2018-19 Texas Longhorns thread

[HookEm 2467]

Durant was a decent scorer as I recall.  Not as good as J'Covan tho.  🙄

Edited May 13, 2018 by HookEm

[Goo Punch 4275]

Okay, so we’re heading into year four of our Barnes replacement, and here’s the skinny on him:

 

•Great recruiter

•Good defensive coach 

•Can’t keep top recruits more than 1-2 years

•Postseason choke artist

And to boot he doesn’t have anywhere near the regular season record of Coach Barnes. All of this is to say that maybe it isn’t as easy as everyone thought it was. By the time we actually fired Rick our fan base was convinced that almost anybody could recruit here, and that almost anybody was a better x’s o’s guy than Rick Barnes. We went and got a consensus top 3 available guy and he’s a crappier, less experienced version of Barnes. The next hire should be a splash hire. Whether it’s something like luring Donovan or Hoiberg away from the league, or whether it’s going after some 31 y/o NBA assistant who wants to start making millions and overseeing his own program right away; whatever it takes.

 

[Degenerate Gardner 4085]

The 3rd and 4th points are questionable.  You know well that one and dones are not unique to Shaka.  And he's been to exactly as many Final 4s as Rick Barnes.

Truly, I'm not sure why Barnes is even a meaningful metric.  Let's turn the page shall we.  There are valid criticisms of Shaka without muddying it with Barnes nostalgia.

[Machinator 32099]

Yeah, I'm not seeing how "can't keep top recruits" is a knock. Bamba was set on being one-and-done before he even enrolled, and I very much doubt Allen plays more than one year for the likes of Self, Coach K, etc.

An argument I've seen is that we shouldn't be pursuing these types of players, anyway, because we're not a blue blood, but that's silly too - when a 5-star big man in your backyard or one of the best rim-protecting prospects in recent history want to come to Texas, you don't turn them away.

[Goo Punch 4275]

9 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Yeah, I'm not seeing how "can't keep top recruits" is a knock. Bamba was set on being one-and-done before he even enrolled, and I very much doubt Allen plays more than one year for the likes of Self, Coach K, etc.

An argument I've seen is that we shouldn't be pursuing these types of players, anyway, because we're not a blue blood, but that's silly too - when a 5-star big man in your backyard or one of the best rim-protecting prospects in recent history want to come to Texas, you don't turn them away.

“Can’t keep top recruits” was simply a major complaint about Barnes after a while. 1-and-done (or two-and-done) fatigue had definitely set in. My point was that Shaka can’t avoid this any more than Barnes could. Thus far they seem to be having many of the same successes and struggles. That’s all I’m saying.

[Revolution512 1495]

20 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

Mr.”Ive watched every game and I know everything about Texas basketball” never saw anything indicating that J’Covan Brown had character issues? Bullshit. First off his character issues were THE word on J when he was coming out of HS. He had a knack for getting tossed from games and even his own coaches expressed how difficult it was to work with him. By the time he got to play big minutes for Texas ESPN was running a season-long storyline with Holly Rowe chronicling J’Covan’s many well-publicized character issues. We watched JB’s teammates like Doj and Tristan Thompson (a damn freshman at the time) having to go physically grab JB and bring him back to the team huddle on national TV. Then of course you have the road loss vs NU where JB intentionally ran the final play for himself instead of Jordan Hamilton, and after bricking his contested fadeaway corner jumper then went to twitter to rip Rick Barnes for not drawing the play up for him instead of Hamilton. It’s impossible to follow Texas as you claim to do without having heard of any of this, not to mention several other well publicized incidents. Give me a break, and distance yourself from the “Tevin Mack sucks and we don’t need him” stance.

Your JCB history isn’t exactly accurate. His high school situation wasn’t all on him. There’s a reason Barnes waited for him. That whole thing went toxic after the coach couldn’t force him to a certain school. JCB was a terrific basketball player. The kid loves Texas and basketball. Kudos to Rick for sticking with him and getting him out of that situation. It allowed JCB to make a living doing what he loves. 

[texasstrong12 4668]

Hope Roach sees this. A lot of guaranteed money now in the 2nd round. Even if Roach can't work his way into the 1st round by returning, there's a lot of guaranteed money now for 2nd round picks. It's a really weak draft class next year too. 

