Figured we could use a catch all topic for any news rumors for both men's and women's hoops whether its transfers rumors, recruits and coaching moves. Maybe actual commits should get their own threads but we can use this more for rumor discussion.
[mod edit: commits, decommits, portal entries, transfers in, changes to staff all should get their own threads. thank you!]
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So first up is a couple of news tidbits that have been brewing the last couple of days;
-Kevin Giltner, one of CMY's assistants, is a leading candidate for the HC job at Wofford. He's an alum and was on CMY's staff there as well. No decision as of yet, but it looks like we could be in the market for at least one job on the bench.
-Tyler Nickel is transferring from UNC. He was a 4 star recruit and a heavy VT target last year but lost interest when UNC offered. Rumors are we've already made contact with Nickel since entering the Portal
I remember Nickel being interested for sure. Listed as a 6'7" G, so possible Mutts fill-in if Mutts senior Day walk was any indication he is hanging them up.
I thought Mutts was out of elegibility?
He is. Cattoor and Basile are the ones that can still come back.
And Basile didn't walk on Senior day.
Poteat looks like he can step up in minutes and be a much bigger contributor next year. In NBA terms I think VT needs a 3 and D style player. A 6'7 lengthy perimeter defender who can nail threes is a dire need on this team.
I'm really hoping Camden can become this for us next year. He showed some flashes in a couple of games that have me thinking of his defensive/utility potential. Has to get better at 3s though!
Really expect Buchanan to minimize Camden next season. Honestly wish he would have played this season, especially with how it played out.
Let the best man win
Welp..... shit
Yep...my language was alot more colorful when I saw the news.
I get a chuckle imagining your avatar and having it yell: "FUC......HSIA!"
Among my favorite colors....
Poteat needs to get quicker on defense. He was a step late getting back to his guy off hedges all season and was often a step late coming over to help. Some of that is experience and timing.
He did improve on his adjustments as the season went on. I saw a lot of improvement from our new players as the season went on.
Poteat spent his first couple years in a zone defensive system so transitioning to man has taken some time.
IMO Nickel would be a big get. He could help mitigate some of the challenges we're gonna have with Mutts gone.
On3 appears to have put in a prediction of Nickel to VT
https://www.on3.com/db/tyler-nickel-117902/
6-7 PF rated 3* by Rivals
Blue Cain is interesting because I believe we had an offer out to him before he committed to GT, but so far it doesn't look like we've reached out to him and a bunch of other schools are after him because he did really well his senior year at IMG.
Jace Carter 6-5 SG rated .89 by 247
Robert Jennings 6-7 PF rated .87
Blue Cain 6-4 SG rated .96
Interesting to see us gaining traction.
6-7 PF rated .88
Good news. If I remember back to his recruitment correctly, the thought was he was gonna be a VT commit until UNC offered him and made a harder push for him later in the cycle when the missed on some other targets. UNC was his dream school so it was over as soon as they showed him love. With the previous relationship, I was hoping we'd be strong contenders or favorite for him this time around but you never know with the Portal and NIL.
6-4 PG rated .92
6-5 SF rated .85
6'4 Combo Guard .89 247Sports Portal Rating
Grad Transfer from Bryant
In the Bulldogs' D1 history, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard is their fourth-leading scorer (1,528), runner-up in rebounds (750), sixth in assists (250) and leader in steals (144) over his four-year career.
This season he helped Bryant pull the upset at Syracuse as well.
REGULAR SEASON AVERAGES
PTS 15.1
REB 6.0
AST 2.3
STL 1.3
BLK 0.1
If this guy landed at VT I'd "Kiss an Angel Good Morning"!
6'4 195 lb Guard, former 3 star (.87) recruit. Averaged just a tad under 13 pts for Butler last year (shooting numbers aren't that good though)
Color me "Meh..." on the Tyler Nickel rumors. I watched him grow up, great kid, great family. But he appears to be another really good basketball player that lacks P5 athleticism (we have a roster full of those type of players).
Don't get me wrong, I would be excited if he came to Blacksburg, but I might be more excited about CMY going after some transfers who posses P5 athleticism, which was a glaring weakness of this years team.
Do not see him listed in 247Portal Rankings
6'6 225 lbs Small Forward
Grad Transfer (Possible 2 years left)
2022-23 Stats at New Hampshire
Games 30
PTS. 15.3
TRB. 10.7
AST 1.3
6'6 182 lbs Point Guard transferring out of Florida
247Sports Rank .93 but was a .98 out of high school.
Jerry Meyer eval out of HS.
