Quadir Copeland transferring to McNeese St

[Scooch]

Copeland was my favorite player this year. Always played hard. Actually looked to involve his teammates. Defended and rebounded. He wanted to win when he was out there and always seemed to be a great cheerleader. Brown would be a close second.

With that said, I don’t have sources and I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. But I can assure you, he is not irreplaceable. He would be a great 6th, 7th guy off the bench ala a Josh Pace role during the national championship year. Copeland still has a lot of flaws in his game. And although I liked him, we can deffinetly do better as a program. Our talent level has dropped so much over the last couple years that guys like Copeland are considered huge losses. When in reality, it’s just a flawed basketball player that happens to also be one of the best players on last years team.

Ultimately, what I am trying to say is we need to improve the talent level on this team. At the end of the day, I believe Copeland looked so good this year due to everyone else’s limitations or lack of desire.

1- Judah wouldn’t pass the ball and starling started the year off slow. Not to mention, starling is not a pg. Copeland would come in and get other players involved and feed Brown rolling to the basket. The players would get going a little bit more. The team would play with more energy.

2- Taylor, a good kid, just really couldn’t get much done. So Copeland would come in and look so much better.

3- Bell couldn’t grab a rebound and couldn’t defend. Granted this started to change a little bit down the stretch. But Copeland would come in and bang down low and play tough defense and look for him on the wings to get his shot going.

Copeland would come in and start doing things his other teammates couldn’t or wouldn’t do and it made me appreciate him so much more. However, going back even just the past 10 years, there are a bunch of SU players I would take over Copeland.

Best of luck to him. Hope he finds what he is looking for and hopefully he can learn from whatever happened in this situation.

Nailed it.

Here’s my hot take of the day… no one on this year’s team would have started on any team we had from 2009 to 2014.

Maybe — maybe — Judah starts over Scoop in 2011. But that’s it.

We need better basketball players. And a bunch of them.

 

[JDubbin]

Not sure if this tweet from McLeod was shared, but I thought it was interesting…
1) implying that McLeod is staying for sure?
2) no matter what the issues were with Copeland, his teammates love him

 

[Cusefan0307]

Nailed it.

Here’s my hot take of the day… no one on this year’s team would have started on any team we had from 2009 to 2014.

Maybe — maybe — Judah starts over Scoop in 2011. But that’s it.

We need better basketball players. And a bunch of them.

Judah's game would have been terrible for those teams. He would have hogged the ball instead of getting it to Dion, Kris, Triche, and Fair. Scoop was less talented, but what made him good is he knew those other guys were better scorers than him and knew when it was his time to shoot.

 

[Tony DeFranco]

My point was simply that Q certainly didn't seem selfish on the court. He was our best distributor, always defended, played balls out and rebounded as good if not better than any player other than Brown. He always cheered and supported his teammates.
So whatever he did must have either been really bad or he is leaving for the same reason Kadary left. He feels like he should have started which based on his playing statistics and results he should have.

I just don’t think he would ever be a starter - which really means nothing in the grand scheme - he was on the court a lot - Ginobili didn’t start but he played the final 5 mins of ever game - anyways, no way Taylor should have been on the court unless fatigue or foul problems - he is not a high level player

 

[richmondcuse03]

Not sure if this tweet from McLeod was shared, but I thought it was interesting…
1) implying that McLeod is staying for sure?
2) no matter what the issues were with Copeland, his teammates love him

Teammates also loved Benny. It's not about being the nicest guy on the team though.

Being a top basketball program requires guys buying in and putting in the extra effort. Judah, Benny and Quadir...thought they could show up, roll the ball out and win.

We want a winner -- it takes sacrifices. Red knows what it takes. If guys don't want to put in the effort, they can play somewhere else. You have to play within the system and do what it takes.

 

[bballbeadle]

I mean Jzsshuttles and I told you guys it was happening. Surprised this wasn’t the first of the day… let the madness NOW begin

Bulldog,I am just reading this now. Was he unhappy with us or were we unhappy with him?

Edit: Never mind. I finished reading the thread.

 

[atlanticuse]

My point was simply that Q certainly didn't seem selfish on the court. He was our best distributor, always defended, played balls out and rebounded as good if not better than any player other than Brown. He always cheered and supported his teammates.
So whatever he did must have either been really bad or he is leaving for the same reason Kadary left. He feels like he should have started which based on his playing statistics and results he should have.

In the early season, correct.
But against NC State in the ACCT?
Driving into traffic under the basket and no outlet?