 

Edited May 13, 2018 by texasstrong12

[texasstrong12 4668]

Huge money for most 2nd round picks now. Seems like this is going to have 2 impacts. 1) more 2nd round projected picks are going to declare and 2) less incentive for college players to go the G-League route if they have any chance of working their way into a 2nd round pick. 

 

Edited May 13, 2018 by texasstrong12

[Cameltoe 114]

On 5/12/2018 at 4:29 PM, Goo Punch said:

Wow, i didn’t even finish camel’s post until now. He says that J’Covan was “arguably the most talented scorer we’ve ever had play here.” Holy shit that’s almost just as crazy as saying you never saw any character issues with him. Travis Mays, BJ Tyler, Terrence Rencher, Reggie Freeman, Jordan Hamilton, Lance Blanks- hell, Tevin Mack seriously might be a better scorer than JB if he can actually stay on a team.

You can’t keep talking shit to everyone about how you’ve seen it all up close and personal, only to turn around and say completely ludicrous things like this.

Notice how I use the word "arguably", and yes he was arguably the most talented scorer we've ever had here. All those names from the past you mentioned were SWC era guys. I guess it's tough to put him over Durant but I guess I give him some credit for being 8 inches shorter than Kevin and able to score the ball and create his own offense even better than Durant. I literally have no idea how you watched J'Covan and didn't take away from it that he was a gifted scorer.

[texasstrong12 4668]

Looks like Jones is starting to put on some more weight. 

 

[Goo Punch 4275]

That is great to hear. Hook em AJ1.

[texasstrong12 4668]

Jones was listed at 195 on the Texas roster last year. 

I bet he got down to at least 160. So it certainly seems like he's making some progress in terms of his weight. 

[texasstrong12 4668]

 

[Goo Punch 4275]

The thing about Roach thinking so hard and taking this much time is his: he needs to be our leader next year, period. He’s become a fine college guard who still has a bunch of upside, and if he does have a jump shot next year then he could make the All-Conference team and make himself a draft pick in the process. The better he shoots, the higher he goes.

 

That said, if you really do fancy yourself an NBA player at this point, that means you need to take the reins and lead the team like a pro. When Isaiah Taylor left school early the main reason I did not begrudge him for it was the way he led our team. The win over OU in particular was an outstanding performance led by Taylor- one of the best atmospheres I’ve been a part of at The Drum. Zay played with such passion and fire and was constantly talking to teammates, whether he was hyping them up or getting in their ass. That needs to be Roach next year. If you believe that you are a level above this team and league then lead like that’s the case when you return. Next season all comes down to guard play, and we need a floor leader. It could be Coleman- I love what I’ve seen from him here. But it needs to be Roach.

[BigOrange1 6471]

the ringer has an nba draft guide and while roach is not among their top 60 prospects, there is this little blurb in a section titled, "five under the radar 3 & D wings that you should know about:

Quote

Kerwin Roach, Texas. Roach, an elite defensive player at Texas, is one of the best athletes in this year's draft. He turned the corner as a junior and became a more consistent offensive player, both as a shooter and decision-maker, but he's still not very polished. Regardless of whether he's drafted, Roach will spend a lot of time in the G League next season, where he could easily win the dunk contest.

 

[texasstrong12 4668]

31 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

if you believe that you are a level above this team and league 

how do you get this from Roach testing NBA waters? I don't think Roach believes he's a "level above the team", he's just trying to get feedback from NBA teams. 

If Roach thought he was a "level above this team" he would just hire an agent and start the process of going pro. Maybe that still happens but based on the Lucas comments it certainly sounds like someone just trying to get NBA feedback. 

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by texasstrong12

[Goo Punch 4275]

Well first off, every report up until about a week ago (whenever he didn’t get a combine invite) said that he was either leaning towards leaving or at least that it was totally up in the air as to whether or not he would come back. I don’t believe that he entered his name just to get feedback. If he were a combine invitee and a probable draft pick then I believe he’d be gone, and I think most people monitoring the situation would agree. 

So, he thinks he’s good enough to be a pro, but he’s finding out that not a lot pro personnel agree with him. If you believe you’re good enough to be a pro but you end up returning for your senior season then prove it by leading the team. It’s that simple. You can be a team’s best player and a pro prospect without being a leader. I want Roach to take the reins and lead, particularly since I’m still not super high on the team’s prospects. We need that from him. Besides, it won’t just help the team out, it’ll improve his draft stock as well. 

