Are We Winning the Portal?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

JPowell is absolutely a small forward, I think folks should be more excited we have him, I see him as a solid rotation guy, especially with his 3pt shooting and really strong defense.

I hope you're right. Especially if Drake leaves and we don't add a starting SF,

Right now, JPowell would be our replacement for both Ian and Drake. I know you really like the kid, but I fear those shoes are too big for him to fill.

You can mix and match outgoing and incoming players a bunch of ways, but here's one look. Following your lead, I plugged JPowell in for DPowell.

(these are replacement pairings; not about who starts)

Departing	Incoming	Net Gain or loss
Elliot	Kyan	~
RJ	Dixon	-
Ian	Denis	-
Drake	JPowell	-
Cade	none	?
JWit	Wilson	+
Claude	Stevenson	+
JWash	Veesaar	+

 

[NathanFielder]

I can think of 3 of Hubert's freshmen who I feel were good from day 1. Just my opinion, but these guys:

Drake​

Elliot*​

Seth**​

The problem is that only Drake didn't backslide after their good start. This is part of the reason I now question Hubert's ability to develop his players.

The coming season's freshman guards aren't as high-ranked out of HS as Drake, Elliot or even Seth, so your fears that they may not be ready to make an impact are probably warranted. But there are 2 of them, so the odds aren't too bad that 1 will be serviceable.

*Elliot scored in double digits his first 7 games - including against Kansas, Auburn and MSU - while also averaging nearly 6 assists.

**I think people forget just how good Seth looked until the Virginia game of his freshman year. No, maybe not a star yet, but impressive. He was even on some too-early mock draft lists. The Virginia game Humpty-Dumptied him. And the staff couldn't put him back together again (or maybe didn't try).

We clearly have different standards of day 1 really good. All 3 of the guys you mentioned for me were clearly developmental players. Seth played fewer than 10 MPG as a freshman.

To me, really good on day 1 either means a borderline all-conference level player as a freshman. Or a player who pretty clearly outplays his recruiting ranking. Drake, Cadeau, and Seth clearly don't fit that bill. Those stats you gave for Cadeau were also in his sophomore season. Seth played fewer than 10 MPG as a freshman and before the Virginia game was averaging 3.0 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 1.0 APG and that included an 11 point game in that span. I think Drake Powell had a really up-and-down freshman season.

 

[gthreadgill7929]

As the roster is coming together I’d like to know what the predicted/expected results will be. ACC predicted standing? Make tournament? Sweet 16?

As of now…and it really depends on if you expect Drake’s return, I’d say this:

ACC: 3rd
NCAAT: 4 Seed
Finish: S16

That’s my preseason expectation, anticipating Drake returns. Our regular season schedule looks way more doable this year. We play KU at home, with a depleted roster. MSU in Fort Meyers, which should give us more of a home court advantage. That will leave us with a TBD on that next opponent which will likely be another Q1 opportunity. The Jumpman Invitational has concluded so we don’t play either MICH, UF, or OU. The CBS Classic should be OSU, but it’s been sporadic as far as opponents go with no true pattern. Our SEC/ACC will likely be a Q1 game on the road. So perhaps ARK? Maybe UK if we don’t have them scheduled yet?

The point is, if we’ve learned anything, we should plan to NOT load up on Q1 games in the beginning. Next years ACC should be much better, so our Q1 record should look much better.

 

[gary-7]

Are we looking at other transfers if he bolts?

They are always looking. In this case, they might wanna look hard.

 

[gary-7]

As of now…and it really depends on if you expect Drake’s return, I’d say this:

ACC: 3rd
NCAAT: 4 Seed
Finish: S16

That’s my preseason expectation, anticipating Drake returns. Our regular season schedule looks way more doable this year. We play KU at home, with a depleted roster. MSU in Fort Meyers, which should give us more of a home court advantage. That will leave us with a TBD on that next opponent which will likely be another Q1 opportunity. The Jumpman Invitational has concluded so we don’t play either MICH, UF, or OU. The CBS Classic should be OSU, but it’s been sporadic as far as opponents go with no true pattern. Our SEC/ACC will likely be a Q1 game on the road. So perhaps ARK? Maybe UK if we don’t have them scheduled yet?

