ESPN all-name frontcourt of GodsPower + Bam Bam in 2016-17, please

3/8/2015 11:24:56 PM

I mean if Washington leaves, yeah we'll lose some depth and size, but I'm sure Gott has an idea of where the team stands in that regard.

I mean even if Washington leaves, we'll have 3 solid bigs that have experience and we've seen several games this year where one of the big guys sits the whole game.

3/9/2015 8:20:42 AM

Quote :

"If Washington leaves, we have 3 players total for 2 positions"

Why are we even talking about this right now? Has this been rumored or are people just jumping to conclusions because Gott has restricted his playing time because he takes incredibly bad shots when he gets minutes.

3/9/2015 10:33:22 AM

There are no sources, just speculation here that his feelings are hurt and he's taking his ball and going home.

3/9/2015 10:38:42 AM

^this

3/9/2015 10:45:50 AM

His own teammates said that if he gets the ball, he's going to shoot it. I love Washington and think he can be a really great player but he's got to work on playing defense and learning the offense.

With Dez and Turner leaving, what do you think the lineup will become?

My guess is:

PG - Cat / Henderson
SG - Lacey / Caleb Martin
SF - Wash / Martins ????
PF - Wash / Freeman
C - Abu / Anya

3/9/2015 10:50:02 AM

^that's about right but Henderson will be a SG to replace Turner and Lacey will back up Cat

I don't think Washington will leave. He seems a lot tougher that those who have transferred recently.

I mean, Purvis had his mom writing letters to the coach whining about minutes and not playing PG.

Harrow was just a little bitch.

Tyler Lewis knew he wasn't going to get any time behind Barber.

Washington has at least gotten a lot of minutes regardless of how much he's played recently. It could be a matter of Gott just not liking the match ups. He was our leading scorer in a few games so there's nothing to suggest that he's not going to be able to at least compete for more time.

[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 10:55 AM. Reason : .]

3/9/2015 10:54:28 AM

I think it'll be

PG: Cat/Lacey
SG: Lacey/Henderson/Caleb

I guess Turner was kinda playing sf/wing this season, Henderson will probably actually take his place. So I think the starting 5 will be:

Cat
Lacey
Henderson/Caleb
Abu
Anya

[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 10:58 AM. Reason : ]

3/9/2015 10:55:19 AM

Quote :

"^that's about right but Henderson will be a SG to replace Turner and Lacey will back up Cat"

I just can't see Lacey playing a backup role to anyone going forward. Maybe we go to a 3 guard offense?

3/9/2015 11:10:59 AM

I meant his primary role will be SG but he'll play PG when Cat is tired. I totally see us going three guard - our back court could be pretty nasty and I think the Martins will develop a lot next year.

3/9/2015 11:14:17 AM

^ He's not saying he will only be Cat's backup...he's just saying that he'll slide to the point when Cat needs a rest or, god forbid, if Cat gets hurt. We've played a 3-guard lineup all year with Turner as the 3...which Henderson will slide into nicely next year (or switch it up with one of the Martins).

3/9/2015 11:15:22 AM

Gott needs to get a stud point guard recruit for Cat's senior season.

3/9/2015 12:49:53 PM

Quote :

"Cat Lacey Henderson/Caleb Abu Anya"

Freeman has been starting lately

[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 1:03 PM. Reason : I like Anya off the bench coming in with an energy spark]

3/9/2015 1:02:59 PM

Yeah I was laughing pretty hard about our best player being a backup next year.

[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 1:06 PM. Reason : our bigs have been starting based on matchups most of the season. i don't expect that to change.]

3/9/2015 1:05:16 PM

Really sucks that Capel and Purvis screwed us over on Devonte Graham. He would be a perfect replacement for Cat.

Team looks good for next year but we need a solid class in '16.

