9-8 overall (2-4 big ten). Same record as last years squad

[PSAL_Hoops]

Not to derail the thread, but what would be a realistic "acceptable" conference record to quell the "fire Pikiell" crowd? 8 wins? 10 wins? 15? (kidding) Also, how many more blowouts should come into play too.

I think we have to disregard the blow out factor this season TBH. The team we have is missing several key pieces to realistically expect that they could be competitive against top tier teams, especially on the road. It’s all about how many wins we can get IMO because that’s where was can best observe the possible pieces we could be working with for next season to hopefully build on with the portal.

He has 4 more games against PSU and Maryland. 2 on the road. He has to go to Minny. And he gets a couple teams in Indiana and Washington at home who have more talent than us but not quite the same disparity as in the games we’ve been pummeled in (all of which were away from home except Purdue). Then he gets a neutral game in the BIG tourney against one of the weaker teams. So a total of 8 more winnable games. I think it’s like this:

2-6 or worse - time to move on.

3-5 - this is probably the bar minimum

4-4 or better - I think the crowd would be quieted

Three things: I’d be pleasantly surprised by 8 conference wins, keeping our best 5 or 6 players, and landing a legit B1G center.

Combined, those 3 things will have me open to Pike coming back and salivating for a possible NCAA season next year.

The interesting thing is, 2 of those 3 elements are more in Kelli’s realm than Pike’s, but him getting us to 8 wins this year will make her task more doable, I would think.

8 conference wins with or without the BIG tourney? Either way it’s a pretty tall task. There are only 6 more games to play period at the RAC and 2 of them are against Nebraska and Michigan State.

 

[Knight Shift]

Our blowout losses are not looking too bad this week, and SOS looks good, if the ranking is worth anything.

 

[BillyC80]

I think we have to disregard the blow out factor this season TBH. The team we have is missing several key pieces to realistically expect that they could be competitive against top tier teams, especially on the road. It’s all about how many wins we can get IMO because that’s where was can best observe the possible pieces we could be working with for next season to hopefully build on with the portal.

He has 4 more games against PSU and Maryland. 2 on the road. He has to go to Minny. And he gets a couple teams in Indiana and Washington at home who have more talent than us but not quite the same disparity as in the games we’ve been pummeled in (all of which were away from home except Purdue). Then he gets a neutral game in the BIG tourney against one of the weaker teams. So a total of 8 more winnable games. I think it’s like this:

2-6 or worse - time to move on.

3-5 - this is probably the bar minimum

4-4 or better - I think the crowd would be quieted





8 conference wins with or without the BIG tourney? Either way it’s a pretty tall task. There are only 6 more games to play period at the RAC and 2 of them are against Nebraska and Michigan State.

Right, and at 6 or 7 conference wins we’ll still likely hear some calls to fire Pike, which was the question.

I think it’ll take 8 wins for almost all of us to agree he deserves another year. And yes, I do believe 7+1 in the conference tourney will accomplish that as well.

Then, to keep us excited for next year, we have to keep most of our best players and we absolutely must bring in a legit high major center in the portal.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Right, and at 6 or 7 conference wins we’ll still likely hear some calls to fire Pike, which was the question.

I think it’ll take 8 wins for almost all of us to agree he deserves another year. And yes, I do believe 7+1 in the conference tourney will accomplish that as well.

Then, to keep us excited for next year, we have to keep most of our best players and we absolutely must bring in a legit high major center in the portal.

Yeah - I think Pike would (if he gets another shot) be in pretty decent shape going into portal season because he has a pretty well balanced age dispersion on the roster to be able to negotiate with the players he decides he wants to keep. I agree with you - the writing is on the wall that most of the money he has for the portal must go towards getting a 2 way Big man even if it means a bidding war. He’ll need to get it done early in the cycle. And he’ll need to keep Francis but given the relationship to a Knight that seems like a pretty safe bet. Even if someone else would be able to pay Francis a bit more, the kid is not stupid. If Pike is still here, we will be building around his game - that’s not going to be the case if he goes somewhere else. His game will be featured at Rutgers. I think he’d stay. And I don’t think this game plan would discourage the frosh because Francis only has one more year.