"Possesses nice length and athleticism for a wing shooter. Top notch shooter with a quick release. Shoots well off catch and dribble. Has niche shot turning or dribbling right where he doesn't fully square up. Much prefers to go right. Comfortable with the ball but is an upright handler. Needs to develop a more physical side as a rebounder. Comes up with steals defensively. Fits the mold of valued shooters with length and athleticism"
Games. 31
Pts. 8.5
REB. 2.6
AST 0.5
FG% 37.7
First season at Florida in a reduced role went much better. This season with more minutes much like Maddox, he struggled shooting the ball since his focus was spread on the whole game rather than as a shooter. Looking for a fresh start but would not expect to see him in a starting role barring big improvement
I'd pass on Reeves. I'm not liking this bit of trend I'm seeing looking into our transfer targets and seeing such poor shooting numbers. Reeves numbers especially are just bad.
I agree. I much prefer Charles Pride who also can dribble penetrate.
For those wanting some defensive toughness on the team, he'd be a very nice get (still a year away though).
I feel pretty honored that we are on that list of final six schools. Don't know much about his stats but I love to see recruits as well as a transfers.
Mike Jones is the biggest reason we are on this list. His AAU connections to Coach Nick Jones with Team Curry plays a big part.
When do we project when Mike Jones gets hired as a D1 head coach and leaves VT?
Some people foolishly thought he was gonna go to Georgetown, which never made in any sense given their situation (program on life support isn't gonna take a HC that was in high school 2 years ago). Depending on how the carousel spins, I think there's an outside chance George Mason might look into him this year. But I think more realistically it'll be another year or two. Yes he was very successful at Dematha, but he hasn't been in the college game long at all. Most schools would want someone that's been in the college game at least a handful of years. The small schools (think Fairleigh Dickinson level) would go for guys at his level, but mid-tiers or higher typically look for guys with some experience, even if its just a few years. Another year or two of seasoning and his name will come up more often.
While I agree with much of what you said here, I don't think you can underestimate the network he has, especially in AAU, which for some struggling programs will be enough to think he might be able to bring an instant splash to recruiting. The man can flat out coach so being able to talk strategy and intent will not be an issue. I think the longer he is away from Dematha it actually lessens his attractiveness to a small extent. The concern obviously will be in whether he understands the background operations and rules enough to successfully build his own program.
I would not be surprised if he is on some short lists already but we likely won't be looped in until those lists shrink again.
This factor is why I am still so tentative about looking forward on this program because I could see his departure gut several recruiting classes for our program.
Welp this aged worse than I thought....
Is this the place for coaching speculation too? If Giltner does get a chance and lands the Wofford job, would love for Young to take a look at J.D Byer at VCU. Has been with Rhodes during his time at Randolph Macon, Rice, and VCU, was a former assistant at Radford. So Virginia knowledge, comes from a school/coach known for defense (which we need). Plus, he's married to Virginia Tech's women's VB coach....sooo book it?
Not that I spend time browsing the Wofford boards (if they exist), but the people I see pop up on Twitter the last couple of weeks searching for Giltner news don't seem to be happy with this. They wanted Giltner or someone new. Good news for us at least.
Christian Webster is a candidate for American but I haven't heard much in recent days about it either so its looking like we might keep all of our assistants, though there's an outside chance George Mason might make a run at Jones. It's nice to have your assistants wanted but it would have sucked to lose a bunch at once. Still, even with them staying, it'd be nice to get someone to bolster the defense.
Darren Buchanan Jr. in the portal
*clink clug clug*
Darren Buchanan entering the transfer portal
Other offers out of high school included: Iona, Loyola Chicago, Xavier, Rutgers, Richmond, Towson, GW, as well as others.
i went ahead and started an individual discussion thread as per best practices
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2023/march/21/f-darren-buchanan-jr-en...
PF 6-8 215lbs
247 Rating. .90
2 years Eligibility Remaining
8.9 points
5.3 rebounds
Started 29 of the team's 32 games. Started 64 of 81 games overall.
One of his biggest improvement came beyond the 3-point line as he boosted his 3-point percentage to 41.7% on 96 attempts this season.
His shooting percentage inside dropped from 57% two years ago to 53% a year ago to 45% this season. He improved each season at the free throw line, shooting 74% this season. Saw a significant total improvement in defensive rebounding from 102 to 146 this season or about 1.5 more per game. Averages less than an assist per game which is concerning. My biggest concern is turnovers though. He had 78 turnovers this season or more than two per game. His defensive efficiency took a big hit year over year but not sure its directly on him or whether it was team overall trying to learn Coach Payne's system as a new coach. Louisville was dreadful. He would be a good relief guy in a small forward role but don't see him as a starter. Passing, turnovers and defense are big drawbacks.
One of six Cardinals either in or considering the Portal.
Hard to believe he has eligibility remaining. Looking to take advantage of the notoriety of their conference Tourney run. On the move again for Cone.
Cone to Cal
I still miss the little guy.
