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This is an unselfish, non-biased post about Kylan Boswell and I am curious if anyone else has an opinion or observation to add.

I am beginning to wonder what kind of NBA Prospect Kylan Boswell actually is.

As of today I don't see him as a Top 20 pick this season.

My Hot Take: I think Boswell needs to stay for another year and if he does, then he will become a Top 5 draft pick on his own. If he can really improve on playing the game inside the arc, getting to the rim and finishing (averaging 6 free throw attempts per game), then I don't think there is a better NBA caliber PG prospect in College right now.

Carlton Carrington at Pittsburgh is basically the best NBA caliber PG I have seen this year in College Basketball. He is about 6'6" though. That makes him unique. I think Boswell looks very average next to a prospect like Carrington, but overall I think if Boswell stays 1 more season then he will really stand out in next year's crop.

Would Boswell be best suited going pro and essentially hoping to be picked around 15-25th and on a team like Miami for example where he can play within a great coaching system without much pressure like Jaime Jacquez is currently thriving?

Or

Will he think he is something he isn't right now and bolt to the NBA hoping to be what I believe would be a miss (not a bust) or "over-drafted", taken somewhere between Pick 8-15 where he ends up on a moderately bad team and is expected to be something of a Star Player ---> in which case, I believe that he would go down in flames in the immediate, but could develop over time.

Yes, he is young. We all know that. Let's put that to the side because he will be 19 and that is enough to know if he is Generational or not so obviously Age will be on his side as a prospect. NBA Scouts love to draft talent that won't even be 25 years old before having 6 years of experience as a Veteran.

Right now I am not seeing enough of Boswell getting to the rim and finishing for his size and strength. He had basically one play with about 5 minutes left in the 2nd half where he got all the way to the rim and finished, but most of his game this season has been predicated on shooting 3's and deep 2's. Not as much direct drive + dish for assists. His defense is decent. Not elite. He can definitely hold his own and that is important.

I don't believe he should go pro. It may be his (aka his dad's) plan, but I think it's the wrong move. He reminds me a lot of Jason (Jay) Williams from Duke in the Early 2000's. Jay stayed in school for 3 seasons. He ended up drafted #2 overall. He never really played in the NBA as everyone expected him to (big time motorcycle accident)

Jay Williams was a 21ppg 6ast 3reb 2stl per game type player (rounding)

Boswell is an 11ppg 4.5ast 3reb 1.2stl per game type player (essentially stuck in a "System", but obviously could ball hog more elsewhere and get the stats)

The key difference is Free Throws. Williams used to get to the line a lot. I believe around 6+ times per game. Boswell rarely gets to the line (sometimes not at all).

They are similar sized PG's. Both strong for their size and speed.

I see Leadership in Kylan. I see Potential that is largely untapped.

If Boswell can get himself about 6 Free Throw Attempts per game, he would be closer to an 18ppg player. I think in an offense that has so much movement, pace, and general sharing of the ball, there is no excuse for our guards to not be getting about 15 FT's per game combined minimum. There's no excuse for Boswell to be a Deer in Headlights when entering the Arc (Kerr Kriisa anyone?). I think Boswell has more to give. He just isn't unleashing it all.

We are too fast and strong for any of our Guards to be settling for jump shots.

If he can take that next leap, I believe he should be a Top 5 pick. I don't think that will happen this season. It may never happen

------------------>

Maybe this is a Tommy Lloyd issue more than a Boswell issue, but the difference I am seeing right now is Kylan is not fighting his way to the Free Throw line.

Tommy doesn't seem to care about player development that much.

We all know this deep down even if no one wants to say it out loud. It is an unbiased comment. As long as the team is winning no one should really care.

I hope Boswell makes the right choice and stays to try to improve his stock. He has a good chance of being the best PG Prospect next year if he does.

His jump shot is so damn polished. He creates space and stops on a dime. Seems like he will leave after this year and take his chances

Yup. Another year would likely benefit his defense and decision-making but his passes, ballhandling and jumper are already NBA-ready.

I'd selfishly love to see him as a Junior but it's highly unlikely.

Another horrible game from Boswell. He got 2 free throw attempt at the end of the game. This is exactly a repeat of why I created this post.

When will you all learn?

Kid cannot play inside the arc. I was not at all surprised he failed at trying to be a hero.

I will still blame Tommy a lot for these failures because his system is not built to help anyone go pro, but ultimately the players are on the court and it is a make or miss game. Boswell has serious issues to work on if he wants to be a 1st round pick this year. Otherwise he will be getting terrible advice to leave school and end up 2nd round. Probably by a greedy family member.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on December 22, 2023, 11:04:07 PMYup. Another year would likely benefit his defense and decision-making but his passes, ballhandling and jumper are already NBA-ready.

I'd selfishly love to see him as a Junior but it's highly unlikely.

I don't agree that his Passing, Ball Handling, and Jumper are already NBA Level. They are not.

He can shoot some 3's. The NBA is chalk full of guys who can hit 3's though and are faster, taller, and stronger.

I don't think anything stands out about his game currently except steals, but most of the steals come from help defense, not his own personal ability.

He doesn't fight for boards. He can't do anything inside the arc. He doesn't get himself to the line. He doesn't draw fouls on the perimeter enough either. His leadership is questionable. It seems to go away as soon as his shot doesn't fall and lately he has become a beta to Caleb Love which is cancerous to our team unfortunately in this regard, though as a viewer I have to accept that Tommy brought in guys like Love and Keshad to try to carry the fragile mentalities of Boswell, Pelle, and Ballo.

He is young.
He has a strong frame.
He can hit some 3's.

That's not enough in my estimation.

Bam Bam has an A:TO ratio that is better than 2:1 and is top-10 in the conference for steals, assists and 3-point % (2nd behind KJ Simpson).

What do "we" need to learn?  If you think Boswell doesn't deserve playing time, tell the staff. I'm sure the coaches of the top-5 program want to know that an online fan doesn't appreciate our NBA caliber PG.

Don't compare him to Grant Jerrett. Arizona's current staff just vacated 4 of our 5 starters from last season and barely skipped a beat. This is a huge improvement from our prior staff, who lost a similar core of players at Xavier and is now losing embarrassing games to Delaware, Oakland, etc.

Still no reason to panic if you're Arizona.

He's also faster/stronger than most NBA PG's. Yes, Boswell needs to work on attacking the basket and making easier passes in the lane. Staying another season would definitely help.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on December 23, 2023, 07:53:57 PMDon't compare him to Grant Jerrett.

Grant Jerrett lol. I wouldn't say he had a strong frame.

Not physically, ha. Strictly that GJ had a selfish family and bad people around him that led to prematurely leaving.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on December 24, 2023, 05:36:49 AMNot physically, ha. Strictly that GJ had a selfish family and bad people around him that led to prematurely leaving.

Good thing Tommy is a master of tanking draft value for his players.

It fills like bam has taken so much criticism lately, I think people  are
  Panicking a bit, I think he will be fine, he got off to a great start, than his shooting has cooled.

I belive he will bounce back, I  do believe  Lloyd  should play bradley more minutes  with Boswell, I really like Bradley's defense.

Quote from: Naterade on December 22, 2023, 08:30:41 PMHis jump shot is so damn polished. He creates space and stops on a dime. Seems like he will leave after this year and take his chances

I think Bam Bam has a very soft touch to his shot. I don't think it is a great shot mechanically. I think he is slow at getting shots up. Very slow. NBA players will not have issues defending him. He doesn't play inside the arc to the rim so I can't speak to his strength in finishing. The NBA is not the right place for him if he thinks he will waltz in there and try to be like a DeRozen and take 2 dribbles inside the arc and pull up for a jumper. He will be riding the pine so fast if he tries that. I'm hoping he ends up staying, but if he wants to be drafted in the 1st round he should stop listening to Tommy Lloyd immediately and play to the rim. NBA scouts are not interested in a kid who doesn't take it upon himself to dominate his defender and get himself Free Throws

Quote from: Jdmarti on December 28, 2023, 06:06:59 AMIt fills like bam has taken so much criticism lately, I think people  are
  Panicking a bit, I think he will be fine, he got off to a great start, than his shooting has cooled.

I belive he will bounce back, I  do believe  Lloyd  should play bradley more minutes  with Boswell, I really like Bradley's defense.

I think he is getting a realistic amount of fair criticism. He isn't perfect and far from a finished product, but he was here last year and he allowed 2 transfers Love and Keshad to come in and take over the leadership of this team. Maybe 3 if you consider Bradley too.

That is unacceptable to me if he is playing PG. If he is going to play off the ball then I don't mind him being a beta that much. However right now he is resembling Kerr Krissa out there with 9 shots per game and going 2-8 from 3.

Either Boswell picked up some very bad habits from Kerr or this is on Tommy Lloyd. We are going to find out as time goes on, but I have pinpointed a recurring theme for now. Tommy will not let any of his ball handlers take the ball to the rim and try to finish.

