KY 7 players declare; no word yet on Stanley Johnson--why would he return? Or Gary Payton JR from OSU.
more in , then better chance Jakob out.
KY 7 players declare; no word yet on Stanley Johnson--why would he return? Or Gary Payton JR from OSU.
more in , then better chance Jakob out.
Cauley-Stein, Lyles, Towns, Okafor, Kaminsky.
Lots of bigs in this draft. Could this be a reason for Poeltl to stay?
EDIT: Tarczewski (or however it is spelled) returning for his senior year.
I wasn't too impressed with Tarczewski. Kaminsky ate him alive in the Elite 8 game.Originally Posted by U-Ute
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Kaminski made fools out of a lot of centers. Zeus is no Kaminski. Still he is a big guy that rebounds and defends well. He is better than a lot of big stiffs littering NBA rosters.
Pretty well. 13 points (7 of them from the line, thank you, referees), 6 rebounds in 33 minutes. His real opponent in that game was Bach -- who had 25 minutes, Poeltl only 12. Together, Bach and Poeltl tied Tarczewski in points scored and out-rebounded him, 10-6. His big body and physicality took the softer, skinnier Poeltl out of the game. Anyway, he's still a bit of a stiff.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Tarc is as good as he will get---not much more upside as he is not that athletic. Decent backup if he can extend his range--if not Euro bound.
Poeltl... Via @utahathletics
I too am looking forward to next season!
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
This is obviously huge for next season, but also long term for Utah. Another visit to the tourney will signal to recruits that Utah is the real deal and a place you want to play.
Kodiak's extension and the coaching staff apparent continuity is huge too.
Starting five
Taylor
Chapman
Loveridge
Reyes
Poetl
"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum
"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla
Taylor
Bealer
Loveridge
Chapman
Poeltl
Can Bealer handle the ball? I love Brandon Taylor, but he's not the greatest handler.
σοφῷ ἀνδρὶ Ἑλλὰς πάντα.
-- Flavius Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 1.35.2.
I was thinking the same thing. I'm hoping for:
I Wright
Taylor
Loveridge
Reyes
Poeltl
Chapman and Bealer 1st off the bench with significant minutes each game.
“To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.” James Hatch, former Navy Seal and current Yale student.
Starters: Wright, Taylor, Bealer, Chapman, Poeltl
Key Reserves: Tucker, Loveridge, Reyes, Mawien
Wild Cards (could get big minutes, could be end of bench and transfer): Ogbe, Kuzma
No idea: Miller, Another backup big (could switch places with Mawien)
I like this. I think Tucker and Loveridge would get lots of minutes; perhaps Reyes too.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
My guess is:
I. Wright
Taylor
Loveridge
Chapman
Poeltl
While I do have concerns over the small back court of Wright (6-2) and Taylor (5-10), the fact that both are such good defenders (and Taylor often guarded the opposing team's larger guard with not much problem) I think we'd be ok. Like has been said, I just feel like Taylor is a 2/shooting guard, not a great "creator". That's where we'll have the biggest void left from Delon is creating open shots off the dribble. I think I. Wright and Bealer are the two guys who can fill in the best in that area. So I could see Bealer start alongside Taylor, but until I see him play I can't pass an accurate judgment on him. He seems like the biggest wildcard on next year's roster.
Couple questions I have going forward (regarding positions/lineup)are:
Is Chapman a 4? Or a 3 and a 4?
Is Kuzma a 3 or 4?
Is Mawien a 4? or a 4 and a 5?
If I had to guess I'd say Chapman is a 4, Kuzma a 3, and Mawien a 4 and 5.
Thus, I think we see Chapman start at the 4, seeing about 25 mpg there. I think Mawien and Reyes are the primary backups at the 4 and 5 positions, with JO (assuming for now that he stays) seeing spot minutes at the 5.
So if Taylor can't man the 1 then does Wright play 40 minutes a game? LK must feel comfortable with Taylor out there at the 1, otherwise we'd be hearing a lot about our staff looking at transfer PGs (speaking of which, it will be really important to land a solid PG in the upcoming class).
when Delon injured his leg and couldn't play in the second half of that one game, K started Taylor at the 1 and Tucker at the 2. I would be surprised if Wright and Taylor started, becasue the backcourt would be so small and K clearly prizes length for defense if nothing else.
The problem with Chapman at the 4 is that he hasn't shown that he can rebound. I wonder what LK thinks about that deficiency in Brekkott's game.
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"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I'm not saying Taylor can't play the 1, I just think he's better playing off the ball. He's our best shooter and I think we'd be better served giving him at least some time playing the "off-guard".
One of the main reasons I don't love a Taylor/Tucker back court is Tucker's inability to handle the ball. I liked how the last two years we had two guys who could bring the ball up the court in Brandon and Delon. Additionally, without Delon next year I think we'll really need someone on the perimeter to put the ball on the floor and penetrate the defense. I think Isaiah and Bealer are probably our best bets to do that.
I really wish Ogbe would get healthy and put it all together next year. I still think he has an enormous amount of potential. It's too bad his groin injury derailed his season, sort of felt like a wasted year for him.
For D purposes I feel Ogbe will start at 2, at least at beginning of the year. Bealer will have to prove he can D up.
Tucker can't handle ball--we would get pressed to death with him at the 2.
I think Taylor can be passable at the point and will most definitely see plenty of minutes there next season. As others have said, I think his most optimal position is playing the two guard where he can run off of screens and catch and shoot rather than having to try to facilitate for others (something that is a struggle due to his size).
