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Another difference is that American pro leagues (and I'm guessing foreign ones too) have financial literacy programs to make sure their talent doesn't blow through their money Antoine Walker-style. I'm all for player empowerment, but without that education, NIL is creating a class of future...

Lampkin absent from the Top 25, FWIW:

Yep, and has been discussed, Lampkin can't be counted on to block shots, so it's not like we can funnel action to him the way we could with Jesse or McLeod.

It'd be nice to get some perimeter defense in the starting lineup. Bell has some untapped potential, but it'd be unwise to bank on him realizing it; Starling rebounded well for his size, but wasn't a stopper in any real sense. We need someone who can cut off passing lanes and be a terror without...

I don't know about the fans brushing it off, but I do think local media's hands were tied by the singular nature of JB/SU hoops. It's tough to give a truly honest assessment of the program and maintain your access when the HC is so sensitive about everything that gets written or said about his...

Generally when people say someone "plays inside" they mean receiving the ball in the paint. Carry on.

Then you might be disappointed - Only 40% of his attempts last season came at the rim, and he shot 61% on those (similar to Starling, for comparison). And that was against smaller competition than he'll face in the ACC. I see Davis's offensive potential as a driver who picks up fouls at a...

I think you answered your own question here.

I think the biggest takeaway from this search is that if your top candidates have all won natty's and/or are beloved by their fanbases it's more difficult than ever to pull them away, even if you have plenty of money and resources to offer yourself. It was only 10 years ago that annual...

I'm not convinced Ohio State's AD or fanbase cares that much about basketball. Chris Holtmann finished 2nd in the B1G with Matta's players in his first season and was allowed to stay around much longer than you'd think for the results he had for a program with the resources they have.

This would represent the absolute top end for this group, barring an NC State-like miracle run. Not insane (your word, not mine), but more unlikely than not, IMO.

Some people need to just flush last season. I'm not saying it shouldn't count on Red's ledger, but it's time to move forward. With free transfers, re-recruiting the parts of the roster that are worth retaining and keeping an eye out for contributors to either supplement your team or make up for...

Our perimeter guys will need to wreak havoc on opposing guards in order to make up for Lampkin's shot-blocking weakness, as McLeod hasn't proven he can stay healthy and there's no telling if Patterson will be more than an emergency guy. We obviously need a distributor, but whether Leffew can...

Nice to have I guess, but if Davis is any more than a bench guy we are in trouble. Seems unrealistic to expect his rebounding numbers to translate to the ACC, but with Judah gone we need a guy who can attack the rim and he fits the bill.

Oh, I meant more in terms of waiting to read up on his background, strengths, why Red picked him, and what specific problems he's going to be tasked with solving.

It’s instinctual to focus on the questions, like why does the staff need so many DMV guys, why not someone with more high-major experience, etc. Not saying those questions aren’t valid but I’m gonna try to wait before reacting.

Can he develop guys?

I can't see Hurley anywhere he would have to deal with a similar-sized or larger ego, especially without complete control of his roster.

If you watch any of the full access coverage of UConn, you will see their players talking about how Hurley runs them mad at practice. They had a 3-hour practice the day before playing Creighton. He is super hard on them and holds them to an exceedingly high standard. The players talk about how...

I saw somewhere that Avila has a Do Not Contact tag, which suggests he's going to join his coach at SLU. Wouldn't be surprised if other Indiana State guys decide to tag along.

The blueblood conversation is 2024 media (and social media) personified. It might have had a cut-and-dry meaning once upon a time, but now everyone shapeshifts it to fit their argument and gatekeep from the out-group. It's cable news drivel.

... Do we know Lampkin is a B+? Hopefully he will be for us, but the Pac-12 puts out a 10-man first team and 5-man second team and he wasn't even an Honorable Mention.

Did Red err in jumping on Lampkin so quickly?

I don't think he'd be getting the keys, more likely is he's being looked at as wing insurance in case the Furphy kid leaves, as he's projected to be a late first-rounder.

Other posters may disagree, but I think there's still untapped potential in Bell defensively and in transition. He needs to bulk up some, but he's more athletic than many give him credit for. He made some very impressive plays in the second half of the season with chasedown/weakside blocks and...