The point is, if we’ve learned anything, we should plan to NOT load up on Q1 games in the beginning. Next years ACC should be much better, so our Q1 record should look much better.

Your first sentence holds a pretty big key, and a pretty big "if".

 

[gthreadgill7929]

Your first sentence holds a pretty big key, and a pretty big "if".

Believe me, those expectations drop dramatically without that key 😂

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

We clearly have different standards of day 1 really good. All 3 of the guys you mentioned for me were clearly developmental players. Seth played fewer than 10 MPG as a freshman.

To me, really good on day 1 either means a borderline all-conference level player as a freshman. Or a player who pretty clearly outplays his recruiting ranking. Drake, Cadeau, and Seth clearly don't fit that bill. Those stats you gave for Cadeau were also in his sophomore season. Seth played fewer than 10 MPG as a freshman and before the Virginia game was averaging 3.0 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 1.0 APG and that included an 11 point game in that span. I think Drake Powell had a really up-and-down freshman season.

Sorry about the Elliot error. My bad. As I recall, he struggled a bit to start his freshman season but also showed his talent often enough to be considered good out of the gate, imo.

You are talking about really good, not just good which, to be fair, is what you said originally.

I do disagree, however, on this as a criterion for being really good: "a player who pretty clearly outplays his recruiting ranking." Obviously that can make sense for a lower-ranked player who is better than his ranking, but not for a high-ranked player who lives up to the hype.

In that sense, while I consider Drake, Ian and Elliot to be good as freshmen, I will agree that Ian and Elliot did not live up to their hype. Drake was less hyped, and his progress fit expectations better.

Focusing on Elliot, I think many want to deny how good he was because the hype was so outrageous that he fell too far short of expectations. Not his fault, imo, but it's human nature to be disappointed when you expected Superman and only ended up with Green Hornet.

 

[Sk1310]

They are always looking. In this case, they might wanna look hard.

Any interest in Derrion Reid? Former 5 star out of Georgia Did him and Caleb play AAU together?

 

[RP12]

this can’t be a real take

The time of year when everyone imagines the best outcome of their players while in this case ignoring how poorly talent has been managed by the current coach/staff.

 

[NathanFielder]

Focusing on Elliot, I think many want to deny how good he was because the hype was so outrageous that he fell too far short of expectations. Not his fault, imo, but it's human nature to be disappointed when you expected Superman and only ended up with Green Hornet.

I thought Cadeau was fine as a developing young PG.

But my point is very few (if any) Hubert incoming freshman are better than advertised. I know it’s the nature of the business to be overly optimistic with freshman talents. But its usually safer to expect Hubert’s freshman to be a year away (in some cases a year away from being a year away) than someone who will blow away expectations.

 

[DSouthr]

It's mostly out there now. He is looking hard at the NBA. Agent has talked to several teams in his potential draft range. Staff is holding a spot for him.

I think we can see that with the guys we have recruited from the portal and the guys we have got that Hubert is preparing for Drake to leave. Most assume that Wilson is a lock as our power forward but my understanding is what may have been the key to his commit to us was Hubert giving him a legit shot at playing the 3 as well as the 4. Wilson believe his NBA positon is at the 3 more than the 4.

 

[Kool1234567]

I hope they go after Evans at dook if he hits the portal and many on TDD thinks he will if the Ament kid commits to dook…

Key dates for Drake….

April 26 - NBA early entry deadline
May 28 - NCAA early entry withdrawal deadline

 

[Bubspub88]

It's mid-April, of course we won the portal. Every transfer will have Brady Manek or Harrison Ingram production. The frosh will have Hansbrough or Harrison Barnes-type of impacts and the returning players will increase their level of play by several notches.

And come February we will be wondering how many more games we need to get off the damn bubble. Welcome to the new world of UNC basketball.

 

[DaveChapelle]

As the roster is coming together I’d like to know what the predicted/expected results will be. ACC predicted standing? Make tournament? Sweet 16?

