Kyky Tandy to transfer

[XUBANDGRAD]

Kyky Tandy has officially entered the transfer portal. WHO COULD HAVE FORSEEN THIS?!?

[Final4]

KyKy in the transfer portal.

[GoMuskies]

Shocker

[SkyWalker]

KyKy in the transfer portal.

Good for him! Good luck Kyky.

[XUGRAD80]

Anyone surprised?

[JTG]

Steele, you stupid sonofabitch. WTF happened between Tandy & Steele ? That's what we'd all like to know.

[drudy23]

This infuriates me.

[Xavier]

Disappointing. I am guessing he will head to a lower level big 6 school or a high mid major. Maybe UC?

Also wonder if he told Travis and the coaches at some point this year and thats why he wasn't getting as much time.

[bleedXblue]

Good luck to KyKy.

No one knows the behind the scenes stuff....

I just know in the 2nd half of the Butler game when we couldn't score a bucket to save our lives, we kept Jason Carter on the floor and decided to bench KyKy for the entire game. Just bizarre stuff consider the previous game he played well off the bench?

[drudy23]

Absolutely infuriating.

Watch every major program jump on him.

[hoopster68]

Good luck, KyKy; we hardly knew ye! Hope this isn't the beginning of a "locker room revolt."

[drudy23]

I don't think you guys realize that we're losing one of the most explosive and athletic players in his class.

Yes, he's smaller, but I guarantee he ends up at a good program and produces.

We're losing our most athletic player and scorer. That's ridiculous.

[xukeith]

Good luck Kyky. Never was a pg anyway.

[JTG]

Good luck, KyKy; we hardly knew ye! Hope this isn't the beginning of a "locker room revolt."

I don't see a revolt happening, unless Steele and his staff really are a bunch of clueless dimwits, and the players recognize it. I think Free was pissed last week because he lost in humiliating fashion in front of his family. Jones, Wilcher, etc. I think will all stay. Could maybe one of the supposed insiders on this board tell us what they are hearing for the reason Steele and Tandy didn't see eye to eye ?

[XUBANDGRAD]

Good luck, KyKy; we hardly knew ye! Hope this isn't the beginning of a "locker room revolt."

There are rumors swirling that Dionte is looking to transfer as well. Not sure that’s as big of a hit as this one but still.

[Xuperman]

Disappointing. I wonder if he told Travis and the coaches at some point this year and thats why he wasn't getting as much time.

I'm guessing that is exactly what happen....not from KyKy but his FATHER.

Word is he tried to pressure coach Cal in the recruiting process for guaranteed PT.

This would explain everything, wouldn't it?

[GoMuskies]

There are rumors swirling that Dionte is looking to transfer as well. Not sure that’s as big of a hit as this one but still.

Miles would be crazy not to transfer. Maybe he's not good enough to play in the Big East. No idea. But I saw enough of him to know that there are some low/mid major leagues that he could absolutely wreck.

[drudy23]

There are rumors swirling that Dionte is looking to transfer as well. Not sure that’s as big of a hit as this one but still.

Of course it's a hit. He was supposed to have some impact, as was KyKy.

[markchal]

There are going to be a LOT of minutes/shots available next year after losing our starting backcourt. Really could've used his scoring punch. Definite failure on Travis to not be able to get through to him to get him to be productive, the talent is CLEARLY there and he was an All BE frosh a year ago.

[xuphan]

Miles would be crazy not to transfer. Maybe he's not good enough to play in the Big East. No idea. But I saw enough of him to know that there are some low/mid major leagues that he could absolutely wreck.

Not surprised but I was praying we could keep Tandy and not have to go into the transfer portal. That sophomore class is pretty week now. Just don’t see how we can pick up a transfer that is as good or better than Tandy. Steele has transformed Xavier into Transfer Portal U.

[AviatorX]

I don't think you guys realize that we're losing one of the most explosive and athletic players in his class.

