I'm Delighted with Red's Portal

[two3zone]

Donnie and Westry are the X-factors on this team.

Along with figuring out who the best point guard to lead the team is.

 

[Orangezoo]

Along with figuring out who the best point guard to lead the team is.

One thing - should be head case free this year. That reduced the talent levels that have now left.

 

[two3zone]

One thing - should be head case free this year. That reduced the talent levels that have now left

Didn't Lampkin have some issues? I could be misremembering.

 

[Orangezoo]

Didn't Lampkin have some issues? I could be misremembering.

Mostly overblown- big personality with lots to say but great teammate and all around good dude. Has a weird social media vibe for sure and over shares a lot but then that’s the generation too.

 

[two3zone]

Mostly overblown- big personality with lots to say but great teammate and all around good dude. Has a weird social media vibe for sure and over shares a lot but then that’s the generation too.

Quadir was eccentric and fun, until he wasn't. Just have become so skeptical with players the past 10 years or so.

 

[Cuse2023]

Didn't Lampkin have some issues? I could be misremembering.

Mostly overblown- big personality with lots to say but great teammate and all around good dude. Has a weird social media vibe for sure and over shares a lot but then that’s the generation too.

He left TCU before the tournament in 22-23 due to a disagreement with the coaching staff and shared private texts with Jamie Dixon on social media.

 

[two3zone]

He left TCU before the tournament in 22-23 due to a disagreement with the coaching staff and shared private texts with Jamie Dixon on social media.

 

[Orangezoo]

He left TCU before the tournament in 22-23 due to a disagreement with the coaching staff and shared private texts with Jamie Dixon on social media.

There is more to it than that but that’s what was out there. Friend and former colleague is a TCU booster- let’s just say if folks are worried about big Eddie over that whole thing- don’t be

 

[jncuse]

There is more to it than that but that’s what was out there. Friend and former colleague is a TCU booster- let’s just say if folks are worried about big Eddie over that whole thing- don’t be

I heard from my source that Jamie Dixon forced him to sit down and admire his hair for an hour.

 

[Hopkins16]

I think this year's team will be less talented but deeper and balanced. I believe that Bell is the only guy coming back who experienced Coach Autry as an assistant. Autry's personality and relationship with the players most likely was very different as an assistant than how he became as head coach. I think he will have less issues with this team who only knows him as Coach Autry.
On a different note, Freeman jumping to 6 in the ESPN 100 is great and I hope that he has a great one and done lottery type season which will show recruits that Cuse can turn high level players into top NBA draftees. If Freeman is a star, and both Westry and Starling steps up as the next guys behind him, I believe we have the necessary pieces to be a solid team that could be a problem come tournament time if we gel in time.

 

[bballbeadle]

I think this year's team will be less talented but deeper and balanced. I believe that Bell is the only guy coming back who experienced Coach Autry as an assistant. Autry's personality and relationship with the players most likely was very different as an assistant than how he became as head coach. I think he will have less issues with this team who only knows him as Coach Autry.
On a different note, Freeman jumping to 6 in the ESPN 100 is great and I hope that he has a great one and done lottery type season which will show recruits that Cuse can turn high level players into top NBA draftees. If Freeman is a star, and both Westry and Starling steps up as the next guys behind him, I believe we have the necessary pieces to be a solid team that could be a problem come tournament time if we gel in time.

 

[longtimefan]

Agree with this on paper. Won’t make any hard and fast judgments here until I get to see what this looks like, but if we’re simply talking player for player I struggle to think we got better. So, the question becomes how does this all fit together? What is our offense? How do these kids adapt and fit in (freshmen included)? How much better can Bell, JJ, Cuffe and McLeod be? Do we get a healthy westry? I’m not sure how anyone knows the answers to those.

