Welp, it's offseason city. And UW has some questions, roster quirks and moves to make. Because it calms me, I'll just run through the roster and some random thoughts.
The six guys you'd really liked to have keptkeep
PG Chucky Hepburn - I've been critical of his ceiling before, but on balance,he's a very good player and you'd rather have him than not.
Wing A.J. Storr - Was a not-so-efficient high flying scorer who seemed a bit distractible on defense. He earned all-conference honors but was a mess in the tournament game. Jumped in the draft/portal and is presumed gone.
Wing John Blackwell - Had a very nice freshman season, with a bit of tail off. Showed nice potential, and if Storr leaves, possibly/probably moves on up. Want to keep.
SG Max Klesmit - Overall a rather nice low-usage glue guy. He's got a bit more creative zing than a lot of UW shooting guards. Some folks want to recruit over him, though honestly, seemed fine to me (and if he ends up benched for Blackwell, he'd be a top-flight backup)
C Steve Crowl - Nominally, he's a 11/7/2 guy with good shooting numbers. His rim protection leaves something to be desired and his consistency isn't super. But he's a relatively good center, and I can't imagine they move on from him unless the other option is really good.
C Nolan Winter - He had a very freshman season, but he was still a solid enough rotation player while figuring out the college game at that size. He's considered talented and I'd generally like to see what his year two is.
The freshmen (Notable since these are pretty unlikely to transfer)
PG Daniel Freitag - Athletic recruit who has a lot of fans excited. Saw his ranking drop, but also had a nice senior season. If all goes well, he's the backup PG and can pair with Chucky.
SF Jack Robison - Seems like a potentially nice all-around forward. Might be a wait-and-see type with the wing situation. Unless he can help as a small stretch 4, which would be nice, but also a big ask.
The rest of the roster
SG Connor Essegian - He went from intriguing true freshman starter to barely in the rotation because of defense and a few other factors. Already in the portal. Wish him well.
PG Kamari McGee - Was a nice enough backup. Wasn't the most consistent this season, but had a higher ceiling than I expected. Now he'll have to decide if he wants to compete with Freitag or move elsewhere to play more than 9 minute per game. I'd wish him well with either choice.
PF Markus Ilver - A stretch 4 who has never been good enough to get a real rotation spot. Had one for a second this year, then kind of lost it. He's been around for 3 years. Maybe he wants to come back and compete for backup minutes. If he doesn't, it happens.
PF Carter Gilmore - He's bene a sturdy defensive role player whose offensive limitations had fans perpetually wishing for him to fall out of the rotation. If he loves being a role guy, I assume he'd be welcomed back. If he wants more, he's given the program more in four seasons than you'd expect from a walk-on.
C Chris Hodges - Actually played a few minutes in the Purdue win, but this is a guy who was almost pushed out last year. I guess it just depends if they get enough newcomers that he doesn't have a spot. (He's going into Year 4)
PF Gus Yalden - Took a RS that seemed linked to unseriousness. Had a high, HIGH chance of transfer and is gone.
A few questions
-What does the portal bring? UW seems to be targeting scoring wings, often bigger ones to replace Storr and stretch 4 types to replace Wahl. Need to see how this falls, but getting a 3 who could play backup 4 and reduce reliance on Ilver/Gilmore would be great. They're also talking to some defensive/rim-running centers. I don't see how they fit, but if they want to come, have at.
-How impactful is Freitag? He's a high-ceiling athlete who I presume will be in the rotation. But is he just a nice guy in there, or closer to a Koenig or Trice type guy?
-Where's the improvement? At worst, your starting lineup is probably Hepburn-Klesmit-Blackwell-transfer-Crowl. Can those four returners be better/more impactful. Chucky shows moments. Gard thinks Crowl has all-conference ability. Blackwell showed a lot of promise. Can some of them step up and be more of guys that are needed?