Caleb Love is simply defying Tommy Lloyd because he has nothing to lose and Tommy can't bench Love because the rest of the team has regressed overall and he has no choice, but to stay with the guy who is carrying us AS WELL AS play Bradley who is trying his best to get to the rim and play a proactive style of basketball while he gets minutes and finally also KJ Lewis is out there more because he also has been "Hungrier" than Pelle who I believe is just hurt and playing through it personally, but still KJ is much hungrier than Pelle innately.

Boswell is just not playing like he is hungry. He is not playing like a Leader. He is playing a slow brand of basketball. Not enough Assists overall and it doesn't matter what his Assist to Turnover Ratio is. The whole team is pretty sloppy, but a True PG will get his 7 to 10 assists per game and turn the ball over a few times trying to make a play. It is 100% the nature of the job. Look at any/all NBA Superstars let alone Superstar PG's and you will see tons of turnovers, but you will also see tons of production. Look no further than names like Lebron, Westbrook, Harden, Curry etc and find out just how acceptable their turnovers are or have been in their primes (Russ, King of the Triple Double)

Quote from: arxpert on December 28, 2023, 04:26:18 PM

Quote from: Jdmarti on December 28, 2023, 06:06:59 AMIt fills like bam has taken so much criticism lately, I think people  are
  Panicking a bit, I think he will be fine, he got off to a great start, than his shooting has cooled.

I belive he will bounce back, I  do believe  Lloyd  should play bradley more minutes  with Boswell, I really like Bradley's defense.

I think he is getting a realistic amount of fair criticism. He isn't perfect and far from a finished product, but he was here last year and he allowed 2 transfers Love and Keshad to come in and take over the leadership of this team. Maybe 3 if you consider Bradley too.

That is unacceptable to me if he is playing PG. If he is going to play off the ball then I don't mind him being a beta that much. However right now he is resembling Kerr Krissa out there with 9 shots per game and going 2-8 from 3.

Either Boswell picked up some very bad habits from Kerr or this is on Tommy Lloyd. We are going to find out as time goes on, but I have pinpointed a recurring theme for now. Tommy will not let any of his ball handlers take the ball to the rim and try to finish.

Caleb Love is simply defying Tommy Lloyd because he has nothing to lose and Tommy can't bench Love because the rest of the team has regressed overall and he has no choice, but to stay with the guy who is carrying us AS WELL AS play Bradley who is trying his best to get to the rim and play a proactive style of basketball while he gets minutes and finally also KJ Lewis is out there more because he also has been "Hungrier" than Pelle who I believe is just hurt and playing through it personally, but still KJ is much hungrier than Pelle innately.

Boswell is just not playing like he is hungry. He is not playing like a Leader. He is playing a slow brand of basketball. Not enough Assists overall and it doesn't matter what his Assist to Turnover Ratio is. The whole team is pretty sloppy, but a True PG will get his 7 to 10 assists per game and turn the ball over a few times trying to make a play. It is 100% the nature of the job. Look at any/all NBA Superstars let alone Superstar PG's and you will see tons of turnovers, but you will also see tons of production. Look no further than names like Lebron, Westbrook, Harden, Curry etc and find out just how acceptable their turnovers are or have been in their primes (Russ, King of the Triple Double)

The biggest complaint I have about Boswell this season is that he does not get to the FT line. And he has the bag and the burst to get a step on his defenders, unlike Kerr. You can manufacture trips to the line when you've got that. I would love to see Boswell and Love both averaging 5+ FTA per game apiece. Wear the defenses out. Make defenders defend.

Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on December 29, 2023, 03:12:25 AMThe biggest complaint I have about Boswell this season is that he does not get to the FT line. And he has the bag and the burst to get a step on his defenders, unlike Kerr. You can manufacture trips to the line when you've got that. I would love to see Boswell and Love both averaging 5+ FTA per game apiece. Wear the defenses out. Make defenders defend.

Unfortunately Tommy doesn't allow it. This is not permitted in his system. Sadly.

If I am wrong, then Boswell is incapable of it. Love does whatever he wants because he is done after this year. Boswell is acting like he has mentally checked out and doesn't care how this team finished out sadly.

Beta Boswell might be my new nickname for him. He allowed Caleb Love to come in and take over this team. Very crestfallen to see this.

Tommy needs to seriously consider benching Boswell for at least 1 game. I am not seeing a player who cares anymore.

Then if Bam Bam gets his act together, maybe I would consider him playing off the bench as the 6th man the rest of the way.

And again another piss poor showing from what is now the biggest liability Kylan Krissa.

Tommy needs to do the right thing and pull the plug.

If he won't bench Boswell for 1 game, then he must bring Boswell off the bench. This team has flatlined with Boswell at PG.

This thread was created with the hope that a fire would be lit under Boswell's ass and Tommy to understand what is happening, but this is no longer a slump.

Tommy may actually be selfish enough to be tanking Boswell's value, but he still needs to coach a Winning team.

Last year, you constantly bitched about Pelle moving to the bench and now you have a new worthless rant.

No mention of KJ Lewis, who didn't play as well as Boswell?  Bam Bam shot poorly but had 5 assists with 2 turnovers and only 1 foul.

When your opponent breaks their school record for 3-pointers, you likely won't win.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 01, 2024, 06:19:16 AMLast year, you constantly bitched about Pelle moving to the bench and now you have a new worthless rant.

No mention of KJ Lewis, who didn't play as well as Boswell?  Bam Bam shot poorly but had 5 assists with 2 turnovers and only 1 foul.

When your opponent breaks their school record for 3-pointers, you likely won't win.

Check other posts for what you are seeking. It is there. This thread is about Boswell.

Will Lloyd start Bradley and Lewis instead of Boswell and Larson , to send a message? Stand by

I'm going to try something different tonight.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU --->

Kylan Boswell is a 90% Free Throw Shooter.

We are in Game 14 Tonight. Through 13 Games, our POINT GUARD and "LEADER" has 10 total Free Throw Attempts and Made 9 of them.

I am actually starting to think this is an outlier. Boswell may be a 70% FT Shooter for all we really know in VOLUME.

10 Free Throw Attempts in 13 Games? That is just isn't Arizona Material from a "PGU" standpoint.

If this doesn't change tonight, Bench the kid Tommy. I hope Tommy will call himself and his system out. It's despicable.

Now for the Magic...

Calling it out PREFLOP Tonight.... I am predicting no less than 6 to 8 Free Throw Attempts from Boswell in a 20pt+ Scoring Effort.

Tommy lives in fear. Scared to do anything his Dad Mark Few wouldn't do.

Scared if he benches Boswell that he will transfer out for NIL because he isn't a Power 5 level PG?
Scared Boswell will go Pro????? That can't be a valid fear.

Let's see if I can reverse this curse as I put this once storied program that has completely fallen off the wagon over the last few weeks on my back.

Mediocre performance. I have come to the conclusion that Boswell is just a Kyle Fogg/Gabe York for this team. A good weapon to have if the ball is not in his hands. Love, Bradley, and Pelle are capable of setting up anyone the way Tommy is playing it. We don't have a PG unless it's Bradley.

So maybe Tommy will start going to Bradley, Love, Boswell lineups and let Boswell stand and wait for the real men to drive and dish for the open 3. We don't need Boswell trying to create anything if it's just going to be dribbling into a 3pt attempt.

Ballo should really only have 2 Outcomes. An easy Layup/Alley Oop Flush from a Bradley/Love create driving to the rim ----> or a Pass out to Boswell for a catch and shoot set 3 for the inside out game.

Bro, you carried this team tonight. You put Tom in a Baby Bjorn and took him to the finish line.

You're right, though, that Boswell's complete absence of FT shooting is a bad formula longterm. What's even crazier is that I bet his FT volume is actually lower than what we saw from Kerr Kriisa, and I didn't think that was even possible.

Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on January 04, 2024, 11:51:05 PMBro, you carried this team tonight. You put Tom in a Baby Bjorn and took him to the finish line.

You're right, though, that Boswell's complete absence of FT shooting is a bad formula longterm. What's even crazier is that I bet his FT volume is actually lower than what we saw from Kerr Kriisa, and I didn't think that was even possible.

I will carry us as far as we can go.

The absence of all Guards getting to the Charity Stripe is going to plague this team, but no one more than our primary ball handler(s).

Why is "drawing contact" a winning formula?

If you took statistics at Arizona, you'd understand that this team's best opportunity to maximize their "points per possession" derives from a fast paced tempo.

We finished top-2 nationally in points and wear down our opponents when we don't stop the game. Yes, it's important to draw contact. It isn't as important as our jumpshot percentage plus our offensive rebounding efficiency.

I understand if you have an issue with our defense but you're just searching for a reason to bitch if you're complaining about the way that the #2 offense operates (BTW, Alabama is the only program with a higher average and we took care of them).

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 05, 2024, 05:14:16 AMWhy is "drawing contact" a winning formula?

If you took statistics at Arizona, you'd understand that this team's best opportunity to maximize their "points per possession" derives from a fast paced tempo.

