2023 College Basketball Transfer Portal Watch Thread

Just seems very rare for a guy that doesn't play lead guard on his high school team to come in and have success handling the ball at the Big 10 level.

Not saying it can't happen, but I wouldn't expect it. Even higher level freshmen can find it difficult.
He 100% played lead guard for his high school team.
 


The team needs quick guards! People 6-4 and under with quickness. Christie is a fine skinny wing. At 6-6 if he could really play the point he'd be a 5 star type player. I don't know why lots of fans are fascinated with playing tall players at positions that absolutely need quickness? This isn't the 1980's? Christie would be a 8th man at best as a fr on a top 5 big ten team. He wouldnt wiff pg. he"d mostly play the 2 because he is weak right now, but maybe could guard less physical 3's.
 

Actually we don't "need" either to start. We need either or both to compete to start.

We could start Christie, Mitchell and Carrington in the 1-2 slots and over to the 3 as needed and we have Betts, Ihnen and JOJ to compete at the 3/4 slots. If we can get Brown and Pride that would make the depth and potential starting position battle better. These are good players and better yet, all conference defensive players.
We might be arguing semantics here. Carrington didn't show anything in his Freshman year to suggest he should be in competition for a starting job. Maybe he just was never healthy last season, but he was really bad shooting under 33% from the field and looking overwhelemed from both a quickness and a strength perspective on the defensive end. I am not ruling him out for his career, but there would have to be a massive year 2 leap for him to be an average Big Ten starter. I think Cam has a good shot to be a good player at some point, but I wouldn't bet on it as a Freshman as even his much more heralded brother wasn't great (made All Freshman team but wasn't efficient). I don't see the 3/4 as similar spots at all and am very skeptical of Inhen or JOJ being as skilled offensively as I'd want in a 3 or quick enough laterally to guard who the opponents put out at the 3 spot and I haven't seen enough of Betts to comment.

I completely agree that adding Brown and Pride would make the depth and potential starting position battles better, it's just that the ceiling on most of those position battles appears very low. Unless we add someone nobody is talking about right now, I don't see how we go in to the season with a player on paper at the 1, 2, or 3 positions that would be considered an above average (or even average?) starter in the Big Ten. I like that Brown was the defensive player of the year in his conference, but his list is Richmond, Minnesota, and Utah State. Pride is currently visiting St Bonaventure and previously visited Loyola Chicago. High majors aren't knocking down these guys doors down so while they may be good players, they are not being valued as such by our competition.
 

We might be arguing semantics here. Carrington didn't show anything in his Freshman year to suggest he should be in competition for a starting job. Maybe he just was never healthy last season, but he was really bad shooting under 33% from the field and looking overwhelemed from both a quickness and a strength perspective on the defensive end. I am not ruling him out for his career, but there would have to be a massive year 2 leap for him to be an average Big Ten starter. I think Cam has a good shot to be a good player at some point, but I wouldn't bet on it as a Freshman as even his much more heralded brother wasn't great (made All Freshman team but wasn't efficient). I don't see the 3/4 as similar spots at all and am very skeptical of Inhen or JOJ being as skilled offensively as I'd want in a 3 or quick enough laterally to guard who the opponents put out at the 3 spot and I haven't seen enough of Betts to comment.

I completely agree that adding Brown and Pride would make the depth and potential starting position battles better, it's just that the ceiling on most of those position battles appears very low. Unless we add someone nobody is talking about right now, I don't see how we go in to the season with a player on paper at the 1, 2, or 3 positions that would be considered an above average (or even average?) starter in the Big Ten. I like that Brown was the defensive player of the year in his conference, but his list is Richmond, Minnesota, and Utah State. Pride is currently visiting St Bonaventure and previously visited Loyola Chicago. High majors aren't knocking down these guys doors down so while they may be good players, they are not being valued as such by our competition.
I have said this before...the only way we get to 8,9,10 conference wins is if one of Fox or Ihnen are All Big Ten. Yes, surprising and shocking everybody....they have/had potential to be spectacular at one time in their careers. They are unknown. Both very unlikely to be healthier, stronger, faster than they were prior to two year long injuries. Neither proven if they were healthy but they got/had potential to be special. But, nobody else but them has unknown potential...none of the other guys on the roster and nobody we have discussed in the portal is anything but who they are....average, below average, slightly above...just guys.

