kreed5120

I think we will see Hunter some on the court with Freeman, but I expect Hunter will see a good chunk of his minutes as Freeman's backup. IMO that role is filled. A stretch 4 is often just an oversized wing so I don't think there is much of a difference between the two. That's what Ali was. That's what Xeyrius was.

Wynn averaged 2.0 PF in 10.4 minutes per game. That means he's on pace to foul out in 26 minutes. The season before wasn't much better as he averaged 2 fouls while playing 12.6mpg. Even if you think Wynn is good enough for us to start at the 4, we almost certainly need to add depth to the position.

Obviously I needed an afternoon cup of coffee

I'm actually pretty okay with this signing. It gives us a multi dimensional scorer that can help space the floor. IMO he's a much better fit than KJ was. Also, I think Hankerson shooting numbers should improve as he'll likely be our 3rd scoring option (behind Freeman and Castaneda). This will allow him to be more selective in his shot selection and he will have others that can help create him open looks. I'm expecting he'll start over Tribble.

I feel it's pretty common to promote a long-time assistant to head coach. North Carolina did that with Davis and Duke did the same with Scheyer. Neptune was only away from Villanova for 1 year. He inherited a team that won 2 games the previous year and in year 1 got them to .500. You might not think that's much, but Fordham isn't an easy place to win at. This past year was only the 2nd time in the last 15 years they have finished a season .500 or better. Edit: What I find more puzzling is why did Neptune leave for the Fordham job in the first place? He either must have not known Wright was contemplating retirement or not known he was Nova's heir to the position.

Couldn't agree more. It reminds me so much of how someone brags about how great their significant other is until their significant other breaks up with them then they do a complete 180. I suppose it's just a coping mechanism. Akron's season next year isn't doomed with his departure, but if we want to re-run it as MAC champs we will need to find to find a 3/4 that will be able to provide us 65-75% of what Ali did with the others picking up the remaining slack.

Davis if I recall correctly was a 3* recruit that was recruited some what heavily. If I remember right he was going to play for Houston until his dad accepted the job at Detroit. His dad never really assembled a team around him, which IMO really hindered Davis development. I believe his true freshman year Detroit played Akron and I was like this kid has talent if you get a few decent players around him Detroit might be that 14 seed in 2-3 years that pulls off a first round upset. Instead it just led to Davis developing bad tendencies.

None of those guards are going to be able to replace Ali's minutes as Ali played the 4 and all of Clarke, Castaneda, and Tavari are too short to play the 4. You might be able to get a few minutes out of Dawson at the 4 per game (under 5 minutes), but he can't play there for extended minutes. Any way you slice it we need another 6'6+ wing.

I'd say his career arc will be most comparable to that of Utomi. Both were wings who were asked to play as an undersized 4. They both developed into being efficient long-range scorers who could create their own shot, but weren't great at creating shots for their teammates. Utomi transferred to what had been the previous season a 16-17 (8-10) USC season. He started the season as the 6th or 7th man, but played his way into the starting lineup. He saw a decrease role, but he was still a key piece on a team that would have made the tournament had the tournament not been cancelled. Ali similarly will have to accept a role of playing 25-28 minutes a night, but him being the 3rd or 4th scoring option is probably what's best for him. All throughout the season he seemed to play his worst in crunch time situations where he felt he had to shoulder the load. He's at his best when he's not asked to do too much and instead takes what's given to him.

I cheer for the names on the front of the jerseys, not the back. I hold no ill will against Ali, but I lost interest in him the second he entered the portal. To steal a line by Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

I admittedly have never seen him play, but seeing that Ole Miss finished 13th in the SEC with a pretty weak front court, it's not all that inspiring that he was their 8th/9th man. Especially when you take into account his shooting splits. He very well could be an upgrade over Aziz off the bench (which would be useful), but certainly is not the player that will be able to replace Ali production. We still need that 3/4 player that can create his own offense and help space the floor. Castaneda can't do it all himself.

It's not really poaching if he already had 2 feet out the door.

Toledo will be returning 4 starters from the team that won the MAC regular season, including Shumate, so I'd still say they're contenders. That said, I fully expect for them to choke come the MAC tournament. Rockets are going to Rockets

Kovalchuk is just a good regular season coach. Teams aren't looking for coaches that consistently choke come March. He's been a D1 coach for 20 years and still has yet to make the big dance. Statistically you'd think he'd have lucked into a conference tournament win by now.

All the top programs cheat. Some are just better at not getting caught.

He also entered the portal when the coach that recruited him was fired. IMO that's a completely different set of circumstances

Groce tried playing them together on the court numerous times and it didn't work offensively. It just made it easier for opposing teams to double Freeman to force him to have to pass and allowed defenses to pack the paint to prevent guards from getting to the hoop as Aziz shooting range is about 2 feet from the basket and Freeman is less than 10 feet. Freeman is at his best when he is isolated in man defense in the low post. If he's playing next to another post player you want said post player to be able to at least knock down a mid-ranger that way it can keep the defense honest.

Not surprised Boals would want to bolt. The Ohio roster has been decimated. Who knows how long before he'd be able to assemble a squad to draw major interest again.

Groce is a good enough coach that if he had Big Dog he would alter his offense in a way to make it work. Aziz transferred because he knows if he stays he won't see the court for the next 2 years with Freeman ahead of him. I don't fault him for that. In his case it was definitely in his best interest to transfer. Let's get the stretch 4 that we desperately need that would help compliment Freeman's game.

Unlike the Ali departure I don't mind this. Aziz and Freeman can't coexist on the floor at the same time and we want Freeman to play 30+ minutes a game. That means Aziz really doesn't have a pathway to playing more and contributing. He barely saw the court in the MAC tournament and only played in the UCLA game when Freeman was in foul trouble. I think we'd be better served using this scholarship to land a big that can play next to Freeman that way Groce has more flexibility in his lineup.

I'm not faulting Groce nor saying don't recruit hs players at all. Just that you need to heavily rely on the transfer portal to succeed this day and age, which is what Groce has done. LCJ, Xeyrius, Cheese, Banks, Riak, and Castaneda were all transfers. Sure there have been some whiffs, but at this point I feel Groce has whiffed far more frequently on hs players than he has transfers.

We also wouldn't have had Castaneda this year under the old rules therefore likely wouldn't have made the tournament. Embracing the transfer portal is the only way to succeed in college basketball as a mid-major. You have to take the good with the bad. You just have to keep bringing in more quality transfers than you lose. It's also why recruiting hs players IMO isn't that great to build a team. Why spend 2-3 years of scholarships on a player just for him to leave after 1 good year when you can bring in players that can help you win day 1?

The thought that you can't make the NBA if you play in the MAC is a farce. If you're good enough the NBA will find you no matter where you play. Just look at Ja Morant who was drafted #2 overall out of a weaker OVC conference. It just happens to be the most talented players gravitate towards the P6 conferences. Ali departure is certainly a loss. 6'8 players who shoot 40%+ from 3 and can guard multiple positions don't just grow on trees. I don't necessarily think it means next season is doomed, but just means Groce has more work to do.

It looks like both are planning to hire an agent so if that's the case then yes both will be gone.

A lot of players "declare" for the draft even though they know they won't get drafted. It allows them to go to the combines and have scouts tell them what they need to work on. They then are allowed to rescind their declaration and return to college. There was a rule change that was put in place 3 or so years ago that allows for it. I'd expect both Williams and Segu back at Buffalo next year.