Kon will be a really nice player but may be squeezed out by bigger guards. Burno doesn’t strike me as someone who would choose obligation over team needs. As far as Osten He left in the middle of the year: there will be no returning. Too many other good players out there

(03-30-2022 05:11 PM)huskies77 Wrote:  Kon will be a really nice player but may be squeezed out by bigger guards. Burno doesn’t strike me as someone who would choose obligation over team needs. As far as Osten He left in the middle of the year: there will be no returning. Too many other good players out there

The thing is, we don't know why he was missing. You're assuming he abandoned the team. It could have been something else.

It could have been a private family matter. It could have been some sort of mental health crisis for him. Or a substance abuse/addiction issue.

Or, maybe he just flaked and left.

We don't know.

While I agree with ChicagoHuskies that Burno doesn't strike me as a guy who would put obligation over team, he also strikes me a guy who, when he commits himself to a player, he means it and if the player is in some kind of need, Burno isn't going to turn his back on him.

Or...he flaked.

Again, we don't know the situation.

NIU Recruiting Update - HS Senior

Armandas Plintauskas - COMMITTED - HS Senior (19 years old) - 6’3” - PG - BC Nevėžis (Lietuvos krepšino lyga (LKL) aka, Lithuanian Basketball League) - Okay, this one just popped up but apparently it happened back on the 25th (March). Plintauskas is a big, strong and broad shouldered PG who seems to like going to the basket. At least, that’s my impression. He seems to have a pretty good mid-range shot from the elbow and might even be pretty decent from the arc, I’m just having trouble 1) finding statistical proof of it and 2) I have literally no idea what the level of competition he’s playing against. The best stats for him I can come up with from the LKL is pretty slim playing time. His most recent highlight video (I think) is from some league called the RKL. Okay…I think I’ve got it figured out. The RKL is the 3rd tier league in Lithuania and the LKL is the top tier. This doesn’t help me understand how much he’s played in either league, but at least I have a slight idea of who he’s playing against. Anyway, this guy is strong and athletic. He jumps well, dribbles well and shoots fine. He’s got an odd jump shot that always looks like a fadeaway no matter where he’s shooting from…but it seems pure and repeatable so who am I to judge. It’s just odd. I guess it also demonstrates some upper body strength but again… As of right now, NIU is the only school to make an offer to Plintauskas but this is the 3rd (if I’m not mistaken) European that Burno has signed this year and about the 5th or 6th he’s made an offer to. Does this strategy pay off in the long run is something that will be interesting to witness. On one hand, we all know that European basketball players have become common in the NBA and we see more and more in NCAA. They just don’t seem to be as common in the MAC. So, maybe Burno is way ahead of the curve? Only time will tell.

Okay, so...update...:

Departing (6):

Trendon Hankerson
Adong Makuoi
Kingsley Okanu
Zool Kueth
Edward Manuel
Montavius Myrick

Incoming (7):

Xavier Amos
Martice Mitchell
David Coit
Zarique Nutter
Taku Youngblood
Armandas Plintauskas
Yanic Niederhäuser

Obviously, either someone else is leaving (Osten???) or someone isn't actually coming (Mitchell???).

If Mitchell is coming and not knowing who else is leaving (but let's just speculate it's Osten), and keeping in mind that we really won't know these guys and how good they might be for at least a calendar year (possibly longer)...but I like the incoming talent as a whole way more than the outgoing talent.

It's kind of impressive. In literally 1 year, Burno has almost entirely turned over the roster with only 2 players (Kaleb Thornton and Anthony Crump remaining from Mark Montgomery.

I don't understand how we are supposed to ever be good if we have so much turnover every year. We can't lose 6 players and bring in 6 players each year. We also can't keep losing our best players to portal. We need players to stay in the program all four years.

Actually that’s not true. If you bring in better players you Improve the team. With the portal this is the way it is probably going to go for many teams. You can’t stop kids from leaving with all the people whispering in their ears and all the NIL inducements out there. Many power fives are bringing five or six new guys a year. Luckily I think we have a coach who is willing to work the portal and is ready to replace players as needed

In a vacuum, sure, you want stability. But that simply isn't the case anymore in college hoops.

Just look around the MAC. Tons of stars (MAC stars) and top performers and/or future pieces on teams are leaving.

Akron is losing Brian Trimble, Ali Ali, and 6'10" freshman Sekou Kalle. Ball State is losing freshman Luke Brown, Tyler Cochran, Basheer Jihad, Payton Sparks and Jaylin Sellers. Bowling Green is losing Caleb Fields, Joe Reece, and freshman Cameron Young. Buffalo is losing David Skogman and Jeenathan Williams. CMU is losing Cameron Healy and Oscar Lopez. EMU is losing Bryce McBride and freshman Mo Njie. Ohio is losing their two best players in Mark Sears and Ben Vander Plas. Toledo is losing 6'10" freshman Mihai Carcoana, frehsman Arnór Eythorsson, and sophomore Jamere Hill.