Can VT take all of these guys? I know the numbers always work out, but...
No. Room for two for sure with Mutts/Buchanan(assuming he departs through portal entry.) Depending on decisions by Basile and Cattoor, that could be four. Then you have whether Maddox comes back after sitting out most of this season. Could create a fifth spot. Beyond that would be based on any other portal entries.
Incoming freshman take two spots in Rechsteiner and Young.
That said, the likelihood of landing them all is probably also non-existent even if we have space. Each of these guys are being reached out to by 30 or more schools. The best guys are going to wait to see what needs blue blood programs need and dominoes will start cascading there. One example would be Withers, who last night heard from UNC amongst others. I believe 7 ACC schools alone have contacted him.
The other aspect to this is how much is 🔥 versus self-made 😤 smoke. They get a bunch of analysts to throw their name out connected to a big program to grab eyes and spark actions by other schools.
It was a joke...the point kinda was if you reach out to every halfway decent player in the portal, is it news?
Tyeree Bryan
Three years Eligibility Remaining
Position: Guard
6-6, 202lb (198cm, 91kg)
2022-23
G. 29
PTS. 10.5
TRB. 5.5
AST. 1.8
Freddy Hicks
Two year eligibility remaining
Tarleton State
Position: Forward
6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg)
2022-23
Games. 23
PTS 16.2
TRB 6.0
AST. 2.3
Zack Austin
Two years Eligibility Remaining
Position: Wing
6-4, 175lb (193cm, 79kg)
2022-23
G. 31
PTS. 14.1
TRB. 5.4
AST. 1.3
I was unable to find these three on 247 Transfer Portal rankings.
Hicks seems the most intriguing but is also seeing interest from more top schools so that may not matter.
Discussion thread: https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2023/march/24/espns-borzello-g-darius...
Bummer, though somewhat expected. Juke picks Wake over VT. Staying at home (he's from the area)
Yeah this isn't shocking but still a big miss
Think we need some more NIL investment to get some of these top 30 to top 40 kids. Now Juke specifically seemed like being at home was a bigger factor than anything but there's also rumors Tenn upped their money for him big time late and Wake matched. Even if we had money, if Wake matched or got close, he was always gonna pick Wake but I'm just saying in the future, it's gonna take more cash to get kids ranked that high.
Under the Buzz and continuing under CMY, we're making the final cuts for many of those types of prospects and they all have really positive things to say, but we can't close. That cash is needed. We won't ever get all our top prospects, we're not Duke or Kentucky, but getting 1 high ranking guy every couple of cycles (on top of what we're already pulling) is do-able with a tad bit more investment
Wonder if MY is taking the Pry approach and saving the big NIL money for current players and not utilizing big NIL money on recruits who haven't proven anything on the field yet. AFAIK our current bball players did pretty well with NIL this past year
Bam Bam back in the transfer portal. Oklahoma relegated him to a third tier bench role this season. Sooners were terrible this year and he only managed to get into 21 of their 32 games. Had zero games over 20 minutes. Had a pretty stellar year at GW which makes his usage at OU really curious at best.
Grass ain't always greener. Watering, fertilizing, aerating, etc your own side keeps things pretty green.
Sometimes the grass only looks greener bc it's fertilized with bs
The book on him at VT was "great on offense, not so much defense". Maybe his athleticism made up for it at GW but didn't at OU?
Bam Bam to VCU to play for Odom
Eh, going from a Power 6 to a group of 10? isn't something I feel like needs looked into. How many times are they just looking for playing time as they end their career? Let them play.
I don't think the NCAA will even blink at it. He isn't the first to do this.
Odom apparently is building some momentum for a feel good story at VCU. Rams are hosting Bamisile and three of his Team Loaded AAU teammates that won the 2018 AAU National Championship together this weekend. All four are in the portal and it's being played as a putting the band back together storyline.
Does anyone know what a general timeframe is for folks to start announcing commitments? Does it usually wait until the postseason is complete?
Any time. Some kids have already committed. Majority still taking visits/virtual meetings right now. Really just depends on the kid and if they know where they want to go or if they want to explore
Let's dream for second. We had an offer for him last year and now he's in the Portal
Don't wake me up. Let me dream a little while longer
how close is the pronunciation to "Kal-El"?
It's actually "ke-vin"
We all knew this comment had to be here
This is the way
Now here is something to keep on eye on for the domino effects. If Skinn does take GMU, Maryland needs an assistant and I could easily see them ponying up cash to lure Mike Jones to fill the role. That's much more of a threat imo than Jones taking a HC job right now as some have worried about. And if he goes, I'd expect at least one player to follow. So either root for someone other than Skinn to take the job or root for VT to put up more fat stacks to keep Jones in place.
