2023-24 Predictions

orientalnc

orientalnc

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lv20gt said:
We have a good handful of veteran players, although I think it's stretching to say 8 or 9, but most of those are back court players who Ndongo isn't really going to be competing with.
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Kelly, Kyle, Deebo, Terry, Abram, Reeves, Claude, Gapare, Dowuona

I don't think all these guys are stars, but they have DI experience. I am happy hearing Ndongo is standing out at our practice sessions, but I certainly wasn't counting on him early this year.
 

lv20gt

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orientalnc said:
I agree, but we're you expecting much from him this year?
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I was expecting him to at least push for playing time. Similar to how a bunch of recent players we've had were forced into earlier playing time than would be ideal due to issues with the roster.

orientalnc said:
Kelly, Kyle, Deebo, Terry, Abram, Reeves, Claude, Gapare, Dowuona

I don't think all these guys are stars, but they have DI experience. I am happy hearing Ndongo is standing out at our practice sessions, but I certainly wasn't counting on him early this year.
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Gapare played 12.3 mpg for UMass and put up 3.4 points on 31% from the field. Dowuona logged 11 mpg last year at NCSU in year 3 and averaged 1.7 points and 1.9 rebs per game. So yeah, I would say that it is a stretch to lump them in with our back court players in the same group. It would be hard for a non 5star freshman to come in and crack the line up in our back court. But our front court has nobody proven at a P5 level so I don't think it makes sense to believe it would take a Derrick Favors to get playing time as a freshman.
 
orientalnc

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lv20gt said:
Gapare played 12.3 mpg for UMass and put up 3.4 points on 31% from the field. Dowuona logged 11 mpg last year at NCSU in year 3 and averaged 1.7 points and 1.9 rebs per game. So yeah, I would say that it is a stretch to lump them in with our back court players in the same group. It would be hard for a non 5star freshman to come in and crack the line up in our back court. But our front court has nobody proven at a P5 level so I don't think it makes sense to believe it would take a Derrick Favors to get playing time as a freshman.
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Gapare was a Freshman at UMass "pushing" for playing time last year. Dowuona is possibly our starting center, so let's not dis him too much.

I agree with everything else you posted. You do not have to be a proven P5 player to have DI experience and "plenty of ability." That said, I will be happy for Ndongo to be ready to steal minutes from Dowuona early in the season. We need all the help inside we can get this year. Remember, we lost our 6-7 center from last year and most of us are expecting Claude (at about the same size) to be our starter this year. I hope I was wrong about Ndongo and your optimism was correct..
 
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orientalnc said:
When players and coaches start talking about Freshman players having a big impact on the team it gets your attention. I have pretty much ignored the Freshmen when thinking about which players will get minutes this season. When you have 8-9 veteran players with plenty of ability you don't usually consider young guys making an impact unless they were 5* guys during high school. So, I am beginning to wonder about Ndongo. CDS wanted everyone to know how to pronounce his name and Kelly made a point to talk about him. Hmm...
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I'm all for a get good, stay good model, instead of get old, stay old with occasional success model
 
orientalnc

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lv20gt said:
I think you do need to be a proven P5 player to justify not even thinking about a freshman as an alternative.
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So, if a starter at Gonzales transferred, he would not be considered a "proven P5" player?

The "plenty of ability" measure is purely subjective on my part and is not worth the keystrokes you & I are investing. We both agree that Ndongo will be a welcome addition to the rotation if he deserves that role. Let's leave it there.
 
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AUFC said:
Deebo has been looking slimmed out and strong in photos recently. Would be huge if he's a step quicker and gains the ability to drive to the basket. I'm sure the extra speed will help him on defense too where he has already been doing a great job for us.
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One of the things I occasionally remember is that these guys are in their prime physically while still maturing. Their bodies may get stronger for another few years but they are basically going to become better players through off season work, repetition, discipline and learning the game.
 

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From today's Athletic for top 20 freshmen (he made no 21):

Honorable Mention​

Baye Ndongo | 6-9 forward | Georgia Tech

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Ndongo play. I was in the back gym in a church in Houston and saw this 6-foot-9 kid block a shot off the glass, get the rebound, push the ball fullcourt and dunk it. No one knew who he was, but as I watched him and studied his game I thought one day he could be a pro. Most prospects his size don’t have the athleticism, skill or feel for the game like he does. He’s battled some injuries this offseason, but when we look back at this list we will ask ourselves why he wasn’t sought after more while being recruited.

theathletic.com

College basketball’s Top 20 freshmen for 2023-24: Stephon Castle, Isaiah Collier and more

Baylor's Ja’Kobe Walter and Pitt's Jaland Lowe are also among the freshmen you need to know this season.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 

lv20gt

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orientalnc said:
So, if a starter at Gonzales transferred, he would not be considered a "proven P5" player?
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You mean the Gonzaga team that played 8 P5 teams last year, 5 of which were ranked, 3 in the top 10 and then 3 more on their run to the elite 8? Don't be intentionally obtuse. Gonzaga is the basketball equivalent of ND at this point and there are few, if any, other non P5 teams that are in anywhere near a comparable situation to them. None of the transfers we have are from that situation or even situations that are reasonably close to that.
 
orientalnc

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lv20gt said:
You mean the Gonzaga team that played 8 P5 teams last year, 5 of which were ranked, 3 in the top 10 and then 3 more on their run to the elite 8? Don't be intentionally obtuse. Gonzaga is the basketball equivalent of ND at this point and there are few, if any, other non P5 teams that are in anywhere near a comparable situation to them. None of the transfers we have are from that situation or even situations that are reasonably close to that.
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I think I had a brain fart. You are being nice. Thanks.
 
Techwood Relict

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I think it was a little mean, he used the word obtuse.

Shawshank Redemption GIF
 
Connell62

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Surprised we haven't heard anything leak about our secret scrimmage opponent.

Maybe we only get one since we are doing an exhibition game.
 
orientalnc

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I would not read too much into this game or the outcome. Both coaches were likely trying out combinations they won't use much, or ever, during the season. But, UAB is probably considered above us in most preseason rankings (I know of two), so this shows we are on a par with them at least.

I follow UAB a good bit because I have a degree from their grad school. They were 29-10 last year and played for the NIT championship.
 
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