The reason for optimism is that it doesn’t seem like we’d need the complete overhaul we thought we would coming into the season. I think most of us would agree that if you put a kid like Cliff on our current team instead of Fall, with Ogbole and Dortch backing him up we’d be much better on both ends.

 

[RUDiddy777]

At the risk of being a Debbie Downer, I'm still good with my prediction of 5-15. At this point, I can see anywhere from 1 to 4 wins on the remaining schedule. So that's a ceiling of 6-14. But at 5-15, I'm ok with keeping Pikiell. The money to buy him out plus pay a new coach should be spent on players. And if he can't retain the guys we have now and bring in some good transfers, then sayonara after next season.

This. I think the eye test matters as much as the record - e.g. we lost to OSU but I think better about the team. I can live with 5-15 and a team that doesn’t quit.

Might as well throw the buyout money at players and see what we get.

 

[RUDiddy777]

i will say at least for now that Pikes has fended off the Frankenstein rioters with torches but another 0-7 stretch with some stinky performances which we know this team is capable of vs ncaa type teams will bring it back. So it really comes down to those last 7 games and how they perform and can they bounce back from the gauntlet. Keep in mind RU has been stunningly injury free this year (knock on wood) so monitor that. I mean if he gets to 5-15 I think he is coming back given the circumstances. I think the worst case scenario of 2-3 wins are when his job was going to be in jeopardy so winning 2 already puts him in a good position.

splitting PSU and Maryland puts him at 4 you have to go at least 2-2 in these games, can he get another one in there. I really dont think he is getting canned now and this past week was a difference maker. Of course going 2-18/3-17 would change that. The thing with blowouts are alot of schools are getting blown out even good oes so losing by 25 to Nebby or MSU or Wisconsin wont matter as much as going 0-4 vs PSU/MD.

Agree with your assessment. I think there’s a clear cut top 6ish (and a 2 elites in that group) in this conference and then everyone else. Some of those winnable ones on the road are less winnable, as those teams will also be desperate.

- Clear path to 4.
- A reasonable hope to get to 6 maybe 7 (which is just a perfectly fine down year in a cyclical conference - Nebby has bounced from 6/7 back to tourney the last 4 years)
- You’d have to take some strong narcotics to expect 8 or more.

3 weeks ago even I was unsure if we could win a single conference game.

 

[BillyC80]

The reason for optimism is that it doesn’t seem like we’d need the complete overhaul we thought we would coming into the season. I think most of us would agree that if you put a kid like Cliff on our current team instead of Fall, with Ogbole and Dortch backing him up we’d be much better on both ends.

I would go so far as to say, if we kept every player (however unlikely) except Fall, and brought in a legit center, it could get us into the top half of the B1G.

I’m including the Euros because, as rising freshmen, I believe they both have untapped potential, and another year in the program with emphasis on team defense will help them help us.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I would go so far as to say, if we kept every player (however unlikely) except Fall, and brought in a legit center, it could get us into the top half of the B1G.

I’m including the Euros because, as rising freshmen, I believe they both have untapped potential, and another year in the program with emphasis on team defense will help them help us.

The Euros are dicey because we don’t know their NIL situation. They were playing professionally and probably didn’t come over here for pennies. Especially Zrno who was projected to start and play big minutes. Would they want to take less money than they got this year to come back?

 

[BillyC80]

The Euros are dicey because we don’t know their NIL situation. They were playing professionally and probably didn’t come over here for pennies. Especially Zrno who was projected to start and play big minutes. Would they want to take less money than they got this year to come back?

It’s a good question. If they continue to underperform there won’t be much demand for them unless another team is willing to take a chance, but I doubt they’ll be able to earn much more, if not less than we’re paying now, in which case they may be better off sticking it out with us for at least another year, even if they take a haircut to do it.

