This isn't about a certain coach's son and but the joy of seeing meritocracy on the court again. Watching Almonor come in as a "whatever you need me to do, happy to be here" guy to emerge as being a key piece of our team, seeing Noah get some quality minutes, hit a big 3, and (to me anyway) a bigger layup on a loose. 50/50 ball, play soild D, and give us our margin of victory. Then Chandler having a game that while there was no points, solid D, a couple of big rebounds, a beautiful assist on a 3, a steal and yeah, one almost costly turnover but had a game where there is something to build on. One of the many things that gives me such joy with this team and optimism for the future.
Compared to the insanity of two Top 10 draft picks sitting behind two nice but highly, highly overrated guys, benchwarmers who would finally get in due to foul trouble, have a breakout game and then never see the court again for 3 or 4 games, watching Shai Gilgeous Alexander, a lowly 4-star have to back up Quade Green half a season and be the obviously better player and not get Green's spot until Green got injured, Immanuel Quickley having to sit behind Ashton Hagans, taking an almost half a season of figuring out Kahlil Whitney was not only not a starter but not even good enough (as a freshman anyway) to come off the bench. Chasing off legitimately good players because you had no interest in developing them as multi-year players and they became stars at their next stop (Juzang at UCLA, Charles Mathews at Michigan, and more) . Having Shaedon Sharpe stiff us for a free ride to the NBA draft. Wash, rinse, repeat.
It still just blows me away how much talent and time were wasted because things were given and very little was earned the last 5 or so years and very thankful as we get to Saturday to see where we are now, where we have been, and what we could have have been this season.
Compared to the insanity of two Top 10 draft picks sitting behind two nice but highly, highly overrated guys, benchwarmers who would finally get in due to foul trouble, have a breakout game and then never see the court again for 3 or 4 games, watching Shai Gilgeous Alexander, a lowly 4-star have to back up Quade Green half a season and be the obviously better player and not get Green's spot until Green got injured, Immanuel Quickley having to sit behind Ashton Hagans, taking an almost half a season of figuring out Kahlil Whitney was not only not a starter but not even good enough (as a freshman anyway) to come off the bench. Chasing off legitimately good players because you had no interest in developing them as multi-year players and they became stars at their next stop (Juzang at UCLA, Charles Mathews at Michigan, and more) . Having Shaedon Sharpe stiff us for a free ride to the NBA draft. Wash, rinse, repeat.
It still just blows me away how much talent and time were wasted because things were given and very little was earned the last 5 or so years and very thankful as we get to Saturday to see where we are now, where we have been, and what we could have have been this season.
