Gotta haves, portal or otherwise

[Nighthawk]

Are we limited to reality and Earth?

[Norm Peterson]

19 hours ago, Nighthawk said:

Are we limited to reality and Earth?

Jyes 

[Dead Dog Alley]

Kevin Cross

Hunter Sallis

[HuscurAdam]

Chucky Hepburn & Hunter Sallis would be perfect fits!

[thrasher31]

On 12/15/2022 at 4:30 PM, Norm Peterson said:

Saw the latest visitor we had for Purdue, Ndongo. I think he'd be a good get but he doesn't necessarily constitute immediate help. I guess I feel like if Fred survives this year (and I think the odds look pretty good for that to happen) he's going to have to continue to progress or it's just delaying the inevitable.

 

So, a reminder of what we lose and what we have coming back as of this writing:

 

 

For Sure Gone:

 

Walker (6'9 PF)

Griesel (6'7 PG)

Bandoumel (6'4 SG)

 

Likely Key Returners:

 

Keita (6'11 Jr C)

Breidenbach (6'10 Jr PF)

Gary (6'6 Jr PF)

Wilcher (6'5 Jr SG)

Tominaga (6'2 Sr SG)

 

Adds:

 

Lloyd (6'6 RS Fr SG)

Rice (6'7 Fr PFish?)

 

Current Space Available:

 

Two spots for sure. Other spots could open up and usually do. Let's assume up to 5.

 

Gotta Haves:

 

This is what I'm curious about. What does everyone think we need to do with those 2-5 spots, and rank by priority. I mean, look at the likely key returners and what does that make you think we need to go get in the off-season. And HS or portal?

Personally, I would watch Keisei closely. As long as he's taken care of his school work, he should graduate in the spring. I would not be shocked if he does what Thor does, and goes pro back home. It's kind of what I'm expecting honestly. 

 

As far as what the team needs. This is how I'd rank it positionally. 

1) Point Guard. I like Quaran and Lloyd, but you need a sure hand there, preferably an older transfer. Don't care about where from, just an older guy there. Can't have a risk there. Lloyd could start at the 2 next to that guard and CJ in a Bando like role. 

2) Wing scorer. As we're currently seeing this team needs someone who can put the ball in the hoop consistently. Probably a transfer here too. 

3) Big. Kieta is a good physical guy that will pay off come big ten play. And Wilhelm could play the 5, but he may spend more time at the 4, which leads me to getting a 5. This one, you could get a freshman (Ndongo perhaps?)

If we're working under your up to 5 theory, the last two would depend upon how guys finish out the year. You could probably get another lead guard as a freshman, and a BPA after that. 

 

Also, love that you look at Rice as a PF. Skill wise, that's how I see him in a few years too. 

[cornfed24-7]

Hell after seeing this game, and I know I'm hot and cold here, we might as well tear it down and start from scratch. So take whatever you need to in the portal to start balancing out the classes. This one was a gut punch. 

[Jacob Padilla]

On 12/16/2022 at 11:33 AM, millerhusker said:

I wonder if they’ll try to get Quaran a medical redshirt. The free covid year doesn’t pertain to him, since his first year was last year. But still might be able to get him 6 years of eligibility. It’s not real common, but has happened in the past. Grant Gibbs had a medical redshirt at Gonzaga, then redshirted again when he transferred to Creighton, and still played 4 full seasons. I can’t stand Grant Gibbs. 

 

Gibbs got the sixth year by showing he wasn't healthy enough to play during that redshirt year at Creighton. Missing two seasons with injury is the easiest path to getting a sixth year. Taking a voluntary redshirt (which is what McPherson did) and then needing a medical hardship for a different season is where it gets more complicated I think, and I haven't gotten a great answer on that (I still have no idea how Kayla Caffey got another year because she chose to take a redshirt her first year and then also missed her third year with an injury at Mizzou; it said on her Mizzou bio that she was awarded a medical redshirt by the NCAA, but I was under the impression you had to apply for that at the end of your career, so I have no clue).

