let's talk '21

[Beachcat97]

Always makes me nervous when a recruitment drags on and a kid doesn't pull the trigger, feels like we always lose on those recruitments.

Like Ivan Rabb? Has a recruitment ever dragged on so long?

Rabb was the worst. Thought we were "right where we wanted to be" for months, and then, poof...COMMITTED TO CUONZO. Oh well.

[Spaceman Spiff]

When recruitments that we lead on drag on, those players are usually looking for a reason not to come here. You can easily find a reason not to go someplace.

If you're leading, you want it over asap.

More time is only your friend when you're behind, in pretty much all areas of life.

[YoDeFoe]

If it were up to Jahii Carson and Nick Johnson they both would’ve went to U of A together. When parents run recruitments shit gets wonky. Tyty’s dad wasn’t going to allow his son to share the spotlight with Hickman. Once Hickman left that cleared the door for his dad to sign off on that move.

Got it, thanks. I don’t usually do the speculation stuff (beyond, “wow the players that happened to commit to us are definitely going to be the players who reach their full potential in this class!”)

[Longhorned]

If there's anything I've learned from people who understand recruiting, it's that top-level recruits have little say in which program they commit to. Instead, everything is run by the "people around them," who take or split a check for $100,000 from shadowy, untraceable sources aligned with, but unconnected to, the program the player is compelled to commit to. Next, people in the program oversee all the paperwork for enrollment, and the player is basically taken and deposited in the locker room of said program as he thinks NBA thoughts, wondering how to get rid of this circle of people before they take away all his future NBA money. Then, an assistant coach assembles the player's fall course schedule and obtains log-in credentials to ensure all course syllabuses transfer to the tutors, who oversee the submissions of all assignments and exam preparations, and receive special reports from the professors that occasionally result in extra meetings with the tutors.

Meanwhile, the normal students and alumni sit in an arena and scream at the player, imploring him to care as much as they do about this program associated with their university.

[RondaeShimmy]

High major PG/CG transfer or nothing.

[Irish27]

Something is happening today. Murphy even posted a tweet.

[Spaceman Spiff]

If there's anything I've learned from people who understand recruiting, it's that top-level recruits have little say in which program they commit to. Instead, everything is run by the "people around them," who take or split a check for $100,000 from shadowy, untraceable sources aligned with, but unconnected to, the program the player is compelled to commit to. Next, people in the program oversee all the paperwork for enrollment, and the player is basically taken and deposited in the locker room of said program as he thinks NBA thoughts, wondering how to get rid of this circle of people before they take away all his future NBA money. Then, an assistant coach assembles the player's fall course schedule and obtains log-in credentials to ensure all course syllabuses transfer to the tutors, who oversee the submissions of all assignments and exam preparations, and receive special reports from the professors that occasionally result in extra meetings with the tutors.

Meanwhile, the normal students and alumni sit in an arena and scream at the player, imploring him to care as much as they do about this program associated with their university.

Not to once again derail things for my rants about how much the NCAA sucks, but the above is a reason I'd love to see the prohibition on ise of likeness go away.

The shadowy go betweens are bred by a system in which everyone wants to pay and get paid, but no one can route money directly to the player. That creates the opportunity for the influence of "uncles" instead of empowering the player.

Drop the prohibition and a player can just receive what he's gonna and make what choice he's gonna without worrying sketchy uncle/friend of family will rat him out if he doesn't go to the right place.

[gronk4heisman]

Something is happening today. Murphy even posted a tweet.

What did the tweet say?

[Longhorned]

Something is happening today. Murphy even posted a tweet.

What did the tweet say?

That the equipment manager is excited that it's Friday.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Something is happening today. Murphy even posted a tweet.

The nice part about predicting something will happen today is it's very hard to be wrong.

[gronk4heisman]

Something is happening today. Murphy even posted a tweet.

What did the tweet say?

That the equipment manager is excited that it's Friday.

So what is happening today is that the equipment manager got some new lululemon? Thats what I take from that.

[ChooChooCat]

Lol yeah that Murphy tweet is nothing guys

[Longhorned]

Lol yeah that Murphy tweet is nothing guys

What if the equipment manager is the contact point for all recruits' decisions, and he conveys incoming news by slouching on a couch and looking happy or sad? You didn't think of that, did you?

[Merkin]

We used to get some good football insights from one of the UA helmet polishers.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Lol yeah that Murphy tweet is nothing guys

What if the equipment manager is the contact point for all recruits' decisions, and he conveys incoming news by slouching on a couch and looking happy or sad? You didn't think of that, did you?

