Portal Big Men Prospects for Next Year

[IthacaMatt]

Let me start a list for those who are better informed than me to add to and correct.

I'd love to see us get a big from a mid-major team who wants to make the move up a level. Ideally a person who can score down low and outside.

DaRon Holmes - 6-10 C, Dayton. Scores down low on the block, but also effective at the pick-and-pop.

Does Drew Pember at UNC Ashville have any eligibility left after this year (Covid year, perhaps)? A little skinny, but an inside-out threat.

Does Nick Fiorello of Vermont have any eligibility left, as a grad transfer perhaps? 6-8. 225. 47% from three

Darren Johnson, George Washington, 6-7, 235.

None of these seem great, but somebody like this would be a good portal target.

 

[pwong]

Let me start a list for those who are better informed than me to add to and correct.

I'd love to see us get a big from a mid-major team who wants to make the move up a level. Ideally a person who can score down low and outside.

DaRon Holmes - 6-10 C, Dayton. Scores down low on the block, but also effective at the pick-and-pop.

Does Drew Pember at UNC Ashville have any eligibility left after this year (Covid year, perhaps)? A little skinny, but an inside-out threat.

Does Nick Fiorello of Vermont have any eligibility left, as a grad transfer perhaps? 6-8. 225. 47% from three

Darren Johnson, George Washington, 6-7, 235.

None of these seem great, but somebody like this would be a good portal target.

Last summer there were a lot rumors that DaRon Holmes was going to portal to Duke. If he portals, I doubt he would consider us

 

[Brooky03]

I don’t want a 6’8” Center anymore. There should be a ‘you must be this tall to ride’ sign set at at least 6’10”

 

[EastCoast2]

I don’t want a 6’8” Center anymore. There should be a ‘you must be this tall to ride’ sign set at at least 6’10”

There should also be a 'you must weigh more than 240 lbs' line under that. I'm sick of our 6'9-6'11 "centers" who weigh 210 lbs getting pushed around. I don't want an "inside/outside threat" guy at the 5, I want a bruiser. I want a rebounder. Someone who can back a guy down and score a layup. Our best teams had guys like Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson, Fab Melo, and Rakeem Christmas holding down the post. Not once (maybe Fab did once or twice) did those guys stand beyond the arc and wait for a shot. Not saying our guys now do that, but we haven't had a traditional center in quite some time. Jesse was the closest to that. We could've really used him this year.

 

[sutomcat]

We recruited JP Estrella hard out of HS. He is a frosh now at Tennessee and is barely playing. He has played 69 minutes so far this year and scored 28 points for the season.

If he goes in the portal, I would think he would be someone we would target.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Brown and Freeman are going to be the 4/5. I’ll be shocked if it’s anything different. Good chance they’re our two best players.

 

[Brooky03]

Brown and Freeman are going to be the 4/5. I’ll be shocked if it’s anything different. Good chance they’re our two best players.

This is my assumption, as well. I don’t completely hate it if a) Freeman is 100% as good as advertised, b) we actually play this fast paced, fast break offense and in-your-face pressure defense we’ve been promised. This would imply a small-ball lineup with a SG at SF, essentially.

My preference would be Freeman and Maliq at the 3/4 and a more traditional looking lineup.

What we can’t have is Freeman and Maliq at the 4/5 and any of our current Forwards at the starting 3.

 

[Cusefan0307]

This is my assumption, as well. I don’t completely hate it if a) Freeman is 100% as good as advertised, b) we actually play this fast paced, fast break offense and in-your-face pressure defense we’ve been promised. This would imply a small-ball lineup with a SG at SF, essentially.

My preference would be Freeman and Maliq at the 3/4 and a more traditional looking lineup.

What we can’t have is Freeman and Maliq at the 4/5 and any of our current Forwards at the starting 3.

Don’t think Freeman can play the 3 and I don’t see either losing minutes to anyone so this is the way to get them both on the court. Would prefer a Dalton Knecht type at the 3 than going out and getting a center. Shooting is a bigger need. Our defense is fine.

 

[tbonezone]

some other big men possibly entering the portal to consider.
lane crowder . sandeet holm . manny bordez . ibn duncan . jhumpa swatz . etan "the rock" stouffer...

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don’t want a 6’8” Center anymore. There should be a ‘you must be this tall to ride’ sign set at at least 6’10”

Remember, this is a portal transfer. I think the blend of bulk for defense, and outside threat to space the floor and draw the other team's center away from the rim are desirable traits.

Of course we want a guy who also can score in the low block. Bulk helps there, too, if a guy knows how to use his body well. You don't have to be 6-10 or taller to have those traits.

All the 6-10 guys who weigh 235+, can score in the low post and can also make a 3 are already spoken for. We were never getting Hunter Dickinson.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Remember, this is a portal transfer. I think the blend of bulk for defense, and outside threat to space the floor and draw the other team's center away from the rim are desirable traits.

Of course we want a guy who also can score in the low block. Bulk helps there, too, if a guy knows how to use his body well. You don't have to be 6-10 or taller to have those traits.

All the 6-10 guys who weigh 235+, can score in the low post and can also make a 3 are already spoken for. We were never getting Hunter Dickinson.

What type of player do you think we could get that would at most play 10-15 minutes total with Brown and Freeman ahead of them?

 

[Brooky03]

Remember, this is a portal transfer. I think the blend of bulk for defense, and outside threat to space the floor and draw the other team's center away from the rim are desirable traits.

Of course we want a guy who also can score in the low block. Bulk helps there, too, if a guy knows how to use his body well. You don't have to be 6-10 or taller to have those traits.