Ok doomer
George Mason hired Skinn. Maryland has an assistant opening. Mike Jones has been pretty active posting VT stuff on his socials.
FYI, Mike Jones was a candidate for this job. Might have missed one, but I think all the HC jobs our assistants we're up for have been filled now. Maryland does still need an assistant and could pay up for Jones, but if he's wanting a HC job, it doesn't make much sense to go to Maryland for a year and then take a HC unless that paycheck is really fat.
Well shit
Sky is falling levels of shit. Gonna need a new thread for this one
discussion thread: https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2023/april/3/mike-jones-hired-away-bl...
Caleb Love just hit the Portal.
Anybody interested?
I mean, I definitely wouldn't complain!
ESPN says he's entering the draft.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35971710/caleb-l...
Pass. He's more trouble than he's worth. It's addition by subtraction for UNC
Hard pass. He rates way too high on my hate-o-meter for me to ever root for him.
I'd take Kehei Clark with a broken leg and a man-bun before Caleb Love. He needs to go to a team that will let him play me-first basketball. Surprised he doesn't cut his loses and try for the NBA draft. Coming back to UNC for that national title run (LOL) and improving his already high draft stock failed miserably. Maybe he is looking for a place to pay him $$ and let him chuck up half-court 3s?
That's a pretty good compliment to our coaching by a Clemson player
CMYBall reminds me a little of early to mid 90s Hokie Football teams.
We may not beat you, but you're gonna know you are in for a fight the whole way.
Borderline 5* 6-2 CG
Averaged almost 10 a game for Illinois.
I am a soft pass on him. His defense makes our current guys look all-ACC. His perimeter shooting, especially shot selection was awful. He shot 24% from outside. Interior scoring was better, shot 51% and was able to get to the rim. Maybe a strong offseason conditioning.
He was starting late in season but Conferece Tourney and Tournament he went from starting to barely playing. Played a total of nine minutes in those two games. Edit (Looks like he may have been dealing with some concussion issues end of season)
Has been reached out to by three or four other ACC schools so far.
Would be a perfect fit at NC State then
Did you say he can get to the rim? Does he draw fouls? Defense can be taught/fixed, but this team needs a guy who drive the ball and either dish out draw contact.
Draws very little contact. Above average speed to the rim. Averaged less than two shooting fouls drawn per game. Took 45 FT in 31 games played. In 11 games started he had 6 attempts twice, 4 once but zero in four games. I agree defense can be taught but unfortunately no one on this staff has seemed to be that guy at this point. Epps is leaving Illinois where Chester Frazier is and he can coach defense so not sure I see that improving if he came here.
Good point on Epps/Frazier. I would prefer we look elsewhere for a rim attacking guard.
Georgetown or NC State would be my guess
NC State was one of his final schools before and seems the new coach at Georgetown is making a big push for him so you are probably right.
Tallest Player in the NCAA has entered the portal.
7' 5" is HUGE. How is he not dropping 20 points/game just in flat footed dunks?
Possible DeMatha connection vibes??
I'm
There's not not a Dematha connection
Was his coach at DeMatha not Mike Jones?
It was. That's why I said there's not not a connection.
Do I think he's coming to Blacksburg? Absolutely not. But there is a connection so never say never
Got it, thanks. I would think Maryland is out
Not not and never never...
Sounds like a YES to me!
Except now there is not a Dematha connection at VT :(
The way the terps fans ride him relentlessly, I'd be surprised if he commits to Maryland.
I wouldn't be surprised if tech doesn't reach out for Ace Baldwin. PG transfer from VCU
He's our next big target after Juke went to Wake. Hopefully we can land this one (and pony up the NIL to get it done).
Ooof Hits keep on coming. Dunn a big loss. Vejsicky I am less surprised on with the incoming classes and the guard position stacking up.
So...why is Dunn jetting if Soule and Gregg are gone? I feel like that role is hers for the taking
Dunn is listed as a 6'2" Guard not forward.
Which is why her leaving hurts more. Has the handle of a point guard but the body of a forward. Really thought we would see her take over the role Traylor played this season.
Maddie almost never missed a three pointer in warmups. Not sure why she hasn't been able to move into the rotation more.
King is the answer here. King plays better defense so her being back blocks her path to the court.
I figured it was something like that. Kings defense was good enough that even when she was scoring 0 points per game she was still getting minutes.
Opens up 2 more highly coveted roster spots for someone to come in via the portal.
Brings that number to seven. Only issue is how many would actually see the floor unless Brooks changes how he uses his bench.
The home grown recruits were having some issues getting play time over the transfers. The transfers were established shooters and defensive players in some cases. Gregg, Traylor, Soule, etc.
I think we definitely have to play a bigger rotation next year if for no other reason that Kitley and King will definitely be out of eligibility. I have no idea if Amoore will take a COVID year after next or not. She should be in the last class eligible to do so if they want.
