Recruits and Transfers

[arxpert]

I can also see a universe where Caleb Love tests the draft waters then decides to return to Arizona. I don't think Pelle will return, though it could be possible. I just feel maybe it would come off as a SCARED move by Tommy and I have another forum post discussing how I view Tommy as Scared sometimes. I think he needs to actually develop players and coach them. Not just rely on older guys. This could be a major crossroads for his coaching career and the respect from the fanbase.

The Roster/Starters/Bench would look a lot less young and inexperienced to me if Love AND Pelle do return.

PG: Bradley | Phillips
SG: Love | Sanon
SF: Pelle | KJ Lewis
PF: Carter Bryant | Henri
C:  Krivas | Stephen

6th Man: KJ Lewis (Around 30min per game)

Bench:
PG: Conrad

A Roster/Depth Chart without Pelle for the sake of it:

PG: Bradley | Phillips
SG: Love | Sanon
SF: Carter Bryant | KJ Lewis
PF: Henri | Carter Bryant
C:  Krivas | Stephen

6th Man: KJ Lewis (Around 30min per game)

Players like Carter Bryant deserve their time to play at least until they show they can't hang.

We have a lot of ways to play rotations and different forms of lineups with those 9 guys. Tommy doesn't like to do this, but maybe the subtraction of Boswell will allow for more of "switching things up"

------------------------------------------

2 Scholarships left I believe if Love and Pelle returned? 3 if Love or Pelle returned? 4 Scholarships if neither return??? That is an embarrassment of riches. (Please correct me is my math's aren't mathing).

Maybe Tommy can add a couple of old guys who can help in practice as Transfers where they are possibly useful in an Iron Sharpens Iron type of way, but not meant to really play unless catastrophe strikes. In fact, maybe add an International Player that has no expectation to play to sit around with Conrad and maybe 1 American who is 24 or so who can just be someone who can push Carter Bryant in practice a bit which would help a lot as he is going to be pushed into battle with kids that are 3-5 years older than him and more developed. A true Stud will play through that, but it wouldn't be so bad to have a big bodied 6'8/6'9 guy who can lean on Bryant in practice and help him so when Game Day comes in the rugged Big12 he isn't so surprised by the strength and speed on top of the high IQ he will see.

Big12 is chalk full of Elite level Head Coaches and we are bringing one in Tommy Lloyd.

Tommy won't go further than 8 players no matter how I label that 8th man as far as he has demonstrated.

Love showed a lot of leadership qualities and playing as an old head may end up a bit frustrating in some ways, but I think Bradley and Love is a very strong tandem. KJ Lewis played will with those 2. Sanon/Phillips... we don't exactly know what we have in them at the moment, but if they can come in and play good basketball then I can see us having 2 or 3 great scorers as Guards and then Carter Bryant being an ELITE and I truly mean ELITE SF. I wouldn't be shocked if all of this is baked-in for some of these transfer decisions.

Tommy will earn some well deserved credit from me if he does manage to bring back Love or bring in a Johnel Davis perhaps. We have a good amount of Guards and Wings, but we are not going to be a team that plays through Bigs in the way we have played through Koloko, Tubelis, and Ballo in the past.

A true Baller as in --> Someone hungry to score and win, would make a big difference for us.

I would also be OK with someone like Omaha from Iowa St who was assimilated into a Defensive minded Culture, but has a lot of upside. I don't expect more than 7 to 8 guys to get on that court though in the end so Tommy should really choose wisely who he goes after if it isn't going to Love returning.

I also think Love was phenomenal this season. His chucking got ridiculed, but he did attack the rim, he did throw down dunks, and he also brought a strong defensive mindset. Love and KJ Lewis won us a lot of games early in the season with Grit in the final few possessions and converting clutch FTs alone. A young team like what we have currently can really use a "Go To" closer in that way. Not an automatic 3pt Chucker to save the world, but just someone reliable who is not hindered by someone like Boswell AND vice versa.

(This will be great for Boswell too. He can very well show up to Illinois and play well there out the gate for all I know/care and good for him. I just felt his time was up in Tucson ---> He can get NIL from Papa Del's there a well known pizza joint. I'm no heathen. I just think it a great mutual parting of ways)

If you truly put things into perspective:

1. Tommy was not coaching anyone last year. This enabled Love and Keshad to come in and take over.
2. Tommy allowed Keshad and Love to come in and automatically Start and eat HUGE minutes
3. No one stepped up from last year's core to do anything worth a shit to stop the takeover.
4. Tommy did nothing to coach issues with Ballo being a piss poor FT Shooter (Solutions ignored)
5. Boswell was a problem for the team ever since @DUKE.
   --> I do not know exactly what went wrong with Boswell. I am not someone who is going to say his puking and gambling was the reason. I will say that I noticed he had a severe lack of leadership qualities. He was a poor body language player. He played slowly in a Run+Gun offense. He did not pass well enough to justify being a PG. There were way too many Kerr games going 1-6, 1-9, 2-9 from 3. Boswell refused to play to the rim. We saw Bradley in basically 1 game vs Clemson demonstrate what Boswell needed to do all season to justify his minutes.

