And I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but in a sincere effort to help answer your question about why some might feel skeptical…
Your post named several things that seemed off:
TA was out with an ACL (it was an Achillles)
Not knowing Francis’ last year of eligibility
Thinking Harwell & Flemings will redshirt
Using board speculation about Uzan and TA returning (seemingly like its a given)
Lath’s fit/role (or at least a common consensus)
Spelling words - and importantly, players names incorrectly.
Now don’t get me wrong, we can all miss on any of those things. And I fail at that kind of thing as much as anyone.
But, the thread seemed to be created with an air of “in-the-know” authority that seemed to kind of conflict with those things mentioned.
I mean no ill will or criticism to you. I don’t claim to be able to do any better. Just thought I would chime in with my perception since you asked. I might be alone in perceiving it that way. Hope that helps.
since you say Francis is out of eligibity there is clarity for 2026.
2026 roster has 4 forward/centers and 9 guards
i think we may need to pickup a forward in the transfer portal to remain with 5 forwards as we had this year for depth to backup Tugler and Cenac. Laith has made strides but don’t know if he’s ready and McFarland recovering from a major injury.
I would be suprised to see multiple freshmen start or having meaningful minutes. I don’t care how many stars they’ve got. There are 3 starting guard spots plus room for 2 to play meaningful minutes off the bench.
Maybe that approach (don’t get caught too young) is likely to bend some compared to before. These incoming guys (plural) might warrant a rethink of sorts.
'Lath getting major minutes," would be a surprise. He will be a junior next year and may get spot minutes, but I don’t see the prospect of him getting major minutes until his senior year. I would be pleasantly surprised if he actually does get major minutes next year; it would mean he has improved leaps and bounds.
Agreed. I rewatched the first, umm, 10 minutes or so if our Duke game last year. Surprised me to see Lath getting minutes bodying Filipowski! I remember Tugler being injured and Jwan being injured, but I had memory holed Lath’s contribution.
Also Javier has had offensive game for 2 years now! (as long and he’s not double teamed)
the raw talent they’ll have will definitely help a good bit in february onwards though we still wanna have a good balance of players who’ve already had a year or two in our program combined with the freshmen since other teams can also seamlessly plug in any holes in the roster without taking as many lumps as they would back in 2020
I can’t believe people are hanging on to that one statement like it’s gospel.
People thinking that anyone of the Five star players will redshirt is ludicrous….they are all playing HEAVY minutes….for the life of me I don’t understand how they are saying these things without ever seeing any of them play….nuts
They will be the same ones complaining about every turnover or bad game they play next year.
Next year is going to be exciting……and yes, there will be times we all want to yank our hair out….but there will be many more times where we get to see things we have not seen freshman do in a long time.
I could see a year where we lose 7-9 games, mostly early but by the end of the year Sampson has them rolling and NO ONE wants any part of the Coogs.
Depending on who stays and portals in, November and December could be ugly as the frosh come up to speed. But be patient, February and march should be a lot of fun.
The min will come as they learn and progress. Talent alone isn’t going to get them big min over returning players or vet transfers.
Just enjoy the process and having some uber-talented players coming. Remember 5 stars don’t walk on water and there will still be a process and learning curve.
Speaking of Harwell and Cenac, I watched the replay of the McDonald’s All-American game last night to get a glimpse of both players. Man, am I excited for this incoming class. There’s been plenty of talk about Cenac and Flemings, but the player I’m getting really excited about is Harwell. He gets after it on the defensive end and is money shooting the ball.
Fast forward to the third quarter where he knocks down shot after shot. His jumper is beautiful and he can pull up from way beyond the arc… similar to Sharp. I think what surprised me a little bit was his handles and athleticism. He had a nice put back dunk and his handles look good enough to run some point. He gets up the court quickly, much like a PG.
I’m hoping Uzan returns for a three guard starting lineup of Uzan, Sharp, and Harwell with Flemings playing significant minutes.
^^^^^^^THIS