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Yeah I just don't want to see Duncomb get the boot. He's such an intriguing guy. Freakishly long. Could be a menace defensively by his junior and senior year. Having 13 scholarships, we aren't going to recruit 4 and 5 star guys that are willing to wait around for 2 to 3 years before they get PT. Having a guy like Duncomb that is (presumably) fine with his role right now could pay big dividends in the coming years.

I'm back and forth on this. Reneau seems like a really grounded kid. All the articles I've seen have him mentioning the packed frontcourt and embracing the competition. So I'm not sure if one of them is on the way out. We are obviously still recruiting a guard, so one of them could very well be gone, but I wouldn't be shocked if both stayed. Seems like a kid that knows if he's not playing, he simply wasn't the better player for the time being. Doesn't seem to be expecting immediate playing time at all without earning it.

This. Trayce filled a huge void by simply not sitting much. We need a 3rd legitimate big guy more than people think. To start the year, Trayce's defense was outstanding. He was all over the place. That went away later in the year, and you can't blame him. He had to be completely gassed. And you know he was trying to avoid fouls.... Because there was a reason he was playing nearly the whole game.

I would think you'd take Dexter and call it a day. It'd be a seriously upgraded roster from the outside looking in. Experienced and big. Only question mark would be shooting.

I think we still gotta prove we can shoot the ball. But if Trayce returns, we've got a monstrous upgrade in talent.

What a huge get. If we get a good shooting wing/guard, this could be a very, very good team.

Agreed. He's got a lot of places he can go where he'll know he's going to step in and play right away. But even being that 3rd guy, he'd get his fair share of minutes assuming he's ready for them. How many minutes did Trayce play out of necessity? Durr just wasn't good unless we played Purdue, or another rare team with a plodding big man. And injuries happen too. But you're right, Trayce may have very well told the staff that the chances of him returning are slim. But even with Trayce and Race back, Reneau is more of a fit at the 4 and 5 than Geronimo, so if he's decent, he's going to log meaningful minutes.

That's a matter of opinion. I absolutely think we could use an upgrade at the 4/5. Having three guys (assuming Reneau would be able to step in as a freshman) would be HUGE. Durr proved to be pretty limited this past season. Having three guys, and even four if you count Geronimo playing the four, would allow Trayce and Race to play much more aggressive on the defensive end. And give Trayce a bit of a breather throughout games. It also would allow us to keep a nice offensive flow throughout the game. How many times did Trayce and Race come out of the game, and we were left beating our heads against a wall? You are assuming that Reneau is an all world player. How do you know Reneau is expecting to come in and start? How do you know he's ready for that? Reneau could look at being able to be eased into college and practicing with some veteran big guys as a positive. Is the 4/5 as critical position as a guard that can shoot? No. But if we can't find a significant upgrade at that position, you take the significant upgrade at the 4/5. There's no reason to gamble or take a lesser transfer at the guard position just for the optics or "hoping" it's an upgrade.

But we also have competition for both. You don't recruit one and not the other when you could really use both. They are probably the two best players that fit us. We need a talent upgrade everywhere. Recruit the best players, regardless of position when you have an open scholarship.

I've never seen him play. But I'm curious if the staff is pushing playing him at the 3. Either way, if you've got Trayce, Thompson, Reneau, and Geronimo, you've got 4 guys that can play pretty aggressively at the 4 and 5.

That's a really good assessment. The ball doesn't seem to stick in Dennis' hands. It's always moving. Only going to help Kopp.

I have zero issue with this. Coach is paid to win. If he feels he's better off doing this, more power to him.

I think this is one of those situations where you simply have to play matchups. Kopp was at least a threat to shoot it from outside. If the other team doesn't have a world beater at the three, Kopp's threat to shoot is worth the lesser defense he provides. This team isn't good enough to simply play the "five best guys". Outside of Trayce, Race, and Xavier Johnson, you have to put the guys on the floor that match up the best. Against some teams, Geronimo SHOULD eat up a lot of Kopp's minutes. Others games, Kopp can hold his own "good enough" to justify leaving him in for his offense.

100%. With the transfer portal allowing freedom to hop teams, Lander would be better off going to a team like Evansville (or a similar conference) and if he has success, just transfer after that. He needs playing time, and he's not going to get a ton of it in a major conference.

No offense to Kofi, but what exactly does he think he's going to do/should be doing in college? Popping 3's all game? He's a brute, that's his game. That's how he's used. Not sure what he's complaining about.

To me, getting an upgrade from a kid like Davis over Kopp would be key. We need shooters, no doubt. But Kopp is just too slow defensively. The offense can afford one defensive liability if they can bring consistent shooting. Kopp's streaky shooting and consistent poor defense is key if we want to take the next step

Yes. Will be interesting to see if he's interested, or if he's going to ride UCLA's success to a bigger job.

Will be curious if Michael Lewis wants a head coaching gig at a smaller school... or how much he truly likes California life.

This makes sense

No clue what happened here, but I think you have two people that think very highly of themselves and how to do things... And only one is the head coach.

And we could potentially need to replace an entire front court. If Trayce, Race, Durr and Duncomb are all gone, adding a young guy like Sparks isn't going to hurt. Plenty more PT to be had and to pitch to current recruits/transfers.

I was fine with it when Crean did it and I'll be fine with it when Woodson does it. These college athletes can't have their cake and eat it too. I think you'll find most people disagree with it regarding the stability of the team and building the team.... Not so much of it being "unfair" to the player. This team needs an immediately upgrade in talent and to do so, some players are going to go. Nature of the business.

Geronimo may be due for another big game.

I think we keep forgetting your first sentence. This play-in game may have been a blessing in disguise.