Run and Gun is not supposed to be Run, Gun, and Shutdown your opponents. That would be the ultimate trifecta. The NBA is maybe predicated on Run and Gun, but we don't see games with teams scoring 110pts and holding their opponents to 60pts. So that is a big fallacy in College Basketball to expect "Run and Gun" to result in elite defense too.

I fully expect to allow points if we are going to play fast. If we are inexperienced and young I fully expect to be in games where ONLY coaching can navigate us to wins. Talent can only get us so far.

I am ready for Tommy to show off his Development, Coaching, and Recruiting talent.

[arxpert]

If getting Johnell Davis requires that you also take Vlad Goldin as a package deal, do you do it? Or does that step on too many toes?

https://247sports.com/Player/Vladislav-Goldin-46098100/

[arxpert]

If getting Johnell Davis requires that you also take Vlad Goldin as a package deal, do you do it? Or does that step on too many toes?

https://247sports.com/Player/Vladislav-Goldin-46098100/

https://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaab/article/cbb-transfer-portal-top-5-landing-spots-for-johnell-davis

[|ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ|]

If getting Johnell Davis requires that you also take Vlad Goldin as a package deal, do you do it? Or does that step on too many toes?

https://247sports.com/Player/Vladislav-Goldin-46098100/

https://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaab/article/cbb-transfer-portal-top-5-landing-spots-for-johnell-davis

Disappointing no-show by Tom. I guess he's content with Love letting it rip.

[arxpert]

If getting Johnell Davis requires that you also take Vlad Goldin as a package deal, do you do it? Or does that step on too many toes?

https://247sports.com/Player/Vladislav-Goldin-46098100/

https://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaab/article/cbb-transfer-portal-top-5-landing-spots-for-johnell-davis

Disappointing no-show by Tom. I guess he's content with Love letting it rip.

I am fine with Love returning. This isn't like the beginning of last year where we had a core that was supposed to do it's thing and Love + Keshad were supposed to compliment it with Bradley coming in as a 6th man.

Tommy really miscalculated Boswell and it ruined the whole year.

Love is a good leader. If he wants to return I am fine with it. Give me:

Bradley | Phillips
Love | Sanon
Carter | KJ Lewis
Henri | Transfer for Practice only.
Krivas | Stephen

KJ 6th Man Maniac Mode

The Transfer doesn't need to impact anything nor take minutes from anyone. Carter would be the only Freshman/Rookie and he is Elite. He starts of KJ all day because KJ gets around 30min a game anyway. Carter can play 4 positions if he wants to. Tommy will need to actually coach. Should be fun if Love returns. No reason to automatically chuck. Driving to the rim is part of Love's game. Without Boswell there should be plenty of green lights for Bradley, Love, Sanon, KJ, Carter.. anyone to get to the line. Krivas can knock down FTs too. So realistically I view the team as set already.

If Love isn't back then sure, bring in a back up for Henri maybe the Great One from the Portal. Someone who can make a difference at times in a change up approach. Nothing too similar.

This team should be set. It should resemble a Year 2 roster with a lot of incoming Frosh's that can make an impact.

Tom Tom needs to COACH the team.

[FOOS]

If getting Johnell Davis requires that you also take Vlad Goldin as a package deal, do you do it? Or does that step on too many toes?

https://247sports.com/Player/Vladislav-Goldin-46098100/

https://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaab/article/cbb-transfer-portal-top-5-landing-spots-for-johnell-davis

Disappointing no-show by Tom. I guess he's content with Love letting it rip.

I am fine with Love returning. This isn't like the beginning of last year where we had a core that was supposed to do it's thing and Love + Keshad were supposed to compliment it with Bradley coming in as a 6th man.

Tommy really miscalculated Boswell and it ruined the whole year.

Love is a good leader. If he wants to return I am fine with it. Give me:

Bradley | Phillips
Love | Sanon
Carter | KJ Lewis
Henri | Transfer for Practice only.
Krivas | Stephen

KJ 6th Man Maniac Mode

The Transfer doesn't need to impact anything nor take minutes from anyone. Carter would be the only Freshman/Rookie and he is Elite. He starts of KJ all day because KJ gets around 30min a game anyway. Carter can play 4 positions if he wants to. Tommy will need to actually coach. Should be fun if Love returns. No reason to automatically chuck. Driving to the rim is part of Love's game. Without Boswell there should be plenty of green lights for Bradley, Love, Sanon, KJ, Carter.. anyone to get to the line. Krivas can knock down FTs too. So realistically I view the team as set already.

If Love isn't back then sure, bring in a back up for Henri maybe the Great One from the Portal. Someone who can make a difference at times in a change up approach. Nothing too similar.

This team should be set. It should resemble a Year 2 roster with a lot of incoming Frosh's that can make an impact.

Tom Tom needs to COACH the team.

Spot on with Boswell.  With all this talent it's going to be very telling with Tommy and his X & O capability