Just how talented this roster will be

[zoid1]

Did a little research on how talented this roster 1 thru 14 really is.

Start with seniors then all the way to the frosh.
Oweh- Obviously our returning leading scorer from last year at 16.2 ppg along with 2nd team all-SEC honors. We havent seen this happen very often in the last 20 or so years. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #73 by ESPN and #91 by 247. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 31st and sf 5th. That was last year before he lead us in scoring and hit a couple game winners.

Aberdeen- 6th man on the national title winning team. In high school he was a 3 star recruit ranked outside the top 100 graded at a 89. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 54th and cg 6th.

Garrison- Already has a year in the new system and a solid player last season for us. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #30 by rivals and #45 by 247 mcdonalds AA. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 96, overall 20th and c 5th.

Lowe- Lead Pitt in scoring, assists and steals along with all-ACC honors. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #66 by ESPN and #92 by 247, graded as a 92. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 36th and pg 10th.

Mo- Glue guy do a little of everything on a top 10 team all year last year. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #78 by rivals and #104 by 247. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 94, overall 61st and sf 11th.

Potter- Has gotten plenty of experience at Miami, OH the last couple seasons but will likely redshirt. In high school he was a 3 star ranked #332 by 247, graded as a 89.

Chandler- Solid bench player last year was much better towards the end of the year. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #33 by 247, graded as a 97 and was cg 6th.

Noah- Solid contributer for us last season. In high school he was a 3 star recruit ranked #120 by 247, graded as a 89.

JQ- Big time potential with him. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #7 by on3 and #9 by 247, graded as a 98. As a transfer he was ranked a 5 star, graded as a 98, overall 10th and c 1st.

Kam- Another player with big potential. In high school he was a 3 star recruit ranked outside the top 100, graded as a 87. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 42nd and sf 6th.

JJ- Should be a force from day one. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #24 by 247 and #21 by rivals, graded as a 96.

MM- Another guy who has loads of upside. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #25 by on3 and #27 by 247, graded as a 95.

Hawthorne- Shot up the rankings quickly. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #33 by 247, graded as a 95.

Jelavic- International player with lots of upside and two years of playing European pro ball. Doesnt rank but generally considered a top 10 international prospect.

 

[fla.cat]

Did a little research on how talented this roster 1 thru 14 really is.

Start with seniors then all the way to the frosh.
Oweh- Obviously our returning leading scorer from last year at 16.2 ppg along with 2nd team all-SEC honors. We havent seen this happen very often in the last 20 or so years. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #73 by ESPN and #91 by 247. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 31st and sf 5th. That was last year before he lead us in scoring and hit a couple game winners.

Aberdeen- 6th man on the national title winning team. In high school he was a 3 star recruit ranked outside the top 100 graded at a 89. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 54th and cg 6th.

Garrison- Already has a year in the new system and a solid player last season for us. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #30 by rivals and #45 by 247 mcdonalds AA. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 96, overall 20th and c 5th.

Lowe- Lead Pitt in scoring, assists and steals along with all-ACC honors. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #66 by ESPN and #92 by 247, graded as a 92. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 36th and pg 10th.

Mo- Glue guy do a little of everything on a top 10 team all year last year. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #78 by rivals and #104 by 247. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 94, overall 61st and sf 11th.

Potter- Has gotten plenty of experience at Miami, OH the last couple seasons but will likely redshirt. In high school he was a 3 star ranked #332 by 247, graded as a 89.

Chandler- Solid bench player last year was much better towards the end of the year. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #33 by 247, graded as a 97 and was cg 6th.

Noah- Solid contributer for us last season. In high school he was a 3 star recruit ranked #120 by 247, graded as a 89.

JQ- Big time potential with him. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #7 by on3 and #9 by 247, graded as a 98. As a transfer he was ranked a 5 star, graded as a 98, overall 10th and c 1st.

Kam- Another player with big potential. In high school he was a 3 star recruit ranked outside the top 100, graded as a 87. As a transfer he was ranked a 4 star, graded as a 95, overall 42nd and sf 6th.

