What if Reece Potter or Kam Craft had stayed at Miami. Do you think either would have contributed to this team’s success? In my opinion a healthy Reece Porter would have helped this team with added depth in the interior. I assume the chemistry might have been different if either or both had stayed.
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Welcome!
My two cents are both players are excellent and would be contributors on this team. As to what extent hard to know given our overall depth. Cam is getting good minutes at GA Tech and on year 3 or 4 so prolly set but maybe (tiny maybe) if Reece doesn’t play at Kentucky he’d consider a return. I really respect them both.
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I dont miss Craft one bit. We have plenty of shooting. Atlatson is struggling so Reece might have helped the last few games
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I can’t see a scenario where we’d be better off with a guy who chose to be a crash test dummy at Kentucky a routinely looked like he was crying when he didn’t get a call
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Reece Potter is RS’ing for Kentucky due to a health issue, so not sure if he would be able to contribute much to Miami this season.
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Craft would’ve stunted Elmers growth and honestly were better off with Elmer growing into his role as an elite defensive player
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If I could take anyone back it mght be Mehki Cooper with our PG injuries and sickness
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He’d still be the 3rd string pg and we wouldn’t get the Kirby experience.
This year has been magical, I don’t think I’d change any of it
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Craft seemed very streaky to me. He is a very good player and it would be nice to have him, but when he was off, he was really off and similarly when he was on, he was really on.
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Kirby has been super so far.
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Told y’all this last year that he would be a stud and we would have more depth. Of course I was ridiculed, but who cares: Love and Honor. Have been in PA all damn day (hate this state; no offense). Still watched the last ten minutes of the game. I never thought I’d experience this in my lifetime. Best experience ever! My boys didn’t know I could get so loud about sports!! So happy.
Have a blessed weekend all. Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, Chuck.
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Had Craft stayed there is a high likelihood Byers would have left. You better factor that in!
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All I know is this year’s team is significantly better defensively as a unit. They’re not a complete lockdown outfit but better than last year and not solely reliant on out-shooting people. How much of that is personnel and how much of that is another year in Steele’s system and better communication on the floor is something I’m not close enough to the program to figure out. Either way, it’s good.
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DG you are correct, this is a better cohesive unit and also, in my opinion, more versatile.
This is the critical piece. I think Brant only stayed because the spot opened up.
I don’t think we miss Craft. I think Potter would be a better Almar but wouldn’t change the recipe at this point even if I could and risk ruining the soup.
Im also not sure Potter would be happy playing lower minutes when needed similar to last year. Almar (and everyone) seem to buy in to their role, and Woolfolk has gotten much better on the floor and keeping himself on the floor out of foul trouble.
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I’ve thought about this.
Kraft has had an up and down year at Ga Tech. I don’t think we miss him. We’ve more than replaced his production and where this team struggles at times is defense which he wouldn’t have helped anyway.
That being said I would take a healthy Reece Potter in a second. We don’t have a true backup 5 especially with Robbins out of the rotation and when Woolfolk is out of the game our defense suffers. With Potter we wouldn’t have that drop off. And let’s not forget how well Potter was playing at the end of last year. He’s the one guy we lost who I think could make a meaningful difference to this team.
Its a good what if because as many have pointed out if Potter and Kraft don’t leave we probably lose Byers, Kirby is still redshirting, and we don’t get Atlason (who is struggling right now, but has saved our grits a couple times this year).
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All good analysis on this “what if” question. The team has great chemistry. I believe the interior defense will be the downfall at some point but until then enjoy the ride.
In the future when we play a physical team (like UMASS, only better), we will likely only survive if we are hitting our 3’s. We can’t shoot 25% like we did against NIU and beat a quality team.
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I left the rest unsaid that you just said!!
Welcome to HawkTalk MACFAN! Great question
The coaches have done an amazing job evolving the teams to get to this point with each team getting closer to the vision. He consistently states he wants to see consistent improvement and record comes second. At the last Field of 68 call he said this team is still not playing to their potential.
Short answer is the team is better without them and I like both with Potter not being fast enough (remember how many of the opponents could get around him for easy buckets despite his height?)and Craft being extremely off when he was off and below average defense. We have plenty of shooting guards and Kraft cannot play the point. Compare him to Ipsaro, Skaljac or even Suder and Kirby. Even if he played pg it removes his offense and can he guard a smaller faster player.
It is an extreme hypothetical with Potter because big guys with bad backs are normally chronic. You can only get one back injection at most every 3 months but should be 6. Once the spine is unhappy at any age it takes time to quiet it back down. Potter played less minutes at times because of his back. I don’t believe he could play a full season, especially lacking muscle and the physicality of the game. He was also prone to silly fouls and turnovers at the worst time. He couldn’t jump and most athletic 6-6 guys could out jump him. Compared to today’s team, he would have been the slowest player on the court if he was in the rotation, possibly slowest on the team.
Regarding Kraft, as above, his D was below average for a 2 and I don’t believe his offense would counter the sporadic great offense. He did not appear to take it to the next level when others were off, thinking of Woolfolk, Elmer, Suder, Skaljac, Ipsaro, Atlason or, now Kirby. In conference play Kraft had 10 games with single digit scoring.
Regarding both being on the current team, Steele’s system relies on many must have talents and he recruits to it. His offense is complicated and relies on Swiss watch precision to make it work. Also unselfish teamwork, a certain level of consistency, extreme court awareness or as the say high basketball IQ, top quartile athleticism, speed getting up and down the court. Another positive as stated by others, younger players would not have seen the court, especially Robbins who and looks better than Potter at the same stage.
So in hindsight, we are better off where we are with this team as last year’s team was a stepping stone to this year.
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