Miller was the last Tiger to average >1bpg (albeit in 2015-16). Tosan was an elite defender, but even he wasn’t a shot blocker.
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Guy played solid D. Maybe huggins could’ve given you something similar if he wasn’t glued to the bench for weeks at a time.
…Pete Miller, Chris Young, Steve Goodrich, Kit Mueller, Rich Simkus, Andy Rimol…
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Brendan Connolly, Chris Thomforde.
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Certainly agree about the lack of a true center.
On the offensive side, Mitch seems to have moved away from a ball-movement offense (a la Cornell) to a pick and roll or isolation offense, which imho requires highly talented players. When we have them, and they are not injured, it works.
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I think Henderson adapts the offense to the talent.
Tosan and Lee are both great passers who flourish
with the ball. the undefeated Weiscz?Cook team
played a different more pass and movement style.
I think we won’t know about next year until we see
the roster. Do Lee, Pierce and Davis all return?
Does Austin come back? Are any of the frosh ready?
Patience as they piece it together.
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Thanks - two possessions with zone at the end of 1st half. Looking back at it - I still think what I thought when I saw it live - it wasn’t a 2-3 zone - they came out in a 1-3-1 and they missed their assignments - Pierce and Peters both go to play the top, It looks like a 3-2 for a moment then a 2-1-2 then a 2-3. But the next possession it’s a 1-3-1 with Peters up top.
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We had such good fortune recruiting Tosan. I wonder how much effort the Ivy League puts in to recruiting in Europe? I would guess it it relatively expensive, and now with NIL, not likely to be successful.
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Mitch has been a fabulous coach. Lots of dynamics made this not the greatest year for him, but I think he continues to grow – and not least of all, he’s a genuine mensch, very loved by many of us.
Welp, Xaivian is gone. He could have left last year for a huge NIL bag and stayed, so I wish him the best. Can’t wait to see him shine on a national stage and eventually play in the NBA. Playing for Kentucky (if that’s where he ends up) will certainly boost his NBA draft stock - maybe he sneaks into the late first now.
If Caden and Dalen stay and the underclassmen make expected leaps (esp. Stanton), we still have a team that can challenge for the league title. Maybe they even make the tournament. That said, I’m bummed because it’s hard to pull a 2023 run without a truly elite talent like Tosan or Xaivian.
With Xaivian gone, one major silver lining is Dalen Davis staying (so it seems). He clearly struggled playing off-ball next to Lee, but he led the team in scoring through 5 games: 10, 17, 25, 17, 16. Lee is the superior player overall, but Davis might be the better pure scorer with his elite midrange jumper.
I can’t wait to see Davis as our lead guard next season. Healthy Pierce should be a POY favorite again, but Davis might end up leading the team in scoring.
Jack Stanton doesn’t seem to mind playing off-ball, so I like him at SG next to Dalen. Stanton was a top midmajor guard recruit and has earned a promotion to starter with the flashes he showed as a freshman, both offensively and defensively.
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And meanwhile, have we hired an assistant head coach yet??
I think Stanton is going to be a STUD
Love Stanton’s small-sample performance to date. Not sold on DD as a distributor of the basketball just yet, but if we ran a Princeton-ish offense with a passing center or other big it might be fine. And DD is a natural scorer who will play better with more confidence in his role, I think.
According to Verbal Commits as of April 17, Jack Scott has transferred. . . again. Doesn’t indicate a new school yet.
Strange career.
Is he on the Spencer Gloger plan?
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Big P can get the scoop on this.
Apparently hasn’t actually transferred yet, still in the portal. But one would think he’s gone if he gets an offer.
Transfer portal closed on the 22nd. In terms of impact players, we’re fortunate to lose only Lee.
Projected starters: Davis / Stanton / Hicke / Pierce / Happy
Projected key reserves: Seals / Abdullahi / Huggins
Offensively, that starting lineup is looking pretty darn good. All five starters can shoot; at least four can pass. Floor spacing will be better than last year, which will be especially good news for Caden.
If Deven Austin is ready to play again, that would be a huge defensive boost. Once again, rim protection is a big weakness, but Happy and Huggins provided some resistance late in the season.
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