25-26 MBB Futurescaping

[Buffnik]

LOB for GA Tech this year:

21.2 minutes, 6.4p, 4.4r, 0.6a, 0.2b, 0.2s, 0.8to, 47.1%/32.1%, 77.8%

Baskin for CU this year:

21.3 minutes, 8.3p, 5.3r, 2.0a, 0.7b, 1.2s, 1.9to, 51.1%/23.8%/69.1%

Where does the hot take that Baskin is Luke Lite come from?

 

[Darth Snow]

LOB for GA Tech this year:

21.2 minutes, 6.4p, 4.4r, 0.6a, 0.2b, 0.2s, 0.8to, 47.1%/32.1%, 77.8%

Baskin for CU this year:

21.3 minutes, 8.3p, 5.3r, 2.0a, 0.7b, 1.2s, 1.9to, 51.1%/23.8%/69.1%

Where does the hot take that Baskin is Luke Lite come from?

LOB was ours.

 

[Da Lama]

LOB for GA Tech this year:

21.2 minutes, 6.4p, 4.4r, 0.6a, 0.2b, 0.2s, 0.8to, 47.1%/32.1%, 77.8%

Baskin for CU this year:

21.3 minutes, 8.3p, 5.3r, 2.0a, 0.7b, 1.2s, 1.9to, 51.1%/23.8%/69.1%

Where does the hot take that Baskin is Luke Lite come from?

I may be in the minority, but I kind of like Baskin's game. He's like a Jack Russell puppy with a toy out there. If he's allowed to come back, I think his game really elevates next year.

 

[Buffnik]

I may be in the minority, but I kind of like Baskin's game. He's like a Jack Russell puppy with a toy out there. If he's allowed to come back, I think his game really elevates next year.

If he could add some strength and weight, he could be so effective. Moves really well with a plus skill set for a 6'9" player. Always is the hardest working guy on the court. I'd love to have him back after an offseason at a Power conference training table and S&C program.

 

[Robert Sorell]

So, say we get zero offseason transfers next year (hypothetical) and Baskin and Malone get another year and Tad opts to keep them. All 15 schollys would be taken. Even with another year experience for these guys, I don't see us winning more than 13 games next year. You have to cut some dead weight and fill some spots with seasoned, solid transfers. And in this scenario, you have a true freshman running at PG. Would you be okay with this lineup?

Starters
Dak
Diop
Rancik
Sanders (Fr)
Ruffin

Bench
Smith
Malone (granted an additional year?)
Baskin (granted an additional year?)
Carrington
Kosarras
Crawford (RsFr)
Holland (Fr)
Fawaz (Fr)
Johnson (Fr)
Inman (Fr)
No room for Anderson (?)

Definitely not.

My litmus test for Tad is his ability to keep Dak and Rancik. Diop is a priority as well. So keeping them would be encouraging

The extra years for Baskin/Malone are a wrench.

Baskin returning seems fine, assuming some other turnover/attrition.

I'd love for Malone to succeed, I just don't think it'll happen.

 

[Buffsbball]

Not to drag this on (but yeah, to drag it on), you can't just skim over the fact that Bates came over from Indiana (that's not LaGrange, IN), Grill from Iowa State, Mitchell from Duke, Perkins from Iowa, and Warrick was scoring almost 20ppg at NKU for 4 years straight. They weren't at WSU, LaGrange and Colorado Mesa. I guess my point is we need to live somewhere in the middle. And we have the funds to do that. BUT, do we have the desire to do that?

The counter to that is Bates is from KC, Mitchell is from KC, Grill is from Wichita. The talent base in Missouri is way higher than Colorado so there were other non NIL factors to transfer to Mizzou.

Outside of Knecht or DWhite comes around every 10 years what Colorado kids that go higher major D1 that they miss on are trying to come back to Colorado? Answer is noone.

But you still didn’t address my point 4 of their top 6 this year were on an 8 win team, zero conference win team last year what changed?

My point is this, I’m way more confident in Tad turning us around next year than any other coach we can realistically hire.

