Pope will stick to his deep bench approach imo. So he may be needing to fill many spots.
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Hawthorn is ranked higher than him so what’s that telling us all
Hawthorne was #110 in the composite on 247. #33 or so by their personal ranking.
Didn’t Washington de-commit when Alabama got Samuels? So he’s not too highly ranked either.
Oats has only recruited SF types this year and has a couple coming back next year too so Bama was an odd place for Washington to stay committed.
6'10 and dishing out more than three assists per game. Amari 2.0, welcome.
Only hang up is the KT tape all over his shoulder. I shudder just thinking about an injury at this point.
Otherwise, this kid seems to fit Pope's needs PERFECTLY. Michigan fans want him. We can't let another Yaxel get away from us. Hopefully this one isn't a pathological liar, though.
Edit: looked up his tape. Looks extremely slow despite his amazing offensive skillset. Likely a defensive dud, but he does have some defensive stats.
1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. Also has no 3pt shot. If he's cool with coming off the bench, I don't see why we wouldn't take him for a reasonable price.
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I don’t know what your problem is. I was just adding to your post, not disagreeing. Washington and Hawthorne are rated similarly.
If you click on Hawthorne’s recruiting profile on 247 , he was #33 in 247s rankings and #115 in the composite. RSCI also puts him at #56 in the 2025 class.
Washington is #49 on 247s rankings and #43 on the composite rankings.
On3 put Hawthorne at 64 and Washington at 49. However Hawthorne does have a year in the program, which should improve his readiness.
It is exciting seeing some big names drop in the portal. It’s sad that I don’t expect to get any of them.
That wasn’t meant for you my apologies but 247 has Hawthorne as the number 10 rated SF IN 2025 and Washington is number 20 ranked SF that’s what I was stating
KSR putting Bio Blasts recently up about Myles Byrd and Washington Jr.. Cats must be about to pick up one or both of them
The GM needs to find 3 point shot makers desperately like Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa St, Alabama , and all the other programs that should not be better than us.
Would like this guy as a piece of the puzzle. He and Kam would be nice in a 3/4 court trapping 1-3-1.
Byrd has been getting looks from the NBA on defense alone. 100% a huge pickup if so. Although, we need someone like Vaaks beside him that can pick up Byrds offensive ineffectiveness. (He could also improve on this.)
If Pope is smart enough to try that.
Maybe pitino can teach him how
He did it a little last year with Kam at the head of it. It was effective but he didn’t use it a lot. And then Kam got hurt.
The best player on Illinoise is Keaton Wagler who was barely in the top 150, averaging 18ppg on a final 4 team.
Rankings aren't everything.
Why you ask
Im fully aware of that I’m not saying I sit around and evaluate talent for a living I don’t just do it for fun and conversation
I think (and hope) he knows you've got to think about the future even when your job is on the line. If we're doing things correctly, this kid comes here to develop, maybe sees a backup minutes.
We realistically shouldn't be playing more than 8 or 9. It's hard to find proven players that are willing to come here for a backup role. If he's willing to accept such a role (similar to Mason Williams), then I don't have a problem with it. I'd rather use a scholarship on a guy like this than some of the people we have given scholarships to that won't ever play here. (Travis Perry...maybe some kids on the current roster that I'm not going to name).
Point guard is absurdly deep. I hope we can land a big time lead guard. And Ideally early in the portal "season." I think all of these could make a major impact, not necessarily in order.
Isaiah Johnson
Ebuka Okore (people seem to think he'll enter, let's pray he does and we're a player)
Dedan Thomas
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
Jalen Cox
Jackson Shelstad
Joel Foxwell
Isaiah Johnson
Ebuka Okore (people seem to think he'll enter, let's pray he does and we're a player)
Dedan Thomas
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
Jalen Cox
Jackson Shelstad
Joel Foxwell
Byrd Pluses:
-Dominant defensively as a wing. High steal and block rate. Good rebounder for a wing.
-Byrd hasn't shot well from 3 for his career, but he gets up a bunch of them.
-One encouraging stat about his shooting is that he is around 80% for his career from the line. That suggests a degree of shooting potential.
-Decent passer for secondary/tertiary ball handler
Byrd Minuses:
-Not fluid at or around the rim. Shot less than 60% on shots at the rim.
-Relied on jump shooting for points.
-Turnover prone
If he comes here and improves his turnover rate or his shooting efficiency while maintaining his defensive dominance, he can be crazy valuable. His BPM was nearly 8 this season despite having a low offensive rating. It was built almost entirely by what he adds defensively. Any improvement on offense can send him to the moon.
-Dominant defensively as a wing. High steal and block rate. Good rebounder for a wing.
-Byrd hasn't shot well from 3 for his career, but he gets up a bunch of them.
-One encouraging stat about his shooting is that he is around 80% for his career from the line. That suggests a degree of shooting potential.
-Decent passer for secondary/tertiary ball handler
Byrd Minuses:
-Not fluid at or around the rim. Shot less than 60% on shots at the rim.
-Relied on jump shooting for points.
-Turnover prone
If he comes here and improves his turnover rate or his shooting efficiency while maintaining his defensive dominance, he can be crazy valuable. His BPM was nearly 8 this season despite having a low offensive rating. It was built almost entirely by what he adds defensively. Any improvement on offense can send him to the moon.
Watched this guy numerous times this year. He is a decent player that if surrounded by other very good players would help. UK doesn't fit that scenario.
This guy and Stokes are at the top of my wish list.