looking out now that he seems by far to be the most likely to pop for us. I say this because Lubin addresses two need areas rather than just 1. Both Oyenseo and Hawkins to me only address 1 positon of need.I'm now convinced I want only one more dude. I'm hoping it is either Onyenso or Lubin. I think Hawkins is one heck of a player but the other two are perfect for exactly what we need.
My bet would be that you're touching on the real reason we may not have landed some top big targets, that being minutes/role promises rather than any NIL deficiencies. If Hubert is who i think he is, I doubt he's going to give the guarantees that some coaches might, and I would hope he wouldn't do so at the expense of kids who have chosen to be here and stay here. Those promising the world will hopefully pay the price in lost trust from future portal targets or those already on their rosters.TP, if we get only 1 more guy or say we get only one of the 3 names bantered about, I think it has to be Lubin, fortunate that looking out now that he seems by far to be the most likely to pop for us. I say this because Lubin addresses two need areas rather than just 1. Both Oyenseo and Hawkins to me only address 1 positon of need.
Even further, word is that Oyenso is looking for a min of 30mins a game, that simply is not going to happen for him at UNC unless injury were to strike Jalen. If we were to get Oyenso, while some may disagree, I am not sure who would be our starter (at the 5) and who ever that starter ended up being the guy off the bench may get more minutes. Oyenso, is 7ft and weights in around 250lbs but watching him play he plays more like a guy 6'8-9", not real physical. Lubin on the otherhand is 6'8" 230lbs but has a 7'1" reach, plays more like a guy 6'10", in other words Lubin plays above his height and Oyenso plays smaller than his height.
Hawkins, I just get a bit of a Dawson Garcia vibe, looing to be the man where ever he goes, will command a huge NIL deal because the pickings are so slim forcing teams to over pay for what is left over. The FIT just does not feel right with him for UNC, some other program where he could have A Dalton Konnect like impact seems to be what he is looking for. Combined with his being more a 4 that wants to be a 3 and we don't need a 3 at all, we have 4 guys that wil be looking for 3 minutes, we do not need a 5th.
Watching Tyson, he looks great as a catch and shoot guy, stroke does to me look very Manic like, catches and pulls the trigger with zero hesitation and gets the shot off quick. When you look back at last season and the type of shots Ryan got, there was a LOT of catch and shoot. Where Ryan really struggled was coming hard off screens, he didn't always get his feet squared, the little of that I have seen from Tyson seems to be he may not struggle as much shooting off curl action, seems to not need the room Ryan needed.Portal shopping is weird, the paradox of choice when no options are perfect. I think this team needs offense: RJ is the only proven returning scorer. Can Belmont guy create his own shot? Can frosh find their way in supporting roles? But I also think it needs rebounding and defense since the guards are so small.
I assume Hawkins starts at the 4 if he comes here.TP, if we get only 1 more guy or say we get only one of the 3 names bantered about, I think it has to be Lubin, fortunate that looking out now that he seems by far to be the most likely to pop for us. I say this because Lubin addresses two need areas rather than just 1. Both Oyenseo and Hawkins to me only address 1 positon of need.
Even further, word is that Oyenso is looking for a min of 30mins a game, that simply is not going to happen for him at UNC unless injury were to strike Jalen. If we were to get Oyenso, while some may disagree, I am not sure who would be our starter (at the 5) and who ever that starter ended up being the guy off the bench may get more minutes. Oyenso, is 7ft and weights in around 250lbs but watching him play he plays more like a guy 6'8-9", not real physical. Lubin on the otherhand is 6'8" 230lbs but has a 7'1" reach, plays more like a guy 6'10", in other words Lubin plays above his height and Oyenso plays smaller than his height.
Hawkins, I just get a bit of a Dawson Garcia vibe, looing to be the man where ever he goes, will command a huge NIL deal because the pickings are so slim forcing teams to over pay for what is left over. The FIT just does not feel right with him for UNC, some other program where he could have A Dalton Konnect like impact seems to be what he is looking for. Combined with his being more a 4 that wants to be a 3 and we don't need a 3 at all, we have 4 guys that wil be looking for 3 minutes, we do not need a 5th.
