Texas Basketball 2024-25

[Fud 9552]

The difference between the Athletic's and the other's portal rankings is very interesting. Vecenie and another guy are doing the Athletic's, and Vecenie is excellent. 

Here's one instance of deviation. The Athletic has this guy at #28 right now

 

[Js1 85337]

Texas is a 4 seed in Lundari’s way to fucking early 2025 bracket 

[UTEE97 3521]

Who is this "uber-talented forward" they speak of? Surely they don't mean Mitchell!

Edited April 17 by UTEE97

[Underdog 28634]

23 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Texas is a 4 seed in Lundari’s way to fucking early 2025 bracket 

Hush.  It’s never too early to talk brackets. 

[Js1 85337]

5 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Hush.  It’s never too early to talk brackets. 

No sign of Kentucky. Ole Miss last 4 out

[Underdog 28634]

3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

No sign of Kentucky.

Fire Mark Pope! 

[HookEm 2467]

It is easy for me to look at the new players every year with rose colored glasses. I see measurables and counting stats and ignore big flaws in roster construction, efficiency, defense and cultural fit.  Now that we have been in the portal / NIL era for a few years, I'm starting to get a better idea of who will be successful at this level and who won't.  In short, I want to see us get players with All-Conference credentials, who come from winning programs.  If they are All-Conference, it means that their ENTIRE game is balanced and supports winning.    

Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, Sir'Jabari Rice all were 1st Team All-Conference prior to coming to Texas.  Abmas was borderline All-American. Weaver was conference RoY.  All performed very well.  Tyrese Hunter was Big 12 RoY and was a starter on our Elite 8 team (and could have been better last year with better roster construction). Tre Mitchell is the only previous All-Conference player who really underperformed and that was because he was a poor cultural fit.

In contrast, Horton was in his 6th year and never sniffed an honorable mention all-conference nod. Kadin Shedrick is 6'11 and never got an all-defense selection or really any recognition of any kind (but he at least came from a winning program). Onyema also never earned any recognition at all.  So why should it be surprising when all of these players are largely ineffective in the Big 12?  

So this year, while we haven't landed any bigtime players yet, the ones we are getting are checking some of the boxes.

• Julian Larry - 3rd Team MVC, 2x All-Defense, starter on Indiana State (#38 KenPom, 32-7 conference champion)
• Jayson Kent - 2nd Team MVC, All-Defense, starter on Indiana State (#38 KenPom, 32-7 conference champion)
• Tremon Mark - No accolades, but started 28 games over 3 years for a Houston team with a Final 4, Elite 8 and Sweet 16

For our next 2-3 transfers, I really want to see us bring in more players of this mold.  Jordan Pope was All-Freshman in the Pac 10. But his team was so terrible that he didn't make an all-conference team despite good numbers. For me this is a red flag. 

[UTEE97 3521]

12 minutes ago, HookEm said:

It is easy for me to look at the new players every year with rose colored glasses. I see measurables and counting stats and ignore big flaws in roster construction, efficiency, defense and cultural fit.  Now that we have been in the portal / NIL era for a few years, I'm starting to get a better idea of who will be successful at this level and who won't.  In short, I want to see us get players with All-Conference credentials, who come from winning programs.  If they are All-Conference, it means that their ENTIRE game is balanced and supports winning.    

Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, Sir'Jabari Rice all were 1st Team All-Conference prior to coming to Texas.  Abmas was borderline All-American. Weaver was conference RoY.  All performed very well.  Tyrese Hunter was Big 12 RoY and was a starter on our Elite 8 team (and could have been better last year with better roster construction). Tre Mitchell is the only previous All-Conference player who really underperformed and that was because he was a poor cultural fit.

In contrast, Horton was in his 6th year and never sniffed an honorable mention all-conference nod. Kadin Shedrick is 6'11 and never got an all-defense selection or really any recognition of any kind (but he at least came from a winning program). Onyema also never earned any recognition at all.  So why should it be surprising when all of these players are largely ineffective in the Big 12?  

So this year, while we haven't landed any bigtime players yet, the ones we are getting are checking some of the boxes.