 

[Robert Sorell]

LOB for GA Tech this year:

21.2 minutes, 6.4p, 4.4r, 0.6a, 0.2b, 0.2s, 0.8to, 47.1%/32.1%, 77.8%

Baskin for CU this year:

21.3 minutes, 8.3p, 5.3r, 2.0a, 0.7b, 1.2s, 1.9to, 51.1%/23.8%/69.1%

Where does the hot take that Baskin is Luke Lite come from?

Fair point. Dollar store LOB is a bad take.

On the stat line, turnovers jump out.

LOB fit much better with last year's team, than anything fits this year; and the Pomona/Columbine connection jumped out in my mind.

 

[Goose]

LOB for GA Tech this year:

21.2 minutes, 6.4p, 4.4r, 0.6a, 0.2b, 0.2s, 0.8to, 47.1%/32.1%, 77.8%

Baskin for CU this year:

21.3 minutes, 8.3p, 5.3r, 2.0a, 0.7b, 1.2s, 1.9to, 51.1%/23.8%/69.1%

Where does the hot take that Baskin is Luke Lite come from?

FYI - LOB has only played in 10 games this year. Not sure if he got hurt or what. Quick google doesn’t tell me.

 

[Da Lama]

The counter to that is Bates is from KC, Mitchell is from KC, Grill is from Wichita. The talent base in Missouri is way higher than Colorado so there were other non NIL factors to transfer to Mizzou.

Outside of Knecht or DWhite comes around every 10 years what Colorado kids that go higher major D1 that they miss on are trying to come back to Colorado? Answer is noone.

But you still didn’t address my point 4 of their top 6 this year were on an 8 win team, zero conference win team last year what changed?

My point is this, I’m way more confident in Tad turning us around next year than any other coach we can realistically hire.

What changed was coaching, experience and the pieces gelling. What they have that we don't, are legit D1 P5 players in their 1-7. Again, I would be more confident in a YoY positive change if Tad cuts the dead weight and adds transfer talent. The roster I listed above wins maybe 13 games. Even Tad coaching them up won't change that.

 

[ZandiBuff]

So, say we get zero offseason transfers next year (hypothetical) and Baskin and Malone get another year and Tad opts to keep them. All 15 schollys would be taken. Even with another year experience for these guys, I don't see us winning more than 13 games next year. You have to cut some dead weight and fill some spots with seasoned, solid transfers. And in this scenario, you have a true freshman running at PG. Would you be okay with this lineup?

Starters
Dak
Diop
Rancik
Sanders (Fr)
Ruffin

Bench
Smith
Malone (granted an additional year?)
Baskin (granted an additional year?)
Carrington
Kosarras
Crawford (RsFr)
Holland (Fr)
Fawaz (Fr)
Johnson (Fr)
Inman (Fr)
No room for Anderson (?)

I see no way we keep BD and Rancik - not if Tad isn't willing to play NIL. Too much upside for someone to not write a check.

Sorry, but if Ruff is starting next year, 13 wins is dream scenario. He ain't it - should probably retire while he can still walk.

I'm not on the fire Tad line (despite what many of you think) but we do need to kill the auto renew bull****. You can't have a coach who isn't willing to play the game as it is currently being played with an eternal contract.

 

[Buffnik]

FYI - LOB has only played in 10 games this year. Not sure if he got hurt or what. Quick google doesn’t tell me.

Hope he's ok health wise. Great deal for him there. Earned a nice paycheck while playing some ACC hoops and gets a free Masters sheepskin from GT. He's set himself up to be very successful in life.

 

[Luke]

FYI: Missouri horrible example, as Coach Gates did amazing recruiting job after their poor season last year:
-first 2 years Gates recruiting classes were in 30s range-w/ 4 four stars (3 playing this year)
-His 3rd year (this year) HS recruiting class rated 5th & transfer class 13th: 8 of 10 guys (5 HS & 5 transfers) were 4 stars. Only one guy in this year‘s Missouri team’s 10 deep was 3 star vs 4 star (their back up pt guard).
-not that ratings are everything, as CU probably has more guys that deserved 4 stars. But next year‘s buffs has 3 four-star guys vs Missouri’s 12 four-star guys. So just not a fair comparison.
- But I will agree w/ general point that big turn-arounds can happen. Even if Tad’s Development U may move at slower rate?

https://247sports.com/college/missouri/season/2024-basketball/commits/

 

[GoBuffs!!]

in reference to the Malone hate; on the Radio(?) I think it was mentioned he has been battling a back injury?