[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 1:36 PM. Reason : 3]

3/9/2015 1:29:01 PM

Quote :

"Why are we even talking about this right now? Has this been rumored or are people just jumping to conclusions because Gott has restricted his playing time because he takes incredibly bad shots when he gets minutes."

Because we have a transfer or 2 every year and Washington seems like the logical choice for this one. He's likely not happy about the way his minutes have disappeared and potentially worried about being stuck behind our other 3 post players for the next 2 years.

[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 1:32 PM. Reason : y]

3/9/2015 1:29:01 PM

Quote :

"Why are we even talking about this right now? Has this been rumored or are people just jumping to conclusions because Gott has restricted his playing time because he takes incredibly bad shots when he gets minutes."

Quote :

"Because we have a transfer or 2 every year and Washington seems like the logical choice for this one. He's likely not happy about the way his minutes have disappeared and potentially worried about being stuck behind our other 3 post players for the next 2 years."

3/9/2015 1:34:40 PM

speculation

he may transfer. he may not. just like everyone else on the team (although if you had to pick one, he'd be the most likely). I'm going to wait and see and know that Gott knows more than we do about this situation and has taken it into consideration

3/9/2015 1:48:02 PM

Yeah we dont know what kind of relationship Gott has with all of his players. Not every person is selfish when it comes to playing time. Maybe Gott sat down with Washington and they talked about him wanting to try out some different lineups towards the end of the season, maybe he made choices based on matchups, maybe he said he is just going with his gut feeling each game, etc. Some people have the team mentality first and so long as we are winning they are happy.

3/10/2015 8:20:44 AM

Starting 5 next year will be:
Barber
Henderson
Lacey
Abu
Freeman

All of the coaches have basically said that Henderson will just be a straight Turner replacement, can shoot as well but is more athletic and plays better defense. I think the Martins will have a chance to earn a starting spot, but think the coaches are really high on Henderson.

Main problem right now is we don't have a legit back-up to Barber, Lacey will most likely spell Barber at the point like he did this year. I fully expect us to run mostly 3 guard line-ups next year, with those 3 starting and then the Martin twins coming in at times.

3/10/2015 8:38:54 AM

Why is everyone sleeping on Chris Corchiani, Jr. He's the real reason Tyler Lewis left...

3/10/2015 11:10:25 AM

We need Fire & Ice, Jr., who will be his counterpart?

3/10/2015 11:15:14 AM

Quote :

"Starting 5 next year will be: Barber Henderson Lacey Abu Freeman"

This. Henderson is athletic enough to guard the twos/threes on other teams.

Cat - Lacey
Lacey - Caleb
Henderson - Cody
Abu - Wash
Freeman - Anya

We should in theory be a better team unless something stupid happens. Very deep again. 9 good players. Be nice to get a fifth year player ALA Alex Johnson. That dude was huge to Gott's first team.

3/11/2015 9:29:50 AM

Quote :

"Maybe Gott sat down with Washington and they talked about him wanting to try out some different lineups towards the end of the season, maybe he made choices based on matchups, maybe he said he is just going with his gut feeling each game, etc. Some people have the team mentality first and so long as we are winning they are happy."

There was that one game where Gott said he "wasn't ready to play"...don't think we ever got the full story on that.

3/11/2015 9:37:02 AM

We don't need a recruit this year. Whoever we get is likely not playing much at all next year. So we would likely only be able to sign a lowly rated guy that would know hes not playing anyways. This staff has never signed a player just to have a player. Our depth next year will be fine.

We will need a big 2016 class though. If we bust in 2016, we could be in trouble.

3/11/2015 10:11:52 AM

^Yeah, we really need to land Dennis Smith Jr. We supposedly lead early, 5* guard from NC that could play the 1 or the 2 would really help. Plus would be nice to have him decide early and help us recruit some pieces around him.

3/11/2015 10:26:36 AM

Dennis Smith Jr. is also Earl Wolff's cousin. Would be awesome to land him to step in after Cat.