More likely if you use the correct decoder ring on the motivational slogan throw pillow behind him, it spells out the future direction of Arizona basketball.

I have a problem with the "Ignore the Haters, Including Yourself" slogan. By attempting to ignore yourself, you necessarily involve yourself in an active thought process, thus validating the hater inside.

Rene Descartes is rolling over in his grave like "I gave you **********ers this centuries ago and you still don't hear me."

[Spaceman Spiff]

Something is happening today. Murphy even posted a tweet.

What did the tweet say?

That the equipment manager is excited that it's Friday.

Cole dropped a new album and that guy is sort of excited for it.

[YoDeFoe]

Larsson reminds me of Bogdan Bogdanović (aka Bogi, plays for the Atlanta Hawks) where he can create opportunities for his teammates based on the gravity of his shooting (deeeeep range) as well as his ability to get into the middle of the defense off a drive or through the pick and roll. Pelle was second on his team in assists last season despite starting at SG. I know the turnovers are a concern but I'd like to believe a better team, an NCAA season under his belt, and better coaching/system will help.

He averaged 15pts / 7rebs / 6asts at the FIBA U18 two summers ago.

“Sharing the ball, I think, and making sure there’s a good flow and rhythm in the team,” Larsson said. “And making plays to try to get other people open, I think that’s the strongest part of my game.”

I'm trying to get some time to go through some of his games, but funny you say Bogi. I immediately thought the same thing. Mainly from a frame, movement, and some similar skills (it seems) albeit on a much lesser level and development.

When I heard we might get him, I dug deep on youtube and watched more 2020-21 Utah basketball than I'd care to admit. Here's his first NCAA game, true freshman playing a bad Washington team but still, a Pac-12 team with some dudes... 8pts, 7 asts, 1 reb, 1stl in 18min as a true freshman.

Bogi of course has years of skill development on Larsson but its telling how similar Bogi's draft analysis was to Larsson's current game: slashing combo guard with great vision who thrives in drive and kick but can force passes resulting in turnovers, likes to play through contact but not an explosive first step athlete so he needs hesitation or picks to open driving lanes, good structure and wingspan but lacks lateral quickness to defend smaller faster guards, surprisingly effective lead guard if needed.

You can see in the video some of that... very intelligent for this level on offense, quick decision maker, moves into the right places off ball. On defense he has a good frame and length but struggles to flip his hips to stay in front of the smaller (6'0") Quade Green who can shake him with a simple crossover; slow to react sometimes on that end.

Here's a fun one: Pelle and the whole Utah team smoke our Wildcats, but Pelle finishes second on his team in points and rebounds while leading Utah in assists and steals. Just feasts on Terrell Brown, drives past him and passes overtop of him like he isn't even there. This is the game where he hit a "fuck you" three over Jordan Brown from 26ft and threw the circus pass behind the back for a run out layup. I remember not enjoying this game.

[gronk4heisman]

Lol yeah that Murphy tweet is nothing guys

What if the equipment manager is the contact point for all recruits' decisions, and he conveys incoming news by slouching on a couch and looking happy or sad? You didn't think of that, did you?

More likely if you use the correct decoder ring on the motivational slogan throw pillow behind him, it spells out the future direction of Arizona basketball.

I have a problem with the "Ignore the Haters, Including Yourself" slogan. By attempting to ignore yourself, you necessarily involve yourself in an active thought process, thus validating the hater inside.

Rene Descartes is rolling over in his grave like "I gave you **********ers this centuries ago and you still don't hear me."

That is a lululemon bag not a throw pillow, a company that sells women's overpriced yoga pants.

[BeardownZonaZona]

Lol yeah that Murphy tweet is nothing guys

What if the equipment manager is the contact point for all recruits' decisions, and he conveys incoming news by slouching on a couch and looking happy or sad? You didn't think of that, did you?

More likely if you use the correct decoder ring on the motivational slogan throw pillow behind him, it spells out the future direction of Arizona basketball.

I have a problem with the "Ignore the Haters, Including Yourself" slogan. By attempting to ignore yourself, you necessarily involve yourself in an active thought process, thus validating the hater inside.

Rene Descartes is rolling over in his grave like "I gave you **********ers this centuries ago and you still don't hear me."

That is a lululemon bag not a throw pillow, a company that sells women's overpriced yoga pants.

