Let's talk '23

[SabinoDrifter]

I’m starting to think we never lost neemhard. I don’t think he was ever ours. Revisionist history? Maybe.

Yep, he played Lloyd

Still it is never time to worry until the roster is set.

A lot can happen. Cannot get caught up in the noise of social media and podcasting etc

But definitely can blame the collectives.

[HiCat]

Awesome!

https://twitter.com/caleb2love/status/1 ... to-arizona


Caleb Love Highlights
https://www.google.com/search?client=sa ... mPdr9vX8WE

[pc in NM]

I’m starting to think we never lost neemhard. I don’t think he was ever ours. Revisionist history? Maybe.

Yep, he played Lloyd

Still it is never time to worry until the roster is set.

A lot can happen. Cannot get caught up in the noise of social media and podcasting etc

Those who didn't count their chickens before they were hatched were neither disappointed nor discouraged...

[azcat49]

This roster is loaded for a serious run to the final four. It’s like Lloyd really has focused in on getting us to Phoenix next year.

Our defense is vastly improved and we have positional flexibility. We have really improved our perimeter play and we have countless fouls on the interior. We are going to be much better next season

[84Cat]

[EastCoastCat]

Just hope he makes some better "off court" decisions this time around. Team chemistry is very important to this program.

[Beachcat97]

Just hope he makes some better "off court" decisions this time around. Team chemistry is very important to this program.

Chemistry is always a concern, especially when we're bringing in three transfers, two of which are likely to start.

Also crazy that Love has two years of eligibility left, though I'd be very surprised to see him play more than one season in Tucson.

[AzCatFan2]

We have a lot of vets on the team that have been here a couple of years already like Oumar and Pelle. I would hope they would, at this point, be leaders in the locker room and ensure the team is united. Team chemistry hasn't been a problem under Tommy yet (knock wood), and it was Pelle and Henderson who talked first about Pelle coming off the bench before they discussed it with Tommy. If Love is being a detriment to the team, I like the fact we have a guy like Pelle who is not only very talented, but already proven to be a team-first guy.

I think we also have the depth this year to use the bench as a great motivator. We have three, very highly rated, capable guards, and Pelle who is a swingman and capable of playing point. Take too many ill-advised shots, and this year, Tommy should give that guy plenty of time to think about it sitting next to him.

Last, as this SI article points out, the system we play should be perfect for Love. We have ranked in the top 5 in assists both years under Tommy, and a fast-paced, ball-moving, always looking for a better shot offense could make Love a star again. A guy like Mathurin became a true star, and he was just as happy making a nice pass for an assist as he was shooting, because he knew the ball was coming back his way for an open shot more likely than not next trip down. Hopefully Love understands and buys into this. Here's the article: https://www.si.com/college/2023/05/30/w ... sk-arizona

[dovecanyoncat]

Tommy's recruiting decision tree begins with character, so we have that going for us wrt team chemistry. On court he is fairly permissive, and his system relies on players' optionality to optimize the offense. By his third year this base should be cultural. Getting the cultural balance between scoring and defending will be fun to watch, and the OOC schedule should do just that. Gonna be a much different season. Can't wait!

[CardiacCats97]

Using the bench as a motivator could be a double-edged sword. If Tommy is getting high profile transfers and then they are getting benched mid-season, the word might get around (true or untrue) that he’s promising playing time and then going back on his word.

[Beachcat97]

Using the bench as a motivator could be a double-edged sword. If Tommy is getting high profile transfers and then they are getting benched mid-season, the word might get around (true or untrue) that he’s promising playing time and then going back on his word.

Think it's unnecessary to worry about this right now. I hear your point, CC. Just don't think there's reason for concern at the moment.

[Merkin]

I haven't heard about Lloyd promising minutes or starting positions to anyone. Not that I have any insider knowledge, I don't.

[EastCoastCat]

I haven't heard about Lloyd promising minutes or starting positions to anyone. Not that I have any insider knowledge, I don't.

I can recall several interviews where he emphatically states nobody is guaranteed anything on his teams, but yeah who knows what is said behind closed doors.

I think CC's point was even if untrue other teams can make something out of nothing.