 

[RUDiddy777]

It’s a good question. If they continue to underperform there won’t be much demand for them unless another team is willing to take a chance, but I doubt they’ll be able to earn much more, if not less than we’re paying now, in which case they may be better off sticking it out with us for at least another year, even if they take a haircut to do it.

Will there be minutes for them though? I was bullish on him before, but not sure what’s going on with Zrno. He’s been bricking open looks and his shot looks horribly off.

Next year, Assuming Caden/Tariq is the 2 and JMike/Lino at the 1, Dylan/DBJ at the 4, We’re gonna need a legit 40%+ shooter at the 3 to be competitive. This team would actually be pretty good with a Big and a 6’6” deep threat.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Will there be minutes for them though? I was bullish on him before, but not sure what’s going on with Zrno. He’s been bricking open looks and his shot looks horribly off.

Next year, Assuming Caden/Tariq is the 2 and JMike/Lino at the 1, Dylan/DBJ at the 4, We’re gonna need a legit 40%+ shooter at the 3 to be competitive. This team would actually be pretty good with a Big and a 6’6” deep threat.

Actually - if I was Pike, sharp shooting might be the last thing I’d focus on. Hear me out. Recruiting specifically for that skill has (Cam Spencer aside) never otherwise worked out for him and often the kids not specifically known to be great perimeter shooters lead our teams from deep. Believe it or not, this is one of Pike’s more efficient 3 point shooting teams. We’re making them at a higher rate than the 2019-20 and 2020-21 teams finished at and not thanks to anyone Pike brought in to launch the long ball (the Euros and Powers are all shooting below the team blended average). Davis, Buchanan, Grant and Francis lead the team in 3 point efficiency (none brought here specifically to launch 3s).

This happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes those kids don’t cut it on D. Other times they aren’t able to get their shots off in our offense. But then - pike also had cases like JY who wasn’t a good shooter except the year he played a big role in our offense. It’s been a crap shoot.

I guess what I’m trying to say is of the 4 guys leading us in 3 - Francis is shooting at the lowest percentage of all 4 at 34%. You have to think Powers will improve efficiency with a season under his belt. It’d be great to get a 3 who could hit a 3 but I wouldn’t pay a premium for this skill. We need to add a lock down help defender. Francis is serviceable but not great on D and expands a lot of energy on offense and playing big minutes. He needs and deserves the support of a Caleb type defender. Like Paul had…

 

[bac2therac]

I would go so far as to say, if we kept every player (however unlikely) except Fall, and brought in a legit center, it could get us into the top half of the B1G.

I’m including the Euros because, as rising freshmen, I believe they both have untapped potential, and another year in the program with emphasis on team defense will help them help us.

Wow..thats a bit much...in fact its not based in reality in the nil world

We need a serious infusion of talent at every position..currently besides Francis a team full of complimentary players that are similar

 

[bac2therac]

Will there be minutes for them though? I was bullish on him before, but not sure what’s going on with Zrno. He’s been bricking open looks and his shot looks horribly off.

Next year, Assuming Caden/Tariq is the 2 and JMike/Lino at the 1, Dylan/DBJ at the 4, We’re gonna need a legit 40%+ shooter at the 3 to be competitive. This team would actually be pretty good with a Big and a 6’6” deep threat.

Wow crazy

We are 30 points behind the top schools in thos league

You are extrapolating every player at their best to somehow project next year is top half league

Its amazing to read this because we squeaked by 2 schools in the bottom 5 at home

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

Last season was more interesting because of Dylan and Ace and knowing they could almost beat anyone on a given night if those two went off. However, as bad as this year’s team is, they do give 100%. Last year, I felt Dylan did not give 100% at times and it rubbed off on the rest of the team. This year’s team is kind of like the Bad News Bears in that they are much easier to root for.

