F/C -
Harvin Ibarguen - Junior - 6’9” - Ibarguen was a very late add to the roster and was also a JUCO transfer from Seward County CC. So late, that I think most of us assumed he was a walk-on….and I’m still not sure if he is or isn’t. Either way, this year Ibarguen played in 31 games (21 starts) averaging 20.7 minutes and 5.8 ppg/4.4 rpg shooting 74.5% FG and 65.4% FT (17 of 26). Everything about Ibarguen got better as the season progressed this year. He went from a guy who I (and probably others) figured was practice fodder to being an integral member of the starting 5 and one that most fans are excited about next year. Ibarguen is an athletic big man (slightly undersized at 6’9”) but has a motor that doesn’t stop and will get open. If you are paying attention, he’s open and ready. Which is why I think his emergence was fueled by the remergence of Kaleb Thornton. I’ve said it for years, if you are remotely open, be ready because Thornton will get you the ball. Most bigs we’ve had either didn’t get open enough, weren’t athletic enough or didn’t pay attention enough, but Ibarguen checked all of those boxes for Thornton and the two of them hooked up a ton as the season progressed. Honestly, it doesn’t seem that hard, move...get open…finish. But apparently it is. The one area where Ibarguen struggles is on defense, especially against bigger opponents. Where he can get away from dominant bigs on the offensive side, he has trouble containing them on the defensive side. Which is understandable. This is why he’s got to have a big to pair with who can control things better. Actually, he could pair great as the PF to a more traditional C because of his athleticism and ability to run the floor.
C/F -
Oluwasegun Durosinmi - Sophomore - 6’9” - Durosinmi was acquired this year as a transfer from St. Bonaventure where he didn’t get to see the floor in his first season. This year, as a Huskie, Durosinmi played in 29 games (7 starts) averaging 10.8 minutes and 2.2 ppg/2.9 rpg shooting 35.8% FG and 61.9% FT (26 of 42). As Harvin Ibarguen’s arrow pointed up more and more as the season progressed, we saw Durosinmi’s arrow point downward for a bit before leveling off. Clearly, the post was a void where we had no experience outside of Anthony Crump and potential having a big come in from the A-10, who had…at the very least…practiced for a year in a good program, the idea was that he’d come in and be serviceable. Unfortunately, it seems like Duro is nothing more than a big body that can absorb fouls and a handful of minutes to spell the other, better bigs on the roster. Also unfortunately, there weren’t many better bigs on the roster this year. So, this position will still be an area of focus for Burno this offseason. Duro isn’t terrible, but he’s not good either. I will say that he has the highest FT shot on the team. Not the highest free throw PERCENTAGE…but the highest arc. When he shoots a FT, it comes straight down at the basket. Seems excessive and unnecessary but it’s better than whatever Anthony Crump used to throw at the basket. One positive is is that from what I saw last year, either Burno or someone on his staff is good at working with post players (imo, both Okanu and Makuoi got better as the season progressed to the point of being marginal D-1 talent when neither of them had any real business being on the roster), so over the next two years, we could see some improvement come Duro’s way.
PG -
Taku Youngblood - Freshman - 6’1” - Youngblood was a HS recruit this year and one that had a lot of question marks as there wasn’t a ton of info out there about him when he signed. Since then, I have discovered a YouTube page that I think is dedicated to him. It’s by someone named Bil (which I think is an acronym for Ball Is Life…anyway) and you can check it out for yourself here (
https://www.youtube.com/@bil2067). So, I’ve watched a lot of those videos now and, you know what? This isn’t the same guy I watched this year. In HS, Youngblood was a lot more assertive which makes me think he may develop into someone quite useful if he can strengthen up a tad. I also didn’t realize he could jump like he can. He’s more athletic than I realized (it was through that page that I found out he competed in the Slam Dunk competition during the pre-season event at the Convo this year. As for his year, Youngblood played 22 games (0 starts) averaging 3.3 minutes and 1 ppg shooting 41.2% FG (28.6% 3PT - 4 of 14) and 100% FT (4 of 4). Obviously, his numbers are an extreme case of a small sample so they don’t really tell us a bunch. He’s probably a pretty good FT shooter and is probably a better 3PT shooter than he did this year. His videos show a more well rounded PG type who can go to the basket. Now, I know what you’re thinking, this kid is ripe to transfer for playing time…maybe JUCO or lower level D 2 or 3, right? Yeah…probably right. He didn’t get much attention coming out of HS but he did get a real late offer in February of 2022 from Colorado State, which I think is interesting. Anyway, he’s one to keep an eye on right now as he could be one of those transfer jumpers. If not, I may be a bit more optimistic about him than I was say…3 days ago. Burno played his position and I’m sure he knows how to coach up a guy like Youngblood. If he just stays.
G -
Armandas Plintauskas - Freshman - 6’4” - To me, Plintauskas is a fun player to watch. He does odd things but has a bulldog mentality that is just entertaining. So, what are his strengths? I’m not entirely sure but I think having a guy like him on your team makes the team better. But that’s just an opinion. Anyway, this year for the Huskies, Plintauskas played 28 games (1 start) averaging 8.8 minutes and 1.9 ppg/1 rpg shooting 32.7% FG (26.5% 3PT - 9 of 34) and 61.5% FT (8 of 13). Much like Youngblood, Plintauskas didn’t play enough to fully come to any conclusion based on his stats. His game is hustle and chaos. In my opinion, his season highlight came in the Gonzaga game where he turned the ball over at half court and then ran back and blocked a dunk attempt by Ben Gregg who is 6’10”. The turnover was bad…really bad, but him being mad enough about it to run back and go after that dunk…and block it clean…said a lot about the kid’s heart. I’m a fan.