Could that be the rationale for his crap performance in the Big12 beyond the increased talent from the Non-Con?

Early season, even with Uconn, I was impressed, as he was far better than I was expecting. Just seemed to need a bit more conditioning to bang with the big boys for an entire year, hence he possibly got hurt?

Not to say that I would not try to recruit over him (I would 100%), but if he sticks around, there may be something they all know that we don't.

 

[MaybeaBuff]

There are a few ways to rebuild a program, but always require some kind of metamorphosis. First would be to build from within, if possible. I think this would take a massive seismic event. In order to be successful in the modern era with the constraints CU seems to have with regard to NIL assistance Tad would probably need to change his philosophical approach. Sacrifice some defense and crank up the tempo. CU is one of the slowest and most deliberate teams in the country. The physical make up of this squad isn't conducive to being successful in a true half court set it up offense. They don't have a punishing post presence, they don't have quick guards to get downhill to be able to draw and kick, etc, we all know the limitations. What they do have is some long, rangy, athletic front court guys that can turn there gears pretty well. Why not take advantage of the altitude. I've been watching CU since the days of Apke, and I cant remember a team that got up and down with any regularity. He's already playing 11, might as well make that useful. CU wouldn't need to go full Westhead, but maybe get out of the 60's into the 80's. The players would probably have more fun, it'd probably help recruiting being able to say you're gonna come in to Boulder get fit, play fast break basketball average 10 pts and 5 rebounds type of sales pitch, and ultimately it'd probably be more fun to watch regardless of the outcome. Hopefully it would include winning though. Trying to figure out small windows and nuance of an offensive scheme becomes a little less important if you are working from a 3-2 advantage with offensive pace. I think one of the biggest reasons CU struggles against big 12 defenses is that they are always playing against a set defense that is ready for them. Why not push the ball up the floor and try to get the defense on their heals early, offense is a lot easier when the defense is back pedaling. Let's be honest, this isn't happening under Tad. His system works, but it takes time to mesh the pieces, and in this era with all the coming and going, guys may not be in the program long enough to learn how to play his style quick enough to be effective.

The second is go outside and reinvent the entire program. There are a lot of capable coaches. GCU and Drew were mentioned earlier. They are wild to watch they play hard and with a lot of pace. They make a lot of mistakes, and Drew seems to accept these mistakes and lets them roll, but they ultimately win, and they might have the best student section in the country because its fun to go watch. The GCU Havoc is a real wonder. Sometimes everything is all about fit. Drew fits at GCU not at Vanderbilt, Gillespie fit at Texas AM not Kentucky, Shaka fit at VCU not at Texas, and is fitting again at Marquette

DeGeorge at Cal Poly seems to be a guy that has an easy recipe and makes things work, once again his teams play with a little reckless abandon, but ultimately achieve success. He turned several small college programs around and made them very relevant at their level. At present he seems to be doing the same at Cal Poly, they hadn't won a conference game in like 3 or 4 years, and they have recently won 4 of their last 5 in conference. I think they won like 2 or 3 games total last year, they have 10 so far this year. Yes they have 15 loses, but they are better now than earlier this year, have a chance to finish .500, qualify for their post season tournament, and they have as many wins against power 4 schools as CU does. He has also done this with a roster of D2 guys, a couple walks ons from CU and a guy from Steamboat. Koonce is shooting at a 90/50/40 split right now and averaging 18 a game.

I'm not suggesting that either of these guys is a replacement for Tad, but the way those teams play, with freedom, pace, and confidence, could be something to consider when evaluating how the program could move forward to being more relevant. Right now CU plays slow, deliberate, and tentative. Also I know the WAC and Big West are not the BIg 12, but when Kansas was at its best they played real fast. Fast break basketball is more fun, easier to plug and play with modern players, and is more fun to watch. I'm sure most people on here won't agree, but with the evolution being what it is I think it becomes a necessity to evolve as well. It's not all about NIL, that's important for sure, but it isn't everything. Some schools with massive payrolls are very underwhelming this year, ASU, Indiana, Washington, Arkansas, to name a few. Culture and system carry just as much weight as the dollar. Hopefully they get it figured out.

