Tai Wynyard
- Thread starter gobigblue0711
- Start date
I think he's a multi-year player who will provide physicality first and foremost. Kid is 16, 6'10"/263 and all muscle already. He's going to be a bull. Cal will need to refine his game.
I think the plan is for him to not play the second semester, but I also think he should and will prepare as if he will be needed just in case we have a serious injury.
He's probably comparable to Jorts.... though he's raw and may need to develop like Jorts did.
He definitely is already good at setting picks, ask Isiah Briscoe, he was leveled by a Wynward screen at the Hoop Summit. He is a physical player with a pretty good touch from 12-15 feet, and a good ft
I'm not sure he is as raw as some make him out to be. He had a nice looking post move in the Nike Hoop Summit game and looked fine on defense in limited minutes. He was on the floor with some of the best athletes in the country and definitely looked like he belonged. If he comes in and works he will be a great college player in a year or two. There might even be some playing time for him next year as a rebounder off the bench if Cal doesn't bring in any other frontcourt players.
If he can be a rich man's jorts I'll be ecstatic. Be a big immovable object who gobbles up rebounds and put backs who gets a mean streak when needed and hit an open jumper from time to time. Honestly Josh was one of my favorite big men ever. Another of him, let alone a better version is more than enough
He definitely looked young out there, definitely has potential, but not very fluid right now.
He is a much better player than many folks on here think. You will see when he gets here. He is big strong and quick for a player his size. Did you not see that pick he put on Brisco in the hoop summit game?
I think you are right, in that he will sit the 2nd semester. Learning the college game, and Cal's system will benefit him the next season. Burning a semester of eligibility might make sense if he were only going to be here a couple of years, but I don't think that is the case. It would be a shame if he could only play the 1st semester, his last year.
Not as much as you may think. All young players need refinement of their games. But Wynyard has already played with pros in his home country. He has a nice drop step move in the low post, and he can score down low. He has a pretty decent jump shot, although not a lot of range on it. He has more of an offensive game right now than Marcus Lee does. But Wynyard will be limited to a certain extent by a lack of elite quickness, and he will have to learn to move his feet.
According to everything Wynyard and his family have said, he will not play next year. The idea of him playing next year seems to be a product of wishful thinking from fans who rightly worry about our lack of depth and muscle down low.
I do not think it works that way. I may be wrong but you do not get partial seasons unless it is a medical red shirt. So I think if he plays the Spring semester in 2016 that counts as a year of eligiblity and he only has 3 more years to play. He would not get another semester after that.
If he comes in, I think he would redshirt in the Spring and then have four years of eligibility starting the 2016-17 season. He can enroll, go to classes, and practice with the team and not lose a year of eligibility as long as he doesn't play in any games. This would be his best bet. It gives him a leg up on the other players in the 2016 class. He just has to give up his summer vacation (summer is December to March in New Zealand) in order to start classes a semester early.
It might happen if some injury would put Skal, Lee, or Alex out of action early but right now he's 2016 according to him. But like I said there could be circumstances that happen that could make anything happen.
Maybe the coach knows he already has Thon Maker and Tai Wynyard is a back up, the man is a genius![[banana]](https://ct.yimg.com/mr/uploads/891/1682178.gif "banana [banana]")
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He's nearly a 5 star in the 2016 class, and he actually has post moves, which is somewhat rare for big men that we recruit. He's 17, 270 pounds, and not the kind of 270 pounds that you see on Caleb Swanigan or Dakari Johnson.
The kid will likely be starting center in 2 seasons, and will leave UK after 3 years.
I'm sorry, but an Eloy Vargas comparison for this kid is an insult to him, when Eloy showed no hint of a significant role in his time here.
"Nearly a 5 star" LMAO. The kid can't tie his shoes and chew bubble gum at the same time. He's a long time project with upside.
Eloy Vargas was also nearly a 5-star. Right outside. He also got hyped on here after going to JUCO.
I don't need to tell you what kind of poster you seem like, but I guarantee you, it would insult you if I did tell you.
@ArmyWildcat81 This is the kind of post that you should make when people are having an intelligent discussion. We're not Louisville fans, don't act like one.
But anyway, I could figure he would struggle against them. In fairness to him, all 3 of them are top 8 or 9 players in the country, and the lowest rated one is the #1 player from 2016. I'm not sure if Cal will take other big men from the 16 class, I would assume so also, but I think they'll be cut from the same bolt of cloth as the other bigs you listed. Really athletic, long, lanky, a shot blocker who may have a little skill. The only really skilled big man with a 5 star ranking in this class is Skal (and I don't consider Ben Simmons a PF, he will play SF in the NBA if I were guessing).
This kid has some skill in the post, a bit of a mid-range game, passing ability, terrific rebounding, and all of those things translate in games, not 1 vs 1 drills.
You can visibly see that he isn't exactly setting the world on fire with skill. Kid's not in the same stratosphere as Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns, but in the next few drafts, there are very few big men who are. But I can at least see this little clip and say "Okay, he at least looks like he belonged on the same court as a frontcourt that would dominate college basketball" because in those drills, that's what he was against. Skal and Diallo would easily be the best frontcourt tandem in the country, and having Maker adds more to that.
He handled himself against them, I'm convinced he can handle himself against many frontcourts in college basketball.
He might not be great or necessarily "ready"....but it really looks like we need another back up big man. He doesn't have to be a star, he just needs to do what he did in the Nike Summit game....set pics, box out, make lay-ups, and just be a big body in the paint. Just like Eloy.
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