Let's talk '23

[IndianaZonaFan]

So are there rumors swirling about a player not yet in the portal? I’m extremely curious now

[arizonawildcats]

If Travis Branham put in a Crystal ball, that means he's commiting to us soon™

I wonder who the wing were going after, don't think he's in the portal yet

Darrion Williams?

Scheer predicts Texas Tech.

https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution ... edictions/

[arizonawildcats]

[Beachcat97]

What am I supposed to do with this information? Did we recruit him at one time?

[Dave]

This is what happens when Duke somehow gets all their potential first round picks to come back.

[Beachcat97]

This is what happens when Duke somehow gets all their potential first round picks to come back.

It's happening elsewhere too (ie: guys returning to school). The NIL and transfer portal have radically changed the decision-making process for these guys.

[RondaeShimmy]

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Goodman betting other people's houses on stuff, that's a good sign, it's when he bets his own stuff that it's a problem.

[dmjcat]

We reached out but he's apparently not interested

[CardiacCats97]

I don’t know why we would be interested either.

[dmjcat]

Also visiting Gonzaga

[84Cat]

Good page to bookmark

Tracking Arizona basketball’s NCAA transfer portal activity: https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/ ... ce=twitter

[dmjcat]

[Beachcat97]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

[TucsonCat]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season. Their core is moving on, and they are in for a rebuilding year, which is something that doesn’t happen often up here. I doubt Nembhard wants to go from a potential top five team to one that might struggle to win their conference next year. (Especially a mid-major conference.) Plus it is documented that he didn’t want to follow in his brother’s shoes, which is why he ended up in middle-Nebraska to begin with. Finally, it is going to be 53-degrees here today (in Spokane), while it’s going to be in the upper 70’s in a Tucson. Hard to have pool parties when it’s in the low 50’s. (Just saying…)

[EastCoastCat]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Both Few and his protege CTL don't do "locks to start". Haven't you been watching?

Both programs are solid, both programs have great fan bases, both programs have national recognition, etc... It will boil down to relationships, and I'm sure his brother will way in too.

[84Cat]

His brother plays with Ben in Indy so that might help also

[Beachcat97]

All great points, guys. Appreciate the info. Sounds more promising than I’d thought.

[Alieberman]

All great points, guys. Appreciate the info. Sounds more promising than I’d thought.

Everyone... literally EVERYONE has been predicting he chooses AZ.

Why does this not sound promising?

[arizonawildcats]

https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution ... edictions/

[CardiacCats97]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

[Beachcat97]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

I'm expecting Larsson and Ballo to return. So our starting five could be Boswell, Nembhard, Larsson, Ballo and Veesaar (or the Tennessee transfer). That's a decent starting 5.

[TucsonCat]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

We likely are, although to call Henderson a starter is splitting hairs. He was the “nominal” starter, but Pelle played the majority of minutes. Also, Boswell is an upgrade over Krissa, so it’s less of a hit in losing that particular starter. (And yes, I actually liked Kerr.) Losing Tubelis is far and away our biggest hit, but compare that to Gonzaga losing Drew Timme, and the Bulldogs come off worse in that trade off as they were more reliant on him than AZ was of Azoulas. In addition to Timme, the Zags are losing Bolton, Reid, Sallies, Smith (may return), Strawther, Harris and possibly Watson. That is 7 of their top 9 scorers. Their top returning scorer (Hickman) scored 7.7 points per game, and many of the fans hate him. I’d say that despite our losses, we are better overall shape for next year.

[CardiacCats97]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

I'm expecting Larsson and Ballo to return. So our starting five could be Boswell, Nembhard, Larsson, Ballo and Veesaar (or the Tennessee transfer). That's a decent starting 5.

100%

But I feel like both teams have under-utilized back-up PGs (Boswell & Hickman) who could step into the role I’m assuming Nembhard is looking to take on.

[CardiacCats97]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

We likely are, although to call Henderson a starter is splitting hairs. He was the “nominal” starter, but Pelle played the majority of minutes. Also, Boswell is an upgrade over Krissa, so it’s less of a hit in losing that particular starter. (And yes, I actually liked Kerr.) Losing Tubelis is far and away our biggest hit, but compare that to Gonzaga losing Drew Timme, and the Bulldogs come off worse in that trade off as they were more reliant on him than AZ was of Azoulas. In addition to Timme, the Zags are losing Bolton, Reid, Sallies, Smith (may return), Strawther, Harris and possibly Watson. That is 7 of their top 9 scorers. Their top returning scorer (Hickman) scored 7.7 points per game, and many of the fans hate him. I’d say that despite our losses, we are better overall shape for next year.

