The National Letters of Intent Early Signing Period is coming up this week.
Division I Basketball (Early Period) November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021.
It will be interesting to see what happens as the Rockets already have a full roster of 13 scholarship players on board for next season and commitments from 2 recruits, Cooper Davis and Javari Simmons, for the upcoming class of 2022.
oversigning will become the new norm with the portal. it's a long season and we should know by the end who are the guys expected to get time in 21-22 and those who are last 3-4 on the bench. the goal is to have all the starters and key reserves come back. TK has been clear. he's not gonna play the end of the bench and he's not making them any promises. that's not a judgement by me, just what it is. i think the important thing is how you impact the young athletes lives on the day to day. do they enjoy their time as a Rocket? do they have the time and support to also excel in class? is the locker room fun? seems like TK always has a lot of good guys on the team. a good staff and a culture the players and their families appreciate. if you are the 12th guy on the bench and there's a recruit coming in who already does some things better than you, as a basketball player, you are encouraged to move on and find a better fit for playing time.
the new guys are gonna sign and become Rockets next year. each could have an impact. simmons is the pf we seldom have. and if he ready early there's a chance he and AJ Edu could spend a year or two playing with each other. he's a great recruit. UT type of player and student athlete too, it seems. and cooper davis is a great shooter. might have the best jump shot in the state. and he's pretty tall. maybe 6-6. and an active defender who can move his feet a bit. sort of a classic TK recruit- good skills, shooter, not a big time athlete but can make more athletic plays than you expected.
if keshaun doesn't get his groove back and sits, it would be logical for him to walk across the stage and graduation, thank UT and TK. and announce he will use his 2 postgraduate years of eligibility to pursue a masters elsewhere (and fill a more meaningful role on another team). he's a good student and the staff loves him but if after 4 years you aren't getting minutes???
we don't know what to think of Arnor from Iceland. I imagine the staff does not play him to preserve his eligibility (whether it is at UT or elsewhere). I think he can be play through the NW Ohio game and then be **** down to keep his eligibility.
it looks like jacobi is carving out the biggest role of the true frosh but farmer, wilson and carcoana are on the court too. it's possible that one of those group of 4 (playing) true frosh watches his role shrink and gets discouraged.
hill knows he's stuck behind dennis for the next 3 years. does he want to stick it out and spend his career as a backup pg or have a chance to be the guy with the ball somewhere else? he's a serious student it seems, so it may depend on academics, but he'll have a good 2 year academic record and might have some interesting options because of that.
remember the 6-5 pf recruit (williams?) who was a bit of a genius. graduated high school at 16. came to UT and did a redshirt, and then got hurt, and then played a little and I think transferred as 19 year old college grad with 3 years of eligibility or something. ended up starting for a decent low major team (might have even made ncaas?)
i'd expect between 2 and 4 guys to transfer out and AJ Edu to continue his MBA work and have a healthy 21-22 season. be surprised if we sign a 3rd guy early, and think we will wait and see who wants to leave after the season. say 3 guys? those spots are filled by the 2 early signees and probably someone from the portal.
there's also the fear that ryan rollins is really that good and gets NBA feels and stays in the draft after next season. it's ok, breathe. i read a scouting report that said he's more of a 2023 prospect, but there's a chance.
(11-06-2021 10:23 PM)pono Wrote: [ -> ]oversigning will become the new norm with the portal. it's a long season and we should know by the end who are the guys expected to get time in 21-22 and those who are last 3-4 on the bench. the goal is to have all the starters and key reserves come back. TK has been clear. he's not gonna play the end of the bench and he's not making them any promises. that's not a judgement by me, just what it is. i think the important thing is how you impact the young athletes lives on the day to day. do they enjoy their time as a Rocket? do they have the time and support to also excel in class? is the locker room fun? seems like TK always has a lot of good guys on the team. a good staff and a culture the players and their families appreciate. if you are the 12th guy on the bench and there's a recruit coming in who already does some things better than you, as a basketball player, you are encouraged to move on and find a better fit for playing time.