[pc in NM]

Using the bench as a motivator could be a double-edged sword. If Tommy is getting high profile transfers and then they are getting benched mid-season, the word might get around (true or untrue) that he’s promising playing time and then going back on his word.

Think it's unnecessary to worry about this right now. I hear your point, CC. Just don't think there's reason for concern at the moment.

I don't want,highly-touted, fragile personalities coming here.

[CardiacCats97]

I haven't heard about Lloyd promising minutes or starting positions to anyone. Not that I have any insider knowledge, I don't.

I can recall several interviews where he emphatically states nobody is guaranteed anything on his teams, but yeah who knows what is said behind closed doors.

I think CC's point was even if untrue other teams can make something out of nothing.

Exactly. Nobody would think Love transferred to come off the bench but if he does, even as a motivator or disciplinary thing, you might get other teams whispering in future transfers’ ears “Hey, remember what happened to Caleb?” So it’s a tough situation for Tommy. I know I’d be hesitant to bench a kid like him. You wouldn’t want it to affect your decision-making but I think about some of the tough calls that Sean Miller had to make (like with PJC) and I don’t envy head coaches. I guess that’s why they get paid millions.

[AzCatFan2]

If Love gets benched, I hope he understands why, works his tail off in practice, earns the special jersey, and comes back with a vengeance. If not, then we're better off with him riding pine. And if that means some future prima donna doesn't come to Tucson, then we're better off for that too.

Love comes with some baggage from his time at UNC. He's a great talent, but the reports are he shot Carolina out of the tournament last year and refused to change. If he does that in Tucson, then he shouldn't be in the game. We have enough talent without him to win plenty of games. If Love plays within the system and excels, then we have enough talent to go really far in March. Let's hope Love learns this lesson.

[pc in NM]

If Love gets benched, I hope he understands why, works his tail off in practice, earns the special jersey, and comes back with a vengeance. If not, then we're better off with him riding pine. And if that means some future prima donna doesn't come to Tucson, then we're better off for that too.

Love comes with some baggage from his time at UNC. He's a great talent, but the reports are he shot Carolina out of the tournament last year and refused to change. If he does that in Tucson, then he shouldn't be in the game. We have enough talent without him to win plenty of games. If Love plays within the system and excels, then we have enough talent to go really far in March. Let's hope Love learns this lesson.

He was the face of a preseason #1 team that missed the Big Dance. That’s about ten notches higher on the “I Fucked Up Big Time Scale” than Krissa’s PG of a first round loss to Princeton…

… Bench Time should be the least of his concerns!!! Either he cuts the mustard, or he doesn’t. CTL has options!!

[84Cat]

According to Scheer, Caleb said he was never held accountable at UNC and wanted to go someplace that he would be held accountable. Will see how that works out but if true it's a good start

[Postmaster]

What kind of weirdo wants to be held accountable?

[EastCoastCat]

My UNC connections tell me he hooked up with Bakot’s GF and that caused quite a riff.

[HiCat]

This roster is loaded for a serious run to the final four. It’s like Lloyd really has focused in on getting us to Phoenix next year.

Our defense is vastly improved and we have positional flexibility. We have really improved our perimeter play and we have countless fouls on the interior. We are going to be much better next season

The more I look at this roster I can't help but get excited for the season to start. These guys are going to be even better than I thought. Much better.

btfd!

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Here are my thoughts on the Caleb love add, he is gonna raise our ceiling and increase our ability to win tough games, mainly because unless he is ice cold, you gotta respect him and put someone good on him or he could go off. That gives everyone else a little more wiggle room.
We are probly gonna have some "head scratchers"

I put that in quotes because some people will scratch their heads, but we'll probly know what happened.

So what does that mean? We have a team that is poised to go on a magical run, also, we could lose in the first round. Don't think we are missing the tourney this year. Probly get a 2 or 3 seed.

I see Love as a similar transfer to Remy Martin. Hope it works out as well as that did.

Dude, I'm gonna have to eat crow because I was mocking my buddy who is a UofM fan when they took him.

[gronk4heisman]

Remy Martin was a much better player than Caleb Love by every metric available when he was at ASU. I am very worried that we are taking a really bad player who thinks he is Kobe. He was by far the worst starter on UNC every year there and they were better when he was off the floor than when he was on. In my view he is really only carried by a couple good tournament games (which is very important) ignoring that every other game in the tourney was a dud.

