let's talk '18

[Bangkok Wildcat]

I haven't heard any thing outside of LSU for him for quite a long time. He's visiting us September 8th, so I guess we'll see.

Go figure, my 50th Bday.....Damn, I need to come back home for a long overdue visit! Probably wouldn't even recognize the campus as it's been almost since 2002 .......Still have a lot of friends back in Tucson. Bear Down!

[Puerco]

Hah, you're 5 days older than me.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

Hah, you're 5 days older than me.

So as you know from your time in SINGAPORE, you should be respectful of your elders! . BTFD.

[prh]

Always been LSU. I mean I hope so because I rather have Bol.

I haven't heard any thing outside of LSU for him for quite a long time. He's visiting us September 8th, so I guess we'll see.

Bigby-Williams to LSU, not a grad transfer. Will be eligible 2018-2019.
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ ... 3b391.html" target="_blank

[Beachcat97]

Always been LSU. I mean I hope so because I rather have Bol.

I haven't heard any thing outside of LSU for him for quite a long time. He's visiting us September 8th, so I guess we'll see.

Bigby-Williams to LSU, not a grad transfer. Will be eligible 2018-2019.
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ ... 3b391.html" target="_blank

Insurance in case Naz picks AZ?

[RaisingArizona]

Why is Bol Bol not the number 1 ranked player? Perhaps I'm too upside focused. Both Zion and R.J. sure seem to have NBA all star potential and a greater chance of reaching it, but unless I'm missing something Bol's potential is in the stratosphere.

[ChooChooCat]

Always been LSU. I mean I hope so because I rather have Bol.

I haven't heard any thing outside of LSU for him for quite a long time. He's visiting us September 8th, so I guess we'll see.

Bigby-Williams to LSU, not a grad transfer. Will be eligible 2018-2019.
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ ... 3b391.html" target="_blank

Insurance in case Naz picks AZ?

Naz can play the 4 or 5, so he can play alongside Bigby-Williams.

[JMarkJohns]

Why is Bol Bol not the number 1 ranked player? Perhaps I'm too upside focused. Both Zion and R.J. sure seem to have NBA all star potential and a greater chance of reaching it, but unless I'm missing something Bol's potential is in the stratosphere.

Barrett is an incredible talent and one that will be tough to surpass in an NBA with its anti-zone and spacing. He has immense immediate skill and enough additional upside based on physical ability to justify top spot.

Bol Bol is almost nothing but upside, but he's also nowhere near as certain to make an immediate or lasting impact. For reasons or physical ability to compete, mentality toward maximizing height/skills, and even motor, he's an elite prospect, but only a good player who has elite games from time to time, but also some real stinkers.

I haven't seen Zion much. But his aggressiveness and skill reminds me of a later-skilled Amare with an early athletic/aggressive Amare. That's a hell of a prospect, albeit likely a slightly smaller/shorter in stature and strength type compared to Amare at same stages.

[prh]

Thanks Choo, I wasn't sure about that

[RaisingArizona]

Why is Bol Bol not the number 1 ranked player? Perhaps I'm too upside focused. Both Zion and R.J. sure seem to have NBA all star potential and a greater chance of reaching it, but unless I'm missing something Bol's potential is in the stratosphere.

Barrett is an incredible talent and one that will be tough to surpass in an NBA with its anti-zone and spacing. He has immense immediate skill and enough additional upside based on physical ability to justify top spot.

Bol Bol is almost nothing but upside, but he's also nowhere near as certain to make an immediate or lasting impact. For reasons or physical ability to compete, mentality toward maximizing height/skills, and even motor, he's an elite prospect, but only a good player who has elite games from time to time, but also some real stinkers.

I haven't seen Zion much. But his aggressiveness and skill reminds me of a later-skilled Amare with an early athletic/aggressive Amare. That's a hell of a prospect, albeit likely a slightly smaller/shorter in stature and strength type compared to Amare at same stages.

Thanks for the response. I guess it's easy for me to bet on upside when I don't have to deal with being fired when he flops. Bol's skill and athleticism just seem so unique for a 7'2" player.

[ChooChooCat]

I don't think Bol's athleticism is anything worth writing about. You're correct that he's skilled and of course he has fantastic size and length, but he doesn't have half the athleticism Barrett or Zion have.

