Very positive analysis
10 Likes
I suspect that McCorkle is criminally underrated but that is okay. He is going to be great under Bennett
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As good a spot as any for this.
Noah serves as the annual reminder not to pay that much attention to early rankings and hype. He was way up there a couple years ago. Was one of the first 2020s UVA looked at. He even visited. We were pretty excited about it at the time. Just something to keep in mind when we start getting involved with the 2022 class soon.
6 Likes
Evaluation is such a crap shoot. I think about David Robinson who went to Osbourn Park HS in Manassas as a 6’6 prospect that wasn’t recruited by anyone due to only playing basketball his senior year. Had a 1370 SAT and went to the US Naval Academy. The rest is history as everyone knows…
3 Likes
To a degree they are. But for the most part there is a pretty clear divide under TB since 2013-2014 in terms of recruiting rankings. Guys that are top-150 typically are contributors and often develop into all-ACC type players. Those who are below 150 typically aren’t. While there are some clear exceptions it’s a pretty good rule for figuring out who is going to be contributing down the line and who isn’t
1 Like
Reece and Jabri both provide something we immediately need. Reece should step right into the backup pg role to alleviate some of the ball-handling from Kihei but should be able to play alongside him as well in some lineups. Jabri has more guys he’s competing with, but his shot creation is pretty unique on the team and should get him looks on the floor.
Honestly with Carson I wouldn’t be surprised to see a redshirt. I can’t see him getting many minutes from Tomas and Casey offers more defensive use (and if the shooting comes along should see more minutes). Probably could use a little more strength/weight and he’s coming off an injury
8 Likes
Wow , I remember him. I wondered what had happened to him. Wasn’t he ranked pretty high at one time
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Sorry HGN, I see now where you said he was
Great quotes in here from Shareef
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Jabri is the real deal!! Looking forward to seeing this young man play for Virginia and coached by the best in all the land, Coach Bennett.
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It’s great to see the hype building… but tbh I think the experts are overrating us. Don’t get me wrong, the team has the potential to be that good and contend for a natty, but there’s so many new pieces to the puzzle that locking us into the top-6 feels a bit premature
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Agreed completely
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I’d give us between 7 and 12
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I get this view, and don’t disagree exactly. We’ll need some unproven players to fill in gaps. It’s just that you can say the same for every other team ranked up there. We tend to over analyze our own.
12 Likes
Borzello on ESPN describes Villanova, Gonzaga, and Baylor as a clear top tier because they’re returning a lot of minutes from already very good teams and it’s hard to disagree there’s a bit of a drop-off after that to teams like us that should be good but do have question marks.
It’s kinda crazy for a Tony team but I am a little worried about defense. Without braxton and mamadi there is no real wing/forward stopper that we’ve had for the past few seasons.
4 Likes
I see McCoy & Morsell taking over at defensive Stoppers
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This season is the opposite of last year . The defensive will be behind at the start of the year but I’m confident in Tony to figure it out. I believe we will be a definite contender come March
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Villanova does return a lot of minutes, but Gonzaga and Baylor could be losing significant minutes depending on draft decisions. And not only is UVa returning a solid chunk of minutes, they’re projected to have an efficient offensive player in Hauser soaking up a bunch of the minutes up for grabs.
I think you’re right someone needs to be able to defend combo forwards, which is maybe why HGN mentioned weeks ago that the coaching staff was looking for Wilkins/Mitchell-type players, but I think the projection systems rightly look at TB’s track record and conclude that he will probably have an elite defense. I think you could have asked the same questions of the defense going into the 2018-2019 season, because of losing two defensive rocks in Wilkins and Hall, and the defense was slightly below 2017-2018 levels (but still elite), but the offense improved more than enough to make up for it.
5 Likes
Agree with the last sentence times 100. This should be a very very good team. Sam Hauser is a first team all-ACC player (arguably the best “returning” player in the league), and Kihei is trending in the direction of 1st/2nd team. If Huff makes a similar production leap as Mamadi did this year, he’s right up there as well. That’s three of the top 15ish players in the league next year.
I expect a level up from Casey Morsell next season to provide slashing ability with a more consistent jumper- along with everything he brings on D. Tomas should continue getting acclimated and be a plus shooter.
The 6-8/9 spots in the rotation will be competitive, but lots of talent that could push through. JAR is a unique talent, and I think he will he very hard to keep off the floor next year (similar to Guy seeing minutes first year despite being a work in progress on D). Reece Beekman will bring much needed ball handling support, and that alone will provide a lot opportunities. Could see him emerging as the second guard option by March. For the last wing spot and front court, all of the returning guys had moments last year.
Point being, the talent mixed with experience is a good mesh. Offensive foundation is there- Elite/above average shooting at multiple spots (Hauser, Huff, Tomas, Kihei, plus incoming guys), a few guys who can create their own looks, and talent at both guard and front court spots. Defense may be a work in progress to start, but Kihei, Casey and Huff are all elite to above average defenders. That alone should be a great foundation.
I think expectation as top 5 team - likely behind Gonzaga/Baylor/Nova, but right in that conversation- and best team in the acc is accurate.
8 Likes