https://x.com/uhcougarmbk/status/1796992642124767283?s=46&t=olbhmK8XlLz2WbEIq2auEQ
Uzan and McCarty arrive on campus
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Big 12 this year is going to be bonkers as far as the level of skill and athleticism!!! 
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Though not our greatest ever starting 5, our top 10 players could be the best ever.
We just have incredible depth!
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I think that depth and how it develops is the key to the season. If we have the ability to rest frontline players for whatever ails them in the moment through non-conference, conference games, and depending on seeding in KC that will be a massive boon for us in the big tourney.
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Is today a significant day? Off season training can start? Is miller here?
I saw Uzan looking at his name in the UH locker room.
And just thinking, he was very close to transferring to Washington
And Washington ain’t gonna be Top25 good next season. Hoping he comes in hungry, ready to work
Some OU fans felt he didn’t lead like he should’ve last season…clean slate now
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Also, cause i notice things. The difference in high school recruiting & transfer portal recruiting
Chase Mccarty - probably been recruiting him for a 1 year+. He gets on campus, Kellen gives him a big hug
Milos Uzan- probably recruited him for a few weeks. Didn’t recruit him out of HS. Kellen gives him a handshake 
.
Different relationship. It makes sense, gotta build that relationship over time.
Excited about these dudes though!
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This conference is too tough to be resting players.
Last year the conference title came down to th very last game. I imagine the same will happen this upcoming year.
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Trilly was right again!
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We were able to rest our players more than others with some lopsided home wins in conference but when the injuries hit we didn’t have any more players to use.
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From an outside perspective of Houston and its Roster…… the on paper roster doesn’t impress me a ton. Just 1 player over 6’10. Their replacement of Shead grades out as below average on offense (worse than 80% of D1 players) on Synergy and only average on Defense. They have a good core of cryer, sharp & Roberts. But the bench is going to rely on guys making big jumps and freshmen being contributors.
Like if this team was coached by anyone other than Kelvin Sampson then I think this is more a top 30-40 team rather than top 5.
But Sampson is a coaching and basketball Culture goat. Guys like bill self need elite talent to win. Sampson wins with effort, intensity & defense. Uzan to me is a Meh player but nope you give him to Sampson and his Staff and we could see an super average player really come to life because you just won’t play if you don’t meet the standard.
I’d say if Wes Miller had this same exact roster, there is no chance in hell they be preseason top 10. But culture matters much like it did when UC had Cronin. I’m hoping Wes can mimick what Sampson has done and build this culture from the ground. It’s starts with getting guys to stick around, which Wes and Sampson have both done. But for Wes it’s about no longer being a players coach and holding guys accountable.
Houston is my pick to win the big 12… don’t care who Kansas brings in
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To be fair, if Wes Miller was coaching this team, like any of his teams, they would be ranked top 10 in whiny coach face screentime during games
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Smh… that was so contradictive. Not closely following the program will confuse most.
I don’t understand why having multiple players over 6’10 matters when wingspan is just as important which the bigs have.
Uzan definitely underachieved at Oklahoma, his synergy numbers aren’t great. Hopefully being in a different role with a more demanding coach will allow him to maximize his talent.
On paper never wins games. Go ask Penny how that works out every year. Chemistry and team roles are just as important.
1 Like
The Big E was not over 6’10”. He played ok.
Neither was Dwight Davis, nor Drexler, nor Ken Spain.
Athletic ability, jumping, timing…those qualities make great players.
We have lots of players with those qualities.
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Outlaw wasn’t either.
Heck Dream was just 6’10.5
Either way those aren’t the factors that matter. Having a strong enough base, playing physical, hustling and arm length.
disagree on this…1 player over 6’10… 5 players with over 7feet wingspans … we have 2 players that would shatter the nba combine height/wing span ratio record!
ill add some context
(the best shoot blocker in the draft)
the tallest player expected to be drafted
- javier francis is 6’8 but has a 7’5 wing span
- jojo tugler is 6’7 but has a 7’6 wing span
both grade almost elite on defense…
there is clearly a science to the madness, you dont have this many wingspan anomaly on your team unless its by design, weve choose mobility of a wing with the shotblock prowess of a center… the give is weight but with our trapping we can make up for that
sidenote: you keep pushig this insanely crazy narrative (same as the shead thread) that this is some untalented team that is being carried by sampson…this is a talented team that is ranked regardless
- lj cryer would be seen as a preseason all American regardless of school at this point - he was a top 10 transfer last year - playing for our slow paced defensive focus team likely impairing his hype
- most of our lineup are former top 100 4star
Cincy is preseason top 25- talent comps - an objective rankings - if we had a national opinion draft
- uzan > day day (uzan was a multi year starter on a better team)
- lj > skillings
- sharp > simas
- jwan > mitchell (mitchell has higher draft upside but jwan a top 15 carl malone watchlist)
- francis = aziz (i think this one would get mixed results)
bench
- arcenueax > jizzle
- jojo tugler > Page
- mercy ? connor (experience vs tout- will get mixed results)
- mylik < cj fredrick
Houston is objectively more talented than Cincy… how are we a top 40? but cincy a top 25 on talent???
also what is jizzle’s synergy grade, im just curious because it likely isnt good …im seeing if you are holding double standards on how you evaluate …but genuinely curious
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Why we’ll never have a 7 footer
Coach said it last season. At Texas postgame comments. He views 7 footers as slow
Carlton though he was an offensive threat in the post. Im sure coach didn’t love his pick & roll defense. His ability to switch onto guards like we saw Tugler & Francis do last yr. Thats a defensive coaches dream. Can switch defensively at all positions
Our 5s are lob threats & shot blockers. I don’t think we’ll ever have a Carlton type Center in the foreseeable future
If you are a 7 footer, and you have the quickness of a Tugler, you’re an NBA player. You’re going pro.
Aziz Bandaogo as an example, has the quickness for his size. But hes very raw/and not really developed. From what i saw, hes sophomore yr Javier Francis
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never is strong wording, weve recruited quite a few of them…
i think its more the 6’10+ bigs “we can get” are slow…sampson last offseason answered a question about why we never pick up “The all american type center” and he said it was NIL…that the price for centers were high
deriq queen is a carlton type build and we’d have taken him in a heart beat…
i think the issue not so much that we arent recruting 7footer but the underlying issue is that not that many notable centers come from the houston area… there has been 1 notable houston area center the last 5 years… he is on roster: jojo tugler
also calling aziz “sophomore year francis” is a bit much lol, he was top 3 nationally in blocks last year and a dpoy on a 29win NIT team lol
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@pesik blocks per game?
It says Aziz only had (49) total blocks last yr.
Francis had (59) blocks last season.
Maybe my comparison was a little off. But offensively, Cincinnati didn’t give Aziz touches (look at his shot attempts per game)
Maybe current Francis & Aziz are similar players. Stats wise. But I’ve seen flashes in Francis low post game that i don’t believe Aziz has