We finished top-2 nationally in points and wear down our opponents when we don't stop the game. Yes, it's important to draw contact. It isn't as important as our jumpshot percentage plus our offensive rebounding efficiency.

I understand if you have an issue with our defense but you're just searching for a reason to bitch if you're complaining about the way that the #2 offense operates (BTW, Alabama is the only program with a higher average and we took care of them).

Ask yourself the same question, but in reverse.

Why would (our guards) drawing contact be a losing formula?

Now get back to me with a good answer and I will think about it.

Same take every year.  Point Guard needs to get to the foul line.  Its a requirement to win the NCAA Championship.  If you do not have one you cant win.  Get some new material!

Drawing contact isn't a losing formula but our offense has been consistently efficient over the past 2.5 seasons without a point guard that draws fouls.  With the uptempo pace and high shooting percentage, there's no need to bench a guy whose conference ranks are 6th in steals, 7th in assists and shoots 42%.

Boswell isn't the issue.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 05, 2024, 02:31:02 PMDrawing contact isn't a losing formula but our offense has been consistently efficient over the past 2.5 seasons without a point guard that draws fouls.  With the uptempo pace and high shooting percentage, there's no need to bench a guy whose conference ranks are 6th in steals, 7th in assists and shoots 42%.

Boswell isn't the issue.

Boswell is not a PG. He is an undersized SG.

It is a weak conference and he is only 6th and 7th best? Now you are starting to kill your own argument.

Quote from: ZonaBBB on January 05, 2024, 01:19:42 PMSame take every year.  Point Guard needs to get to the foul line.  Its a requirement to win the NCAA Championship.  If you do not have one you cant win.  Get some new material!

I understand that Tommy's sole purpose to to keep his players in College and prevent them from becoming Pro's, but disallowing Boswell from playing inside the 3pt line is a different level of sabotage if that is what you are trying to communicate. Wow.

I don't know where you're getting your data from, but I don't recall posting anything about Guards needing to get to the line until this Boswell situation. I can't remember the last title team that had a 30min per game type primary ballhandler that drew zero contact on purpose, by design.

Weren't you just talking about how wonderful Adama Bal is and how he deserves playing time?  He isn't ranked as highly as Boswell in either statistic and the WCC is a drastic step below the PAC-12

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 05, 2024, 08:41:12 PMWeren't you just talking about how wonderful Adama Bal is and how he deserves playing time?  He isn't ranked as highly as Boswell in either statistic and the WCC is a drastic step below the PAC-12

I won't be shocked if the WCC gets more teams in on Selection Sunday than the Pac12. What makes you think the Pac will get more than 1 team in the Dance at the moment? And please don't give me the First Four excuse. We all know about 2018. We were the only team to get in with a 4 seed and those bogus 11 seed First Fours get slapped right out before making the Round of 64.

Both conferences are bad but there's a huge discrepancy between the top talent level. Boswell is competing with legit NBA prospects to be atop the statistics and the WCC has Gonzaga plus a couple outliers.

https://www.espn.com/nba/draft/bestavailable/_/position/ovr/page/3

The Pac-12 makes up approx 15% of the projected draft board. The WCC doesn't want to contribute to the talent pool. Not to forget the fact that Boswell's stats are up against a brutal OOC schedule

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 06, 2024, 06:25:05 AMBoth conferences are bad but there's a huge discrepancy between the top talent level. Boswell is competing with legit NBA prospects to be atop the statistics and the WCC has Gonzaga plus a couple outliers.

https://www.espn.com/nba/draft/bestavailable/_/position/ovr/page/3

The Pac-12 makes up approx 15% of the projected draft board. The WCC doesn't want to contribute to the talent pool. Not to forget the fact that Boswell's stats are up against a brutal OOC schedule

I think you are biting off more than you can chew.

Just thinking about the last 5 years casually, I would take the WCC Players in the NBA over any configuration of Pac12 drafted players from 2018-2023. It's not even close. The talent coming out of the WCC recently has been leaps and bounds more elite.

We're debating "current" player rankings within the two conferences. Not apples and oranges.

Boswell's stats are side by side with a dozen NBA prospects. Bal is up against Nembhard and some guys that were possibly recruited by Wazzu.

Boswell is playing against Dook, FAU, Sparty, Purdue, Wisconsin and Bama. Bal went up against Ohio St, four of the worst Pac-12 schools and a bunch of programs that squeaked into D-1.

It's not even a fair comparison because Boswell will be in the league next year. I don't know whether Bal will be at his third D-1 stop, the G-league or abroad...but I'm confident that he won't be on an NBA roster.

Hopefully in 2-3 years.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 06, 2024, 03:16:52 PMWe're debating "current" player rankings within the two conferences. Not apples and oranges.

Boswell's stats are side by side with a dozen NBA prospects. Bal is up against Nembhard and some guys that were possibly recruited by Wazzu.

Boswell is playing against Dook, FAU, Sparty, Purdue, Wisconsin and Bama. Bal went up against Ohio St, four of the worst Pac-12 schools and a bunch of programs that squeaked into D-1.

It's not even a fair comparison because Boswell will be in the league next year. I don't know whether Bal will be at his third D-1 stop, the G-league or abroad...but I'm confident that he won't be on an NBA roster.

Hopefully in 2-3 years.

WCC has had the better prospects and competition over the past 5 seasons and currently have better talent. Playing 1 game OOC vs "other levels of talent" doesn't change that. Just because we had some teams on our schedule doesn't mean anyone on our roster played Man to Man for 40 minutes on anyone in particular. Currently Adama-Alpha is the better NBA prospect.

No idea why you want Boswell gone so badly. He isn't NBA ready.

Maybe you feel like he is going to bolt for Gonzaga or something to hide from Big12 competition next year where he could get even more exposed by bigger, stronger, tougher opponents.

Boswell has now confirmed that he should be playing on the 2nd Unit. He was a true mess playing inside the arc to the rim. He tried (effort noted) - but failed there. It's time to make the change to Bradley. Boswell is a spot shooter and a steady hand off the bench. He did his best work with the 2nd unit. Krivas needs to be playing with Love, Pelle, and Keshad. Players who would really flourish with his huge frame in the lane giving them space to operate, drive, dish in or shoot the ball with a higher % chance of rebounding.

It is time. The 2nd Unit needs someone who can play steadily.

The Optimal 2nd Unit means:

Bradley
Boswell
Pelle
KJ
Ballo

I no longer view Boswell nor Ballo as 1st Unit level players. At least if we want to make any sort of run when it matters. This is Love and Keshad's team. Bradley works best with Love and Krivas is much better with Love as well in tandem with Keshad. Anyone who can't see that doesn't really understand the word "Insurance", "Quality", nor "Depth".

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 06, 2024, 03:16:52 PMWe're debating "current" player rankings within the two conferences. Not apples and oranges.

Boswell's stats are side by side with a dozen NBA prospects. Bal is up against Nembhard and some guys that were possibly recruited by Wazzu.

Boswell is playing against Dook, FAU, Sparty, Purdue, Wisconsin and Bama. Bal went up against Ohio St, four of the worst Pac-12 schools and a bunch of programs that squeaked into D-1.

It's not even a fair comparison because Boswell will be in the league next year. I don't know whether Bal will be at his third D-1 stop, the G-league or abroad...but I'm confident that he won't be on an NBA roster.

Hopefully in 2-3 years.

For the record this is not an Adama-ALPHA Bal post, but he did put down 28pts on 12-12 from the charity stripe tonight. Just an Elite Talent overall. Tommy fumbled it. Simple. We can move on now.

Arxpert was right.
Arxpert is right.

That's all you need to know.


Boswell needed to be benched all the way back when I called for it. Now we have a player who is detrimental to the team.

Bradley is able to play inside the arc and we went up down the stretch with Bradley out there putting Washington States zone into chaos. Then Tommy went back to the worst player in this game and what happens? Wash St takes the lead right back on a series of horrible miscues and poor offensive possessions as well as even worse defense... and we lose the game.

It's kinda insane that Boswell had no stats at all other than a TO and 2 fouls.

Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on January 13, 2024, 08:41:20 PMIt's kinda insane that Boswell had no stats at all other than a TO and 2 fouls.

I don't think it is insane. I think this is what Boswell is. He is a 3pt spot shooter. Gabe York, Kyle Fogg. He is playing way above what he is due to Tommy being a foolish head coach. If Tommy would just draw up plays for Bradley + Love as the Guard tandem and use Boswell as the 3rd Guard for 2 different reasons, I think we would see tons of Boswell open 3s.

Bradley, Love, Pelle works for Defense
Bradley, Love, Boswell works for Offense

Boswell, Pelle, KJ, Keshad, Ballo works for defense and when we want to lob the ball inside / play to the rim with some backdoor cut plays. Only time I am ok with Boswell as a primary ball handler. Keep it simple, Stupid Tommy.

