Dude…he’s going to RS…and we will get a good big in the portal…
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If Tony redshirted Traudt, he’s gonna redshirt Buchanan.
And I don’t think you can extrapolate Papi’s minutes to the transfer. Isn’t he hurt? Isn’t he a tad, say, over his head even when not hurt? I think we have really good story to tell for a talented big man looking for a bigger stage. You get a nice rotation option by pairing that guy with a Traudt/Kadin rotation, play Dunn and Leon on the wing, plus our strong guard platoon. And still have the versatility to go smaller.
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Are you really comparing Braxton, Jayden, & BVP to a guy who had playing against 6-3 centers in ID? Come on. I don’t know if he RS or not but since UVA had gotten good TB has not played new bigs quickly.
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Buchanan played against 5 star centers the entire summer. Outperformed Carey Booth, Derik Queen, JP Estrella and held his own against Flory Bidunga/went toe to toe with others
Especially if we aren’t defaulting to the hard hedge anymore which is where a lot of big prospects have to adapt coming to UVA, that quickens the learning curve.
And Traudt would have played this year, Tony didn’t redshirt him (again we have had more indepth debates about this but it was ultimately Traudt’s choice)
I don’t think Tony has ever had a big as skilled as Buchanan out of high school along with his quickness and athleticism.
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Also played at that section 7 tournament out west that featured a lot of top power 5 bigs.
We havent had a big recruit that has performed that well against other top bigs. In my mind Buchanan’s play this summer was akin to Hunter going at 5 stars. Or Gertrude outplaying Kentucky commit Justin Edwards early this same summer.
UVA fan message board posters absolutely certain an incoming recruit is better than anybody that has ever played before. Time is a flat circle.
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UVA fan message board posters also absolutely certain an incoming recruit is redshirting (Dunn). 
And McKneely is better than anyone that’s played before
(but more seriously I know it’s tongue in cheek but if an exaggeration is all you got, then it aint much lol. No one is saying he’s the next Michael Jordan. Because Buchanan didn’t stat pad against janitors and milkmen. It’s a low bar really).
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I believe next year Tony will demonstrate that he has perfected his craft. He’s going to redshirt an entire recruiting class. This year’s half class was weak sauce.
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Jayden, BVP, and Braxton all had multiple years of college experience. They should not be compared to Buchanan.
Akil and Tobey can be but should also be grouped with the rest of the group that did redshirt. Both Akil and Tobey arrived with opportunities in the front court. Remember, Traudt would’ve too if it wasn’t for BVP.
For Buchanan, as of right now, there is some opportunity there, but how much depends on the usage of Dunn and Bond, Papi’s decision (I know but until it’s actually made…), and whether another front court piece is added in the portal. We can’t definitively say one way or another, obviously, but I’d lean towards us picking up someone out of the portal and him redshirting strictly off of the experience piece that TB loves.
Too many “what ifs” right now to determine if BB will redshirt.
- What if we look at bigs in the portal
- What if Shedrick decides his minutes are just too sporadic and moves on
- What if Shedrick returns but TB decides to use a small lineup, with only him & Traudt getting minutes at the 5
- What if BB gets here and picks up the system quicker than most
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I think though the biggest hurdle is picking up the UVA defense. They had multiple years but this was their first year in the UVA packline. And Buchanan is quicker than both. Braxton Ill give you because he’s more of a wing anyways and wasn’t hedging as much as the others.
I think this is the fair assessment.
Probably the right conclusion. I remember bugging @HoozGotNext like “We have these talented young pieces. Why add a front court player to muddle playing time” to which he replied (paraphrased) “Tony loves experience and “grow old. stay old”. Just how he is”. I do think there is a lot of playing time regardless so you can add a veteran and also play the young guys a lot I guess.
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A lot of Apples to Oranges comps in the redshirt discussion.
Comparing immediate eligible upperclassmen transfers to first years is just silly, obviously.
And imo also can’t compare those early classes to today. Tobey, Akil, and Darion arrived (a) when the program had much less established depth and (b) Tony couldn’t add veteran depth through the transfer portal like he can today.
Also, I think the redshirt discussion is vastly different for athletic 4s like Akil and Zay than it is for true 5s, as the big concern is defense and true 5s have to acclimate both to the speed required for the hard hedge recovery and also the strength to body up veteran hefty big men.
I’m not saying Blake will or won’t redshirt, but there’s a reason Tony’s precedent for shirting is most consistently used on guys 6’10"+.
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Sorry if I’m missing what the argument on a catch-up skim, but I just think that if Tony has a choice between:
1). bringing in a transfer big man who can contribute while RS-ing Blake
2). playing BB as a true frosh
– he’s gonna do #1. Of course, he has to find and convince the right player to transfer in, but I don’t see him forgoing the opportunity.
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If I had to wager, I think it’s in between. I think BB plays, just only situationally, maybe 5-10 mpg. Either Kadin comes back as the starting 5, or Tony gets a transfer 5 to start. Traudt and BB splitting the remainder.
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In between as in he brings in a transfer plus he doesn’t redshirt BB and just plays him sparingly? Maybe - I just don’t see the minutes.
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I think, at least in my mind, Buchanan is in that mold as a 5/4 type forward rather than a true center. He’s pretty mobile. When I first saw clips of him on the defensive end I strangely thought “a slightly taller Darion Atkins”. Could be completely wrong though
Yes he’s mobile for his size. He’s still a 5.
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I think what CTB is looking for (and what we need) is obviously Mamadi. We desperately need athletic post D and rebounding. I also think they want Dunn and Bond to be just as much 3s as 4s.
So next year you can ideally have
- Kadin and BB
4/5 Portal Guy and Traudt
3/4. Dunn and Bond
2/3. Armaan iMac Gertrude Bond
1/2. Reece and Harris.
If one or both of Reece and Armaan go add in Portal Guard. I personally think we have one stay and yes I think both Papi and Taine are elsewhere next season.
Looking at it like that the front court is no more crowed than it is now and plenty of mins for all 4 guys listed in various line up rotations. So in conclusion BB probably gets Dunn like mins
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If Kadin comes back I’m fairly confident BB redshirts. Should only need a 3rd center for injuries, foul trouble, and when we want to go BIG (which might not happen at all with Dunn). Otherwise I think Shedrick and Traudt eat up all 40 minutes at the 5 next year most nights. And the nights they don’t we probably go extra small with Dunn.
Throw in a transfer and there are even fewer minutes available. Really only see PT for BB next year if Kadin leaves or Traudt is about 75% of the player we think he is