Yes, he's smaller, but I guarantee he ends up at a good program and produces.

We're losing our most athletic player and scorer. That's ridiculous.

I would be very surprised to see Tandy end up on a good team. Don't get me wrong, I think he is definitely good enough to produce on a good team, but this feels destined to end up in a huge numbers on a bad team situation (actually bad team, not Xavier bubble-like team).

[drudy23]

I would be very surprised to see Tandy end up on a good team. Don't get me wrong, I think he is definitely good enough to produce on a good team, but this feels destined to end up in a huge numbers on a bad team situation (actually bad team, not Xavier bubble-like team).

Maybe he chooses that route, but I guarantee top 25 programs will take a look under the hood.

I bet Bob Huggins could do wonders with him in their up-tempo style and he bought in on defense.

[GoMuskies]

I would be very surprised to see Tandy end up on a good team. Don't get me wrong, I think he is definitely good enough to produce on a good team, but this feels destined to end up in a huge numbers on a bad team situation (actually bad team, not Xavier bubble-like team).

That's probably what I would do if I were him. And maybe not "bad" team, but lower level. Playing 38 minutes a game in the MAC or Horizon or whatever with the greenest of green lights would honestly be absurdly fun.

[XUBANDGRAD]

Of course it's a hit. He was supposed to have some impact, as was KyKy.

Eh I’m not so sure. I think they took a chance and hoped he could produce. I think he was a project from the start.

[UCGRAD4X]

Yes, he's going to get a lot of love...which he didn't seem to get from the staff here.

We may never know what happened behind the scene, maybe it is justified, I don't know.

I know it would be a long shot, but how about a twitter bomb of support from the Musketeer faithful.

It almost certainly would not change his mind, but it would show that we support him. That can't be a bad thing.

[Xavier]

Maybe he chooses that route, but I guarantee top 25 programs will take a look under the hood.

I bet Bob Huggins could do wonders with him in their up-tempo style and he bought in on defense.

....safe bet if he brought it on defense he wouldn't be transferring. But I agree, if he buys in and at least gives effort on Defense a team will be happy to have him

[Xavier]

Eh I’m not so sure. I think they took a chance and hoped he could produce. I think he was a project from the start.

I think everyone knew he was a project.

[Xville]

F Steele...man what a sophomore class...one player out of 4....great job Coach Aluminum. Fire this idiot already

[paulxu]

From the NCAA:

That said, about 40% of all men’s basketball players who enter Division I directly out of high school depart their initial school by the end of their sophomore year.

We really shouldn't be surprised if players with diminished playing opportunities (either from performance or team competition) decide to transfer.
The factors involved could be many, not the least of which is chemistry with teammates/coaches/school environment/city/etc.
On top of that, the Covid year was nutso.

You can only hope it's not some disgruntled parent/hanger-on groupie/whomever filling the kid's head with unrealistic expectations/nonsense.

[Xuperman]

We're losing our most athletic player and scorer. That's ridiculous.

That would be Dwon Odom. Not to mention that nagging PG problem solved in aces!!

[drudy23]

That would be Dwon Odom. Not to mention that nagging PG problem solved in aces!!

Yeah, we aren't allowed to have 2 really athletic guys.

We should definitely give Carter another year.

[kellernr]

Absolutely infuriating.

Watch every major program jump on him.Mack will snag him

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

[D-West & PO-Z]

Kyky Tandy has officially entered the transfer portal. WHO COULD HAVE FORSEEN THIS?!?

Not sure if any truth but I heard last week he was going to Vandy. Maybe taking another X player who doesnt see much time with him.

[AviatorX]

Yeah, we aren't allowed to have 2 really athletic guys.

We should definitely give Carter another year.

Please don't talk like that.

[xavierj]

Kyky will go to either UC, Western KY or EKu or similar to that level. Probably not too far from home.