Edited May 17, 2018 by Goo Punch

[Catdaddyhorn 3447]

Everything about Roach's actions this offseason say he is under immense pressured to leave, even without any assurances. Still, he's doing his best to take the sober approach and is doing everything he can to not make a decision he can't come back from. According to the paysites he's been a full participant in the offseason program, handled his books, and maintained his position as a leader in this program. He hasn't signed with an agent and has seemingly only received indirect feedback on his draft prospects (or the lack thereof). Being a prideful athlete this has to eat at him that it doesn't look like he'll get a chance to show off his wares in front of actual NBA front office personnel. Hopefully it motivates him to come back and give everything he's got to prove that they're wrong.

 

 

[Pancho 44995]

Schedule news 

 

we play Purdue at home this season in December 

[Goo Punch 4275]

Their team from last year would crush us, but they’ve lost a bunch of players so we should handle them.

[Cameltoe 114]

21 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

The thing about Roach thinking so hard and taking this much time is his: he needs to be our leader next year, period.

Aside from this statement making no real sense (what does thinking so hard have to do with being a leader?), we don't NEED Roach to be a leader next year. I'm fine with him being a good basketball player for us. That's the most important thing. Showing leadership as an upperclassman would be great too, and I hope he comes back. But we've got leadership from Coleman and Oset whether he does or doesn't come back. And the incoming class is chock full of guys who can probably play significant minutes at the NCAA level, so the fact is we don't really NEED Roach next year.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Cameltoe

[Goo Punch 4275]

So we neither need Roach nor leaders. Wow that’s dumb. Besides the fact that leadership and featuring great senior players have been glaring weaknesses during Shaka’s time here I totally see your point. We’ve been *thriving* without those pieces, the same way we don’t need and haven’t missed having tall perimeter scorers like Tevin Mack. We have Dylan Osetkowski, we're set!

Edited May 18, 2018 by Goo Punch

[Machinator 32099]

Leadership aspect aside, we need Roach back because we have little proven depth at guard and exactly one upperclassman in the backcourt, who has yet to play a minute for Texas.

[Cameltoe 114]

Where did I say anything about not needing leadership? I said that I expect Coleman and Osetkowski to provide leadership next year.

Lack of seniors has indeed been a problem, but the big picture is more subtle and complicated than that. Having upperclassmen on the roster, is in general, a good thing, and it is important. Our lack of experience is a big reason why we've been getting beat up in the experienced Big 12 of the last 2 years.

But there is such a thing as a good NCAA team without upperclassmen. It's rare, and the exception not the norm. But I have a hunch we're going to be good next year while still being pretty young. What I like most about the incoming class though, is that I think they'll form an ongoing nucleus year after year rather than all bolting for the pros after next year.

[dogbreath 434]

22 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

The thing about Roach thinking so hard and taking this much time is his: he needs to be our leader next year, period. He’s become a fine college guard who still has a bunch of upside, and if he does have a jump shot next year then he could make the All-Conference team and make himself a draft pick in the process. The better he shoots, the higher he goes.

So, he thinks he’s good enough to be a pro, but he’s finding out that not a lot pro personnel agree with him. If you believe you’re good enough to be a pro but you end up returning for your senior season then prove it by leading the team. It’s that simple. You can be a team’s best player and a pro prospect without being a leader. I want Roach to take the reins and lead, particularly since I’m still not super high on the team’s prospects. We need that from him. Besides, it won’t just help the team out, it’ll improve his draft stock as well. 

If our argument for having him return is to be a pg in the making then fuck that, we are screwed.  Coleman is the leader of next years team and I want him to seize the leader role from Osetkowski.  I don't want Roach back if he thinks he has to show the NBA that he can be a pg.  If Roach comes back, then he fills a role of d and shooter.  He needs to lead by example.  He doesn't need to create for anyone except himself.  Ramey, Coleman and Long will be the creators on this team.  If Roach  succeeds in the pros, it will be because he bootstraps his way there.  If he's matured, knows his limitations and works his ass off then that will take him further on his quest than some bs leadership skills. 

[HookEm 2467]

To say we don't really need Roach back might be the stupidest thing I have read in the last month.