[Beachcat97]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

[ChooChooCat]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

I mean prior until he announced he was down to 2 schools and he was going to visit Arizona on the 8th, I totally forgot Arizona was even remotely involved with Naz, because he's been pegged as a LSU lock for so long. So to pull him away from LSU, Arizona would have to blow him away on that visit and make up a vast amount of ground. So if Arizona does that then we can talk about the likelihood of Bol and Naz, but until then it's a pointless endeavor.

[Beachcat97]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

I mean prior until he announced he was down to 2 schools and he was going to visit Arizona on the 8th, I totally forgot Arizona was even remotely involved with Naz, because he's been pegged as a LSU lock for so long. So to pull him away from LSU, Arizona would have to blow him away on that visit and make up a vast amount of ground. So if Arizona does that then we can talk about the likelihood of Bol and Naz, but until then it's a pointless endeavor.

Thanks, Choo.

You have to admit, though: it's definitely a good thing to be his last official visit, and to have him in town for the Red/Blue game. Sure it's possible he's just enjoying some recruitment tourism and hoopla, but I've learned not to underestimate the witch.

[ChooChooCat]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

I mean prior until he announced he was down to 2 schools and he was going to visit Arizona on the 8th, I totally forgot Arizona was even remotely involved with Naz, because he's been pegged as a LSU lock for so long. So to pull him away from LSU, Arizona would have to blow him away on that visit and make up a vast amount of ground. So if Arizona does that then we can talk about the likelihood of Bol and Naz, but until then it's a pointless endeavor.

Thanks, Choo.

You have to admit, though: it's definitely a good thing to be his last official visit, and to have him in town for the Red/Blue game. Sure it's possible he's just enjoying some recruitment tourism and hoopla, but I've learned not to underestimate the witch.

The Red/Blue game is October 20th, he's visiting September 8th. Nassir Little will be visiting for the Red/Blue if that's where you got confused.

[Beachcat97]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

I mean prior until he announced he was down to 2 schools and he was going to visit Arizona on the 8th, I totally forgot Arizona was even remotely involved with Naz, because he's been pegged as a LSU lock for so long. So to pull him away from LSU, Arizona would have to blow him away on that visit and make up a vast amount of ground. So if Arizona does that then we can talk about the likelihood of Bol and Naz, but until then it's a pointless endeavor.

Thanks, Choo.

You have to admit, though: it's definitely a good thing to be his last official visit, and to have him in town for the Red/Blue game. Sure it's possible he's just enjoying some recruitment tourism and hoopla, but I've learned not to underestimate the witch.

The Red/Blue game is October 20th, he's visiting September 8th. Nassir Little will be visiting for the Red/Blue if that's where you got confused.

Yep, that's where I got confused. Thanks.

Bottom line: I fully expect to land at least two more elite recruits for '18. If Naz goes to LSU, it just means we've got space for another big man. The '18 class could be CSM's best ever, top to bottom.

[luteformayor2]

Seems like we are on track to land two more solid five star players. If Miller pulls that off, especially if Bol or Barrett are in there, then he has officially joined Cal and K in the trio of top recruiters....and is the better coach

[Spaceman Spiff]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

I mean prior until he announced he was down to 2 schools and he was going to visit Arizona on the 8th, I totally forgot Arizona was even remotely involved with Naz, because he's been pegged as a LSU lock for so long. So to pull him away from LSU, Arizona would have to blow him away on that visit and make up a vast amount of ground. So if Arizona does that then we can talk about the likelihood of Bol and Naz, but until then it's a pointless endeavor.

I don't think it's realistic to expect Bol, Reid and O'Neal. Either Bol or Reid would pair with Shareef at the 4-5. I'd rather have a developmental post prospect a la Comanche (one who stays longer than 2 years) if we have any other post.

Williams and Quinerly lock down pg and can play together. If Akot, Randolph, Smith and Barcello are all back, we already don't have a ton of room.

[ChooChooCat]

What's the likelihood of getting both Naz and Bol?

I mean prior until he announced he was down to 2 schools and he was going to visit Arizona on the 8th, I totally forgot Arizona was even remotely involved with Naz, because he's been pegged as a LSU lock for so long. So to pull him away from LSU, Arizona would have to blow him away on that visit and make up a vast amount of ground. So if Arizona does that then we can talk about the likelihood of Bol and Naz, but until then it's a pointless endeavor.