the new guys are gonna sign and become Rockets next year. each could have an impact. simmons is the pf we seldom have. and if he ready early there's a chance he and AJ Edu could spend a year or two playing with each other. he's a great recruit. UT type of player and student athlete too, it seems. and cooper davis is a great shooter. might have the best jump shot in the state. and he's pretty tall. maybe 6-6. and an active defender who can move his feet a bit. sort of a classic TK recruit- good skills, shooter, not a big time athlete but can make more athletic plays than you expected.
if keshaun doesn't get his groove back and sits, it would be logical for him to walk across the stage and graduation, thank UT and TK. and announce he will use his 2 postgraduate years of eligibility to pursue a masters elsewhere (and fill a more meaningful role on another team). he's a good student and the staff loves him but if after 4 years you aren't getting minutes???
we don't know what to think of Arnor from Iceland. I imagine the staff does not play him to preserve his eligibility (whether it is at UT or elsewhere). I think he can be play through the NW Ohio game and then be **** down to keep his eligibility.
it looks like jacobi is carving out the biggest role of the true frosh but farmer, wilson and carcoana are on the court too. it's possible that one of those group of 4 (playing) true frosh watches his role shrink and gets discouraged.
hill knows he's stuck behind dennis for the next 3 years. does he want to stick it out and spend his career as a backup pg or have a chance to be the guy with the ball somewhere else? he's a serious student it seems, so it may depend on academics, but he'll have a good 2 year academic record and might have some interesting options because of that.
remember the 6-5 pf recruit (williams?) who was a bit of a genius. graduated high school at 16. came to UT and did a redshirt, and then got hurt, and then played a little and I think transferred as 19 year old college grad with 3 years of eligibility or something. ended up starting for a decent low major team (might have even made ncaas?)
i'd expect between 2 and 4 guys to transfer out and AJ Edu to continue his MBA work and have a healthy 21-22 season. be surprised if we sign a 3rd guy early, and think we will wait and see who wants to leave after the season. say 3 guys? those spots are filled by the 2 early signees and probably someone from the portal.
there's also the fear that ryan rollins is really that good and gets NBA feels and stays in the draft after next season. it's ok, breathe. i read a scouting report that said he's more of a 2023 prospect, but there's a chance.
I feel your perspective is right on with your post. Very realistic. Coach K sets a bar of expectations. I would like to see the bench go deeper, but I think that has more to do with having D-1 guys that can compete and are complete ball players than the coach just picking a number. The portal adds a new dynamic. It puts a little more pressure on everyone, but opens up an opportunity for fairness if guys are looking for a better fit. The culture in the locker must be pretty good if guys are sticking around. It was eye opening when BSU’s best players left after last season. You’ve got to avoid that, if at all possible. Regardless, BSU had the portal to help address the need if it was necessary. I am not sure what they did. I don’t follow it. Regardless, I enjoyed the post and am really looking forward to some Rocket BBall. All the best, Rocket fans.
Great post pono! Really puts into perspective the incredible dynamic that is roster management in todays world. This is more like the NBA without the $$ at least for mid-majors. gone are the days of getting your scholarship and making it work for the next 4 years. Getting a scholarship today is just the start for a recruit. This whole process if fast moving. Although I am not a huge fan of TK I guess overall he seems to thrive in this atmosphere of a lot of moving parts and seems to keep a lot of 18 - 22 yo's mostly happy while they are hear.
A couple things to add, a player like Seth Milner may decide after a big year this year he wants to try the professional leagues overseas. Also, players more now than every are graduating in 3 or 3.5 years and could maybe try a bigger school program for a year or two and get a graduate program UT may not offer paid for. As was mentioned earlier one of the benefits of the portal is it does allow a player to transfer who may have been buried on the bench and doesn't see the opportunity at UT. In the past those players buried would have to sit out a year or transfer to a lower level school. Waiting until after January to figure out the next years roster is a major coaching error in my opinion as the portal may not have a good program fit in it and the good high school players may have committed or signed elsewhere. Signing DII or DIII level talent to replace players who already can't play on your team isn't smart. When those 9-13 area players are pushed by coaches on the court at practice and with the knowledge that the school is bring in equal or better talent these kids have a choice to push themselves or go to a better fit for them.