I don't know that the "small" backcourt will be the hindrance that many suggest. As 311 noted, Taylor has historically been able to defend above his size. Wright is also able to play big for his size (meaning, he has a good build, is strong and plays physical). I also think that most coaches in the college game are not sophisticated enough to adapt their offensive system on the fly in a way that punishes a smaller backcourt (i.e. posting up a bigger guard against Taylor). Most college teams also lack the breadth of talent and ball skills among their bigs to punish a team for offering help to an undersized guard who requires help against a bigger opponent.
I see where the size of a Taylor/Wright backcourt could be a problem on occasion but don't see it as a big enough issue to avoid that lineup altogether, a lineup which appears to include the only "true point guard" and the best shooter and leader of the team.
This is very true. Utah also loses a very good rebounding guard in Delon so once again rebounding will be a major question for this team and Utah may have to sacrifice offense for rebounding if certain players are not able to elevate their game on the boards.
Many good points have been raised here. I'll add two more.
1. As much as I enjoying watching Taylor playing D and shooting off a screen, he has neither the lateral quickness nor the ball-handling skill to be a good PG. I guess he could improve, but not sure.
2. Ball-handling -- this past season, when the opponent presses our team, Delon seemed to be the only player who has the ball-handling skill to break the press. I'm hopeful we can improve in that area -- we sorely need it.
JakPot is a better NBA prospect than D Wright, but D Wright was a FANTASTIC college player. Even if JakPot progresses, he will probably still not have as huge an impact as Wright. We need the rest of the young guns to develop as well to truly replace what DW delivered. Then we can start talking about a deeper run.
The thing about the 2016 team is that it looks like we have 1 anchor (Poeltl) and a bunch of guys that I would call "role players" in that they are specialists (Taylor, Tucker 3pt) and tweeners (Loveridge, Chapman, Kuzma) who may go off or disappear depending on how they match up in a particular game. I think what we really need is one more anchor- a guy who is going to play a lot of minutes and whose production is consistent and not dependent on any kind of weird mismatch. I think I Wright could be that guy and Bealer could be that guy. Kuzma and Chapman seem like they're another year away from that consistency. I've never been hugely impressed with Ogbe or Reyes.
Assuming a starting 5 of Poeltl, Chapman, Loveridge, Bealer, Wright- our second team looks like Olsen, Reyes, Kuzma, Tucker, Taylor. No matter how you slice the starting lineups, I feel like we have one teoam that would come in third in PAC and a second team that would finish 2nd in the MWC. But I don't see how you mesh these guys into a starting five that doesn't have at least one glaring weakness.
There is less than a 1% chance that Taylor will not be a starter next season. He isn't the best player on the team but he is the unquestioned leader, and the heart and soul of the team.
Sancho,
Are you baiting us with a statement like 2nd in the MWC better than 3rd in the PAC? I'm not saying that hasn't been the case but look at the last couple of years. Last year, an up year for the PAC, had four teams in the Sweet 16 - Arizona, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon. This year the PAC, in a "down" year, had three in the Sweet 16 - Arizona, Utah and UCLA.
To Jarid,
Amen on Taylor. As important as it is that Jakob returns for this team, let's not forget that Taylor is the leader. I don't care whether he starts or not, he'll play the most minutes. The tournament experience was terrific for him as this team starts preparing for next year.
Regarding the starting conversations,
I don't know that speculations on starting fives is important. I see a starting eight on this team and depending on the development of Ogbe and Kuzma, we could see even more depth and more starting combinations throughout the season. Miller and Mawien will get time but it's going to be hard for them to spend a lot of time on the court given who's in front of them this coming season. Perhaps Mawien will surprise. Certainly someone who rebounds and defends at an elite level at the 4/5 spot would be welcome. I just don't know if he can have the physical strength to do either of those things at a Pac-12 level this season. As wrong as I was about Chapman being ready for Division 1 basketball at the beginning of last season, we saw in Pac-12 play and in the tournament that he was a hit and miss player. He really showed some flashes but never consistency the last half of the season. Could Mawien be similar?
Anyway, I love the mixing and matching that Larry can and will do with Taylor, Wright, Bealer, Tucker, Ogbe, Loveridge, Chapman, Kuzma, Reyes, and Poeltl. If we add the Saddleback College kid this gets even more interesting.
Couldn't we just start the season now?
BS. Except for Utah the WAC/MWC has been with maybe a couple of exceptions inconsequential, repeatedly a disappointment, in the NCAA tournament. Why do you throw out the Sweet 16? The tournament is where the proof is because of head to head games. Sagarin is garbage in garbage out; it starts with a set of media-generated assumptions and then does its computerized polls based on outcomes and those assumptions. Regardless, until the MWC starts to make any impact AT ALL in the NCAA tournament, to compare it to the Pac 12 is truly asinine. Not to mention that the Pac 12 is a lot stronger below the top three or four teams.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
SU, I'm getting the strong impression that you disagree with Sancho.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Alright... I was bored so I looked it up. I used KenPom.com (since I believe it's the most accurate and it was easy using his site to look up). Here are the past 5 years:
Pac-12 #3(bold) MWC #2 (Italics):
2015: 33, 42
2014: 29, 31
2013: 43, 30
2012: 52, 46
2011: 23, 13
Sancho wins. It's been close every year, but the top of the MWC has been strong. However (like Sancho said), the Pac-12 is clearly superior in every way. Top to bottom, especially talent wise, it's not close.
Here's a look at the combined NCAA Tournament records the past 5 years:
Pac-12: 28-21
MWC: 10-17
NBA Draft Picks per conference over the last 5 years:
Pac-12: 29
MWC: 9
Current NBA players:
Pac-12: 60
MWC: 15
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