[Xuperman]

F Steele...man what a sophomore class...one player out of 4....great job Coach Aluminum. Fire this idiot already

That statement says idiot to me. If ZFree ends up having the brilliant career that looks pretty darn likely, how can it be viewed in anyway other than fantastic!

[Xavier]

Not sure if any truth but I heard last week he was going to Vandy. Maybe taking another X player who doesnt see much time with him.

Vandy? They are the worst team in the SEC. Though that is the type of place that would let KyKy run wild and maybe playing against Kentucky has interest to him.

[Xuperman]

Not sure if any truth but I heard last week he was going to Vandy. Maybe taking another X player who doesnt see much time with him.

I am predicting SEC.....thinking he'll pull a Chris Loften and target UK as his prime motivation for the recruiting snub.
:munch:

[D-West & PO-Z]

Vandy? They are the worst team in the SEC. Though that is the type of place that would let KyKy run wild and maybe playing against Kentucky has interest to him.

Again, take with a grain of salt. Just a rumor I heard.

[xuwillie]

That statement says idiot to me. If ZFree ends up having the brilliant career that looks pretty darn likely, how can it be viewed in anyway other than fantastic!

One Fremantle having a brilliant career is no where near a lock and two you need more than one player from each class to be above average. This class was a big time failure

[AviatorX]

Again, take with a grain of salt. Just a rumor I heard.

Feels right to me. Although not sure why they'd want the other guy I'm assuming you're talking about.

[Masterofreality]

Roster mismanagement personified.
There will be more.
A three year crime, but the fans are serving the Sentence.

[Xuperman]

One Fremantle having a brilliant career is no where near a lock

Duh, obviously he is only half way and what a lousy start-

ALL BE FRESHMAN

Followed by ALL BE 2nd team

BE Most improved player award

Lead the BEast in rebounding....top 10 scoring

That looks "Brilliant" to me.



Two you need more than one player from each class to be above average. This class was a big time failure

No you don't.

No it wasn't.

[xuwillie]

Duh, obviously he is only half way and what a lousy start-

ALL BE FRESHMAN

Followed by ALL BE 2nd team

BE Most improved player award

Lead the BEast in rebounding....top 10 scoring

That looks "Brilliant" to me.




No you don't.

No it wasn't.

Your opinion of brilliant is very different than mine. And I guess your happy with not going to the tournament if you think you can have one decent recruit per class.

[gladdenguy]

Again, take with a grain of salt. Just a rumor I heard.

Vandy is a hot name. I've heard that from the rumor mill as well.

[bjf123]

Steele, you stupid sonofabitch. WTF happened between Tandy & Steele ? That's what we'd all like to know.

And we never will, unless KyKy opens up, which is highly unlikely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xville]

That statement says idiot to me. If ZFree ends up having the brilliant career that looks pretty darn likely, how can it be viewed in anyway other than fantastic!

Is this Steele math? Do you think hitting on 1 out of 4 in a recruiting class is seriously fantastic?

I also don't understand why or how people can continue to defend Steele in any way at this point. He has literally put this program from perennial NCAA tournament invitee to perennial NIT bid....this program is at a serious crossroads.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Looking at it from Steele's roster management aspect, this is a huge failure. Schools like X should be getting one homerun/triple recruit each 1-2 years to stay at or near the top of the BE table. We need 1-2 four year roll players per class as well. Freemantle looks like a good/great get, but the rest were busts/transfers. That can't happen if we expect to compete. I hope Odom is a that good/great player and Jones/Wilcher is that four year role player.

From a team standpoint, where does this put us for ball handlers? This leaves the team with just three guards and one PG. Jones handled the ball at times this year but he would be pushed to manning that role next year.

Travis is the transfer coach. He loves these guys, but they just look like hit/miss with little in between. If Miles transfers out, we will have four open slots and that depends on Stanley/Ramsey staying and playing. Assuming he isn't fired which he deserves, I hope he comes up with ball handlers because we will need them.