I've been calling for Boswell's removal from the starting lineup for a while now.

https://twitter.com/BlairWillisUA/status/1746339184787251483

Quote from: WILD on January 13, 2024, 11:08:24 PMI've been calling for Boswell's removal from the starting lineup for a while now.

https://twitter.com/BlairWillisUA/status/1746339184787251483

Bos got this far with his assists and running and passing. He needs to realize this. Him scoring 20 a game is not our winning formula. He may want to get to the NBA but he would get drafted alot faster on his assist to turnover ratio not his points. Bos is a distributor not a scorer he needs 10+ assist plus some rebounds period.

I am not sure about removing  Boswell  from starting, it could really hurt the kids confidence, let's see how he plays next game, I think Lloyd  should cut into his minutes when he is not playing  well,  kinda what he did tonight.

Boswell was just as bad as the rest of the team. Bradley is not the answer; he missed the two most wide open jumper of the entire night, which would have changed the outcome of the game. He turned the ball over in a critical moment and didn't defend any better than Bam Bam.

Ugly game for the Cats and props for the Wazzu staff for preparing a young team for an upset.

I don't know if an Arizona starter has ever played 25 minutes and had 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 steals and 0 blocks. To me, that shows 0 effort. We can't have that from our pg.

His stat line was a flatline.

(https://media0.giphy.com/media/mGcWEjGiQT1iYnucVr/giphy.gif)

Is this point shaving?
Is there money transferring hands?
Just asking.
I am sorry, but as a coach when my players play with so little effort and heart, I empty the bench. Martinez would have been in early.
He wasn't the only one either!

Kylan was awful so I'm not defending his performance but the stat line wouldn't have been "zeros" across the board if anybody could hit wide open shots. He made some nice passes and the ball ended but in Wazzu'a hands for defensive rebounds.

Quote from: lynxaz on January 14, 2024, 01:42:41 AM

Quote from: WILD on January 13, 2024, 11:08:24 PMI've been calling for Boswell's removal from the starting lineup for a while now.

https://twitter.com/BlairWillisUA/status/1746339184787251483

Bos got this far with his assists and running and passing. He needs to realize this. Him scoring 20 a game is not our winning formula. He may want to get to the NBA but he would get drafted alot faster on his assist to turnover ratio not his points. Bos is a distributor not a scorer he needs 10+ assist plus some rebounds period.

I made this Thread a long time ago. This a Real Talk thread. I think that some of it has come off like a personal vendetta when really I have just been calling it as I've seen it.

This has been a long time coming. I know that it sounds harsh, but I do believe he has mentally checked out. I do believe that he thinks for some reason that his Duke Performance was all he needed for his draft stock.

I used the phrase "checked out". I used to think he was a Leader. I used to see him in huddles having some fiery words for his teammates. He sometimes came off like a TJ McConnell where he had some Spirit to his game.

Now I am just seeing a guy who is "content" and feels like he can slowly take the ball up court in what is supposed to be an "up tempo" system. His little "hop stepping" casual dribbling up the floor, pointing to lord knows what as if he is setting up a play when in reality he isn't communicating anything at all is getting old to me.

This is not a hate thread. This is an observation thread. Does Boswell want to be a 1st round pick? Does he truly believe that his Age is enough for him to be a 1st round pick? Because as soft as his shot is, he isn't a tall guy. He is probably about Chris Paul's size. Does anyone watch the NBA? Chris CP3 Paul's game was never predicated on the 3 ball. He was Elite at Assists and getting to his spots Mid-FT line, fading away and hitting his 2pt jumper or working with a Center on Pick and Rolls for Lob City.

If Boswell wants to be a great NBA player he will need to do things like that. Why can't he do that with Ballo? I don't know. Is it Tommy's fault at this point or is to Boswell's?

Boswell doesn't look injured to me. This kid has fallen apart. Even Kerr Kriissa was taking shots to a detriment. The stat line yesterday is inexcusable.

I am not saying Bradley is the better player overall, but I am saying he is the better player for this system. Guards need to be able to play inside the 3pt line the way Tommy Lloyd's system is setup. We aren't the best 3pt shooting team. We aren't Alabama either where we go for 40-50 3's per game "up tempo".

The identity of this team is in CRISIS. We need a real Point Guard. Bradley at least has no fear to attack the basket for better or worse. His game works with Love's. Love is not a PG, but he is forced to play PG, SG, and SF all at the same time the way Tommy is coaching. We shouldn't be relying on 1 guy to take 20+ shots and score 25ppg+ to win games.

We went from having a ton of tools at Tommy's disposal to a 6.5 to 7 player team AGAIN. 2 Years in a Row. Same problem.

Quote from: Jdmarti on January 14, 2024, 01:49:02 AMI am not sure about removing  Boswell  from starting, it could really hurt the kids confidence, let's see how he plays next game, I think Lloyd  should cut into his minutes when he is not playing  well,  kinda what he did tonight.

Tommy has cut into his minutes, but he isn't doing it in intelligent ways. Bradley's minutes have come up of recent, but once we get things cooking, Tommy goes back to Boswell and it ruins the momentum.

I called for a Benching specifically a while ago. 1 game to get the kid's head straight because this team doesn't need Boswell to win certain games, but if you or others are going to tell me that benching Boswell for a game would kill his confidence or make him "quit" on us overall, then I have to take it one step further and just make Bradley the starting PG for the rest of the season and remove Boswell from the team. We can't have that sort of attitude problem in our locker room.

This is another reason why I say Tommy loses the Locker Room amongst other reasons. He doesn't seem to have control.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 14, 2024, 05:49:19 AMBoswell was just as bad as the rest of the team. Bradley is not the answer; he missed the two most wide open jumper of the entire night, which would have changed the outcome of the game. He turned the ball over in a critical moment and didn't defend any better than Bam Bam.

Ugly game for the Cats and props for the Wazzu staff for preparing a young team for an upset.

Actually Bradley came up with a good Jump shot (miss), but was fouled. He took the ball inside the arc and created when we needed it. The mentality is what is important. Call it Mamba, Call it whatever, but Boswell doesn't have it. Every time Boswell had something to do with the play it became a momentum killing disaster.

Caleb Love plays to the rim. He deserves more FTs for his effort.

Keshad is too busy trying to Posterize everyone that he got his candy ass sat down by a common athletic PF yesterday at the rim. Ballo cannot perform a standing dunk and missed 3 or 4 layups.

I can point out far more reasons why we lost on the scoreboard than Bradley's misses, but the only thing that stands out is the extreme lack of effort by Boswell. His minutes on the floor were the single least productive minutes I think I have ever seen from ANY Arizona PG ever.

Simply being on the court is why we lost yesterday. You can't justify his stat line. You can't say anyone was worse. There is Trying, then there is being mentally paralyzed to the game like Boswell was. Take him out, put Boro, Paulius, Conrad, or Bradley in the entire time and we would get 4 more points, survive the trap game and move forward.

Boswell must be benched. I don't care what you think about it, you cannot disprove it. A sane basketball mind can see that his heart is not in the game and hasn't been for a while. The Home Game 3pt shots vs a JV Colorado team is utterly meaningless.

Quote from: Little George on January 14, 2024, 11:57:15 AMIs this point shaving?
Is there money transferring hands?
Just asking.
I am sorry, but as a coach when my players play with so little effort and heart, I empty the bench. Martinez would have been in early.
He wasn't the only one either!

I made this type of comment I think on the other thread. Something just isn't right here. I hate to think about the Stephen "Headake" Smith scandel at ASU in the early 90s that was featured on Big Shot: Confessions of a College Bookie --- but something is not right overall. I don't think Tommy is in on it. It is possible though. Like you said, even Conrad would have been able to put up 4 points and escape this game.

Boro, Paulius... there are able bodies that are capable of watching Wash. St brick shots, rebound and get up court.

KC is out here acting like if Tommy goes to the bench that Wash. St would instantly and automatically become the Warriors swishing every jump shot. It is actually sort of disrespectful to Paulius and Boro as if they have no pride.

Why is Dylan Anderson even Red Shirted at this point? He can't be any worse than Ballo or Krivas. We have a glaring problem with Ballo on the floor. We play 4 vs 5 on offense because any time Ballo touches the ball he is fouled instantly since he cant hit FTs.

Is anyone telling me that Krivas is worse than Ballo at FTs? Why isn't Tommy going to Keshad at the 5 on Offense and keeping Ballo out of the paint? Anyone can get into the lane if Ballo isn't clogging it. That requires GUARDS who PLAY TO THE RIM. That isn't Boswell though.

Pelle would benefit. Love, Bradley, KJ..........

Ballo can play around the FT line, pass out of there to a guard all day for a catch and shoot or cut. Or We can play 4 vs 5 and Ballo can just crash the boards hard when the shot goes up.

There are ways to deal with Ballo being a liability, but Tommy refuses.

That JV Colorado team was bad but they only lost by one possession to assu two nights after being embarrassed by Arizona.

Ballo was definitely worse than Boswell last night. He missed easy shots and allowed weaker bigs to slip by him in the post. It's a moot point though because everybody is playing to win. 