Our roster isn't finished, and neither is any other program's. How can anyone make predictions with such incomplete data? Dook hasn't even had anyone declare for the draft or put their name in the portal yet.

The deadline to withdraw from the draft is probably the earliest anyone can offer a decent prediction.

 

[UNC-75]

As of April 10, 2025, 2,033 men's NCAA Division I basketball players have entered the transfer portal. This number represents approximately 35% of the total number of players at the start of the 2024-2025 season, including those who will graduate this year, according to Front Office Sports. And the number keeps growing. Yikes!

 

[montana_heel]

Shouldn't we expect the 2 freshman and James Brown to provide spot minutes at their positions? Especially Brown. If not, then why bother recruiting them. They don't need to be all conference to back up a position.

Don't play them at all and 2 things will happen. No development or a transfer or both.

 

[Spaceytoyz]

Shouldn't we expect the 2 freshman and James Brown to provide spot minutes at their positions? Especially Brown. If not, then why bother recruiting them. They don't need to be all conference to back up a position.

Don't play them at all and 2 things will happen. No development or a transfer or both.

I’m not sure it’s the way it works any longer basically if they are not top 5 players in the nation in High school let someone else get them audition them and then poach them

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I think we can see that with the guys we have recruited from the portal and the guys we have got that Hubert is preparing for Drake to leave. Most assume that Wilson is a lock as our power forward but my understanding is what may have been the key to his commit to us was Hubert giving him a legit shot at playing the 3 as well as the 4. Wilson believe his NBA positon is at the 3 more than the 4.

When I previously spoke of Wilson as a 4/3 or even a 3/4, I was smacked down sharply and told he was a 4 and in no way a SF.

But if he wants to play SF, and his name isn't John Henson, then that fixes a lot....

Kyan​

Seth​

Caleb​

Jarin​

Henri​

With a capable 2nd squad of...

Dixon​

Denis​

JPowell​

High? Brown?​

Lubin​

That team might even earn a double-bye in the ACCT. Not because it is necessarily more talented, but it's more balanced. Not to mention taller.

 

[DaveChapelle]

When I previously spoke of Wilson as a 4/3 or even a 3/4, I was smacked down sharply and told he was a 4 and in no way a SF.

But if he wants to play SF, and his name isn't John Henson, then that fixes a lot....

Kyan​

Seth​

Caleb​

Jarin​

Henri​

With a capable 2nd squad of...

Dixon​

Denis​

JPowell​

High? Brown?​

Lubin​

That team might even earn a double-bye in the ACCT. Not because it is necessarily more talented, but it's more balanced. Not to mention taller.

So a starting lineup that has very few 3pt shooters and poor ball handling. And a 2nd squad that will get demolished if it ever plays in an ACC game. Great way to ensure Hubert and his staff get fired.

Last fall you believed our roster was so talented that we'd be "11 deep." This is a similarly bad read on the talent and positions of the current players. Dixon, Denis, High, and Brown all belong on the 3rd string next season. None of our power forwards should be playing SF.

We need to add a true point guard to back up Evans, and 1-2 small forwards depending on what Drake does. And we desperately need more 3pt shooting. We've only added one guy so far in the portal that shoots a good 3pt percentage.

 

[al would]

I hope you're right. Especially if Drake leaves and we don't add a starting SF,

Right now, JPowell would be our replacement for both Ian and Drake. I know you really like the kid, but I fear those shoes are too big for him to fill.

You can mix and match outgoing and incoming players a bunch of ways, but here's one look. Following your lead, I plugged JPowell in for DPowell.

(these are replacement pairings; not about who starts)

Departing	Incoming	Net Gain or loss
Elliot	Kyan	~
RJ	Dixon	-
Ian	Denis	-
Drake	JPowell	-
Cade	none	?
JWit	Wilson	+
Claude	Stevenson	+
JWash	Veesaar	+

No swag for "winning" recruiting anything and the question remains can a UNC team fulfill, and hopefully exceed, it's hype and potential on the court. It has yet to happen during the HD era and even though hope may spring eternal at some point reality has to be addressed.

