Curious since you went with a B which means you think there’s room for improvement. What area do you think we needed to improve our portal adds? Or do you think we need one on top of the guys we got? And if you think we needed improvement who do you think we should’ve gotten instead?
I think currently on paper B/ B+ is fair. The pieces we added all seem like good fits for us and needs. But I do feel like there is room to improve either another absolutely elite 3 point shooter, or another true 5 spring Jojo or his back up to feast on weak side help and have a legit siren low two man game.
Is not nit picky but either one would really help us get to that top tier of contenders because on paper we look more in that second tier of contenders.
I say B/B+ is good and its really all we need. Our culture, style of play and coaching can get us to an A by March.
I agree with some posts that we could use a 3 pt sniper…but thats about it. But if that sniper cant play defense, they still wont ever get off the bench for Sampson. So really, we are asking for something that’s not even available.
I disagree about some posters wanting us to get more big guys. We have enough if Diane can play. Our defense is not built to have mutliple big giant 7 footers on the floor for an extended period of time. Our bigs have to be able to defend, switch, and move. 6’9 - 6’10 is fine as long as they can play in the paint.
This offseason we addressed issues from the past 2 seasons. Can Hadnot be the 6th man we have been looking for? TA wasnt it. IH wasnt it. We just needed 10 points off the bench. Not a lot to ask. A reliable 6th man can change everything. The scoring droughts we get in. Due to fatigue in a lot of cases. Our guards are required to do a lot of work on defense. More depth at guard also would allow us to run a different offense with screens, cuts and motion.
I think our team and rotation looks a whole lot different if we have a 6th man of the year candidate. I want to hear the broadcast say this kid is good enough to start for some teams when it comes to our 6th man.
Can someone breakdown the purported playing time for each big man and why? I’m curious to know if A. Diane will be a dominant starter or come off the bench his freshman year? Also, is A. Diane a potential one and done or a fabulous freshman being developed?
Total guess here but I think the starters are Gillespie and Tugler, gonna say like 25 minutes each. Diane gets 17 and East gets 13. I don’t think Diane is a one and done, he’s a bit more raw at the moment.
I’d be really curious to know the type of interest Gillespie would have drawn in the portal had he not committed to Houston so quickly. I saw the list of schools that had reached out to Corey Hadnot and I also saw the stuff about Dedan Thomas having talks with Kentucky and all of that but I never saw any kind of reports on the interest that Gillespie was drawing outside of Houston. Maybe because of the coaching staff connection it was all but done by the time the portal “opened”.
Regardless, it may not mean a whole lot but I personally always like to find out who else was after the players we signed. Helps me better understand what the general consensus is about a player’s ability.
I wound give our class a B+ with an incomplete. I never evaluate a player based on what he did at his last school. Sure it is a measuring stick but frequently players like Hadnot, Gillespie, Thomas and East are significantly different here. The players that come from mid-majors have not had the resources we have here. Bishop has developed a strength and conditioning program that is truly cutting edge. The equipment and methods used have been borrowed from NBA teams. Kent State, Lamar and Fort Wayne do not have any of this. These players were targeted because they had a specific skill sets for what we need. Two thing will not happen again. We will never be as young as were last year and we will NEVER be caught without having a low post threat ever again. Our portal additions reflect that. This group could end up being a solid A.
I can see where when we look back this time next year we could all agree that CKS deserves a solid A for putting together incoming talent for 26-27 season. If just 2 of the 4 exceed expectations watch out we are going to be good.
When you put Thomas, Hadnot, Gillespie, and East together with incoming freshman Diane and Alozie IMO we have a lot to look forward to next year. Put them together with Tugler, Mercy, and Chase McCarty future continues to look bright at UH thanks to the work done by CKS and his staff giving us all something to look forward to next year.
I would rate this offseason a success if we end up with a one or two seed going into the tournament. Once we get there anything can happen. I will go out on a limb and predict we will all get a lot more enjoyment watching Coog men’s basketball next year than we are currently having to watch with what the Astro and Rocket organizations are putting out there.
I continue to watch and have been an Astro fan since the late 60’s. Right now the product the Astros are putting out there is the worst I can recall in terms of pitching possibly ever. Can’t recall ever the Stros having worse pitching. Injuries, no closer, all the walks they are issuing, boneheaded defense at the worst possible moments.
The difference is if the Astros win a game it is a pleasant surprise whereas in the past we expected them to win. Hope it turns around for them. It is still early. They are in a crap division but they have lots os issues currently to deal with starting with their manager and putting together a competitive pitching staff.