 

[Buffnik]

I read some comments from Bill Self yesterday about the challenges and adaptations that he's dealing with at an exceptionally well funded Blue Blood program. It was about parity. He said that even KU can't afford to sign 3 elite prospects a year from the prep ranks like they used to. That they can probably only afford to win the bidding war on 2, so some other program is getting a guy they previously wouldn't be able to land. So there's opportunity here for CU (even on the trickle down to 2nd level guys in the 75-150 range of the player ranks) as long as we have the NIL to match or beat offers from schools like Creighton and Wake Forest - which I don't believe we currently do.

 

[ZandiBuff]

Hope he's ok health wise. Great deal for him there. Earned a nice paycheck while playing some ACC hoops and gets a free Masters sheepskin from GT. He's set himself up to be very successful in life.

LOB has always struck me as the kind of guy who is always going to be successful no matter what he is doing. Kind of like Bloom, but without the truly freakish athletic ability (skiing, not football, where he was only really really good).

 

[Buffnik]

LOB has always struck me as the kind of guy who is always going to be successful no matter what he is doing. Kind of like Bloom, but without the truly freakish athletic ability (skiing, not football, where he was only really really good).

Regarding Bloom, being such a great athlete that you make the NFL as a side hustle after time away from the sport is fvcking ridiculous.

 

[CarolinaBuff]

FYI - LOB has only played in 10 games this year. Not sure if he got hurt or what. Quick google doesn’t tell me.

Toe injury:

Tech rotation players have missed a total of 46 games this season because of injury or illness. Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has missed the last 18 games (foot injury), Luke O’Brien missed the last 13 games (toe injury), Jaeden Mustaf has missed the last 6 (foot) and Lance Terry has missed 2 of the last 6 (hand/illness). Javian McCollum missed 4 games earlier in December with a concussion, and missed the Virginia game Saturday due to a head injury.

Stanford Makes First-Ever Visit to Tech

Yellow Jackets and Cardinal tip off at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday at McCamish Pavilion

ramblinwreck.com

 

[Falconetti]

There are a few ways to rebuild a program, but always require some kind of metamorphosis. First would be to build from within, if possible. I think this would take a massive seismic event. In order to be successful in the modern era with the constraints CU seems to have with regard to NIL assistance Tad would probably need to change his philosophical approach. Sacrifice some defense and crank up the tempo. CU is one of the slowest and most deliberate teams in the country. The physical make up of this squad isn't conducive to being successful in a true half court set it up offense. They don't have a punishing post presence, they don't have quick guards to get downhill to be able to draw and kick, etc, we all know the limitations. What they do have is some long, rangy, athletic front court guys that can turn there gears pretty well. Why not take advantage of the altitude. I've been watching CU since the days of Apke, and I cant remember a team that got up and down with any regularity. He's already playing 11, might as well make that useful. CU wouldn't need to go full Westhead, but maybe get out of the 60's into the 80's. The players would probably have more fun, it'd probably help recruiting being able to say you're gonna come in to Boulder get fit, play fast break basketball average 10 pts and 5 rebounds type of sales pitch, and ultimately it'd probably be more fun to watch regardless of the outcome. Hopefully it would include winning though. Trying to figure out small windows and nuance of an offensive scheme becomes a little less important if you are working from a 3-2 advantage with offensive pace. I think one of the biggest reasons CU struggles against big 12 defenses is that they are always playing against a set defense that is ready for them. Why not push the ball up the floor and try to get the defense on their heals early, offense is a lot easier when the defense is back pedaling. Let's be honest, this isn't happening under Tad. His system works, but it takes time to mesh the pieces, and in this era with all the coming and going, guys may not be in the program long enough to learn how to play his style quick enough to be effective.