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 14, 2024, 04:14:25 PMThat JV Colorado team was bad but they only lost by one possession to assu two nights after being embarrassed by Arizona.

Ballo was definitely worse than Boswell last night. He missed easy shots and allowed weaker bigs to slip by him in the post. It's a moot point though because everybody is playing to win. 

Quick thought: ASU Sucks. SUCKS.

Boswell is lucky that Collier is basically done for season. Bronny James had a Boswell stat line the other night btw. No one talks about that. He was 1 million % hype heart problem or not. Was... Is........... And that stat line came without Collier AND Boogie Ellis......

So it could be an interesting Get-Right game for the team as a whole. However, I am thinking that Boswell needs to be benched for a game. This would be another good game to bench him in. There's not many "opportunities" that arise for a Coach to make a point to his players. This might be the last chance.

Otherwise I would like to see Boswell play Bronny even though they may not be naturally aligned positionally. It could be the type of matchup that can help Boswell get some confidence back. Dominating Lebron's kid. Getting some "tape" on it.

All of this still lends to my original commentary about how playing Arizona is every Pac12 Team's Superbowl. We are the Hunted. No one in the Pac12 can make the Big Dance without beating us. Losses will happen, but ultimately if our team is getting worse because of the losses then I can't stand for that silently. Tommy needs to be the HUNTERS. This is where we have to turn it around. I think EVERYONE should be able to agree with me there. Change the narrative. Get into gear. Get serious and ferocious. Don't just clap a bad or injured team. Create a culture for the rest of this season Right Now.

HOWEVER ---->

If Tommy wants to throw away another Pac12 Title that's his business. I don't have to enjoy it. In fact it makes me sick. Degusted with Tommy's coaching.....

But if he is actively making this team worse by refusing to coach it properly then that's another story. He cannot be so blind as to see what is and isn't working.

I hope everyone understands that we shouldn't even be considered a lock for Selection Sunday if we don't get the automatic qualifier Pac12 Tournament. Sure, we might be a "lock" in some people's minds, but some brutal honesty is without barely beating Duke, we probably wouldn't be.

Depending on total Losses, I can see us being a 7 to 10 seed with 10 losses if we don't win the Pac12 Tournament. Maybe a 5 seed if we do win and have like 7 losses on the year. This is a BAD conference. I can't see more than us making it in. Maybe 1 other team? I'm serious.

This is starting to get rough and as I've said before "It's getting late, early".

Another bad game from Boswell.

Tommy finally starting to listen though. Bronny outplayed Boswell like it was nothing. That is very worrisome.

Bradley outplayed Boswell big time tonight. Sure he had a couple miscues, but this was effectively the changing of the guard (no pun intended).

10 Points, 5 Steals, 3 Ast, 2 reb. 4-4 from the Stripe. This is what having an impact means. 2 turnovers? Perfectly acceptable. He did not get dominated out there like Boswell did by Bronny.

A starting PG of a top team needs to have this type of impact on the game. 3-9 from the field ends up better than 4-12 from the field with empty peripherals from Boswell. It also cut Love to only 16 shots which is a good thing. We don't want Love to be getting 25pts on 22 shots.

This was a bad game from Arizona and we had it in control the whole time. Proves a lot.

Bradley and Love operate better together. They both attack the rim and make everything happen. It can be sloppy at times, but if Boswell will just hover the 3pt line and let the real men handle the attacking, we should be just fine.

Footnote - Tommy also started listening to Ballo at PF. Something I said many times preseason was our optimal bundle. I was thinking it would be with Hank Vessaar, but now I see it will be Ballo and Krivas. Ballo PF was the recipe for the 1 Seed with Koloko.

Looks like Tommy is prepping to go back to that strategy down the stretch. Krivas looks rough sometimes, but even when he isn't scoring, he is effecting the game. He had 4 or 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal early in the game with 0 points. Eventually he broke through for some nice finishes. 4pts 8reb 1blk 1stl? Can't ask for much more from him. Ballo 8pts 13reb (most o-reb from his horrible attempts that he ends up playing some volley ball with) ---> 10 FT attempts, hit 4 of them. Notice Krivas is not put on the FT line?

When Tommy plays both of them, teams can't automatically foul Ballo because Ballo isn't automatically going to receive the moonball lob. Krivas also is a much bigger player and better screener. For Guards like Love and Bradley that is amazing to have as a tool so they can attack cleanly and then dish or try to finish strong.

I agree that it "looked" like Bradley was the better of the two players last night but neither player was good.

They both shot 33% and had a similar point total in a similar amount of minutes. Both took care of the ball and played decent D.

Bronny shot less than 50% and constantly turned the ball over against smaller defenders. He'll be in the league but he wasn't nearly as good as our wings.

Out of 17 games, Love has only two games where he shot inefficiently at a high volume. I guess he's due.

Ballo is in a serious slump. Between rebounding f, ballhandling, easy bucket and (obviously) free throws...he needs to become his old aggressive self if he doesn't want Krivas to eat up more minutes.

http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/39330498

Pretty funny link of LeBron's frustrations with Bronny last night (during his presser).

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 18, 2024, 05:43:50 AMhttp://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/39330498

Pretty funny link of LeBron's frustrations with Bronny last night (during his presser).

I think Lebron will always hold Bronny to a different standard. Bryce is way better than Bronny. Lebron needs to keep pressing Bronny if he wants him to have a legit chance.

I say Bronny dominated the game with a lot of reasoning. He is playing with a cast of misfits who are bad at basketball. USC could be good if they were 100% healthy. He probably miscalculated where to go to College in the end. He would actually have been a great fit on Arizona. Bronny will be a Guard at the next level. I didn't see him struggling out there. I saw him competing. Out-competing our guys. But he couldn't do it alone. He definitely has the talent. He made some amazing passes and high IQ plays, but he is hindered by talentless teammates. He might be an above average pro in the right situation.

I think Tommy has been listening overall. Krivas and Ballo... thats the Koloko/Ballo approach. He knows he can't rely on Keshad to play bigger than he is. We are often overmatched by teams that have a 6'10" and a 6'8" player which is really sad.

We are a much different team with both Ballo and Krivas out there. But I think it only works if we have Bradley and Love out there too. That configuration has no experience together. That's on Tommy.

Bradley
Love
__________ (Boswell, Pelle, KJ) ---> Figuring out that 5th player per any situation is a very good thing.
Ballo
Krivas

Any of those 4 players as the 5th guy on the floor in this lineup could indicate a way to counter an opponent and make them play to Our style at Our will. Love/Bradley attacking, kick out to Boswell for catch and shoot 3's (maybe in a perfect world Boswell can actually hit some passes to Bradley/Love cutting to the rim). Pelle would indicate 3 and D as well with more focus on trying to have Love/Bradley slash in and Krivas setting screens, Ballo on Mop Up, Pelle getting back on D. KJ would indicate more back door cutting.

Keshad probably would not be on the floor for this lineup often, but could if things were dire.

I felt yesterday was the right time to bench Boswell. We won't get that many more walkovers this year. We got it vs Colorado and USC... But Tommy did prove last night that he was willing to try other things out. I'm sure he will go back to the old 6.5 player type rotation and go down in flames when it matters, but I hope to see more of this changing things up. If we make UCLA look good then it will be on Tommy. I can only assume he tried Ballo/Krivas together because he is afraid Bona will dominate too much.

Here we are again.

It is like no one wanted to believe me.

No one wanted to understand what was going on when I started this thread.

I can't accept any excuses for Boswell anymore. A PG or SG cannot be on the court and not affect the game at all. It is literally impossible to argue against me on this.

As little as some will say Bradley does, it is like 200%+ more than Boswell sometimes.

I still don't see where Bradley is outperforming Boswell.  They play similar minutes and are both ineffective.  5 points, 1 board, 2 assists and 2 steals is nothing to brag about.  Somebody (not named Love) needs to wake up in the backcourt.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 26, 2024, 08:47:33 AMI still don't see where Bradley is outperforming Boswell.  They play similar minutes and are both ineffective.  5 points, 1 board, 2 assists and 2 steals is nothing to brag about.  Somebody (not named Love) needs to wake up in the backcourt.

I mean, tonight Bradley did put in the effort when he was out there. He plays a fearless brand of basketball. He plays tough. He's not the prospect Boswell is, but I like Bradley's swagger more.

Fact of the matter is the 5-1-2-2 type line simply dominates 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 type lines. Lesser minutes to get the stats vs more minutes to produce 0.

12 shots by Boo Boo or Bam Bam depending on the night now is a big difference. Tommy is clearly telling Boswell to work through his problems, but in the Small Ball lineup, Bradley was out there. That helped take a lot of pressure off of Boswell to handle the ball. Even if it didn't amount to stats tonight, it definitely helped Boswell get his. To me, that's a good teammate/role player.

Maybe neither are the starters we need them to be, but no matter how you slice it, you can't have a PG not affecting the game overall. So today was a decent glimpse in how to take pressure off Bam Bam and he seemed to do alright.

