TSU88

1 hour ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Don’t you mean, allez avec Dieu? 

😂
 

But in all seriousness, him and Charles are subbed out for the incoming two freshmen so scholarships are all used. There are 2-3 non d1 players on this team and another total question mark. Not great. 
 

On the bright side maybe the staff, instead of worrying about finding replacement players in the portal, is working non stop on developing an offensive game plan. Who am I kidding… they aren’t. 

Without naming names (which, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve already mentioned) we have, in my estimation, 5 players who either aren’t D1 caliber, or are barely (low level) D1. So, don’t include me in the camp that is satisfied that we’re “running it back “ with the same crew as last season. Change may be unpleasant in many cases, but is often necessary. If we remain stagnant, the risk of falling behind may increase, perhaps significantly. 

23 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Don’t you mean, allez avec Dieu? 

😂
 

But in all seriousness, him and Charles are subbed out for the incoming two freshmen so scholarships are all used. There are 2-3 non d1 players on this team and another total question mark. Not great. 
 

On the bright side maybe the staff, instead of worrying about finding replacement players in the portal, is working non stop on developing an offensive game plan. Who am I kidding… they aren’t. 

Well, reading between the lines suggests that the only other possible departures would be J. Cole and/or C. Paar. If neither departs, the roster is set. If 1 or both depart, we’ll be dipping our toes in the portal pool 

1 minute ago, mat1992 said:

Only transfer at this moment. Opens up a ship for the freshmen

https://x.com/jamieshaw5/status/1780248060494262537?s=46&t=nScacl1TWT-KyOwj5stBaw

Marcus, we hardly knew ya, but we’ll always have Montreal. Vaya con dios 

Just now, mat1992 said:

Zach Edey couldn't receive NIL because he's Canadian but I imagine that will change shortly. If there is still somebody doing anything at the NCAA. Sulaiman is from England and well, you know.

So interestingly enough, I read that the ban on NIL for foreign players isn’t actually an NCAA thing, but rather such payments are banned under U.S. law

1 hour ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Listened to Nolan Richardson interview today and he said Coach Calipari came to Arkansas solely because of their NIL coffers and his focus will now be recruiting 23 year old 4+ season experienced players instead of the 17-18 year old one and done players. 
 

Let’s face it, the college basketball & football most of us grew up watching, no longer exists, having been replaced by a system fueled by $, feeding the mercenaries who jump from school-to-school in search of the biggest paycheck. Programs like ours have been reduced to a hand-to-mouth existence, where maybe, just maybe, we can catch lightning in a bottle and bring in a freshman or two, who can make us competitive, that is until they kick us aside in the never ending hunt for bigger bucks. Absent some well heeled donors (I guess anything’s possible, but good luck with that) we’ll be scouring the bargain bin when it comes to the transfer portal. It up to each of you to decide what you think of this brave new world. As for me, it’s an abomination 

9 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Rich get richer. https://x.com/portal_updates/status/1779173530640302482?s=46&t=Ngq04lxeei-KO1HZI6wvxg

Unless/until C of C leaves the conference, we will forever be stuck on a treadmill chasing & not catching them. And for those wishing that Kelsey’s departure would help even things out, that’s a fantasy. Doesn’t matter who their coach is, they’ll just dip into the deep reservoir of their NIL coffers and get pulls like this. Reload not rebuild. And this has nothing to do with Skerry. Even if he’s gone in the next 50 years or so, we will perpetually be shopping at KMart (if we’re shopping at all) while C of C will be browsing the shelves at Saks and Neiman Marcus. But at least we’re running it back with the same roster 🥹

1 hour ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Why not add a transfer big with experience to fill the void of CT

If Embeya struggles, as freshman sometimes do, or if he gets in foul trouble, that leaves Paar having to possibly play significant minutes. Let’s see a show of hands of everyone who’s good with that. There can be no question that there are plenty of bigs in the portal better than Paar. And I’m not talking D1 pie in the sky guys we have no shot at. I’m taking run of the mill D1 guys, D2 guys, NAIA and/or JUCOS. You cannot tell me that out of those categories that we are unable to upgrade over what we currently have 

3 hours ago, Blounge said:

They don’t want to leave.

Might be another way of saying that some of them know they would draw little to no interest in the portal, so why leave. 

I’m glad we’re retaining Tejada, Lowey and DWill. I’m optimistic, albeit cautiously, about the 2 incoming freshmen. I’m ambivalent as to whether May stays or goes. I’d like to see what Cole and Watson could do, but that may not be in the cards. The rest…I thank for their efforts and wish the best of luck in their future non-basketball endeavors, but I don’t want them back. 