I don't think it's realistic to expect Bol, Reid and O'Neal. Either Bol or Reid would pair with Shareef at the 4-5. I'd rather have a developmental post prospect a la Comanche (one who stays longer than 2 years) if we have any other post.

Williams and Quinerly lock down pg and can play together. If Akot, Randolph, Smith and Barcello are all back, we already don't have a ton of room.

I agree with you on that trio of guys committing all at once. If in the crazy instance we're able to pull that then Bol and Reid would be the ones getting the PT, while Reef would wallow away on the bench. Hell when Reef and Lee were on the same HS team Lee out played him, so that's just another hurdle he already has. On the developmental post prospect tip there's Sam Froling out of Australia who remains an option there.

Arizona is still going to take a wing regardless and if every thing works out it'll be one of Barrett & Little (most likely Little).

[RaisingArizona]

Choo,

I guess I should've clarified re: Bol. I've only seen highlights and while I would agree that he's not unusually explosive in terms of his verticle, he seems to run the floor well and is unusually coordinated for a 7'2"/7'3" guy. On one of the highlights there's a play where he's about six feet away from the hoop and he takes this scoop shot/finger roll and goes and gets it for an easy putback dunk. It showed a lot of mobility and coordination. I'm just not accustomed to guys that tall being that fluid.

[ChooChooCat]

Chop,

I guess I should've clarified re: Bol. I've only seen highlights and while I would agree that he's not unusually explosive in terms of his verticle, he seems to run the floor well and is unusually coordinated for a 7'2"/7'3" guy. On one of the highlights there's a play where he's about six feet away from the hoop and he takes this scoop shot/finger roll and goes and gets it for an easy putback dunk. It showed a lot of mobility and coordination. I'm just not accustomed to guys that tall being that fluid.

You don't have to convince me on Bol my man, I agree he's a fantastic talent and would love to have him.

[prh]

Choo, I think you've discussed this before, but isn't Shareef likely going to be here a while getting an education, thanks to dad? Does that reduce concerns about less early playing time?

[Spaceman Spiff]

Chop,

I guess I should've clarified re: Bol. I've only seen highlights and while I would agree that he's not unusually explosive in terms of his verticle, he seems to run the floor well and is unusually coordinated for a 7'2"/7'3" guy. On one of the highlights there's a play where he's about six feet away from the hoop and he takes this scoop shot/finger roll and goes and gets it for an easy putback dunk. It showed a lot of mobility and coordination. I'm just not accustomed to guys that tall being that fluid.

You don't have to convince me on Bol my man, I agree he's a fantastic talent and would love to have him.

Yeah. Bol is not an explosive athlete, but he's coordinated and moves very well for a 7'3 guy with the wingspan of a pterodactyl. Same thing with the J. He's not a sniper, but he shoots it well for his size. That unreal length is always the calling card, and the rest is good for a guy with that freaky attribute.

I'm higher on Shareef than you are. I don't see him as a guaranteed starter, but I expect production around what we saw from Ashley as a frosh.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

Choo, I think you've discussed this before, but isn't Shareef likely going to be here a while getting an education, thanks to dad? Does that reduce concerns about less early playing time?

Shareef is on record as hoping he's a OND.....with that mindset, I don't see him sticking around for long.......I guess he could stick around for a second year but with him stating this, I'm not going to get too attached to him.....disappointing because Shaq stayed at LSU for 3 years!

[ChooChooCat]

Choo, I think you've discussed this before, but isn't Shareef likely going to be here a while getting an education, thanks to dad? Does that reduce concerns about less early playing time?

Shareef is on record as hoping he's a OND.....with that mindset, I don't see him sticking around for long.......I guess he could stick around for a second year but with him stating this, I'm not going to get too attached to him.....disappointing because Shaq stayed at LSU for 3 years!

I don't see a world where a guy who is a 4 that thinks he's a 3 is a OND.

