The two WCU players could be Winthrop-bound. WCU coach Mark Prosser resigned at the 'whee to take the Winthrop position.

So the Flager kid who plays for Baylor played for Coach Kerns at Presbyterian?

WVAPPeer wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:06 pm

So the Flagler kid who plays for Baylor played for Coach Kerns at Presbyterian?

yep, he was a steal for Kerns at Presby. Also, Macio Teague, the second leading scorer for Baylor, played for 2 years at UNCA.

South Alabama picked up their sixth former high major player, and second player from Auburn in the portal today. Javon Franklin. That makes 7 new faces (with high level experience) for the Jaguars.

I mentioned this in the other thread but Georgia Southern is losing two key players to the portal. Eric Boone and Zack Bryant, both scored in double figures and started a majority of the season for them

Just checked the updated portal - which now has 1248 (those who have verbally committed are still listed)

We will bring someone in to sit a year if we find the right fit.

Stonewall wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:35 am

We will bring someone in to sit a year if we find the right fit.

Anything's possible, but I'm not sure many guys enter the portal so they can find someplace to go sit a year.

Stonewall wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:35 am

We will bring someone in to sit a year if we find the right fit.

I hope we wouldn't bring someone in just to sit. If that's the case, get a high school senior you like and use their freshman season as development only.

We have a really experienced team. Everyone of note from our tourney run is back. IMO, you bring in a guy from the portal with that last scholarship spot that you feel can be solidly in your rotation to maximize your chances to return to the tourney again in 2022.

No idea who that would be.

AppHoops wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:05 am

Stonewall wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:35 am

We will bring someone in to sit a year if we find the right fit.

I hope we wouldn't bring someone in just to sit. If that's the case, get a high school senior you like and use their freshman season as development only.

We have a really experienced team. Everyone of note from our tourney run is back. IMO, you bring in a guy from the portal with that last scholarship spot that you feel can be solidly in your rotation to maximize your chances to return to the tourney again in 2022.

No idea who that would be.

I agree here, and the consensus seems to be it would be best we use that last spot for another frontcourt player.

We need a legitimate post presence. It was lacking a lot last year. We have the perimeter shooting covered with Forrest and Alomancy returning and Delph, but need a consistent scorer in the paint. Lewis, Gregory, Duhart, have their moments, but none have the body of a true center

The other week I listed 5 potential targets that were in the portal. I will post where they ended up below and some new potential targets:

Original 5:
Daniel Ramsey - 6'9 230 PF from Xavier -> Tennessee Tech
Jayden Gardner - 6'7 235 PF from ECU -> Virginia
Ejike Obinna - 6'10 240 C from Vanderbilt -> Saint Joseph's
Josh Carlton - 6'10 245 C from UCONN -> Houston
Edra Luster, Jr. - 7'0 230 C from ECU (Still in portal)

3 of these 4 transferred to bigger schools / conferences. Ramsey is the only we could have gotten it looks like if our staff wanted him and saw him as a fit for the program.

Here are some more names to keep an eye on in the portal:

Lorenzo Edwards - 6'8 215 PF from College of Charleston
He will be a 1 year grad transfer bonus year player. Played 4 years at St Joe's before last year in Charleston. Has good size and is a strong rebounder. Would be a solid pick up for us.

Mamoudou Diarra - 6'9 220 PF from Cincinatti
Georgia State benefitted from landing a Cincy big man in the portal last year, maybe it's our turn? Played in 70 games over 4 years, only started 1 game. Originally played high school ball in Greeneville, SC maybe we can get him to come closer to "home" (he is originally from Mali)

Walker Miller - 6'11 205 PF from UNC
A walk on for four years at UNC, but did have one scholly offer out of High School to Bucknell. Could have opportunity to provide minutes for us in the frontcourt. Originally from Greensboro, so maybe we are an in state option for him

DeAndre Wilkins - 6'10 235 C from Wagner
Originally from High Point NC, played in 16 games total for Wagner. Was a 3 star recruit out of high school.

Anjay Cortez - 6'8 190 PG from Alabama A&M
Another local kid, originally from Charlotte. Played one year at AA&M, averaged 5 ppg and 3 rpg in 9 games.

David Muoka - 6'10 210 C from Lamar
Would love for us to land a player like Muoka. He was the Southland defensive player of the year and averaged 9.9 RPG and 3.5 BPG in league play! Even if we don't land Muoka, I think a rebounding/shot blocking specialist is what we need

Jethro Tshisumpa 6'10 260 C from Texas Southern (technically)
He's played at 5 different schools in. 5 years (2 JuCo schools, 2 P5 schools, and Texas Southern.) Is a true athlete that can rebound and block shots with ease. Played HS ball in Virginia, if he does play another year of college ball maybe we can land him.