• Julian Larry - 3rd Team MVC, 2x All-Defense, starter on Indiana State (#38 KenPom, 32-7 conference champion)
• Jayson Kent - 2nd Team MVC, All-Defense, starter on Indiana State (#38 KenPom, 32-7 conference champion)
• Tremon Mark - No accolades, but started 28 games over 3 years for a Houston team with a Final 4, Elite 8 and Sweet 16

For our next 2-3 transfers, I really want to see us bring in more players of this mold.  Jordan Pope was All-Freshman in the Pac 10. But his team was so terrible that he didn't make an all-conference team despite good numbers. For me this is a red flag. 

You want us to get more of 2nd and 3rd team MVC players and guys with no accolades and expect us to be very competitive in a P5 conference? Pass me the kool-aid. On second thought, please don't.

[Firemans4Horn 18050]

27 minutes ago, UTEE97 said:

You want us to get more of 2nd and 3rd team MVC players and guys with no accolades and expect us to be very competitive in a P5 conference? Pass me the kool-aid. On second thought, please don't.

Lol. You seem smart. 

[HookEm 2467]

I’m hoping these are our Onyema and Horton level players and the ones yet to come are better.

[UTEE97 3521]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

I’m hoping these are our Onyema and Horton level players and the ones yet to come are better.

So far we have picked the low hanging fruits imo. Getting the all 1st and 2nd team guys from power conferences is harder, but that's what we need to make deep runs in March.

Edited April 17 by UTEE97

[Lonestar88 4664]

Tramon Mark was Arkansas’ leading scorer and is a top 25 transfer, no idea why you guys are comparing him to Horton and Onyema.

[HookEm 2467]

He may be considered a top-25 transfer, but in 4 years he has never gotten a single All-Conference or All Defense Award. No All Freshmen Team. Not even honorable mention. Nothing.  For me, that is a red flag, especially when 3 out of the 4 years were in the AAC. And Arkansas sucked last year.  It would be different if he was a sophomore. 

Don't get me wrong, I hope he is great.

[dogbreath 434]

NBA scouting report from SI for Mark is below. This will be his last year in college.  He’s improved his 3 pt percentage. He’s a take. 

In terms of his game, Mark is an off-ball guard with a high motor. He makes hustle plays and is a really good rebounder for his position. He has a strong frame and really uses it to his advantage on both ends. Mark is disruptive in passing lanes on the defensive end and gives good effort.

 

[Lonestar88 4664]

27 minutes ago, HookEm said:

He may be considered a top-25 transfer, but in 4 years he has never gotten a single All-Conference or All Defense Award. No All Freshmen Team. Not even honorable mention. Nothing.  For me, that is a red flag, especially when 3 out of the 4 years were in the AAC. And Arkansas sucked last year.  It would be different if he was a sophomore. 

Don't get me wrong, I hope he is great.

That’s fine. It’s still stupid to compare him to Horton and Onyema.

 

I don’t think transfer portal rankings are the greatest, but they’re good to look back on to remember expectations

Horton was a late desperate take who remained unranked even after we signed him, Onyema was a mid 3-star.

Even the ISU guys are coming in with more expectations than that.

[CashMcCoy 3199]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

He may be considered a top-25 transfer, but in 4 years he has never gotten a single All-Conference or All Defense Award. No All Freshmen Team. Not even honorable mention. Nothing.  For me, that is a red flag, especially when 3 out of the 4 years were in the AAC. And Arkansas sucked last year.  It would be different if he was a sophomore. 

Don't get me wrong, I hope he is great.

Houston had a ton of talent yet Kelvin Sampson (elite defensive coach) liked him enough to give 20mpg as a freshman for a Final Four team and start every game in ‘22-‘23. Then he gets the most usage of his career with Muss (elite offensive coach) and puts up damn good numbers on a dumpster fire of a squad. Now he comes back to his home state and perfectly fills a role (long/athletic scoring wing) that Texas fans have been requesting for years.

I see The Athletic has a couple guys named Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell ranked above all of RT’s current guys and sandwiching Pope. Must be all that glorious P5 conference and tournament experience.

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

7 hours ago, Lonestar88 said:

Tramon Mark was Arkansas’ leading scorer and is a top 25 transfer, no idea why you guys are comparing him to Horton and Onyema.

The other thing about Mark is he put up those numbers playing on 1 shoulder for most of the year. 

