Last 2-3 spots on roster

[BleedBlue13]

The downside to these last few roster spots is they will more than likely be used on nba withdraws. Wells Lanier Robinson Achor etc are gonna take some major minutes away from guys we already have. Also even though unlikely you have to save a spot for a reclass like Riley or Peterson in mid July. Without a doubt we have 1-2 players right now who won’t be getting the minutes they think they will. You have to take the best you can get and deal with the fallout. We are a tournament team already Imo but not a real threat to go deep. Nobody should be expecting to have no coaches and no players and win it all, literally doesn’t happen in any sport on any level. I would almost rather grab 2 of those top guys instead of 3-4 and use the last couple for development guys that don’t expect major minutes this year like Adou his freshmen year. Yes probably no the best strategy for our prospects this year but more valuable in building continuity on the roster for years to come. You hope it will but with Nil and Portal nothing is for sure anymore except maybe the homegrown kids sticking around.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Who do you think pope is speaking to or going after? Robinson, Lanier, Poplar i know we have reached out or heard from these 3, have we reached out to anyone else?

Slow period right now I know we need a scoring 2/3, and a backup pf. I know people like Ancor,Toppin, but has there been any sources or claim to be sources were after them? I have heard the big from UCLA, also has he committed? I know some players will have combine and gleague camps to go too but what's everyone's thoughts?

I seriously doubt it.

Agree.

 

[DreadLox]

You think either of those guys will come off the bench?? 🙈

People's wishes become predictions and predictions become expectations. Then, the announcement gets made and instead of Superman they get Jimmy Olson.

Then panic sets in.

 

[davekersey]

Let's see how good noah is. He could take some of carrs minutes And you would have a dead eye shooter at the four

 

[davekersey]

There is some speculation that big z will transfer out of arkansas and go to illinois to be with his brother. Remote chance he could come back to .UK

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Lanier, Robinson and Achor. I don’t care who comes off the bench and who gets so many minutes. I would care more about having a great combination of talent at all spots. This is not a youth team where you are worried about hurting a kids feelings. If you can get them here you take them all. Robinson was Popes best player at BYU and came off the bench. It is not difficult to get about 7 guys starter minutes. If someone isn’t good enough to get into the rotation, then they will move on and be replaced.

These are the last three guys, if Pope can get them. Lanier was the most efficient player in college ball last season. Brea was the most efficient 3 point shooter in college ball last year, IIRC. Anyway, you take Lanier all day long. Not taking that guy would be nuts!

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Wells 6'8" combo forward
Lanier 6'4" combo guard

Both of them are perfect for what Pope wants to do, and they fill legitimate need on the roster. Wells can guard four positions with a growing repertoire of scoring skill.

Lanier gives you your microwave offense.

Put them on this current roster, and you have a team that can win the SEC.

 

[Cats192]

There is some speculation that big z will transfer out of arkansas and go to illinois to be with his brother. Remote chance he could come back to .UK

Can he transfer now that the portal is closed?

I thought people were acting like Amari Williams was safe since he didn't transfer back out before the portal closed.

 

[LXWildcat]

Can he transfer now that the portal is closed?

I thought people were acting like Amari Williams was safe since he didn't transfer back out before the portal closed.

I think he would have to apply for a waiver from the NCAA but I’m not 100% certain. I doubt Z transfers

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

If coach has his choice of Robinson or Lanier, he is probably taking Robinson due to the fact that he knows what type of player his is capable of being. Lanier might turn out to be the better player of the two though.

I'm not sure if this is true. Hall and Saunders entered the portal with the partial intention to flirt with Kentucky, but it was clear that Pope prioritized different players over both of them.

The same could be true if Pope has to choose between Lanier or Robinson.

 

[Cats192]

Ansley Almonor's name circulating on Twitter.

Pretty sure Trilly said it first and some people picked it up and passed it off as their own.

 

[Cats192]

Let's see how good noah is. He could take some of carrs minutes And you would have a dead eye shooter at the four

He's 6'6. He's more of a 2/3. I doubt we see him used as a 4 man a ton. I also don't want to go into the season relying on freshmen. If they're ready to contribute early, that should be gravy.

Ansley Almonor from Farleigh Dickinson's name is circulating on Twitter. Think he's going to be the backup 4.