Another important question: How do the pieces of next year's roster fit? In other words, will these individuals mesh as a team? It's a cliche, but it's true--the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[OmahaCuse]

I think this year's team will be less talented but deeper and balanced. I believe that Bell is the only guy coming back who experienced Coach Autry as an assistant. Autry's personality and relationship with the players most likely was very different as an assistant than how he became as head coach. I think he will have less issues with this team who only knows him as Coach Autry.
On a different note, Freeman jumping to 6 in the ESPN 100 is great and I hope that he has a great one and done lottery type season which will show recruits that Cuse can turn high level players into top NBA draftees. If Freeman is a star, and both Westry and Starling steps up as the next guys behind him, I believe we have the necessary pieces to be a solid team that could be a problem come tournament time if we gel in time.

Not sure about that: Different yes but could be a better scoring team

Lampkin/ healthy McCloud better @ the 5
Bell improved better @ the 3
JJ / Moore improved better @ the 2
Cope/Maliq/Benny/Taylor vs Freeman/ Davis/ Westry better @ the 3/4
Mintz vs. Cuffe/ new PG, worse on scoring, better shooting, passing and defense
Unknown portal guys?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Not sure about that: Different yes but could be a better scoring team

Lampkin/ healthy McCloud better @ the 5
Bell improved better @ the 3
JJ / Moore improved better @ the 2
Cope/Maliq/Benny/Taylor vs Freeman/ Davis/ Westry better @ the 3/4
Mintz vs. Cuffe/ new PG, worse on scoring, better shooting, passing and defense
Unknown portal guys?

The pieces fit better, too. Fewer things missing from the toolkit.
Still need a F, even if we get Leffew.

 

[capeorange]

Not sure about that: Different yes but could be a better scoring team

Lampkin/ healthy McCloud better @ the 5
Bell improved better @ the 3
JJ / Moore improved better @ the 2
Cope/Maliq/Benny/Taylor vs Freeman/ Davis/ Westry better @ the 3/4
Mintz vs. Cuffe/ new PG, worse on scoring, better shooting, passing and defense
Unknown portal guys?

In 3...2...1...multiple posts McLeod!!!

 

[Knicks411]

I think based on your comments you’re expecting non P5 players to get beat down by P5 experienced guys based on their stats. Basically you expected Carlos to have better stats at Hofstra against worse competition to succeed in the ACC. I get it.

Think of it this way though. These mid major and lower tier leagues do not have near as much talent throughout their rosters top to bottom. The best 1-2 players on the Hofstra team are getting all the attention and game planning by opponents. Even with that a few players dominated and therefore are moving up to P5 schools.

Another way to look at it too. Someone like Chris Bell who clearly is an ACC level shooter would probably have a rough time at a mid major with no other scorers on his team. Getting doubled and face guarded all game his metrics would be a mess. Put him on a team with scorers all over the court though and all the sudden we’re watching him go 8-8 to start games.

I dont know, it kinda makes it seem like trying to have it both ways. Get a guy with impressive numbers from a lower league; he's got great stats, this guy is a player! Get a guy with less impressive stats; he was the focus of all the game plans!

I will not pretend to know a lot about Hofstra basketball, but in scanning their stats for last year, they appear to have two other players who combined to average about 40 points per game, so I am not sure Carlos would have been one of the "1-2 players" getting all of the defensive attention.

 

[dasher]

I heard from my source that Jamie Dixon forced him to sit down and admire his hair for an hour.

That is ridiculous and not true at all. It was at most 45 minutes.

 

[tbonezone]

I don't expect everyone coming in to be from a P6 team but of they're coming from another conference I'd expect better numbers. If you shoot 32% from 3 with a future accountant guarding you what's going to happen when you're being defended by a bigger, faster and stronger opponents?

future MBA guarding a future NBA... analytics not trending upward .

 

[721Comstock]

Four guys, and all of them were guys who have played serious minutes for 3 or 4 years already. Guys who know how to play, even if it was a level down. This is WAY better in my book than last summer, when we took chances on so many talented guys, but mostly they were coming off injuries, or were bench players for Top 50 types of schools. I think this is way less risky, and he got a nice balance of guys. Very pleased

So - looks like Red’s lost some of the shine off his portal at this point?