People should go back to the aggy game where he dropped 26 in College Station. He was essentially playing with 1 arm/shoulder. That's also why I find the "bad teammate" discussion to be funny. A lot of players wouldn't have played through what Mark did this past season. 

https://247sports.com/Article/tramon-mark-fights-through-injury-to-lead-hogs-past-texas-am--227491978/

Edited April 17 by Rickylovesweed

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

7 hours ago, UTEE97 said:

So far we have picked the low hanging fruits imo. Getting the all 1st and 2nd team guys from power conferences is harder, but that's what we need to make deep runs in March.

If you think Tramon Mark and Julian Larry are "low hanging fruits" you're clueless. 

Once/if we land Pope, we will likely have the #1 or #2 portal class in the country based on Evan Miya's portal rankings. 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

7 hours ago, UTEE97 said:

So far we have picked the low hanging fruits imo. Getting the all 1st and 2nd team guys from power conferences is harder, but that's what we need to make deep runs in March.

UCONN just won a national title with these players having a significant role. Tristen Newton (transfer from East Carolina), Hassan Diarra (couldn't even get minutes at aggy), Cam Spencer (transfer from Rutgers/Loyola Maryland and had never made the NCAA tournament as a player). 

I don't think you watch college basketball. 

[Dbeasy 15051]

45 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

If you think Tramon Mark and Julian Larry are "low hanging fruits" you're clueless. 

Once/if we land Pope, we will likely have the #1 or #2 portal class in the country based on Evan Miya's portal rankings. 

 

49 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

If you think Tramon Mark and Julian Larry are "low hanging fruits" you're clueless. 

Once/if we land Pope, we will likely have the #1 or #2 portal class in the country based on Evan Miya's portal rankings. 

What are these guys ranked in his rankings?

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

3 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

 

What are these guys ranked in his rankings?

Not sure, you need a subscription but we currently have the #4 portal class in his rankings (that's without Pope). 

The biggest point is that the argument "you need 1st and 2nd team P5 transfers" to make a deep run in March is one of the dumbest things I've read. Most of those players run out of eligibility, go pro, or don't transfer. 

Last year, I believe there may have been only 1 transfer who was a 1st or 2nd team player in a P5 conference (Hunter Dickinson). Caleb Love was an honorable mention in the ACC, I don't think Kel'el Ware even made an honorable mention in the Pac 12, LJ Cryer was 3rd team all Big 12, etc. The idea a bunch of 1st and 2nd team P5 players are available is how clueless @UTEE97is. 

[closetohumping 17442]

I’d bet Dillon Mitchell was higher rated than every UConn player coming out of high school

[Fud 9552]

The Athletic's daily portal rankings update

32- Jordan Pope
37- Julian Larry
40- Tramon Mark
61- Rytis Petraitis
75- Jayson Kent

31- Tyrese Hunter
33- Dillon Mitchell

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

By my count, there are only 3 P5 players in the portal that were 1st or 2nd team this year. 

Ballo (1st team Pac 12), Storr (2nd team Big 10), and Aidoo (2nd team SEC). I'm pretty sure we pretty much passed on Storr for Mack. 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

8 minutes ago, Fud said:

The Athletic's daily portal rankings update

32- Jordan Pope
37- Julian Larry
40- Tramon Mark
61- Rytis Petraitis
75- Jayson Kent

31- Tyrese Hunter
33- Dillon Mitchell

These rankings seem fair other than Mark. He's much better than the 40th best player in the portal. 

247 has Mark ranked at #24 which is more in line with where he should be. 

[Js1 85337]

4 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

By my count, there are only 3 P5 players in the portal that were 1st or 2nd team this year. 

Ballo (1st team Pac 12), Storr (2nd team Big 10), and Aidoo (2nd team SEC). I'm pretty sure we pretty much passed on Storr for Mack. 

Storr just seems to be making the rounds to find the highest bidder, if the rumors are true (asked Kansas for $1 million in NIL and turned down their counteroffer for $750k)

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

6 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Storr just seems to be making the rounds to find the highest bidder, if the rumors are true (asked Kansas for $1 million in NIL and turned down their counteroffer for $750k)

I think Storr is drastically overrated. He can score but that's about the only thing he can do. He's not a good playmaker for others, bad rebounder, and not a great defender. 

