Future teams

[cincyalum2014]

Originally Posted by skyblade

Immediate eligibility would be nice. Would still be a nice get as a transfer, but we need another guard (or 2 or 3) for this year.

I agree, Bolton plays PG and is about 6'1 180lbs, could be a nice compliment to LOJO.

[justinhub2003]

I’m not getting my hopes up until we sign em. So far we’ve had a issue closing the deal so until that changes I’m just going forget about these dudes

[cincrulz11]

Originally Posted by justinhub2003

I’m not getting my hopes up until we sign em. So far we’ve had a issue closing the deal so until that changes I’m just going forget about these dudes

cool story bro

[waterhead]

Originally Posted by justinhub2003

I’m not getting my hopes up until we sign em. So far we’ve had a issue closing the deal so until that changes I’m just going forget about these dudes

I honestly used to say this almost every year under Cronin. Many fans would be saying how many recruits we were "in on" for the following year only to watch that list dwindle and then dwindle some more. Often times the recruits on our early list were not there anymore on our late list. We would see new names pop up very late that nobody ever heard of until we put a target on them because our other options fell through.

In recruiting you lose a lot more than you win. Sometimes Cronin got his guy but many more times he did not. Sometimes...maybe most times...his priorities changed after other priorities fell to other teams.

So your advice is good. Just forget about them until we land them. Especially if you can't handle more losses than wins. That is recruiting in a nutshell. More losses than wins. You can compound the issue when you get in late in the game on players...with little relationships built.

I still see good new names popping up day after day. Bolton would be HUGE and that is virtually brand new! I would be happy with Todd as well or Williams. But maybe they fall through the cracks...and we have to keep searching. Who knows....but that's how it almost ALWAYS worked under Cronin as well.

[waterhead]

I keep hearing that LoJo is not ready to start. I think this is mainly because his minutes fell off towards the end of the season. But when you consider Cronin was ULTRA conservative on giving a leash for ball security or other mistakes it made sense. Especially when you consider you had 2 senior guards and Jarron who played defacto point for much of the year. Why would Cronin give Johnson a leash? There was no reason to (for Cronin).

Cronin goes into conservative mode the moment conference starts until the season ends. But Johnson seemed to do very nice things the first half of the season that had a lot of fans thinking he should continue to get more time. The fact that he didn't get more time as the season wore on was perhaps not due to talent or ability but the players he had in front of him. He was a frosh behind 3 vets...I mean come on.

LoJo will be fine and perhaps even be a stand out performer this year given the chance! I have little to no worries if he is ready.

[cincyalum2014]

Originally Posted by waterhead

I keep hearing that LoJo is not ready to start. I think this is mainly because his minutes fell off towards the end of the season. But when you consider Cronin was ULTRA conservative on giving a leash for ball security or other mistakes it made sense. Especially when you consider you had 2 senior guards and Jarron who played defacto point for much of the year. Why would Cronin give Johnson a leash? There was no reason to (for Cronin).

Cronin goes into conservative mode the moment conference starts until the season ends. But Johnson seemed to do very nice things the first half of the season that had a lot of fans thinking he should continue to get more time. The fact that he didn't get more time as the season wore on was perhaps not due to talent or ability but the players he had in front of him. He was a frosh behind 3 vets...I mean come on.

LoJo will be fine and perhaps even be a stand out performer this year given the chance! I have little to no worries if he is ready.

If Jarron leaves they will have 8 guys on the roster so ready or not he will have to start and play a lot of minutes.

[waterhead]

Originally Posted by cincyalum2014

If Jarron leaves they will have 8 guys on the roster so ready or not he will have to start and play a lot of minutes.

I'm ready for that. The perception he is/was not ready was created by Cronin and a situation where he had 3 veterans in front of him. He didn't shoot well (but most on our team did not) and he had some turnovers by going too fast at times ala Jenifer early years.

He was a menace in the press (CJB will love that) and he was a great rebounder for his size (any coach would love that). He has to control his assist and turnover ratio of course. It would be great if CJB can get him into the 30% range or above on 3 point shots. Work on his feet and getting square to target when shooting. Those two things would put him in a very good spot to be a star.

His open court style should thrive. He and Williams are going to hammer some dunks this year on the break!

[waterhead]

I think we really need to focus as if Jarron is gone. I think the odds of him returning are VERY slim. He never seemed to be a guy who loved the college experience and I seem to remember some old comments from him (or rumors) that he wanted to go pro even before this last year (if he could have). He's ready to make money in some pro format IMO.

I am prepared for this reality. If he returns it would be a bigger bonus than any recruit we can sign right now. But we have to prepare for the most likely outcome. If we are prepared for that outcome and we do sign some high quality guys and if Jarron does come back...we should be in a fantastic position to make some noise. Outside of that we are building for the future and we can't wait another month to figure that out.

[skyblade]

I don't think LoJo can't start, just that it is a bit early to pencil him in for 30 minutes per night. I'd be worried about any player in a similar position. A sophomore, who hasn't had much playing time and has no competition for the position. Even if LoJo turns out to be a star this year, the PG position is still a concern (a major one if Cumberland doesn't return) because of lack of depth. All it takes is one injury to LoJo and we are in trouble.

[waterhead]

Originally Posted by skyblade

I don't think LoJo can't start, just that it is a bit early to pencil him in for 30 minutes per night. I'd be worried about any player in a similar position. A sophomore, who hasn't had much playing time and has no competition for the position. Even if LoJo turns out to be a star this year, the PG position is still a concern (a major one if Cumberland doesn't return) because of lack of depth. All it takes is one injury to LoJo and we are in trouble.

Agreed. Without Cumberland depth and injury possibilities are a huge concern. We don't seem to have ball handlers on the roster. Williams may be the next best and then maybe Hardnett if I am not mistaken he played some point. But yes...that's not an optimal situation.

We need a ball handler or two whether they are true PG's or SG's.