ACC Games for Nov 6-8

[djorange1989]

So much more talent this year (players and coaches) in the ACC

Yeah Louisville, to name one, is scary good

 

[Orangezoo]

Yeah Louisville, to name one, is scary good

If our defense stays as aggressive and organized as it has looked early on, we stay healthy and guys continue to get better we are right in the thick of it. Our talent level lines up against pretty much everyone.

 

[CardiacCuse]

this guy neoklis avdalas is 6' 9" had 33 points 5 reb and 6 assists in 34 minutes in a win over providence

I wish SU would go after guys like this...I reckon it wouldnt be that hard to outrecruit VA TECH for him

current roster is cool and all but this guy is insanely talented

a lot of euro bigs seem to have guard skills in huge bodies

 

[pearl31]

this guy neoklis avdalas is 6' 9" had 33 points 5 reb and 6 assists in 34 minutes in a win over providence

I wish SU would go after guys like this...I reckon it wouldnt be that hard to outrecruit VA TECH for him

current roster is cool and all but this guy is insanely talented

a lot of euro bigs seem to have guard skills in huge bodies

yeah you should post this in a few more threads I think

 

[721Comstock]

yeah you should post this in a few more threads I think

Can he play QB??

Like, next weekend?

 

[CardiacCuse]

yeah you should post this in a few more threads I think

lol I only did it here and the recruiting thread

this portal season I advocated for a euro big who can shoot...and everyone was like...yeah but who?

getting a big who can shoot is unrealistic...welp...here ya go!

looking forward to see how he matches up with freeman and kyle

 

[Orangezoo]

yeah you should post this in a few more threads I think

He will post about everything we don’t have no matter what our roster looks like.

 

[CardiacCuse]

He will post about everything we don’t have no matter what our roster looks like.

man whatever

this has been a thing for decades with this program

my intent isnt to criticize the roster we have ...just wanna say I wish this type of player was recruited in general

people act like getting a skilled big might as well be like finding a real live unicorn when its really not that hard

 

[Cheriehoop]

man whatever

this has been a thing for decades with this program

people act like getting a skilled big might as well be like finding a real live unicorn when its really not that hard

He isn’t a big for Va tech, they list him as a guard. The NBA scouts see him as more of a point forward. He isn’t an “at the rim” player at all. That’s one area they say he needs to improve - layups. He’s definitely very skilled but doesn’t have big man skills averaging just 4 rebounds a game. His uniqueness is the excellent guard skills he possesses at his height.

Neoklis Avdalas - Men's Basketball 2025-26

Neoklis Avdalas - Men's Basketball 2025-26

hokiesports.com

 

[CardiacCuse]

He isn’t a big for Va tech, they list him as a guard. The NBA scouts see him as more of a point forward. He isn’t an “at the rim” player at all. That’s one area they say he needs to improve - layups. He’s definitely very skilled but doesn’t have big man skills averaging just 4 rebounds a game. His uniqueness is the excellent guard skills he possesses at his height.

Neoklis Avdalas - Men's Basketball 2025-26

Neoklis Avdalas - Men's Basketball 2025-26

hokiesports.com

hes 6'9 ...thats not a big???! ok

FYI thats the same height as our current center (well, actually Avdalas is probably taller bc they likely list our current center taller than he is)

not trying to argue

not trying to bash any current players

just saying: I want SU to recruit tall guys like this who can shoot with guard skills.

I said the same this offseason (and I specifcally would like SU to target euro bigs) and got so much
pushback from people saying those guys do not exist

thats why Im bringing him up. but it aint about him. its really just about this narrative that getting a skilled big is a bridge too far in the eyes if so many posters on this board...when its really not.

 

[Orangezoo]

man whatever

this has been a thing for decades with this program

my intent isnt to criticize the roster we have ...just wanna say I wish this type of player was recruited in general

people act like getting a skilled big might as well be like finding a real live unicorn when its really not that hard

You point to players you don’t watch and you openly admitted you don’t watch or pay much attention to other teams. This kid is a nice talent - he’s had one great game and one decent game while in both showing his weakness as a defender and primarily a finesse player who is not adept at getting to the rim.

So before we king this kid and claim we should have one of him , just as we should have a 7 foot center who is mobile, not skinny, good on offense and a rim defender and any others you claim we should have let’s see what a larger sample size looks like.

If we had this kid there would be a massive amount of posts pointing to his weakness as a defender and being too much finesse when as a team our goal is to get more athleticism, toughness and be more defense oriented.

 

[Cusefan0307]

hes 6'9 ...thats not a big???! ok

FYI thats the same height as our current center (well, actually Avdalas is probably taller bc they likely list our current center taller than he is)

not trying to argue

not trying to bash any current players

just saying: I want SU to recruit tall guys like this who can shoot with guard skills.

I said the same this offseason (and I specifcally would like SU to target euro bigs) and got so much
pushback from people saying those guys do not exist

thats why Im bringing him up. but it aint about him. its really just about this narrative that getting a skilled big is a bridge too far in the eyes if so many posters on this board...when its really not.

He also scored 8 points against directional state on 3-13 shooting his first game. Can we give it a second before we declare him the second coming of Luka.

 

[Orangezoo]

hes 6'9 ...thats not a big???! ok

FYI thats the same height as our current center (well, actually Avdalas is probably taller bc they likely list our current center taller than he is)

not trying to argue

not trying to bash any current players

just saying: I want SU to recruit tall guys like this who can shoot with guard skills.

I said the same this offseason (and I specifcally would like SU to target euro bigs) and got so much
pushback from people saying those guys do not exist

thats why Im bringing him up. but it aint about him. its really just about this narrative that getting a skilled big is a bridge too far in the eyes if so many posters on this board...when its really not.