[BigOrange1 6471]

1 hour ago, Cameltoe said:

Where did I say anything about not needing leadership? I said that I expect Coleman and Osetkowski to provide leadership next year.

 

kind of hard to follow a guy who totally sucks.

[Goo Punch 4275]

These declarations that Matt Coleman and DO are team leaders are premature and completely fucking stupid, respectively.

 

Matt Coleman looks like a guy who is primed to become a leader, But to say that he is already there is premature. I love the way he is constantly talking to his guys on the floor, I love his visible competitive desire, and I do expect him to become a real floor leader this year. But it hasn’t happened yet. We all thought that EDJ was primed to be a team leader heading into his sophomore year and we see how that turned out. To just take for granted that Coleman will be a leader this year is, again, premature. 

 

Calling DO a leader is just completely fucking stupid. He’s soft, not to mention he somehow seemed to be gaining weight as the season progressed, while his game seemed to get worse and worse over time. He’s a volume shooting PF who can’t shoot, and he’s a high post passer with a negative AST/TO ratio. He looked great against Duke, but he didn’t do a damn thing to lead the team after that. I’m of the opinion that DO surely *has* to be much improved this season, if only due to his senior status and the fact that the league will be down, not to mention that he was just plain bad last year. But to call him a leader? That’s ridiculous.

 

Finally, notice that I said that I expect Coleman to be a “floor leader” next year. A senior team leader doesn’t just lead on the floor, he leads by example 24/7, from his diet, to his workouts, to his study habits, to demanding that the rest of his team follow his lead and work as hard as he does. I’m not looking for Roach to go win us every game, I’m looking for some VY, “Anybody who wants to beat Kansas meet me at Cooley at 6 am” shit. Leading is realizing that you can’t have your last year of college ball being jeopardized by younger teammates who aren’t all the way bought in. THAT is what I want to see from Roach, and you should too camel, considering your inexplicable man crush on a coach who’s been a total disappointment and who needs his team to have a great year if he wants to keep his job for much longer.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Goo Punch

[Cameltoe 114]

10 hours ago, BigOrange1 said:

kind of hard to follow a guy who totally sucks.

Our guys did it for Barnes for 7 years.

[TheFlagship 436]

 

[GotThatFire 166]

 I remember Providence and I remember PJ Tucker. But I don’t remember exactly what happened. I was probably drunk 

[Cameltoe 114]

1 hour ago, GotThatFire said:

 I remember Providence and I remember PJ Tucker. But I don’t remember exactly what happened. I was probably drunk 

It took the refs an eternity to fathom the fact that a digital clock readout is going to say "0.0" for one tenth of a second before the buzzer sounds. The ESPN announcers were even slower to figure it out.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Cameltoe

[Goo Punch 4275]

1 hour ago, GotThatFire said:

 I remember Providence and I remember PJ Tucker. But I don’t remember exactly what happened. I was probably drunk 

Todd Wright almost killed a guy.

[Goo Punch 4275]

Looking good:

 

[Machinator 32099]

Inside Texas with an incredibly cryptic blurb on Roach, but bottom line is they think the probability of his return is trending upwards:

Two months ago, it looked like Texas junior guard Kerwin Roach was gone.

A month ago, it looked like Texas junior guard Kerwin Roach was gone

Two weeks ago, it looked like Texas junior guard Kerwin Roach was gone.

Should Kerwin decide to leave for the green-ish pastures of (likely) the NBA G League, it will once again be at the expense of Shaka Smart and his basketball program. Kerwin’s freakish athleticism and burgeoning game as a functional scoring combo guard make sense at the pro level (whichever version of pro that may be).

But there’s a but…

It’s no secret that Kerwin was left without an invite to the NBA Combine. That, however, doesn’t mean that he’s been left without feedback from NBA teams/scouts. Really, if NBA personnel need the combine to tell how incredible of an athlete Kerwin is, they’re not doing their jobs.

Instead, Kerwin has had multiple data points (at least three – of varying varieties – which we know of) and each of them has alluded to the popular belief that Roach should return for his senior season in Austin.

The teasing potential of Kerwin as a shooter and playmaker makes it unlikely that Kerwin would be left without a paying basketball gig next year. So, it’s not really a question of whether leaving would be a disastrous choice for the senior-to-be. Rather, it’s a question of whether the NBA can/would care to convince him that a spot in the league is more possible after another year in Austin.

