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HookEm

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Posts posted by HookEm

  1. Mitchell would give us a lot of versatility.  With him playing "small" forward that gives us a ton of size in the starting lineup.  I doubt we would play zone, but a bottom 3 of Mitchell and Disu on the outside with Shedrick in the middle would be sick defensively. 

    I would expect to see Mitchell make as big of a leap as Disu did last year.  Maybe a bigger one. Getting him back would be absolutely huge. 

    A lineup of Hunter, Abmas, Mitchell, Disu and Shedrick will be a problem for anyone.  And then Cunningham, Weaver and Onyema off the bench is very solid.  I don't think we really need anyone else outside of maybe a bench guard who can give us 10 mpg. 

    Here is a guess at how the minutes would shake out in a tight conference game:

    image.png.bdb129bdd7bcebd6f148dd98b17f0866.png

     

     

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  2. 5 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

    You also must not have watched Tennessee last year. They had a historic defense for most of the year (which regressed at the end of the year to some degree).

    Waaaat?  A Barnes team regressed toward the end of the year?  No wai.

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  3. 59 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

    Right now, I see the starting 5 as Hunter, Abmas, Weaver, Disu, and Shedrick which leaves no guards on the bench. Then you have Cunningham at the 3-5, Onyema at the 4/5, and Anamewke at the 3-5. Going to have to mine another 2 guys from the portal.

    I personally would start Cunningham at the 3 and then bring Weaver off the bench for any of Hunter, Abmas or Cunningham depending on how the game is unfolding at the time.  Agree that we need another guard though.  I would look to bring in someone wit upside who we could develop for a few years.  

    If Mitchell wants to come back, I don't see why you would take any of those other guys over him.  By all accounts Mitchell had a good attitude last year and we all know how much upside he has.  With literally every other player, there is culture risk.  These are all players who are leaving another program for one reason or another.  A large percentage of them are upset about something.  Maybe they will fit in to the culture RT is building.  Maybe they won't.  But there is more risk with every single one of them.  So for me to take that risk, the upside has to be higher than Mitchell, and that seems like a tall order.

    Moreover, I think it is a bad look as a program that if a player tests the NBA draft waters and doesn't enter the portal, we tell them "Nope playa, it is time to go. Enjoy the G-League".  I don't think if that got out it would benefit us on the recruiting trail.

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  4. 14 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

    I tried to have a productive discussion about Mitchell coming back 2 weeks ago. That’s what I got in response 

    Yeah no shit. We have all read all of those quotes over the last month. No need to dredge them up to read them again.  All you did was ensure more slap fights instead of actual productive conversation.

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  5. Looking at lineups, if we add Caleb Love, the minutes allocation could look something like this:

    image.png.8b58966211db1ca307f849a892735ae0.png

     

    How great would it be to always have two of Hunter, Abmas and Love on the court at any given time... and often all three of them.  Then you have a guy like Weaver off the bench who can also play any of the three guard spots.  

    Given that Cunningham has played all of the 3, 4 or even 5 spots, I'm not sure we need to add more bigs except for maybe a development project who is content with 10 minutes.  But honestly I would rather give the minutes to Onyema, Disu and Shedrick.  

    Even if you get into foul trouble with the bigs, a lineup with Hunter + Abmas + Love + Cunningham + Disu / Shedrick could be very good. 

     

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  6. Agree. I like the fact that the staff is being honest with recruits about what will be expected of them.  Seems like the best way to avoid a lot of drama and infighting about roles and such once they get here.  

    Derka - are you warming to the Caleb Love idea now that Spencer is out?   Or would you rather take one of the forwards?  Or just allocate more minutes to who we have?

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  7. 1 hour ago, VinyVango said:

    If Love can be more selective with his shots, play inspired defense, and play team ball I’m fine with adding his experience and reassured by the fact Mark Few appears to believe that.

    Here are some comments from Roy Williams during his freshman year:

    "Defensively, I think he could be one of the best defensive guards I've ever coached. Playing his position, he has strength, he has speed, he has jumping ability, he has great feet. He's been shooting it well in practice. He's been really working at it, I mean you saw after one of our games, he was still here at midnight working on his shot. He's working at it and jut a tremendous young man."