[drudy23]

We're losing our three best shooters (Paul, KyKy and Nate) and lack a true physical big.

That's alot of holes to fill for next year.

It's going to be desperation for Steele and staff on the transfer market to land a couple of difference makers. I can't see us in the top half of the Big East or making the tournament without it.

[bleedXblue]

Eh I’m not so sure. I think they took a chance and hoped he could produce. I think he was a project from the start.

This is asinine. So, your saying we took 2 guys in that class that were "projects" ? KyKy was a top 100 recruit nationally AND was on all BIg East rookie team last year.

[Backyard Champ]

As others have said, I think he will end up going to a school that gives him the green light. Most likely will put up a lot of points on a lot of shots. Resulting in a lot of Xavierhoops posters to look at his totals and wonder why we let him go. I’d guess a 500 level MAC type of team.

I think it was clear he wasn’t comfortable in the offense we ran. It’s a bummer because he can score for sure, I was just hoping it wouldn’t have to be because he had the ball in his hands at all times and shot frequently.

[XUBANDGRAD]

This is asinine. So, your saying we took 2 guys in that class that were "projects" ? KyKy was a top 100 recruit nationally AND was on all BIg East rookie team last year.

Wtf are you talking about? I was referring to Miles. I was the one in the middle of the season to call Kyky transferring and everyone thought I was insane.

[drudy23]

Steele when he was recruited "he's going to be like the Microwave. He's going to come in and be lightning in a bottle, man. He's really explosive and can get points in bunches man".

Steele now "he has to take good shots man. He has to defend on an elite level man. He has to slow the game down in his mind man"

Do you not know who you recruited? You had to know that the leash was going to be longer with a kid that can heat up like that.

[throwbackmuskie]

Eh I’m not so sure. I think they took a chance and hoped he could produce. I think he was a project from the start.

They called him a future NBA player. He needed a year to grow, then expected to produce.

[chico]

Wtf are you talking about? I was referring to Miles. I was the one in the middle of the season to call Kyky transferring and everyone thought I was insane.

Well, seeing as you just joined this month...

Unless you're the reincarnation of X-Band in which case welcome back.

[XUBANDGRAD]

Well, seeing as you just joined this month...

Unless you're the reincarnation of X-Band in which case welcome back.

I’m not - I was more referring to on the groups on FB and interpersonal friends.

[XUBANDGRAD]

They called him a future NBA player. He needed a year to grow, then expected to produce.

They said Dionte Miles is an NBA player??

[throwbackmuskie]

They said Dionte Miles is an NBA player??

yes. It has been said he has NBA protentional by many.

[OTRMUSKIE]

I have NBA potential but I suck. But the potential is still there.

[MHettel]

one out of FIVE

Dahmir Bishop already transferred.

This is a shitshow. I really hope we fire Travis right now. I have no idea how we put a team together next year.

Recruiting some transfers the year after you were a 1 seed is kinda easy to do. Who the hell would walk into this fuckin mess roster?

single digit wins next year guys. hate to say it.

[GoMuskies]

single digit wins next year guys. hate to say it.

Odom, Jones, Wilcher and Free are a pretty solid foundation. If you can't sprinkle a few guys around those four and win double digit games, then you really ARE a bad coach.

[xudash]

From the NCAA:


We really shouldn't be surprised if players with diminished playing opportunities (either from performance or team competition) decide to transfer.
The factors involved could be many, not the least of which is chemistry with teammates/coaches/school environment/city/etc.
On top of that, the Covid year was nutso.

You can only hope it's not some disgruntled parent/hanger-on groupie/whomever filling the kid's head with unrealistic expectations/nonsense.

Reading between the lines, and knowing what we know about KyKy's father, I think this is precisely what happened.

