Etzler in the portal according to Verbal Commits
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If heās visiting Miami and Drake, thatās a wonderful sign for the caliber of player that weāre trying to bring in. Stats look great - obviously itās D2 - so itās a different level of competition - but his shooting percentages are great - and he also rebounds at a good rate.
Iām less concerned about ātype of 4ā and more concerned about getting really good players in. A good staff will figure out how to best utilize their talent-base. Mirambeaux doesnāt fit any particular mold - but they utilized him in a way to help us be competitive.
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That is quite true but I think why Dick brought it up, and correctly so, is we have had struggles with, more imposing post players. Physically we maybe havenāt matched up well. And my guess is, Coach Steele isnāt just looking at what helps in the MAC, but for playing teams outside the MAC as well, and in the post season tournaments.
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gotta believe that ANY portal transfer is a guardā¦but maybe Bhyre is a candidate.
Miami showed down the stretch that it had Anderson and Morris rotate at the ā5ā or as ābigsā. Next season, I would expect Potter to get some additional minutes. I donāt think that a ābigā is in the works unless Steele finds someone who you just canāt pass on. Would Bhyre be the guy? maybe
Next yearās ābigsā (highlighted those that play the post:
Anderson Mirambeaux (6-8),
Kamari Williams (6-7),
Curtis Harrison (6-7),
Mitchell Rylee (6-8),
Jaquel Morris (6-8),
Jackson Kotecki (6-9),
Eian Elmer (6-6),
Reese Potter (7ā)
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From what I heard someplaceāPeyton Sparks wanted to go to Miami. However, coach Owens preferred Curtis Harrison. At the time, probably a reasonable choice. In retrospect, a very big missed opportunityā¦
That is indeed the rumor.
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I would assume, and perhaps I shouldnāt make this assumption, that if Bhyre is indeed coming to visit Miami, that Steele has indicated at least some modicum of interest. I think adding a combo guard and a PF type post who can contribute some meaningful minutes right away, is not out of the realm of possibility, but I am not in the inner circle. I am also not assuming everyone you listed Nickskin will actually be on the team next year. So who knows. I donāt.
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no doubt CoolPapa. Has to be interest. There is such a log jam right now but perhaps this portalling thing is going to open up space in Oxford
If Anderson stays at his current weight I think a transfer post is more important than guard. Morris has to learn not to foul, and Mirambeaux cannot anchor a MAC-title worthy defense over 300 lbs
I canāt fathom heād just randomly decide to visit Miami without significant interest or an offer.
Iād think itās fair to say that our coaching staff (and every other staff) isnāt 100% sure of who is/isnāt planning to return next year. With the portal and year-by-year scholarships, itās a two way street of planning, wondering, feeling duped, and reacting.
The crazy part to me is that the portal opens today. Every coach in the NCAA/NIT got their matchup yesterday, but also have to keep an eye on all the portal happenings today. I donāt understand that timing.
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With Etzler and Tatum in the portal, we are still one more scholarship over what we need, I believe to fit our freshman class. But if Steele wants to add from the portal, 2 or more spots need to still open up. I would not be surprised to see one or more of the names you list above as frontcourt players enter the portal.
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Weāre still one over:
Just looking at where the current team has played:
PG: Cooper/Ipsaro
SG: Cooper/Safford/Mabrey/Lewis
W: Safford/Williams/Lewis/Elmer/Mabrey/Smith
F: Williams/Lewis/Safford/Elmer/Kotecki/Smith
C: Mirambeaux/Morris/Potter/Kotecki/Rylee/Harrison
I think you can ask questions around if you want to keep putting Lewis out of position at F or bolster it with someone who still moves and shoots well, but has a bit more muscle (Byhre). I worry pushing Elmer at the F as a freshman might not be the best for his development either, but I could be wrong.
And like @CoolPapa said, with the team a scholarship over still, we donāt know who might be out.
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good point on Lewis playing out of position.
To me, Lewis is more suited for the wing or 3 position than the 4 or PF position. Although to be honest, to play the 2 or 3, I think Lewisā shooting needs to improve.
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Iām less concerned with us getting a 6-8/6-9 bruising power forward than I am with just adding overall talent. I donāt think that was our issue this year. Like Jive said, Millner and Shumate played the 4 for Toledo. Thomas for Kent. All stretch type guys who can defend multiple positions. Sammy Hunter for Akron was 6-9 but basically a perimeter player.
In modern basketball (at all levels including the NBA) itās exceedingly rare for teams to play with two post players. It messes up spacing and makes you vulnerable on defense. To go national, Kansas doesnāt really play with a center or a traditional power forward. UCLA has a bunch of wings at the top of their roster. Or to compare us to other mid-majors who had success this year Florida Atlantic and College of Charleston both have one traditional big man surrounded by a bunch of guards.
Whatās more important is how many different positions can they defend? Guys who can guard multiple positions - i.e. Morgan Safford - are the types of players we should be targeting.
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His shooting splits over his first two seasons are .321/.290/.774 and .436/.291/.651. He was serviceable this season as a defender and a guy who could eat minutes at the 4, but I wouldnāt expect him to get a ton of playing time moving forward as we bring in new players (barring a major jump in shooting efficiency).
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Most teams play with 4 perimeter guys now and Steele seems like a believer in that style of play. Given that Mirambeaux, Morris, and Potter seem locked in as the top 3 big guys, Iām not sure where that leaves Rylee and Harrison as PFs who arenāt really perimeter players.
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Iām going to guess that the āeasyā ones are done, Tatum and Etzler, and now the hard conversations are taking place with a few other players. It will be interesting to see who enters the portal for Miami, if anyone, next.
I donāt believe CoolPapa ever said to play 2 post players at one time. I think he meant we need some versatility at the position, especially when we play teams with bigger and/or more physically imposing interior players. That is where we had difficulty matching up this year. We also had rebounding issues this past year.
Pittās big man John Hugley is portalling.
Former Chet Mason player at Brush. Big time recruit with Miami offer (and Xavier during Steele tenure)
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