 

[gary-7]

I think we can see that with the guys we have recruited from the portal and the guys we have got that Hubert is preparing for Drake to leave. Most assume that Wilson is a lock as our power forward but my understanding is what may have been the key to his commit to us was Hubert giving him a legit shot at playing the 3 as well as the 4. Wilson believe his NBA positon is at the 3 more than the 4.

Well, if that's the case, the staff has little to show for it. And Wilson wasn't recruited with any Henson promises, unless you want to count the infamous "positionless" euphemism.

 

[gary-7]

When I previously spoke of Wilson as a 4/3 or even a 3/4, I was smacked down sharply and told he was a 4 and in no way a SF.

But if he wants to play SF, and his name isn't John Henson, then that fixes a lot....

Kyan​

Seth​

Caleb​

Jarin​

Henri​

With a capable 2nd squad of...

Dixon​

Denis​

JPowell​

High? Brown?​

Lubin​

That team might even earn a double-bye in the ACCT. Not because it is necessarily more talented, but it's more balanced. Not to mention taller.

Wilson's HS/AAU trajectoy took off once he realized he needed to spend more time close to the basket, and with the disclaimer that the portal is still open, not sure where this "balance" you speak of exists as of yet.

 

[DSouthr]

When I previously spoke of Wilson as a 4/3 or even a 3/4, I was smacked down sharply and told he was a 4 and in no way a SF.

But if he wants to play SF, and his name isn't John Henson, then that fixes a lot....

Kyan​

Seth​

Caleb​

Jarin​

Henri​

With a capable 2nd squad of...

Dixon​

Denis​

JPowell​

High? Brown?​

Lubin​

That team might even earn a double-bye in the ACCT. Not because it is necessarily more talented, but it's more balanced. Not to mention taller.

Did I slap back at you for saying Wilson was a 4/3, if I did I don't know why I would have, I have been saying he is a 4/3 and his NBA position is likely at the 3? If I did for some reason I will be glad to give my apologies. In fact, I believe I may have been the first one here talking about Wilson as a 3.

Yeah, I think right now we could be seen as a sweet 16 team and upgraded from last season. It is for me so much about the positional size but still solid talents now at every position going 2 deep. If Hubert would just stop the 4 around 1 nonsense and go to a more Roy Williams like line up I think we could be a good bit better than just sweet 16. Honestly, the way we are now constructed looks a lot like Florida to me, minus Mark Clayton.

 

[Mrs.Jeans15]

So a starting lineup that has very few 3pt shooters and poor ball handling. And a 2nd squad that will get demolished if it ever plays in an ACC game. Great way to ensure Hubert and his staff get fired.

Last fall you believed our roster was so talented that we'd be "11 deep." This is a similarly bad read on the talent and positions of the current players. Dixon, Denis, High, and Brown all belong on the 3rd string next season. None of our power forwards should be playing SF.

We need to add a true point guard to back up Evans, and 1-2 small forwards depending on what Drake does. And we desperately need more 3pt shooting. We've only added one guy so far in the portal that shoots a good 3pt percentage.

Powell and Evans shoot decent percentages.

I would like one more shooter. That's all they do...lol

 

[Mrs.Jeans15]

I didn't see enough from Drake to be worried about him leaving.

 

[HoopsCoach42]

I think we can see that with the guys we have recruited from the portal and the guys we have got that Hubert is preparing for Drake to leave. Most assume that Wilson is a lock as our power forward but my understanding is what may have been the key to his commit to us was Hubert giving him a legit shot at playing the 3 as well as the 4. Wilson believe his NBA positon is at the 3 more than the 4.

Roy did that with John Henson back in the day. That experiment crashed and burned. Turned into a great 4/5 that got him drafted. I hope if works out better for Wilson, for his sake AND ours!!!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

But my point is very few (if any) Hubert incoming freshman are better than advertised.

That was often true of Roy's recruits, too - although there are some obvious exceptions. But that made more sense back then. Roy often went after kids with good upside who needed development. And he gave them that development. Roy could produce good teams with kids who were ready to go AND those who needed time. Because, back then, they stuck around, and he was a good developmental coach.