One good thing about that company is there's a lifetime guarantee on their stuff. You can wear something and if it's damaged you can get a new one. Still overpriced as hell although

[Spaceman Spiff]

Lol yeah that Murphy tweet is nothing guys

What if the equipment manager is the contact point for all recruits' decisions, and he conveys incoming news by slouching on a couch and looking happy or sad? You didn't think of that, did you?

More likely if you use the correct decoder ring on the motivational slogan throw pillow behind him, it spells out the future direction of Arizona basketball.

I have a problem with the "Ignore the Haters, Including Yourself" slogan. By attempting to ignore yourself, you necessarily involve yourself in an active thought process, thus validating the hater inside.

Rene Descartes is rolling over in his grave like "I gave you **********ers this centuries ago and you still don't hear me."

That is a lululemon bag not a throw pillow, a company that sells women's overpriced yoga pants.

I bow to your yoga pants knowledge, but I retain my objection to the haters quote.

[Spaceman Spiff]

You can see in the video some of that... very intelligent for this level on offense, quick decision maker, moves into the right places off ball. On defense he has a good frame and length but struggles to flip his hips to stay in front of the smaller (6'0") Quade Green who can shake him with a simple crossover; slow to react sometimes on that end.

The part I can't currently get over with Pelle on offense is a to rate of 29.1% on a usage rage of 18.4% as a freshman.

It's not to say he can't/won't improve on that, but that absolutely has to improve. That's an astronomical to%, which you can't have on a low usage rate as a player. You can't win with a low usage player coughing the ball up that frequently.

He can make solid decisions, but the to% implies for me he needs to become much more consistent in that area at a minimum. It's one reason I really prefer him in a correct role, which is not PG.

We have basically no bench scoring right now, so I see him in that role as a 6th man to bring scoring and shooting off the bench.

[Dave]

It's hard to get a read on his turnovers watching highlight videos. Maybe he did a lot of behind the back circus passes. lol

[Spaceman Spiff]

It's hard to get a read on his turnovers watching highlight videos. Maybe he did a lot of behind the back circus passes. lol

That's the limitation of highlight videos. I've watched a few and seen him make some passes that indicate he has good vision.

Then I look at his raw turnover numbers and to/assist ratio and neither are good. That's why I feel like he has potential, but that's a necessary improvement area. We didn't have a player over 21% and most of our perimeter rotation was in the low teens in to% last year. 29% is a percent that needs to come down.

[Longhorned]

I'd totally be into just turnover highlight videos.

[Jefe]

That the equipment manager is excited that it's Friday.

Is Brigger staying on? Miller brought him over from Xavier

That reminds me, are we getting new jerseys?! 4 or 5 years of the gradients now?

[BeardownZonaZona]

That the equipment manager is excited that it's Friday.

Is Brigger staying on? Miller brought him over from Xavier

That reminds me, are we getting new jerseys?! 4 or 5 years of the gradients now?

Nike works in cycles. We missed our cycle. Thanks Heeke. Probably won't for another year or so

[ChooChooCat]

That the equipment manager is excited that it's Friday.

Is Brigger staying on? Miller brought him over from Xavier

That reminds me, are we getting new jerseys?! 4 or 5 years of the gradients now?

Brigger is staying, he’s a U of A employee independent of the coaching staff.

[RondaeShimmy]

Nike has Arizona very low on the totem pole.

[YoDeFoe]

You can see in the video some of that... very intelligent for this level on offense, quick decision maker, moves into the right places off ball. On defense he has a good frame and length but struggles to flip his hips to stay in front of the smaller (6'0") Quade Green who can shake him with a simple crossover; slow to react sometimes on that end.

The part I can't currently get over with Pelle on offense is a to rate of 29.1% on a usage rage of 18.4% as a freshman.

It's not to say he can't/won't improve on that, but that absolutely has to improve. That's an astronomical to%, which you can't have on a low usage rate as a player. You can't win with a low usage player coughing the ball up that frequently.

He can make solid decisions, but the to% implies for me he needs to become much more consistent in that area at a minimum. It's one reason I really prefer him in a correct role, which is not PG.

We have basically no bench scoring right now, so I see him in that role as a 6th man to bring scoring and shooting off the bench.