 

[RMH44]

For a portal center, we have to stop looking at bench players on Top 40 squads.
There are tons of guys playing a level or two down who are good enough to be the center we need.
Get me a guy who is 6-8 / 6-9 and goes about 240 and can step outside and hit a 3.

That kid Southerland for LeMoyne is almost what we should be looking for, except he's about 20 pounds light. The Canisius kid would be a good candidate as a pure center, but I don't think he shoots the 3.

Here's a list of the kind of player I would be looking for as our Portal Center:

DaRon Holmes, Dayton, 6-10, 235 junior, 20 pts, 8 rebounds, 38% from three (!)
Rokas Jocius, LaSalle, 6-10, 260 soph, 8 pts, 5 reb, 38% from three
Rasheer Fleming, St. Joe's, 6-9, 230 soph, 11 pts, 7 reb, 33% from three
Javan Simmons, Toledo, 6-7, 235, 12 pts, 5 reb, 32.7% from 3 as a freshman.
Owen Lobsinger, Western Michigan, 6-9, 225 junior, 9 pts, 6 reb, 37% from three.

Yep...and the fat kid from Indiana St would be an interesting possibility.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

My point was simply that Q certainly didn't seem selfish on the court. He was our best distributor, always defended, played balls out and rebounded as good if not better than any player other than Brown. He always cheered and supported his teammates.
So whatever he did must have either been really bad or he is leaving for the same reason Kadary left. He feels like he should have started which based on his playing statistics and results he should have.

I also want the tea on what happened between Q and Red. I know people here think his playing style is too erratic, but it's clear his teammates had a deep appreciation for him and vice versa. He has the tools to be a great distributor as an upperclassman and was a willing rebounder, attacker and not afraid of big moments. What happened that was so irreconcilible?

 

[orangepassion]

Not sure if this tweet from McLeod was shared, but I thought it was interesting…
1) implying that McLeod is staying for sure?
2) no matter what the issues were with Copeland, his teammates love him

Fellow Philly guy

 

[jungleman46]

If that’s your first take, you ought to reconsider.
You could not be more wrong about JT. More playing time? The kid started every game. By every account, he played precisely because of his hard work in practice and his willingness to play how the coaches wanted him to play.
He lost his shot and his confidence. He was l booed at home by a bunch of freaking morons. He needs a fresh start, and he deserves one, as well as our gratitude as fans for the hard work and effort he put in every day, even though nothing went his way on the court. I will be rooting for the kid.

I should have been more clear. I don't think JT was projected as a starter for next year so he decided to take his talents elsewhere. Also, he only averaged about 23 minutes a game which isn't much for a starter. It's not absurd to think he wanted more playing time.

I agree with you though, he needs a fresh start. His confidence was wavering towards the end of the year. It was too bad that he got booed at home, he didn't deserve that. I will be following him, I think he can become a solid player in another year or two at a mid major.

 

[OptimusOtto]

We lose another fan favorite PG to Seton Hall…

Anywhere but here. I know it’s been relatively inconsequential for Kadary at SHU from our perspective (1 tourney appearance 0 wins in 3 years). But for selfish reasons I really really need this to not happen lol

 

[cliftonparksufan]

In the early season, correct.
But against NC State in the ACCT?
Driving into traffic under the basket and no outlet?

I was the biggest QC fan out there, but when he tried threading the needle to Carey from five feet away, with two defenders in between, that was the final straw for me.

 

[85SUAlum]

I hate college basketball. Completely ruined. Everyone is a professional on a one year contract. No continuity. Every kid just leaves when the going gets tough. Recruiting not worth following cause relationships are irrelevant and it’s just about the bag. In a tough year for any program, development (which was only reason to keep watching) doesn’t matter cause no one stays. To @sutomcat’s point, I just care less and less everyday and if you can’t keep me engaged, who can you keep? I live in Toronto and didn’t travel to a game this year for the first time in 25 years. Thought about it a few times and just decided I didn’t feel like making the 3.5 hour drive in winter conditions. It’s really really sad. I can’t follow which teams are in which conferences, who any of the players are, etc…

