Censored by Laurie

amazing how we've gotten better at basketball, yet some how this place keeps managing to get dumber. almost makes you long for the Benford days.

Pitino has been involved in paying players since his time at Hawaii in the 70s and has a vacated national championship for recruiting violations. language has nuance. just because it's legal now, doesn't mean it hasn't been happening for decades.

prove it.

Pitino turned over damn near the entire SJU roster and he has over 40 years of experience in the NIL-recruiting landscape. maybe a bit of personal responsibility, dude.

1. how bout no more posts too? just to see if it fixes the jinx. 2. Gaines went 1-4 for 6pts. 3. neat. 4. the UAB defense was keying on Edwards and basically making anyone else on the floor beat them. they didn't. it's a pretty common strategy...maybe Tony Bennett has never utilized it though. I don't know. 5. Scott and Lendeborg got into it at the Denton game...lots of back and forth...Scott dropped 20, Lendeborg 16...but it was pretty clear that Lendeborg was motivated to have a game against Scott. Lendeborg is 6'9" 230, Scott is 6'7" 200...they're both very good players, but thinking Scott can just body up Lendeborg shows both a lack of knowledge of basketball and general physics. 6. damn..I'll take any dude who can just sleep-walk to 13-5-4. 7. Davis and Lendeborg are better basketball players than Sissoko and basically the exact same size. sometimes that's just how this game works. 8. you know that there's another team that plays the game too, right? 9. if you're wrong will you go away? what if you're right? "Finish out the season strong & let’s see what happens in the tournament." - or maybe I'm just teasing...with brilliant insight like this where would the board be without you?

this is such great perspective on the season on a whole. figure in too that we were figuring out how to work in Edwards early and didn't have Walker until the UTA game...we've basically had 3-ish games with our best 8 players available...and we're 3-0 in those games. again...the core of this roster is legit and we've built a winning program and philosophy that isn't going to fall apart bc one season doesn't progress linear to the last few.

if Rubin is back, the core is: - Rubin Jones (Sr.) - Aaron Scott (Sr.) - CJ Noland (Sr.) - John Buggs III (Sr.) - Rondel Walker (Sr.) - Moulaye Sissoko (Sr.) - Matt Stone (Sr.) - Jason Edwards (Jr.) that's plenty to compete (obv. with an Allen replacement). with all the experience returning, I'm really not that worried about Edwards bolting after one year here...he has two years eligibility after this season, so depending on what the reload looks like for '25-26 maybe then he takes a chance elsewhere for his senior season. Wildcards: - Christian Moore (Jr.) - Alex Cotton (Fr.-RS...I guess??) - Tyran Mason (Fr. incoming) - Layne Taylor (Fr. incoming) two big guards, two little guards. gotta feel like if this is all the chance Moore is being given...desperation 4-5 minutes a night mid-injury-crisis, and with the reins white-knuckled in Hodges hands while he's on the floor, that he's probably going to be asked to go find another home and Taylor is a straight in replacement. Oops: - Chris Morgan (Jr. 4th year) - Terrance Dixon (Soph.??) so the math puts this at 14 scholarships...so imma still go back to the idea that Dixon is a walk-on (he was never announced as a signing via Twitter/website like the other signees) or the staff 100% knows that Jones won't be granted a 5th year. if Dixon is on scholarship and the plan all along was to redshirt Cotton, we ostensibly negated a quarter of the roster considering clearly Hodge was never going to play Morgan. that's some suss management. either way, growth next year is firstly dependent on clearing out some players. Morgan has gotta go. this is already 3 years of dead money. I also think Moore is gone and Taylor is a straight swap. it feels less likely, but if it improves the roster, I won't lose sleep over Sissoko or Stone leaving either. to that core group, we desperately need a replacement for Allen...I think it almost has to be another P5 transfer big man, preferably one who will unquestionably move into the starting line-up day one. I'd also love a true point guard with some D1 experience...and since this is my wishlist, make him 6'3"-6'5"-ish. this should move Edwards entirely off-ball...Rubin and CJ can be primarily off-ball wings, while spelling '24-25 Ryan Woolridge on the ball for stretches...and Layne Taylor can develop slowly. beyond that, it all depends on who is leaving.