(11-06-2021 10:23 PM)pono Wrote: [ -> ]oversigning will become the new norm with the portal. it's a long season and we should know by the end who are the guys expected to get time in 21-22 and those who are last 3-4 on the bench. the goal is to have all the starters and key reserves come back. TK has been clear. he's not gonna play the end of the bench and he's not making them any promises. that's not a judgement by me, just what it is. i think the important thing is how you impact the young athletes lives on the day to day. do they enjoy their time as a Rocket? do they have the time and support to also excel in class? is the locker room fun? seems like TK always has a lot of good guys on the team. a good staff and a culture the players and their families appreciate. if you are the 12th guy on the bench and there's a recruit coming in who already does some things better than you, as a basketball player, you are encouraged to move on and find a better fit for playing time.
the new guys are gonna sign and become Rockets next year. each could have an impact. simmons is the pf we seldom have. and if he ready early there's a chance he and AJ Edu could spend a year or two playing with each other. he's a great recruit. UT type of player and student athlete too, it seems. and cooper davis is a great shooter. might have the best jump shot in the state. and he's pretty tall. maybe 6-6. and an active defender who can move his feet a bit. sort of a classic TK recruit- good skills, shooter, not a big time athlete but can make more athletic plays than you expected.
if keshaun doesn't get his groove back and sits, it would be logical for him to walk across the stage and graduation, thank UT and TK. and announce he will use his 2 postgraduate years of eligibility to pursue a masters elsewhere (and fill a more meaningful role on another team). he's a good student and the staff loves him but if after 4 years you aren't getting minutes???
we don't know what to think of Arnor from Iceland. I imagine the staff does not play him to preserve his eligibility (whether it is at UT or elsewhere). I think he can be play through the NW Ohio game and then be **** down to keep his eligibility.
it looks like jacobi is carving out the biggest role of the true frosh but farmer, wilson and carcoana are on the court too. it's possible that one of those group of 4 (playing) true frosh watches his role shrink and gets discouraged.
hill knows he's stuck behind dennis for the next 3 years. does he want to stick it out and spend his career as a backup pg or have a chance to be the guy with the ball somewhere else? he's a serious student it seems, so it may depend on academics, but he'll have a good 2 year academic record and might have some interesting options because of that.
remember the 6-5 pf recruit (williams?) who was a bit of a genius. graduated high school at 16. came to UT and did a redshirt, and then got hurt, and then played a little and I think transferred as 19 year old college grad with 3 years of eligibility or something. ended up starting for a decent low major team (might have even made ncaas?)
i'd expect between 2 and 4 guys to transfer out and AJ Edu to continue his MBA work and have a healthy 21-22 season. be surprised if we sign a 3rd guy early, and think we will wait and see who wants to leave after the season. say 3 guys? those spots are filled by the 2 early signees and probably someone from the portal.
there's also the fear that ryan rollins is really that good and gets NBA feels and stays in the draft after next season. it's ok, breathe. i read a scouting report that said he's more of a 2023 prospect, but there's a chance.
Coach K has been here awhile and whatever his strategy is of moving players around to get the best pairings……HASN’T GOTTEN US TO THE DANCE! His strategy didn’t work at Green BAY either. Trouble is when the chips are down he has consistent trouble playing against certain programs….Ball and I now see some problems with Ohio. This guy has been here too long. Hopefully, he leaves with Candle with the new AD.
(11-06-2021 10:23 PM)pono Wrote: [ -> ]oversigning will become the new norm with the portal. it's a long season and we should know by the end who are the guys expected to get time in 21-22 and those who are last 3-4 on the bench. the goal is to have all the starters and key reserves come back. TK has been clear. he's not gonna play the end of the bench and he's not making them any promises. that's not a judgement by me, just what it is. i think the important thing is how you impact the young athletes lives on the day to day. do they enjoy their time as a Rocket? do they have the time and support to also excel in class? is the locker room fun? seems like TK always has a lot of good guys on the team. a good staff and a culture the players and their families appreciate. if you are the 12th guy on the bench and there's a recruit coming in who already does some things better than you, as a basketball player, you are encouraged to move on and find a better fit for playing time.
the new guys are gonna sign and become Rockets next year. each could have an impact. simmons is the pf we seldom have. and if he ready early there's a chance he and AJ Edu could spend a year or two playing with each other. he's a great recruit. UT type of player and student athlete too, it seems. and cooper davis is a great shooter. might have the best jump shot in the state. and he's pretty tall. maybe 6-6. and an active defender who can move his feet a bit. sort of a classic TK recruit- good skills, shooter, not a big time athlete but can make more athletic plays than you expected.