Comparable, what we're losing is much less than what some other...better...teams are losing.

We're currently losing 6 players. 4 of them are graduating. One other is a JUCO transfer who barely played and the other is a freshman who also barely played.

Of the two guys who could be returning...they are easily replaceable. I predicted Manual would transfer, I still wouldn't be surprised if Kon departs (for reasons I'll point out below) and kinda get why Myrick is leaving (but wish he was staying but also...he didn't show anything this year but was apparently hurt a lot too).

Also, it's to be understood that anytime a coach is fired, they're going to lose players for whatever reason. I think most didn't bat an eye at any of last year's transfers except for Cochran who may have either 1) over-rated his own value or 2) was made the school fired a coach he was really close with and who was also terrible (from all reports, this seems like the case).

So, it is what it is.

Next year, we have 2 seniors so there probably won't be as much turnover. But, I'm sure someone will transfer. Either way, it happens.

Montgomery had this problem too but I like how Burno is handling it better. Monty would have freshman classes of like 6 or 7 players a few times and you simply can't expect all of those guys to stick around. The second they realize they're 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart behind guys who are either in the same class as them or a year behind them, then they often will bounce looking for playing time (typically at a D-II or lower program).

Burno seems to be mixing incoming freshman with JUCO transfers (ie, sophomores and juniors) so you spread the class distribution around a bit avoiding a log jam and creating a hierarchy of sorts.

Anyway, expecting players to stay for 4 years in a program nowadays is unrealistic. There's always going to be turnover with how the portal is designed.

A good coach just figures it out and figures out how to work it to his advantage.

(03-31-2022 06:03 PM)huskies77 Wrote:  Actually that’s not true. If you bring in better players you Improve the team. With the portal this is the way it is probably going to go for many teams. You can’t stop kids from leaving with all the people whispering in their ears and all the NIL inducements out there. Many power fives are bringing five or six new guys a year. Luckily I think we have a coach who is willing to work the portal and is ready to replace players as needed

Hankerson was one of the best 3 players on our team this year. Tyler Cochran was our best or 2nd best player last year.

Power 5s are bringing in high-level recruits that are already good players. We are bringing in lightly recruited players who need the full 3-4 years to develop to become good players.

This turnover does and will not be successful for NIU bball. So far Burno is not out recruiting Monty and this transfer portal is a bad thing for a program that is a hard sell to upper level MAC talent

(03-31-2022 06:56 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(03-31-2022 06:03 PM)huskies77 Wrote:  Actually that’s not true. If you bring in better players you Improve the team. With the portal this is the way it is probably going to go for many teams. You can’t stop kids from leaving with all the people whispering in their ears and all the NIL inducements out there. Many power fives are bringing five or six new guys a year. Luckily I think we have a coach who is willing to work the portal and is ready to replace players as needed

Hankerson was one of the best 3 players on our team this year. Tyler Cochran was our best or 2nd best player last year.

Power 5s are bringing in high-level recruits that are already good players. We are bringing in lightly recruited players who need the full 3-4 years to develop to become good players.

Tyler Cochran has picked his destination twice and is now picking his destination a third time. Hard to pin that on Burno.

And, I'm not sure if you knew this but Trendan Hankerson graduated and is transferring as a grad student. Now, I have no idea where he's going to transfer to or what he'll be studying in grad school, but this isn't something that you do just to spend another year playing basketball. Grad school goes beyond the one extra year and if NIU doesn't offer the program he's wanting, what is Burno supposed to do?

Hankerson stuck around for 3 years as a walk-on for Montgomery. Burno gave him a scholarship in his final year and somehow Burno is not doing right by players?

(03-31-2022 07:28 PM)dc1 Wrote:  This turnover does and will not be successful for NIU bball. So far Burno is not out recruiting Monty and this transfer portal is a bad thing for a program that is a hard sell to upper level MAC talent

What turnover? Graduating seniors and two transfers who barely played last year?

The reason for turnover is irrelevant it’s the sheer act of the team changing several players every year does not bode well for a good team anytime in the near future

(03-31-2022 08:33 PM)dc1 Wrote:  The reason for turnover is irrelevant it’s the sheer act of the team changing several players every year does not bode well for a good team anytime in the near future

I mean...students eventually graduate. Kinda hard to avoid that.