[brfrad]

On 12/18/2022 at 9:42 PM, Jacob Padilla said:

 

Gibbs got the sixth year by showing he wasn't healthy enough to play during that redshirt year at Creighton. Missing two seasons with injury is the easiest path to getting a sixth year. Taking a voluntary redshirt (which is what McPherson did) and then needing a medical hardship for a different season is where it gets more complicated I think, and I haven't gotten a great answer on that (I still have no idea how Kayla Caffey got another year because she chose to take a redshirt her first year and then also missed her third year with an injury at Mizzou; it said on her Mizzou bio that she was awarded a medical redshirt by the NCAA, but I was under the impression you had to apply for that at the end of your career, so I have no clue).

I have no idea on any medical redshirt rules.  I will say if you take a redshirt year your 1st year and have a season ending injury later, I feel you should still get a medical redshirt.   Most of the time you take a redshirt year to improve in practice.  You know your playing time is going to be limited to mop up minutes.  You aren't planning on getting injured later in your career.

[Jacob Padilla]

4 hours ago, brfrad said:

I have no idea on any medical redshirt rules.  I will say if you take a redshirt year your 1st year and have a season ending injury later, I feel you should still get a medical redshirt.   Most of the time you take a redshirt year to improve in practice.  You know your playing time is going to be limited to mop up minutes.  You aren't planning on getting injured later in your career.

That's the gamble you take if you choose to redshirt (or previously transferred as a non-grad transfer). The standard NCAA timeline is athletes get five years to complete four seasons of eligibility. You can choose to redshirt a year OR you can claim a medical hardship, but not both, because that pushes you into the six years to play four territory instead, and that's where you have to make a strong case to the NCAA in order to receive that sixth year.

[Norm Peterson]

Rebooting this thread because we've seen more of these guys:

 

Lawrence. He is shooting about 33% from 3 for the season. Notably, he started off 1 for 6, but since the KSU game, he's been shooting almost 42% from deep. That's pretty good. Always takes a freshman some time to adjust and get his sea legs. He looks like a kid who can contribute. But he's still buried pretty deep in the rotation so it makes you wonder.

 

Dawson. He had a good night against tOSU. He's an eager kid. He plays hard. You want that. He's a terrific athlete. And, on almost no attempts, he's at 33% from deep just like Lawrence. He is, however, only shooting 37.5% on 2-pointers, whereas Juwan Gary is almost 55% on 2-pointers. So the Dawson-Gary similarities kind of end there.

 

Gary. Good rebounder. I would expect him to be a better 3-point shooter with practice. Hope to heck he gets his shoulder fixed. I know who not to send him to for that.

 

Tominaga. Y'know, dammit, this kid is serviceable. Is he going to be all-conference? Hell no. But he sure can be a spark plug off the bench. His defense isn't THAT bad, but his offense is really crafty. If we had another good shooter on the team, our opponents wouldn't be able to get in his shorts so much when he's on the floor and he'd probably be able to open things up a bit better for us. Pray we can find another shooter who can play on the floor at the same time as Keisei. Because RN, we typically only have one shooter on the floor and it's either CJ or Keisei who sub in and out for each other.

 

Breidenbach. I wish he could shoot the long ball as well as Hunter Dickinson. But he can't. Only about half as accurate as Dickinson. And he's still a foul machine. He's really skilled in a lot of ways but it's like he has difficulty putting it all together. Getting bigger and stronger would certainly help.

 

Wilcher. CJ is just over-thinking things RN. He comes out at halftime for warmups just stroking it. But then he gets in the game and he's clearly thinking more than feeling. The shooting stroke is all about muscle memory and feel. The more you think about it, the worse your results. He needs to learn how to block his conscious mind and just shoot the damn ball. He's only 2 of his last 9 attempts since going 3-6 against Iowa. Something needs to get fixed there because he's better than he's been playing.