[AzCatFan2]

Love has a much higher ceiling than Martin. Nothing against Martin, but at Love's best, he has NBA capability. Martin was a great college player, but never was going to be NBA. Last I saw, Remy was playing in Greece.

The key to Love is making sure he plays within the system. Love took too many shots that he thought were good, when there were likely better shots available. Tommy's system has always been about taking the best shot possible, and if you have a good shot, but a teammate has a better one, make the pass. That's why we've been top 5 in assists the last two years, and had some ridiculous assist number games.

Benn bought into the system. He passed up some good shots in order to make a pass to a teammate who had a better one. That's because Benn knew next trip down the floor, if he was in position for the better shot, he'd get the ball. If Love buys into the system, not sure he can be high lottery like Benn, but Love has lottery potential in my opinion.

[RondaeShimmy]

My UNC connections tell me he hooked up with Bakot’s GF and that caused quite a riff.

I browse the college basketball subreddit and that rumor is out there and pretty public

[CardiacCats97]

My UNC connections tell me he hooked up with Bakot’s GF and that caused quite a riff.

I browse the college basketball subreddit and that rumor is out there and pretty public

Prolific shooter and reluctant passer huh?

[Postmaster]

My UNC connections tell me he hooked up with Bakot’s GF and that caused quite a riff.

I browse the college basketball subreddit and that rumor is out there and pretty public

Prolific shooter and reluctant passer huh?

Led the team in steals?

[CardiacCats97]

My UNC connections tell me he hooked up with Bakot’s GF and that caused quite a riff.

I browse the college basketball subreddit and that rumor is out there and pretty public

Prolific shooter and reluctant passer huh?

Led the team in steals?

Also really good on the double switch.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Excels in the pick and pop?

[CardiacCats97]

Excels in the pick and pop?

And lethal in the pick & roll.

[TheCat]

Ranked 2,3 and 4 (if in fact we do play Purdue) after it was clear who is staying in the NBA draft. That is a tough schedule.

Duke: The Blue Devils bring back their top four scorers Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell. They also added one of the best freshmen classes in the country. Jon Scheyer has another year as a head coach and is ready to challenge for a title.

Michigan State: The Spartans bring back essentially every key piece except for Joey Hauser. Jaden Akins, A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Malik Hall give Michigan State a loaded lineup. Freshmen Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears will have an immediate impact.

Purdue: The Boilermakers bring back the national consensus player of the year in Zach Edey. While all but one of the top seven scorers is returning, the Boilermakers still need to figure out how to deal with quicker guards. That was the reason Purdue lost in stunning fashion to FDU. The pieces are in place for Purdue to avenge the loss — just like Virginia did in 2019 after losing to 16 seed UMBC in 2018.

[arizonawildcats]

[arizonawildcats]

I think Keshad will be getting a lot of minutes. We just need Murauskas to play 10 minutes a game. Henri will play backup center and we'll go small a lot.

[HiCat]

Adding Caleb Love moves Wildcats up in early rankings for 2023-24

Bruce Pascoe Jun 3, 2023 Updated 8 hrs ago

Love him or not, Arizona’s latest addition has lifted the Wildcats back into the national men’s college basketball conversation.

Several early Top-25 projections for next season, updated last week when the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for NBA Draft entrants passed and transfer portal calmed down, had Arizona in the Top 15 after the Wildcats added North Carolina transfer guard Caleb Love to a roster that is now full of depth and experience.

ESPN moved Arizona up from No. 23 to No. 11 while the Athletic’s Seth Davis elevated UA from 22 to 15. CBS’ Gary Parrish now has the Wildcats at No. 16, while SI has them at No. 15 and 247 ranks Arizona at 17.

https://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildca ... ign=sports

[Beachcat97]

Adding Caleb Love moves Wildcats up in early rankings for 2023-24

Bruce Pascoe Jun 3, 2023 Updated 8 hrs ago

Love him or not, Arizona’s latest addition has lifted the Wildcats back into the national men’s college basketball conversation.

Several early Top-25 projections for next season, updated last week when the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for NBA Draft entrants passed and transfer portal calmed down, had Arizona in the Top 15 after the Wildcats added North Carolina transfer guard Caleb Love to a roster that is now full of depth and experience.

