Puff is gone
- Thread starter CarolinaBlue5
- Start date
He realized that HD was recruiting over him, so he is leaving. Makes perfect sense.
Recruiting who over him? We have Wilcher (PG/SG) and High (PF) coming in next year and neither play his position (Puff will be a Senior)
I wonder if Nickel knew Puff was leaving? A lot of minutes at SF next year if Tyler had stayed with Leaky graduating and Puff transferring
Maybe Caleb Love is coming back? I don't blame Johnson; this is a mess.
But Hubert hasn't recruited over him. The only incoming recruits are a combo guard (Wilcher) and a big man who may be growing into a college center (High.) Our only serious portal recruit is a 6'4" shooting guard from Towson.
He wasn't recruiting over Puff. Puff was the last forward on the roster.
This is yet another bad look for Hubert. Cam's little brother quitting the team. Watch him transfer to Pitt and join a team that knows how to beat Hubert's ass, while simultaneously alienating Cam from the program.
Puff's development suffered this season. He looked like a shell of himself compared to last year. Looked out of place at times.
Recruiting over him could mean offers in the portal. Either way I liked puff. But after All the offseason talk of us being ok during the 2022 season if we didn’t land a power forward and him starting. I was less then impressed with him. Love the hustle. But he can’t be relied on(constantly hurt) as well. Hope the best to him. But we need shooters. I personally believe if Armando comes back with Davis and we are able to get some guys to stretch the floor. We could be in for a good bounce back year. Need some shooters and hope that a couple guys can finally add some depth.
Hubert prides himself in getting “carolina guys”. If he replaces the roster with the portal every year, then WHAT’s the point? smh
This one surprises me but does not shock me. Hard truth is, I was very high on Puff when he came to us, he was and looked like a really solid jump shooter that had really good length, needed to bulk up for the college game. Problem was he didn't develop in to a consistent shooter, stayed hurt and lost weight rather than add it? He had all the opportunity he could ask for, Hubert would play him quicker than any other on the bench. But in the end you got to produce and frankly he just didn't.
This swings the door wide open for a big time portal wing, what I prefer rather than a Jackson reclass, I want a kid physically ready to play aggressive that can shoot and drive. After the smoke clears there will be more than 1 guy like that in the portal for us to go hard after. Hate it but this is the time of the year hard choices happen and we fans really need to really consider exactly what we lose as opposed to what we can gain and frankly, Puff did not pay as well as I would have expected him to last season so it was harder to see him really being a major cog for us next season. He has had 3years to develop and that development just has snot been what should have been the expectation.
Great kid, I wish him the best, hope it works out for him.
I'm not surprised either. Puff leaving upsets me the most, but I was expecting it. When I read the article, I told my husband that I wouldn't be surprised, if every player whose Dad spoke up about the team not going to the NIT left.
We haven't offered a single forward in the portal yet. In fact the 3 portal players reported to have gotten contact are all guards.
Puff was the last forward left on the roster.
Now we have to find a starting 3, a starting 4, possibly a starting 2, and we'll have to find players to back up both forward spots (which is going to be a tough sell based on Hubert's bench usage.)
And we might lose our top committed recruit for the 2nd class in a row.
Name all the forwards we have contacted in the portal that would keep Puff Johnson from playing.
Last season Puff averaged 4.1 pts and 2.7 rebounds in about 16mins a game...
Styles was 1.9pts and .9 rebounds a game...
Nickel was 2.1 pts and .6 rebounds...
McKoy was 1.7 pts and 1.2 rebounds
That totaled is about 10pts a game and 5.5 or so rebounds a game? Remind me again how hard losing those guys really is?
Styles was 1.9pts and .9 rebounds a game...
Nickel was 2.1 pts and .6 rebounds...
McKoy was 1.7 pts and 1.2 rebounds
That totaled is about 10pts a game and 5.5 or so rebounds a game? Remind me again how hard losing those guys really is?
I personally don’t understand the panic. It’s UNC and we just missed the tournament with all these players that are leaving.
Sad to see, but he was definitely going to be recruited over in the portal because he has never been reliable enough to count on, and certainly hasn't proved he can be a starter.
Maybe we should have offered him a redshirt so he could try to be like his brother (who took 5 years to be good and 6 years to become a superstar). But even if that was an option, that boat has sailed.
I liked his energy, his quickness, and his attitude. He still could have planned to start the following season. Maybe he'd have to back up a portal guy this coming season, since none of our 2024 class is a tall SF. But maybe he didn't want to wait.
Good chance he can start and do very well somewhere else, if he can stay healthy.
I was going to say he could do better in a weaker conference. But the ACC has become a weaker conference, so how low does he need to go?
Maybe we should have offered him a redshirt so he could try to be like his brother (who took 5 years to be good and 6 years to become a superstar). But even if that was an option, that boat has sailed.
I liked his energy, his quickness, and his attitude. He still could have planned to start the following season. Maybe he'd have to back up a portal guy this coming season, since none of our 2024 class is a tall SF. But maybe he didn't want to wait.
Good chance he can start and do very well somewhere else, if he can stay healthy.
I was going to say he could do better in a weaker conference. But the ACC has become a weaker conference, so how low does he need to go?
Exactly. You don't have a clue. You're grasping at straws to explain why half the team and our top commits are all leaving.
It must be these invisible portal players that don't have names or stats. Surely they are the reason Puff Johnson has completely given up on UNC basketball with 80 minutes a game at the 3 and 4 spots available next season.
I think he needs to aim lower. Be sure of getting a lot of PT and hopefully stay healthy. Can't count on that at a top school.
Pitt
Where his family attended, a place he feels at home, on a team that just swept us, for a coaching staff that relies heavily on tall wings and comboforwards, with an assistant coach that will happily feed into the "UNC mistreated us" mentality.
I have many clues, I just don’t want to tell them to you. It’s funny that you think there won’t be hundreds of more portal guys enter over the next two weeks that we’ve already back channeled.
Take care man.
He literally carried us in the 2nd half of the national championship game. He's more than proven he can play at the highest level.
This is the hard truth. I think there needs to be a collective breath at this point. Let the thing play out. HD is not a moron as some have suggested on here! PERHAPS there is also some reclassification possibilities going on behind the scenes as well. I just think everyone needs to take a collective breath.
Or maybe just being respectful to the teams and players who haven’t announced.
We've now lost ALL our small forwards. Hubert needs to add 2 from the portal or decommits. None of our 2024 class is a tall-enough SF, so reclassifications probably won't do the trick, even if Drake Powell - only 6'5 and 170 - is willing.
Then again, what's up with Jarin Stevenson? Could he commit, reclassify and play SF?
Rumor has it that Hubert is guaranteeing Caleb 35 minutes a game if he will return and play SF. No need to actually hit shots or make good decisions.
That was a joke. Or was it?
Then again, what's up with Jarin Stevenson? Could he commit, reclassify and play SF?
Rumor has it that Hubert is guaranteeing Caleb 35 minutes a game if he will return and play SF. No need to actually hit shots or make good decisions.
That was a joke. Or was it?
Sounds plausible. But can Puff hope to compete on such a physical team? He didn't muscle up last summer, but I'm guessing he'll have to if he wants to start for Pitt.
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