 

[BillyC80]

Wow..thats a bit much...in fact its not based in reality in the nil world

We need a serious infusion of talent at every position..currently besides Francis a team full of complimentary players that are similar

If we have enough NIL to reload everyone around Francis and upgrade every position, then I’m all for it. Being realistic, to me means we put the most money into a legit center (and whatever it will take to keep Francis), while trying to retain the best players with whatever funds we have left.

 

[knight82]

To me watching last year's team was infuriating because they were an unlikable group that didn't play hard. This team is very short on talent but they play hard and seem like they care and want to get better

 

[RexMantlepiece]

i will say at least for now that Pikes has fended off the Frankenstein rioters with torches but another 0-7 stretch with some stinky performances which we know this team is capable of vs ncaa type teams will bring it back. So it really comes down to those last 7 games and how they perform and can they bounce back from the gauntlet. Keep in mind RU has been stunningly injury free this year (knock on wood) so monitor that. I mean if he gets to 5-15 I think he is coming back given the circumstances. I think the worst case scenario of 2-3 wins are when his job was going to be in jeopardy so winning 2 already puts him in a good position.

splitting PSU and Maryland puts him at 4 you have to go at least 2-2 in these games, can he get another one in there. I really dont think he is getting canned now and this past week was a difference maker. Of course going 2-18/3-17 would change that. The thing with blowouts are alot of schools are getting blown out even good oes so losing by 25 to Nebby or MSU or Wisconsin wont matter as much as going 0-4 vs PSU/MD.

Or like with football Zinn will give him one year with some money and judge him them. Outside of egregious behavior related type stuff he will be back next year.. how people don’t get by now I have no idea.

 

[Mholinko]

If we have enough NIL to reload everyone around Francis and upgrade every position, then I’m all for it. Being realistic, to me means we put the most money into a legit center (and whatever it will take to keep Francis), while trying to retain the best players with whatever funds we have left.

I think it’s optimistic that bringing everyone back plus a center is top half of big ten that’s a tournament team

remember it took until baker was an upperclassmen as well as Myles Johnson and co to be tournament worthy and while early it’s hard to identify guys of that ilk on this roster

a LEGIT center and a secondary scorer on the wing and I think you’re getting somewhere

Zinn needs to get every dollar she can and this is of course assuming Pike can cobble together a 7-8 win season in big ten

 

[RUDiddy777]

Wow..thats a bit much...in fact its not based in reality in the nil world

We need a serious infusion of talent at every position..currently besides Francis a team full of complimentary players that are similar

You don’t think Lino and Grant could be capable starters next year?

 

[RUDiddy777]

Or like with football Zinn will give him one year with some money and judge him them. Outside of egregious behavior related type stuff he will be back next year.. how people don’t get by now I have no idea.

I like the conservative approach with Greg and Pike - I think they deserve a year with a functioning department. I don’t think money is going to salvage wbb and she’s going to have to move on there

 

[RUDivision]

Wow crazy

We are 30 points behind the top schools in thos league

You are extrapolating every player at their best to somehow project next year is top half league

Its amazing to read this because we squeaked by 2 schools in the bottom 5 at home

! the Pike supporters are the problem with RU hoops. His tenure steeply declined over 5 consecutive seasons.

NBA lottery players failure. Now a bad collection of A10 players .

Individuals are justifying keeping this roster and adding a player or two????

For what? Bottom half of the big instead of bottom third.

Power 4 school with over 20 mil in revenue share. Make the tournament or be gone.

BTW Pike set that bar not me. When he signed his extension he said the expectation for RU hoops should be tournament or bust. Well he’s busting at the seams

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Wow crazy

We are 30 points behind the top schools in thos league

You are extrapolating every player at their best to somehow project next year is top half league

Its amazing to read this because we squeaked by 2 schools in the bottom 5 at home

I agree with you - I think we need to add two pieces, not one, to go from what we are now to having a legit shot to be an NCAA team. Adding a two way Big would help a ton, but I still think the addition of a proven defensive stopper with length at the small forward position to compliment our small guard rotation would be important. You hope Nwuli takes big steps and Buchanan / Grant continue to improve on D (if all of them return) but you can’t count on this. We need a Caleb / Mag type addition in my opinion.

