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A Look At 2024

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canesstevealum08 said:
Your smug tone is hilarious Gonzaga has been stuck in the WCC forever! That more so speaks to why they don’t produce top 10 classes. Miami in an evolving acc (unc misses tourney, duke lacks cohesion) can absolutely become a tops hoops destination now and after L. Even Kentucky isn’t what they used to be. And with NIL? This is just the beginning
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Gonzaga has been winning at a high level for the better part of two decades. When you win like that, your conference doesn’t matter nearly as much. Classic example of this was UNLV under Tark. That said, it is still a struggle.

The issue is that unless Miami drastically overpays for talent, elite kids will get scooped up by the name brand schools. We aren’t the only school with good NIL infrastructure. L has found a strategy that works well and we have people whining about it. Miami relies on making good evaluations, playing the freshmen that should play(Wooga and Joseph played a ton as freshmen last year), developing the other guys and then using proven veterans to fill in any talent gaps.
 
Gables Canes said:
I like Beverly a lot. I just don’t see him having the quickness to be a full time starter in the ACC. I like him coming off the bench giving us ~15 minutes a game,
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Beverly isn’t quick? We must have differing ideas of what quick is. Dude isn’t fluid but he moves well, you can’t play D like he does at the level he does and not be quick.

He’s the most complete PG on the roster, he actually defends and can get his on slashes. His shooting has improved. I’d rather go Joseph and Pack, with Pack working off screens and being a dynamic undersized two guard, but he wants to be the PG.
 
jaywho said:
Wooga and Bensley barely played last year and very rarely scored. They both made a huge jump this year and became major contributors. It will not surprise me at all if Casey, Watson or Aire make a similar leap.
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Agree. This time last year people on here were saying that Wooga wouldn’t be good the next season based on his performance against Kansas, and look at how much he contributed this year.
 
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SFbayCane said:
So is there ANY hope that the wheel will finally go round for Anthony Walker?

I still cannot figure out why he's not a dominant player. 6'-9", 230 lbs., runs the floor really well, is athletic... I dont get why he's not productive.
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caneworld said:
He has no coordination..... reminds me of Bill Cartwright without the baby hook shot.
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I cannot say that I share that opinion. He seems plenty coordinated. There's just something missing from his skillset that prevents him from being productive. Maybe a lack of touch or something more along that line, but his coordination level seems fine. He runs the floor well and handles the ball okay.
 
cyrez8 said:
I'm actually super excited about next year's starting 5...

G: Joseph
G: Pack
SF: Wooga
F: Casey
C: Omier

I think this lineup has a chance for another solid tourney run!

Back to back to back Sweet 16s is my hope and current expectation :)
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You think joseph and Pack starting together would work against teams with bigger guards? I do like the potential here if casey takes a wooga like leap.
 
jkdood said:
I admire Beverly for his courageous battle with injury and ability to contribute in a limited role. I know I won't have company but I think he could even be a stable secure mature contributing starter next year (if he stays.) Yes, this might take up a slot the NIL/portal might want, but at least this is a better problem than finding enough bodies for a 5-on-5 practice. Remember?
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Not sure I want him starting but would love him back in a similar or slightly increased role to what he had this year
 
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SFbayCane said:
I cannot say that I share that opinion. He seems plenty coordinated. There's just something missing from his skillset that prevents him from being productive. Maybe a lack of touch or something more along that line, but his coordination level seems fine. He runs the floor well and handles the ball okay.
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I would not consider walker as a decent ball handler at all. There was a stretch where it seemed like he lost the ball everytime he put it on the floor. He also has a terrible shot and rarely finishes unless it's a dunk and yet he seems to think he has the green light at all times. Would prefer he look elsewhere but wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have him back as a veteran presence that plays sparingly. All that said, it's possibly he could come back and the light finally clicks on but I wouldn't bet money on it
 
chris2183l said:
I would not consider walker as a decent ball handler at all. There was a stretch where it seemed like he lost the ball everytime he put it on the floor. He also has a terrible shot and rarely finishes unless it's a dunk and yet he seems to think he has the green light at all times. Would prefer he look elsewhere but wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have him back as a veteran presence that plays sparingly. All that said, it's possibly he could come back and the light finally clicks on but I wouldn't bet money on it
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Walker has been here 4 years. I highly doubt the light will suddenly click in year 5. He just has no feel for the game, and other than dunking, he has no real basketball skills.
 
First priority this offseason has to be getting a transfer stretch-4... ideally a Brady Manek (or even a slightly better version of senior year Sam Waardenburg) 6-9ish type that can also rebound well enough to occasionally give some minutes at the 5. Casey may get there one day but I don't see him being there just yet (although regardless he will probably be getting a good amount of minutes in a reserve role).