All the 6-10 guys who weigh 235+, can score in the low post and can also make a 3 are already spoken for. We were never getting Hunter Dickinson.

I’m fine with a Center who can’t shoot. I just want a tall one who can move and his feet don’t hurt.

I’m gonna put it on my Christmas list

 

[IthacaMatt]

What type of player do you think we could get that would at most play 10-15 minutes total with Brown and Freeman ahead of them?

I'd like to see Brown & Freeman as the starting forwards, and have a stronger guy in the middle, even if he is only 6-8 or 6-9.

 

[PhatOrange]

We need Ethan Cole

 

[IthacaMatt]

I’m fine with a Center who can’t shoot. I just want a tall one who can move and his feet don’t hurt.

I’m gonna put it on my Christmas list

But if we have a 5 who can make the three-point shot, then the other team's rim protector has to cover him. This opens up the driving lanes for our guards.

If we can't get a "stretch 4/5" to do that, then get a legitimate low-post scoring threat, and again, play Maliq at PF. Use him like we used to use Rick Jackson in the high post, with Arinze down low.

Currently, Maliq comes out to the high post, but it's utterly pointless because (a) we have no one on the low block, and (b) we don't have anyone running any back cuts along the baseline for him to pass it to. All it does in our current offense is take our best offensive rebounder further away from the basket.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I'd like to see Brown & Freeman as the starting forwards, and have a stronger guy in the middle, even if he is only 6-8 or 6-9.

Yikes. That makes for another below average shooting team and I think Red prefers to play 3 guards if he can.

 

[Cuse181]

We recruited JP Estrella hard out of HS. He is a frosh now at Tennessee and is barely playing. He has played 69 minutes so far this year and scored 28 points for the season.

If he goes in the portal, I would think he would be someone we would target.

I'd rather them grab a proven guy from the mid majors, I dont think Syracuse needs yet another project at forward

 

[tbonezone]

But if we have a 5 who can make the three-point shot, then the other team's rim protector has to cover him. This opens up the driving lanes for our guards.

6'11" elvir ovcina shot 24% deep over 3 seasons. 14-40 as a sophomore (35%). that's better than our guards.

 

[kingtidge]

None of these seem great, but somebody like this would be a good portal target.

I guess the question is, do we just bring in a body or someone that actually makes a difference/impact?

With McCloud, it seems he was mostly a body and not a huge difference-maker. (he is certainly good enough as a backup and you can't teach size, but his footwork and speed is simply too slow for starting in the P5.)

We were supposedly in for Hunter Dickinson LY, and judging by what he is doing at Kansas, he's a HUGE difference-maker. (I know, I know, can be argued he was never interested in us and was just using us to get the best top-off on his NIL bag...)

...but we lost Jesse and replaced him with worse and we have a long history of bringing in tall projects that rarely develop enough or are too limited to make a difference in the position.

Let's get a difference maker... and if we can't, skip it and roll with what we got. Bringing in a body is simply not a winning approach.

 

[baggerbob]

This is my assumption, as well. I don’t completely hate it if a) Freeman is 100% as good as advertised, b) we actually play this fast paced, fast break offense and in-your-face pressure defense we’ve been promised. This would imply a small-ball lineup with a SG at SF, essentially.

My preference would be Freeman and Maliq at the 3/4 and a more traditional looking lineup.

What we can’t have is Freeman and Maliq at the 4/5 and any of our current Forwards at the starting 3.

If Freeman can be 3/4 of what DC was as a freshman next year's team can be very good. Even if half as good they make the tournament easily.

 

[two3zone]

I don’t want a 6’8” Center anymore. There should be a ‘you must be this tall to ride’ sign set at at least 6’10”

And at least 200 lbs too.

 

[two3zone]

We recruited JP Estrella hard out of HS. He is a frosh now at Tennessee and is barely playing. He has played 69 minutes so far this year and scored 28 points for the season.

If he goes in the portal, I would think he would be someone we would target.

I prefer guys who’ve done something at this level, when Clemson got Joe they knew what they were getting, when WVU got Jesse, they knew what they were getting, Kadary, Q, the list goes on.

We get McLeod, he’s the same player, we get high upside Starling, maybe he’s getting there, maybe not, Westry comes in, TBD but I don’t feel great about it.

The coin flips, hope for the best case scenario, keeps biting us, just get some ball players in here that you can pop into the lineup and have this team ready day 1 of the season.

 

[Fly Rodder]

If we do anything with bigs, we move a couple out and do not replace. Freeman/Brown/MacLeod handle the PF/C position. One of Carey/Patterson (probably Patterson) stick as a project, break glass back-up.

 

[grepal]

Let me start a list for those who are better informed than me to add to and correct.

I'd love to see us get a big from a mid-major team who wants to make the move up a level. Ideally a person who can score down low and outside.

DaRon Holmes - 6-10 C, Dayton. Scores down low on the block, but also effective at the pick-and-pop.

Does Drew Pember at UNC Ashville have any eligibility left after this year (Covid year, perhaps)? A little skinny, but an inside-out threat.

Does Nick Fiorello of Vermont have any eligibility left, as a grad transfer perhaps? 6-8. 225. 47% from three

Darren Johnson, George Washington, 6-7, 235.

None of these seem great, but somebody like this would be a good portal target.

NIL will have a lot to say about this (s)he is the best recruiter in the land.

 

[sufandu]

If Freeman is nearly a MAA level guy, I'd like to see us bring in a physical 5, go three guards and have Brown come off the bench to back up both the 4 and 5.