Great breakdown. Appreciate you putting the comparison together.

[Beachcat97]

We also have KJ Lewis coming in, who's expected to get minutes as a freshman (like Boswell).

But I'd love to get a backup PG transfer.

[Beachcat97]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

We likely are, although to call Henderson a starter is splitting hairs. He was the “nominal” starter, but Pelle played the majority of minutes. Also, Boswell is an upgrade over Krissa, so it’s less of a hit in losing that particular starter. (And yes, I actually liked Kerr.) Losing Tubelis is far and away our biggest hit, but compare that to Gonzaga losing Drew Timme, and the Bulldogs come off worse in that trade off as they were more reliant on him than AZ was of Azoulas. In addition to Timme, the Zags are losing Bolton, Reid, Sallies, Smith (may return), Strawther, Harris and possibly Watson. That is 7 of their top 9 scorers. Their top returning scorer (Hickman) scored 7.7 points per game, and many of the fans hate him. I’d say that despite our losses, we are better overall shape for next year.

I'd like to see a similar roster breakdown of Pac rivals next season. Oregon, ASU, Colorado, Utah.

And I should know this, but are USC and ucla done in the Pac, or one more season?

[CardiacCats97]

One more season.

[Beachcat97]

One more season.

Okay, weird. The comments here over the past several months have implied the two teams are now in the Big 10. But that's very interesting to have them back for a final season.

I think USC will be better than ucla next year, which hasn't happened lately.

[CardiacCats97]

One more season.

Okay, weird. The comments here over the past several months have implied the two teams are now in the Big 10. But that's very interesting to have them back for a final season.

I think USC will be better than ucla next year, which hasn't happened lately.

I think we are all just ready for those assholes to move the fuck on.

[TucsonCat]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

We likely are, although to call Henderson a starter is splitting hairs. He was the “nominal” starter, but Pelle played the majority of minutes. Also, Boswell is an upgrade over Krissa, so it’s less of a hit in losing that particular starter. (And yes, I actually liked Kerr.) Losing Tubelis is far and away our biggest hit, but compare that to Gonzaga losing Drew Timme, and the Bulldogs come off worse in that trade off as they were more reliant on him than AZ was of Azoulas. In addition to Timme, the Zags are losing Bolton, Reid, Sallies, Smith (may return), Strawther, Harris and possibly Watson. That is 7 of their top 9 scorers. Their top returning scorer (Hickman) scored 7.7 points per game, and many of the fans hate him. I’d say that despite our losses, we are better overall shape for next year.

I'd like to see a similar roster breakdown of Pac rivals next season. Oregon, ASU, Colorado, Utah.

And I should know this, but are USC and ucla done in the Pac, or one more season?

After doing a quick comparison of the PAC 12 teams, taking into account only the individuals who are leaving their current squads, Arizona falls into the middle tier in terms of talent returning. The breakdown of the % currently retuning is as follows (I apologize in advance for the poor formatting, as I am typing this on my phone):

PPG. RPG. APG. BPG. SPG. MPG.
Arizona 37.7% 44.8% 35.3% 57.1% 37.5% 40.1%
Arizona St. 15% 17.9% 29.2% 12.7% 19.7% 17.7%
California 42.3% 35.8% 34.8%. 35.3% 41.1% 37.5%
Colorado 73.4% 65.9% 70.3% 40% 68.% 65.6%
Oregon 34.7% 36.2% 32.4% 41.9% 31.5% 40.3%
Oregon St. 80.8% 73.6% 83% 77.8% 83.1% 83.9%
Stanford 43.3% 47.1% 45% 44.1% 43.9% 46.7%
Utah 46.2% 46.6% 54.6% 30.8% 56.3% 50.5%
Washington 28% 34.9% 19.7% 52.8% 28.4% 27%
Washington St. 67.3% 72.8% 76.1% 86.7% 72.9% 71.5%
UCLA 11% 16.9% 14.5% 14% 10.9% 17%
USC 62.8% 64.5% 58.6% 61.3% 72% 64.3%

Based on the figures above, UCLA has (by far) the biggest rebuilding job next year. Colorado, Oregon State, Washington State, and USC, are returning the majority of their production from last year. However, the quality of production isn’t the same. USC, and Colorado, have the most quality returners, while OSU and Wazzu are returning a lot on teams that struggled mightily last year. I would expect them to take a step forward, but not a dramatic one unless they pick up some quality in the portal. The other key factor is coaching. None of the teams I listed above, which are returning the most production, has what would be considered a top tier coaching staff. This will obviously hinder their ability to get to the upper third of the league standings next year.