I highly doubt Bell would've accepted a demotion.

Hard to get too excited or too down with so much of the roster still TBD. Don't love that Lampkin isn't a shot-blocker and doesn't finish as well as he should for how big he is and has some TO issues, so we'll need some real ballhawks on defense and shooters to keep teams from crowding him. But...

Colorado was a top-50 team in terms of percentage of shots taken in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock following a made basket, rebound or steal. It's harder to get a numbers advantage going the other way when guys gamble their position by going for blocks instead of staying at home and...

Lampkin has never been a shot-blocker, so the odds of him becoming one at this point in his career are slim. Colorado was 346th in blocks percentage last season, so it's not like they had a weakside shot-blocker to pick up the slack, so it seems like it was intentional on Boyle's part. An...

Yep. If I'm Maliq and did so much for the team this season only to be told that I couldn't go back to playing my natural position as a junior because a freshman is coming in at the same spot (albeit a highly-touted one), I'd pack up too. So would a lot of others here.

Lampkin doesn't offer any rim protection and would need to be surrounded by shooters in order to work on offense. Right now we have Bell and a ton of question marks.

Lampkin's a decent rebounder, but I didn't know it was possible for 6'11" guys to block only five shots over a full season. He's a good-not-great finisher, but draws fouls, has experience and has improved his FT shooting every year. Maybe it can work, but I don't love the idea.

Agree there. Would like to get a guy who can relegate McLeod to around 12 MPG, but admittedly I don't know who fits that criteria besides Omoruyi.

If there's any silver lining, it's that Red can sell portal C targets on playing time, though not as much as he could if McLeod was leaving too. To be clear, it would've been silly to make Maliq play the 5 again, but this removes a lot of doubt.

If Maliq left because he didn't want to play the 5, the problem isn't Maliq not wanting to play the 5, it's Red not having a better plan for the 5.

Fudge.

Dain Dainja is in the portal. I'd like us to get him so I can say his last name in my worst Mystikal voice 35 times a year.

85% of Payne's FGA's came at the rim, the same as McLeod and in line with Maliq's 88%. I really like Payne's athleticism, but if that doesn't change guys will just jam up the paint against us.

Payne has my attention. We definitely need a guy who can move bodies down low and rebound. Looks like a decent finisher too. I'm feeling a little uncertain about our outside shooting though. I know that's Moore's calling card, but how are we feeling about our chances to keep Bell and Starling...

That business acumen from before his Georgetown-slaying days coming in handy.

Enfield was probably going to get fired in the next year or 2 with USC moving to the B1G. Probably a smart move by him to go down a level (ducks) to keep collecting checks.

Best of luck to Carey. Maybe he was gonna transfer either way, but I'm glad Red has prioritized rebuilding our frontcourt.

Yep. Hopefully this means Red has a line on an upgrade too.

I’m a little surprised by the posts suggesting an assistant should bring in a “system.” That’s Red’s job, and is underscored by hiring assistants in support of whatever it is. I hope he won’t bring in a total yes man, but he’s not going to look for someone whose philosophy is fundamentally at...

Qualities I'd look for, in no particular order: Analytically-minded: We aren't gonna beat Duke and UNC at their own game. That's been proven time and time again since we jumped to the ACC. Gotta think Louisville won't be down for long either depending on who they get, so we need someone willing...

Yeah, that's why Red gets paid the big bucks.

Really good rebounder and will block some shots but only shot 60% at the rim last season. Lots of midrange jumpers. We could do worse, but let's see what else is out there.

I won't pretend to know hockey, but playoff baseball is an essentially different sport from regular season baseball with the ability to cull your worst starting pitchers and pull guys early. It's not really a useful analog.

But how many of the lowest-seeded NFL/NBA playoff teams advance past the first round? I don't think you're helping your case.

Q's TO% was lower than Kadary's in his season here. Also better than Joe's in 2022 when he had more of a ballhandling role. It might be awhile before I let this go but Red really needs to get the PG situation right. Here's hoping.