We aren't going to run or press or scare anybody. Our defense was very mediocre and we got the same coaches. Tall task, but the two portal guards would give us a chance to at least get to maybe we can surprise everybody... without two more guards...man....
 


I have said this before...the only way we get to 8,9,10 conference wins is if one of Fox or Ihnen are All Big Ten. Yes, surprising and shocking everybody....they have/had potential to be spectacular at one time in their careers. They are unknown. Both very unlikely to be healthier, stronger, faster than they were prior to two year long injuries. Neither proven if they were healthy but they got/had potential to be special.
Interested to see where you've seen this upside from Ihnen? He's played 2 years and has scored over 10 points 3 times, with a high of 12. That's not including missing 2 years for knee injuries. I hope he's good but a few people talk on here like he's the next coming of Coffey.
 

Interested to see where you've seen this upside from Ihnen? He's played 2 years and has scored over 10 points 3 times, with a high of 12. That's not including missing 2 years for knee injuries. I hope he's good but a few people talk on here like he's the next coming of Coffey.
True, but he may be the best damned German basketball player we’ve had at the U for some time! 🙋‍♂️
 

We might be arguing semantics here. Carrington didn't show anything in his Freshman year to suggest he should be in competition for a starting job. Maybe he just was never healthy last season, but he was really bad shooting under 33% from the field and looking overwhelemed from both a quickness and a strength perspective on the defensive end. I am not ruling him out for his career, but there would have to be a massive year 2 leap for him to be an average Big Ten starter. I think Cam has a good shot to be a good player at some point, but I wouldn't bet on it as a Freshman as even his much more heralded brother wasn't great (made All Freshman team but wasn't efficient). I don't see the 3/4 as similar spots at all and am very skeptical of Inhen or JOJ being as skilled offensively as I'd want in a 3 or quick enough laterally to guard who the opponents put out at the 3 spot and I haven't seen enough of Betts to comment.

I completely agree that adding Brown and Pride would make the depth and potential starting position battles better, it's just that the ceiling on most of those position battles appears very low. Unless we add someone nobody is talking about right now, I don't see how we go in to the season with a player on paper at the 1, 2, or 3 positions that would be considered an above average (or even average?) starter in the Big Ten. I like that Brown was the defensive player of the year in his conference, but his list is Richmond, Minnesota, and Utah State. Pride is currently visiting St Bonaventure and previously visited Loyola Chicago. High majors aren't knocking down these guys doors down so while they may be good players, they are not being valued as such by our competition.
Overall, I like the post. We disagree on some speculative parts, but the reasoning seems well thought out. I tend to be too pollyanna and I think this is nicely grounded.

As for the Pride and Brown, there were high majors after them. Of my head For Brown it was Daddy Pitino, and i think Shrewsberry.

On Pride I recall a lot more. Louiseville, Pitt, and a fewore. Appears he has only answered those in Rhode Island (Providence, Rhode Island) and then St Bonny’s near his hometown. Kind of what I like about him is he makes his own decisions. His interview answers and general interests appear less swayed by shiny things than most.
 






Uwe Blab played for Indiana, not the Gophers.
hopefully ihnen plays this year and proves he has better hands than uwe. when uwe's son was born (his first child), coach knight sent a telegram to uwe's wife suggesting she not let uwe handle the baby - hands of stone so he might drop the child
 






Was thinking we might be safe with PSU losing pretty much everyone, but alas their new coach seems to know how to recruit 🤷 😔 back to the cellar
 



Was thinking we might be safe with PSU losing pretty much everyone, but alas their new coach seems to know how to recruit 🤷 😔 back to the cellar
Honestly if we don't add any more guards, or we add Samuels level-types, it's not going to be pretty.
 

Honestly if we don't add any more guards, or we add Samuels level-types, it's not going to be pretty.
Battle is better than anyone we've gotten or are likely to get in the portal. Sad but true.
 

Battle is better than anyone we've gotten or are likely to get in the portal. Sad but true.
You could be right. Issue is he’s imo strictly a four and with our roster he’s probably always going to be forced to play a wing. Something he’s not.
 









Scored 11 in the title game in 2022. He'll be a double figure ppg guy at PSU. I'd certainly take him over whoever our SF starter would be.
I live in NC. We have 3 better on our roster now. You should not have bought the PSU season tickets.
 






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