On top of all that, bigger questions remain, such as: Does Kerwin want to be in Austin? Are there extenuating circumstances which would facilitate a decision for him? Does Kerwin believe that being at Texas is his best avenue towards pro basketball?

And, finally, does the decision ultimately boil down to Kerwin?

Without coming right out and calling how this one will finish, we will say that Texas feels better and better about their chances by the day.

Roach has until May 30 to commit to staying in the draft or returning to college.

[texasstrong12 4668]

2 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

Looking good:

 

Pretty sure that's an old picture but I could be wrong. Either way from looking at his instragam he's really starting to put on weight. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BikCKRwAQt8/?hl=en&taken-by=drewdotcash_1

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by texasstrong12

[dogbreath 434]

16 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

Matt Coleman looks like a guy who is primed to become a leader, But to say that he is already there is premature. I love the way he is constantly talking to his guys on the floor, I love his visible competitive desire, and I do expect him to become a real floor leader this year. But it hasn’t happened yet. We all thought that EDJ was primed to be a team leader heading into his sophomore year and we see how that turned out. To just take for granted that Coleman will be a leader this year is, again, premature. 

I don't recall a story about EDJ going straight to the gym at 3 am to work on his weaknesses.  You may be right that it is premature, but there is a fight for the soul of every team and I'm betting on Coleman. 

Calling DO a leader is just completely fucking stupid. He’s soft, not to mention he somehow seemed to be gaining weight as the season progressed, while his game seemed to get worse and worse over time. He’s a volume shooting PF who can’t shoot, and he’s a high post passer with a negative AST/TO ratio. He looked great against Duke, but he didn’t do a damn thing to lead the team after that. I’m of the opinion that DO surely *has* to be much improved this season, if only due to his senior status and the fact that the league will be down, not to mention that he was just plain bad last year. But to call him a leader? That’s ridiculous.

It's not stupid, if DO is giving instructions in huddles during time outs.  This happened in several late game situations. Smart looks like he wants his guys to ascend to leadership positions, but we need DO to be more than weak-ass forward on a broke ass team.  I agree that I'd prefer to have him lead by example. 

Finally, notice that I said that I expect Coleman to be a “floor leader” next year. A senior team leader doesn’t just lead on the floor, he leads by example 24/7, from his diet, to his workouts, to his study habits, to demanding that the rest of his team follow his lead and work as hard as he does. I’m not looking for Roach to go win us every game, I’m looking for some VY, “Anybody who wants to beat Kansas meet me at Cooley at 6 am” shit.

Based on Coleman's history, I'd assert that he is more likely to do this.  I haven't heard anything about Roach doing anything like this, but that would be awesome if he did. 

Leading is realizing that you can’t have your last year of college ball being jeopardized by younger teammates who aren’t all the way bought in. THAT is what I want to see from Roach, and you should too camel, considering your inexplicable man crush on a coach who’s been a total disappointment and who needs his team to have a great year if he wants to keep his job for much longer.

Agree with general premise, and  one can argue that Roach and Davis bought in more freshman year due to senior leaders.  Soph year they fell off the cliff and while EDJ stayed in the lower tier of the cliff, Roach made a steady climb back up.   So, in your opinion you believe that the incoming freshman are in danger of not buying in?  They all look like ballers to me.  They may not have initial success, but they look to have the qualities of being solid players down the road. 

 

[Goo Punch 4275]

It’s not that they won’t buy in, it’s that they don’t even realize how much work it takes to separate yourself at the next level. It’s by far the most common thing you hear from freshmen when asked about the hardest part of the transition- they always talk about things in the same ball park, i.e. managing their time, watching film, watching what they eat, knowing where they are supposed to be on the court at all times, learning multiple defenses and more complex offensive sets- it’s SO much more work than in HS/AAU where they just roll the ball out for the best couple of players and let them do their thing. The senior leader has not only been through all of that but he’s seen what happens to the guys who don’t take it as seriously as others, and he takes it upon himself to stay on the younger guys and push them. Or hell, just look at TJ’s leadership his sophomore year with the whole Brian Boddicker incident. He’d earned enough trust from the coach to speak his mind and it changed our season. We need that. We’ve been needing that.