    Here are some draft notes:

    Love is an aggressive scoring guard with a downhill style of play. He attacks the defense and has both power and quickness on his drives to the hoop. He doesn’t shy away from contact and he’s a guy who can finish above the rim. His step-back game is promising but can be inconsistent and he’s streaky from outside.  He’s a good competitor who’s energy and hustle rubs off on his teammates, especially when he’s hitting shots.  With an impressive 6-9 wingspan (measured at Nike Skills Academy) and broad shoulders he’s clearly got the size and frame for the NBA level and fits where the NBA is going with versatile guards who can score. He’s not necessarily a pass-first player but he does a good job of pressuring and collapsing the defense with his scoring ability, which can get open shots for teammates.  Love can get a bit careless with the ball and over dribble at times but that’s what happens when you’re the best player on the court (and his decision making will improve with age).

    And some other draft notes:

    A proven winner, Love has the tools to raise the ceiling of any team. Even at the NBA level, there’s a clear pathway to him being a key piece of the rotation on a championship team one day.  Love enters year four at the college level as a decorated college prospect. During North Carolina’s championship run in 2022, he scored more than any player in the tournament. Furthermore, he knocked down countless clutch buckets which proved he’s able to step up in the biggest moments.  He’s the ultimate competitor that can do a bit of everything.  The upside as an isolation scorer with a ton of athleticism and speed is intriguing. He’s a strong driver with a quick first step and a dynamic package of dribble moves.  Defensively, Love is also able to make plays. He’s generated over a steal per game over the course of his career, leveraging his quick hands and ability to jump passing lanes. At 6-foot-4 and nearly 200 pounds, Love has the frame to be physical when defending opposing guards.

    image.png.abed364c37a64626907777a07d3d8b36.png

    All of this seems like he could be a great primary option off the ball at the college level.  I love having competitive guys on the roster.  Out of all the intangibles, that is the attribute that I most want to be a common thread through every player.

     

    image.png

  8. Would the Spurs be crazy to target Draymond Green in free agency?  He still averaged 9 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST last year and played 73 games at 31.5 mpg.  Pop isn't getting any younger, so I think they should immediately shift into "win now" mode.  Draymond could help establish a winning culture and was still 2nd team All-Defense this year. His passing and style of play would also fit well with the Spurs.  He could also be a good mentor for Jeremy Sochan, who may someday have a comparable game.

     

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  9. So to summarize, we are looking heavily at the following

    • Caleb Love - SR - G - 6'4, 195 - All Tourney Team ('22)
    • Cam Spencer - 5th SR - G - 6'4, 205 - 1st team Patriot League ('22)
    • Julian Phillips - SO - F - 6'8, 198 - SEC All-Freshman
    • Arthur Kaluma - JR - F - 6'7, 220 - Big East All Freshman ('22)

    Personally I would rank them in the order listed, with a strong preference for Love or Spencer over the forwards.  I think we can find another big guy in the portal as needed.  Getting another elite guard would let us play small and make us a much tougher out IMO. 

    Love has been playing basketball against the highest levels of competition his whole life and he has already shown tourney success. His efficiency isn't great, but has improved every year.  His 2P% has gone from 34.8% -> 38.0% -> 45.5%.  His turnovers have dropped from 3.1 -> 2.7 -> 2.4.  I would expect him to show continued improvement with another year and a change of scenery.  

    Here is how both Love and Spencer compare to Abmas and Weaver... and Carr and Rice in the year before coming to UT

