2019-2020 B1G Basketball Thread

[Brutus Buckeye]

What is the way too early projected finish?

[betarhoalphadelta]

Purdue 2019-2020. In brackets is their reason for leaving, or their 2019-2020 class eligibility.

Gone (definite):

• SG Ryan Cline [eligibility] - 34 mpg, 12 ppg (42% 3P), 3.3 apg - Deadeye shooter. We don't beat Tennessee in the S16 without him. Just clutch. Waited in the wings behind guys like Dakota Mathias, but this season he truly came into his own. Upped his game defensively, upped his versatility putting the ball on the floor. Going to miss him. 
• F Grady Eifert [eligibility] : 25.6 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg - The ultimate glue guy. Not big enough. Not athletic enough. But carried the highest +/- on the team, because he played with 110% effort every minute on the court, and had high BBIQ to always be in the right place at the right time and make the right decision. He had limitations when we played teams with two talented bigs, but proved to be a damn fine player and knew his role.
• Assistant Coach Greg Gary : Putting here because it needs to fit somewhere. Gary has taken the head coaching job at Mercer. Gary was generally seen as the "offensive coordinator" of Painter's staff, and he's been working wonders. Hate to see him leave, but it's always good when your assistant coaches are being poached for head coaching job. Replacement is so far unknown.

Gone (likely):

• SG Carsen Edwards [NBA or Sr] : 35.4 mpg, 24.3 ppg - Can't say enough about what he brought to this team. He could be streaky, and spent most of February in a shooting slump, but he was SO electric as a scorer that even when he wasn't hitting, his presence on the court opened things up for others. Assuming he leaves, but if he comes back he makes everyone around him better.

Returning Leaders:

• F/C Matt Haarms [RS Jr] : 22.9 mpg, 9.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, about a hundred fist pumps per game - Haarms came into the year a little too hyped about blocking shots instead of playing sound defense. He adjusted over the year, and became an absolute beast on both ends of the court. He doesn't yet have enough of a low-post game; at 7'3" but only 250# he can't just establish his will. But he's developed a little range, and he's athletic enough to run the PnR. Later in the year when teams would hedge Carsen or Cline on the ball screens to heavily, he'd slip to the rim for a big-time jam. Heading into next year he has to restrain his emotion a little bit... His enthusiasm is infectious, but he got himself T'd up a few too many times. 
• PG Nojel Eastern [RS Jr] : 28.2 mpg, 7.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, defensive stopper - Nojel was showing his defensive skills last year. 6'6" and 220#, with elite athleticism and length, he was already becoming a defensive force last year. This year he turned it up to 11, and developed a bit of an aggressive, slashing offensive game too. And he learned how to hit a free through, much to Tom Izzo's chagrin. With Haarms being so willing and able to play outside the lane, it opens up for drives. Going forward, he really needs a mid-range jumper. Teams can sag off him because he simply can't shoot. Adding the ability to knock down a 12-footer here or there just completely changes how people have to defend him, and would go a long way for his game. He could also use a little more touch around the rim -- sometimes he's using so much speed and power to try to finish over guys that he's a little out of control. But I think that's an easy change.

Returning significant role players:

• G/F Aaron Wheeler [RS So] : 13.7 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg - Wheeler, at 6'9" and with the ability to jump out of the gym, didn't play like a guy who is 6'9" and can jump out of the gym this year. He was a spot-up shooter, and flashed OCCASIONAL ability to clean up the offensive glass and had one sick alley-oop in the ODU tourney game, but overall he hasn't yet found himself. With his length and athleticism, he should be a matchup nightmare. More athletic than a typical 4, and bigger than a typical wing; he should be dominating on offense and on defense. One of the biggest question marks this offseason is whether he's going to be able to turn potential into production.
• G Eric Hunter Jr [So] : 12.6 mpg, few other stats - Hunter was impressive this year, but not in ways that show up on the stat sheet. Coming in as the 7th-leading scorer in Indiana HS basketball history, I was expecting to see him on the offensive end. But it was his defense that really showed well. He played backup PG behind Nojel, generally made smart moves protecting the ball, but otherwise didn't really find his scoring rhythm. On the other end, though, he harassed and harangued opposing guards mercilessly, earning every minute of PT he was on the court. In the [likely] absence of Edwards, he's going to have to find some offense, but from what he was in HS, I trust that will be no issue. 
• F Trevion Williams [So] : 10.2 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg - Coming into 2019, nobody knew what we'd get out of Tre. He showed up on campus about 330#, according to reports. As such, Painter, given that Emmanuel Dowuona was redshirting and he needed a backup 5 for Haarms, turned to Evan Boudreaux. Boudreaux just isn't physically built to be a B1G 5, and it showed up on the court. Williams played sparingly until the Notre Dame loss (looking out of shape), where he got extended minutes in the 2nd half and was a revelation. Williams is one of the best young bigs I've seen in years. I don't recall him committing a travel, which is insane for a freshman big man. His court vision was impressive--he sees the double coming and passes out of it better than a freshman should be able to. He's got good post moves and a soft touch around the hoop, and is a strong rebounder. Early on, he was actually performing better per-minute than Caleb Swanigan--and not Biggie's freshman year, his All-American sophomore year. Williams, as the season wore on, ran into problems trying to defend without fouling, and still has a ways to go physically to cut weight and get where he needs to be. Next year should be big. If Dowuona and/or Boudreaux can provide depth at the 4/5, we could see more of the twin towers lineup with Haarms and Williams out there together. If Williams can slim down and stay out of foul trouble, he's going to become a force to be reckoned with.
• G Sasha Stefanovic [RS So] : 11.5 mpg, 41% 3P - If someone is going to replace Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline, it's gotta be Sasha. He's a pure shooter with a quick release and an oddly tenacious defense. He's probably more athletic than either Mathias or Cline, but was only asked to play spot minutes this year. Sasha should be a solid rotation player, but we don't know his ceiling in minutes or points until we see more. 
• F Evan Boudreaux [Grad Transfer Sr] : 12 mpg, 5.2 ppg - Boudreaux was a bit of a let-down in 2018-19. Coming in as a significant contributor from Dartmouth as a grad transfer with 2 yrs eligibility remaining, people were making statements like him being "Hummel-lite". But as mentioned, he wanted to play the 5, and Painter needed a backup, so he started as Haarms' backup. After Williams emerged and Boudreaux had a groin injury keeping him out of the rotation, it seems like he lost his job beyond "break in case of emergency / foul trouble" usage. Oddly, with only having Grady and Wheeler at the 4, we thought he might move down to the 4, but it never happened--this year. Going into next year, I don't see how he sees ANY minutes at the 5. Between Haarms/Williams/Dowuona, we should be fine at the 5. Replacing Eifert at the 4 means there are minutes there, if he can secure them. But if Haarms' and Wheeler take the 4, and Williams and Dowuona at the 5, Boudreaux could find himself edged out of minutes. We'll see, I guess.

Newcomers:

• C Emmanuel Dowuona [RS Fr] : Dow came in at 6'10" 230#, but is comparatively new to the game of basketball and raw, so he redshirted. Came in as a high 3*, rated 172nd nationally. Obviously he's a bit of a project, but he's got some depth ahead of him. If he doesn't develop, it just means Haarms/Williams will have to split more time rather than going a twin towers lineup. 
• G Brandon Newman [Fr] : A lot of people are high on Newman. Rated at a high 3* [128 nationally], he's already being talked about as a ready-on-day-1 player. Which is good, because assuming Carsen is gone, and knowing that Cline is gone, there's a lot of minutes to go around at the guard spot. We might need him. 
• F Mason Gillis [Fr] : Gets a lot of comparisons to Vincent Edwards. Gillis, however, has had some crap luck. He had a big knee injury as a junior, and has tweaked it again his senior year and is no longer playing while undergoing surgery. He's expected to be physically cleared and ready by the 2019-20 season, but with a lot of time away from the game it's unclear how quickly he can produce. He was ranked around 130th and trending up before the injuries. Purdue is hoping he's ready to play, but I see him as a potential redshirt candidate. 
• PG Isaiah Thompson [Fr] : The "little" brother to Purdue alum PJ Thompson, he's taller, more athletic, and more of a scorer than PJ. Not all that highly ranked at 213th (but much higher than PJ ever was), I think Painter sees a lot of BBIQ in him. If he can come in and be similar to PJ, that's great. If he can be better than PJ, well then we're just playing with house money. 

Overall:

Purdue looks to have some great pieces. Across the roster, we've got some talent, some depth, some experience, and some newcomers. A lot of what we need to do is see how these guys can play together. And of course, replacing coach Gary will be some transition as well. 

Assuming Carsen is gone, I see this as a team that might struggle a little to start the year. We're losing almost half our rotation minutes and about 42 ppg. This is going to be a big restructuring of our roster, much like what we saw coming into this year with Haas/VEdwards/Mathias/Thompson graduating their 48 ppg. Obviously we don't have another Carsen on the roster that can score from anywhere and create his own shot. But I see us having a lot of good pieces, and a lot of those guys got some really useful minutes this year and hopefully will have a "leap" next year. 

I think to expect the team to be as good as this one is too much. But I think these guys can be pretty damn good. 

[MichiFan87]

Brazdeikis and Poole will almost certainly go through the pre-draft process. Apparently some insiders are saying it's at least as likely as not that they'll go pro, and even the Moving Screen podcasters (Dylan of UMHoops and former AANews / now The Athletic writer Brendan Quinn) seemed to think they're both equally likely to stay or go..... I don't get it myself, since they're both 2nd rounders at best this year and with good chances of being 1st rounders next year (whereas Matthews has already reached his potential).

