Transfers in/out 2025-2026

[MuMark]

I think we can still be pretty good going 2 for 3 on the transfer front.......improvement from Nigel/Stevens/Royce.......and having some decent contribution from a few guys like Sheek, Nash, Ian , Phillips, Owens or Alex. Not all mind you just a couple......like we have had in most of Shaka's tenure.

If one of them makes a big leap then things look even better........but not expecting that.....just contributors.....like Freshmen level Chase, Kam or Royce.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out but there are plenty of different ways we can be a tournament level team without thinking we have to turn over half the roster........which was never going to happen anyway so not sure why the subject was even mentioned.

Bring on the spring!

[MU82]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out but there are plenty of different ways we can be a tournament level team without thinking we have to turn over half the roster........which was never going to happen anyway so not sure why the subject was even mentioned.

Your entire comment was right-on, but the part I highlighted is what so many are ignoring.

It would be beyond stunning if Shaka ejected 6-7 players. I get that some Scoopers want that, but hey, I want store-brand ice cream to taste like Leon's butter pecan. I'm just realistic enough to know it's not gonna happen.

[jfp61]

Your entire comment was right-on, but the part I highlighted is what so many are ignoring.

It would be beyond stunning if Shaka ejected 6-7 players. I get that some Scoopers want that, but hey, I want store-brand ice cream to taste like Leon's butter pecan. I'm just realistic enough to know it's not gonna happen.

This year's team had a worse record than wojo's first team. That team finished with 8 scholarship players.

Damarius Owens would be somewhere between sophomore Jujuan and freshman Sandy Cohen on that team. Caedin would be battling out Steve Taylor for minutes on that team.
And I'm ignoring Sean and Tre praying shaka doesn't do something really stupid next year.

We are doing dumb things again this summer. And I am just pointing it out now.
Call it unrealistic. Fine. It also is generously suboptimal.

[panda]

This year's team had a worse record than wojo's first team. That team finished with 8 scholarship players.

Damarius Owens would be somewhere between sophomore Jujuan and freshman Sandy Cohen on that team. Caedin would be battling out Steve Taylor for minutes on that team.
And I'm ignoring Sean and Tre praying shaka doesn't do something really stupid next year.

We are doing dumb things again this summer. And I am just pointing it out now.
Call it unrealistic. Fine. It also is generously suboptimal.

The big east stunk out loud this year too.

[WhiteTrash]

The big east stunk out loud this year too.

I think that fact is behind the partial 'fools gold' of our later season improvements. I doubt Shaka would misread the situation as very promising based upon the level of competition. But I think any more than 4 new players feels like too much for me. 3-4 is the sweet spot IMHO.

[MuMark]

This year's team had a worse record than wojo's first team. That team finished with 8 scholarship players.

Damarius Owens would be somewhere between sophomore Jujuan and freshman Sandy Cohen on that team. Caedin would be battling out Steve Taylor for minutes on that team.
And I'm ignoring Sean and Tre praying shaka doesn't do something really stupid next year.

We are doing dumb things again this summer. And I am just pointing it out now.
Call it unrealistic. Fine. It also is generously suboptimal.

Just happy that Shaka didn't do " dumb things" like run off Stevie, Jop and Oso after their freshman years.

[jfp61]

Just happy that Shaka didn't do " dumb things" like tun off Stevie, Jop and Oso after their freshman years.

I am talking about two sophmores.

Freshman year stevie is better than sophmore year owens and hamilton.
Oso should have been starting his first year under shaka by the end of the year.
Joplin was better than both of these guys as a sophmore.

Heck, Zaide was better than both of them last year.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

This year's team had a worse record than wojo's first team. That team finished with 8 scholarship players.

Damarius Owens would be somewhere between sophomore Jujuan and freshman Sandy Cohen on that team. Caedin would be battling out Steve Taylor for minutes on that team.
And I'm ignoring Sean and Tre praying shaka doesn't do something really stupid next year.

We are doing dumb things again this summer. And I am just pointing it out now.
Call it unrealistic. Fine. It also is generously suboptimal.

You can see the future?

[MuMark]

I am talking about two sophmores.

Freshman year stevie is better than sophmore year owens and hamilton.
Oso should have been starting his first year under shaka by the end of the year.
Joplin was better than both of these guys as a sophmore.

Heck, Zaide was better than both of them last year.

Just stop.......Oso was hurt at the end of his freshman year and admitted he wasn't ready to contribute as a freshman.

[jfp61]

you are not reading the words i typed.

[DoctorV]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

He's local so I assume some on here have seen him enough in HS or at St Thomas to take a guess at projecting his BE contribution?
I watched St Thomas once and he did not stand out, but very limited sample size so I can't contribute.

