GT Transfer Portal Activity 2.0 – Portal Season: The Awakening

[JacketsSports]

I don’t understand the infatuation with players that left. They’re gone. We can’t go back. I’m more excited about players that want to be here than those that don’t. It doesn’t matter if they might be a better player or not.

It's not about infatuation about players that left, for this instance, I was more looking for a comparison so that I can have a better idea of Muldrew's potential.

 

[Jack]

I don’t understand the infatuation with players that left. They’re gone. We can’t go back. I’m more excited about players that want to be here than those that don’t. It doesn’t matter if they might be a better player or not.

Spilt milk

 

[Peacone36]

I don’t understand the infatuation with players that left. They’re gone. We can’t go back. I’m more excited about players that want to be here than those that don’t. It doesn’t matter if they might be a better player or not.

It’s called a hypothetical

 

[Northeast Stinger]

It’s called a hypothetical

Exactly. Everybody is trying to estimate the potential of this team going forward. You can only do this by going position by position and seeing if it reflects a gain or a loss at that position and then adding up the results.

 

[orientalnc]

Exactly. Everybody is trying to estimate the potential of this team going forward. You can only do this by going position by position and seeing if it reflects a gain or a loss at that position and then adding up the results.

I don't disagree with this, but it's something else as well. Individually, the guys on our last team were decent players. Certainly better than their record indicated. But, and this "but" is carrying a lot of weight, they were ill-suited for their roles with their teammates. I am not sure they liked each other of the coaches they agreed to play for. So, I don't think our new group needs to be better individually than that group to be a better team. That's why predicting what 2026-27 season holds for us is so difficult. These guys have never played together and may not fit any better that the last group. I am optimistic, but that's as far as I go.

 

[Peacone36]

I agree that our team was better than the results last season. Providence is another pretty good example of talent that underperformed. Their situation was pretty similar to ours but they had significantly more talent than we did. Coaching philosophy/ability being a terrible fit for your roster or your team not buying in will stop a team faster than any defense. Its on the coaches shoulders to make the necessary adjustments and put his players in the position to be successful.

The real question with one like Mustaf/Muldrew is actually a question on whether or not Mustaf would be more successful in Cross' offense than Muldrew. We know what Mustaf can do, and unlike Stoudamire, there is a ton of evidence that Cross can coach/make adjustments. Thats where the infatuation/comparison/question stems from.

Mustaf put up respectable numbers in a bad offense, its a fairly safe bet that our offensive system will improve (you dont even have to look at the numbers on kenpom, all you see is red when you open the page) so the answer pretty obvious to me. Especially if we are assuming that we still have Garland and Whitlock on the roster to go with JM.

That said, Muldrew wanted to be here, JM got paid. Im happy with his potential without much pressure.

 

[Pizzabagels516]

I'm high as heck on Muldrew, but I'd take Mustaf back over Muldrew any day. That's not because I don't think Muldrew won't fulfill his potential, but it's because I think Mustaf can be a high level player quicker. We saw first hand what he can do at this level, versus a bigger projection for Muldrew. Kind of the "devil you know" theory. Even when he was a freshmen here, I thought Mustaf had a really high ceiling. He has position versatility, can defend, can score, and he was one of the few players that actually gave a d@mn when the season was circling the toilet. What we saw in the second half of last season from Mustaf was a glimpse of the player he can be. IMO, he's a guy that can give you 15+ points/6-8 rebs/3-5 assists a game, and his frame and athleticism makes him a good multi position defender. He gets to by defenders and to the basket easily, though he does need to work on his finishing at the rim. He needs to work on shot some, but all the tools are there for him to become an All Conference level player.

When Cross came in, I said there was only 3 players I cared to bring back. Mustaf and Ndongo were 1A and 1B, and Fleming was the 3rd player. Given Cross's history with developing talent, I really thought Mustaf could blossom under the new staff. He probably would have been our best overall player, and with some REALLY good guards in Garland and Whitlock, it would have given Mustaf more space and freedom to play to his talents. For me, it's more a matter of Mustaf being closer to development maturity versus a flash of great talent display from Muldrew the last portion of last season at Washington. It's a balance of getting help right away, versus nurturing a plant to pick the fruits down the road.

IMO, if you look back at Cross's development of guards, and given Muldrew's frame and athleticism, he is going to be REALLY good here if he takes to coaching. There's certainly a lot of filling in the blanks and projection when it comes to player development. Once Muldrew started getting consistently more minutes, he blossomed for Washington. He's guard that can rebound, and he also takes care of the ball. Even though I would have liked for us to have Mustaf returning, I'm also excited to see Muldrew develop and play with Garland and Whitlock next season.

Cross and staff tried very hard to keep mustaf. Didn’t have the money to compete with Indiana

 

[Techster]

Cross and staff tried very hard to keep mustaf. Didn’t have the money to compete with Indiana

Yup...I believe @Connell62 reported the same thing after talking with Cross at the meet and greet.

I'm glad we tried hard to keep him. Mustaf is going to be REALLY good for Indiana, but I would have rather Mustaf been REALLY good for GT. I understand it for him. Outside of the money, he probably wanted a fresh start elsewhere. When he was here, he played hard and represented GT well so I don't have any ill will for what he chose to do.

 

[tbglover]

Across 12.7 minutes per contest, Muldrew averaged 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, which included some impressive efforts, including a 9-point, 7-rebound outing in the Big Ten Tournament against USC, and 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in the tournament the next day against Wisconsin. However, while he's expected to take a big step forward offensively as a sophomore, Sprinkle's coaching staff will miss his defensive intensity even more.

"Courtland is that wild horse," Sprinkle said of Muldrew in the preseason. "He's so fast, every time we run a line...he's going to win it. He is so fast and athletic for his size, and I don't want him to lose that. I need him to be that aggressive, especially defensively; it's a God's gift to him. He's so athletic and fast twitch, but now he's got to do it without fouling. He's got to drive in there and still use that speed and athleticism, but he has to be under control."

"He takes pride in getting after guys and getting in guys' skin. He loves guarding Wesley (Yates), and Zoom (Diallo), and Desmond (Claude), and those guys, and he's fouling them, but we're not calling it. He loves being that instigator, which I love, because he's an energy giver."

Washington basketball freshman standout transfers to Georgia Tech

The Washington Huskies lost former four-star recruit Courtland Muldrew to Georgia Tech in the transfer portal.

uwhuskieswire.usatoday.com

 

[Techster]

Washington basketball freshman standout transfers to Georgia Tech

The Washington Huskies lost former four-star recruit Courtland Muldrew to Georgia Tech in the transfer portal.

uwhuskieswire.usatoday.com

Sounds like a Cross OKG. Even more excited about getting him in our backcourt.

 

[orientalnc]

Sounds like a Cross OKG. Even more excited about getting him in our backcourt.

I agree. The Husky boards were disappointed to see him in the portal.

It seems he is a typical freshman in that he needs to learn how to pace himself. If I am reading correctly, he is an incredibly fast athlete.

 

[Techster]

I agree. The Husky boards were disappointed to see him in the portal.

It seems he is a typical freshman in that he needs to learn how to pace himself. If I am reading correctly, he is an incredibly fast athlete.

Reminds me of what they said about Jordan Usher when he came in from USC. High level of athleticism and speed, but just raw in terms of harnessing and applying those attributes to basketball. It appears it "clicked" a bit for Muldrew towards the end of the season at Washington. GT will definitely benefit from that next season.

I said a couple of times I think Muldrew could be the steal of our transfer class.