 

[phunterd]

Yes, he can transfer. All they would have to do is let him out of his NLI and his NIL obligations. That's precisely what happened with Noah and South Carolina, after the portal window closed.

That’s not accurate. Noah was an incoming freshman recruit, not a transfer. He was never enrolled at USC thus was not part of the portal.

AFAIK, transferring at this point is not an option unless your coach leaves.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Ansley Almonor's name circulating on Twitter.

Pretty sure Trilly said it first and some people picked it up and passed it off as their own.

He's an interesting player.

6'7"
220 lbs
39% from three on over 7 attempts per game.
5 rebounds/game.
16 points/game on 13 attempts/game while playing 32 minutes/game.

 

[Cats192]

Yes, he can transfer. All they would have to do is let him out of his NLI and his NIL obligations. That's precisely what happened with Noah and South Carolina, after the portal window closed.

Is it not different since Noah was a freshmen and hadn't enrolled?

Letting a recruit out of a NLI is different than letting a transfer transfer again. Really no point in ever closing the transfer portal if they can always go back in.

It's entirely possible that IS the case. But MAN, what a stupid rule if so.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Is it not different since Noah was a freshmen and hadn't enrolled?

Letting a recruit out of a NLI is different than letting a transfer transfer again. Really no point in ever closing the transfer portal if they can always go back in.

I think you're right.

 

[OmahaCats]

I only expect him to add 1 more player. 2 would be nice. 3 won’t happen . Teams rarely have 13 scholarship players unless they fill the spots at the end with a walk on or two

 

[9timeChampion]

i expect a backup big and a scoring 2/3. We'll save the other one just in case. Maybe not but that's where I'm going. One 14 plus point a game scorer a 2/3. The other to play 15-22 minutes as a backup pf.

 

[Cats192]

He's an interesting player.

6'7"
220 lbs
39% from three on over 7 attempts per game.
5 rebounds/game.
16 points/game on 13 attempts/game while playing 32 minutes/game.

Yep!

He dropped 20 on Illinois last year. Dude can hold his own against P5 competition. And he'll be the backup 4 for us. That's a really nice get, especially as a depth piece.

I was concerned we were going to have a tough time getting quality depth guys. But Pope has killed it there too.

 

[Cats192]

I only expect him to add 1 more player. 2 would be nice. 3 won’t happen . Teams rarely have 13 scholarship players unless they fill the spots at the end with a walk on or two

I assume we'll get 2.

The Almonor guy is picking up a lot of steam. Would be a REALLY nice backup 4.

And then I think we'll get one of Lanier/Robinson/Poplar

 

[LXWildcat]

Is it not different since Noah was a freshmen and hadn't enrolled?

Letting a recruit out of a NLI is different than letting a transfer transfer again. Really no point in ever closing the transfer portal if they can always go back in.

It's entirely possible that IS the case. But MAN, what a stupid rule if so.

It is different

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I assume we'll get 2.

The Almonor guy is picking up a lot of steam. Would be a REALLY nice backup 4.

And then I think we'll get one of Lanier/Robinson/Poplar

Can't go wrong if that's how Pope closes this incoming group - by adding two legitimate scorers to a roster that already has 5 or 6 guys capable of getting UK double digit scoring.

I personally hope we close with Lanier and then one of Robinson, Almonor, or Wells.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Hopefully, we get Almonor as the backup 4 and another scoring wing (Lanier, Robinson, Wells, Peterson?)

I look for the rotation to look something like this (+/- 2-3 minutes):

G Butler(25)/Kriisa(15)
G Lanier(25)/Kriisa(10)/Oweh(5)
G Brea(25)/Oweh(15)
F Carr(25)/Almonor(15)
F Williams(25)/Garrison(15)

I used Lanier as a proxy. Could be one of the other guys instead.

Hopefully that’s enough minutes to keep everyone happy. I don’t think our Freshman play much this season,

 

[PatrolCat]

Can't go wrong if that's how Pope closes this incoming group - by adding two legitimate scorers to a roster that already has 5 or 6 guys capable of getting UK double digit scoring.

I personally hope we close with Lanier and then one of Robinson, Almonor, or Wells.