JJ- Should be a force from day one. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #24 by 247 and #21 by rivals, graded as a 96.

MM- Another guy who has loads of upside. In high school he was a 5 star recruit ranked #25 by on3 and #27 by 247, graded as a 95.

Hawthorne- Shot up the rankings quickly. In high school he was a 4 star recruit ranked #33 by 247, graded as a 95.

Jelavic- International player with lots of upside and two years of playing European pro ball. Doesnt rank but generally considered a top 10 international prospect.

Nice job..very helpful, concise but thorough. Thanks.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

You forgot this rating service.

 

[Blueisbest]

You forgot this rating service.

We have a lot of those types of players.

 

[zoid1]

Jayden-98
Chandler-97
Garrison/Johnson-96
Oweh/Aberdeen/Lowe/Williams/Moreno/Hawthorne-95
Mo-94
Potter/Noah-89
Jelavic-International players don’t get a total but he would certainly be a 95

12 players graded 94 to 98
Four 5 star players
Eight 4 star players
Two 3 star players

 

[PoBilly]

Great write up and it makes my starting lineup possibilities even harder to determine. This truly is a team where it does not matter if you start. If you are playing great you will get your minutes. If you are having issues for the day/week/ month you will see less playing time. GO BIG BLUE!

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Goodman said too many mouths to feed for us to win it.

 

[PoBilly]

Goodman said too many mouths to feed for us to win it.

That is a possible take. I think a bad take but possible. They said the same for the platoon team.

I think the big thing for Pope is finding the right buttons to push. Meaning who plays well with whom.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

All the players know that the championship is the number one priority. They are getting their money. Whatever combo of players to reach that goal. Everything else is what it is. Those who want to fight the hardest and produce the most shall be those guys.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Goodman said too many mouths to feed for us to win it.

Seems like Pope was on a Kentucky team that had the same "problem" a while back; just too darn many good players:

Delk, Walker, McCarty, Anderson, Mercer, Pope, Turner, Sheppard, Epps, Edwards, Prickett (started the season on the team. Played five games then got a redshirt because of knee problems) , Mohammed, Simmons, Mills...

I don't remember how that season turned out, but Pope probably does and may have learned a few things...

 

[Cats192]

Goodman said too many mouths to feed for us to win it.

Too much depth to win is certainly a take.

 

[L.O.D.]

This team is deepest team i ever seen a year school EVER! Talent ita there but there's only 2 or 3 studs now. JQ, Oweh, and I think Kam will be as well. But a TON!!! of just really good hard nose players and several that might break out. Gou g to be a really fun up an down team

 

[bucsrule8872]

Good write up OP.

I kind of look at it this way:

PG Lowe replaces Butler.
SG Aberdeen replaces Robinson.
SF Oweh returns.
PF Dioubate replaces Carr.
C Quaintance replaces Williams

PG Johnson replaces Kriisa.
SG Chandler returns.
SF Williams replaces Brea.
PF Jelavic replaces Almonor.
C Garrison returns.

G/F Noah returns.
G/F Hawthorne replaces Perry.
F/C Moreno is bonus.
F/C Potter is bonus.

More depth this season. Should be better defensively. Should be better on the boards. Shooting might take a little hit, the offense should be close to as good overall.

We should be better, especially if we can stay healthy.

I sincerely hope we do not have the injuries this season like we did last season. We are due some luck in that department.

I can’t remember the last season we got through without a major injury.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Good write up OP.

I kind of look at it this way:

PG Lowe replaces Butler.
SG Aberdeen replaces Robinson.
SF Oweh returns.
PF Dioubate replaces Carr.
C Quaintance replaces Williams

PG Johnson replaces Kriisa.
SG Chandler returns.
SF Williams replaces Brea.
PF Jelavic replaces Almonor.
C Garrison returns.

G/F Noah returns.
G/F Hawthorne replaces Perry.
F/C Moreno is bonus.
F/C Potter is bonus.

More depth this season. Should be better defensively. Should be better on the boards. Shooting might take a little hit, the offense should be close to as good overall.

We should be better, especially if we can stay healthy.

