****Official Class Of 2024 Recruiting Thread****

[NiceMarmot]

TJ has shown he likes to rotate his bigs in and out almost like hockey lines in short stints. Rock is going to play considerable minutes.

Just like Omaha is playing considerable minutes this season? It's really freaking hard to play as a freshman big in the Big 12. The two who are succeeding this year, Missi and Tugler, are both athletic freaks. We haven't seen a second of Rock and people are penciling him in for 12-15 minutes a night? That'd be dope, but I doubt it.

 

[isucy86]

NYC area kid with solid offers out of HS

A little surprised TJ is recruiting a wing who shoots a little under 25% from 3. It would seem like we are pretty deep with guys who can play the 2/3 spots with Gilbert, Jones, Paveletzke, Watson, Hamilton, Pierce and Indrusaitis. I suspect we are recruiting Wells in case we lose a player from the above group.

I feel Biliew has a bright future, but he needs to step back and work his a$$ off this off-season. He has the talent but he needs to get stronger, improve his handle and develop his paint game. Having a front court of Momcilovic and Biliew could be a complimentary combo.

 

[Messi]

TJ has shown he likes to rotate his bigs in and out almost like hockey lines in short stints. Rock is going to play considerable minutes.

2023-24
5th year Rob Jones 22.5 mpg
5th year Hason Ward 17.5 mpg

2022-23
5th year Osun Osunniyi 18.5 mpg
4th year Rob Jones 17.1 mpg
4th year Hason Ward 8.1 mpg

2021-22
4th year George Conditt 18.5 mpg
3rd year Rob Jones 12.1 mpg



how many MPG do you do you think RS FR JT Rock will get next year? i think 10-12 mpg would be a huge success

 

[CyPunch]

I would not mind if he put up number similar to Iowas freshman center. Our guards will carry the load next year. I would rather see us get a transfer power forward with muscle. Think like a poor man’s Daymon’s Green type than a true center

Lol. He's not going to put up 11 and 6 next year and he's not going to be playing 25-30 minutes per game. Cut all those numbers in half.

There are of course caveats when comparing to Iowa players because their offensive numbers are inflated and they don't play defense. For example, Ben Krikke scores 15 points per game and has been a net negative player in conference play because of what he gives up on the defensive end and he doesn't rebound.

 

[Cyforce]

Just like Omaha is playing considerable minutes this season? It's really freaking hard to play as a freshman big in the Big 12. The two who are succeeding this year, Missi and Tugler, are both athletic freaks. We haven't seen a second of Rock and people are penciling him in for 12-15 minutes a night? That'd be dope, but I doubt it.

Biliew has 3 seniors eating up the minutes in front of him. We're not going to have 3 open scholarships to replace those guys. By the way Rock's game is much closer to Milan then Omaha. Plus he's 7'1.

If you're going to tell me I'm wrong please include why. Show me how you see 80 minutes at the 4/5 being filled. If you include Momcilovic upfront we're in trouble.

 

[CyPunch]

I bet we add an experienced starting level center who's currently playing well at a mid major. Think an Osun or Hason Ward type not Hunter Dickinson or Graham Ike.

AND we also add a forward who is more of a physical player to pair with Milan. Ideally Omaha figures it out and can play that Tre King role but tbd. I think we bring someone in regardless of what Omaha decides for his future.

 

[cycloneman003]

Seems to me like lots of people are on opposite ends of the spectrum with expectations for Rock next year. I think there are two things that are true...

1. Freshman bigs are simply not physically ready and developed enough to play 30 minutes in the Big XII
2. Despite the young age, this redshirt year and development in practice with this team and the weight room will benefit JT a TON

I don't think JT will be your "typical" freshman big, but I dont also expect him to be ready to be the man. He probably gets his ass kicked every day in practice by Rob/Hason/Tre and that is a great thing for him long term. I think finding a Osun/Hason type would be amazing because Rock can (and will need to) be ready to split time ala Rob/Hason next year.

So, as usual in these types of things, the truth is somewhere in the middle probably.

 

[MyNameEhJeff]

A little surprised TJ is recruiting a wing who shoots a little under 25% from 3. It would seem like we are pretty deep with guys who can play the 2/3 spots with Gilbert, Jones, Paveletzke, Watson, Hamilton, Pierce and Indrusaitis. I suspect we are recruiting Wells in case we lose a player from the above group.

I feel Biliew has a bright future, but he needs to step back and work his a$$ off this off-season. He has the talent but he needs to get stronger, improve his handle and develop his paint game. Having a front court of Momcilovic and Biliew could be a complimentary combo.

