I like the fact that Cameron Johnson has D-1 experience in the ACC. We need experience next year, more than anything
Adding Cameron Johnson, Jemarl Baker/Mark Smith, & Mohamed Bamba makes us a HUGE favorite to win #9
- Thread starter EclipsingYou
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Your top 5 is a big ???. Where are you getting UNC as 1, Duke as 2, UL as 3, and KU as 4.
You do realize Duke lost a lot and only adding one more with Duval isn't going to change much. They were overrated team and i don't think they got better. Duke at this moment + Duval, would be a top 10 at best. If you add Knox, i would say top 7ish.
UNC seems rather soft inside. You take away their top rebounding capability, and then add only Knox. Yeah, don't see that succeeding either. UNC will need more than just Knox. They'll need to add another big.
UL will be top 5, if they bring those guys back.
Kansas is a big ass question mark. I think they'll be more likely to be top 15 than top 5.
It's called an opinion. We are entitled to have them in this country. I appreciate yours, even though it is different than mine.
The two things next year's team will be short on is:
1. Shooting.
2. Experience.
Johnson kills two birds with one stone.
I am interested in your opinion. That's why i asked. You just kind of named names... you didn't really explain your opinion. That's what i was wondering.
The ACC isn't juco, kid went for 24 in Chapel Hill.
Although, he didn't score 10 points total in 3 games vs Duke (1) and UL (2)... so there's that.
he probably won't do much here next year. He'll be solid in two years. I guess he got a red-shirt freshman year?
Yep FrRS.
He may do ok with a better supporting cast around him.
With the non shooting drivers we have next year we will likely see a lot of zone, kid could do well. He has plenty of comp at the 3 and not starting over Diallo.
Gotcha.
UNC has championship experience, especially at PG. That means a lot. My concern with them would be depth inside, but they will be fine.
Duke will have a great starting five with a true PG in Duval. Defense will still be an issue, but they should be a great offensive machine.
UofL with pretty much everyone back, should be pretty good.
KU has Graham back. Add a good scorer in Newman. Get their big man back. Preston is a stud. Mykhailiuk can shoot.
Oregon is probably top 5 over us as well. I forgot about them. Brooks is a stud. Bell is really good. They add Brown. Dorsey should be back.
I just don't see a lot of other great teams. It's going to be a down year, so any top tier team that brings back any of their production and add anybody of significance will be in the hunt.
I like us with Bamba and Johnson added to what we have. We have almost no experience compared to everyone else, but we have talent coming in.
Greatest of all time? Nowhere in the neighborhood. And even if we get everyone we want, we'll still have to wait till at least late December to see how many of the low-5-star kids in this haul are Booker/Lyles and how many are Skal/SKJ.
But all the same, for at least three months I've had the suspicion that we could have a better total package next year than what we had this year as long as a reasonable number of questions resolve themselves in our favor. That's about both depth and balance. And it has nothing to do with me ever giving up on this past team because I never did. I said wire to wire we were a squad who had weaknesses but could still win the whole thing in a down year with a few lucky breaks. We did almost just that.
But all the same, for at least three months I've had the suspicion that we could have a better total package next year than what we had this year as long as a reasonable number of questions resolve themselves in our favor. That's about both depth and balance. And it has nothing to do with me ever giving up on this past team because I never did. I said wire to wire we were a squad who had weaknesses but could still win the whole thing in a down year with a few lucky breaks. We did almost just that.
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Greatest of all time? As the OP, that is not what I ever meant to imply.
I stated that it was perhaps equal to the collection of talent on the 2015 team that went 38-1.
Clearly we will be lacking the star power of 2012, but I think with Johnson, Bamba, and Baker/Smith we will be completely stacked up and down the roster with extremely talented players. Just like we saw in 2015.
I think that Cam Johnson is being horribly underrated by the fan base, somehow. As a 6'8" SO, he averaged 11.9 ppg (3rd on team), 4.5 rpg (3rd), 2.3 apg (4th), and 0.9 spg (1st) while shooting 41.5% from 3 and 81.1% from the free throw line while starting all 33 games for a power 5 Pitt team that finished 16-17.
41.5% from 3 and a true small forward is EXACTLY what this team currently needs, as is.
Say what you want about how bad Pitt was, but putting up those numbers against the competition he faced in the ACC most nights is EXCELLENT.