The second is go outside and reinvent the entire program. There are a lot of capable coaches. GCU and Drew were mentioned earlier. They are wild to watch they play hard and with a lot of pace. They make a lot of mistakes, and Drew seems to accept these mistakes and lets them roll, but they ultimately win, and they might have the best student section in the country because its fun to go watch. The GCU Havoc is a real wonder. Sometimes everything is all about fit. Drew fits at GCU not at Vanderbilt, Gillespie fit at Texas AM not Kentucky, Shaka fit at VCU not at Texas, and is fitting again at Marquette

DeGeorge at Cal Poly seems to be a guy that has an easy recipe and makes things work, once again his teams play with a little reckless abandon, but ultimately achieve success. He turned several small college programs around and made them very relevant at their level. At present he seems to be doing the same at Cal Poly, they hadn't won a conference game in like 3 or 4 years, and they have recently won 4 of their last 5 in conference. I think they won like 2 or 3 games total last year, they have 10 so far this year. Yes they have 15 loses, but they are better now than earlier this year, have a chance to finish .500, qualify for their post season tournament, and they have as many wins against power 4 schools as CU does. He has also done this with a roster of D2 guys, a couple walks ons from CU and a guy from Steamboat. Koonce is shooting at a 90/50/40 split right now and averaging 18 a game.

I'm not suggesting that either of these guys is a replacement for Tad, but the way those teams play, with freedom, pace, and confidence, could be something to consider when evaluating how the program could move forward to being more relevant. Right now CU plays slow, deliberate, and tentative. Also I know the WAC and Big West are not the BIg 12, but when Kansas was at its best they played real fast. Fast break basketball is more fun, easier to plug and play with modern players, and is more fun to watch. I'm sure most people on here won't agree, but with the evolution being what it is I think it becomes a necessity to evolve as well. It's not all about NIL, that's important for sure, but it isn't everything. Some schools with massive payrolls are very underwhelming this year, ASU, Indiana, Washington, Arkansas, to name a few. Culture and system carry just as much weight as the dollar. Hopefully they get it figured out.

At this current juncture, I’m all in on the ’full Westhead’ route, than the one we are now pacing down. At least it could be entertaining. Though I’m probably all in on anything but what we have now to be fair.

 

[BuffsBlog.com]

Definitely not.

My litmus test for Tad is his ability to keep Dak and Rancik. Diop is a priority as well. So keeping them would be encouraging

The extra years for Baskin/Malone are a wrench.

Baskin returning seems fine, assuming some other turnover/attrition.

I'd love for Malone to succeed, I just don't think it'll happen.

Diop has been bad. Not sure why we'd prioritize his return in any event.

 

[Robert Sorell]

Diop has been bad. Not sure why we'd prioritize his return in any event.

Diop has been inconsistent with really good flashes.

 

[Buffnik]

If this team hadn't turned the ball over 20 times a game, we'd have a winning record right now. Should be 13-12 or 14-11 instead of 10-15. Even today in the win, turnovers were a huge problem even though UCF doesn't pressure the ball like most Big 12 teams.

 

[BuffsBlog.com]

I was in Iowa City for a game last week and they had a "round up for NIL" campaign where if you buy a beer or 3 at the game, you could "round up" your bill with the money going to Iowa's NIL warchest. I thought it was a great idea, and something for CU to copy.

I went on a hoops trip to see how CU could improve its gameday experience at the CU Events Center, and this was a takeaway. For more, check out BuffsBlog today. Other thoughts include moving the students, more banners, etc.

 

[buffgal]

Iowa knows how to build the NIL money for men's and women's basketball. I don't follow the football team.

Fran is not having a good season with the men's team and there are calls for him to resign. His kids have moved on to Butler Clark and Conner McGaffrey live in Indy, The youngest son plays for Butler. Their fan base is wanting him to retire and move to Indy with his family.

The women's basketball NIL has gotten great results. Clark's NIL was not a part of the Iowa collective. She gifted her teammates often from her NIL.

The money is now being used for next season and to keep the other players on the team. They got off to a slow start, with a new coach, even though she was a long time assistant. Fans were ready for her to be one and done as a coach. Recently she has gotten the players to buy in to what she wants to do with the team. Lisa Bluder is no longer the head coach. Clark and her classmates are gone. It took time to adjust. They didn't seem to have a leader early on. They do now.

They brought in their signed recruits and their prospective recruits from Clark's jersey retirement. Of course, the game was sold out. Recruits were definitely impressed. Don't know how many will end up signing and playing, but they got to see and feel the love of Iowa WBB fans.