The reason I think we’d be fairly well positioned is, unlike the past 2 years, Pike might actually be able to take on an early bidding war to make sure we get a center without having to think to hard about what he needs to hold back for other additions. if I were Pike, my vision (a realistic one) for next year would be a roster like 2022-23 before Mag got hurt. We’re getting nothing right now from the 5 position and still putting up almost 70 ppg. Even without a center, our current offense isn’t that far behind where Cam Spencer’s team finished. Cam might be an NBA star but as an RU college backcourt player he was a more one dimensional scorer than Francis. And the 2022-23 offensive metrics are inflated by easy baskets generated off the press before Mag got hurt. On offense, the only place in the portal where I would put money is towards a BIG who finishes in the paint. I’ve explained my take on paying for shooters. I think that would be a big mistake. Roll with what you have - this team hits them at the 2nd or 3rd best rate of any Pike team. A center threat would open up more opportunities.

On the other hand, the D is not good enough. A rim protector would help, but would not solve all of our problems. We need to add an excellent help defender like Caleb / Mag who camouflaged Paul and Cam’s shortcomings and allow us to press more and force turnovers. I don’t think this would be as expensive as adding someone with pretty efficiency numbers which is why Pike could afford to be aggressive early in the market for a center.

That’s my take.

 

[Nyagentman]

Well said. As others have said, I am enjoying this team much more than last year's team.

I liked watching Harper but the rest of the team basically played D like a game at the Y

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

! the Pike supporters are the problem with RU hoops. His tenure steeply declined over 5 consecutive seasons.

NBA lottery players failure. Now a bad collection of A10 players .

Individuals are justifying keeping this roster and adding a player or two????

For what? Bottom half of the big instead of bottom third.

Power 4 school with over 20 mil in revenue share. Make the tournament or be gone.

BTW Pike set that bar not me. When he signed his extension he said the expectation for RU hoops should be tournament or bust. Well he’s busting at the seams

Perhaps - but we would’ve said the same thing about our roster following the 2018-19 season. We went from losing season to tourney caliber team in 2019-20 after losing our best (on paper) player in Eugene.

Since he’s done it before, and his buy out is what it is, would not be unreasonable for him to get another chance to repeat that turnaround next season provided 2025-26 ends with enough of a glimmer of hope. I defined that as 12+ win minimum and will stick with that.

 

[Simce91]

If KZ can get Pike "average" NIL $$ for next year I think at least 80% of this team is back, for 2 reasons
1) how much NIL is going to be available for any of them?
2) how many minutes in a P4 program will there be for any of them ?

Both Francis and Buchanon are going to have roles/minutes at RU that they won't get anywhere else in P4, so I think their back for their last year.

why would JMike forego his last year, he's the captain and leader, why risk jeopardizing that for pennies on the $$

depending on the rest of this year goes, Powers could see this being "his" team in 2 years and the NIL that will follow

due to his offensive limitations, I don't see Dortsch getting big NIL bucks anywhere else in P4

I have no read on Grant, as sometimes he seems to be apathetic

Marks could get some nice offers on a team that needs a pure point guard who doesn't need to score much

 

[RexMantlepiece]

If KZ can get Pike "average" NIL $$ for next year I think at least 80% of this team is back, for 2 reasons
1) how much NIL is going to be available for any of them?
2) how many minutes in a P4 program will there be for any of them ?