I guess we'll see if Wenzel is as good as advertised.
6'9 180 lbs center
4 🌟 90 rating on 247Sports
#86 in class and #15 Big
Thought to be an Michigan State lean and not sure how Jones news plays into this.
For that size he is awfully skinny.
Definitely will need a year of college diet and conditioning program before he is truly effective at P5 level
Hmmmm. reminds me of a certain mid 1980s player- 6 ft 11; 195 lbs or so......
We need a thick Dale Solomon type. A top player from the Moir era.
I missed seeing him in person by one year; but did see the next year with Dell, Al and Perry Young, Keith Colbert, Bobby Beecher, and John Dixon et al.
Side note- my "brush with greatness"-in a pickup game in War Memorial Gym, I "guarded" (I use that term 'loosely' as i was 5 ft 8 and 140 lbs) Al Young coming down the court and managed to "get in his way" enough to make him dribble the ball off his foot!
Dang. I'm 6'-3" and would like to be 180lbs.
I'm 6'1 and I don't think it's even possible for me to get down there unless I did like a UFC style cut, going days without water
D. Cunningham listed him at 215... If he is 6'9" and 180, he would get knocked over on the drill field on a windy day.
dammit.
This was expected but she confirmed she is moving on.
She always looks more like a freshman than a senior to me.
This is not a surprise either, just confirmation....Hokies have completed cancer surgery....
I think the only surprise is that she is transferring, hadn't she previously said she was not going to use her 5th year, instead head to the WNBA draft?
The WNBA draft probably laughed at her and said after your shenanigans what team would draft you? Nobody wants a cancer.
You'll have to forgive her, you see she was up late partying with the LSU team on Sunday night, so I guess that helps to change her mind about things.
No, I'm not joking
Only about half those drafted in WNBA actually make a roster. If she can get any kind of NIL from next school she is probably better off.
Saw a Twitter post on Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese with NIL Valuations of $800k~ earlier today.
How is it possible a college player is worth 800k and immediately following their college career they are worth a fraction.
What are these valuations based on? Rich people that want their women's basketball program to win?
More insane....
Everyone- Nobody is saying pay the players millions or treat them like employees, we just think its unfair that they can't make money off of jersey sales and sign some autographs. LMAO. this is professional football
In theory, WNBA salary is just that, a salary. NIL is the ability to market oneself, and thus can influence how someone purchases a product or service.
Can Reese and Clark make $800K via marketing? Yea, actually they probably could. They both have great potential for a national ad campaign after that highly viewed championship and final four. They both have great social media followings and thus have great reach. Those two have been the most talked about collegiate players the last week, more than any men's players. That limelight gives them greater marketability.
That said, their NIL value (in theory) doesn't require them to be in college. They still would have major name and face recognition if they were entering the WNBA draft. However, I do think the NCAA WBB is way more popular than the WNBA and thus by being in college, they will have a chance to maintain their limelight better.
I think college actually provides a bigger stage for many of the athletes/aports than the pro versions by the very nature of being associated with the school. I will watch any sport VT is good at in addition to the ones I actually I enjoy. I would also buy any quality NIL things to help out the players. I have watched 0 wnba games and never will.
If the WBNA itself had to pay salaries based on revenue, the league would have folded after year 1. They are nearly 100% subsidized by the NBA. that league bleeds money.
Most recent numbers I could find (from 2019) have it losing like 10 million dollars a year on net, with total revenues around 60 mil. Which isn't a profit, but it's definitely not fully subsidized or "bleeding money". It's also an absolute drop in the NBA bucket.
Damian Lillards salary will be more than that next season..... 2 year/$122M contract extension....
Has Gregg confirmed one way or the other?
She posted a tweet that thanked fans and said 11 Out but that was all I saw.
Rumors swirling on the free side of TSL and 247 that we might be getting Chester Frazier back to fill the Jones vacancy. That would be excellent. *fingers crossed*
any sauces or is this just fans spurting wishful thinking?
Arvin said its the name he's heard and talks are progressing. It's stupid hard for me to follow the TSL board format but I believe Coleman is referring to Frazier as well
Pretty sure he (Coleman) is, especially since he made a specific post on the paid board as well that was directly about Frazier - said he's hearing that it's a possibility, but not a done deal.
*Edit* Will be drinking
Whoa! And actually play defense again? Please please be true
Well shit.
Chris Arvin says it's not happening now.
6'6 190 lbs Wing
Big South Freshman of the Year
Would have 3 years left
Averaged 17.5ppg and 7 rebounds in the Big South Tourney, 12 ppg and 6 rebounds for the season.
Would add an Aussie on the men's side of the ball.
One of those kids we don't want to see at Clemson or Notre Dame. Would be a lock on the wing walking in the door.