[Beachcat97]

I don't think Shareef is a lock to be one and done, despite what he's said publicly. He's not the kind of transcendent talent his papa was, so a lot depends on Shareef's actual performance as a freshman. I just can't see a son of Shaq being so eager to get to the next level that he'll settle for the 2nd round. Shareef isn't trying to feed his family, like some guys are. I'd count on Shareef being in T-town for 2-3 years.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

I don't think Shareef is a lock to be one and done, despite what he's said publicly. He's not the kind of transcendent talent his papa was, so a lot depends on Shareef's actual performance as a freshman. I just can't see a son of Shaq being so eager to get to the next level that he'll settle for the 2nd round. Shareef isn't trying to feed his family, like some guys are. I'd count on Shareef being in T-town for 2-3 years.

Agree BC and was pretty disappointed to hear him say that.....hope the son of Shaq is wise enough to see the value of an education as well as tutelage under CSM and staff until he's ready......but these days seems like so many are too eager to jump at the first opportunity or even glimpse of an opportunity. Smh.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I don't think Shareef is a lock to be one and done, despite what he's said publicly. He's not the kind of transcendent talent his papa was, so a lot depends on Shareef's actual performance as a freshman. I just can't see a son of Shaq being so eager to get to the next level that he'll settle for the 2nd round. Shareef isn't trying to feed his family, like some guys are. I'd count on Shareef being in T-town for 2-3 years.

Agree BC and was pretty disappointed to hear him say that.....hope the son of Shaq is wise enough to see the value of an education as well as tutelage under CSM and staff until he's ready......but these days seems like so many are too eager to jump at the first opportunity or even glimpse of an opportunity. Smh.

When did he say that?

[Beachcat97]

BW is right; he did say that at some point. But it was sort of an offhand remark. It wasn't like he said it during a formal interview.

[YoDeFoe]

Link:
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruitin ... ollege-nba" target="_blank

If O'Neal puts the time in to become a one and done then more power to him. I'm not sure he's a starting forward on the '18 team so he's got some ways to go.

[dcZONAfan]

Choo, I think you've discussed this before, but isn't Shareef likely going to be here a while getting an education, thanks to dad? Does that reduce concerns about less early playing time?

Shareef is on record as hoping he's a OND.....with that mindset, I don't see him sticking around for long.......I guess he could stick around for a second year but with him stating this, I'm not going to get too attached to him.....disappointing because Shaq stayed at LSU for 3 years!

Damn dude, he hasn't even played his senior year of high school. You really love jumping the gun on giving up on our guys (such as Rawle when he was going through the process). I think you gotta chill and stop a) being worried about what MIGHT happen and b) judging anyone for their decisions to make the leap. Lauri is a great example. I will love that dude until he's 40, and I think most here will as well, and part of it is that there is no way in HELL he should be anywhere but the NBA next season. If you can't even accept when a guy SHOULD go, it's going to keep ruining you when, inevitably, guys who shouldn't leave.

I talked to PJC's mom briefly about Kobi and she said she LOVED him. Great kid, and she said to me "hey for some there is a lot more going on than you'd think and sometimes the best time is now" Can you really get mad when that's the case? It's hard for me to, and even when I want to feel that way (Chance, for example), I have to stop and remember that we have to accept that UA isn't the be-all-end-all for these kids.

Root for them when they are here, wish them the best when they leave, and move on man!

[Spaceman Spiff]

Link:
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruitin ... ollege-nba" target="_blank

If O'Neal puts the time in to become a one and done then more power to him. I'm not sure he's a starting forward on the '18 team so he's got some ways to go.

Oh. Hopefully one and done for me is waaaay different than he thinks he is. I assumr every player hopes he's one and done. Some (Aaron, Stanley, Sidiki) are right, but everyone hopes for it.

That doesn't bug me in the least. Shareef said what every player thinks.

[Chicat]

There are three types of one-&-dones in my mind:

Lauri Markannen
Kobi Simmons
Grant Jarrett

If Shareef is a Lauri type, more power to him.

[Spaceman Spiff]

There are three types of one-&-dones in my mind:

Lauri Markannen
Kobi Simmons
Grant Jarrett

If Shareef is a Lauri type, more power to him.

I don't see a difference between Kobi and Grant. They're in the class of talented, not ready, but decided anyways.