Both Francis and Buchanon are going to have roles/minutes at RU that they won't get anywhere else in P4, so I think their back for their last year.

why would JMike forego his last year, he's the captain and leader, why risk jeopardizing that for pennies on the $$

depending on the rest of this year goes, Powers could see this being "his" team in 2 years and the NIL that will follow

due to his offensive limitations, I don't see Dortsch getting big NIL bucks anywhere else in P4

I have no read on Grant, as sometimes he seems to be apathetic

Marks could get some nice offers on a team that needs a pure point guard who doesn't need to score much

Grant will ask for pretty big money to stay next year.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Actually - if I was Pike, sharp shooting might be the last thing I’d focus on. Hear me out. Recruiting specifically for that skill has (Cam Spencer aside) never otherwise worked out for him and often the kids not specifically known to be great perimeter shooters lead our teams from deep. Believe it or not, this is one of Pike’s more efficient 3 point shooting teams. We’re making them at a higher rate than the 2019-20 and 2020-21 teams finished at and not thanks to anyone Pike brought in to launch the long ball (the Euros and Powers are all shooting below the team blended average). Davis, Buchanan, Grant and Francis lead the team in 3 point efficiency (none brought here specifically to launch 3s).

This happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes those kids don’t cut it on D. Other times they aren’t able to get their shots off in our offense. But then - pike also had cases like JY who wasn’t a good shooter except the year he played a big role in our offense. It’s been a crap shoot.

I guess what I’m trying to say is of the 4 guys leading us in 3 - Francis is shooting at the lowest percentage of all 4 at 34%. You have to think Powers will improve efficiency with a season under his belt. It’d be great to get a 3 who could hit a 3 but I wouldn’t pay a premium for this skill. We need to add a lock down help defender. Francis is serviceable but not great on D and expands a lot of energy on offense and playing big minutes. He needs and deserves the support of a Caleb type defender. Like Paul had…

All fair points and good insight. I just worry about the height factor with our guards and their ability when guarded by guys 4+ inches taller. You were right to call me out on getting too bullish on Zrno.

 

[RUDiddy777]

If KZ can get Pike "average" NIL $$ for next year I think at least 80% of this team is back, for 2 reasons
1) how much NIL is going to be available for any of them?
2) how many minutes in a P4 program will there be for any of them ?

Both Francis and Buchanon are going to have roles/minutes at RU that they won't get anywhere else in P4, so I think their back for their last year.

why would JMike forego his last year, he's the captain and leader, why risk jeopardizing that for pennies on the $$

depending on the rest of this year goes, Powers could see this being "his" team in 2 years and the NIL that will follow

due to his offensive limitations, I don't see Dortsch getting big NIL bucks anywhere else in P4

I have no read on Grant, as sometimes he seems to be apathetic

Marks could get some nice offers on a team that needs a pure point guard who doesn't need to score much

I don’t think it makes much sense for JMike - he’s a bright kid and hard worker, but his future probably isn’t in pro basketball. Get the degree from a top 50 school and the NYC network that comes with it.

I’m scratching my head about Dortch role would be next year assuming Manny comes back and we get a legit 2 way big.

 

[bac2therac]

Grant will ask for pretty big money to stay next year.

based on current trends, he doesnt deserve it, in fact retaining most of these players they all will end up being overpaid vs what they are actually worth

we need serious portal infusion and majority of bucks should go there keeping 4-5 others

 

[RUDiddy777]

Last season was more interesting because of Dylan and Ace and knowing they could almost beat anyone on a given night if those two went off. However, as bad as this year’s team is, they do give 100%. Last year, I felt Dylan did not give 100% at times and it rubbed off on the rest of the team. This year’s team is kind of like the Bad News Bears in that they are much easier to root for.

Dylans conditioning was brutal last year.

 

[RexMantlepiece]

based on current trends, he doesnt deserve it, in fact retaining most of these players they all will end up being overpaid vs what they are actually worth

we need serious portal infusion and majority of bucks should go there keeping 4-5 others

I am with you on this just saying he will ask and expect a pretty big payout.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

All fair points and good insight. I just worry about the height factor with our guards and their ability when guarded by guys 4+ inches taller. You were right to call me out on getting too bullish on Zrno.

Yeah - we def need to add length to the 3 position to balance the ticket. I just don’t think shooting ability (which comes at a premium in the portal) should be high on the needs list. We need to add an inside scorer at the center position but outside of that, I think our focus must be to add someone who can help improve D.