Plus, adding a player with 3 years of experience in college basketball (RS SO) to a team that will predominantly play FR the majority of the time, and then some, seems like exactly what the team needed.
Say what you want about Briscoe. I would have loved to see him come back for his JR year. You can call me crazy, but I would rather have Johnson than Briscoe returning. Briscoe was such a liability when having to face a true SF like Justin Jackson and couldn't shoot a 3 anywhere close to where I think a guard should.
Johnson is an ASSASSIN at 41.5% shooting from 3. He is also 6'8" and wouldn't have any trouble guarding true 3s which has been our Achilles heel for a while. He is a starter from day one and would battle Bamba (if signed) and Diallo for our highest points scorer. He is the player we all wished WG would be come tourney time, after the first few games, and then some.
Johnson is nearly as important a get as Bamba, IMO. Due to his size, Lamb/Murray/Monk type 3 point shooting, and his experience playing ball in a MAJOR conference against some of the best players in the ACC while holding his own. Cam is no slouch on DEF either. Frequently guarded the other teams best 3 or 4 without problem while leading his team in steaks.
All in my completely worthless opinion as always.
I stated that it was perhaps equal to the collection of talent on the 2015 team that went 38-1.
Clearly we will be lacking the star power of 2012, but I think with Johnson, Bamba, and Baker/Smith we will be completely stacked up and down the roster with extremely talented players. Just like we saw in 2015.
I think that Cam Johnson is being horribly underrated by the fan base, somehow. As a 6'8" SO, he averaged 11.9 ppg (3rd on team), 4.5 rpg (3rd), 2.3 apg (4th), and 0.9 spg (1st) while shooting 41.5% from 3 and 81.1% from the free throw line while starting all 33 games for a power 5 Pitt team that finished 16-17.
41.5% from 3 and a true small forward is EXACTLY what this team currently needs, as is.
Say what you want about how bad Pitt was, but putting up those numbers against the competition he faced in the ACC most nights is EXCELLENT.
Plus, adding a player with 3 years of experience in college basketball (RS SO) to a team that will predominantly play FR the majority of the time, and then some, seems like exactly what the team needed.
Say what you want about Briscoe. I would have loved to see him come back for his JR year. You can call me crazy, but I would rather have Johnson than Briscoe returning. Briscoe was such a liability when having to face a true SF like Justin Jackson and couldn't shoot a 3 anywhere close to where I think a guard should.
Johnson is an ASSASSIN at 41.5% shooting from 3. He is also 6'8" and wouldn't have any trouble guarding true 3s which has been our Achilles heel for a while. He is a starter from day one and would battle Bamba (if signed) and Diallo for our highest points scorer. He is the player we all wished WG would be come tourney time, after the first few games, and then some.
Johnson is nearly as important a get as Bamba, IMO. Due to his size, Lamb/Murray/Monk type 3 point shooting, and his experience playing ball in a MAJOR conference against some of the best players in the ACC while holding his own. Cam is no slouch on DEF either. Frequently guarded the other teams best 3 or 4 without problem while leading his team in steaks.
All in my completely worthless opinion as always.
2014 but with elite athleticism and size at every position but point. 2014 had size but not the depth or length and bounce. Top to bottom this team will be loaded with really good players and 2 big time stars in Diallo and Bamba.
I realize that these players had more talent around them to prevent them from maximising their stats, but to be fair, SR - Michael Young (19.6 ppg) and SR - Jamel Artis (18.2ppg) we're no scrubs for Pittsburgh either. While both will have a hard time making the NBA, they were exceptional 4 year college players that will get paid overseas for their extreme college talent.
Andrew Harrison SO - 37.6% from 3 & 9.3ppg
Doron Lamb SO - 46.6% from 3 and 13.7ppg
Isaiah Briscoe SO - 28.8% from 3 and 12.3ppg
For comparison:
Cameron Johnson SO - 41.5% from 3 and 11.9ppg. Adding another year of experience to those stats has to make you drool a bit for a team needing shooters in the worst way.
Another overlooked stat, IMO. At Pittsburgh, of their 6 of 7 players averaging over 10mpg, 6 of them averaged 30% or better from 3 over the season. All of their competition beat them by not leaving anyone open over the 3 point line. Seeing that makes me think that the team setup hurt his average more than helping it by making the way to beat them by stopping them from seeing any open looks to shoot their 3 point shots.
All in my completely worthless opinion as always.
