Tanner and EJ stay - Mo exploring his Pro options - Page 2

hoopsaustin · 03-28-2022, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stikboy

Utterly ridiculous. It’s going to kill the college game.

It already has.

You know even the pro players are obsessed with playing on super teams.. thats the natural progression here and itll be kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UNC that lead the charge in the cheating/lame/dumb pay for play

OUSKINS · 03-28-2022, 02:29 PM

Accept it or move on. That’s the only real choice here. I hate that it’s taken this turn, but I still want to follow college basketball and root for OU so I hope they become masters at this new game. Kinda wish they’d just call it Free Agency because that’s what it is. Except without contracts. So FA resets every year for every player. You re-recruit your team every year now. I couldn’t do it. Hoping Moser and company are good at it.

WTSooner · 03-28-2022, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TINY

How about Alondes? He was on our bench and went out and proved to be the best player in the ACC.

Boulder is right, many of our fans don’t have a great eye for talent.

So last year we had the ACC player of the year, Manek, and an NBA'er, and we put THAT team on the floor?

How does that happen? Lon that bad of a coach? Or maybe, regardless of the year they had this year, some of those guys aren't (or weren't) all you are making them out to be.

WTSooner · 03-28-2022, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

i am not saying that EJ is going to go be a giant star ... but he had a bunch of power 6 basketball interest to transfer and to be a starter ..

We got better the less Harkless played IMO. He was terrible for much of the year. You like the +/- calc. He was terrible in conference, and was one of the worst starters OOC.

He is 100% replaceable via the Portal IMO.

But it shoudn't be weird that a P5 starter at a school that missed the Dance had interest to be a starter at other P5 schools.

TINY · 03-28-2022, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTSooner

So last year we had the ACC player of the year, Manek, and an NBA'er, and we put THAT team on the floor?

How does that happen? Lon that bad of a coach? Or maybe, regardless of the year they had this year, some of those guys aren't (or weren't) all you are making them out to be.

Lon and staff did not get the most out of the team last year. I don’t think anyone can really argue that, at this point. He is still a damn good HoF-level coach.

WichitaSooner · 03-28-2022, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TINY

Lon and staff did not get the most out of the team last year. I don’t think anyone can really argue that, at this point. He is still a damn good HoF-level coach.

Last year is such a big what if. Had a great season going till the last two weeks of the regular season, then just collapsed down the stretch and it cost us big time. We had the team to make it to the second weekend of the tournament, but that four-game skid cost us several seed lines and forced us into that Gonzaga game. Very disappointing that we couldn’t get things righted during that period.

AdaSooner · 03-28-2022, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTSooner

So last year we had the ACC player of the year, Manek, and an NBA'er, and we put THAT team on the floor?

How does that happen? Lon that bad of a coach? Or maybe, regardless of the year they had this year, some of those guys aren't (or weren't) all you are making them out to be.

WT, I have asked myself those same questions?

Was the transfer portal a magical formula for the players we lost? Manek transferred to another school and became a key in leading them to a FF. Williams went from a player off of the bench at OU to an ACC star at Wake Forest. Kur Kuath progressed quickly from a sub to a starter at Marquette. Da’Vion Harmon was thought to be a disappointment by some, but he started at Oregon, a P5 school, and played quite well in the second half of the season

So, was a change in scenery and a new start at another school just what the basketball doctor ordered for these players, or was there dissension on the team we didn’t know about? Was our coaching staff to blame? That’s not an excuse I subscribe to, but I was not too pleased with the assistants Lon brought in after Steve Henson and the late Lew Hill left, especially their player development skills.

Is it possible my complaint was warranted, or was the sudden improvement we saw from our departed players serendipity at OU’s expense?

CoachTalk · 03-28-2022, 06:04 PM

Cj is back!

NickZepp · 03-28-2022, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoachTalk

Cj is back!

https://twitter.com/BPrzybylo/status...95583061221378

WichitaSooner · 03-28-2022, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoachTalk

Cj is back!

Very good news. Whether he turns into a stud or simply a good starter, it is important to keep a guy like him around.

TINY · 03-28-2022, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoachTalk

Cj is back!

Huge!

AdaSooner · 03-28-2022, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoachTalk

Cj is back!

Great news! I thought from the beginning he had potential and nothing I saw changed my mind. Good for you, CJ!!!

ouboomer · 03-28-2022, 06:31 PM

Now need 1 more to confirm they are back and that bumps up the number to 5 which would mean 1 more returning next season than the previous and that would be progress...

NAIA All-Star · 03-28-2022, 06:35 PM

Mo just posted his highlights

sanguinetti · 03-28-2022, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

Last year is such a big what if. Had a great season going till the last two weeks of the regular season, then just collapsed down the stretch and it cost us big time. We had the team to make it to the second weekend of the tournament, but that four-game skid cost us several seed lines and forced us into that Gonzaga game. Very disappointing that we couldn’t get things righted during that period.

agree. skid is a strong word to me.....lost @ KSU which is Lon's MO (even though i like Lon).....and twice to Cade Cunningham when our "go Austin Reeves" strategy i don't like when we have Harmon, Harkless, and Manek who can all score the ball....in the last minutes.

and Texas.

wouldn't call it a skid but hard row. we played good basketball teams and maybe our coach let us down a little....

i agree that was a team that could have made it to the second weekend.