ESPN moved Arizona up from No. 23 to No. 11 while the Athletic’s Seth Davis elevated UA from 22 to 15. CBS’ Gary Parrish now has the Wildcats at No. 16, while SI has them at No. 15 and 247 ranks Arizona at 17.

https://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildca ... ign=sports

We're absolutely a top 15 team to begin the season, with potential for top 5 depending on how we do against those big names in our early schedule. I know this is a phrase we mainly use with recruiting, but I'd say as a PROGRAM...we're right where we want to be. Tommy is crushing it.

[84Cat]

Moved up to the 17th best player in the country.

[TheCat]

This guy can shoot. He is going to be really good.

[RondaeShimmy]

Moved up to the 17th best player in the country.

He's 2024 class

[RaisingArizona]

Moved up to the 17th best player in the country.

He's 2024 class

Bigger Ben Gordon. But yes, we have to wait one more year.

[TheCat]

Well I think our non conference schedule is about as tough as it gets. Will really test this team from the beginning. It should toughen us up and hopefully guys don't get discouraged because we will not be favored in any of these games. Last I looked we had scheduled 3 of the top 4 teams (not sure what it is now).

[Merkin]

[Beachcat97]

Well I think our non conference schedule is about as tough as it gets. Will really test this team from the beginning. It should toughen us up and hopefully guys don't get discouraged because we will not be favored in any of these games. Last I looked we had scheduled 4 of the top 5 teams (not sure what it is now).

If we go undefeated in our 2023-24 non-conference games, we should give Tommy a mid-season raise.

[CardiacCats97]

The fact that this isn’t a Tucson or Phoenix dealership is a travesty. The southern Arizona business community needs to get behind our teams and players.

[Irish27]

The fact that this isn’t a Tucson or Phoenix dealership is a travesty. The southern Arizona business community needs to get behind our teams and players.

https://www.nildealnow.com/arizona-jayd ... ealership/

[PHXCATS]

The fact that this isn’t a Tucson or Phoenix dealership is a travesty. The southern Arizona business community needs to get behind our teams and players.

Hahahahahahahaha

[84Cat]

The commitment from Murauskas closes out Arizona’s roster. Spanish guard Conrad Martinez has also been added, which means that Tautvilas Tubelis will likely be placed off scholarship. Sources do indicate to WildcatAuthority.com that there is a good chance Tubelis will remain a part of the program in a different capacity.

[arizonawildcats]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... -murauskas

"My decision to go to the NCAA is all about improvement," Murauskas told ESPN. "Especially physical improvement to be able to compete in high-intensity games. Personally, I think that this will be the best place for my further development as a person and as a basketball player."

The 6-foot-9 forward from Lithuania led the FIBA U18 European Championship in scoring last summer at 20.7 points per game, finishing second in player efficiency ranking (PER) behind MVP Izan Almansa.

Murauskas was identified as a top-tier prospect in Lithuania from an early stage, making his first-division debut with his home club of Zalgiris already as a 16-year old. He brings a wealth of experience for a player his age, playing 61 games at the pro level in the EuroCup and Lithuanian first division this season, averaging 6 points and 3 rebounds in 15 minutes per game, shooting 68% from 2-point range and 34% for 3. He played up as a 17-year-old on loan in the first division with Nevezis last season, averaging 8.4 points in 20 minutes per game, a rarity at this level of competition.

Murauskas offers significant mismatch potential at the college level with his strong frame and excellent ballhandling, shot-creation and passing ability at 6-9, seeing minutes at both forward spots this past season for Lietkabelis, which finished in fourth place in Lithuania. He brings a level of physicality you don't often see from players his age, attacking defenders relentlessly, pushing off the defensive glass and getting to the free throw line prolifically everywhere he has played.

"I think that the adaptation will take some time," Murauskas said. "This is even normal for older American players coming to different European leagues. However, I believe that my experience in Europe playing against mature players will help me adapt more easily. I played at a really high level for two years now, and I believe my versatility, size and skills will be successful in the NCAA."

[arizonawildcats]

[HiCat]

Life is good.

[PHXCATS]

I am happy to have Keshad, but will still feel a little let down not getting either Nembhard or Kaluma.

Same

Good call....