The two players who transferred out of Presbyterian College (one to Baylor and the other to Auburn) were recruited to PC by Greg Nibert who was there for over 20 years.

I might be in the minority here, but I actually think it may be more prudent to bring in a guard from the Portal than a post player. From my experience, mid major teams that have the most success, in terms of postseason runs, have an abundance of perimeter scoring. Our team this past season is a good example. If you have multiple guards that can be a threat to score 20 every game then you have a chance to make some noise in your conference tournament and in the early rounds of the big dance.

I totally understand why people would look at our roster with Forrest, Almonacy and Delph and think we have sufficient perimeter scoring, but after that, there are still unknowns. Those 3 can't play 35+ minutes a game for the year. How much scoring can we expect from the bench? I think Eads has potential to take a jump off the bench, Brown is a great defender and super athletic, but still unsure what his offensive impact is just yet. Hard to project how quickly the two incoming freshmen will acclimate to the college game. To me, it makes a ton of sense to add some experienced backcourt scoring to that group.

With Lewis, Duhart, Gregory, Huntley & Glushkov - we have a pretty deep rotation of guys that can come in and provide energy, rebounding, rim protection and defense to the floor. Even if they did bring someone in from the portal, they'll likely be the 4th-5th option offensively anyways so not sure a bucket getter down low is super critical. Plus, 80% of this group has additional eligibility past next season where the backcourt has more key players graduating.

Certainly not opposed to bringing in a post player that can bolster that group, but I wouldn't discount the value another scoring guard could bring to our second unit.

AppHoops wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:25 am

I might be in the minority here, but I actually think it may be more prudent to bring in a guard from the Portal than a post player. From my experience, mid major teams that have the most success, in terms of postseason runs, have an abundance of perimeter scoring. Our team this past season is a good example. If you have multiple guards that can be a threat to score 20 every game then you have a chance to make some noise in your conference tournament and in the early rounds of the big dance.

I totally understand why people would look at our roster with Forrest, Almonacy and Delph and think we have sufficient perimeter scoring, but after that, there are still unknowns. Those 3 can't play 35+ minutes a game for the year. How much scoring can we expect from the bench? I think Eads has potential to take a jump off the bench, Brown is a great defender and super athletic, but still unsure what his offensive impact is just yet. Hard to project how quickly the two incoming freshmen will acclimate to the college game. To me, it makes a ton of sense to add some experienced backcourt scoring to that group.

With Lewis, Duhart, Gregory, Huntley & Glushkov - we have a pretty deep rotation of guys that can come in and provide energy, rebounding, rim protection and defense to the floor. Even if they did bring someone in from the portal, they'll likely be the 4th-5th option offensively anyways so not sure a bucket getter down low is super critical. Plus, 80% of this group has additional eligibility past next season where the backcourt has more key players graduating.

Certainly not opposed to bringing in a post player that can bolster that group, but I wouldn't discount the value another scoring guard could bring to our second unit.

Question is, can you find a guy who's interested in coming to play limited minutes off the bench initially AND is talented enough to warrant an offer?

I would also say that Brown is a more proven rotation guy than the last couple post players you mentioned, and Gregory might ideally slide down to the 3 after Forrest and Almonacy move on.

AppHoops wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:25 am

I might be in the minority here, but I actually think it may be more prudent to bring in a guard from the Portal than a post player. From my experience, mid major teams that have the most success, in terms of postseason runs, have an abundance of perimeter scoring. Our team this past season is a good example. If you have multiple guards that can be a threat to score 20 every game then you have a chance to make some noise in your conference tournament and in the early rounds of the big dance.

I totally understand why people would look at our roster with Forrest, Almonacy and Delph and think we have sufficient perimeter scoring, but after that, there are still unknowns. Those 3 can't play 35+ minutes a game for the year. How much scoring can we expect from the bench? I think Eads has potential to take a jump off the bench, Brown is a great defender and super athletic, but still unsure what his offensive impact is just yet. Hard to project how quickly the two incoming freshmen will acclimate to the college game. To me, it makes a ton of sense to add some experienced backcourt scoring to that group.

With Lewis, Duhart, Gregory, Huntley & Glushkov - we have a pretty deep rotation of guys that can come in and provide energy, rebounding, rim protection and defense to the floor. Even if they did bring someone in from the portal, they'll likely be the 4th-5th option offensively anyways so not sure a bucket getter down low is super critical. Plus, 80% of this group has additional eligibility past next season where the backcourt has more key players graduating.

