TSU88

1 hour ago, Chris Datres said:

What gives you the impression that they jettisoned him?

I can’t disclose specifics other than to say that is the strong impression I got

34 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

So not “everyone is back”.. haha

I wish him the best in his future endeavors, but it was time for him to move on. He’s been in college, between here and GW, like 5 years. As interesting as it is that he’s departing is that he apparently intends to play yet another season, somewhere, as opposed to closing this chapter of his life and getting on with finding a job in the real world. Cant say I necessarily blame him. I would have been a career student, if it paid. Now the question becomes who will we bring in to fill his position. With the only big at the moment being the incoming freshman, it’s imperative we bring in another big. Also, will there be any other portal departures? I kind of doubt it, but we’ll see 

14 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

He, coming off the injury, is still probably better than some of our current options.  With that said, I wish him luck there, just thankful that he didn't go another 100 miles down the coast...

I think many of us will follow his season at Coastal with great interest. If for instance he has a good season (by which I generally mean averaging in double digits) this coaching staff should be (but won’t be) held accountable for why they jettisoned him and kept certain other players on the roster. 

2 hours ago, TuTigers2012 said:

2023-2024 All CAA Teams along with their new schools/graduation status. Lots of changes..           All-CAA First Team
Ante Brzovic	Charleston	Same
Xander Rice	Monmouth	Graduation
Tyler Thomas	Hofstra	Graduation
Trazarien White	UNCW	Portal TBD
Amari Williams	Drexel	Kentucky
All-CAA Second Team
Jyáre Davis	Delaware	Syracuse
Anthony Dell’Orso	Campbell	Portal TBD
Darlinstone Dubar	Hofstra	Tennesse
Reyne Smith	Charleston	Louisville
Tyler Stephenson-Moore	Stony Brook	Graduation
All-CAA Third Team
Ben Burnham	Charleston	Virginia Tech
Landon Glasper	North Carolina A&T	Portal TBD
Justin Moore	Drexel	Loyola Chicago
Shykeim Phillips	UNCW	Graduation
Charles Thompson	Towson	Graduation

 

CAA All-Rookie Team
Nick Dorn	Elon	Same
James Scott	Charleston	Portal TBD
Tyler Tejada	Towson	Same
Jaret Valencia	Monmouth	Same
Dylan Williamson	Towson	Same
CAA All-Defensive Team
Jaquan Carlos	Hofstra	Syracuse
Shykeim Phillips	UNCW	Graduation
Charles Thompson	Towson	Graduation
Jaret Valencia	Monmouth	Same
Amari Williams	Drexel	Kentucky

If you require any more proof that NIL has basically killed mid major basketball, of the 15 top CAA players last season, based on 1st, 2nd and 3rd team all conference selections, 10 of them were eligible to return & play this upcoming season. 9 of the 10 entered the portal. And the one who did return, entered the portal then withdrew. While concededly not a math major, that’s 90% who bolted. So, what we have here is a perpetual hampster on the spinning wheel, where mid majors who have successful years will have to rebuild every year. That includes mid majors who bring in successful portal players, as they either only have 1 year of eligibility, or, if they have more than one year, they’ll kick their existing school to the curb, in the never ending money chase. Frankly, I wonder how these guys who go to a different school each year ever actually graduate. The other big scam is the “graduate transfer.” I’d love to see how many of those guys actually get a masters degree. I suspect the answer is very few. 

1 hour ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Would be a big blow for uncw and the league.  Really wish we could add one or two more players to this roster 

I didn’t see this one coming. I assumed UNCW, being a basketball only school, with what I assumed is a passionate fan base, had deep enough NIL pockets to bribe White into staying, at say $50,000 or so. Assuming he leaves, I suppose it stands for the proposition that even a well funded CAA program can’t compete with the dollars offered by a motivated P5 school. 

As for us adding 1 or 2 players, I’m skeptical. Even if we do, are they going to move the needle? I doubt we can persuade any D1 player who averaged in double digits to come here. It may very well be that Holden, who we got right before NIL exploded, will be the last D1 portal guy to come here (maybe not forever, but then again who knows) who averaged in double digits at his previous school. So, that leaves us fighting for scraps from the D2/NAIA bargain bin. If that means more Sylla and Suliaman types, what difference does it make. I don’t include JUCO, as I can’t remember the last time we brought a JUCO in. 

What I find interesting is that if you glance at the players our assistant coaches are following in their respective twitter accounts, there’s a lot of foreign big men, which I assume is because foreign players are not allowed, under U.S. immigration law, to partake in NIL. 

 

15 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

And that doesn't take into account the D2/D3/Juco players who move up (and dominant, as long as they play between Meeting & King Streets 😂). If there are ever some looking for a partner when the music stops, there's always PFO at TU!

Obviously 1,700 aren't all scholarships, but 13 scholarships x 351 teams is 4,563. So we are looking at ~ 40% in the portal.  College sports has quickly become s*it!!

So, not all 1,700 + are leaving D1 schools, as there are probably hundreds from d2 & NAIA. But let’s say 1,100 or so are D1, which would be basically 25% of all D1 players being in the portal. Really more, if you factor in that some of those 4,563 have exhausted their eligibility and can’t come back next season 

On 4/22/2024 at 10:38 AM, Bay Area Tiger said:

Portal up to 1700 now.   May 1st ends.  Even without massive NIL funds many of these players need to find homes.  Mind boggling figure. 

There simply aren’t enough D1 teams to soak up 1,700+ transfers, at least I don’t think. I mean that would come out to an average of what, each D1 team picking up 5 transfers. I guess some will go D2; some will scramble back to their original school. We all hear about the players who transfer to other D1 teams, but I wonder what happens to the ones who are left looking for a dance partner when the music stops?

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).