Omaha’s problem isn’t his work ethic or seniors being in front of him. Call me crazy, but I genuinely think he doesn’t truly understand basketball concepts and has always gotten by because he’s been the most athletic guy on the court for most of his career. He looks lost and out of place almost every time he’s on the court

 

[Messi]

Omaha’s problem isn’t his work ethic or seniors being in front of him. Call me crazy, but I genuinely think he doesn’t truly understand basketball concepts and has always gotten by because he’s been the most athletic guy on the court for most of his career. He looks lost and out of place almost every time he’s on the court

i will call you crazy
i think a kid who won a state championship, an EYBL championship, played on u19 national team and the McD AA games understands basketball concepts

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Omaha’s problem isn’t his work ethic or seniors being in front of him. Call me crazy, but I genuinely think he doesn’t truly understand basketball concepts and has always gotten by because he’s been the most athletic guy on the court for most of his career. He looks lost and out of place almost every time he’s on the court

I agree with a small fraction of this, but not understanding basketball concepts is an overly harsh take. I think he was allowed to play more of an unstructured style of basketball in high school due to his athleticism, but the talent gap between HS and college doesn't allow for that anymore.

He is very raw, but he displayed some really elite talent. Consistency and having the game slow down is what we need to hope for.

 

[isucy86]

Omaha’s problem isn’t his work ethic or seniors being in front of him. Call me crazy, but I genuinely think he doesn’t truly understand basketball concepts and has always gotten by because he’s been the most athletic guy on the court for most of his career. He looks lost and out of place almost every time he’s on the court

That's why this off season is critical. Last summer he spent time with the US FIBA team and I think that let to complacency by Biliew and his support group about his college prospects.
As athletic as Biliew is, he would be best suited to play the 5 spot for the 2024/25 season. Allowing him to develop his skill-set incrementally and focus his development narrowly.

 

[Drew0311]

I am not counting on Omaha next year even if he is here. I just don’t see him going from lost to not lost that quick. I think if he stays till his junior year we might see a leap. However, judging by watching him out there when he gets in, I don’t think he provides much next year either.

 

[NiceMarmot]

Biliew has 3 seniors eating up the minutes in front of him. We're not going to have 3 open scholarships to replace those guys. By the way Rock's game is much closer to Milan then Omaha. Plus he's 7'1.

If you're going to tell me I'm wrong please include why. Show me how you see 80 minutes at the 4/5 being filled. If you include Momcilovic upfront we're in trouble.

Here's our depth chart over the past 5 games. We're literally giving Milan 18% of minutes at the 4 over these last 5 games. Our 3rd and 4th most frequent lineups are Tamin/Gilbert/C Jones/Milan and then either Rob or Ward at the 5 over the last 5 games. So "if you include Momcilovic upfront we're in trouble" is already the case. Are we in trouble now? So yeah, I'd say with another summer in the weight room, a 6'8" wing/stretch 4 who shoots at 40% from 3 playing at the 4 makes a lot of sense. Not saying he'll only play the 4, but he will play the 4 more next year if he's here.




There's 13 scholarship spots, we're losing 3 seniors and have 2 incoming freshman. I'm guessing we will have 1-2 transfers out because that's how college basketball works now. So 2-3 scholarships will be open, and from all accounts, they will aggressively go after big men in the portal. They're not going to bring any upperclassmen in who they expect to be worse than Rock; they'd be coming in to play. And saying Rock's game is closer to Milan's than Omaha's is a bit disingenuous. Yeah they're both white and can shoot, but we don't know if Rock is a 40% shooter like Milan. What if he's a 31% type of guy? Also Milan guards wings and forwards, not centers. Who you guard and if you can guard them will have more impact on playing time (e.g., see Omaha this year and not being ready to guard Big 12 bigs).

Just to be clear, if Rock is good enough to play meaningful minutes as a young redshirt freshman, that would be awesome. I hope that happens. But it's okay to be conservatively realistic about the situation.

 

[Cyforce]

Here's our depth chart over the past 5 games. We're literally giving Milan 18% of minutes at the 4 over these last 5 games. Our 3rd and 4th most frequent lineups are Tamin/Gilbert/C Jones/Milan and then either Rob or Ward at the 5 over the last 5 games. So "if you include Momcilovic upfront we're in trouble" is already the case. Are we in trouble now? So yeah, I'd say with another summer in the weight room, a 6'8" wing/stretch 4 who shoots at 40% from 3 playing at the 4 makes a lot of sense. Not saying he'll only play the 4, but he will play the 4 more next year if he's here.