I’m hoping for Lanier and one of the other high level guys as well. We’ve assumed it would be Robinson, but who knows? We’ve been burnt by “sure things” a lot. Just my opinion, but I think there’s room for two of those guys. The Almonor kid, or a backup 4, gets us set and two deep at the 1-4-5 spots. Lanier and another high impact wing would give us 4 guys to rotate between the 2-3 spots, with Brea and Oweh. I may be wrong, I underestimated Reed, but I don’t see Noah, Perry, or Chandler being high impact guys this year. I think they’re long term investments and their time is coming down the road. Pope has built a super strong foundation for a roster that can be contenders in the SEC. Now he just needs to finish strong

 

[bucsrule8872]

I’m hoping for Lanier and one of the other high level guys as well. We’ve assumed it would be Robinson, but who knows? We’ve been burnt by “sure things” a lot. Just my opinion, but I think there’s room for two of those guys. The Almonor kid, or a backup 4, gets us set and two deep at the 1-4-5 spots. Lanier and another high impact wing would give us 4 guys to rotate between the 2-3 spots, with Brea and Oweh. I may be wrong, I underestimated Reed, but I don’t see Noah, Perry, or Chandler being high impact guys this year. I think they’re long term investments and their time is coming down the road. Pope has built a super strong foundation for a roster that can be contenders in the SEC. Now he just needs to finish strong

Agree about the Freshmen.

We have a bunch of upperclassmen who are use to starting and playing a lot of minutes and will expect 15-20 minutes minimum.

Just not much room for the rookies, unless one ends up being Sheppard 2.0 or something.

Now if Peterson was to come here, that’s a different story. He’s a starter, most likely. Potential lottery pick.

 

[JASUN74]

That’s not accurate. Noah was an incoming freshman recruit, not a transfer. He was never enrolled at USC thus was not part of the portal.

AFAIK, transferring at this point is not an option unless your coach leaves.

Or unless big Z or anyone else hasn’t signed their letter of intent to the school. Riley Kugal spelling:, left Kansas after they got another guy. No problem because he hadn’t signed his LOI. Even if he had Self would’ve let him out of it. I guarantee Cal would too if Z wanted to Leave to play with his brother or anywhere else. Don’t need to keep players who don’t want to be there.

 

[ORCAT]

Lanier or Robinson and then another big for depth. Think that’s it and a fantastic end to a first year roster by Pope. 9.5/10

I think this is dead on. Another great guard and back up big man woukd make this team very interesting to watch next season. And I think we already have a pretty good group as it is. Gonna be fun next season watching the new staff and roster grow.

 

[megablue]

Hopefully, we get Almonor as the backup 4 and another scoring wing (Lanier, Robinson, Wells, Peterson?)

I look for the rotation to look something like this (+/- 2-3 minutes):

G Butler(25)/Kriisa(15)
G Lanier(25)/Kriisa(10)/Oweh(5)
G Brea(25)/Oweh(15)
F Carr(25)/Almonor(15)
F Williams(25)/Garrison(15)

I used Lanier as a proxy. Could be one of the other guys instead.

Hopefully that’s enough minutes to keep everyone happy. I don’t think our Freshman play much this season,

Based on your estimates, all 200 minutes are accounted for. Even if a little high, there is practically nothing there for Freshmen. Not saying your allocation is wrong, but can high-level Freshmen be happy with barely token minutes ?? Will they stick with the program ?? I sure hope so …

 

[Fox2monk]

There is some speculation that big z will transfer out of arkansas and go to illinois to be with his brother. Remote chance he could come back to .UK

Where is this speculation?

 

[bucsrule8872]

Based on your estimates, all 200 minutes are accounted for. Even if a little high, there is practically nothing there for Freshmen. Not saying your allocation is wrong, but can high-level Freshmen be happy with barely token minutes ?? Will they stick with the program ?? I sure hope so …

Yeah, it’s just an estimate on minutes, give or take 2-3 minutes.

Perry and Noah aren’t going anywhere any time soon. This is their dream and they will be patient and wait their turn. Not sure about Chandler.

I wonder if Pope will redshirt? We have gotten so use to a coach that doesn’t believe in it, we don’t even consider that anymore.

If we have 10 upperclassmen, it might be beneficial to redshirt one or two Freshmen, especially if they plan to use all their eligibility.