Let’s not conflate inertia and success. So maybe its a nice little feel good story to some (admittedly not me) that almost is everyone back. I’m highly skeptical this is going to translate into meaningful success next season 

 

6 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Don’t disagree just stating some facts

I know 

4 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

You’re assuming it’s his choice. Could be the player. He’ll be 25 before CAA play begins and has his degree 

Doesn’t make a great deal of sense that Watson would leave of his own volition. Seems to me he needs to prove he can still play in order to get a Euro contract. And I can’t imagine he would get any substantial NIL at another school, coming off this injury 

1 minute ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Thanks for taking my place.🤣  You're going to get crushed here, lol.  I can see it now, that one guy 2024 "Diz da Probz with U fake bluffin fanz!  Entire cRew Returns for 1 last RiDe (or Die) and U guyz are upset! Wat do you want?? To win more den 18 games!?"

 

Since we are using names, yes, Coleman, Paar and Hicks are questionable returnees.  Watson thing is concerning, though coming off ACL surgery, the athleticism won't be the same, but still likely better than anything we have.  Obviously with the bigger names not even entering portal (with potential to come back), is something.  Glass half full for some, Glass half empty for others. Me?  It's just more of the same, enjoy the 18-13 record and epic choke in the CAAT.

If I get crushed, so be it. Sitting on our hands is not the formula for getting to the next level. I mean, I guess if everything goes perfect (May’s shooting gets better; Lowery develops an outside shot; DWill and Tejada take the freshman to sophomore leap; the 2 freshmen come in and make substantial contributions) then maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle, but does anyone really think all those things are going to happen? I wonder if we’ll be the only D1 team in the country not to bring a single player in via the portal?

19 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

I'm not stopping this thread, but apparently, we won't be bringing in a transfer at this time. I get bringing Jaiden Cole back, because there is upside there in terms of length and athletic ability. Hicks has had several concussions but hasn't graduated yet. It's tough to just nudge him off the team and reportedly, he's been cleared. But the Paar thing I don't get. Clumsy big with bad knees who graduated. I assume Watson is the odd man out because somebody has to go to clear the way for both freshmen to come in.

This also puts a ton of pressure on 6-9 Caleb Embeya. I think offensively, he has a chance to be better than Charles right away, but defense and staying away from fouling too much is almost always an issue for young big men. The good thing is that he's athletic enough to switch and smaller players and not hurt you.

https://x.com/Towson_MBB/status/1778498591503343693

If true, this is a complete fail. Sorry, loyalty is a wonderful quality in a dog, but this is a business. Let’s look at some of the guys he’s bringing back:

Jones. Unathletic. Averaged what, 6ppg. May already have his degree, so moving him on down the line wouldn’t have hurt the young man in that regard;

Hicks. He’s one strong breeze from missing all of next season, like he missed all this season. Even when healthy, he’s a “meh,” on the court;

Cole. Despite my high hopes for him, he showed very little in his limited playing time last season;

Coleman. D2…maybe;

Paar. The best, or worst, for last. Well, he’s big, but that’s about it. He can’t shoot, you can’t throw him a pass, for fear it’ll clank off his hands, he can’t hedge on defense. Frankly, I’m not sure what he’s good at. Plus, he’s very likely has graduated, so why, why, why bring him back????? You mean to tell me there’s no one better than him in the portal? C’mon. 

There’s a real problem here. Is the coach just going through the motions? Why is he seemingly paralyzed in terms of making roster changes? And, if he’s really going to run Watson off…WTF???? The one guy who’s got athleticism and has proven he can score. The university pays for his room, board, classes, surgery and rehab, only to kick him to the curb, while keeping the players listed above?

These incoming freshmen better be damn good, or next year could be a real fiasco 
 

7 minutes ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Bible Broadcasting Network?!

He’s facetiously talking about Kentucky, AKA “Big Blue Nation.” Calipiari has taken the head coaching position at Arkansas. Should be interesting when the Razorbacks travel to Lexington to play. Will also be interesting to see who UK hires as their new coach 

32 minutes ago, Tiger93 said:

This does not exist. You merely make this up that there are those (on this board at least) who celebrate this. It might be mentioned as a stat, and we might even say it is better than sucking. However, I don't think anyone views this as having arrived where we need to be as a program. This is where I think you put some of those words in people's mouths. We probably put words in your mouths that might not be fair too. 

There are at least two posters who have recently posted, either explicitly or implicitly, that 20 W’s is a sign of success, regardless of how we do in the postseason.I’lll thank you to do your research better moving forward before you accuse me of making things up & putting words in peoples mouths 

And while I’m at it, to those who worship at the altar of a 20 W season, 6 out the 14 schools in the conference (I wasn’t a math major, but I believe that’s close to half) finished with 20 or more W’s; 1 school finished with 19, and another with 18.