The adjustment from Tommy was good today. It is a wait-and-see overall if he deploys it again.

Boswell is allergic to getting to the Free Throw line. He dared to enter the arc a couple times tonight. I can't understand why Tommy allows him to play PG for this team. I don't care if Bradley isn't "better" per se, but he plays harder and I believe Boswell is best served as a spot shooting 3pt taker. I don't think I can stand him dribbling the air out of the ball anymore with no results.

He has underperformed this season, no question.

Tonight, however, Boswell put in plenty of effort. He penetrated the lane, dished the ball out to open shooters when we was double teamed and came down with multiple contested rebounds (over significantly taller opponents).

Hopefully we see more consistency out of his jumper as the conference season progresses.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 01, 2024, 09:41:32 PMHe has underperformed this season, no question.

Tonight, however, Boswell put in plenty of effort. He penetrated the lane, dished the ball out to open shooters when we was double teamed and came down with multiple contested rebounds (over significantly taller opponents).

Hopefully we see more consistency out of his jumper as the conference season progresses.

If we are talking from a standpoint that it can't get worse then I will agree, but I fear it can and will get worse. Tommy's stubbornness is looking like the downfall again. Go ahead, pray I am wrong. It will result in my satisfaction --- Which I know some don't want me to have, but this is how I have positioned myself on the stance of Boswell and Tommy as of now. They can change my mind, but I am not giving that for free while there's a guy named Bradley who plays with a chip on his shoulder doing whatever he can when given the chance to be out there.

Another rough one for Boswell.

Tommy is about to make the official change. I feel it coming. He will be excellent off the bench for 15 minutes per game in relief minutes.

Bradley has out-toughed Boswell. Bradley plays stronger and more tenacious Defense. Bradley mixes it up on offense and creates for his teammates. It is night and day when it comes to the energy out there.

You can look at the box score all you want and say it was Equal-ish for Bradley and Boswell, but I guarantee with just the eye-test, everyone else on the court feasted much more with Bradley on the court than with Boswell.

Boswell looks like a kid who might not even be a standout at Santa Clara with Adama-ALPHA Bal.

Interestingly enough - Everything ultra positive that happened vs Stanford happened when Boswell was not on the floor. A couple made shots and 1 pass doesn't negate the poor play that led to Stanford getting out to a great start and applying insane pressure to us.

Had we not been at Home, I think this would have been a 20pt+ loss.

Its time for Bradley to start

If Arizona makes a change to the start line lineup, it should be Love at the point and Lewis at SG.

Bradley made some nice defensive plays but wasn't the superior option at PG. Boswell poked balls away and didn't get credit for steals. He leapt for rebounds that would have given Stanford even more opportunities for put-backs. Bradley did well but he wasn't on the same page as his teammates on offense.

The good news is that we still have multiple players in the backcourt that play hard. That will pay off as the conference season progresses.

Quote from: arxpert on February 04, 2024, 08:03:15 PMBoswell looks like a kid who might not even be a standout at Santa Clara with Adama-ALPHA Bal.

Adama-Alpha Bal put up a disturbingly Beta performance in an embarrassing double digit home defeat to lowly San Diego. Fortunately, there's still plenty of games left to elevate his stock and cement his place as a Lottery pick.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 04, 2024, 09:20:37 PMIf Arizona makes a change to the start line lineup, it should be Love at the point and Lewis at SG.

Bradley made some nice defensive plays but wasn't the superior option at PG. Boswell poked balls away and didn't get credit for steals. He leapt for rebounds that would have given Stanford even more opportunities for put-backs. Bradley did well but he wasn't on the same page as his teammates on offense.

The good news is that we still have multiple players in the backcourt that play hard. That will pay off as the conference season progresses.

Not sure when you nor anyone will ever come to the realization that Tommy has Zero PGs on his roster. Once you all figure this out, you will start to understand that there won't be any Mike Bibby's and we are going to have to do it in a different way. As far as Bradley goes, what you say is going to happen when you are fighting and scrapping for minutes being blocked by a slug who has no interest in the game named Kylan Boswell. The kid has mentally checked out and plays at 1 speed, Kylan Speed. It is not what you want from a PG nor any G. Bradley's energy uplifted everyone around him. Doesn't matter what kind of sync you want. Boswell's time in Tucson is coming to an end if he is threatening Tommy to leave if he doesn't start. Come to grips with it. Boswell did this to himself.

Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on February 05, 2024, 06:32:13 AM

Quote from: arxpert on February 04, 2024, 08:03:15 PMBoswell looks like a kid who might not even be a standout at Santa Clara with Adama-ALPHA Bal.

Adama-Alpha Bal put up a disturbingly Beta performance in an embarrassing double digit home defeat to lowly San Diego. Fortunately, there's still plenty of games left to elevate his stock and cement his place as a Lottery pick.

That's ok. NBA Scouts don't care about how a player like Adama-ALPHA Bal plays against San Diego. They care about his NBA ready Jumper and length much more. Contrary to Boswell who has a nice soft 3pt shot, but is way too short to make any impact at the professional level. He has no game inside the arc AKA he is not Chris Paul. He will get his shot blocked/closed out on by just about any common NBA guard in this era.

You don't need a true point guard on the roster if four guys on the court could break a press. We have capable ball handlers and multiple wings that can dish assists at a higher rate than multiple D-1 PG's. Arizona shares the ball.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 05, 2024, 10:38:22 PMYou don't need a true point guard on the roster if four guys on the court could break a press. We have capable ball handlers and multiple wings that can dish assists at a higher rate than multiple D-1 PG's. Arizona shares the ball.

Maybe so. Maybe we will get 50 assists in a game and lose the game by 1 because all of the aforementioned don't play defense as a unit and only 1 or 2 take pride in defense individually.

Boswell played like a kid who was told to shape up or ship out on this road trip. Credit to him for playing for his livelihood lest he be shipped out to ye ole gulag known as Santa Clara.

Quote from: arxpert on February 10, 2024, 10:56:52 PMBoswell played like a kid who was told to shape up or ship out on this road trip. Credit to him for playing for his livelihood lest he be shipped out to ye ole gulag known as Santa Clara.

Ha nope if you think Lloyd hasn't stuck by this kid up to this point you're crazy. Or just trying to spin your narrative again?

Quote from: lynxaz on February 11, 2024, 01:42:32 AM

Quote from: arxpert on February 10, 2024, 10:56:52 PMBoswell played like a kid who was told to shape up or ship out on this road trip. Credit to him for playing for his livelihood lest he be shipped out to ye ole gulag known as Santa Clara.

Ha nope if you think Lloyd hasn't stuck by this kid up to this point you're crazy. Or just trying to spin your narrative again?

Lloyd absolutely has put the hones on Boswell to prove he is worth a roster spot in the future. There is no doubt in my mind that Boswell hasn't done enough to prove he is a NBA level player and I do not see him having a spot secured for him next season at the moment. You can believe whatever you want. Boswell is playing for his Arizona career. Kudos to him for having 1 decent game, but he can't stop Bradley from outshining him. Bradley is just the hungrier player. Doesn't matter to me who gets the job done as long as they get the job done. However, I am not blind. There is a fine line between backing a player and sabotaging the team. The proof is in the pudding with Caleb Love taking over control of the team. I sincerely hope Love has interest in exercising his option to remain in College 1 more year and chooses to stick with us.

Criticism to Boswell is gone because he slumped but Bradley never outshines him. They play two completely different styles and complement each other. It's part of the stellar depth that Arizona possesses this season. Even if/when our PG's struggle, the Cats have a chance.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 11, 2024, 11:24:02 PMCriticism to Boswell is gone because he slumped but Bradley never outshines him. They play two completely different styles and complement each other. It's part of the stellar depth that Arizona possesses this season. Even if/when our PG's struggle, the Cats have a chance.

I don't really think they compliment each other. I don't think they could play together either. However, as I've mentioned, if it can get the job done, then I don't care how it is packaged up. I think they are different too, but Bradley plays much better with Love than Love plays with Boswell. Tommy seems to be recognizing it. If Boswell can focus mostly on his defense and then let the game come to him on offense we may have something to rely on. I do notice Boswell's new willingness to play inside the arc. It's just not as good as Bradley's. This team needs to get to the rim or at least threaten it so it can open up more reasonable 3pt attempts instead of iso-chucking.

I know it really appears I hate Boswell, but I know as much as anyone that we will need the best he is capable of if we want to have any sort of success in the postseason.

Quote from: arxpert on February 11, 2024, 10:05:47 PM

Quote from: lynxaz on February 11, 2024, 01:42:32 AM

Quote from: arxpert on February 10, 2024, 10:56:52 PMBoswell played like a kid who was told to shape up or ship out on this road trip. Credit to him for playing for his livelihood lest he be shipped out to ye ole gulag known as Santa Clara.

Ha nope if you think Lloyd hasn't stuck by this kid up to this point you're crazy. Or just trying to spin your narrative again?