Edited May 19, 2018 by Goo Punch

[Cameltoe 114]

On 5/17/2018 at 11:43 PM, HookEm said:

To say we don't really need Roach back might be the stupidest thing I have read in the last month.

I'd like to have Roach back. I think we go farther with him than without him next year.

Roach is a nice player. Good height, excellent athleticism, plays good defense, and puts up good assist numbers. He is not a proven shooter but his shot has improved.

But, we're probably not gonna win a championship/make a final four whether he comes back or not. If that is the goal, and I think it is, then that's why i say we don't REALLY need him. Because what we need to make a final four and possibly even win a championship is a nucleus of multiple guys who can spend multiple years in college. That is what really needs to be worked for and what the long game strategy is. Roach's decision about next year isn't going to impact that very much.

[HookEm 2467]

Having players stay when they should stay is the culture we want to develop. Roach staying can play a critical role in reversing the trend.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Cameltoe 114]

40 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Having players stay when they should stay is the culture we want to develop. Roach staying can play a critical role in reversing the trend.
 

Totally agree. The best possible scenario would be for Roach to decide on finishing out his career here with an awesome senior year and even saying something to the press like "I just love being a Longhorn and I wanna finish out my career here at UT."

But at the same time it's all these guys' dreams to be able to earn a living playing basketball and if Roach thinks this is the best time for him to take that next step then you can't really begrudge the kid.

[Cameltoe 114]

If we had some shit-ass Weltlich-era recruiting class coming in then it might be like "yeah, we NEED Snoop to return." But we are recruiting at a pretty elite level right now, so while I think we'll be a lot better if Roach does come back, I wouldn't put it in the "need" category.

[Bitterwhiteguy 153]

5 hours ago, Cameltoe said:

If we had some shit-ass Weltlich-era recruiting class coming in then it might be like "yeah, we NEED Snoop to return." But we are recruiting at a pretty elite level right now, so while I think we'll be a lot better if Roach does come back, I wouldn't put it in the "need" category.

This team needs experience if they ever want to get out of the cycle of forcing non-Bamba freshmen into major roles right out of the gate. Roach would help with this, allowing guys like Ramey & Febres to be used situationally as they grow into above-average D-I players (and I think they will, sooner or later). If Roach comes back and plays like he did that last month of the season, this team will be markedly better for it.

(I like the incoming class, just would like to let a few of them get their feet wet instead of dunking them in the deep end.)

Also, the IT report jives with what I'm hearing.

Edited May 20, 2018 by Bitterwhiteguy

[Cameltoe 114]

10 minutes ago, Bitterwhiteguy said:

This team needs experience if they ever want to get out of the cycle of forcing non-Bamba freshmen into major roles right out of the gate. Roach would help with this, allowing guys like Ramey & Febres to be used situationally as they grow into above-average D-I players (and I think they will, sooner or later). If Roach comes back and plays like he did that last month of the season, this team will be markedly better for it.

(I like the incoming class, just would like to let a few of them get their feet wet instead of dunking them in the deep end.)

Also, the IT report jives with what I'm hearing.

I basically agree, but forcing non-Bamba freshmen into significant roles would actually help us long-term, provided those guys don't go pro after 1 season like Bamba. The problem with one-and-dones is that if you don't win a championship the year you have them, it does nothing for your team except help establish it as a destination for top recruits. That's fine and all, but it's probably better to have a nice nucleus of players who are just slightly less draftable than Bamba, to one actual Bamba.

[Machinator 32099]

The ideal situation would be to work some of those freshmen into the rotation (with increased minutes as the season progresses) without having to heavily rely on them. Having Roach back would help with that while also ensuring that we have enough experience and production on the floor to produce results this year.

[Bitterwhiteguy 153]

1 hour ago, Cameltoe said:

I basically agree, but forcing non-Bamba freshmen into significant roles would actually help us long-term, provided those guys don't go pro after 1 season like Bamba. The problem with one-and-dones is that if you don't win a championship the year you have them, it does nothing for your team except help establish it as a destination for top recruits. That's fine and all, but it's probably better to have a nice nucleus of players who are just slightly less draftable than Bamba, to one actual Bamba.

