the good and bad of the NIL and transfer portal is you're right, we could just as easily be better next year
i honestly don't think any loss is a given loss...we just need to hit shots and not make so many boneheaded mistakes. Ok, maybe that's asking too much but I dare to dream
Jeff, I’ll be right there, wishing along with you. I just think I’ve seen who we are, offensively, and I’m thinking we’re gonna struggle to put up points. Our struggle to close out last night….was littered with bone-headed play-making. I’m not sure why they trust taking a 3pt shot, when you just need a 2, to keep the pressure on the other team.
Losing CC is massive, but the most talented players are all young (Richard, Fudge, Reeves, Kugel) with huge upside. And when you think of what we did in the portal, literally all four were starting at one point. Golden has a very clear approach to player acquisition (no projects, have to be ready to play), but he specifically prioritizes portal kids who have shown they can compete in college, but have plenty of eligibility left. If he takes the same tack and has roughly the same hit rate, we could easily add several starting quality players, especially shooters and bigs. And if we get the development we are hoping for out of the soph-frosh guys, we could be a massively better offensive team, even if we drop a notch defensively without Castleton’s rim protection.
I'm thinking CTG will go hard after a quality 6'-10" or taller guy in the portal. A good one would almost certainly be a Day-1 starter. Other SEC teams have gotten some very good bigs from mid-major programs through the portal. We also need a big-time 3-point ace. We ain't done yet.
I've been impressed over the last couple of weeks. Golden has made the necessary adjustments and most importantly, he has kept these guys emotionally intact. It's tough to struggle and hear all of the noise and then respond positively. Still a long way from being to predict the future, but it sure looks a lot better now. I'd like to see them steal one of these games, hold serve down the stretch and maybe sneak in to the dance.
They were doubling CC on the touch, we had no four, and Richard/Reevea were playing out of position. We ended up having to move CC out of the post to get action to the basket or trust our shooters with him passing out of doubles. Mostly didn’t work, but it’s not like we didn’t want twos and preferred threes. They had completely taken away the paint because of our personnel.
If we still had Felder and he progressed the way it looked like he would, he could have made a big difference.
Even though our offense on the surface (and in most stats) isn’t great, I do like that we move the ball around really well. The offense does seem to get guys good looks. Obviously Castleton is a big paint piece to replace, but I don’t think it’s doomed to be multiple years of rebuilding. It’s all about the Portal, and really that’s pretty much what CBB is now. It’s going to be year to year from here on out.
I can't disagree with any of this, though the good thing about college players is that the light can turn on at any time..the inconsistency can sometimes turn out to be a positive. if one or two get hot it can be contagious, and simultaneously rattle the other team. At least in theory...
If the young learn to finish and Fudge learn how to take it to the basket without charging, that’s 10 points a game right there.
But we are already trying to moneyball spots 1-4, at some point you need a player who can consistently play their position at a high level.
Got to have consistency from the outside. Defense is solid. 1. Run the offense through Cc. He gets it! 2. Somebody has to step up and start hitting outside shots consistently for our team to make the NCAA tournament. 3. He playing good defense
I would say Kugel and Reeves would definitely fit the bill, if they can get the "consistent" part down. I think Fudge has real upside, too. But you are highly unlikely to find a 5 who can do it in the portal. Fortunately, recruiting for 2024 looks very, very good, with lots of guys who have elite talent.