Andrew Harrison SO - 37.6% from 3 & 9.3ppg
Doron Lamb SO - 46.6% from 3 and 13.7ppg
Isaiah Briscoe SO - 28.8% from 3 and 12.3ppg
For comparison:
Cameron Johnson SO - 41.5% from 3 and 11.9ppg. Adding another year of experience to those stats has to make you drool a bit for a team needing shooters in the worst way.
Another overlooked stat, IMO. At Pittsburgh, of their 6 of 7 players averaging over 10mpg, 6 of them averaged 30% or better from 3 over the season. All of their competition beat them by not leaving anyone open over the 3 point line. Seeing that makes me think that the team setup hurt his average more than helping it by making the way to beat them by stopping them from seeing any open looks to shoot their 3 point shots.
All in my completely worthless opinion as always.
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One more thing that you can't leave out. Next year's team will have EIGHT 5 star recruits if Bamba is added (Green, Diallo, WG, Washington, Richards, Vanderbilt, SKJ) along with 3 4 stars in Hump, Tai, and Shai in addition to a possible 4 star by adding Baker or Smith. All of this talent without even factoring in a possible starter in Cameron Johnson.
8 five stars and 4 four stars on the same team plus Johnson. Again, more of my reasoning for making the claim that next years team could match the 2015 team by having the largest collection of talent compiled on the same team.
Most teams take more than a decade to recruit 8 five stars and 4 four stars. I'm sure there are several major conference teams that have NEVER managed to get 8 5* & 4 4* recruited total since the inception of Rivals rating players back in 2002.
Yet, here we are with a chance to put that much talent on a singular team. What Calipari is doing on the recruiting trail is beyond probability would ever suggest.
All in my completely worthless opinion as always.
8 five stars and 4 four stars on the same team plus Johnson. Again, more of my reasoning for making the claim that next years team could match the 2015 team by having the largest collection of talent compiled on the same team.
Most teams take more than a decade to recruit 8 five stars and 4 four stars. I'm sure there are several major conference teams that have NEVER managed to get 8 5* & 4 4* recruited total since the inception of Rivals rating players back in 2002.
Yet, here we are with a chance to put that much talent on a singular team. What Calipari is doing on the recruiting trail is beyond probability would ever suggest.
All in my completely worthless opinion as always.
I wished I could be as excited as you are, but I guess i am just a debby downer right now. I just feel like without anybody ever returning, we will not win one because as soon as we face a team in march with similar talent, but with more experience, we are going down. It has happened far to often for it to not be a trend at this point.I feel if at least Gabriel, humphries, SKJ, and Wynward all return, and we get Bamba and the experienced Johnson kid from Pitt, we could end up in a final four. However, I feel that we need those exact pieces to come together and I am not sure that they will yet.
Fair enough, harlancatfan.
I too was worried about the exact same thing about this team until all this Cameron Johnson talk blew up.
I believe that Diallo's early enrollment, Johnson's 3 years at Pittsburgh, WG, Hump, and SKJ can give us just enough experience that a team needs to make a serious run at winning it all.
I think Diallo enrolling early combined with another year for WG, SKJ, and Hump gives us the experience we lost from Willis and Hawkins. Plus, I consider Johnson even more experienced than Briscoe due to his RS season.
Turn that frown upside down! This is turning into one hell of a team that Cal is going to LOVE coaching!
I too was worried about the exact same thing about this team until all this Cameron Johnson talk blew up.
I believe that Diallo's early enrollment, Johnson's 3 years at Pittsburgh, WG, Hump, and SKJ can give us just enough experience that a team needs to make a serious run at winning it all.
I think Diallo enrolling early combined with another year for WG, SKJ, and Hump gives us the experience we lost from Willis and Hawkins. Plus, I consider Johnson even more experienced than Briscoe due to his RS season.
Turn that frown upside down! This is turning into one hell of a team that Cal is going to LOVE coaching!
I hope you are right buddy! I am with you about Johnson, I want him badly and almost as much as I want Bamba. The only thing I am rally worried about now is Humphries leaving, especially because I always thought his 3rd year would be the season that he really would become a nice player for us. Not a star, but a guy that we could really depend on giving us 20 or so really solid minutes off the bench. I feel that if we lose that,it would really hurt us from a depth and experience perspective if nothing else. Anyways, you make a good point about Diallo, that experience will help!
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