Yeah I've been trying to make time to find / watch some of his games where he coughed it up a ton to hopefully get some insights (insights which will for sure defend my belief that he's a good player lol) but generally not finding them. The first UCLA game you can see that he has three turnovers: a shot clock violation, an offensive foul, and a turnover in the final seconds where the team just looked like they had no gameplan (he should have shot the ball). Those aren't super careless as much as they are "young player on a bad team."

Speaking of usage though: Larsson had the lowest shot % (% of shots taken while on the floor) among Utah rotation players - despite an excellent shooting percentage. From the footage I've seen there are times (like that UCLA game) when he should be shooting that he's instead looking to pass and forcing it. Kerr, imo, had the same issue last season. Trying to be too selfless can sometimes be trying to do too much.

The other thing that not shooting enough does... it increases your individual turnover % - because the formula there is TOV% = (TOV ÷ (FGA + (0.44 x FTA) + TOV)) x 100% - take fewer field goals? that'll increase your TO% without needing an increase in your number of TOs. Given his unnaturally low shot %, I'd pull back from the TO% as a declarative number for Pelle.

By way of example - Chris Duarte had a similar A:TO (including total numbers) as Pelle... but he had a <15% TO%... why? Because he took about twice as many field goal attempts while leading the Ducks in assists.

None of that detracts from the fact that Pelle was turnover prone last season. We can still see that he had a barely better than 1:1 A:TO ratio, nowhere near what you'd want for a PG. But I do think the kinds of turnovers he committed get better with a better team around him and a year of NCAA basketball under his belt. And (as I've beaten to death here) his TO% will evaporate with more shooting - something we'd certainly welcome.

Edit: As a final point of reference, Larsson's shot percentage would have been second lowest on Arizona's team last year - right below Koloko and above Lee. He had 47 / 46 / 88 shooting splits - which would have been best on the Arizona team. This is a kid who just needs to shoot it more and he's on the right squad to do so.

[ChooChooCat]

Nike has Arizona very low on the totem pole.

When you have an admin that doesn’t push Nike then you get what you ask for.

[Jefe]

Brigger is staying, he’s a U of A employee independent of the coaching staff.

Good he's an awesome guy, we've shared a few beers over the years. He was absolutely devastated when the the FBI case dropped. If Miller gets another offer Im sure he follows

[UAEebs86]

I'd totally be into just turnover highlight videos.

Apple or cherry?

[Dave]

I'd totally be into just turnover highlight videos.

https://youtu.be/Fry-Chz0Te4

[Spaceman Spiff]

You can see in the video some of that... very intelligent for this level on offense, quick decision maker, moves into the right places off ball. On defense he has a good frame and length but struggles to flip his hips to stay in front of the smaller (6'0") Quade Green who can shake him with a simple crossover; slow to react sometimes on that end.

The part I can't currently get over with Pelle on offense is a to rate of 29.1% on a usage rage of 18.4% as a freshman.

It's not to say he can't/won't improve on that, but that absolutely has to improve. That's an astronomical to%, which you can't have on a low usage rate as a player. You can't win with a low usage player coughing the ball up that frequently.

He can make solid decisions, but the to% implies for me he needs to become much more consistent in that area at a minimum. It's one reason I really prefer him in a correct role, which is not PG.

We have basically no bench scoring right now, so I see him in that role as a 6th man to bring scoring and shooting off the bench.

Yeah I've been trying to make time to find / watch some of his games where he coughed it up a ton to hopefully get some insights (insights which will for sure defend my belief that he's a good player lol) but generally not finding them. The first UCLA game you can see that he has three turnovers: a shot clock violation, an offensive foul, and a turnover in the final seconds where the team just looked like they had no gameplan (he should have shot the ball). Those aren't super careless as much as they are "young player on a bad team."

Speaking of usage though: Larsson had the lowest shot % (% of shots taken while on the floor) among Utah rotation players - despite an excellent shooting percentage. From the footage I've seen there are times (like that UCLA game) when he should be shooting that he's instead looking to pass and forcing it. Kerr, imo, had the same issue last season. Trying to be too selfless can sometimes be trying to do too much.

The other thing that not shooting enough does... it increases your individual turnover % - because the formula there is TOV% = (TOV ÷ (FGA + (0.44 x FTA) + TOV)) x 100% - take fewer field goals? that'll increase your TO% without needing an increase in your number of TOs. Given his unnaturally low shot %, I'd pull back from the TO% as a declarative number for Pelle.

By way of example - Chris Duarte had a similar A:TO (including total numbers) as Pelle... but he had a <15% TO%... why? Because he took about twice as many field goal attempts while leading the Ducks in assists.