Considering how few bunny points we got off turnovers against the cupcakes and the like (which normally inflate offensive efficiency numbers), the offense really isn’t that bad considering we get nothing at all from the 5 spot. If we added a scoring 5 who allows us to establish an inside / out threat with Francis, I think the offense would come along.

Obviously we won’t retain everyone, but we have enough guys with potential to knock it down from deep eligible to return not to have to dedicate resources specifically towards that skill. J-Mike is shooting 3s over 40%. Buchanan doesn’t take a ton of them but he’s at 40% too. Tariq and Dylan at respectable 34% and 36.5% clips on decent volume. Kaden Powers got off to a rough start but after missing his first 6 collegiate threes he has shot it at 38.5% from deep since.

 

[bac2therac]

I am with you on this just saying he will ask and expect a pretty big payout.

the thing is if Kelli does get the money that is near our peers and I get it will always be a little short then we likely are really hitting the portal hard and much of this team will not be back because we can literally buy better players and Pike cannot be loyal here.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

based on current trends, he doesnt deserve it, in fact retaining most of these players they all will end up being overpaid vs what they are actually worth

we need serious portal infusion and majority of bucks should go there keeping 4-5 others

I kind of agree with you on Grant unless he takes major steps in the last 15 games. We need to improve the D at that position. I see development from Buchanan who will likely be cheaper (for a number of reasons) than Grant. He also doesn’t seem to care as much about it having donated a large portion to charity. I want a Caleb / Mag type power transfer who would play starter minutes added to the roster. I think that, and a two way power conference center transfer are the key additions needed to improve the roster - rather dramatically I should add.

I would love to keep Grant but I don’t know if he’s important enough to our succes to shell out 750k+ and there will probably be some midmajor team out there who saw what he did early willing to pay him to be their top dog.

If I had to prioritize it would be like this:

1) Best center money can buy / keep Francis
2) Purchase Caleb/Mag power conf defensive stopper 3/4 position
3) Keep Buchanan (work on his left) - multi-position kids are useful in Pike’s system. Not as motivated by money so won’t likely be overpriced.
4) keep American frosh - they won’t cost that much so shouldn’t be that hard.
5) Keep Ogbole - he’s going to be cheaper than any back up big would could realistically bring here. He’s fine as a back up - just shouldn’t be the top center.
6) If Dortch doesn’t cost too much - keep him too. I think we want to be like 2022-23 and he’s a candidate to play the Mag anchor role on a press. A press could be used when Francis gets his 10 min rest (the way Pike did it with Caleb for different reasons).
7) J Mike is a tough one. Really depends on the price tag / ball skills of the kid we target per 2). Francis can’t play point without help.

 

[Mholinko]

based on current trends, he doesnt deserve it, in fact retaining most of these players they all will end up being overpaid vs what they are actually worth

we need serious portal infusion and majority of bucks should go there keeping 4-5 others

Yes when I said earlier to retain most of the roster I meant the functional productive parts of the roster

keep Francis Grant Mark Powers

if the price is right aka low keep Nwuli Dortch Buchanan

most of these guys should be thrilled to be on a p4 roster

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

based on current trends, he doesnt deserve it, in fact retaining most of these players they all will end up being overpaid vs what they are actually worth

we need serious portal infusion and majority of bucks should go there keeping 4-5 others

Who do you think (other than Grant which I’m inclined to agree about) will be “overpriced”? The Euros maybe based on what they got this year. But Pike isn’t an idiot - he’s not going to offer either of them what they got this year to stay unless they take off in the last 15 games. Fall won’t be Scarlet Knight next season. That goes without saying.

But who else? Francis isn’t a likely bidding war candidate - his height will keep his cost down somewhay. I’m guessing we will pay market value for him and he’s earned it. Maybe an A-10 team would pay for a veteran power conf PG like J Mike. He’s another one I wouldn’t overpay for, but have to be careful. PGs with power conference experience don’t come cheap.