 

Keita. Who knows. I hear the coaches like him but it's unclear how well he speaks English and not certain how much he understands of the offense. He's hurt now so we haven't seen much lately.

 

Kojenets. He's a long way from being a rotation guy. Has potential, but he has a lot of developing to do.

 

Lloyd. Redshirting this year. Sounds like recent discussion is he's fully committed. I'd love to see him because he's a long kid who can stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting.

 

Rice. This is sort of a Hoiberg stretch 4 kind of kid. He has the ability to shoot the deep ball. He has that range. He could be an understudy for Gary next year and be a starter/rotation guy after that. Him and Lloyd on the floor together with someone like Lawrence who can shoot it would not be terrible as long as we can play defense.

 

So, looking to me like we need to find in the portal:

 

1. a PG who is capable of distributing but can also score;

2. a big man to replace Walker if we can find one (those don't grow on trees); and

3. a guard/wing who can flat out score.

 

I mean, assuming Fred comes back, he might very well be able to cobble together a roster that could really compete in this league. The kid from Western Illinois who picked Kentucky? Yeah, we were close.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Norm Peterson

[millerhusker]

1. Grant Nelson

2. Hunter Sallis

3. John Tonje 

 

That’s all I ask 

[MichHusker]

Any rumor/insight on if Troudt wants to come back home?

[Norm Peterson]

1 hour ago, millerhusker said:

1. Grant Nelson

2. Hunter Sallis

3. John Tonje 

 

That’s all I ask 

 

Sure. Seems quite reasonable.

[basketballjones]

42 minutes ago, MichHusker said:

Any rumor/insight on if Troudt wants to come back home?

I don't really think Traudt considers Nebraska "home." I don't think he was born here or has ever been an NU fan. 

[thrasher31]

I'll say the biggest need next year is a PG, or 2, depending on where Q is at in his rehab and how he looks. Lloyd I think can run some, but plugging him in a bando role makes sense to me. But a PG with a proven background of production is by far the biggest hole. 

 

Big will be interesting. I've been a fan of Kojonets going back to last year's warmups and his play of late, and I have not been impressed with Blaise as of late (understand he's injured though). Those 2 plus Wilhelm will be your big rotation next year, unless someone leaves, which I think there's a good chance one of the first 2 leave via portal. From there, Fred likely gets a big who can provide some production for the big spot and has a proven track record. Fred's losing a massive piece though, and how he replaces it I'm interested in. 

 

Wing needs some scoring punch for sure. Whether that be someone who can fill it up from 3 or can get his own shot. Either works for me. Depends how Dawson progresses over the rest of the season too, as he has a MASSIVE opportunity here. 

 

Rest of the additions on the team will likely be portal additions, with 1-2 portal entries from our side. Not really sure who, but you always bank on at least 1-2. Team can be good, just needs to add the right pieces again. 

[huskerbill85]

Ideally I'd love to field a team that plays defense like this with 2 guys who can put the ball in the hoop we just don't have that currently. If we had just gotten Johnson this years team would be a tournament team.

[HB]

6 hours ago, MichHusker said:

Any rumor/insight on if Troudt wants to come back home?

Actually hearing a little smoke on that 

[millerhusker]

30 minutes ago, HB said:

Actually hearing a little smoke on that 

Wait... Go on. Someone said his girlfriend goes to Creighton. What are you hearing?

[hskr4life]

Does GA have any big transfers?  Cause Rhule could probably bring ‘em in.  

[HuskerFever]

9 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

Wait... Go on. Someone said his girlfriend goes to Creighton. What are you hearing?

 

I don't know why we don't recruit girlfriends and older brothers to our varsity programs more often...it's worked so well for us and Kansas State in the recent past!