Lloyd absolutely has put the hones on Boswell to prove he is worth a roster spot in the future. There is no doubt in my mind that Boswell hasn't done enough to prove he is a NBA level player and I do not see him having a spot secured for him next season at the moment. You can believe whatever you want. Boswell is playing for his Arizona career. Kudos to him for having 1 decent game, but he can't stop Bradley from outshining him. Bradley is just the hungrier player. Doesn't matter to me who gets the job done as long as they get the job done. However, I am not blind. There is a fine line between backing a player and sabotaging the team. The proof is in the pudding with Caleb Love taking over control of the team. I sincerely hope Love has interest in exercising his option to remain in College 1 more year and chooses to stick with us.
[/quote

Quote from: arxpert on February 11, 2024, 10:05:47 PM

Quote from: lynxaz on February 11, 2024, 01:42:32 AM

Quote from: arxpert on February 10, 2024, 10:56:52 PMBoswell played like a kid who was told to shape up or ship out on this road trip. Credit to him for playing for his livelihood lest he be shipped out to ye ole gulag known as Santa Clara.

Ha nope if you think Lloyd hasn't stuck by this kid up to this point you're crazy. Or just trying to spin your narrative again?

Lloyd absolutely has put the hones on Boswell to prove he is worth a roster spot in the future. There is no doubt in my mind that Boswell hasn't done enough to prove he is a NBA level player and I do not see him having a spot secured for him next season at the moment. You can believe whatever you want. Boswell is playing for his Arizona career. Kudos to him for having 1 decent game, but he can't stop Bradley from outshining him. Bradley is just the hungrier player. Doesn't matter to me who gets the job done as long as they get the job done. However, I am not blind. There is a fine line between backing a player and sabotaging the team. The proof is in the pudding with Caleb Love taking over control of the team. I sincerely hope Love has interest in exercising his option to remain in College 1 more year and chooses to stick with us.

Quote from: arxpert on February 11, 2024, 10:05:47 PM

Quote from: lynxaz on February 11, 2024, 01:42:32 AM

Quote from: arxpert on February 10, 2024, 10:56:52 PMBoswell played like a kid who was told to shape up or ship out on this road trip. Credit to him for playing for his livelihood lest he be shipped out to ye ole gulag known as Santa Clara.

Ha nope if you think Lloyd hasn't stuck by this kid up to this point you're crazy. Or just trying to spin your narrative again?

Lloyd absolutely has put the hones on Boswell to prove he is worth a roster spot in the future. There is no doubt in my mind that Boswell hasn't done enough to prove he is a NBA level player and I do not see him having a spot secured for him next season at the moment. You can believe whatever you want. Boswell is playing for his Arizona career. Kudos to him for having 1 decent game, but he can't stop Bradley from outshining him. Bradley is just the hungrier player. Doesn't matter to me who gets the job done as long as they get the job done. However, I am not blind. There is a fine line between backing a player and sabotaging the team. The proof is in the pudding with Caleb Love taking over control of the team. I sincerely hope Love has interest in exercising his option to remain in College 1 more year and chooses to stick with us.

Yeah thats why he's is trying to do something he's not ..
He isn't a natural shooter.
He is a natural distributor and play maker
End stop period.

When comparing the "per 40 min averages", both players are pretty similar. Bradley shoots 3% higher and Boswell has 1.6 more APG. Otherwise, not much of a difference (including steals, which is a 0.1% difference).

Arizona is projected to be a #1 seed without a guy that is a pass-first PG. credit to the staff for finding players that want to share the ball because Arizona is still at the top of the NCAA rankings in assists because of our versatile lineup.

What? Lol. If Boswell is not a natural shooter then he's not going pro because he is not an elite distributor by any means. Being in awe of 1 or 2 passes every 4 games is not what I consider Elite. Every player does that multiple times per game in the Pros. Boswell's best attribute for this team is his ability to hit a 3 with a soft shot that can be reasonably tracked when crashing the boards. If Steve Nash were on this roster it would be Boswell in a spot; shooting set 3s all game. There is no natural PG on this roster.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 12, 2024, 05:29:46 AMWhen comparing the "per 40 min averages", both players are pretty similar. Bradley shoots 3% higher and Boswell has 1.6 more APG. Otherwise, not much of a difference (including steals, which is a 0.1% difference).

Arizona is projected to be a #1 seed without a guy that is a pass-first PG. credit to the staff for finding players that want to share the ball because Arizona is still at the top of the NCAA rankings in assists because of our versatile lineup.

This is what I've been saying, but it's not all about the Per40. Obviously 1 guy is more proactive with his time on the court (Bradley). Boswell was complacent most of the season thinking his minutes grew on trees and he has been afforded the opportunity to play more casual basketball.

The hungrier player, Bradley, is not necessarily a good thing. The last thing we need is him to have a bad game when it matters playing erraticly.

However Tommy has started to blend Bradley more over the last 5 games or so and I can appreciate the adjustment from an otherwise very stubborn HC. I'm being nice saying adjustment. It was almost forced by virtue of Boswell being unplayable at times in his run.

Eitherway when the good times are rolling it feels good, but I'm not going to forget how Tommy is in Year 3 and doing the same things again hoping for a different outcome.

It's a wait and see. The only thing the talking-heads ever talk about with Tommy and UofA now is how all of this doesn't translate in March Madness. That's not a stigma I want for the program.

1. Bradley is HIM
2. Boswell is now just a glorified cheerleader for this team. Udonis Haslem at age 19.
3. KJ Simpson is HIM as well.

I can't force Tommy to take Boswell out of the starting lineup, but Bradley should not be getting less minutes than Boswell the rest of the way.

The talent differential is staggering. Everyone is better when Bradley is out there.

I may even have to start admitting that Conrad is more viable to play than Boswell. Conrad is the only PG on this roster. His decision making looks far superior.

I am fine with Pom Pom Boswell. No issue at all. He can come in for some relief minutes. I'm willing to trust that.

Boswell's blatant disrespect toward Tommy and the team today may be all she wrote for this kid. A true toxic team killer. If there was ever a time to send a strong message it is right now Tommy Lloyd. Have a damn backbone.

The kid is clearly having a hard time right now. I'm sure he's even more frustrated by it than any of us are. Let's give him a break and support him through it.

Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on February 24, 2024, 03:11:33 PMThe kid is clearly having a hard time right now. I'm sure he's even more frustrated by it than any of us are. Let's give him a break and support him through it.

Hell no. Not 1 ounce of sympathy nor empathy will come from me. I've been calling this for months. If Anything is going on at all then Tommy is an Enabler at best and a terrible human being at worst.

I won't be shocked to hear what his issue really is. I wouldn't be shocked to hear he is in debt to a bookie, strung out on drugs, has some sort of assault that he is trying to cover up, literally anything would be a better explanation than "he just isn't good at basketball anymore all the sudden".

He has been terrible since my 1 "empathetic and sympathetic" week or so before I started the REAL TALK BOSWELL thread. Something isn't right and I don't need to be "right" about whatever it is. It needs to just get fixed and move forward.

Our coach encourages his players. The fans that find flaws in 16 point losses are the enablers. When you see Boswell make a play, his intensity shows. The kid wants the team to succeed, regardless of whether he has played to his potential.

And BTW, another stinker from Bradley. I hate being redundant but no change should be made until somebody steps up. I'm hoping everybody does between now and March.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 24, 2024, 03:57:04 PMOur coach encourages his players. The fans that find flaws in 16 point losses are the enablers. When you see Boswell make a play, his intensity shows. The kid wants the team to succeed, regardless of whether he has played to his potential.

And BTW, another stinker from Bradley. I hate being redundant but no change should be made until somebody steps up. I'm hoping everybody does between now and March.

No one will thrive with Boswell on this team. It has never been more clear. There is something wrong with him and I don't even care what it is. He needs to be removed from the equation. The silver lining is we only have around 7 to 10 more games left of this before he can pack his bags and get out of here

In order to be that strong in your opinion, I'm guessing you have full details of everything that goes on behind the scenes. Since your security clearance is that high, what exactly is going on and how do you propose the problem can be solved?

Every other starter averages double figures and Boswell has been the point guard all season. Since Arizona has won at a significant clip....thats exactly the definition of others "thriving" with Boswell on the team.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on February 24, 2024, 06:05:15 PMEvery other starter averages double figures and Boswell has been the point guard all season. Since Arizona has won at a significant clip....thats exactly the definition of others "thriving" with Boswell on the team.

"Conrad could have done it better." Without a doubt. I can nullify your hatred of Bradley by making it simple. Take both out of the equation and let the team have a steady hand who is actually a true PG.

I sat back and observed the last couple weeks. I gave myself plenty of time to give 1 last ounce of leniency.

I can say with 100% sincerity that I hope this is Boswell's last game in an Arizona uniform.

He was everything I said he was here and in some ways Worse.

Tommy does not know how to coach this kid and Boswell is also not good enough at whatever role you want to say he had this season too. So it is potentially a combination of poor coaching and not enough skill/talent.