Would it be a plays at the same time as Nigel and Adrien or spells them off the bench situation?

[GoldenEagles03]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

He's local so I assume some on here have seen him enough in HS or at St Thomas to take a guess at projecting his BE contribution?
I watched St Thomas once and he did not stand out, but very limited sample size so I can't contribute.

Would it be a plays at the same time as Nigel and Adrien or spells them off the bench situation?

He could start here but I wouldn't think it is a guarantee.

[MU82]

This year's team had a worse record than wojo's first team. That team finished with 8 scholarship players.

Damarius Owens would be somewhere between sophomore Jujuan and freshman Sandy Cohen on that team. Caedin would be battling out Steve Taylor for minutes on that team.
And I'm ignoring Sean and Tre praying shaka doesn't do something really stupid next year.

We are doing dumb things again this summer. And I am just pointing it out now.
Call it unrealistic. Fine. It also is generously suboptimal.

OK, your POV is duly noted ... for the 108th time. Thanks for at least admitting it's unrealistic this time. Baby steps.

[Shaka Shart]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

He's local so I assume some on here have seen him enough in HS or at St Thomas to take a guess at projecting his BE contribution?
I watched St Thomas once and he did not stand out, but very limited sample size so I can't contribute.

Would it be a plays at the same time as Nigel and Adrien or spells them off the bench situation?

If he started on St Thomas, is Marquette good enough for him?

[Shaka Shart]

Give me an air craft carrier that'll catch fire cleaning up the interior like the USS Gerald Ford

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Simply put.

Needing to go 3/3 on incoming transfers is a narrow path to success.

Needing to go 3/6 on incoming transfers is a less narrow path to success.

And giving up on a freshman, Caedin, and DO to do this makes a ton of sense.

I can understand that Shaka won't do it. But, like last year, he is recruiting with metaphorical "handcuffs" on for no good reason.

I've seen you post the 3/3 on transfers line before. I understand what you are saying but I don't think it's a correct description of the situation.

I tend to put players into tiers when I'm thinking about roster building. If you're going to be competing for an at large bid, you should have at least 8 players you can count on. 1+ stud, 2+ above average starters, 3+ starter level players, and 2+ bench players who aren't liabilities on the floor.

I believe you are fan of BPR, so I'll use that to define my tiers:
Tier 1 (Studs): 6.5 BPR or higher
Tier 2 (Above Average Starters): 4.75-6.5 BPR
Tier 3 (Starter Level Players): 3-4.75 BPR
Tier 4 (Non-Liability Bench Players): 1.5-3 BPR

I feel comfortable saying we have a stud in NJ. Tier 1 is covered.

I feel comfortable saying we have two Tier 3 players in Royce and Adrien. I also don't think it's unreasonable to believe that one or both could be a Tier 2 player next season. So 2/5 of Tier 2/3 is covered.

Tier 4, I'm confident that if we address Tiers 2 and 3, we will find two players who can cover that last Tier.

So you're right, we need 3 players to cover our gaps in Tiers 2/3. But we don't need to go 3/3 in transfers.  We need 3 of the 12 scholarships we have left after the Big 3 to turn into Tier 2/3 players. Transfers are certainly a way to do it. Arguably it's the method with the highest likelihood of success. However, I think it would be a mistake to completely dismiss HS recruits and development from returning players.

Last year's freshman class included a Tier 2 player (NJ) and a Tier 3 player (Adrien). Next year's crop of 3 redshirt freshmen and 2 true freshmen could have a similar yield. Phillips could take a jump. I know you will disagree, but I think Owens has potential to be a Tier 3 player next season. I'm certainly not banking on it, but hoop explorer likes his defense a lot more than BPR does. My eye test says Hoop Explorer is more accurate in this case, but we will certainly see. Caedin could ...okay that's a probably a bridge too far.

I think 3 transfers in sounds about right. But those won't be the only irons in the fire.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

That's fair on Wrightsil. But the thing that's perplexed me is: why did they decide to only not take D-1 transfers? They decided to take NAIA transfers, but not D-1. Where was the logic in that? That they won't expect to be front of the line?

I think what Shaka said has been misinterpreted. People took what he said as "between year 1 and 2 we made a singular decision to never take a D1 transfer again." My understanding of what he meant was that "After year 1, we repeatedly made a decision every offseason that we weren't going to take a D1 transfer that year." They looked at transfers every year, but ultimately decided not to pull the trigger on any of them. Shaka including the D1 as a qualifier wasn't part of his criteria for transfers, it's just an acknowledgement that he did take Wrightsil in year 2.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

I would slot him as our second best player behind NJ. He's legit.