3/11/2015 10:28:18 AM

Anything new on Ingram? I looked but there is no way I google as good as many folks on here.

3/11/2015 10:43:18 AM

Smith would obviously be a coup. Would be a tremendous get.

Malik Newman is Mo Williams' nephew. I had no clue. Mo played under Gott at Alabama.

3/11/2015 10:58:38 AM

^I wonder if that's a bad thing. I remember hearing rumors that Mo wasn't a huge fan of Gott's.

These tweets are probably for Newman just as much as they are for Williams:

Very proud of you @mowilliams. Wow 52pts Loved coaching this guy #NationalFreshmanofYear pic.twitter.com/pXcim8Cwrt

— Mark Gottfried (@Mark_Gottfried) January 14, 2015

Congrats to @mowilliams on his new deal with the @MNTimberwolves. Mo was a pleasure to coach not one bit surprised by his @nba success.

— Mark Gottfried (@Mark_Gottfried) July 28, 2014

My 2 homiesRT @Mark_Gottfried: Glad I could catch up with @mowilliams brother Mike who is now a (cont) http://t.co/opvAqTTESE

— Mo Williams (@mowilliams) September 24, 2013

3/11/2015 11:11:23 AM

I have no clue about their relationship. Gotta figure tweeting him being one of his "homies" is a good thing though. Newman is prolly a pipe dream anyways. Hes prolly just waiting to make sure all of Kentucky's guys go to the league so he can step right in next season as a Wildcat.

3/11/2015 11:30:31 AM

Mo and Gott had a good relationship - I believe it was Gerald Wallace who wasn't a big fan of him

3/11/2015 12:11:10 PM

Quote :

"Anything new on Ingram? I looked but there is no way I google as good as many folks on here."

i think we made his final 6. but most things that i've read seem to indicate duke or unc may be the teams to beat.

3/11/2015 4:18:43 PM

I figured the problem with Washington is that a big who does nothing but take low FG% jumpshots has no place on this team. We got plenty of jump shooters, we need dudes who rebound, play defense, and finish strong at the rim. Washington doesn't do any of those things well enough to justify a spot on the floor. This aint the Sendek era folks, we have actual good players to choose from.

3/11/2015 5:17:53 PM

^ his ability to stretch the floor is nice. But thats kinda all he can do. Occassionaly he'll knock down a hook shot or something from the paint. If he could knock down the jumper (which he can) plus add a few post moves and/or strong defense then he'd be much more of an asset. I don't wanna see him transfer. I like him. But he needs to improve other areas of his game in order to be a bigger asset for us

3/11/2015 5:22:26 PM

Yeah, that post was meaner than I intended lol. I don't want him to transfer either, but he has to earn a major role on this team again.

[Edited on March 11, 2015 at 5:36 PM. Reason : :]

3/11/2015 5:35:47 PM

dude is a sophomore. he has time to improve. our history is chock full of bigs who were mediocre as sophomores and became solid contributors as upperclassmen. no one should want him to transfer, or be indifferent. him transferring wouldn't be a good thing for us. not saying he'll be a star or a 30 minute a night guy, but we are a better team with him on it than without him next year.

3/11/2015 5:43:50 PM

Washington brings effort every game, gotta give him that

3/11/2015 5:48:46 PM

He's one of my favorite players on the team.

3/11/2015 5:51:50 PM

I hope Wash sticks it out and improves. But hes got alot of improving to do. The base is there to be a good player. But thats all he has, is a base, and his career is half over.

1. He turns into a spaz whenever the ball hits his hands. Its gotta leave his hands as soon as it hits them or he goes crazy. Either a shot goes up or he throws a bullet pass to someone. By now, you would think this wouldn't happen with as much ball as hes played. Will he be able to work out of that in a year or two? Honestly, this is what all of his improving to be a competent ACC big hinges upon...becoming comfortable on the floor. He can shoot, he can jump. He just has to be comfortable. He never looks comfortable. The next few things I mention would be things needed to improve that would take him from competent to good:

2. Defense. Hes a good weakside defender, but too often he gets bullied underneath the basket and shoved back to the stanchion just about. With as big a guy as he is, that can't happen.