Four classes for me. Add in guys who aren't ready, but have such physical talent, it doesn't matter (Zach Lavine, Terrance Ferguson, Cheick Diallo). Last class is guys who just leave and don't have the talent, readiness, etc. Sorry, but Chance Comanche is in that category.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

Choo, I think you've discussed this before, but isn't Shareef likely going to be here a while getting an education, thanks to dad? Does that reduce concerns about less early playing time?

Shareef is on record as hoping he's a OND.....with that mindset, I don't see him sticking around for long.......I guess he could stick around for a second year but with him stating this, I'm not going to get too attached to him.....disappointing because Shaq stayed at LSU for 3 years!

Damn dude, he hasn't even played his senior year of high school. You really love jumping the gun on giving up on our guys (such as Rawle when he was going through the process). I think you gotta chill and stop a) being worried about what MIGHT happen and b) judging anyone for their decisions to make the leap. Lauri is a great example. I will love that dude until he's 40, and I think most here will as well, and part of it is that there is no way in HELL he should be anywhere but the NBA next season. If you can't even accept when a guy SHOULD go, it's going to keep ruining you when, inevitably, guys who shouldn't leave.

I talked to PJC's mom briefly about Kobi and she said she LOVED him. Great kid, and she said to me "hey for some there is a lot more going on than you'd think and sometimes the best time is now" Can you really get mad when that's the case? It's hard for me to, and even when I want to feel that way (Chance, for example), I have to stop and remember that we have to accept that UA isn't the be-all-end-all for these kids.

Root for them when they are here, wish them the best when they leave, and move on man!

D.C., I think you have me confused with someone else re Rawle.....I never gave up on him that I recall....always thought he was just testing the waters.....maybe towards the end I was a bit more worried. As for Kobi, I openly stated that was cool about him was that he was so transparent about his OND status AND seemed like a great kid and teammate....I even defended him at one point.

I'm not 'giving up' on ONDs BUT I stick to my guns in that the whole race to leave school early as possible (Chance was ridiculously dumb IMHO) sucks and I'm a bigger fan of those who stay longer (Kadeem, Zeus, Nick, etc). For me, one of the most fun parts of being an Arizona Fan is watching these young men develop, gel, grow, etc. and it sucks to see the high turnover......I wouldn't call that 'giving up' on players but being more of a fan of those I get to cheer for longer vs shorter.

AS FOR SHAREEF, I would think as smart and savvy as Shaq is that the apple wouldn't be that far from the tree. I was shocked to hear him hope he's a OND considering he never has to worry about money, would think that Shaq's son would value an education more than the really poor kids, etc. That's about it.

This is a message board and it's boring during the low season so we 'shoot the shit' (Navy term)......'Lighten up Francis'

[Chicat]

There are three types of one-&-dones in my mind:

Lauri Markannen
Kobi Simmons
Grant Jarrett

If Shareef is a Lauri type, more power to him.

I don't see a difference between Kobi and Grant. They're in the class of talented, not ready, but decided anyways.

Four classes for me. Add in guys who aren't ready, but have such physical talent, it doesn't matter (Zach Lavine, Terrance Ferguson, Cheick Diallo). Last class is guys who just leave and don't have the talent, readiness, etc. Sorry, but Chance Comanche is in that category.

Difference between Jarrett and Simmons is that Kobi made it known he was only staying one year from the get go. Allowed the coaching staff to plan accordingly.

Chance played two years, but I'm picking up what you're putting down.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

There are three types of one-&-dones in my mind:

Lauri Markannen
Kobi Simmons
Grant Jarrett

If Shareef is a Lauri type, more power to him.

I don't see a difference between Kobi and Grant. They're in the class of talented, not ready, but decided anyways.

Four classes for me. Add in guys who aren't ready, but have such physical talent, it doesn't matter (Zach Lavine, Terrance Ferguson, Cheick Diallo). Last class is guys who just leave and don't have the talent, readiness, etc. Sorry, but Chance Comanche is in that category.

Difference between Jarrett and Simmons is that Kobi made it known he was only staying one year from the get go. Allowed the coaching staff to plan accordingly.

Chance played two years, but I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Yet another good thing about Kobi was that it seemed like his commitment to us came out of nowhere....or at least seemed like it didn't take much up in the way of resources.....at least from what I knew about his recruitment.