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There's 13 scholarship spots, we're losing 3 seniors and have 2 incoming freshman. I'm guessing we will have 1-2 transfers out because that's how college basketball works now. So 2-3 scholarships will be open, and from all accounts, they will aggressively go after big men in the portal. They're not going to bring any upperclassmen in who they expect to be worse than Rock; they'd be coming in to play. And saying Rock's game is closer to Milan's than Omaha's is a bit disingenuous. Yeah they're both white and can shoot, but we don't know if Rock is a 40% shooter like Milan. What if he's a 31% type of guy? Also Milan guards wings and forwards, not centers. Who you guard and if you can guard them will have more impact on playing time (e.g., see Omaha this year and not being ready to guard Big 12 bigs).

Just to be clear, if Rock is good enough to play meaningful minutes as a young redshirt freshman, that would be awesome. I hope that happens. But it's okay to be conservatively realistic about the situation.

To make this crystal clear. Two posts won't transfer here the same year that are better than Rock. He's going to play. Making my comment about Rock a black/white thing is insulting.

 

[NiceMarmot]

To make this crystal clear. Two posts won't transfer here the same year that are better than Rock. He's going to play. Making my comment about Rock a black/white thing is insulting.

Look I'm not going to get in a debate over this, as I meant it more light-heartedly as white players often get compared to white players and black players often get compared to black players. During the KU game against Houston, I had to laugh at Fran comparing Furphy to Christian Braun and Svi Mykhailiuk. Hmmm, I wonder what their primary similarity is?

I appreciate your enthusiasm for Rock's contribution level. I hope you're right.

 

[Cyclad]

Seems to me like lots of people are on opposite ends of the spectrum with expectations for Rock next year. I think there are two things that are true...

1. Freshman bigs are simply not physically ready and developed enough to play 30 minutes in the Big XII
2. Despite the young age, this redshirt year and development in practice with this team and the weight room will benefit JT a TON

I don't think JT will be your "typical" freshman big, but I dont also expect him to be ready to be the man. He probably gets his ass kicked every day in practice by Rob/Hason/Tre and that is a great thing for him long term. I think finding a Osun/Hason type would be amazing because Rock can (and will need to) be ready to split time ala Rob/Hason next year.

So, as usual in these types of things, the truth is somewhere in the middle probably.

Totally agree.
Rock will benefit greatly from this year in practice. Going against three 5th year seniors was a great move. I think he will become an excellent player. I agree, bigs usually need time to adapt, that’s why this year was crucial for him.
Folks - Rock will play. Right now he is all we got. By my count we have one scholarship available. We must get a portal or JUCO big.
The transfer does not need to be able to score. Defend and rebound.
I only have one concern about Rock. Assuming we play defense as we do now, Rock will be required to defend on the perimeter. Does he have the feet for that? I do not know that he doesn’t, but wonder.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Totally agree.
Rock will benefit greatly from this year in practice. Going against three 5th year seniors was a great move. I think he will become an excellent player. I agree, bigs usually need time to adapt, that’s why this year was crucial for him.
Folks - Rock will play. Right now he is all we got. By my count we have one scholarship available. We must get a portal or JUCO big.
The transfer does not need to be able to score. Defend and rebound.
I only have one concern about Rock. Assuming we play defense as we do now, Rock will be required to defend on the perimeter. Does he have the feet for that? I do not know that he doesn’t, but wonder.

My impression is that he does have good feet for his size from seeing HS video where he puts it on the floor a bit. I can't imagine a better scenario for guys to play against in learning during your redshirt season with a banger like Jones and a freak athlete like Ward.

 

[cydnote]

The transfer does not need to be able to score

Then why does everybody rip on BRE when he doesn't?

 

[Drew0311]

Then why does everybody rip on BRE when he doesn't?

Because BRE misses layups. I think that is the problem. If BRE got 0 points and missed maybe one shot, we would all be good. He just misses way to many bunnys.

 

[cydnote]

Because BRE misses layups. I think that is the problem. If BRE got 0 points and missed maybe one shot, we would all be good. He just misses way to many bunnys.

Maybe I'm stirring the pot too much, but aren't you limiting your options considerably if you have a player that can't (or doesn't need to} score--you know, like the premise of the game? how many times do we seem to be playing 4 on 5 when a sub has a weakness the opposition doesn't have to account for, ie: a wing or guard that can't shoot a three doesn't need to be guarded there so the defense packs it in tighter. Agreed, if every player could do all things at every position you'd be nearly unstoppable but why limit yourself from the start?