[Norm Peterson]

On 1/20/2023 at 9:20 PM, HuskerFever said:

I don't know why we don't recruit girlfriends and older brothers to our varsity programs more often...it's worked so well for us and Kansas State in the recent past!

 

It's why we got Nate Johnson back in the day.

[Norm Peterson]

On 1/20/2023 at 1:17 PM, millerhusker said:

1. Grant Nelson

2. Hunter Sallis

3. John Tonje 

 

That’s all I ask 

 

So if instead it's Traudt and Parker Friedrichsen, and, say, Chucky, would you be down with that?

[millerhusker]

1 hour ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

So if instead it's Traudt and Parker Friedrichsen, and, say, Chucky, would you be down with that?

I'd definitely be ok with that. But if I HAD to choose between the two options, I think I'd still take my list. 

 

Love Chucky, but I think he's a bit overrated by our fanbase. He would help us, no doubt. His decision making and efficiency inside the arc are concerning. He's pretty high volume - might surprise people to hear he takes the same amount of shot attempts per game as Verge did - and low efficiency. He's also not adept at creating for others at this level. Not the pure point guard most see him as. In an offense with more freedom and less overall talent, I think these aspects of his game may look even worse. He's in a program that generally churns out good decision makers and efficient numbers. He is only a sophomore and should keep improving. 

 

Traudt looked really good in Virginia's overseas trip last summer, apparently. Was as productive as anyone on their team. I just can't see him transferring. He chose to redshirt to wait for some older forwards to graduate. I think he'd be a primary option for their offense next year. Hopefully he wants to live closer to his girlfriend, but not too close. Maybe an hour away?

 

I like Friedrichsen and hope he ends up here, but wouldn't expect him to make a huge impact as a true freshman. I think he'd look more like Jamarques Lawrence than Bryce McGowens. 

 

Grant Nelson will be an NBA forward, whether it's after this season or next. If he transfers, everyone will want him. His portal recruitment will be like Scheierman's. 

 

Love what I see from Sallis in the opportunities that he gets at Gonzaga. He doesn't force anything and you can see the talent. Two years getting coached by Few is invaluable for a guard. If he decides to go somewhere to fully utilize his skillset, I think you'll see a James Palmer-like progression.

 

In my mind, Tonje is the shooter CJ is supposed to be, while being a much better defender and rebounder. Could be wrong, haven't seen him play much.

 

I do think all six of these guys fit into the current culture and mentality of our team. And that's the most important thing. 

 

Odds are none of them end up at Nebraska and I just wasted my time typing all this out...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hhcmatt]

36 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

Love Chucky, but I think he's a bit overrated by our fanbase. He would help us, no doubt. His decision making and efficiency inside the arc are concerning. He's pretty high volume - might surprise people to hear he takes the same amount of shot attempts per game as Verge did - and low efficiency. He's also not adept at creating for others at this level. Not the pure point guard most see him as. In an offense with more freedom and less overall talent, I think these aspects of his game may look even worse. He's in a program that generally churns out good decision makers and efficient numbers. He is only a sophomore and should keep improving.

 

Your volume citation of Verge is misleading because Chucky plays more minutes per game than Verge did. His shot%, the % of his teams shots he takes while on the floor, is a quite reasonable 24.6%. That number in conference is 22.7%. (for reference, Verge was 28.9%).  In short, he's not the ball hog you're making him out to be.  Certainly doesn't matter though as I highly doubt he's leaving Wisconsin.

[Norm Peterson]

5 minutes ago, hhcmatt said:

 

Your volume citation of Verge is misleading because Chucky plays more minutes per game than Verge did. His shot%, the % of his teams shots he takes while on the floor, is a quite reasonable 24.6%. That number in conference is 22.7%. (for reference, Verge was 28.9%).  In short, he's not the ball hog you're making him out to be.  Certainly doesn't matter though as I highly doubt he's leaving Wisconsin.

 

We're having a conversation about what we might do with the winnings in the unlikely event we win the lottery.