So, that combined with his very transparent and well-communicated plan to be OND no matter what, his being a good teammate, and his contributions when we desperately needed him early in the season leaves me with a pretty good vibe on his time at Arizona.

Obviously I would have loved to see what a jump he would have made from Frosh to Soph but there was never any option for that and due to his being so transparent, made it a lot easier to deal with vs. Chance and Grant's poor decisions IMHO.

Anyways, back to '18......Who's the next domino to fall anyone? Any predictions/ timetables? Miller is a Witch but I'd love to see how Coach Romar is affecting recruiting as well. Bear Down y'all

[Beachcat97]

Anyways, back to '18......Who's the next domino to fall anyone? Any predictions/ timetables? Miller is a Witch but I'd love to see how Coach Romar is affecting recruiting as well. Bear Down y'all

The way CSM has been talking, I think it's likely we'll have two more commits before the calendar hits 2018. Not sure who. I trust Spiff and Choo with their predictions.

[az91]

There are three types of one-&-dones in my mind:

Lauri Markannen
Kobi Simmons
Grant Jarrett

If Shareef is a Lauri type, more power to him.

I don't see a difference between Kobi and Grant. They're in the class of talented, not ready, but decided anyways.

Four classes for me. Add in guys who aren't ready, but have such physical talent, it doesn't matter (Zach Lavine, Terrance Ferguson, Cheick Diallo). Last class is guys who just leave and don't have the talent, readiness, etc. Sorry, but Chance Comanche is in that category.

Difference between Jarrett and Simmons is that Kobi made it known he was only staying one year from the get go. Allowed the coaching staff to plan accordingly.

Chance played two years, but I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Yet another good thing about Kobi was that it seemed like his commitment to us came out of nowhere....or at least seemed like it didn't take much up in the way of resources.....at least from what I knew about his recruitment.

I'm not sure this is 100% correct, but I seem to remember that we got Kobi only because Dave Rice was fired from UNLV, where Kobi had originally committed.

He helped keep us afloat the first part of the season and was arguably are second best player behind Lauri through the first game with UCLA.

[ChooChooCat]

There are three types of one-&-dones in my mind:

Lauri Markannen
Kobi Simmons
Grant Jarrett

If Shareef is a Lauri type, more power to him.

I don't see a difference between Kobi and Grant. They're in the class of talented, not ready, but decided anyways.

Four classes for me. Add in guys who aren't ready, but have such physical talent, it doesn't matter (Zach Lavine, Terrance Ferguson, Cheick Diallo). Last class is guys who just leave and don't have the talent, readiness, etc. Sorry, but Chance Comanche is in that category.

Difference between Jarrett and Simmons is that Kobi made it known he was only staying one year from the get go. Allowed the coaching staff to plan accordingly.

Chance played two years, but I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Yet another good thing about Kobi was that it seemed like his commitment to us came out of nowhere....or at least seemed like it didn't take much up in the way of resources.....at least from what I knew about his recruitment.

I'm not sure this is 100% correct, but I seem to remember that we got Kobi only because Dave Rice was fired from UNLV, where Kobi had originally committed.

He helped keep us afloat the first part of the season and was arguably are second best player behind Lauri through the first game with UCLA.

Kobi never committed to UNLV.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm not sure Kobi committed to UNLV, but I think he was at least a heavy UNLV lean. It was the Rice firing that freed him up and then we jumped in.

I do think it's legit to see this as a situation where very little changed when he came and went other than his availability for the one year.

[YoDeFoe]

Kobi hadn't committed to UNLV but they were seen as a favorite. Once Rice was canned it was us and Ohio State (and UK as a longshot). Simmons chose us.

Interestingly, the failure to secure Simmons by Ohio State was another missed five star recruit for Thad Matta and may have aided in his early retirement / firing. Miller's gain and his mentor's loss.

[YoDeFoe]

Swinging back into talking 2018...

After watching the Spanish games it feels like we have two Simmons replacements in Dylan Smith and Brandon Randolph. Randolph seems to be a super-Simmons with a similar ability to heat up quickly, scoring from range and getting to the hoop, but also with a built-in interest in rebounding and defending (something Simmons never had nor gained during his time at Arizona).