 

 

I don't have a problem with building the freshmen long-term, ideally that eventually becomes the norm more like some slightly-lesser version of how Kansas does it. I guess what I'm getting at is that I would like the freshmen to earn their spot rather than some years in the past where they had no choice but to plug them in from the jump.

 

If we're being real here, this is a potential point of concern -- and it's not exactly a concern yet, but I'm keeping a close eye on it) -- How many from the 2018 class (if any) will get pushed out for a shiny new freshman. The teams the last couple of years have been young for myriad reasons, some on the staff, some on Barnes' washed-up pipelines, and the recruiting of 1&Ds. I'm on record that if a guy like Mo Bamba wants to come you take him 100% of the time and it's not even close, however I generally prefer the 1&D types to either be the last piece on a contender or to be a guard who can shoot. Having said that, there has been a lot of turnover in the roster. The first 2 years I'm putting more on Barnes as he left Shaka with a team full of seniors and not a lot of recruits coming in (Shaka basically kept Snoop,  and Davis to their words and brought along one guy (Tevin Mack) of his own. The second year, after 7 guys leave you're going to be filling a lot of holes, so I get the roster turnover there. However, there continues to be a lot of turnover as Shaka creates the team in his own image. Last year we knew there were likely to be 2-3 players moving on (Bamba, a then-healthy Jones) with the incoming class being as large as it is.This next class should be pretty small (3-ish), but if Shaka runs off a couple more players so he can bring the numbers of new faces to 5+ then we're likely looking at another year of this team being young in 2019-2020.

I think Shaka has a very clear idea of what he wants to do on defense and is trying to assemble enough ball-handlers/shooters long-term to make his offense run (and it's an offense that works with the right roster). Or at least that's the hope. If he runs 3 guys off from the 2018 class in search of the new shiny in 2019, I'll get increasingly concerned that he's plugging holes than building something.

Edited May 20, 2018 by Bitterwhiteguy

[texasstrong12 4668]

 

[Longhorn01 32]

 
 
I don't have a problem with building the freshmen long-term, ideally that eventually becomes the norm more like some slightly-lesser version of how Kansas does it. I guess what I'm getting at is that I would like the freshmen to earn their spot rather than some years in the past where they had no choice but to plug them in from the jump.
 
If we're being real here, this is a potential point of concern -- and it's not exactly a concern yet, but I'm keeping a close eye on it) -- How many from the 2018 class (if any) will get pushed out for a shiny new freshman. The teams the last couple of years have been young for myriad reasons, some on the staff, some on Barnes' washed-up pipelines, and the recruiting of 1&Ds. I'm on record that if a guy like Mo Bamba wants to come you take him 100% of the time and it's not even close, however I generally prefer the 1&D types to either be the last piece on a contender or to be a guard who can shoot. Having said that, there has been a lot of turnover in the roster. The first 2 years I'm putting more on Barnes as he left Shaka with a team full of seniors and not a lot of recruits coming in (Shaka basically kept Snoop,  and Davis to their words and brought along one guy (Tevin Mack) of his own. The second year, after 7 guys leave you're going to be filling a lot of holes, so I get the roster turnover there. However, there continues to be a lot of turnover as Shaka creates the team in his own image. Last year we knew there were likely to be 2-3 players moving on (Bamba, a then-healthy Jones) with the incoming class being as large as it is.This next class should be pretty small (3-ish), but if Shaka runs off a couple more players so he can bring the numbers of new faces to 5+ then we're likely looking at another year of this team being young in 2019-2020.
I think Shaka has a very clear idea of what he wants to do on defense and is trying to assemble enough ball-handlers/shooters long-term to make his offense run (and it's an offense that works with the right roster). Or at least that's the hope. If he runs 3 guys off from the 2018 class in search of the new shiny in 2019, I'll get increasingly concerned that he's plugging holes than building something.

So were James Banks and Jacob Young very kindly, politely and with the utmost respect asked to get the fuck out to make room for the incoming class? Or were they frustrated with their role/playing time and left on their own?


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[texasstrong12 4668]

Certainly seems like Banks and Young were politely nudged out the door based on the recruiting numbers in the '18 class. 

It's one thing to lose players and have to scramble to fill out a roster, but that does't seem like the case here. The staff oversigned in the '18 class way before Young and Banks even announced their transfers. 

 

[Machinator 32099]

Banks certainly seemed to be.

I think the Young situation had been brewing for a while.