If Plummer and Allen return, I’d replace battin and Larsson in the starting lineup. Larsson is good, but I think he’d be better coming of the bench than Jones. Larsson can be the first guy off the bench replacing anyone but Carlson really.
If Allen doesn’t come back, we are screwed on the inside. If he doesn’t come back, we are SCREWED SCREWED SCREWED when it comes to scoring in the paint. He is a deeply flawed basketball player, but he is the only person on this team capable of not looking like a fool with his back to the basket, or attempting to finish through contact.
IOW: If Allen comes back, we could be quite good next year (if Carlson actually practices basketball, and lifts weights this time). If he doesn’t come back, we will be worse than this year by a wide margin.
LOL no… He is nowhere near NBA material with that atrocious shot and below average quickness/size.
I have no idea what his plans are, just figured there is some sort of chance that he may not come back. Maybe coach will want to move on from him and give younger guys a shot, maybe he wants to go to europe… A lot of reasons for him to not come back, though if I had to guess I’d say we see both he and plummer back next year.
Though I could see either him or Plummer transferring to a better program to actually compete for something meaningful. Both of those guys would be huge additions to almost any team in the country. Flawed players, but they would be great on teams where their flaws could be better hidden.
There seem to be some internet rumors swirling that Allen won’t be back because he’s eyeing a jump to International ball, or some other reasons that are not transfer-related. I sincerely hope he comes back.
My roster questions (that could obviously be changed in an instant with transfers):
Rylan Jones went from 9.6 points, 4.5 assists, 2.9 boards on 40/39/86 splits to 4.4 points, 4.0 assists, 1.8 boards on 36/30/70 splits. Some could argue that opposing teams figured him out, but I am not sure that explains that big of a drop. I have to assume he was battling something we didn’t see until the shoulder issue at the end of the year. I hope he can get back to form.
As I look at our frontcourt, I see a budding star in Branden Carlson who will hopefully put on some good weight this offseason. I see a glue guy in Jantunen who does a number of things pretty well. And then I see Riley Battin who is a good locker room leader and a guy who gives his all but would probably be best as the 4th big in a rotation. Would love to see us hit the portal this year to find a rebounder, shooting would be nice too!
We may or may not lose one or both of timmy and alfonso. Are Thellisen and Stefanovic ready to give us anything? I dont think anyone really knows. If there is a hype train for either guy, its still parked in the station.
Battin actually had a few good shooting games in Vegas but for the most of the season, has not been a consistent contributor. OK to have him on the bench to give starters some rest, but can’t see him being a starter.
Wish Brandon could consistently get more rebounds. He’s essentially tied with Jantunen (who’s about 6 inches shorter) for second in rebounds at 4.6 per game (Allen is the leader at around 6 per game). Brandon has to hit the weight room.
I watched a lot of hoops the last few days from conferences around the country. I see the shoulders on the big men on these other teams and it’s no wonder we’re getting killed on the boards in a lot of games.
I heard Coach K say in an interview after senior night last week that Alfonso already let him know that his plan is to return. I assume Allen will be returning as well. He has things to work on. I think Jones needs to come off the bench to be a high energy guy with less minutes next year. If Martinez continues to develop, he needs to start at point. Larsson with a lot of offseason work should see a lot of improvement as well, at least I hope we see that.
Carlson is a RM so he is 21 or 22 years old–so I don’t see him changing his body size.
He is getting more coordinated & developing his shot. They could use a bruiser inside & let him play outside on offense.
But who on this coaching staff is the recruiter who can bring any kind of talent?
I saw Carlson’s Dad post a reply to someone saying his son was playing like a first round draft pick that his son needed about 30 more pounds of muscle first. So for what it’s worth, I think it’s something they are working on.
I have to disagree in regards to Jones. He clearly lost some confidence this year for some reason, just didn’t shoot the ball nearly as much. That being said, I don’t think he’s a “brings energy off the bench” kind of guy. He can’t create his own shot, he’s a distributor, and a solid defender. I fail to see how that helps our bench at all.
I think it makes more sense for Larsson to come off the bench to replace Jones/Jantunen/Martinez. If Jones comes off the bench, what does he provide that makes him a “spark”? He is a slow it down and distribute the ball to the right guy sort of player. The kind of guy you want starting the game to get the team off on the right foot.
Also, I think there is a possibility that Larsson not having the ball in his hands all the time would help him shoot the ball better. He is nowhere near the passer that Jones is, yet he’s relied on to be the backup point guard. I think that role is part of what made him apprehensive when it came to shooting the basketball. It would be nice for him to be able to come off of screens and showcase his catch and shoot ability more.
I’ll believe that when I see the results. They should have worked on it last offseason, it was obvious then that it was needed. It is just as obvious now. If he doesn’t gain at least 10 pounds of muscle we are in big trouble.