Next year

[UK67KU59]

Bring back Theiro and big Z

If Thiero had improved his shot I would totally have taken him back, but it looks like he is worse from 3pt range this year.

 

[aikenite4uk]

Butler’s replacement will have hard shoes to fill kid is everything you want in a college PG.

Yes, he is a really good all around player...the more you watch him the more he grows on you. He's a dog. I think he'll earn a spot in the league. The only guy that really competed hard was Garrison.

 

[JonathanW]

The 2 and 3 spots are pretty much interchangeable. Most teams play three guards now anyway.

Johnson will replace Robinson as the starter alongside Oweh. Call him a SG or a SF. Doesn’t matter. They are both 6’4, so it’s not like either is undersized as a college 3.

Goose Givens and Derek Anderson were 6’4 SFs and they were pretty good at that position, if memory serves.

Of course, if we get a 6’6-6’7 Portal guy that is good enough to keep Johnson on the bench, I’m good with that as well.

But I expect the 5-star McD’s AA to start considering the size of the investment that Pope reportedly put into him.

I’m just not sold on Johnson. Not saying he will be bad. But that he is an incomplete work in progress. Needs to shoot it better.

 

[JonathanW]

Ehhhh.... not major recruits. I'd rather have them.

Define “major recruits”? If you are talking about top 5, maybe top 10, like Wilson or Ament, then yeah I’d like to take a chance on them. But 5* alone (there are usually 20-30 of them) does not mean 1st year success. The past 10 years most of our 5* recruits have been disappointments as FR. The exceptions Murray, Fox, Monk, Bam Sheppard, Dillingham, Herro, K. Johnson, SGA, Tyty, Wallace, maybe a couple more (so roughly a dozen) out of about 40-50 5* recruits. So about a 1 in 3 chance that a 5* won’t disappoint as a FR.

I’d much rather have a guy who has proven what he can do vs 18-23 yr olds, than a guy ranked say 10-30 in FR class.

 

[NociHTTP]

This goes back to the blatant whole of not having many, if not any, playmakers on this team that many of us had been saying in the offseason. The void of such players that can create offense for not only themselves, but for other guys, was a huge disappointment and will hold this team back.

If the team really bought into the offense Pope has, then the need to "make a play" wouldn't be nearly as prevalent. Cal isn't here anymore. Pope's offense is about "finding a shooter".

 

[JonathanW]

Theiro is Ark 2nd best player. That he’s not a good 3pt shooter is ok, you don’t have to be good at everything. He leads them in scoring (16.9), rebounding (5.9), he is making 68.6% of his 2’s, he gets to the FT line (6.1 FTA/gm), and averages 2.9 Stl+Blk.
He’s only making 6% less 3’s than Robinson, that is 1 less make every 17 attempts. But he is better than Robinson in every other way.

 

[B.B.H.]

I’m just not sold on Johnson. Not saying he will be bad. But that he is an incomplete work in progress. Needs to shoot it better.

Johnson’s biggest issue is shot selection. When he gets into a defined system, the hope is he begins to make reads rather than chucking

 

[catfan220]

Assuming they get Caleb Wilson and bring back the 5 non-seniors, I see them as needing 3 additional core pieces.

F-C : can play 4 or 5, stretch floor with shot while also bringing physicality in paint
Wing : elite shooter, brings toughness and competent level defender
G : tough lead guard that can hit shots, get into paint and defend (someone like Xaivian Lee?)

We're gonna have to bring in physicality, because while super talented, I worry about some of these incoming freshmen in the SEC. Jasper Johnson can create offense and is a very dynamic shooter but gritty and dawg and a mf'er (which is what we're all begging for after last night) he is not. Moreno and Acaden are talented as well. Both kind of skinny. After having watched them I see them more as immediate contributors rather than immediate studs.

These needed pieces could come from the portal or they could also be like the pro players Illinois got in Jakucionis and Ivisic.

I’m hoping Pope digs up a European big, as I think it’s where we can go out and get someone with passing/playmaking ability that this offense clearly relies on. Maybe Ivisic transfers and wants to come back to UK

 

[trueblujr2]

We need lots of help from the portal to have a better season than this one imo.

I think there is a very slim chance that Chandler is here next year. And quite frankly, we should be able to find a lot better player from the portal.

Chandler is close to Pope. He’s not going anywhere unless it’s back to BSU, which I highly doubt. He needed a year to get his game and conditioning back after two years on mission. I think he may take one of the biggest steps forward next year.

 

[trueblujr2]

I’m hoping Pope digs up a European big, as I think it’s where we can go out and get someone with passing/playmaking ability that this offense clearly relies on. Maybe Ivisic transfers and wants to come back to UK

Get him and his brother to transfer here. That would be a dangerous duo.