Certainly not opposed to bringing in a post player that can bolster that group, but I wouldn't discount the value another scoring guard could bring to our second unit.

strongly disagree here. We aren't deep in the front court. Gregory who is more of a traditional 3 was playing out of position as a 4/5 during our tourney run. Huntley and Glushkov both didn't see the floor in the games that mattered late. So that leaves only Lewis and Duhart again, which is why we should target a true big man so we can stop playing one of our top players (Gregory) out of position.

Also worth mentioning our perimeter scoring options are: Forrest, Almonacy, Delph, Gregory, Eads, Brown, PLUS 2 incoming freshmen in Mantis and Harcum

Interior scoring options are: James Lewis. That's it. Because Duhart, Glushkov, and Huntley are all stretch bigs that camp at the 3 point line more than they post up on the block

HurricaneYosef wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:27 am

AppHoops wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:25 am

I might be in the minority here, but I actually think it may be more prudent to bring in a guard from the Portal than a post player. From my experience, mid major teams that have the most success, in terms of postseason runs, have an abundance of perimeter scoring. Our team this past season is a good example. If you have multiple guards that can be a threat to score 20 every game then you have a chance to make some noise in your conference tournament and in the early rounds of the big dance.

I totally understand why people would look at our roster with Forrest, Almonacy and Delph and think we have sufficient perimeter scoring, but after that, there are still unknowns. Those 3 can't play 35+ minutes a game for the year. How much scoring can we expect from the bench? I think Eads has potential to take a jump off the bench, Brown is a great defender and super athletic, but still unsure what his offensive impact is just yet. Hard to project how quickly the two incoming freshmen will acclimate to the college game. To me, it makes a ton of sense to add some experienced backcourt scoring to that group.

With Lewis, Duhart, Gregory, Huntley & Glushkov - we have a pretty deep rotation of guys that can come in and provide energy, rebounding, rim protection and defense to the floor. Even if they did bring someone in from the portal, they'll likely be the 4th-5th option offensively anyways so not sure a bucket getter down low is super critical. Plus, 80% of this group has additional eligibility past next season where the backcourt has more key players graduating.

Certainly not opposed to bringing in a post player that can bolster that group, but I wouldn't discount the value another scoring guard could bring to our second unit.

strongly disagree here. We aren't deep in the front court. Gregory who is more of a traditional 3 was playing out of position as a 4/5 during our tourney run. Huntley and Glushkov both didn't see the floor in the games that mattered late. So that leaves only Lewis and Duhart again, which is why we should target a true big man so we can stop playing one of our top players (Gregory) out of position.

Also worth mentioning our perimeter scoring options are: Forrest, Almonacy, Delph, Gregory, Eads, Brown, PLUS 2 incoming freshmen in Mantis and Harcum

Interior scoring options are: James Lewis. That's it. Because Duhart, Glushkov, and Huntley are all stretch bigs that camp at the 3 point line more than they post up on the block

I know I just said Gregory might move to the 3 in the future, so I agree with you to an extent. But he's not going to do so this year as long as a) Almonacy, Forrest and Delph are on the team and b) he's not a perimeter shooting threat.

Also we're not going to play two true posts at the same time. What we do need is for one of more of those younger guys to progress enough to be playable options. But posting up on the block is just not a high priority for modern offenses unless you've got a rare stud center.

Player development has become a strength .Look at Delph ,Gregory and Lewis from year to year.We have three or four guys that could explode next year.

I look for Brown to be way more offensive in his sophomore year. Kid is just electric and getting more confident..... that’s a nice combo.

HurricaneYosef wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:27 am

AppHoops wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:25 am

I might be in the minority here, but I actually think it may be more prudent to bring in a guard from the Portal than a post player. From my experience, mid major teams that have the most success, in terms of postseason runs, have an abundance of perimeter scoring. Our team this past season is a good example. If you have multiple guards that can be a threat to score 20 every game then you have a chance to make some noise in your conference tournament and in the early rounds of the big dance.

I totally understand why people would look at our roster with Forrest, Almonacy and Delph and think we have sufficient perimeter scoring, but after that, there are still unknowns. Those 3 can't play 35+ minutes a game for the year. How much scoring can we expect from the bench? I think Eads has potential to take a jump off the bench, Brown is a great defender and super athletic, but still unsure what his offensive impact is just yet. Hard to project how quickly the two incoming freshmen will acclimate to the college game. To me, it makes a ton of sense to add some experienced backcourt scoring to that group.

With Lewis, Duhart, Gregory, Huntley & Glushkov - we have a pretty deep rotation of guys that can come in and provide energy, rebounding, rim protection and defense to the floor. Even if they did bring someone in from the portal, they'll likely be the 4th-5th option offensively anyways so not sure a bucket getter down low is super critical. Plus, 80% of this group has additional eligibility past next season where the backcourt has more key players graduating.