3. Developing a right hand. Dude just doesn't have one right now. His one shot attempt at Syracuse was a move across the lane where a right handed hook or runner would have served him well. Instead, he forced up an awkward left handed floater that clanged off the rim and the posession was over. He has not shown any kind of drive or shot from his non-dominant hand since he got on campus.

4. Post moves. Continue to refine them. Hes got the hook...and thats about it. Continue to work.

Hes got the body to be a very good 4 or 5 in the ACC. I'm just not sure if hes got the game. Good thing we have 2 more years to see if he can grow into it.

3/11/2015 6:14:26 PM

Quote :

"Mo and Gott had a good relationship - I believe it was Gerald Wallace who wasn't a big fan of him"

cool deal. always nice to have some former players in the NBA talking you up.

3/12/2015 1:18:18 AM

will we pick up any late commitments or focusing on 2016 at this point?

3/23/2015 11:06:42 AM

guys that matter

malik newman - only way we have a chance here is if cat goes pro. fuck that
brandon ingram - not happening
nick papagieorgio 7 foot greek dude - probably not happening

guys that dont

LOL gott doesnt offer scrubs

SEC pipeline

dazon ingram - opened up recruitment after bama coach got fired. not really much noise since.
transfer player X - more likely we see one or two guys come in like this and sit out a season. just not much playing time available next year

3/23/2015 11:33:25 AM

we already have a 2015 signee....Terry Henderson. With only losing Dez and Turner and with the expected additional contributions from the Martins...Henderson is really all we need for 2015.

With that said, 2016 is gonna need to be another top class or we're gonna be in trouble.

3/23/2015 11:37:45 AM

We've said it before ITT, but Gott's track record would suggest we go after a grad transfer, regular transfer, JUCO, or late blooming recruit (Freeman, for example). But yeah - we aren't in dire need of a big class this go around. 2016 will be really important.

3/23/2015 11:42:13 AM

Would love to get back in that Eric Davis recruitment if Barnes leaves/gets fired from Texas.

Would be a great back-up for Cat for a year and insurance policy in case we lose out on the Dennis Smith sweepstakes.

I also think there is still a chance with Brandon Ingram.

3/23/2015 11:43:40 AM

we're the only school on his list that he hasn't visited according to ESPN

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/146796/brandon-ingram

anyone know if he grew up a State fan? advancing in the tournament definitely helps but UNC and Duke are S16 also and Duke has a great shot of winning it all.

3/23/2015 11:58:01 AM

Hes waiting to see who leaves all the top schools before making his decision.

3/23/2015 11:59:41 AM

I would think that if Lacey tests NBA waters we'd have a shot with Ingram.

3/23/2015 12:53:51 PM

^^^He's been to a ton of NC State games. We were the first school to offer him.

I don't think Lacey will have a lot to do with Ingram. I think the Martin twins are the biggest obstacles. He's a three...and to me...while both of them can play from 2-4, their natural position is the three.

We're selling Ingram on the TJ Warren plan...which he kind of likes. Be a 3rd/4th option on a stacked team your freshmen year. Then the big dogs leave (Lacey, possibly Barber...shit, maybe even Abu), and you'll be the go-to guy. Hopefully we wouldn't lean on him as much as we did TJ Warren, but he's receptive to the idea.

He's also thin as fuck. Even if he wants to play a lot his freshmen year, he's just not physically ready to carry that kind of load. Personally, I think State is perfect for him. He's a top 10/15 guy in a weak class. He might get more PT at Duke if/when Okafor and Winslow leave...but there's a lot higher probability that K will recruit over him with the next two classes.

3/23/2015 2:27:49 PM