Some serious height just entered the Portal
We'll see how accurate this source is. They've hit on a few here or there in the past. Byers was on Mike Rhodes staff at VCU and was initially going with him to Penn St.
Should have VA recruiting ties already. How was VCU's defense last year?
Allowed the 24th fewest points per game
Opponents shot 46% inside,
32% from outside
They forced 16.3 turnovers per game, 8.9 by steals.
Me like.
Ok, its happening. Trilly has got legit sources and has been locked in on damn near every hire.
If true might be one of my best guess moments....
https://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/1187686#comment-1187686
Interested to hear how the numbers work out as he had been officially hired by Penn State along with Rhodes. Sounds like he and Rhodes have the kind of relationship though where he could go in and say "Coach....Family" Likely is good for him regardless since he ultimately wants to be a head coach.
Good read on Byers background
Article on Byers
Surprised that no one has commented on his hire. Good, Great or Meh.
Honestly I am in a TBD state on him. Not sure he was the primary behind VCUs stellar defense. Also not sure where he sits in the pecking order. He was not given the Associate Head Coach title. Hokiesports bio states he will be responsible for the development of Tech's guards. He is a really good recruiter so that's a big positive, especially losing Jones connections to AAU and academies. "He played an integral role in signing the Atlantic 10's top recruiting class in three of the last four years and signing three of the program's top six highest-ranked recruits in program history. "
Guess I am in the Proof is in the Pudding line of thought so will have to wait to see how the Hokies come out the first few weeks of next season. Defense improved? Shot selection and dribble penetration improved in guards? Less Heroball? All things I will be looking for.
My angst is
While that's great in the A10 - where would that talent stack up in the ACC and are we/have we shown improvement in the overall recruiting level or are we falling back into a "mid-major" recruiting pattern. Time will tell
Yeah, I mean look at Wiggins down at Bama, never recruited 5 star recruits at VT so he's probably been bring the 3 -low 4* recruits to Bama right?
To be fair to those classes, two of them are now in the NBA.
Bones Hyland was a First Round draft pick by Denver and named to the NBA 2022 All Rookie Team. Traded to the Clippers early this season he averaged 10.9 ppg in 20 minutes per game. (Edit removed botched info)
Vince Williams Jr. was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2nd Round in the 23 draft and signed a two way contract for the Grizzlies and their G League affiliate. He did play in 15 games for Memphis.
If Byers can bring in even one guy like this per season that's a huge impact to all aspects of the program. The other piece to keep in mind is that both these players were not one and dones. Hyland stayed 3 years and Williams four.
Fyi you're confusing the clippers with the kings for playoff drought. Clippers have made the playoffs 10 of the last 12 years
Yeah you are right. The NBA is not my jam so definitely botched that one.
The Atlantic 10 is a historically good basketball conference and overall Olympic programs conference. There was a reason that Tech joined it...
I look at it as, if he could recruit talent to an A10 school, he should be able to recruit talent to an ACC school. Hopefully his floor is high level A10 talent. I will take that scenario all day.
Should...
Christian Shumate
6'6 185 lb Wing/Small Forward
Averaged
15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1 ast
Solid interior scorer at 57%
Perimeter at 34%
Started at Tulsa, then two years at McNeese State. Should have two years left.
In McNeese's 2023 Southland Conference tournament run, Shumate averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal per game as he helped McNeese to the semi-finals
I think its interesting we're still reaching out to guys despite being full. And also the guys we're reaching out to aren't the studs that have hit the Portal over the last week and a half. Maybe just doing due diligence in case a spot opens up. But to me, if you're still looking to add talent will thus have to make room, at least shoot your shot with some of the top prospects. It just irks me a tad when I see schools like BC, Wake or NC State ( and other schools at or below our level) all taking a shot at upper level talent and we're not reaching out.
FWIW, I'm not talking specifically about Shumate here. Pretty solid numbers and could help. I was just commenting more on the general state of our roster situation and the Portal.
Also have to consider these are lists of schools without dates so it may be that we reached out right when he hit the portal (mid-March)
I do agree that I would like to see them in the fray for top guys if just to get mentioned in the conversation.
Louisville's Hailey Van Lith has entered the portal.
Can you imagine her, Amoore, King, Jefferson, and Kitley on the same roster?
Van Lith currently has a pretty nice NIL deal with Adidas so that could impact where she decides to go. Unfortunately, Miami would seem top destination for current Adidas schools.
Cavinder twins not coming back so that clears the way for Van Lith to soak up that Miami spotlight.
Might be why they are moving on. They can go be in WWE while HVL takes the starting twins spot. Not like they need the NIL with their TikTok and other stuff.
