So Who Is The First Portaler?

[two3zone]

Lotta odd concern over Bell returning as a starter in my opinion. He’s clearly the 2nd most important player to get back as I see it. He has an Elite skill (3 point shooting), is sneaky athletic also, and most importantly a lot of the deficiencies he had this past season can be improved with simply increased effort (rebounding and defense etc). He has 8 months to work on his game too, look how many players we have seen in the past make monster leaps in just one off season.

The real problem is if the deficiencies don’t improve then the staff needs to be quick to not give token starting spots like we have seen in the past here.

You want to risk your job banking on Chris Bell getting better at defense and rebounding? There will be 200 better players than him in the portal, we just need to get one.

 

[swish7]

That assumes knowing ahead of time that things were going to be a problem.

I don't think anybody could have known that.

I'm sure Red knew after the first few practices. These are sophomores after all, and not the first time he's seeing the kids. He was also their recruiter.

 

[Orangezoo]

You want to risk your job banking on Chris Bell getting better at defense and rebounding? There will be 200 better players than him in the portal, we just need to get one.

If you bring him back it’s he has to improve and you bring in someone who is a wing that could earn the minutes over Bell if Bell doesn’t put in the work.

 

[two3zone]

If you bring him back it’s he has to improve and you bring in someone who is a wing that could earn the minutes over Bell if Bell doesn’t put in the work.

Nobody is coming in better than him willing to take a seat waiting for him to fail.

 

[SUfanNC]

That assumes knowing ahead of time that things were going to be a problem.

I don't think anybody could have known that.

Exactly No way to know that.

Also as a head coach you are going to put the most talent on the floor. You hope that your discipline turns them around as the season goes on. It obviously it didn't go how Red wanted.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I'm sure Red knew after the first few practices. These are sophomores after all, and not the first time he's seeing the kids. He was also their recruiter.

Knowing a little into practice doesn't give any room for roster changes tho. Roster's set well before then.

 

[Orangezoo]

Nobody is coming in better than him willing to take a seat waiting for him to fail.

You either dump him or get creative with a player who has potential from a smaller school. I know dumping him is the preference for many but with 1600 players there has to be some options of guys who could be underrated. The NIL budget probably matters too.. if he stays does it help to get the other pieces or does it force you to spend too much on his replacement that it hurts you at the 5 and 1…

 

[two3zone]

You either dump him or get creative with a player who has potential from a smaller school. I know dumping him is the preference for many but with 1600 players there has to be some options of guys who could be underrated. The NIL budget probably matters too.. if he stays does it help to get the other pieces or does it force you to spend too much on his replacement that it hurts you at the 5 and 1…

If there are 1600 players available it shouldn’t be difficult with finding exactly what you want.

 

[swish7]

I'm not sure there is a coach alive or dead that would agree with you on that one.

I don't care actually.

I wouldn't play kids who didn't buy in to whatever system I am running.

Specifically, I'd play dudes like Cuffe more. Unless he's a problem too, as someone just now alluded to above.

But, I'm not a coach. I'm just an overweight former jock strap, like the lot of us.

If in 2 years time we are still having this conversation, then its not the kids, its the ...

 

[Orangezoo]

If there are 1600 players available it shouldn’t be difficult with finding exactly what you want.

What you want but for the price you want as well… I guess that’s the conundrum- can you get both? No clue on the answer.

And then if we overpay it better mean real results. Feels like that’s the real breaking point as a fan of the sport.. reach the point of spending lots and getting little and college sports just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

 

[Cusefan0307]

No way. Give me the wins. 10-20 might get ya fired or at least makes your vision a much harder sell to recruits, fans and AD

LOL Red has been criticized for winning 20 this year. Could you imagine this place if we cratered?

 

[two3zone]

What you want but for the price you want as well… I guess that’s the conundrum- can you get both? No clue on the answer.

And then if we overpay it better mean real results. Feels like that’s the real breaking point as a fan of the sport.. reach the point of spending lots and getting little and college sports just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

There will be a way to find out the answer. I know the answer of Bell and Starling playing together, add in another freshman (I think he’ll be fine but another risk). We know what we’re getting with them, banking on otherwise with this many players available would be malpractice.

We have a bunch of players leaving, unfortunately they seem to be the ones that played defense outside of brown. Not worried about replacing anyone but why those two?

 

[SWC75]

If there are 1600 players available it shouldn’t be difficult with finding exactly what you want.

1600 guys who didn't play or didn't like playing for someone else.

The thing that bothers me is that we've just won 20 regular season games for the first time in a decade against one of the toughest schedules in the country with a team full of sophomores and there's no sense of building from that base toward a higher goal. Instead it's about cobbling together another team for next year.

 

[two3zone]

1600 guys who didn't play or didn't like playing for someone else.

The thing that bothers me is that we've just won 20 regular season games for the first time in a decade against one of the toughest schedules in the country with a team full of sophomores and there's no sense of building from that base toward a higher goal. Instead it's about cobbling together another team for next year.

I’m not sure this is about not wanting to play somewhere else, it’s year to year free agency.

 

[007]

I don't care actually.

I wouldn't play kids who didn't buy in to whatever system I am running.