I sincerely hope we do not have the injuries this season like we did last season. We are due some luck in that department.

I can’t remember the last season we got through without a major injury.

Our bad luck with injuries has been historically bad. Saw a breakdown on it awhile back and it was eye opening.

 

[Panthur]

By contrast, last year Garrison was our highest-graded transfer.

 

[OmahaCats]

Good write up OP.

I kind of look at it this way:

PG Lowe replaces Butler.
SG Aberdeen replaces Robinson.
SF Oweh returns.
PF Dioubate replaces Carr.
C Quaintance replaces Williams

PG Johnson replaces Kriisa.
SG Chandler returns.
SF Williams replaces Brea.
PF Jelavic replaces Almonor.
C Garrison returns.

G/F Noah returns.
G/F Hawthorne replaces Perry.
F/C Moreno is bonus.
F/C Potter is bonus.

More depth this season. Should be better defensively. Should be better on the boards. Shooting might take a little hit, the offense should be close to as good overall.

We should be better, especially if we can stay healthy.

I sincerely hope we do not have the injuries this season like we did last season. We are due some luck in that department.

I can’t remember the last season we got through without a major injury.

That’s the point of the depth . We shouldn’t complain about injuries even if 2-3 players go down

 

[OmahaCats]

Our bad luck with injuries has been historically bad. Saw a breakdown on it awhile back and it was eye opening.

But we don’t have that excuse this year. We coukd lose 3 guys. We have the depth

 

[UKSanders_rivals37733]

But we don’t have that excuse this year. We coukd lose 3 guys. We have the depth

It still depends on WHICH 2-3 guys are lost. Last year the problem wasn't just that 4 guys (Butler, Kriisa, Jax, Car) were injured for significant amounts of time, it's that 3 of them were the top 3 guys at the PG position. In addition, 3 of them were starters.

I don't care which team you are talking about, no on weathers that storm without it having a huge impact on the team's success.

If the 24-25 team had lost 3 guys that were totally different positions (i.e. Kriisa, Carr, Almonor - 2 starters and a depth piece) depth would've suffered, but they could've still stayed strong. If THAT happens, the depth of the 25-26 should be able to weather that a lot better.

 

[zoid1]

Its also talent spread across all positions

PG-Lowe JR 4 star, 95, ovr-36 pg-10/JJ FR 5 star, 96, ovr-21
SG-Aberdeen SR 4 star, 95, ovr-54 cg-6/Chandler SO 4 star, 97, ovr-33 cg-6
SF-Oweh SR 4 star, 95, ovr-31 sf-5/Kam SO 4 star, 95, ovr-42 sf-6/Hawthorne FR 4 star, 95, ovr-33/Noah SO 3 star, 89, ovr-120
PF-Mo JR 4 star, 94, ovr-61 sf-11/Jelavic FR 4 star, 95
C-JQ SO 5 star, 98, ovr-10 c-1/BG JR 4 star, 96, ovr-20 c-5/MM FR 5 star, 95, ovr-25/Potter JR 3 star, 89, ovr-332

 

[Runt#1969]

Good write up OP.

I kind of look at it this way:

PG Lowe replaces Butler.
SG Aberdeen replaces Robinson.
SF Oweh returns.
PF Dioubate replaces Carr.
C Quaintance replaces Williams

PG Johnson replaces Kriisa.
SG Chandler returns.
SF Williams replaces Brea.
PF Jelavic replaces Almonor.
C Garrison returns.

G/F Noah returns.
G/F Hawthorne replaces Perry.
F/C Moreno is bonus.
F/C Potter is bonus.

More depth this season. Should be better defensively. Should be better on the boards. Shooting might take a little hit, the offense should be close to as good overall.

We should be better, especially if we can stay healthy.

I sincerely hope we do not have the injuries this season like we did last season. We are due some luck in that department.

I can’t remember the last season we got through without a major injury.

Great minds think and see it alike, methinks.

I feel exactly (and I mean exactly) the same way. When you take the time to look at the type of game these players have, I see the same comparison for CMP's system. And I'm still not convinced this team will be any worse or less efficient or less deadly of a thre point shooting team.