Also… Newsflash- he may not have guard skills but Kyle is a pretty skilled big on both ends of the court with the ability to pass and quick hands to generate steals going along with decent footwork in the post. Just because he isn’t a shooter or a point forward doesn’t mean he isn’t skilled.

Donnie however does have most of the skill sets you are seeking along with better defense.

 

[CardiacCuse]

You point to players you don’t watch and you openly admitted you don’t watch or pay much attention to other teams. This kid is a nice talent - he’s had one great game and one decent game while in both showing his weakness as a defender and primarily a finesse player who is not adept at getting to the rim.

So before we king this kid and claim we should have one of him , just as we should have a 7 foot center who is mobile, not skinny, good on offense and a rim defender and any others you claim we should have let’s see what a larger sample size looks like.

If we had this kid there would be a massive amount of posts pointing to his weakness as a defender and being too much finesse when as a team our goal is to get more athleticism, toughness and be more defense oriented.

ok...yeah all the players at this level minus the lottery picks have flaws in their games...so for all players (unless you happen to stumble upon a carmelo or a diamond in the rough...yeah...its about picking the flaws you are ok with and building around that)

im excited for what donnie brings to the table and it seems he will actually be the type 0f player Im talking about...likely even better than the guy on VA Tech when you factor in his all-around game...he seems to have made a big leap in the offseason (judging off the first 2 games this year)

i sense a lot of defensiveness and argumentative spirit in your responses - so lemme try to find a common ground with you:

my issue is not about this guy on Va Tech - although i do think he is an example of the type of player im talking about who many said doesnt exist - but im not really saying why didnt we get him in particular



what I am trying to say: lets go after and try to find skilled bigs in the future

thats it.

if not all 3 at least 1 of the centers on the roster that can shoot jumpers and play like a real bball player

does that upset you?

because it seems to me that a lot of orange faithful have become so conditioned to having centers and bigs that just play d and dunk and cant shoot like at all...like thats the ideal

as if these kinds of big men we have mostly had for decades...is the profile we should now continue to target.


im just saying in general that there are indeed big guys out there - esp in europe, it seems - that are very skilled and can play ...and I want the team to target some of these guys in the future!!! a lot of them in ncaabb aslo seem to end up at schools that SU should be able to outrecruit, imho


like, what is so controversial about that????!

 

[CardiacCuse]

He also scored 8 points against directional state on 3-13 shooting his first game. Can we give it a second before we declare him the second coming of Luka.

im not really tryna make it only about avdalas (but I do think he will 100% play in the NBA)

im just sayinnnnn

of the 3 centers on a SU roster...can we get 1 guy like this who can shoot 3s and pass and have decent free throw form/% etc...????


i think the "SU Formula" has always been skilled 1 on 1 guards and wings and bigs/centers who just get out of the way on offense and foul on defense...basically ...not "real" basketball players...as if you dont want to have skill at every position for some odd reason

im just saying ...can we target a skilled big in the future??? is that allowed????????

the best orange teams I have seen have all had bigs who can hoop

 

[baggerbob]

hes 6'9 ...thats not a big???! ok

FYI thats the same height as our current center (well, actually Avdalas is probably taller bc they likely list our current center taller than he is)

not trying to argue

not trying to bash any current players

just saying: I want SU to recruit tall guys like this who can shoot with guard skills.

I said the same this offseason (and I specifcally would like SU to target euro bigs) and got so much
pushback from people saying those guys do not exist

thats why Im bringing him up. but it aint about him. its really just about this narrative that getting a skilled big is a bridge too far in the eyes if so many posters on this board...when its really not.

We have in the past recruited players like this DC and Billy had those type of skills.

 

[CardiacCuse]

We have in the past recruited players like this DC and Billy had those type of skills.

id say tyler lydon is closer to what Im talking about (but I didnt like him at center bc he couldnt play d down there, imo) ...wouldnt really consider DC or Billy Owens...(players from 30 years ago) representative or relevant to current recruiting

a guy like the clemson center from last year Viktor Lakhin...6' 11...shot 3s, got boards, played D etc...is the type of player Im talking about



but whatever...tired of going back and forth on this

 

[Sherman20]

Noeklis Avdalas on VT is going to be a problem. Good lord his performance today vs Providence was unreal.

Edit: should have included highlights

I was so pissed about us not trying to get this kid when I heard about his signing back in June. His highlights were crazy back then. Instead boring old ass Mike White and Va Tech with no basketball pedigree somehow lands him. How are we not all over players like this that aren’t going to the blue bloods?

 

[Sherman20]

Was thinking more about Houston and Kansas coming up. I really hope people don't shut down on this team if they don't see what they like. Houston should be the #1 team in the country. Kansas is maybe #25 but also may drop out after UNC..

Point being. Very few teams are beating Houston out in Vegas, ok not the end of the world for us either. The more winnable game for us is Kansas, but here's where it sucks.

Kansas gets to have a warm up, shoot around game with NotreDame while we're playing a physical battle with Houston. Kansas's opening game is actually earlier than ours too. So we don't even get 24 hours like they do. Deck is going to be stacked against us that week, Yes it will show us where we stand but also this team needs to not lose confidence and the fanbase shouldn't either cuz we're going to need it for Tenn and then when Clemson shows up NYE

You forgot there’s also a third game in Vegas where we might play a solid team like Maryland, Creighton, Auburn, Oregon, Michigan, etc. Weaker opponents like Rutgers and UNLV are also out there. That game will be key.