Mark is straight up better than Storr. 

[HookEm 2467]

Like I said, if a player was a contributor on a winning program, that is also a positive sign.  Tramon Mark checks a lot of boxes and he is exactly the kind of player we have been missing.  I would rather he had some accolades, but it isn't a deal breaker.

And the portal rankings are always imperfect.  Some sites do a better job than others.  Max Abmas was the #2 portal player last year (On3). Kadin Shedrick was #43.  Tramon Mark was #78 player. Weaver was #272.  Onyema was unranked.  

At some point, I'll put together a comparison of the top-35 portal players from last year and we can see who did the best job.

[ztejas 43449]

23 minutes ago, Fud said:

The Athletic's daily portal rankings update

32- Jordan Pope
37- Julian Larry
40- Tramon Mark
61- Rytis Petraitis
75- Jayson Kent

31- Tyrese Hunter
33- Dillon Mitchell

That seems way low for Kent. He slashed 64/37/84 on 13.5 ppg for a 30 win team and dropped 35 on SMU in the first round of the NIT and had some nice games after that.   

Is there something I'm missing on him?

Also - I was sort of under the impression that Mitchell and Hunter got processed (or at least - they weren't worth what they wanted NIL-wise). Ranking them above the guys replacing them is rather bizarre. 

Edited April 17 by ztejas

[Fud 9552]

Keep in mind, when there are a million players in the portal, being #40 or #75 is still really good and a winning college basketball player 

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

10 minutes ago, ztejas said:

That seems way low for Kent. He slashed 64/37/84 on 13.5 ppg for a 30 win team and dropped 35 on SMU in the first round of the NIT and had some nice games after that.   

Is there something I'm missing on him?

Also - I was sort of under the impression that Mitchell and Hunter got processed (or at least - they weren't worth what they wanted NIL-wise). Ranking them above the guys replacing them is rather bizarre. 

If we are not getting an upgrade over Hunter and Mitchell then we are royally fucked. I am going to assume that Hunter is overrated based off what he did at Iowa State and Mitchell's athleticism is overrating him. Whoever gets them, is going to find out real quick they are complete garbage. 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

If Texas does land Pope, it will be interesting who will start 1-3. 

I think it will be Larry, Mack, and Johnson. Pope as the 6th man. Larry is a more prototypical PG so think he has to be in the starting lineup. Not sure where Weaver fits in this either. 

Our backcourt could be pretty damn good next if it also includes Pope. 

Edited April 17 by Rickylovesweed

[Js1 85337]

16 minutes ago, ztejas said:

That seems way low for Kent. He slashed 64/37/84 on 13.5 ppg for a 30 win team and dropped 35 on SMU in the first round of the NIT and had some nice games after that.   

Is there something I'm missing on him?

Also - I was sort of under the impression that Mitchell and Hunter got processed (or at least - they weren't worth what they wanted NIL-wise). Ranking them above the guys replacing them is rather bizarre. 

Ranking Tyrese Hunter at 31 based on what, his freshman year ISU stats?  Bc his performance at Texas doesn't warrant him a top-31 ranking in the portal 

[closetohumping 17442]

7 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

If Texas does land Pope, it will be interesting who will start 1-3. 

I think it will be Larry, Mack, and Johnson. Pope as the 6th man. Larry is a more prototypical PG so think he has to be in the starting lineup. Not sure where Weaver fits in this either. 

Our backcourt could be pretty damn good next if it also includes Pope. 

Weaver?

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

11 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

If we are not getting an upgrade over Hunter and Mitchell then we are royally fucked. I am going to assume that Hunter is overrated based off what he did at Iowa State and Mitchell's athleticism is overrating him. Whoever gets them, is going to find out real quick they are complete garbage. 

I don't think Mitchell is complete garbage. He's a limited offensive player but he can defend and rebound. Mitchell's ranking at #33 seems fine but that's if he's willing to embrace he's that type of player. Reading between the lines, I think he's going to want more $ than what his value is which is about right at #33. 

Hunter shouldn't be ranked anywhere close to 31. Personally, I think every guard on our roster could be better than him next year. 