I would make the counter argument that this team will be BETTER because of the overall roster compostiion, better rebounding and greater athletic ability of these players over and above those from last year.

Lowe and Oweh will show marked improvement within this system
JJ, as a freshman, can REALLY thrive (due to his role coming off the bench, who he subs for, as well as when)
Williams might not shoot quite as high a percentage as Brea, but I feel like he is going to get the lion share of other teams' attention on the perimeter (like Brea last year)
Noah will be more experienced and will certainly show improvement when he gets his PT
Jelavic will be a really great addition as well, at least on the level of Almonor, across the board an improvement
Chandler is going to be greatly improved (no rust to shake off and the leap he takes might be the biggest surprise on the team)

All in all, I don't get it why others (as well as myself ?) felt like this team won't be as great offensively or as efficient on offense as last season's.

The most important aspect of all of this thinking is how well will the players adapt to the system and will they thrive in it? The system itself will provide for more open looks and opportunities. An open floor with better rebounding and more athletic ability, more depth and quality of talent across the board can only mean we look to be even better, not worse, in any particular category we want to look at.

Does anyone see that too ?

Nice job in making those comparisons, Bucs, that's been my thinking all along !!

Now we just wanna see them all in action.

Gonna be a hellofa fun year !

Go Big Blue !

 

[FinalF]

How many of our guys are striving for the next level? Most still have that dream and I’d say Pope uses that. If you want to play professionally, NBA or overseas you have to be able to play with other good players. Practices will be very competitive making everyone better. If Pope can keep the egos in check and get this team to care about each other like last year this team could be special.

Every year there are players who turn out better and some that take a step back. I don’t see anyone here who I think will totally fall off but a few that could take a massive leap. We honestly have 2 that could be all American type players. Oweh and JQ if healthy, Lowe if he shoots 35% or better. I haven’t been this excited for a long time.

 

[sosoblue]

Well we certainly have the talent. The question is around the defense and guard play. Pope has definitely upgraded the defense but do we have elite shooters that will hit open threes? Can we gel as a team that shares the ball on offense and play lock down defense? Will the team support one another even though an individual may not get the playing time they think they deserve? I hope they do a ton of team building activities over the Summer. They have the talent to be special and maybe even NCAA Champions.

 

[PoBilly]

I like Pope's response in how much better the coaching (not just players) can be in year 2.

 

[bnewt]

Well we certainly have the talent. The question is around the defense and guard play. Pope has definitely upgraded the defense but do we have elite shooters that will hit open threes? Can we gel as a team that shares the ball on offense and play lock down defense? Will the team support one another even though an individual may not get the playing time they think they deserve? I hope they do a ton of team building activities over the Summer. They have the talent to be special and maybe even NCAA Champions.

don't look for the offensive fire power of last year, especially from 3 point area, and I think that will hurt

 

[chroix]

Looks like an upgrade (significant at a few spots) at every spot in the roster with the exception of Brea. I’ll take it.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Looks like an upgrade (significant at a few spots) at every spot in the roster with the exception of Brea. I’ll take it.

We might not have as good of a pure shooter as Brea, but Williams is pretty good and unlike Brea, he plays defense.

 

[FilsonCat]

don't look for the offensive fire power of last year, especially from 3 point area, and I think that will hurt

I think that Pope will be able to get the shooters we do have in a good position to take high quality shots. If opponents let this team have the open 3, we've got a half dozen legit threats on the roster who can bury it. Where you'll probably see the most improvement is in the downhill athletic plays where we just didn't have enough guys to make those plays last season. Butler and maybe Oweh were about the only two in that category.

 

[chroix]

We might not have as good of a pure shooter as Brea, but Williams is pretty good and unlike Brea, he plays defense.

I’m not sweating any of it. Can’t wait to see this team get on the floor.

 

[megablue]

Nice write-up, for sure. Lots of talent, no question, but you can only play five (5) at a time. Plus, who will be our best free-throw shooters for late-game possessions in close games ?? Hopefully, we can be a great team handling pressure down the stretch.