Second priority for me would be getting another scoring guard (assuming Wong leaves), as although I am fine with Joseph starting at PG, I think it will be good to have like a super-sub that can relieve him and/or Pack and give us some firepower off the bench. Fortunately these types of scoring guards are a dime a dozen in the portal, but unfortunately you have to filter out the ones who volume scored on bad teams with the ones who can provide efficient scoring for a contender.

Finally if we have space I would be fine taking another Center, but (other than ****inson who I would take in a heartbeat) I don't think we should prioritize this over the needs I mentioned above. We have Aire and the incoming frosh Nwoko who I think could develop into serviceable backups for Norchad. Some people here seem to just want to get a 7 footer for the sake of having a 7 footer and well... we had Rodney Miller and Gak the last several years and you can see how much impact they had. Talented 7 footers don't grow on trees and really in Coach L's entire tenure Jekiri was the only one who really worked out (and he was a multi-year project).

Note all this is going to be contingent on us having open roster spots which we really won't even know until Wong, Walker, Beverley (and any potential unforeseen transfer outs) make their decisions. I would imagine Coach L is in the process of exit interviews at the moment and letting all the players know where they are likely to stand in the rotation next year which may influence some of the deep bench players on whether they stay or go (I really hope we don't see someone like Watson leave, as I think the minutes will be there for him next year and I like his game). Regardless the program is in a good spot, but adding a portal replacement for Miller instead of just hoping Casey has a Wooga-like fresh-sophomore jump would really help us.
 
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"Isaiah Wong is another potential second-round candidate as a scoring guard who has improved his efficiency, three-point shooting, and ability to create for others. With an extra season of eligibility remaining, and a robust NIL market, there has been speculation that a return to Miami for a fifth season could be the best financial decision"
 
gacaneaddict said:
"Isaiah Wong is another potential second-round candidate as a scoring guard who has improved his efficiency, three-point shooting, and ability to create for others. With an extra season of eligibility remaining, and a robust NIL market, there has been speculation that a return to Miami for a fifth season could be the best financial decision"
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If wong went in the 2nd I would be shocked. That’s not a knock on him.. he’s the most important player in miami hoops history but I don’t see his game translating to the league what so ever and taking a flyer on him in the 2nd would make for an odd decision by a GM
 
gacaneaddict said:
"Isaiah Wong is another potential second-round candidate as a scoring guard who has improved his efficiency, three-point shooting, and ability to create for others. With an extra season of eligibility remaining, and a robust NIL market, there has been speculation that a return to Miami for a fifth season could be the best financial decision"
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JackMcClinton89 said:
First priority this offseason has to be getting a transfer stretch-4... ideally a Brady Manek (or even a slightly better version of senior year Sam Waardenburg) 6-9ish type that can also rebound well enough to occasionally give some minutes at the 5. Casey may get there one day but I don't see him being there just yet (although regardless he will probably be getting a good amount of minutes in a reserve role).

Second priority for me would be getting another scoring guard (assuming Wong leaves), as although I am fine with Joseph starting at PG, I think it will be good to have like a super-sub that can relieve him and/or Pack and give us some firepower off the bench. Fortunately these types of scoring guards are a dime a dozen in the portal, but unfortunately you have to filter out the ones who volume scored on bad teams with the ones who can provide efficient scoring for a contender.

Finally if we have space I would be fine taking another Center, but (other than ****inson who I would take in a heartbeat) I don't think we should prioritize this over the needs I mentioned above. We have Aire and the incoming frosh Nwoko who I think could develop into serviceable backups for Norchad. Some people here seem to just want to get a 7 footer for the sake of having a 7 footer and well... we had Rodney Miller and Gak the last several years and you can see how much impact they had. Talented 7 footers don't grow on trees and really in Coach L's entire tenure Jekiri was the only one who really worked out (and he was a multi-year project).

Note all this is going to be contingent on us having open roster spots which we really won't even know until Wong, Walker, Beverley (and any potential unforeseen transfer outs) make their decisions. I would imagine Coach L is in the process of exit interviews at the moment and letting all the players know where they are likely to stand in the rotation next year which may influence some of the deep bench players on whether they stay or go (I really hope we don't see someone like Watson leave, as I think the minutes will be there for him next year and I like his game). Regardless the program is in a good spot, but adding a portal replacement for Miller instead of just hoping Casey has a Wooga-like fresh-sophomore jump would really help us.
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We don't need another Sam W, even a "slightly better" version of him at his best. We need a physical interior presence, a taller player to both complement Omier on the floor, or allow Larranaga an inside option when Norchad sits. A player big enough to anchor and hold his defensive position down low, and rebound on both ends of the court.
 
Wong isn't an NBA player at this point. It's going to be incredibly difficult for Zay to create offense at the next level without being a semblance of a threat from deep. Look at a guy like Matisee Thybulle. Was an elite on ball defender coming out of Washington and went in the first round. He's sub 33% from three as a pro and his minutes have plummeted in year 4 of his career.
 
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