Certainly not opposed to bringing in a post player that can bolster that group, but I wouldn't discount the value another scoring guard could bring to our second unit.

strongly disagree here. We aren't deep in the front court. Gregory who is more of a traditional 3 was playing out of position as a 4/5 during our tourney run. Huntley and Glushkov both didn't see the floor in the games that mattered late. So that leaves only Lewis and Duhart again, which is why we should target a true big man so we can stop playing one of our top players (Gregory) out of position.

Also worth mentioning our perimeter scoring options are: Forrest, Almonacy, Delph, Gregory, Eads, Brown, PLUS 2 incoming freshmen in Mantis and Harcum

Interior scoring options are: James Lewis. That's it. Because Duhart, Glushkov, and Huntley are all stretch bigs that camp at the 3 point line more than they post up on the block

This plays right into Kerns’ style. Many of the best college bball teams play what would essentially be considered 4 guards in the lineup. It’s not necessarily about “positions” anymore as much as it is to get the best combo of players on the court who play to the strengths of the system. Hell, coach K was recruiting this way 30 years ago...not necessarily based on positions 1-5, but which pieces fit his puzzle for success. He won national titles with Grant Hill playing on the perimeter and Laettner as a stretch forward, sometimes post player, depending on the lineup at the time.

app97 wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:27 pm

HurricaneYosef wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:27 am

AppHoops wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:25 am

I might be in the minority here, but I actually think it may be more prudent to bring in a guard from the Portal than a post player. From my experience, mid major teams that have the most success, in terms of postseason runs, have an abundance of perimeter scoring. Our team this past season is a good example. If you have multiple guards that can be a threat to score 20 every game then you have a chance to make some noise in your conference tournament and in the early rounds of the big dance.

I totally understand why people would look at our roster with Forrest, Almonacy and Delph and think we have sufficient perimeter scoring, but after that, there are still unknowns. Those 3 can't play 35+ minutes a game for the year. How much scoring can we expect from the bench? I think Eads has potential to take a jump off the bench, Brown is a great defender and super athletic, but still unsure what his offensive impact is just yet. Hard to project how quickly the two incoming freshmen will acclimate to the college game. To me, it makes a ton of sense to add some experienced backcourt scoring to that group.

With Lewis, Duhart, Gregory, Huntley & Glushkov - we have a pretty deep rotation of guys that can come in and provide energy, rebounding, rim protection and defense to the floor. Even if they did bring someone in from the portal, they'll likely be the 4th-5th option offensively anyways so not sure a bucket getter down low is super critical. Plus, 80% of this group has additional eligibility past next season where the backcourt has more key players graduating.

Certainly not opposed to bringing in a post player that can bolster that group, but I wouldn't discount the value another scoring guard could bring to our second unit.

strongly disagree here. We aren't deep in the front court. Gregory who is more of a traditional 3 was playing out of position as a 4/5 during our tourney run. Huntley and Glushkov both didn't see the floor in the games that mattered late. So that leaves only Lewis and Duhart again, which is why we should target a true big man so we can stop playing one of our top players (Gregory) out of position.

Also worth mentioning our perimeter scoring options are: Forrest, Almonacy, Delph, Gregory, Eads, Brown, PLUS 2 incoming freshmen in Mantis and Harcum

Interior scoring options are: James Lewis. That's it. Because Duhart, Glushkov, and Huntley are all stretch bigs that camp at the 3 point line more than they post up on the block

This plays right into Kerns’ style. Many of the best college bball teams play what would essentially be considered 4 guards in the lineup. It’s not necessarily about “positions” anymore as much as it is to get the best combo of players on the court who play to the strengths of the system. Hell, coach K was recruiting this way 30 years ago...not necessarily based on positions 1-5, but which pieces fit his puzzle for success. He won national titles with Grant Hill playing on the perimeter and Laettner as a stretch forward, sometimes post player, depending on the lineup at the time.

Probably should have expanded my post to include other metrics other than just offense, but I've mentioned it before in other posts here recently. Our offense was 245th in the country this past season, our rebounding differential was 151st in the country and 8th in the Sun Belt. We need help on the block and a strong rebounding big man who can also score a little will do leaps and bound more than another guard. I hope "Kerns' style" on offense improves, cause our offense was challenging to watch for the duration of the season. Even in the sun belt tourney we would go stretches of 2-5 minutes without making a basket. Hopefully player development continues to be a strong point and we see more of an impact from Kerns recruits. As of right now Huntley/Glushkov aren't capable of protecting the rim, scoring on the block, and dominating the glass in a way that will improve our offense, post defense, or rebounding differential. Both need to add more muscle and continue to improve this off season for any of those things to happen.