Idk, she's a bit of a volume shooter for my liking. She was only 29% from three this past year, and she took over 100 more shots than Georgia on the season. Not sure she would gel with the current starters we have penciled in.
Would she be more accurate not having the other teams' best perimeter defender on her?
If she's a team player and is willing to give up shots, I'd imagine we would stretch other teams pretty thin with 2 elite shooters behind the arc and Kitley down low.
3 elite shooters.
King would have been top 30 nationally if she had taken enough shots.
Amoore was top 40.
Van Lith last year (36.3) would have been closer to Amoore, two years ago (38.3) would have been higher than King.
edit: Add in Kiki Jefferson and we'd have 4 players on the roster who would be career 33% or higher from beyond the arc.
She had a better FG% than Amoore, but more importantly she would be a replacement for Traylor. Similar to Traylor, she is left-handed heavy, has drive-the-lane playmaking ability, a good mid-jumper, and gets a few boards and assists.
Traylor (5,9") averaged---31 mins---11 pts----3.4 Reb---2.9 AST---1.0 STL---43.6% FG---33.0% 3PT
Van Lith (5'7") averaged--37 mins---20 pts---4.5 Reb---3.2 AST---1.5 STL---41.1% FG----29.3% 3PT
Amoore and Van Lith would be a small back court, but Van Lith makes up for it with her playing style. I think it would be difficult for Van Lith to get as many opportunities on this lineup with Amoore and Kitley, but with her ability to drive and draw fouls downlow, it would take a good amount of pressure off of Kitley. The key stat for me is Van Lith attempted 182 FTs (87.4%). Traylor was the guard with the most FT attempts at 108 (79.6%).
Not sure if she is an Owusu-type though or if she's looking at VT at all. So, not sure if she is a cultural fit or not.
This would be an S Show of it happens.
I have no clue how she'd fit there.
I just can't see her fitting in there.
They want all the media attention and ESPN will give it to them.
I think the thing that surprises me most is the lack of coverage on most of the portal entries outside the really big names in WBB after how much attention the Tournament garnered.
You have D3 or mid major guys that get more coverage in articles and Twitter than about 95% of the women's side.
One other interesting side note on Van Lith. She elected for Do Not Contact when putting herself in the portal. I read that one of two ways. She already knows exactly where she is going or she has a very short list.
6'11 Power Forward in C/O 2025
Goes to Bullis School in Potomac, MD.
Not yet ranked by 247
German National that plays in a few of the FIBA events for Germany.
Germany FIBA Profile
Summary from Event Recap: Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich:
A big guy that knows he can just go up and dunk it?
Right? Is that allowed?
That is what has and still does drive me crazy with some of these dudes that are 6'10" and taller who go up soft for a layup... Like bro, go up hard and strong and dunk that motherfucker like Shaq and Dwight Howard back in the day. Lesser probability of getting it blocked or missing a easy bucket.
There aren't as many Shaq & Dwight Howard's as you think - particularly on a below avg athleticism roster...
I don't see how needing to be athletic plays into the conversation of just going up and dunking.
It doesn't have to be a glass breaking dunk like Shaq, but I strongly feel that if you are around 6'8" tall and have the ball under the rim, there's nothing stopping you from jumping vertically, reaching your arms over your head and flushing.
Strength to me isn't even that big of a factor, maybe lesser strength centers get stuffed (but the defender would have to be comparable in size and in position), but more often than not I would guarantee that the offensive player draws a foul even on a weak attempt, regardless of make or miss.
Is this kind of like being voted best campus in Garden and Gun?
Seeing as Dawn Staley won it 2 of the last 4 years gives it some minor legitimacy. Is it the Naismith? Nope
The site focuses almost exclusively on coaching news and moves. In season they are consistently evaluating performance from a coaching staff perspective.
Interesting look at some of the technology our basketball programs are utilizing to impact performance
Spiideo provides the coaching staff and players both immediate and post practice video. It allows the staff more hands on time with the players. The most impactful piece Ryan Nadeau speaks to in the video clip though for me is that they can film guys doing individual workouts that can help with form, footwork and positioning. Pretty cool insight even if it's an advertisement from the company.
Will go down as one of the all time fan favorites. If he still checks in with his AMA account, Thank You Mr Mutts for always bringing your best! Gonna miss you on the court next year.
He will be missed. Best of luck to your next adventure!
We love you man!
I know it is a little petty of me, but I read through the lists of top transfer players in portal for men's and women's college BB. Owusu isn't even mentioned as a honorable mention.
Most lists I looked at have her in the 13-15 range. Had to laugh at one list because they listed her transferring from Maryland. Did a double take to check the list was this year and it was.
ESPN doesn't have her in the top 35 or there next five honorable mentions.
I take anything Charlie Creme writes with a bag of salt. I envision him taking the list of portal names, tell the stats analyst to pull their 2023 stats and then he took the Top 50 to make his list.