Specifically, I'd play dudes like Cuffe more. Unless he's a problem too, as someone just now alluded to above.

But, I'm not a coach. I'm just an overweight former jock strap, like the lot of us.

If in 2 years time we are still having this conversation, then its not the kids, its the ...

This season was a MAJOR transition in HC styles, personalties, and systems. And Red is a 1st time HC. To think that there would not be a significant learning curve for the both the players AND the staff was unrealistic.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that you necessarily thought this way. I am suggesting that the belief that Red simply shouldn't play kids who weren't buying in might look obvious in hindsight, but this was an evolution over the course of the entire season. When do you stop playing talented players? When do you give up on kids? When do you know that you've done enough to try to change the culture before essentially giving up on the season?

If significant changes have to be made, NOW is the time for those changes. This is what we are seeing play out. This off season was always going to be one of the defining moments in Red's HC journey. Let's judge him on that.

 

[690West]

Heard Judah’s current plan is to go pro
View attachment 238907

If there’s a new pro team called the Hoyas, then you heard right

 

[tbonezone]

our back court starling and mintz both finished top5 in ACC mpg .

 

[Nicknack]

Cuffe didn't play several games in a row when a bench player desperately was needed.

This is the one that I'd love to know more about and/or why. Throughout the season, I was one hoping to see more minutes for Cuffe. I think he could be really good if given more time on the court. I'd like to see him back next year. However, was him sitting indicative of a problem?? It's curious why he didn't play a few games while others (who we now know were giving Red issues) continued to play. To be clear... I'm not going down the path of Red not treating guys fairly (let's please not go there again). I'm just legitimately curious whether Cuffe seems to be all in on what Red is trying to do.

 

[OCESIP]

What you want but for the price you want as well… I guess that’s the conundrum- can you get both? No clue on the answer.

And then if we overpay it better mean real results. Feels like that’s the real breaking point as a fan of the sport.. reach the point of spending lots and getting little and college sports just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

Exactly. I wonder if the collectives are satisfied with their "return on investment"
this year.

 

[OptimusOtto]

This is the one that I'd love to know more about and/or why. Throughout the season, I was one hoping to see more minutes for Cuffe. I think he could be really good if given more time on the court. I'd like to see him back next year. However, was him sitting indicative of a problem?? It's curious why he didn't play a few games while others (who we now know were giving Red issues) continued to play. To be clear... I'm not going down the path of Red not treating guys fairly (let's please not go there again). I'm just legitimately curious whether Cuffe seems to be all in on what Red is trying to do.

I haven’t seen anyone confirm this but around the time of him sitting I could’ve sworn a team photo circulated of him in a walking boot. I was always under the impression that he was strictly suited up for emergency situations.

Kid gets a lot of ire for a 4th guard.

 

[littlereg]

I haven’t seen anyone confirm this but around the time of him sitting I could’ve sworn a team photo circulated of him in a walking boot. I was always under the impression that he was strictly suited up for emergency situations.

Kid gets a lot of ire for a 4th guard.

I thought I remembered some injury rumor that wasn’t really noticed or talked about much as well+ coupling the report from dasher that he was one of the better acting kids on the team, I’ve assumed it wasn’t a suspension but I could be wrong as well.

 

[Newhouser]

This is the one that I'd love to know more about and/or why. Throughout the season, I was one hoping to see more minutes for Cuffe. I think he could be really good if given more time on the court. I'd like to see him back next year. However, was him sitting indicative of a problem?? It's curious why he didn't play a few games while others (who we now know were giving Red issues) continued to play. To be clear... I'm not going down the path of Red not treating guys fairly (let's please not go there again). I'm just legitimately curious whether Cuffe seems to be all in on what Red is trying to do.

I'm wondering that too, (other than Benny) Cuffe was banished for longer than anyone on the team.

 

[Nicknack]

I'm wondering that too, (other than Benny) Cuffe was banished for longer than anyone on the team.

Yeah, that was interesting. I don't know Cuffe at all other than seeing him on tv during games, so this is complete 100% speculation but watching him on the bench and how he reacted to various things on the court, he seemed more mature, focused, and business like than many of the other guys.

 

[SpringsCuse]

Okay, who do we have next? JM? Carey? Someone else? Let's hear it.

 

[Tibbsworth]

This is the one that I'd love to know more about and/or why. Throughout the season, I was one hoping to see more minutes for Cuffe. I think he could be really good if given more time on the court. I'd like to see him back next year. However, was him sitting indicative of a problem?? It's curious why he didn't play a few games while others (who we now know were giving Red issues) continued to play. To be clear... I'm not going down the path of Red not treating guys fairly (let's please not go there again). I'm just legitimately curious whether Cuffe seems to be all in on what Red is trying to do.

My uninformed guess is that after tossing B.Williams off the team Coach Autry was afraid of losing the three amigos. He tried to get those three to buy in by showing them they were still the key players, it actually seemed to work for a couple of games. I think he was comfortable not playing K.Cuffe because he knew he was bought in and no trouble. In hindsight I think Autry regretted it and then publicly said that he had a talk with Cuffe. My daughter says he's the nicest kid on the team.