Hubert has shown he can do well with players who are already good. Less so with those who need to develop. JMO

 

[DSouthr]

Is UNC winning the portal, others may define winning the portal differently but I look at it from a couple different aspects. First, have we brought in a better mix of talent, that better fit the clear needs this team had from last season. And second, have we brought in from this portal guys that adequately allow us to survive the loss of guys from last seasons team or maybe even improved on it. To me winning the portal is all about UNC, not what some other teams have or have not done, it is about us. I also look at the portal before last as a bench mark, that was a very good portal for us, last portal we failed that bench mark by a lot.

I look at the group of Ryan, Ingram,Paxon, and JWit and I consider them as the bench mark as compared to our current and maybe not finished group of Evans, Veesaar, Jarin, and JPowel and I see the difference makers in the old group was really only Harry and Cormac, I think the current group all 4 may be difference makers in their first seasons at UNC. This current group is not only versatile in that they can all play multiple positions at a high level it is a group where all 4 seem to be on the verge of becoming breakout players. I think every one of the new guys are starter level players, they may not all start but when they come in there isn't likely to be a huge drop off.

I think this new group addresses every area of need we had coming out of this last season, I would suggest 1 or 2 areas may need some additional shoring up as in jump shooting or a big boned big man that can match physicality. We can now sit back and be very selective, if we don't take another big man we have James Brown and High to shore up that front court and the 5 star Wilson or another big man is more want than need. If we don't bring in another jump shooter we have 2 darn good freshmen combo guards on the way in Dixon and Denis who both have shooting chops, especially Dixon and neither are sub 6foot. We could go in to the season with the group we have right now, many of the more powerful teams from last season still don't have enough guys to field a team, we do.

Have we won this portal, I say yes we have, this time last season we didn't have a single portal commit and now we have 4 starter level guys in hand. I give huge credit to our new approach with the GM and his staff taking so much of this off of Hubert and that GM & staff are still in the build stage, they are not nearly totally set to what they will evolve in to.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Is UNC winning the portal, others may define winning the portal differently but I look at it from a couple different aspects. First, have we brought in a better mix of talent, that better fit the clear needs this team had from last season. And second, have we brought in from this portal guys that adequately allow us to survive the loss of guys from last seasons team or maybe even improved on it. To me winning the portal is all about UNC, not what some other teams have or have not done, it is about us. I also look at the portal before last as a bench mark, that was a very good portal for us, last portal we failed that bench mark by a lot.

I look at the group of Ryan, Ingram,Paxon, and JWit and I consider them as the bench mark as compared to our current and maybe not finished group of Evans, Veesaar, Jarin, and JPowel and I see the difference makers in the old group was really only Harry and Cormac, I think the current group all 4 may be difference makers in their first seasons at UNC. This current group is not only versatile in that they can all play multiple positions at a high level it is a group where all 4 seem to be on the verge of becoming breakout players. I think every one of the new guys are starter level players, they may not all start but when they come in there isn't likely to be a huge drop off.

I think this new group addresses every area of need we had coming out of this last season, I would suggest 1 or 2 areas may need some additional shoring up as in jump shooting or a big boned big man that can match physicality. We can now sit back and be very selective, if we don't take another big man we have James Brown and High to shore up that front court and the 5 star Wilson or another big man is more want than need. If we don't bring in another jump shooter we have 2 darn good freshmen combo guards on the way in Dixon and Denis who both have shooting chops, especially Dixon and neither are sub 6foot. We could go in to the season with the group we have right now, many of the more powerful teams from last season still don't have enough guys to field a team, we do.

Have we won this portal, I say yes we have, this time last season we didn't have a single portal commit and now we have 4 starter level guys in hand. I give huge credit to our new approach with the GM and his staff taking so much of this off of Hubert and that GM & staff are still in the build stage, they are not nearly totally set to what they will evolve in to.

Not saying you're wrong - since I agree with much of what you said, especially on improved fit and balance. But I would appreciate it if you could share the flavor of Kool Aid you are drinking. Or maybe the tint of your glasses.