I feel pretty much the same way. While there definitely needed to be changes to the transfer rules (which previously seemed really unfair to players) and the draconian restrictions on player's ability to earn money while the NCAA and schools raked in millions on their backs, the way things are now with NIL and the transfer portal, along with all of the conference re-alignments, are ruining college athletics for me. I'll forever continue to root for SU, but my enthusiasm for football and basketball has definitely dimmed. It used to be after a disappointing year, or even a fairly good year, you could look forward to seeing how much better the team would be next year as they developed as players and gelled more as a team, but now, it seems half or more of the roster is completely different year to year and we don't get a change to see the players develop over the years like we used to. Yeah, I'm an old fart, I miss the old days, and I need to get used to the new way of things, but I don't have to like it.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I feel pretty much the same way. While there definitely needed to be changes to the transfer rules (which previously seemed really unfair to players) and the draconian restrictions on player's ability to earn money while the NCAA and schools raked in millions on their backs, the way things are now with NIL and the transfer portal, along with all of the conference re-alignments, are ruining college athletics for me. I'll forever continue to root for SU, but my enthusiasm for football and basketball has definitely dimmed. It used to be after a disappointing year, or even a fairly good year, you could look forward to seeing how much better the team would be next year as they developed as players and gelled more as a team, but now, it seems half or more of the roster is completely different year to year and we don't get a change to see the players develop over the years like we used to. Yeah, I'm an old fart, I miss the old days, and I need to get used to the new way of things, but I don't have to like it.

You are in the majority, but I don't see the rules changing. Once the 5th year Covid rule cycles through, hopefully it will be a little better.

 

[tbonezone]

cirQue du le orange . always entertaining. til they fall off the wire.

 

[newmexicuse]

I was a huge Cope fan. Loved his style and enthusiasm. I also loved the early season trajectory of improvement. However, as the season wore on his play became more erratic instead of steadier. Too many mistakes, but the hot dog w mustard play was his style. A month or two back I would have been really upset w his departure, now not so sure.

 

[cayugacuse]

Any off-the-court stuff aside, he turns the ball over too much. I can't find the full statistics on TO Percentage in the ACC, but he's giving it away 1 out of every five possessions this year. I scanned quickly and the only two regular ballhandlers that were worse in recent history were Symir and Jalen Carey. I'm sure someone could cross-reference with usage percentage, but I bet they want someone in the 10-15% range

Never would have guessed Symir.

 

[Cuse_NYC]

just watching the games and not knowing what goes on behind closed doors, it seemed as if problem 1a and 1b were Mintz and Bell. Mintz quit more than anyone, many times this season. Bell in his mind got fouled on every missed jumper he took, and seemed to argue about everything. Again, Just watching, copeland wanted it more than them

 

[M2MPrinciples]

Any off-the-court stuff aside, he turns the ball over too much. I can't find the full statistics on TO Percentage in the ACC, but he's giving it away 1 out of every five possessions this year. I scanned quickly and the only two regular ballhandlers that were worse in recent history were Symir and Jalen Carey. I'm sure someone could cross-reference with usage percentage, but I bet they want someone in the 10-15% range

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.

 

[cayugacuse]

I believe the biggest mistake Coach Red made all year was starting Taylor over Copeland all year. Copeland comes in and he brings energy to the entire team, plays hard, always has a smile on his face, and is fun to watch. The game winner against Miami was amazing. I will miss him.

Taylor and Copeland rarely got to see a team oriented offensive set when they played. I blame Autry and the assistants for that. Taylors job on offence was go stand in the corner as to not clog up the middle for Mintz.

 

[Cuse_NYC]

Taylor and Copeland rarely got to see a team oriented offensive set when they played. I blame Autry and the assistants for that. Taylors job on offence was go stand in the corner as to not clog up the middle for Mintz.

Taylor lost all confidence. Didn’t deserve the min he got for most of the season…

 

[PoppyHart]

What nobody realized is that every basket and assist by Q was worth 3 points after adjusting for degree of difficulty. Factor that in and we win a couple more games i reckon.

 

[djcon57]

Taylor and Copeland rarely got to see a team oriented offensive set when they played. I blame Autry and the assistants for that. Taylors job on offence was go stand in the corner as to not clog up the middle for Mintz.

Go watch Taylor in the start of the 2nd half vs Ga Tech. Tell me what the coaches were supposed to do with him. They got him cutting the latter part of the year and it worked well, but he literally shot 19%...

19%!!!!!

from 3 in conference.

 

[atlanticuse]

Go watch Taylor in the start of the 2nd half vs Ga Tech. Tell me what the coaches were supposed to do with him. They got him cutting the latter part of the year and it worked well, but he literally shot 19%...

19%!!!!!

from 3 in conference.

Sadly I picked JT to lead the team in 3's this year. Whoops.