If Boswell is to stay at Arizona in some twilight zone, then I will be lost for words. If Bradley has to sit behind Boswell again or play beside him then I have no idea what to say other than Tommy is just not capable of coaching this kid (or controlling him if he is in fact some sort of party/gambling/off the court issue --- which I really don't believe at all I just think Boswell is what he is).

Then on top of that, we have a kid Phillips coming who I have to automatically assume is better than Boswell. If I were Phillips I would make a call to Tommy and ask what the situation is because this season was truly rough to take in when you can see problems so easily and no fixes, no changes on top of an unwillingness to adapt from Tommy.

Bradley played his ass off all season when he was allowed to play. He outplayed Boswell in every possible way someone can outplay someone. The competitive edge. The hunger. The energy. The leadership.

I don't care if anyone says the stats say this, that, and whatever. Anyone with 2 eyes knows what I am saying is true.

There is not 1 person who can tell me I am wrong at this point.

It is not an overreaction.

Boswell's Real Talk Thread was, is, and always will be the Truth of this season.

I don't hate Bradley OR Boswell. Disregarding stats is the easy way to ignore the truth. 9 assists and 10 turnovers over the final 7 games of the season is not ideal for a point guard. For reference during the same span, Boswell had a 25:8 ratio.

Was Bradley visibly better at creating opportunities down the stretch?  Yes. I'm glad that he showed improvement and I want him to play a bigger role next season because his defense and penetration into the lane is huge for this team.

Quote from: KansasCityCats on March 28, 2024, 09:30:14 PMI don't hate Bradley OR Boswell. Disregarding stats is the easy way to ignore the truth. 9 assists and 10 turnovers over the final 7 games of the season is not ideal for a point guard. For reference during the same span, Boswell had a 25:8 ratio.

Was Bradley visibly better at creating opportunities down the stretch?  Yes. I'm glad that he showed improvement and I want him to play a bigger role next season because his defense and penetration into the lane is huge for this team.

At this point I think it is possible Bradley played his last game as a Wildcat. He earned a huge pay increase and I doubt he will stick around if Boswell is still here. Tommy needs to figure it out. Especially with kids who may not have NBA futures because they know College is where they will earn their "retirement". So I am hoping that Tommy does right by Bradley. He earned it.

The East Coast Guard has a stereotype for a reason. We need more hungry Guards who have the "dog" in them. Not soft, poor attitude, coddled kids like Boswell.

The raw numbers you speak to tell no tale of the tape to what transpired on the court. Long Beach is not the barometer of Boswell's success. Maybe he should transfer there though where he could have a significant impact to a team on that level.

I can't think of anyone that believes Boswell deserved his minutes nor any of the shots he took over Bradley whether it be on this forum or in the real world where even the Analysts on TV were talking about Boswell's struggles and Bradley's (as well as KJ's) inspiring play.

In fact, I believe that we beat Dayton solely because Boswell didn't take many shots at all and he took a back seat. Today he just couldn't help himself. Tommy panicked early. The Smarter Coach was able to funnel the ball to Boswell and they sagged off, tricking Boswell into plenty of early shots that put us off kilter. Even that air ball right away was literally enough to inspire Clemson and keep us in a terribly slow start mentally.

It is what it is. The season is over now. We will find out if Boswell is hitting that portal soon enough. I thought there was something off with him since a couple weeks before I started this thread. I gave him some time to get himself together. It never happened. Now here we are at the end of the road. I don't think anything I've said is inaccurate nor unfair. According to what I see around the forum, cbox and the social media-verse, it seems like most people agree with me or take it even further. I definitely was first to this subject, but I don't care about taking credit for it. I would rather Boswell have hit 4-6 from 3 and we play Alabama on Saturday.

Oh well, too bad. I'm just here telling the truth because --->

This is the Boswell Real Talk Thread.

Two words....GO AWAY

Way toomuch talk about him..let me simplify it for you. "He sucks and needs to go away."

Quote from: AZip on March 29, 2024, 12:02:42 AMWay toomuch talk about him..let me simplify it for you. "He sucks and needs to go away."

He doesn't suck. He just doesn't fit this program nor this level of competition. He can be a good on a team that plays slower and has worse competition night in night out. He is not even close to starter caliber. He doesn't use his body to his advantage. Never gets to the line. Can't pass. However he can shoot "SOMETIMES". So he is basically Gabe York until he improves. Hopefully he can do that somewhere else while we get serious players who want to use the full scope of their abilities.

I like the Gabe York comparison, although I think he deserves some credit for his defense. Boswell led the team in steals and is the only other player besides Bradley that can consistently defend the perimeter. 

Quote from: arxpert on March 29, 2024, 12:02:02 PM

Quote from: AZip on March 29, 2024, 12:02:42 AMWay toomuch talk about him..let me simplify it for you. "He sucks and needs to go away."

He doesn't suck. He just doesn't fit this program nor this level of competition. He can be a good on a team that plays slower and has worse competition night in night out. He is not even close to starter caliber. He doesn't use his body to his advantage. Never gets to the line. Can't pass. However he can shoot "SOMETIMES". So he is basically Gabe York until he improves. Hopefully he can do that somewhere else while we get serious players who want to use the full scope of their abilities.

"........................
Please tell me where he doesn't suck??  I'm waiting

Boswell photo Ed again..drunk and throwing up passed out in his own vomit

Trying to be short, I believe KB's inconsistency is one of his biggest hurdles.
Yes, he plays with a handful to good/great college basketball prospects.
His problem is some games he does not make the same plays that he would normally make/take when he is on.
I am sure scouts have noticed how different his game is when he is on compared to when he is struggling.

If he came back to Arizona, he might end up being moved to more of a scoring role because I believe Lloyd might hand the keys over to JB next season.
I am not sure if both of them start, or if Bradley comes off the bench but plays starter minutes and finishes the game, but I am eager to see how Lloyd is going to handle KB/JB as both are going to be the best players on the team at the time of posting.
JB/KB/JL and MK are starters right now, but I believe one (or two) of those freshmen might start which SHOULD mean one of those guard sits right?
#BearDown

Quote from: AZip on March 29, 2024, 06:58:59 PMBoswell photo Ed again..drunk and throwing up passed out in his own vomit

I can understand people getting down on Boswell and even believing in some of those rumors. It is strange how Boswell just went from maybe the best commodity in College Basketball to the Biggest Liability after the Duke game.

At least we all knew what Ballo is/was with his FT Shooting. Boswell didn't even make an effort to get himself to the line. At one point I believe he was something of a 90% FT Shooter in low volume and once the volume picked up he was in the 70's Range.

The main thing that will always get me about Boswell is that Tommy refused to make the change. I called for it until ears bled around here. I think just about everyone here whether they like me or hate me agreed with me when it was all said and done. I read it all. Whether it was the Toxic CBOX or Forum Posts.

On top of that, there was just absolutely no appreciation for Bradley until it was way too late. The numbers for Bradley do lie. He never had the Keys and always had to scrap for everything he got. I think Tommy really made some errors this season that are not forgivable, but every season comes to an end in 1 way or another. Not since 1997 has it ended as a Champion.

Losing is never really the problem for me. It is always HOW we lose the games that gets me. I believe that it is similar for most people here too. The frustrations really mount when you see decades even going back to Lute of no willingness to adapt. "It looks great until it doesn't"

In this situation, Tommy had about 3 months to fix these issues and he chose not to. That is akin to spitting in the face of the fanbase.

Quote from: arxpert on March 30, 2024, 07:46:14 PM

Quote from: AZip on March 29, 2024, 06:58:59 PMBoswell photo Ed again..drunk and throwing up passed out in his own vomit

I can understand people getting down on Boswell and even believing in some of those rumors. It is strange how Boswell just went from maybe the best commodity in College Basketball to the Biggest Liability after the Duke game.

At least we all knew what Ballo is/was with his FT Shooting. Boswell didn't even make an effort to get himself to the line. At one point I believe he was something of a 90% FT Shooter in low volume and once the volume picked up he was in the 70's Range.

The main thing that will always get me about Boswell is that Tommy refused to make the change. I called for it until ears bled around here. I think just about everyone here whether they like me or hate me agreed with me when it was all said and done. I read it all. Whether it was the Toxic CBOX or Forum Posts.

On top of that, there was just absolutely no appreciation for Bradley until it was way too late. The numbers for Bradley do lie. He never had the Keys and always had to scrap for everything he got. I think Tommy really made some errors this season that are not forgivable, but every season comes to an end in 1 way or another. Not since 1997 has it ended as a Champion.

Losing is never really the problem for me. It is always HOW we lose the games that gets me. I believe that it is similar for most people here too. The frustrations really mount when you see decades even going back to Lute of no willingness to adapt. "It looks great until it doesn't"

In this situation, Tommy had about 3 months to fix these issues and he chose not to. That is akin to spitting in the face of the fanbase.

I totally agree with the last 2 paragraphs