 

[bac2therac]

Yes when I said earlier to retain most of the roster I meant the functional productive parts of the roster

keep Francis Grant Mark Powers

if the price is right aka low keep Nwuli Dortch Buchanan

most of these guys should be thrilled to be on a p4 roster

Its very likely Davis needs to be cut loose

I really dont think you can keep all 3 of the other guys. I woul easily take Buchanan over the 2 frosh because he is simply better and if you are bringing back Grant im not keen on the other 2 at all who are offensive blsck holes

We desperately need not one but 2 centers

 

[bac2therac]

Who do you think (other than Grant which I’m inclined to agree about) will be “overpriced”? The Euros maybe based on what they got this year. But Pike isn’t an idiot - he’s not going to offer either of them what they got this year to stay unless they take off in the last 15 games. Fall won’t be Scarlet Knight next season. That goes without saying.

But who else? Francis isn’t a likely bidding war candidate - his height will keep his cost down somewhay. I’m guessing we will pay market value for him and he’s earned it. Maybe an A-10 team would pay for a veteran power conf PG like J Mike. He’s another one I wouldn’t overpay for, but have to be careful. PGs with power conference experience don’t come cheap.

Because im worried about 2 things even with $

1. Pike inability to set aside loyalty to current roster
2. Pike inability to indentify portal talent
3. Pike inability to a be able to attract portal players even with $ given the rep of the program right now

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Because im worried about 2 things even with $

1. Pike inability to set aside loyalty to current roster
2. Pike inability to indentify portal talent
3. Pike inability to a be able to attract portal players even with $ given the rep of the program right

On 1 - This year may be different. His back is against a door. He must know next year will be a make or break year.

On 2 - We need to add a proven two way center as top priority. This doesn’t take an expert talent evaluator to identify.

On 3 - money talks. Even if it takes a bidding war we must secure a center who can score and protect the rim on D. We’re in a much better position to approach this aggressively at the beginning of the cycle this year than last year. We do not need a complete roster overhaul the way we did last year. Money talks and this time we can afford to overpay for a center if we have to.

Pike has an opportunity to approach the portal cycle methodically for once. It’s different when you have a potential nucleus of returners to work with. Figure out Francis’ deal right away. Promise him the plan is to build around enhancing his game. Inside / outside attack. Same time - negotiate with the American frosh. They won’t have that much market value - so even if we overpay a little to get them locked in early it won’t hurt us much monetarily. Buchanan cares less than others about money so if he’s someone who keeps improving he’ll be someone who we might be able to secure early for reasonable cost. That’s all you finalize up front. Then you offer whatever you need to get that proven center. Next conversation is with Ogbole. You tell him you’d love to have him back as our back up center but look, if some midmajor wants to offer him a big package to start we might not be able to keep him. Dortch will not command that much money. We should be able to afford him.

All of the above should be straightforward and none of your concerns should get in the way. If we just do the above the team will be much better. The dicey situations come with J Mike and Grant. The team really needs to add a defensive stopper at the 3. grant currently hurts us on D. Buchanan and Nwuli are taking strides and will be better next year. But adding a piece like Caleb / Mag along with a center would drastically improve the D. Can we afford to buy this and also pay to keep Grant at this position?Similarly, at PG, J Mike is servicable rotation piece but he’s small. If we could get someone with more height to compliment Francis being small and Lino in the pipeline, it might not be worth paying whatever JMike might cost.

 

[BillyC80]

Its very likely Davis needs to be cut loose

I really dont think you can keep all 3 of the other guys. I woul easily take Buchanan over the 2 frosh because he is simply better and if you are bringing back Grant im not keen on the other 2 at all who are offensive blsck holes

We desperately need not one but 2 centers

Pike will keep Davis, imo. Can’t afford a better PG and Lino needs another year of seasoning.

if we’re gonna keep only 5 guys it should be Davis, Francis, Powers, Buchanan, and Grant.