I don't see a Harrison Ingram in this group. Or even a Cormac Ryan. Then again, until he got here, who knew that Ingram was such a mood lifter and leader? And while several of the new portal class may be as good or better shooters than Ryan, will any of them have his grit and toughness?

I look forward to seeing these new guys play. I hope your optimism is justified. But I don't want to over-hype them. That too often leads to fans beating up players when they are merely ordinary.

On the assumption that Drake is leaving, I'd love to hear that we are going after Watkins or Reid (or another top SF).

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Wilson's HS/AAU trajectoy took off once he realized he needed to spend more time close to the basket, and with the disclaimer that the portal is still open, not sure where this "balance" you speak of exists as of yet.

Better balance seems obvious to me. If, as you suggest, Wilson won't play SF and if, as most seem to assume, we lose Drake, then we still have a hole at SF. But we no longer have a hole in the post.

Ignoring the SF issue for the moment, we had a strongish back court last season and a weak front court. We may have lost some in the back court but it still should be good. Whereas we should be clearly better up front.

That sounds like better balance to me, Not necessarily better overall, but better balanced.

Keep Drake or add someone like Watkins or Reid and we'll be nicely balance across the board. In theory. And likely better overall.

I'd still like to add a serviceable backup at PG, too. But the SF need is greater, imo.

 

[Lewis&Miller]

The manner in which we lost Cadeau was a targeted blow to the program. It didnt look good for a week or so, but once Hubert got the ball rolling things have done an about face. The frontcourt is now talented, towering, and crowded. Maybe others know for sure, but it appears Evans is a true point guard with scoring ability and Powell is the shooting wing. So some sites are saying we are finished. We probably have no shot at adding Lee, should he stay in college. If Hubert is done, he is putting tons of pressure on being right with Evans and staying injury free. Sure we have 2 freshmen but the likelihood Hubert can get Dixon ready is small to non existent.

Seems we need another backcourt player. I would have to go with a combo guard that would be a backup at pg and play the 2 spot for necessary perimeter shooting. Can Hubert enter this make or break year with Evans as the only proven point with any collegiate success? I cant see this going unaddressed.

 

[DSouthr]

That was often true of Roy's recruits, too - although there are some obvious exceptions. But that made more sense back then. Roy often went after kids with good upside who needed development. And he gave them that development. Roy could produce good teams with kids who were ready to go AND those who needed time. Because, back then, they stuck around, and he was a good developmental coach.

Hubert has shown he can do well with players who are already good. Less so with those who need to develop. JMO

Maybe my greatest concern with Hubert as a coach is that he nor his staff seem to me to be strong (or even average) in talent evaluation, which honestly blows my mind. I would think with all the experience he and his staff has that they would be strong at talent evaluation not just who to bring in but how to use the talent he has. It is like a engineer that can't do math, it is mind blowing.

 

[gary-7]

When I previously spoke of Wilson as a 4/3 or even a 3/4, I was smacked down sharply and told he was a 4 and in no way a SF.

But if he wants to play SF, and his name isn't John Henson, then that fixes a lot....

Kyan​

Seth​

Caleb​

Jarin​

Henri​

With a capable 2nd squad of...

Dixon​

Denis​

JPowell​

High? Brown?​

Lubin​

That team might even earn a double-bye in the ACCT. Not because it is necessarily more talented, but it's more balanced. Not to mention taller.

Wilson's HS/AAU trajectoy took off once he realized he needed to spend more time close to the basket, and with the disclaimer that the portal is still open, not sure where this "balance" you speak of exists as of yet.

Better balance seems obvious to me. If, as you suggest, Wilson won't play SF and if, as most seem to assume, we lose Drake, then we still have a hole at SF. But we no longer have a hole in the post.

Ignoring the SF issue for the moment, we had a strongish back court last season and a weak front court. We may have lost some in the back court but it still should be good. Whereas we should be clearly better up front.

That sounds like better balance to me, Not necessarily better overall, but better balanced.

Keep Drake or add someone like Watkins or Reid and we'll be nicely balance across the board. In theory. And likely better overall.