I agree with the overall sentiment here, but if it was always the plan from the beginning to redshirt Cotton I hate the plan...especially when you take into consideration that Walker's eligibility was up in the air for as long as it was.

DJ's commentary is little more than crutch cliches...cliches he often trips over and misuses. see how many times next broadcast that every good play "is getting the crowd involved". and I'm sorry...his voice just wears me out...it'd be tolerable if his commentary was insightful, but it's a double-miss for me. Yoemans'...less is more. there's just so much artificial enthusiasm...it's the ESPN way, though I suppose. like, it's the preference of Troy over Romo...or even Doris Burke over Dicky V/Bill Raftery. just talking louder isn't adding to a broadcast. maybe I'm spoiled in that I watch more English soccer than any other sport and the Brits are just so much better in commentary...you can add knowledge and cover the game in largely conversational tones...and then when there are significant moments, adding enthusiasm and volume actually has meaning.

every damn end-clock opportunity ends up in the same thing.

I'm telling you...especially on a Sunday afternoon at home, just put on a blues-y lil playlist and don't even deal with the broadcasters. you've seen enough basketball...don't need a bunch of fake enthusiasm and over-used cliches to know whats going on

not great for UNT/the conference. no more ranked teams and rather than the depth of the conference getting national respect, my guess is we're legit down to being a 1 bid league.

nah. I have to put on music and go sound-off on the broadcast with those two (and really most of the ESPN+ options)

it'll only have three tires but he'll claim it handles better than one with four.

neat.

both Youmans and Draper are terrible broadcasters.

he missed three weeks the first time. it's been three weeks since the re-tweak. I'm not playing him this weekend, even if he's medically cleared. I'm not worried about him re-integrating into the team. he's literally the most experienced player in school history. err on the side of caution...the conference tournament is our only path into a national tournament. if he is 100% for FAU, maaaaaybe, but definitely some minutes for Rice.

I mean, I have...I think I've been involved in all of them...but save for some spoiled kid with only a vague knowledge of the name Ralph Sampson thinking he doesn't fit at UNT, I haven't read much that feels like real "hate".

What have you read as significant criticism from of Edwards?

these two things are not the same. a scoreless Walker is still a major contributor...he slashes, he rebounds, he play-makes...he's just not a scorer. no one is ignoring Walker in the flow of the offense, maybe just no need for a hard close-out if he's taking a late clock 3. Stone isn't right now. those 40 boards in the last 5 games...Stone has 42 for the season. he get's left b/c he's clearly lacking confidence. you know what I would love? a Stone 0-7 shooting performance...at least I'd know he didn't just play hot potato after he missed his first. him passing on open shots or not making a positive basketball play hurt an already pretty stagnant offense. The Tulsa game was encouraging...I gave a big yell when he hit that little rock-back pull up three. if the team were winning these games, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Walker has a better line than senior year JJ Murray while offering similar intangibles (not as great an on-ball defender, but a far better ball-handler and rebounder) and no one was saying "man, I wish JJ would take some of the shots that TP and Drez are taking"

he has 40 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals in our last five games...all while usually guarding a top scorer as well as being pressed into being a secondary ball handler. and I don't know about you, but I say he works hard, too

let's not lump Walker in with this group.

man...what happened to that walk-through entrance in the rendering at around the 1:00 mark in the video? that's a great design.

I don't know if Virginia and their one title even belong in that second-tier conversation. I mean, Okie State, San Francisco and even Cincinnati have more. UVA is just sitting there with Holy Cross, Wyoming and the City College of New York. hardly elite company.

paternity tests at Hoops & Hops. I might fly in for that.