[HookEm 2467]

6 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Ranking Tyrese Hunter at 31 based on what, his freshman year ISU stats?  Bc his performance at Texas doesn't warrant him a top-31 ranking in the portal 

There aren't many players in the portal who have been starters a S16, E8 and R32 team (playing 30+ minutes on each). He was going to be one of the top returning SEC players in assists and he is an above average defender. He has also improved his shooting every year (eFG% 0.377 -> 0.474 -> 0.512), (TS% 0.475 -> 0.508 -> 0.512).  He has shown he can be a starter on a title contender, which we were last year.  He just needs the right pieces around him.

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

8 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Weaver?

What's the question. You referring to the starting 5? There are some tough decisions if Texas also adds Pope. 

Larry (only prototypical PG on the roster)

Mark (started at UH/Arkansas and is probably a top 25ish transfer)

Johnson (#6 recruit)

Weaver (really productive for Texas last season)

Pope (top 40ish transfer and started every game at Oregon State)

Only 3 spots. Somebody good is gonna have to come off the bench. 

 

[Pancho 44803]

27 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

If we are not getting an upgrade over Hunter and Mitchell then we are royally fucked. I am going to assume that Hunter is overrated based off what he did at Iowa State and Mitchell's athleticism is overrating him. Whoever gets them, is going to find out real quick they are complete garbage. 

Mitchell isn’t garbage. He just has no jumper. That makes him limited in what he can do. 

Beard’s plan for him may have differed from RTs. We’ll never know…

 

Mitchell reminds me of what I was in high school—great at defense, sucked ass at offense. I did lead my State Finalist team in steals my senior year, but when we got on offense? Oooooo boy

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

5 minutes ago, HookEm said:

There aren't many players in the portal who have been starters a S16, E8 and R32 team (playing 30+ minutes on each). He was going to be one of the top returning SEC players in assists and he is an above average defender. He has also improved his shooting every year (eFG% 0.377 -> 0.474 -> 0.512), (TS% 0.475 -> 0.508 -> 0.512).  He has shown he can be a starter on a title contender, which we were last year.  He just needs the right pieces around him.

Hunter has been the 3rd best guard on all those teams. 

E8 team at Texas (Rice and Carr)

R32 team at Texas (Abmas and Weaver. Frankly, Weaver should have received more of Hunter's minutes)

S16 team at Iowa State (Brockington and Kalscheur. Hunter put up better numbers than Kalscheur but he dd a lot of little things and especially on the defensive end). 

Hunter has been surrounded by legit college guards for his entire career. Yeah, you can win with him "if you have the right pieces around him" and he's your 3rd best guard but that summarizes him as a player. 

[Fud 9552]

Mitchell is essentially a 5 on in the half-court offense because he's a non-shooter, non-connector, and can't really dribble or drive. He can dunk from the dunker's spot and get offensive rebounds, and that's about it. Which is fine if you surround him with four good offensive players, but that's easier said than done 

[ztejas 43449]

40 minutes ago, HookEm said:

E8 and R32 team

Those teams were good despite Hunter being a starter... not because of him. He was probably in the bottom half of starting B12 PGs last season or right in the middle of the pack. He was even worse in 2023.

He's a passable D1 PG but that's all he is. He's undersized, not an efficient scorer or playmaker, has lapses in effort, focus and is overall just not a super engaged or high IQ player. He's a plus athlete, man-on-man defender, and has stretches where he scores and playmakes at a high level. He should be easily replaceable and probably won't be a huge difference maker wherever he lands unless he takes some huge strides in the offseason for the first time in his college career. 

Edited April 17 by ztejas

[HookEm 2467]

It was time for Hunter to move on. I'm torn on him because there were games when it seemed like he was one of the few who refused to lose.  That aggressiveness was a double edged sword though. At times he would take over a game... and then he would make a terrible terrible terrible turnover.  Sometimes those turnovers cost us the game, but we wouldn't have even been in the game without his defense and attacking in transition.  He has some "dawg" in him that fit really well with Carr and Rice. 

Abmas was about the worst possible player to pair up with him.  Abmas really is an undersized shooting guard, and isn't a good defender or distributor. Which meant that more of that load fell on Hunter (when he himself isn't a pure point guard).  If Hunter was paired with Larry (a good defender and distributor) and Mark (a great scorer with size on the wing), he would have been better.  