if keshaun doesn't get his groove back and sits, it would be logical for him to walk across the stage and graduation, thank UT and TK. and announce he will use his 2 postgraduate years of eligibility to pursue a masters elsewhere (and fill a more meaningful role on another team). he's a good student and the staff loves him but if after 4 years you aren't getting minutes???
we don't know what to think of Arnor from Iceland. I imagine the staff does not play him to preserve his eligibility (whether it is at UT or elsewhere). I think he can be play through the NW Ohio game and then be **** down to keep his eligibility.
it looks like jacobi is carving out the biggest role of the true frosh but farmer, wilson and carcoana are on the court too. it's possible that one of those group of 4 (playing) true frosh watches his role shrink and gets discouraged.
hill knows he's stuck behind dennis for the next 3 years. does he want to stick it out and spend his career as a backup pg or have a chance to be the guy with the ball somewhere else? he's a serious student it seems, so it may depend on academics, but he'll have a good 2 year academic record and might have some interesting options because of that.
remember the 6-5 pf recruit (williams?) who was a bit of a genius. graduated high school at 16. came to UT and did a redshirt, and then got hurt, and then played a little and I think transferred as 19 year old college grad with 3 years of eligibility or something. ended up starting for a decent low major team (might have even made ncaas?)
i'd expect between 2 and 4 guys to transfer out and AJ Edu to continue his MBA work and have a healthy 21-22 season. be surprised if we sign a 3rd guy early, and think we will wait and see who wants to leave after the season. say 3 guys? those spots are filled by the 2 early signees and probably someone from the portal.
there's also the fear that ryan rollins is really that good and gets NBA feels and stays in the draft after next season. it's ok, breathe. i read a scouting report that said he's more of a 2023 prospect, but there's a chance.
(11-07-2021 11:33 AM)Somersetco Wrote: [ -> ]Coach K has been here awhile and whatever his strategy is of moving players around to get the best pairings……HASN’T GOTTEN US TO THE DANCE! His strategy didn’t work at Green BAY either. Trouble is when the chips are down he has consistent trouble playing against certain programs….Ball and I now see some problems with Ohio. This guy has been here too long. Hopefully, he leaves with Candle with the new AD.
Why don't you leave this fan base while he hasn't won one yet the next coach is more likely to be a Gene Cross than a Bobby Nichols. BTW he also has not had a player like Ryan Rollins except for Treshaun Fletcher and I suppose you blame that loss on Coach K as well.
(11-07-2021 11:33 AM)Somersetco Wrote: [ -> ]Coach K has been here awhile and whatever his strategy is of moving players around to get the best pairings……HASN’T GOTTEN US TO THE DANCE! His strategy didn’t work at Green BAY either. Trouble is when the chips are down he has consistent trouble playing against certain programs….Ball and I now see some problems with Ohio. This guy has been here too long. Hopefully, he leaves with Candle with the new AD.
Ohio has definitely given us fits lately. We’ve only won three of the last four. .750 doesn’t cut it. Coach must go!
RocketPaul….had to re-Read your comment a couple of times. Did u pass English 1/2 while at UT? If not, than that explains your lack of grammar and sentence construction. As to leaving the BOARD, I think I’ll stay just to annoy you. Also, as to the Bobby Nichols reference ….I’m sure I know a lot more about Bobby Nichols and Rocket athletics than u will ever know.
(11-08-2021 02:19 PM)Somersetco Wrote: [ -> ]RocketPaul….had to re-Read your comment a couple of times. Did u pass English 1/2 while at UT? If not, than that explains your lack of grammar and sentence construction. As to leaving the BOARD, I think I’ll stay just to annoy you. Also, as to the Bobby Nichols reference ….I’m sure I know a lot more about Bobby Nichols and Rocket athletics than u will ever know.
I'm not familiar with English 1/2. Is that a prerequisite for English 1? Also, I think you meant "then," not "than." That must be taught in English 1.5.