I'd still like to add a serviceable backup at PG, too. But the SF need is greater, imo.

A downgraded perimeter 1-thru-3 doesn't strike me as "balance", and let's be honest, that's where we are right now. There's still potential for fixing some of that, but potential is all it is at the moment.

 

[DSouthr]

Better balance seems obvious to me. If, as you suggest, Wilson won't play SF and if, as most seem to assume, we lose Drake, then we still have a hole at SF. But we no longer have a hole in the post.

Ignoring the SF issue for the moment, we had a strongish back court last season and a weak front court. We may have lost some in the back court but it still should be good. Whereas we should be clearly better up front.

That sounds like better balance to me, Not necessarily better overall, but better balanced.

Keep Drake or add someone like Watkins or Reid and we'll be nicely balance across the board. In theory. And likely better overall.

I'd still like to add a serviceable backup at PG, too. But the SF need is greater, imo.

This a FAR FAR better balanced team today than it was at any point last season, I couldn't imagine why anyone would suggest other wise. We were one of the most un-balanced teams I have ever seen last season, we had a weak AND short front court to go along with a tiny tiny back court. Last season we had 1 go to scoring guy in RJ, we had a PG that was the 12th worst in ALL of D-1 in TOs with 113 TO by himself for the season, your point guard? And I say this with or with out Drake Powell.


Of course, you never know how guys will play for us until they play real games, least we forget Tyson or Paxon. But this group from the portal combined with our in coming freshmen, added to Seth and Lubin, the ball of going to be spread around to 5 scoring threats on the floor as opposed to just one or maybe 2.

With Wilson, believe what you want to believe but I am telling you now Wilson will play some 3 and I would not rule out him being our starting 3, i fact if Drake does not come back I would expect Wilson to be our starting 3 and Jarin our starting 4. JPowell is to me a starter quality 3, very strong defender and drops treys at around 37-38%, in a pinch even Jarin can play some 3, he played the 3 at bama a lot. WE simply do not need another 3, we could use a really sweet jump shooting guard or we will depend a lot on Dixon and Denis to back up both starters and I think they can but it is higher risk. In fact we are so loaded at the 3 right now if Drake were to come back he could well be slotted in at the 2 rather than the 3 spot (I said could not would but I would also add should because that is his future NBA position).

 

[RP12]

This a FAR FAR better balanced team today than it was at any point last season, I couldn't imagine why anyone would suggest other wise. We were one of the most un-balanced teams I have ever seen last season, we had a weak AND short front court to go along with a tiny tiny back court. Last season we had 1 go to scoring guy in RJ, we had a PG that was the 12th worst in ALL of D-1 in TOs with 113 TO by himself for the season, your point guard? And I say this with or with out Drake Powell.


Of course, you never know how guys will play for us until they play real games, least we forget Tyson or Paxon. But this group from the portal combined with our in coming freshmen, added to Seth and Lubin, the ball of going to be spread around to 5 scoring threats on the floor as opposed to just one or maybe 2.

With Wilson, believe what you want to believe but I am telling you now Wilson will play some 3 and I would not rule out him being our starting 3, i fact if Drake does not come back I would expect Wilson to be our starting 3 and Jarin our starting 4. JPowell is to me a starter quality 3, very strong defender and drops treys at around 37-38%, in a pinch even Jarin can play some 3, he played the 3 at bama a lot. WE simply do not need another 3, we could use a really sweet jump shooting guard or we will depend a lot on Dixon and Denis to back up both starters and I think they can but it is higher risk. In fact we are so loaded at the 3 right now if Drake were to come back he could well be slotted in at the 2 rather than the 3 spot (I said could not would but I would also add should because that is his future NBA position).

Come on DS you could at least go to TO/game, where he was tied for 35th most while being alone at 15th in Assists/game despite the awful offensive plan. The size issue was all about RJ. Again, right now folks are imagining the best version of new guys and all the improvement they might make, despite very little evidence of that during HD's tenure. That's fine but it need not come with talking down players who left. EC was not weak, was not too small, was not awful on defense and his A/TO wasn't in some unacceptable range. His limits as a shooter and especially a confident one along with being foul prone at times-some earned some not- are real things. He also did force some things on offense but he produced an enormous percentage of the easy shots that the team got with his playmaking.