USA Today has her 14th. Worldexposurereport has her 13th.
The Athletic doesn't have her in Top 30.
Based purely on her 23 performance it's easy to not rank her very high. If she can return to the form she had at Maryland though she will be a big get. Conditioning is the big key for her. Everything I heard was on return from the finger break, she was a step slow/visibly fatigued and it appeared she had not continued cardio workouts while out.
Even before the finger she wasn't exactly fast up and down the court. Then again, when playing with Soule, Amoore, King, etc. most people are going to be slow.
Probably unhappy with less than 10 minutes per game playing time.
??
While he lost his starter role pretty early, he was generally their first/second guy off the bench and averaged nearly 18 per game. He only played less than 10 minutes in two games all season. I bet playing time is why he is transferring, but its not like he rode the bench for a national title winning team.
And almost every stat that I can see went down from any year he had at VT, with the exception of his FT%. And even though he averaged 18 minutes per game, that is still way down (14) from his last year at Tech.
His first half of the season was pretty abysmal. The second half he was playing pretty wel and meeting expectations I would say. UCONN fans are definitely still pleased with him and think of him as a net positive for the whole season. They are sad to see him go. They just also know his playing time will probably go down next year.
Dream left VT and got a ring and TBH I was happy for him. I can't imagine he would want to come back to Blacksburg but I wouldn't say no.
Did he break up with Nika Muhl and need a fresh start away from her?
Bonk
This is a good read on NIL and the college basketball portal. Also below is a tweet from an insider detailing some numbers he's heard (BTW, Trilly is really locked in. Not just some rando.)
https://www.on3.com/nil/news/college-basketball-transfer-portal-nil-coll...
There was an article about the Cavinder twins that threw a bullet in about Nijel Pack on Miami's men's team saying his NIL deal was $800K for two years so I don't doubt these numbers at all.
Wasn't Wong wanting similar money to Pack.
Kiki Jefferson to Louisville
Ouch Louisville loading up. They also got guards Jayda Curry (California), Eylia Love (Georgia Tech) and forward Hennie van Schaik (Cal State Bakersfield).
6'4 170lbs Shooting Guard
92 Rated 4 🌟
Holds over 20 offers.
Hokies offer 2026 Wing/Forward Alijah Arenas
6'6 170 lbs
He is Gilbert Arenas son.
Already has over 40 offers
Verbal Commits Profile
6'6" as a freshman? He could still grow another inch or so.
Yes currently listed as a guard. I put him as a wing/forward as I figured the same. Expect he will be 6'8 or 6'9 by the time he hits college.
Pretty sure its gonna be MSU but if you feel like watching, here ya go. Though I do think its somewhat interesting we're in the final cut. I can't recall much positive vibes around us with him in awhile so to see us still there is still mildly interesting. Not gonna get my hopes up though
Announcing at 4pm on 4/20???
Gonna be green. Can tell you that.
Maybe he gets super high and decides to come here
4 Star? yeah not getting my hopes up here.
Went green. Spartan.
As it was foretoked
not specifically Hokies, but indirectly affects us, since it is ACC...god dammit I thought we were done facing this MFer
Interesting roster construction for UNC so far. Not clear who's playing defense at a high level other than the officials.
Maybe a little something of note since this is the first (I believe) offer we've put out to a 2024 recruit since Jones left and Byers came on. Get an idea of the type of player the staff is shooting for.
He's not ranked (yet that I can see) but he does have an impressive offer list from schools like Oregon, Indiana , Pitino's St Johns, WVU, and UVA. Looks like a late bloomer and with that offer list, I expect his ranking will shoot up big
Oh snap!
Point Guard, St Anne's Belfied in Charlottesville, Va
Class of 25
5'8 150lbs
Not yet ranked
5 offers.
I had to remember that Class of 25 means he is a soph and could be bigger by the time he graduates.
Silas Barksdale
Power Forward,
6'9, 215 lbs
Class of 25
Not yet Ranked
Plays for Boo Williams AAU
Scary enough, he is a sophomore as well and could get bigger...
Nate Ament
Wing
6'7, 170 lbs
Colgan High, Manassas
Class of 25
Not yet ranked
6 offers
Olivia Vukosa
6'5 Forward
Christ the King, NY
ESPN not yet ranked
Offers from all the Top schools (UConn, USC-E,
#3 on this list
Plays is the same travel league that most of our 23 class comes from on the Philly Rise team
Who nicknamed her Big O?
I know it's how the college game is these days, but I am still not used to highschool freshman getting offers.
must...not...post...office space...gif
Time for a new thread? This one is dragging a bit, like I switched from Xfinity to T-Mobile or sumthin'.
This thread glitches out in mobile every time plz start a new one 😅