There's also almost 1,100 (and growing every day) NCAA men's D-1 basketball players in the transfer portal. Assuming NIU is going to be immune from that is unreasonable.

In 2021, there were 1,728 players in the portal.

In 2020, there were 1,013

In 2019, there were 987

In 2018, there were 883

In 2017, there were 904

In 2016, there were 800

In 2015, there were 829

In 2014, there were 752

In 2013, there were 672

In 2012, there were 577

But, yeah, this is a Burno/NIU problem.

It’s a problem all over college basketball! But it will hurt hinder NIU/Burno in building a winner. Stop being so damn sensitive BigRed. No one is saying Burno is bad just making the same point/ problem Monty had and it may be even a greater problem for Burno to overcome. You need some stability when you’re trying to build a winning culture

(03-31-2022 08:33 PM)dc1 Wrote:  The reason for turnover is irrelevant it’s the sheer act of the team changing several players every year does not bode well for a good team anytime in the near future

You can continue with your attempts to protect Monty's failed legacy but the jury is still out on Burno. However, I'd suggest you take your blinders off and see that the transfer portal -- whether we like it or not -- is now a fact of college athletics. Please name at least 10 teams from either the NCAA, NIT, or even any conference tournament that did not have an impact made by the transfer portal. That would include teams that lost players or teams that gained players. The Cheating ILL-ini will most likely lose Curbello via the portal, Kofi to the draft and yet Underworld will add someone thanks to the portal. Bet that happens at Kansas, Duke, and Xaiver -- which just won the NIT thanks in part to picking up Nunge via the portal. As to your prior post: Wow, you're comparing Burno's first two efforts at recruiting -- the second of which is still currently happening -- with nine years of stagnation under Monty?

(03-31-2022 08:51 PM)dc1 Wrote:  It’s a problem all over college basketball! But it will hurt hinder NIU/Burno in building a winner. Stop being so damn sensitive BigRed. No one is saying Burno is bad just making the same point/ problem Monty had and it may be even a greater problem for Burno to overcome. You need some stability when you’re trying to build a winning culture

I'm not being sensitive. Maybe a tad snarky.

Either way, I just don't get the teeth gnashing over this roster turnover when they are adding more via incoming players than they are losing (even counting the transfers which probably also includes Osten) when the entire level of schools NIU would call it's class (mid-majors) are all hit hard by this.

Ohio didn't even change their head coach and their two best players left. Guys I'm pretty certain HE recruited (I'm not 100% sure about Vander Plas...he may have been a holdover but still, he played for 3 years under Boals). Now, I think he's also a grad transfer but if Burno is going to get criticized for losing Hankerson, then Boals should look even worse for losing Vander Plas (for what its worth, I don't have an issue with either guy transferring). Either way, losing Sears, who is a freshman and one of the best players in the conference is huge.

But I suppose Jeff Boals is a failure.

The fact of the matter is, this is college basketball in 2022. You either figure out how to make it work for you or you don't. If you don't, you will fail.

You’re right 57 and you’re also always right BigRed. I’m a fan of Burno and NIU so I’m just going to take the high road and move along.

(03-31-2022 09:52 PM)dc1 Wrote:  You’re right 57 and you’re also always right BigRed. I’m a fan of Burno and NIU so I’m just going to take the high road and move along.

I'm not trying to be right. But if you can explain why the transfer portal is something NIU should avoid and should be able to avoid, then please do.

I'm more than happy to be wrong if it makes sense and is doable.

I mean, we clearly disagree and I've tried to show and explain why I disagree. You just seem to say, no and then when any pushback comes your way, you don't want to explain your understanding on this. You just want to act like I'm being unreasonable.

Why don't you explain it?

Please explain to me how NIU can avoid being affected by nearly 1/5 of all D-1 men's basketball players entering the portal.

I believe Burno is on the right track. Monty was a good guy and pulled NIU from the depths of Patton. I only go by the eye test. With my eyes I see more success coming to NIU basketball. Let’s enjoy the journey of better basketball

keeping an eye on NIU bball from a distance as UT/MAC fan, I'd say Burno is trying to find an identity for the team but it's too early to see if it will come together. Losing average, mostly older, players to the portal is bad if you otherwise got a contending roster and those transfers are key role players/depth. NIU is at the bottom of the league so holding onto average MAC players who have had time to develop isn't going to make you competitive. Burno's recruiting is all over the place, literally. Generally, good MAC teams are building most of their roster from the MAC region and finding a couple key guys from outside of it. Also, looking at transfers out, it's not the # but who they are. Toledo loses 4 players but none were key productive guys and only 1 seemed to have the potential to grow into a good MAC player. OU lost 3 guys buy they are their 2 best returning players.