    • Caleb Love - UNC, 22-23, 35.7 MP, 3.5/7.7 45.5 2P%, 2.2/7.4 29.9 3P%, 3.1/4.0 76.5 FT%, 16.7 PTS, 2.8 AST, 3.7 TRB, 1.1 STL, 2.4 TO, 2.8 WS, 14.5 PER
    • Cam Spencer - RUT - 22-23, 31.5 MP, 2.3/5.1 45.3 2P%, 2.1/4.9 43.4 3P%, 2.2/2.5 89.4 FT%, 13.2 PTS, 3.1 AST, 3.8 TRB, 2.0 STL, 1.4 TO, 5.5 WS, 21.4 PER
    • Max Abmas - ORU - 22-23, 36.0 MP, 3.4/6.3 53.0 2P%, 3.5/9.4 37.3 3P%, 4.6/5.1 91.1 FT%, 21.9 PTS, 4.0 AST, 4.4 TRB, 1.1 STL, 2.0 TO, 6.7 WS, 24.7 PER
    • C. Weaver - UTA - 22-23, 29.5 MP, 2.1/4.5 46.5 2P%, 1.0/2.6 40.2 3P%, 2.2/3.2 70.3 FT%, 9.5 PTS, 2.0 AST, 4.6 TRB, 0.9 STL, 1.2 TO, 3.2 WS, 15.4 PER
    • Marcus Carr - MIN, 20-21, 35.8 MP, 3.9/9.1 43.3 2P%, 2.1/6.5 31.7 3P%, 5.3/6.7 79.9 FT%, 19.4 PTS, 4.9 AST, 4.0 TRB, 1.3 STL, 2.3 TO, 3.8 WS, 20.7 PER
    • Jabari Rice - NMS - 21-22, 32.3 MP, 1.9/4.2 39.1 2P%, 1.8/5.2 34.1 3P%, 2.8/3.5 77.9 FT%, 11.9 PTS, 3.1 AST, 5.1 TRB, 0.6 STL, 2.5 TO, 3.4 WS, 14.3 PER

    Holy hell, Abmas is putting up some numbers.  A step above the other guys in almost ever way.  Great efficiency on really big volume. He is going to be awesome.  Love has pretty similar stats to Carr's last year at Minnesota (where Carr was actually a year older since he had to sit out a year after transferring from Pitt). 

    Since whoever we recruit is likely to play on the wing, I would rather have someone who can attack and get to the line.  I think Love fits the bill better than Spencer, who seems to be more of a long range sniper.

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  10. All of the guys we are looking at are more than just a warm body. It would be someone who could start at the 3 and move Cunningham or Weaver to the bench.  It would be more of a talent upgrade than just a strategy for keeping people healthy.

    If we strike out on Love, Kaluma, Spencer or Phillips, then sure get a couple of solid glue guys who would be happy playing 10-15 mpg. 

  11. 1 hour ago, Js1 said:

    McCullars withdrew from the draft to return to KU. Self going all in before his heart goes 

    I suppose even I will admit that KU has a better roster than us now, and probably the best team in the nation. 

    Guessing they go with a starting lineup of:

    • PG - Dajuan Harris
    • SG - Nicolas Timberlake
    • SF - Kevin McCullar
    • PF - KJ Adams
    • C - Hunter Dickinson

    Off the bench then you would have Arterio Morris, Elmarko Jackson and Parker Braun (plus all the other freshmen).  They are going to be a handful. 

    They still have a pretty young bench.  It will be interesting to see how the minutes get distributed. Arterio Morris could have been a starter getting 32 mpg and been a key piece for us.  Now, he is going to be fighting with freshmen for PT.  

  12. Back to the SEC talk, I agree it isn't a good cultural fit for UT (even though a lot of people in our state share the deep souf culture).  UT and Austin are much more culturally similar to some of the big liberal schools around the country like Washington, Colorado, UNC, etc.  That said, we are a better academic fit with Florida, Georgia, Aggy and Vanderbilt than any schools in the old Big 12.

    Using US News rankings, the SEC is actually a good bit better academic conference than the Big 12, which isn't saying much.

    Moving

    • Texas - 38
    • Oklahoma - 127

    SEC - Avg 112

    • Vanderbilt - 13
    • Florida - 29
    • Georgia - 49
    • Texas A&M - 67
    • Auburn - 97
    • South Carolina - 115
    • Tennessee - 115
    • Missouri - 121
    • Alabama - 137
    • Kentucky - 137
    • Ole Miss - 151
    • LSU - 176
    • Arkansas - 176
    • Mississippi State - 194

    Big 12 - 147.8 (with new schools) / 151.9 (old excluding UT & OU)

    • Baylor - 77
    • TCU - 89
    • BYU - 89 (new)
    • Kansas - 121
    • Iowa State - 127
    • Central Florida - 137 (new)
    • Cincinnati - 151 (new)
    • K-State - 166
    • Oklahoma State - 182
    • Houston - 182 (new)
    • Texas Tech - 219
    • West Virginia - 234

    I think ultimately we will find that we are a bitter fit with a lot of the new SEC schools than we were with West Virginia, Iowa State, K-State, OSU.  