None of that detracts from the fact that Pelle was turnover prone last season. We can still see that he had a barely better than 1:1 A:TO ratio, nowhere near what you'd want for a PG. But I do think the kinds of turnovers he committed get better with a better team around him and a year of NCAA basketball under his belt. And (as I've beaten to death here) his TO% will evaporate with more shooting - something we'd certainly welcome.

Edit: As a final point of reference, Larsson's shot percentage would have been second lowest on Arizona's team last year - right below Koloko and above Lee. He had 47 / 46 / 88 shooting splits - which would have been best on the Arizona team. This is a kid who just needs to shoot it more and he's on the right squad to do so.

First, respect for the deep statistical dive.

To explain, I bring up usage bc of the idea that higher TO's are a fair byproduct of being a shot creator for yourself and others. Look at the 19-20 list of most TO's in the NBA. Some really good players on there.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/le ... stats::tov

The more a player's asked to create, the more their TO's will rise. The part with Pelle that concerns is that his usage, shots and assists don't show me a guy who was tasked with being a major creator.

For me, it's that ratio. High usage and more TO's are acceptable. Like your Duarte example. If you produce a lot more shots, some TO's are a fair expectation.

If you're more like Pelle, and you're not a primary shot or assist creator, you can't sustain as many TO's. To use your Duarte example, Duarte had 2.3 topg vs Pelle's 2.7. But Duarte averaged about twice as many points and more apg than Pelle.

That's where Pelle is out of balance for me. He turned it over like a leading scorer and creator would, but he was the 5th leading scorer.

This isn't to be overly negative. You expect a younger player to be looser with the ball, and he can clean that up. I just am spotlighting it bc it's the area I think he needs to clean up. Utah was .500, but that is clearly not the goal here. He has the raw ability, but it's things like getting his TO's in check that will allow him to translate the things he does well (great shooting combined with decent penetration) to shine.

[YoDeFoe]

I'd totally be into just turnover highlight videos.

https://youtu.be/Fry-Chz0Te4

[RondaeShimmy]

[ChooChooCat]

Welp that may lead to some things. Let’s see.

[BeardownZonaZona]

Harris... Come on down kid!

[RondaeShimmy]

Dominick Harris
2020-21: Freshman — 3.0 ppg

Just as it went during the season, the Gonzaga talk centers around how the Zags will replace the offensive production of Kispert, Suggs and Ayayi. No one is talking much about their defense, at least not publicly. Inside the coaches’ offices, that’s very much a topic of conversation. “We lost a ton defensively,’’ Michaelson says. “Jalen was so good on the ball, and the other two guys were so old, they just knew what to do.’’

The solution, Michaelson believes, could lie largely with Harris, especially now that Cook has elected to transfer. Stuck behind a glut of experience, Harris, a McDonald’s All-American, didn’t get much playing time — just 181 minutes all season. But he is, by Michaelson’s estimation, the best on-ball defender on the roster. “It’s physical, the way he’s wired,’’ Michaelson says. “Some guys get in a stance, and they’re stiff. He’s flexible, just naturally gifted with the ability to sit in a stance.’’

The big thing for Harris will be committing to it. He was not unlike most freshmen, more interested in working that which comes easy than that which requires a bit more work. Defense is no fun and it comes with a lot fewer accolades, but if Harris can dig down on his defensive gifts, he will find a place on the floor. He already has proven he can shoot from the arc — he shot 39 percent, albeit with a small sample size, this season — which fills another hole for the Zags. “Dom fills a bucket or two for us,’’ Michaelson says. “He just has to step up and meet the challenge.’’

https://theathletic.com/2584679/2021/05 ... itle-game/

[Postmaster]

The lululemon logo makes me think of Lynda from Bob’s Burgers.

[UAEebs86]

[EastCoastCat]

C’mon Artie. Come To Tucson and let’s get this thing started again.

[NickyBCats]

Any idea what he’s gonna do here? This one seems rather quiet

[RondaeShimmy]

Approximate time of commitment

[Beachcat97]

I like our chances.

[ChooChooCat]

Any idea what he’s gonna do here? This one seems rather quiet

No idea.

[Beachcat97]

Thought this was happening at 1:30 MST.

[RondaeShimmy]

Thought this was happening at 1:30 MST.

It is

One more hour

[Dosia]

Another miss? Boooo

[BeardownZonaZona]

Seems that way