Either way, hopefully they decide sooner than later (or at least any players considering transferring will decide either way quickly) so that Michigan can seriously pursue any potential grad transfers and/or additional recruits.

[FearlessF]

The New York Post reported Monday morning that Matt Abdelmassih, an assistant at St. John's who worked for Hoiberg at Iowa State, is leaving the Red Storm to join Hoiberg in Lincoln.

Also Monday, a source confirmed to the Journal Star that Charlie Henry will also join Hoiberg on the Pinnacle Bank Arena sideline. Henry is currently the coach for the Windy City Bulls, the G League affiliate of the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He served as an assistant under Hoiberg at Iowa State in 2014-15 and was Iowa State's director of player personnel in 2013-14.

As for the 33-year-old Abdelmassih, he and Hoiberg have a long history, going back to when both were working in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office.

Abdelmassih is regarded as one of the top recruiters of transfer players in the country. In a 2016 ESPN survey of coaches, Abdelmassih was voted the most effective recruiter of transfers in the college game.

[fezzador]

If Hoiberg can get Nebraska into the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament, they should build a statue of him.

He's got the resources to make some noise, but the question is, how badly does he want to stay there?  Even at his alma mater he always had one eye on the NBA, so methinks Lincoln is going to be little more than a pitstop before a blue blood or the NBA comes calling again.

I'm sort of surprised UCLA didn't show much interest in him, but maybe he's so thoroughly Midwestern that he'd turn down any Southern or Western job, no matter how prestigious.

[FearlessF]

agreed

take Husker hoops to the point of winning the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament, they should build a statue of him.

at that point he's done his job and can go back to the NBA if he'd like, don't care

someone else might be able to step in and keep things going

[MichiFan87]

What successful college coach has failed in the NBA and then tried again and was successful? Maybe there are a few isolated examples, but you don't see Eric Musselman, Larry Krystkowiak, Leonard Hamilton, Lon Kruger, or obviously John Calipari looking to return to the NBA. Am I missing anyone? 

Conversely, I doubt we'll see Avery Johnson try to coach at another college program after his mediocrity at Alabama. Of course, Billy Donovan and Brad Stevens have been able to succeed at both levels, so that's irrelevant.

I don't watch the NBA, but my understanding is that while the styles of play between the two levels are converging, what it takes to have the right roster to succeed is so different between the two levels.

[ELA]

Larry Brown I guess?  I can't think of any.

[ELA]

Sounds like Tyler Cook is declaring, and this time staying in the draft.

[ELA]

Pretty high ratings to not be committed at this point. What's the issue?

IIRC he was playing against really bad competition.  When MSU first offered it was seen as a reach, and people figured he'd commit right away, but both sides cooled, and I don't think there's been any contact there in over a year.  He transferred to a prep school (IMG maybe?) and proved he wasn't just a product of bad competition.

[Cincydawg]

We just spent ten days around Boston.  I saw quite a few smaller solar operations, usually 20- 50 acres each or so.  I saw zero wind mills.  I'm sure they have them.  

I was on a mission to visit five new states, for me, and did, so we drove quite a bit.  I have only two states left and we hit Alaska in September, leaving only North Dakota.  The scenery in general was less appealing than I expected and the wife was downright negative on it all.  We did tour an old sailing ship and and oldish submarine.

[MichiFan87]

We just spent ten days around Boston.  I saw quite a few smaller solar operations, usually 20- 50 acres each or so.  I saw zero wind mills.  I'm sure they have them.  

I was on a mission to visit five new states, for me, and did, so we drove quite a bit.  I have only two states left and we hit Alaska in September, leaving only North Dakota.  The scenery in general was less appealing than I expected and the wife was downright negative on it all.  We did tour an old sailing ship and and oldish submarine.

Not sure if you meant to put this on the environment thread, but I'll address it here, anyway.
There isn't much wind generation potential in the Northeast, much like the Southeast, compared to the Midwest. However, off-shore wind is increasingly cost-effective starting with the Block Island project last year. Massachusetts was the first place that tried to establish an off-shore wind project, but it was defeated for being too close to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cape Cod, so multi-billionaires like the Kennedy's shut it down. NY, MA*, and NJ are also leading the way with CT, NH, ME, DE, and MD to follow.... To your point, MA, MD, and NJ are leaders in solar for the Northeast.
*This time around they'd be placing the turbines beyond where they could be seen from any wealthy property owners.

[PortlandSpartan]

MSU is going to be loaded next year. I legit believe we will be better - assuming nothing crazy happens, like Cash leaving. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Unsurprisingly, Carsen declaring for the draft with an agent.