So, while 20 W’s is nice, it’s not the gold standard some make it out to be. Does it beat winning 12-13 games? Of course. But in and of itself, it’s of little significance if not part of a regular season crown 👑 or conference tournament title 

52 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

I've learned on here that they OOC and the regular season conferenced games count, IF we win. If not, they are not important and it is just for March. It is fluid with these fans on here.  Whatever fits.

This debate, if there really is on, on the importance of OOC games and regular season conference games, is mildly amusing to me. OOC games are only important to the extent that they put $ in our coffers and perhaps get the team ready for conference play. Regular season conference games are important to the extent of determining tournament seeding. But, to mix metaphors, you play for show, you putt for dough. Meaning, that at the end of the day, in a 1-bid league, it really does boil down to 3-5 days in March, notwithstanding where you finish in the regular season 

3 minutes ago, tualum said:

How bout that Wolfpack! Heck of a run!!

Thurl Bailey and Lorenzo Charles played great games. And Wihittenberg and Lowe weren’t bad either. Survive & advance 

This is amazing to me. Of the top 15 CAA players, based on those selected to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams, only 3, White, Dell’orso and Glasper are returning next season (assuming none of these 3 enter the portal).

1 minute ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Does he flop and act like a victim like his twin?

Based on his stats, he’s either perennially injured, or just lousy at basketball. I propose a game of 1-on-1 between him and Chase Paar. Like in the old days of rasslin or roller derby, it would be a “loser leave town” match, no holds barred, with a television time limit. Imagine the income such a match would produce, if held at the arena formerly known as SECU, and also beamed around the globe via pay per view 

1 hour ago, TuTigers2012 said:

OUR CITY .. is gone.  Their fans are losing it, such is life as a good mid major. No matter how much money and NIL you have, it only goes so far.

At the risk of getting excoriated by 1 or 2 people on the board, this is the natural evolution of things. Kelsey stayed a few years at C of C, got them to the tournament 2X, used C of C as a lily pad to a bigger job. And C of C will simply go out and try to get the next Kelsey. Rinse, wash, repeat. 

I don’t know if the program can recover from this loss. Just devastating 

1 hour ago, TuTigers2012 said:

If he becomes official at Louisville 4 of the current ACC coaches were from the CAA. I bet you can guess the two schools… lol

Earl Grant and Larranaga?

56 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

If he becomes official at Louisville 4 of the current ACC coaches were from the CAA. I bet you can guess the two schools… lol

Keatts, Kelsey (if he actually gets the job). Who are the other two? 

28 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Uncw adds about 22 & 12 in the portal today 

They wasted no time in going out and getting 2 D1 double digit scorers. Meanwhile, though it’s still early in the process, crickets 🦗 from us. Honestly, it’s still unclear whether we even have any roster spots open. A handful of players (no need to name them again) who should be moved on to open space, but not a word that anything has actually happened 

3 minutes ago, BK_Brian said:

Some of you guys are ridiculous, but its the same thing year after year.  Look at Oakland University and Greg Kampe.  He began his career at Oakland in 1984 (granted they were D2 at the time) and he was at the school for 21 years and they first made the Tourney in 2005.  They have now made it 4 times in the last 20 years.

Jim Larranga was a head coach for 13 seasons (btwn Bowling Green and GM) before one of his teams first qualified for the Tourney.  His GM team then made it to the Tourney 5 times in the next 13 seasons before he left for Miami.

James Jones of Yale, his first season was 99-00 and in his 17th season his team first qualified.  His team has now made the Tourney 4 of the last 8 seasons.

In Pat's 13 seasons we have not yet made the Tourney, but that 2012-2013 team was good and I bet would have won the conference tournament had it not been for Pat Kennedy and the shit show we had in place before Skerry.  For Skerry's 13 seasons at TU (including that first one) we've had a winning record 9 of 13 seasons.  When we have good players they generally stay in the program and don't transfer out at the first opportunity.  Moreover, this year we have two players on the all-rookie team.  

What I'm trying to say is that good things come to those who wait.  He's been putting a pretty consistent/competitive team out on the Court and our time will come.  Skerry has made this team semi-relevant and he's the reason I actually care about TU sports again. (I graduated in 1999.)  Let the man work and support the fucking team.

  

 

 

3 outlier examples out of hundreds upon hundreds of coaches. 

Good things might come to an extremely small (see microscopic) group of coaches, but, with all due respect, that argument is weak tea. If you want to settle for 6-12 in the conference tournament, without ever having played in the title tournament game, god bless you. I’ve let the man work and support the F’ing team with yearly season tickets, TAF and NIL donor. If this is his best, his best ain’t good enough.

Good grief. “Good things come to those who wait”? That’s the defense of this guy? If I wait much longer, I’ll be watching from behind the pearly gates (I hope)

When does this ceaseless argument, from his small handful of supporters, about Pat Kennedy, have an expiration date!!!

Unbelievable