NickZepp · 03-28-2022, 06:57 PM

Mo has a good quick release but I'm not sure he can defend at the NBA level and he's not that big. I think he's probably better off staying in college.

WichitaSooner · 03-28-2022, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickZepp

Mo has a good quick release but I'm not sure he can defend at the NBA level and he's not that big. I think he's probably better off staying in college.

I’m guessing he isn’t talking/thinking NBA. More likely he is gauging which overseas leagues might be interested.

allday92 · 03-28-2022, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TINY

How about Alondes? He was on our bench and went out and proved to be the best player in the ACC.

Boulder is right, many of our fans don’t have a great eye for talent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTSooner

So last year we had the ACC player of the year, Manek, and an NBA'er, and we put THAT team on the floor?

How does that happen? Lon that bad of a coach? Or maybe, regardless of the year they had this year, some of those guys aren't (or weren't) all you are making them out to be.

I think it's more just a role and fit thing.

Alondes was really successful this year, but he also had a higher usage percentage than Reaves had last year for OU. 28.9% vs 27.7%. Maybe the best role for Alondes was to be the primary ballhandler and Lon envisioned that for him. It just wasn't going to happen with Reaves and Harmon above him in the pecking order. It would have been interesting to see a Harmon/Alondes backcourt if Lon didn't retire. As great as Alondes was he still couldn't lead his team to an NCAA tournament bid.

Manek had a great year, but he played in a less physical conference and finally played next to a legit center. Armando Bacot is 6'10 240lbs. He's a better fit next to Brady than someone like Kuath or McNeace. And this is UNC's starting lineup outside of Brady:

Caleb Love - 5 star, 14th best prospect class of 2020
Leaky Black - 4 star, 71st best prospect class of 2018
Armando Bacot - 5 star, 27th best prospect class of 2019
RJ Davis - 4 star, 50th best prospect class of 2020.

Brady is going to look and fit better next to the talent at UNC compared to the talent at OU. Happy for him he found a situation that accentuated his shooting skill.

dksooner · 03-28-2022, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allday92

I think it's more just a role and fit thing.

Alondes was really successful this year, but he also had a higher usage percentage than Reaves had last year for OU. 28.9% vs 27.7%. Maybe the best role for Alondes was to be the primary ballhandler and Lon envisioned that for him. It just wasn't going to happen with Reaves and Harmon above him in the pecking order. It would have been interesting to see a Harmon/Alondes backcourt if Lon didn't retire. As great as Alondes was he still couldn't lead his team to an NCAA tournament bid.

Manek had a great year, but he played in a less physical conference and finally played next to a legit center. Armando Bacot is 6'10 240lbs. He's a better fit next to Brady than someone like Kuath or McNeace. And this is UNC's starting lineup outside of Brady:

Caleb Love - 5 star, 14th best prospect class of 2020
Leaky Black - 4 star, 71st best prospect class of 2018
Armando Bacot - 5 star, 27th best prospect class of 2019
RJ Davis - 4 star, 50th best prospect class of 2020.

Brady is going to look and fit better next to the talent at UNC compared to the talent at OU. Happy for him he found a situation that accentuated his shooting skill.

Great take here

Stikboy · 03-28-2022, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dksooner

Great take here

Yep. I'd been thinking about that regarding the Brady part. Well said.

skyvue · 03-28-2022, 10:56 PM

Brady was also healthy this season. Big difference from last season.

colston15 · 03-29-2022, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTSooner

We got better the less Harkless played IMO. He was terrible for much of the year. You like the +/- calc. He was terrible in conference, and was one of the worst starters OOC.

He is 100% replaceable via the Portal IMO.

But it shoudn't be weird that a P5 starter at a school that missed the Dance had interest to be a starter at other P5 schools.

This is such a clueless take. We went in the tank following his injury. But I guess that's just coincidence since he had some bad games (like every player) before that.

He's an average offensive player right now, (I expect him to improve next season) but is very solid defensively and we would not just easily replace him in the portal. Many thought that about Manek, Kuath, etc. and how did that turn out?

mict085 · 03-29-2022, 08:19 AM

When are we going to know if Mo is coming back or 100% gone? We have to add through the portal quickly.

TarheelstateSooner · 03-29-2022, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoopsaustin

It already has.

You know even the pro players are obsessed with playing on super teams.. thats the natural progression here and itll be kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UNC that lead the charge in the cheating/lame/dumb pay for play

UNC isn't leading a charge in anything. They have zero 5 stars coming in next year, and while they're hitting the Portal. They won't have close to the talent the others have next year. Bacot and Love are gone, and those are the only 5 stars UNC has this year.

WichitaSooner · 03-29-2022, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colston15

This is such a clueless take. We went in the tank following his injury. But I guess that's just coincidence since he had some bad games (like every player) before that.

He's an average offensive player right now, (I expect him to improve next season) but is very solid defensively and we would not just easily replace him in the portal. Many thought that about Manek, Kuath, etc. and how did that turn out?

He is not an average offensive player. He is a below average shooter, passer, and handler. What other offensive skills are there?

And we lost 9 of the last 11 games he played. We then lost the first two he missed (and there is no way we were going to be the only team all season to win at Tech even if he played that game), then won four straight once we settled into a new lineup. It's also notable that one of the two wins in that 11-game stretch before his injury came when he was benched and only played four minutes at West Virginia.