No chance that is happening…Need to add at least 2 front court players. Let all the front court guys battle it out in practice and early season games to see who can help us the most.
We have a lot of scoring, rebounding, and defense to replace with Bacot and Ingram gone.
I'd take all 3 guys if I thought they would all commit.
While I agree with your sentiment, if I put myself in the shoes of a good player in the portal - where by "good" I mean good enough to have multiple good schools wanting my services - I am going to want to start, get guaranteed PT and command high $$ if I can get them.I do not want a kid who demands PT without earning it OR demands a $ figure without concern for team success. I prefer peeps who realize the long term benefit of UNC's connections and history. I want peeps who believe in earning what they get and who know that if the team succeeds all players reap the benefit. (High tide raises ALL boats!) I watched puke and Kentuck recently implode when peeps played for themselves and never considered team success so....UNC must remain different! Give me Lubin and Tyson and I'll take my chances against other teams' mercenaries! Give me peeps with potential who are willing to be coached and to work and I'll happily face anybody's collection of 5* pros in waiting!
I'm also fine if we simply stand pat!
I believe that the player and his family should certainly choose the program they think best fits their needs! I would also expect to get compensation that fits my ability. The difference is:While I agree with your sentiment, if I put myself in the shoes of a good player in the portal - where by "good" I mean good enough to have multiple good schools wanting my services - I am going to want to start, get guaranteed PT and command high $$ if I can get them.
If it comes down to a couple of schools and coaches I like and one school is offering more money, why wouldn't I go for the extra money?
@andrew jones I think you said "just one guy", did you mean only one of this trio, or just one more xfer total? Early in the process it seemed we were hot on the trail for Thiero AND a Center. None of these guys fit the mold of Thiero, so i wonder if Hubert still wants a do-it-all forward that could be more akin to a Harrison Ingram.
Thanks for clarifying, and great podcast as usual.One overall. If they brought in another player that challenges for playing time, it would create too much of a logjam. They spent a lot of money to keep the roster mostly intact because they believe in those players and the ones coming in. So recruiting over them at this juncture isn't likely.
See @dadika!! I told you there aren't enough minutes for two more!!!One overall. If they brought in another player that challenges for playing time, it would create too much of a logjam. They spent a lot of money to keep the roster mostly intact because they believe in those players and the ones coming in. So recruiting over them at this juncture isn't likely.
#@failSee @dadika!! I told you there aren't enough minutes for two more!!!
🤪🤣😂
Could be wrong, but from reading the tea leaves it seems to me they did "rerecruit" Washington and Withers. They did not get the Dunn, Puff, and Styles message.One interesting discussion we could have is who on our current roster would our coaches pursue if they had entered the portal this offseason from another school?
Zayden High (and TJ Power) were both emergency offers when news began to swirl about GG decommitting. The staff had previously scouted High and chose not to offer him. During his freshman season High didn't play much or show much, aside from a crazy foul rate. He averaged nearly 9 fouls per 40 minutes. If freshman Zayden High of LSU was in the portal right now with the what he showed this past season, I really doubt our staff would even send him a text message.
What about Jalen Washington? 8 minutes per game, a high foul rate (6.6 fouls per 40 minutes,) too immobile to defend the perimeter, too weak to defend the paint, a twice reconstructed knee, and a beautiful jumpshot. Would the staff recruit him if he had just put his name in the portal after viewing film of his sophomore year? My guess is no. The question marks and the negatives greatly outweigh the one positive he's shown.
Then there's Withers. They already showed they would recruit him last offseason out of the portal. He had a pretty poor season in a lot of ways. Would the staff view him differently than they did a year ago? I'd wager that they'd take a more cumulative view on his career and still choose to pursue him because he's a local kid, and his athleticism and defense make him look like a good fit.
Kind of sobering to think about. On our current roster, 2 of our top 3 bigs are guys that probably wouldn't even get offers from UNC today if they were currently in the portal.