Resists urge to check Urban Dictionary for “shine off his portal”.

I mean - so far, I do like the kids we’ve gained.

But we really needed a true lead guard, and “only” landing a rotation guard instead is… a tad underwhelming.

Let’s hope Red & staff can pivot, and get back to pounding that portal, to hopefully surprise us all with a great late addition.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

It’s a shame this team doesn’t get an early season challenge like Maui because it looks well suited to some tough early matchups you’re expected to lose.

Older but with 2 big time freshmen, filled the big holes, 2 proven big bodied rebounders the exact type of big men we’ve drastically gone away from the last decade plus. Lots of outside shooting and 1 guy who can get hot from long range as much as anyone in the country.

The one thing I would dispel is the assumption this group will have great chemistry get along and all that. They haven’t even practiced together. Complete unknown and we probably have 1-2 too many guys for the 200 minutes per night that can go around and a couple will get pissed off they don’t play more. D is a question mark but you can coach that up with an older squad we don’t want to try and win rock fights.

 

[two3zone]

It’s a shame this team doesn’t get an early season challenge like Maui because it looks well suited to some tough early matchups you’re expected to lose.

Older but with 2 big time freshmen, filled the big holes, 2 proven big bodied rebounders the exact type of big men we’ve drastically gone away from the last decade plus. Lots of outside shooting and 1 guy who can get hot from long range as much as anyone in the country.

The one thing I would dispel is the assumption this group will have great chemistry get along and all that. They haven’t even practiced together. Complete unknown and we probably have 1-2 too many guys for the 200 minutes per night that can go around and a couple will get pissed off they don’t play more. D is a question mark but you can coach that up with an older squad we don’t want to try and win rock fights.

EVERY team loses players and turns over the roster. Early season losses hold a lot more weight than they used to.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

EVERY team loses players and turns over the roster. Early season losses hold a lot more weight than they used to.

True.

We might get more out of last years portal class than we think right now it’s just JJ but Westry and a healthy motivated McLeod swatting shots everywhere could be key guys. Cuffe could outperform Leffew. Not predicting that just pointing it out from a roster perspective.

Still gotta put them on the court together.

 

[rrlbees]

It’s a shame this team doesn’t get an early season challenge like Maui because it looks well suited to some tough early matchups you’re expected to lose.

Older but with 2 big time freshmen, filled the big holes, 2 proven big bodied rebounders the exact type of big men we’ve drastically gone away from the last decade plus. Lots of outside shooting and 1 guy who can get hot from long range as much as anyone in the country.

The one thing I would dispel is the assumption this group will have great chemistry get along and all that. They haven’t even practiced together. Complete unknown and we probably have 1-2 too many guys for the 200 minutes per night that can go around and a couple will get pissed off they don’t play more. D is a question mark but you can coach that up with an older squad we don’t want to try and win rock fights.

FYI, Brown is as good a rebounder as Lampkin.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

FYI, Brown is as good a rebounder as Lampkin.

I don’t know he was played in a situation where he’s gonna get a ton by default especially being on the floor with guys like Bell.

Best big man I’ve ever seen in terms of slapping the ball away and creating steals. Middle of the pack in terms of pure rebounding ability. Above average shot blocker.

Lamkin is terrifyingly poor at blocking shots. But great at rebounding. Davis seems to be a naturally great rebounder too. Both are one and dones and a changeup from the pogo stick big men I like the overall move. Doesn’t mean I don’t want a Brown type Swiss Army knife big in the future.

 

[two3zone]

True.

We might get more out of last years portal class than we think right now it’s just JJ but Westry and a healthy motivated McLeod swatting shots everywhere could be key guys. Cuffe could outperform Leffew. Not predicting that just pointing it out from a roster perspective.

Still gotta put them on the court together.

Could be key guys absolutely, guys leading a team to a title or even the tournament, I'm not sold.

Hope it all gels.