And speaking of the portal, it will be the determining factor for those teams in the middle of the returning production grid. If AZ, Oregon, and Utah, can pull in quality transfers, they can quickly replace the production they lost, and be right in the thick of the race next year. UCLA and ASU probably have too much of a gap to overcome next year, in order to be considered a true threat. USC and Colorado will probably enter the year as the league favorites, based on the details listed above.

In terms of AZ, if they can pick up the transfers that are rumored, and pull in a couple of role players, they should be right at, or near the top of the standings again in 2023-2024.

[dovecanyoncat]

If you can do that on your phone you are a god.

[ZagCatFan]

Zags are courtesy call to take pressure off Lloyd for poaching rumors imo.

Ryan will be playing in Tucson

[arizonawildcats]

Maybe Kaluma is the real target. Michigan folks feel good about Nkamhoua.

[arizonawildcats]

[dmjcat]

I wonder if CTL has looked at JC All American Yaxel Lendeborg from Arizona Western.

He has some very impressive stats:

[Merkin]

Would Nembhard be a lock to start at Gonzaga as he would at AZ? If so, I don’t think he’s coming to Tucson.

Why? Gonzaga is being gutted this off-season.

I don’t disagree with your reasoning, but aren’t we losing 4 out of 5 starters off this year’s team? I’d say we are in as much of a retooling as the Zags.

I'm expecting Larsson and Ballo to return. So our starting five could be Boswell, Nembhard, Larsson, Ballo and Veesaar (or the Tennessee transfer). That's a decent starting 5.

Don't think starting 2 7 foot centers had worked out well for Arizona in the tourney for quite some time. Hopefully the Tenn PF will work out.

[Postmaster]

I also think the lack of perimeter defense has exposed the 2-big lineup.

[arizonawildcats]

[84Cat]

What, a 2 for 1. Is this guy credible? No one else is reporting this and his tweet was an hour ago

[arizonawildcats]

I'd take all of this with a grain of salt. I do think Kaluma would be a great fit.

[dovecanyoncat]

I'd take all of this with a grain of salt. I do think Kaluma would be a great fit.

I'm on a no-salt diet.

[RondaeShimmy]

I like what this says and want it to be true so I'm choosing to believe it

Welcome to Arizona Arthur

[azgreg]

Having Ballo, two athletic wings, and two point guards on the court at the same time makes me harder than Chinese algebra.

[pc in NM]

I like what this says and want it to be true so I'm choosing to believe it

Welcome to Arizona Arthur

Hmmm... seriously???

[TheCat]

I would be surprised if Ariz had a million in NIL money for anyone and if they did there would be better players at that price.

[prh]

We recruited Kaluma out of high school but then we pulled back. Was that Sean or Tommy?

[RondaeShimmy]

We recruited Kaluma out of high school but then we pulled back. Was that Sean or Tommy?

Tommy, fist missed on him and tyty (both playing in Arizona HS) during the summer, on a quick recruiting turn around

Iirc he was the one wanted to play a wing (which he turned out to be at Creighton) role rather than a big or maybe that was the kid that other AZ kid who went to Dayton under Miller

[arizonawildcats]

We recruited Kaluma out of high school but then we pulled back. Was that Sean or Tommy?

Tommy, fist missed on him and tyty (both playing in Arizona HS) during the summer, on a quick recruiting turn around

Iirc he was the one wanted to play a wing (which he turned out to be at Creighton) role rather than a big or maybe that was the kid that other AZ kid who went to Dayton under Miller

DaRon Holmes II is the Dayton big. His brother Cameron Holmes is a major AZ prospect in 2025.

[Postmaster]

I would be surprised if Ariz had a million in NIL money for anyone and if they did there would be better players at that price.

I asked this the other day but… what happened to all the shoe money that was used to direct kids to schools? Is it still there or did the shoe people decide to let the booster spend all of the money?