 

[DSouthr]

Not saying you're wrong - since I agree with much of what you said, especially on improved fit and balance. But I would appreciate it if you could share the flavor of Kool Aid you are drinking. Or maybe the tint of your glasses.

I don't see a Harrison Ingram in this group. Or even a Cormac Ryan. Then again, until he got here, who knew that Ingram was such a mood lifter and leader? And while several of the new portal class may be as good or better shooters than Ryan, will any of them have his grit and toughness?

I look forward to seeing these new guys play. I hope your optimism is justified. But I don't want to over-hype them. That too often leads to fans beating up players when they are merely ordinary.

On the assumption that Drake is leaving, I'd love to hear that we are going after Watkins or Reid (or another top SF).

What you are asking me is where are the things in this group of portal guys BEFORE they suit up that we saw in that other group AFTER they suited up. More specifically, where is the LEADERSHIP that Ingram and Ryan gave us, as AJ would say, where are the fanny slappers? LOL

The answer, the ONLY answer is I don't know, any more than I knew where it would come from before Harry and Cormac suited up for us, we will just have to wait and see.

 

[Mrs.Jeans15]

Hopefully we have 1 of the Freshmen guards play better than expected.

 

[trimbornunc86]

Lets just at this stage of the game say Drake is coming back ... At this point, hypothetically with the team next year, lets say its another disappointing season , first weekend exit type of season where along the way we see the same type of blunders we saw this season. Are there any other excuses left from the HD side that he can turn to or is now on the hot seat? Genuine question

 

[gary-7]

This a FAR FAR better balanced team today than it was at any point last season, I couldn't imagine why anyone would suggest other wise. We were one of the most un-balanced teams I have ever seen last season, we had a weak AND short front court to go along with a tiny tiny back court. Last season we had 1 go to scoring guy in RJ, we had a PG that was the 12th worst in ALL of D-1 in TOs with 113 TO by himself for the season, your point guard? And I say this with or with out Drake Powell.


Of course, you never know how guys will play for us until they play real games, least we forget Tyson or Paxon. But this group from the portal combined with our in coming freshmen, added to Seth and Lubin, the ball of going to be spread around to 5 scoring threats on the floor as opposed to just one or maybe 2.

With Wilson, believe what you want to believe but I am telling you now Wilson will play some 3 and I would not rule out him being our starting 3, i fact if Drake does not come back I would expect Wilson to be our starting 3 and Jarin our starting 4. JPowell is to me a starter quality 3, very strong defender and drops treys at around 37-38%, in a pinch even Jarin can play some 3, he played the 3 at bama a lot. WE simply do not need another 3, we could use a really sweet jump shooting guard or we will depend a lot on Dixon and Denis to back up both starters and I think they can but it is higher risk. In fact we are so loaded at the 3 right now if Drake were to come back he could well be slotted in at the 2 rather than the 3 spot (I said could not would but I would also add should because that is his future NBA position).

1,000,000% disagree.

As of now we are objectively downgraded at PG on both ends (and any rationalizations to the contrary are strained, to say the least), offensively at the 2, and on both ends at the 3.

Drake ain't likely to come back, and the new Powell ain't Drake... so Wilson at the 3? Good luck with that.

Look, I would love to see Drake back (and I posted previously it might save Hubert's job), and personally, I think Dixon has a chance to be a real option at PG (which could change the calculus a tad) --- but RIGHT NOW I see a bunch o' tall guys in an overcrowded 4-5 rotation, and nothing to write home about anywhere else.

 

[gary-7]

Lets just at this stage of the game say Drake is coming back ... At this point, hypothetically with the team next year, lets say its another disappointing season , first weekend exit type of season where along the way we see the same type of blunders we saw this season. Are there any other excuses left from the HD side that he can turn to or is now on the hot seat? Genuine question

Nope (excuses). Yep (hot seat).