Fair enough, I stand corrected, not unusual. i should have stated “ARGUABLY”, the best coach……. I was going by NCAA tourney accomplishments and record in “arguably” the best basketball conference. However, you metric is good for you too if you ignore data. the main point was not who is the best coach but that it was a huge loss when Morris transferred.
Old65, Bill Self has won multiple NC. He is a proven elite coach. Your statement earlier stands. He’s also won 16 conference championships.
Zuby Ejiofor, KU I mean... I don't think anything else needs to be said whether we want/need him. From Garland, he was rated as high as #20 in the country among recruits in 2022. He's got a huge frame... kind of reminds me of Draymond Green with those shoulders. He's a big body who can clog that middle, which has been our issue against big teams these past couple of seasons. BJ Edwards, Tennessee Barnes inked him as a local (played private school in Knoxville) and he immediately shot up the recruiting rankings last year. Went from a virtual unknown to a couple of top-100 lists. 6'3" combo guard with a ton of speed but was used VERY sparingly his freshman season. Based on his film and talent, I think he'd probably be the 4th guard (or close to the 3rd) and maybe more as a defensive stopper when someone like Hunter or Weaver got in foul trouble. Matthew Cleveland from FSU has signed with Miami. I REALLY wanted him.
Self has owned the big12 and he runs an offense. Texas has the jump back and forth around the 3 point line hoping to jack the ball. To be fair thats also the nba offense today which is why its not fun to watch. I actually watched some footage from some of Jordans teams and some of Birds teams in the 80's. Actually running an offense was fun to watch.
Buncha big names hit the portal this week. I haven't watched much on these guys, but with our current needs, they all seem swell: Allen Flanigan, Auburn Swingman who was basically a 3-year starter and 1-year primary sub for War Eagle. Kind of erratic from 3 but solid overall. Turns it over along the same lines as Timmy Allen (more than we need but we can make up for it with his other skills). Isaiah Miranda, NC State (sort of) The 7'1" center declared for the draft after never playing a minute of college ball, but we're on his "rumored to" list for the portal. He was HEAVILY recruited and his AAU clips show a combination of athleticism and speed that you don't usually get from 7-footers. He was declared eligible to play at the semester break, but then never stepped on the floor despite NC State's best big man getting hurt for the year. He seems kind of... up and down? Not sure if it's mental or what, but there are clips of him running a basketball camp for underprivileged youth, and then clips of him getting overly physical with opponents in games. Malcolm Dandridge, Memphis Big body center who was a defensive stopper. Seems like a good dude. Would be a 1-year rental as a backup for Shedrick/Disu. Abramo Canka, UCLA (Italy) Most think he's going pro in Europe, but he is a good player with a lot of upside. Would be kind of a swing guard for us. Arthur Kaluma, Creighton This is the one on this list I'm most interested in. Obviously, we have ties to him through playing Creighton this past year (he had a really good game against us), and Christian Bishop can pull some strings to get in-roads with us. He's a 6'7" PF with a LOT of upside. Can play all around the court, not unlike Bishop. Good rebounder (something we've been lacking). Not afraid to take 3's. Played nearly 30 mpg last year and rarely (if ever) got into foul trouble. He'd practically be a starter considering we don't have swingmen right now. Julian Phillips, Tennessee For everyone pissed off we lost Holland (and you should be), here's our replacement. Was rated top-10 by a couple of recruiting services 2 years ago. Guy would play SF. Not really sure why Barnes lost him... rumors seem to be that when he and another forward were injured, Barnes favored the other guy when they both returned. Super athletic.
Ejiofor to St. Johns and Edwards to SMU. Still no word on the top remaining guys, but we're not out of it for most of them.
Seems the team will be very good again. Not expecting a final four appearance but another elite eight could be in the cards. That's a tall order given the history of the basketball program but I think it could happen. It just sucks that we have no incoming freshman to build off of for the future.
Anyone expecting him to just prance into the NBA on a 15-man roster is kidding themselves, but there's something to be said for long-term developmental projects. Each of the 4 remaining teams in the conference finals has some contributor off the bench who spent time in the G-League. If this was 20 years ago, Mitchell would have been a lottery pick out of HS.
He's very far from being ready. If you ever watched him in pre-game warm-ups try to shoot from the outside, it did not go well. In fact, it was as bad as I've ever seen. If he gives up his college eligibility, I don't see him ever making a 15-man roster in the NBA. He really needs what college BB could do for him.
Coulda swore I read recently somewhere that he was drilling shots non stop in front of scouts. I hope he returns.
Local radio mentioned this for about a week how well he performed at the combine which is why he wouldn't probably be coming back.
Interesting speculation considering Texas already signed 2 guards from the portal. Dunno what Gonzaga has for guard depth. Longhorns May Have Just Seen Their Caleb Love Chances Increase (msn.com)
Can Love play as a two guard or small wing in a small lineup (he is listed at 6'4" which is probably doubtful but still taller than any of the other guards) or is he a point guard that needs to handle the ball. Any addition is welcome, but it could be a duplicate of skill sets with Abams and Hunter and if they all need the ball in their hands to be successful could create issues. Hunter meshed with Carr so maybe it would work with all three.
Love is a combo guard but prefers the point. Which is why I don't see him pulling the trigger for Austin. All those guys I mentioned back on the 11th (Kaluma, Flanigan, Miranda, Phillips) are still available for the moment. Someone asked Christian Bishop last weekend and he said that Kaluma is still figuring it out, which doesn't bode well for Texas. My guess is that Miranda will go play overseas or in the G-League. Phillips is (was?) the real deal coming out of HS but I don't know why it didn't work out for him under Barnes. I mentioned Grant Nelson back on 5/4. He's done nothing but shoot up the portal rankings since due to the lack of experienced forwards in it. He's been working with a big man for private practices and 247 has moved him all the way up to #3 in their "best available" rankings. I have no idea where he's at, but spending a year in Austin under the lights couldn't hurt.
Love could be intrigued by the notion of RT starting 3 guards, with one or more sliding into a forward slot for various sets and schemes. I would love to see Love on the 40 acres.
I would love any added talent at this point. The team will be a handful for anyone on a good night. They just need to gel and hit their threes. I believe the defense will be strong.
It's a good landing spot for him. The new portal entries will probably be quiet until August rolls around. Haven't had much news this week. Tyler Burton, Richmond: I'm not opposed to 1-year rentals like I used to be, so that said, this guy is pretty special. He wasn't heavily recruited (0 stars out of Connecticut, only St. Bonaventure had offered him) but had a late development spurt his senior year in HS. His growth throughout his 4 years at Richmond has been really, really good. It's kind of weird to call him a SF because he kind of plays it all. Maybe a hybrid "Kobe" position? He's rangey, fast, creates his own shots, and defends well. One thing that separates him is he gets his rebounds, which has been an issue for Texas these past couple seasons. He's Pippen-esque in that he gets his defensive stats in addition to his improving offense. He was a 1-man show for Richmond in 2022-23, which led to a decline in his 3-pt percentage, but I think he should be the best available portaller based on the film I saw against vastly superior opponents.
This pretty much all but closes the door on any forwards we would get from the portal, including Phillips. While it would be nice to accrue some depth, no one is going to show up in Austin to get 10 min/g. I'd still love to take a risk on Burton, who continues to impress me with his film from Richmond. He'd kind of be a tall swing guard anyhow and not compete with Mitchell for playing time.
Mitchell returning is good news. Another guard would help, but we can roll with the current roster. On paper, the roster appears to have some depth and scoring ability. If the team meshes, they could be a difficult team to play come tournament time.