(11-08-2021 02:32 PM)Lester Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 02:19 PM)Somersetco Wrote: [ -> ]RocketPaul….had to re-Read your comment a couple of times. Did u pass English 1/2 while at UT? If not, than that explains your lack of grammar and sentence construction. As to leaving the BOARD, I think I’ll stay just to annoy you. Also, as to the Bobby Nichols reference ….I’m sure I know a lot more about Bobby Nichols and Rocket athletics than u will ever know.
I'm not familiar with English 1/2. Is that a prerequisite for English 1? Also, I think you meant "then," not "than." That must be taught in English 1.5.
No you don't know more about Bobby than I do or you would not be saying the Stupid ****. I took 1 English class at ut got an A in the class when the teacher told us he never gives A's. This is a message board if you are worrying about Grammar and punctuation you are in the wrong place. AS I SAID BEFORE we are way more likely to bring a Gene Cross in than a Bobby Nichols. KMA I will be at the first home game you can do it then.
Until Coach can bring a MAC title to UT, justifiable criticism is warranted.
(11-08-2021 08:43 PM)Springboromark Wrote: [ -> ]Until Coach can bring a MAC title to UT, justifiable criticism is warranted.
Already has at least two. A one and done NCAA trip would be nice but don’t confuse it with MAC titles.
(11-08-2021 09:09 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 08:43 PM)Springboromark Wrote: [ -> ]Until Coach can bring a MAC title to UT, justifiable criticism is warranted.
Already has at least two. A one and done NCAA trip would be nice but don’t confuse it with MAC titles.
MAC regular season title is nice but doesn’t cut it anymore. Not after a 40 plus year drought. Fair or not, NCAA tourney selections are the only measure of success.
(11-08-2021 09:14 PM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 09:09 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 08:43 PM)Springboromark Wrote: [ -> ]Until Coach can bring a MAC title to UT, justifiable criticism is warranted.
Already has at least two. A one and done NCAA trip would be nice but don’t confuse it with MAC titles.
MAC regular season title is nice but doesn’t cut it anymore. Not after a 40 plus year drought. Fair or not, NCAA tourney selections are the only measure of success.
Considering we have only won 3 regular season championships in that same 40+ year period, I think regular season titles should be more appreciated. In my opinion, it is a more impressive accomplishment to finish with the best league record after a long season than it is to get hot in a 3 day tournament.
(11-09-2021 09:58 AM)RocketBBallFan Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 09:14 PM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 09:09 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 08:43 PM)Springboromark Wrote: [ -> ]Until Coach can bring a MAC title to UT, justifiable criticism is warranted.
Already has at least two. A one and done NCAA trip would be nice but don’t confuse it with MAC titles.
MAC regular season title is nice but doesn’t cut it anymore. Not after a 40 plus year drought. Fair or not, NCAA tourney selections are the only measure of success.
Considering we have only won 3 regular season championships in that same 40+ year period, I think regular season titles should be more appreciated. In my opinion, it is a more impressive accomplishment to finish with the best league record after a long season than it is to get hot in a 3 day tournament.
+1
(11-08-2021 02:19 PM)Somersetco Wrote: [ -> ]RocketPaul….had to re-Read your comment a couple of times. Did u pass English 1/2 while at UT? If not, than that explains your lack of grammar and sentence construction. As to leaving the BOARD, I think I’ll stay just to annoy you. Also, as to the Bobby Nichols reference ….I’m sure I know a lot more about Bobby Nichols and Rocket athletics than u will ever know.
(11-09-2021 09:58 AM)RocketBBallFan Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 09:14 PM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 09:09 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: [ -> ] (11-08-2021 08:43 PM)Springboromark Wrote: [ -> ]Until Coach can bring a MAC title to UT, justifiable criticism is warranted.
Already has at least two. A one and done NCAA trip would be nice but don’t confuse it with MAC titles.
MAC regular season title is nice but doesn’t cut it anymore. Not after a 40 plus year drought. Fair or not, NCAA tourney selections are the only measure of success.
Considering we have only won 3 regular season championships in that same 40+ year period, I think regular season titles should be more appreciated. In my opinion, it is a more impressive accomplishment to finish with the best league record after a long season than it is to get hot in a 3 day tournament.
I get your point but the general public and even fan bases judge a program on NCAA appearances. When we schedule Richmond or Clev State (these are just examples) nobody really pays attention to how many regular season titles they won. It’s all about the NCAA tournament and how far you got.