[Tha Hound]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

He's local so I assume some on here have seen him enough in HS or at St Thomas to take a guess at projecting his BE contribution?
I watched St Thomas once and he did not stand out, but very limited sample size so I can't contribute.

Would it be a plays at the same time as Nigel and Adrien or spells them off the bench situation?

He's a solid player and if he can develop a reliable 3 point shot, look out.

[Jay Bee]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

I'd go with a potential needed piece, but also potential difference maker. #noncommittal

For me, important is that he can be a higher usage guy - usage was 31.6% this year in Shots Paul. If he landed around 26-28% with a monster free throw rate and his usual strong performance shooting 2's, great. Add in 3's (shot only 30% this season) at a decent clip, and his ability to help throughout (passing, d-rebounding, steals) and the potential for him being a very important piece is there.

He's a little bit higher (15%) on his non-ATR 2FGAs than MU - so that may make some weirdos on here happy. Not sure how that'll play out. But, kid is tough and can get to the rim. 

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I would slot him as our second best player behind NJ. He's legit.

BPR loves Minessale. +4.98 (#231 nationally) while Nigel James is +4.97 (#234 nationally).

I'm not sure how BPR translates between mid-major and high-major conferences, but the analytics look encouraging.

[Viper]

Your entire comment was right-on, but the part I highlighted is what so many are ignoring.

It would be beyond stunning if Shaka ejected 6-7 players. I get that some Scoopers want that, but hey, I want store-brand ice cream to taste like Leon's butter pecan. I'm just realistic enough to know it's not gonna happen.

one helluva analogy, 82!

[Viper]

If Nolan Minessale comes is he considered a nice piece, or a difference maker?

He's local so I assume some on here have seen him enough in HS or at St Thomas to take a guess at projecting his BE contribution?
I watched St Thomas once and he did not stand out, but very limited sample size so I can't contribute.

Would it be a plays at the same time as Nigel and Adrien or spells them off the bench situation?

playing with a PG such as James, I think Minessale will be very good. But, if starting James, Stevens and Minessale, a legit 5 is must get.

[muwarrior69]

I've seen you post the 3/3 on transfers line before. I understand what you are saying but I don't think it's a correct description of the situation.

I tend to put players into tiers when I'm thinking about roster building. If you're going to be competing for an at large bid, you should have at least 8 players you can count on. 1+ stud, 2+ above average starters, 3+ starter level players, and 2+ bench players who aren't liabilities on the floor.

I believe you are fan of BPR, so I'll use that to define my tiers:
Tier 1 (Studs): 6.5 BPR or higher
Tier 2 (Above Average Starters): 4.75-6.5 BPR
Tier 3 (Starter Level Players): 3-4.75 BPR
Tier 4 (Non-Liability Bench Players): 1.5-3 BPR

I feel comfortable saying we have a stud in NJ. Tier 1 is covered.

I feel comfortable saying we have two Tier 3 players in Royce and Adrien. I also don't think it's unreasonable to believe that one or both could be a Tier 2 player next season. So 2/5 of Tier 2/3 is covered.

Tier 4, I'm confident that if we address Tiers 2 and 3, we will find two players who can cover that last Tier.

So you're right, we need 3 players to cover our gaps in Tiers 2/3. But we don't need to go 3/3 in transfers.  We need 3 of the 12 scholarships we have left after the Big 3 to turn into Tier 2/3 players. Transfers are certainly a way to do it. Arguably it's the method with the highest likelihood of success. However, I think it would be a mistake to completely dismiss HS recruits and development from returning players.

Last year's freshman class included a Tier 2 player (NJ) and a Tier 3 player (Adrien). Next year's crop of 3 redshirt freshmen and 2 true freshmen could have a similar yield. Phillips could take a jump. I know you will disagree, but I think Owens has potential to be a Tier 3 player next season. I'm certainly not banking on it, but hoop explorer likes his defense a lot more than BPR does. My eye test says Hoop Explorer is more accurate in this case, but we will certainly see. Caedin could ...okay that's a probably a bridge too far.

I think 3 transfers in sounds about right. But those won't be the only irons in the fire.

BPR loves Minessale. +4.98 (#231 nationally) while Nigel James is +4.97 (#234 nationally).

I'm not sure how BPR translates between mid-major and high-major conferences, but the analytics look encouraging.

According to this and your criteria NJ is an above average starter.

[Tha Hound]

According to this and your criteria NJ is an above average starter.

I think you could infer that a true freshman point guard sitting at 5 BPR would presumably improve those numbers in the coming seasons.