CBS Sports follows CTG on the road recruiting

We’ll see. He is gonna have a hard time getting on the court. We are loaded at the wing. Reeves is about to explode. Richard is very solid and complements Reeves well. Lane was terrific defensively and on the glass in limited stints last year. Golden has also spoken very optimistically about Jones—he has the shooting we need and they think he can just really bounce back with more freedom in the pick and roll.

I tend to think 2023-24 is gonna be Kugel’s chance. He will have a year learning college ball, expanding his skill set, and filling out his body, while Jones and possibly Reeves will be gone.

 

You might be right, but Richard and Reeves only have one more year of experience than Kugel, and Dr. Phillips played a really tough schedule. When I watch the highlights of Dr. Phillips vs North Little Rock and see how Kugel played against Nick Smith, who has been projected to be the first college freshman taken in the 2023 NBA draft, it makes me very optimistic about Kugel being really good from the get go.

 

^ True, but one year is a pretty big deal when it comes to transitioning from high school to college on all sorts of levels (competition, skill development, scouting, strength, nutrition, adjustment to school, etc), especially when you are a late bloomer like him.

 

I’m going to have to side with Tampa on Kugel’s upside. I would not be surprised to see him eat into the minutes as the season progresses. We do appear to have a logjam at the 1-3 though. Hard to tell who is going to be the starter or get minutes other than Reeves. So many good players to choose from.

 

String music to my ears. May the scrappiest survive.

 

That’s one of the things I hate about the transfer portal. It discourages scrappiness. Now, if you don’t get the playing time, why fight hard to earn minutes and improve… just transfer. But hey… they only have 4 years eligibility so I get not wanting to waste time. Also, we seem to be be editing from the transfers, so I can’t be hypocritical.

 

I will be shocked if it isn’t Richard. Golden just raves about him. Great mover and cutter, scores well at the rim, plus rebounder for his size/position, defends multiple positions, and is unselfish with the ball. He just has to hit his jumpers. 32% last year has to improve, though it usually does from your freshman year.

 

It’s hard for me to really assess Richard, because there’s not a lot of film out there… at least in my limited search. Not disagreeing, just need to see more tape to have a solid personal opinion.

 

Most of the transfers stepping up in league and competition have challenges in the physical and athleticism displayed in the SEC.

 

All of our non-Power 6 transfers into the program last year and this year have been physical and athletic. I don’t know enough to speak about the other schools.

 

I’ve gone out on a limb to say that Kugel is our best recruit since Beal. However, if it turns out that I am right, how do you not play him from the get go?

 

Lol. Yes, if Kugel is a legit first rounder in 2023, you should probably play him, not that you have even been prone to overstatement or lack of nuance.

 

You have now aroused my curiosity. How about laying on me some examples of my being prone to overstatement or lacking nuance. I get it that people disagree with me regarding Glover.

 

He'll play. But "best recruit" doesn't automatically make you "best player."

 

I suspect by tourney time he will play a lot

 

Honestly I love the strategy. The top 5 or so programs (which aren’t us) should rightfully gobble up the top 50 kids.

Basically the Kentucky model. Rinse and repeat until you strike gold.

The issue then is that any top 100-200 recruit (and any good college player) is effectively a free agent after every year.

So what’s the point of getting a low 4 star guy who will be getting re-recruited after his 1st year? Unless he can contribute immediately he’s just a depth piece

So getting your top talent via 5 star and high 4 star prospects PLUS transfers makes a lot of sense.

The problem is depth. In the transfer era it’s going to be hard to transfer guys here to be a depth piece.

 

If you can show that you're a winning program with resources and NIL $$$, getting solid transfers to come here shouldn't be a problem.

 

Great read!