    PAC-10 was probably the best cultural fit, especially if we could have made a Southwest pod with Arizona, ASU, Colorado, and OU.

  13. I've enjoyed being in the Big 12 for hoops, but it has just gotten to be a complete bloodbath since some of the weaker schools have gotten good.  Used to be you could count on TCU sucking.  Now they are winning 20+ games and winning their first game in the tourney.  In recent years there hasn't been an easy game on the schedule.  Check that... there hasn't been a non-brutal game on the schedule. 

    The SEC should be fun with a good mix of solid schools and relatively weaker schools where we can relax (a little).  Kentucky will be a good substitute for KU.  We will have good rivalry games with Arkansas, OU and Aggy.  We will have interesting games against former coaches in Tennessee and Ole Miss.  And out of the rest a few will be elite (Alabama, Florida, Auburn, etc.) - and a few will suck (Souf Carolina, Georgia).

  14. 11 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

    ftr if we do sign caleb love i am going to fully embrace it and root for RT and staff to make it work. my one big red flag on him is merely that we already have two very very good guards in the starting lineup and i fear that love will take away from them than he will compliment them. but if we do sign him then i will 100% support RT's decision and hope that Love is able to turn the corner this year. 

    Who knows how it will turn out with Caleb Love.  The guy has definitely been an inefficient high-usage player so far in his career. Generally I can't stand that type of player, especially at the PG position.  I don't mind it nearly as much from the wings where you need a player who can get buckets.

    My main source of optimism is that Frank Haith is at his best with guard heavy lineups. His best year at Mizzou (2012) they were 30-5 with Marcus Denmon 6'3 (35 mpg), Kim English 6'6 (34 mpg), Phil Pressey 5'10 (32 mpg), Michael Dixon 6'1 (27 mpg), and Matt Pressey 6'2 (25 mpg) all getting big minutes. 

    Kim English was about like Caleb Love prior to Haith taking over (36% FG). He went on to be 1st team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Tourney MVP.  Michael Dixon also saw a big efficiency improvement.  

    Honestly it is hard to know exactly how to feel about various recruits when we don't really know what our style is going to be.

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  15. 1 minute ago, Ghost of Frank Erwin said:

    I know we said to forget about Ron Holland, but is there any news on that front, and why we haven't released him from his LOI? Seems like it could be bad publicity on us if we don't release him sooner than later. 

    I can't decide whether we should release him or not.  Nothing forced him to sign a LOI.  He knew RT was going to be the coach. Nothing has changed except that we have recruited a few more guys. 

    Part of me likes taking a stand and forcing him to go to the G-league if he doesn't want to be at Texas.  I appreciate that it may hurt us recruiting 5-star players in the future, but it may also help when players (and their handlers) are trying to renegotiate NIL deals if we set a precedent that we don't play that BS.

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  16. I don't think the fact that Self is the best in the game is lost on anyone.  That is why KU is ranked in the top-5 despite only returning two players and not having a recruiting class loaded with top-10 recruits.

    As it stands, KU is likely to start one freshman (fringe top-10 recruit) and need at least a couple more to step up big-time.  They may win the conference again with that formula, but I wouldn't be betting on them cutting the nets down.

    Here are the significant freshmen on the last three years of Final Four teams.  Bold players are starters.  Only 4 teams had freshmen providing more than 10-12 mpg.  And the majority of the freshmen contributors were higher ranked than anyone coming in for KU.   

    2023
    •    UConn – Karaban 29 mpg (~top-100 recruit)
    •    San Diego State  – No significant freshman
    •    Florida Atlantic  – No significant freshman
    •    Miami – No significant freshman

    2022
    •    Kansas – No significant freshman
    •    North Carolina – No significant freshman
    •    Duke – Banchero 33 mpg (#2 recruit), Keels 30 mpg (#19 recruit), Griffin 24 mpg (#18 recruit)
    •    Villanova – No significant freshman

    2021
    •    Baylor – No significant freshman
    •    Gonzaga – Suggs 28 mpg (#7 recruit)
    •    Houston – Mark 20 mpg (#75 recruit)
    •    UCLA – No significant freshman
     

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