I look forward to seeing where he lands. I hope it is on a contender where he isn't asked to be "the man".  I will always appreciate him for helping get us to the Elite 8.

[HookEm 2467]

I also agree that he will be replaced pretty easily. 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

8 minutes ago, ztejas said:

He was probably in the bottom half of starting B12 PGs last season or right in the middle of the pack. He was even worse in 2023.

 

Hunter was so bad at PG that RT had to change course in the middle of the season and play Abmas at PG. 

I don't think we make the tournament if RT keeps Hunter at PG. The change happened after the terrible losses to UCF and West Virginia when we were 1-3 in the Big 12. 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

10 minutes ago, HookEm said:

It was time for Hunter to move on. I'm torn on him because there were games when it seemed like he was one of the few who refused to lose.  That aggressiveness was a double edged sword though. At times he would take over a game... and then he would make a terrible terrible terrible turnover.  Sometimes those turnovers cost us the game, but we wouldn't have even been in the game without his defense and attacking in transition.  He has some "dawg" in him that fit really well with Carr and Rice. 

Abmas was about the worst possible player to pair up with him.  Abmas really is an undersized shooting guard, and isn't a good defender or distributor. Which meant that more of that load fell on Hunter (when he himself isn't a pure point guard).  If Hunter was paired with Larry (a good defender and distributor) and Mark (a great scorer with size on the wing), he would have been better.  

I look forward to seeing where he lands. I hope it is on a contender where he isn't asked to be "the man".  I will always appreciate him for helping get us to the Elite 8.

Hunter not being a PG is the problem. 

He's 6'0 and he's an average shooter (at best). Nobody wants that as a shooting guard/2. 

[HookEm 2467]

Agree on both points.

Obviously it depends on your guards around him though.  If you have two good shooters at the other guard spots, and decent size, then he can be a really good asset.  He brings an elite level of athleticism that can change the game and help free up the shooters.

If he goes somewhere like Baylor or Houston, that always seem to have a boat load of good guards, then he will be a solid addition.  

[UTEE97 3521]

5 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

UCONN just won a national title with these players having a significant role. Tristen Newton (transfer from East Carolina), Hassan Diarra (couldn't even get minutes at aggy), Cam Spencer (transfer from Rutgers/Loyola Maryland and had never made the NCAA tournament as a player). 

I don't think you watch college basketball. 

Are you comparing Uconn's coach to ours? They play the most unselfish basketball in Division 1 where role players can effectively play their assigned roles for the team to be successful. We are a hero ball team. I don't think you watch Texas basketball.

 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

5 minutes ago, UTEE97 said:

Are you comparing Uconn's coach to ours? They play the most unselfish basketball in Division 1 where role players can effectively play their assigned roles for the team to be successful. We are a hero ball team. I don't think you watch Texas basketball.

 

I want you to list all the 1st and 2nd team players from P5 programs you think are available in the portal. There's like 2 or 3 of these available on a good year. 

Last year there was only 1 (that I can count) and that team lost in the 2nd round. Teams build around good P5 players and all-conference players from G5 programs because that's generally what is available. 

Let me guess, you blame RT for not landing a 1st or 2nd team All-conference P5 player last year when there was only 1 available? 

[UTEE97 3521]

Just now, Rickylovesweed said:

I want you to list all the 1st and 2nd team players from P5 programs you think are available in the portal. There's like 2 or 3 of these available on a good year. 

Last year there was only 1 (that I can count) and that team lost in the 2nd round. Teams build around good P5 players and all-conference players from G5 programs because that's generally what is available. 

Let me guess, you blame RT for not landing a 1st or 2nd team All-conference P5 player last year when there was only 1 available? 

I am not saying they are available. I said those types of guys would help us make a deep run because we don't have a solid core in place. Our best player might be a true freshman. Most other teams (who made deep runs last year) that are retaining their core group will have an edge over us.

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

5 minutes ago, UTEE97 said:

I am not saying they are available. I said those types of guys would help us make a deep run because we don't have a solid core in place. Our best player might be a true freshman. Most other teams (who made deep runs last year) that are retaining their core group will have an edge over us.

You implied players like Mark and Larry are "low-hanging fruit" because they aren't 1st or 2nd team P5 players. They are very good players and generally the type of players you have to add from the portal.