That last loss to Xavier... I always come back to Rawle's broken hand more than anything else. Our third option couldn't score and we didn't have another offensive weapon that we could trust to play both ends of the floor. I feel like we have at least two of those... and I'll toss in Alex Barcello as a likely third two way player who gets buckets by season-end.

Feels good to re-load.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Swinging back into talking 2018...

After watching the Spanish games it feels like we have two Simmons replacements in Dylan Smith and Brandon Randolph. Randolph seems to be a super-Simmons with a similar ability to heat up quickly, scoring from range and getting to the hoop, but also with a built-in interest in rebounding and defending (something Simmons never had nor gained during his time at Arizona).

That last loss to Xavier... I always come back to Rawle's broken hand more than anything else. Our third option couldn't score and we didn't have another offensive weapon that we could trust to play both ends of the floor. I feel like we have at least two of those... and I'll toss in Alex Barcello as a likely third two way player who gets buckets by season-end.

Feels good to re-load.

I agree with that. Rawle being hurt and way off shooting is one thing everyone misses, but played a huge role against Xavier. Kobi was deep into his fadeout, Zo was off for a while, Lauri wasn't aggressive, PJC was ineffective...a lot of things went wrong. Frankly, Dusan was the only guy who played a good game.

If we get Randolph, Smith and Akot back next year, that's a solid core on the wing and any further recruiting would just be icing.

[YoDeFoe]

I agree with that. Rawle being hurt and way off shooting is one thing everyone misses, but played a huge role against Xavier. Kobi was deep into his fadeout, Zo was off for a while, Lauri wasn't aggressive, PJC was ineffective...a lot of things went wrong. Frankly, Dusan was the only guy who played a good game.

If we get Randolph, Smith and Akot back next year, that's a solid core on the wing and any further recruiting would just be icing.

Reminder that Dusan got demolished on the defensive end by Sean O'Mara who got Dusan to sit with foul trouble and would eventually score the winning bucket. Dusan, like Trier, went through a spell of offensive brilliance but defensive headaches and disappearing offense.

They were the only two bright spots offensively, but nobody played a complete game.

*deep sigh*

Anyways... if we don't lose anyone to transfer we ought to return a very capable core of guys ready to step into the starting line-up.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I agree with that. Rawle being hurt and way off shooting is one thing everyone misses, but played a huge role against Xavier. Kobi was deep into his fadeout, Zo was off for a while, Lauri wasn't aggressive, PJC was ineffective...a lot of things went wrong. Frankly, Dusan was the only guy who played a good game.

If we get Randolph, Smith and Akot back next year, that's a solid core on the wing and any further recruiting would just be icing.

Reminder that Dusan got demolished on the defensive end by Sean O'Mara who got Dusan to sit with foul trouble and would eventually score the winning bucket. Dusan, like Trier, went through a spell of offensive brilliance but defensive headaches and disappearing offense.

They were the only two bright spots offensively, but nobody played a complete game.

*deep sigh*

Anyways... if we don't lose anyone to transfer we ought to return a very capable core of guys ready to step into the starting line-up.

Yeah, but that's really just Dusan. Defensively, he can provide length in the post. Beyond that, D is not his thing. When we talk about good/bad games, a player's limits play in. We don't really rip Keanu for missing 3's or PJC for lack of rim protection.

On the Dusan scale, he had a good game given his limitations.

For '18, if we pull Bol and return who we think we are likely too, we'll be loaded again but young. Add another 5 star and we're super loaded and young.

[Beachcat97]

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/bask ... order/true" target="_blank

[NYCat]

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/bask ... order/true

1. Barrett
4. Bol
6. Shittu
14. Little
18. Reid
23. Quinerly
24. O'Neal
51. Laszewski
52. Williams

Shareef O'Neal could climb into the top 10

I guess

[NYCat]

Early possibly likely whatever you want to call it 2018 class:

Brandon Williams
David Singleton
Emmanuel Akot
Taeshon Cherry
Bol Bol

Going by the early lists from 2015, 2016, 2017, we'll end up with different players yet a better class.

Yeah..

Recruiting is so fickle

[NYCat]

Nassir Little tells Espn his official visit schedule: Georgia Tech-August 25-27, North Carolina-Sept 8-10, Miami- 15-17, Arizona-October 26-28 . He is still in the process of setting up a visit to Duke. Little sits at no.36 in the Espn 100.