Reece would be. Really hope Shedrick is back. No one else would be crippling.
I think kadin certainly could be. He had some flashes of dominance
Like i said Reece is the only must keep. Kadin is a good player but I domt think heāll ever turn the corner to be a must have cant win without him player.
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. So many good moments. So many disappointing moments. While Bennett says he looks for ācompleteā players, this team was composed of so many incomplete players. There seem to be so many deficiencies in each individual player for a program with such a recent history of solid-ness. The program is in need of a top-down evaluation. I am certainly not advocating for Bennettās dismissal (that would be crazy talk!). However, something seems not championship-challenging-level in the coaching, recruiting, developing of players at the moment.
That written, the line between winning and losing is so thin. What would my feeling be if they hadnāt faltered down the stretch against VPI or Wake or FSU?
(p.s. Forget the refs this season. While some may dismiss as āloser talkā, I think this team has legitimate gripes!)
You need a culture setter every 3 classes or so. We did well going Akil->Malcolm->Ty but havenāt found that next guy since Ty.
McKneely and Bond show promise in that regard so hopefully one of them becomes that dude.
Great point. I go back to the same thing Iāve said since the Nati who is the leader of the team? Ty Malcolm. Gil Akil all had their reps. They havenāt had that since 19
Itās a minor miracle we won 21 games with our awful offense and shooting.
Reece Armaan Jayden. Other 2 staring and 3 rotation spots 100% up for grabs. Pulling for Kadin but heās got to lose the softness
I donāt think thatās a thing. Youāre either dominant or youāre not. Dominance is inherently sustained. He can certainly dunk the ball when he has a clear path. But he needs to get stronger in the paint, stop the silly fouls, stop leaving his man to hunt blocked shots. And somehow stop being a spaz with the ball. Itās like heās being shocked with electrodes whenever the ball is around him. Hopefully, heāll settle down with experience.
We havenāt seen someone recruit others as as actively as McKneely has in a very long time. He was integral in Issac^2 becoming a reality. I really think heāll become āthat guyā this team has been searching for.
Now watching D Hunter make a clutch 3 at the garden down the stretch, I miss him
Iāll say the unsayable. Reece leaving and Kihei staying isnāt the *worst outcome
Yup Kadin has a ways to go before Iād consider him dominate. Ive said it before but Iāve never seen someone who has played as much and as long as he has look so uncomfortable on the court.
All in all it wasnāt the most fun year to watch but I sure as hell enjoyed my time on here venting with the rest of you degenerates. I know many of you wouldnāt say the same as I tend to let my in-game frustrations pour out into the game threads but hope you all know Iām actually a very tame fan once the game is over. The gamethreads are not for everyone but they really are a fun place to talk shop.
We did have some fun moments along the way: the Providence win to take home the erectile wipe open, the VT win, Winning at Cameron, sweeping Miami, Taineās 3 point barrage against Iowa. IT wasnāt all bad. I wish we had gotten more developmental minutes for the younger players so we could point to guys like Taine and Igor as future contributors. They may just stink but the future will bare that out.
Truth be told we have a fantastic class coming in. A London Johnson commit on the horizon, and a high floor team next year that shouldnāt have too much trouble making the tournament. I have hopes that next year bring more big moments for future contributors. Those Jerome against Villanova type moments where we say to each other ādamn heās going to be so damn good for us.ā
The future is still very bright, even if we trot out the same starting 5 next year (so help me God)
Iām curious what outcome could be worse than Reece leaving regardless of what Kihei does? Outside of TB retiring I canāt think of anything worse. Iād rather lose all 14 other guys.
Yeah, Tony managing to get this team to 21 wins was impressive in a lot of ways. Of course, it also begs the question why is the roster so deficient three years after we won a national championship. But weāve had that discussion a hundred times already.
But if we lose Taine and/or Igor or they never give us anything, thatās another high school recruiting class down the tubes. I mean, you canāt keep winning at the level we used to when your recruiting is as bad as ours has been. From all of 2017 through 2022 (6 classes!) we have Reece, Kihei, and maybe Shedrick as ACC caliber dudes. Thatās an abject disaster.
Tony Bennett leaving.
Dude, just stop. That would be an absolute disaster. Youāve gotta be trolling at this point
Why do you cite Bond and not Troudt? Troudtās shot, game, and fire has me excited for next year. On the other - after having watched some of Wawautosa Eastās games - leave me thinking Bond has a lot to work on before he can contribute. What am I missing?
Well I think thatās your worst take yet in my opinion. But to each their own. I love that you come in shooting from the hip.