Travis wants to build a particular culture and modus operandi through hard work at practice, KyKy doesn't buy-in enough at the beginning of this season, expecting to be a "lock" for substantial playing time based on his freshman year potential and pre-season accolades. So, the season bumbles along, but with Jones, Wilcher and Kunkle working their butts off, and KyKy finding himself moving down the row to one of the last seats. Steele wasn't making adjustments, so it isn't like KyKy was going to find court time in a 1-in/4-out scheme.

All along, his father was probably losing it, while pumping him with toxic messages along the way. Steele appeared to utilize him for one moment for Georgetown in desperation, breaking reliance on his system out of sheer need. But, if you happened to notice it at MSG, when the cameras did pan in on the bench, KyKy had his warm-up shirt on - he never appeared to be prepared to enter the game against Butler.

We have clearly lost a talent. The issue is whether or not we lost a talent that was tethered to a head-case father. It is an expensive, terrible miss - no other way to look at it. Perhaps Travis could have handled it differently. Perhaps Travis should have handled it differently (i.e. ratchet down the reliance on SkyMile Practice Points and play the best talent in different schemes). Just understand that the problem of the tethered father would not have gone away. In fact, that dynamic probably would have become noisier.

Once again: the optics for this for Travis are terrible, but we don't have all the facts. KyKy was at least partially responsible - either directly or possibly because of the impact his father had on him - for this outcome.

Either way, if comparing the standing of a coach was similar to evaluating the composition of a chess board, then Travis is quickly running out of strategic pieces. As has been clearly pointed out here by others, his roster will make it even more difficult for him to survive next year, and that doesn't even account for all the things he needs to do and the adjustments he needs to make in order to become an effective head coach.

[muskieindent]

Hate to see another player leave.Tandy looked like a star in the making his freshman year. For a team that struggled to shoot,he looked like he could have helped. The body language since early in the year was not good. Somewhere he and Steele went in opposite directions.

[Xuperman]

Reading between the lines, and knowing what we know about KyKy's father, I think this is precisely what happened.

Travis wants to build a particular culture and modus operandi through hard work at practice, KyKy doesn't buy-in enough at the beginning of this season, expecting to be a "lock" for substantial playing time based on his freshman year potential and pre-season accolades. So, the season bumbles along, but with Jones, Wilcher and Kunkle working their butts off, and KyKy finding himself moving down the row to one of the last seats. Steele wasn't making adjustments, so it isn't like KyKy was going to find court time in a 1-in/4-out scheme.

All along, his father was probably losing it, while pumping him with toxic messages along the way. Steele appeared to utilize him for one moment for Georgetown in desperation, breaking reliance on his system out of sheer need. But, if you happened to notice it at MSG, when the cameras did pan in on the bench, KyKy had his warm-up shirt on - he never appeared to be prepared to enter the game against Butler.

We have clearly lost a talent. The issue is whether or not we lost a talent that was tethered to a head-case father. It is an expensive, terrible miss - no other way to look at it. Perhaps Travis could have handled it differently. Perhaps Travis should have handled it differently (i.e. ratchet down the reliance on SkyMile Practice Points and play the best talent in different schemes). Just understand that the problem of the tethered father would not have gone away. In fact, that dynamic probably would have become noisier.

Once again: the optics for this for Travis are terrible, but we don't have all the facts. KyKy was at least partially responsible - either directly or possibly because of the impact his father had on him - for this outcome.

Either way, if comparing the standing of a coach was similar to evaluating the composition of a chess board, then Travis is quickly running out of strategic pieces. As has been clearly pointed out here by others, his roster will make it even more difficult for him to survive next year, and that doesn't even account for all the things he needs to do and the adjustments he needs to make in order to become an effective head coach.

Ok, there is enough stuff swirling around to back this up. Let's just view this transfer situation thru the lenses of these rumors being true.

IF. I said IF, at ANY point during the season, Mr Tandy had a conversation/conversations with Coach Steele threatening A transfer based on playing time...what would the overwhelming actions from virtually every D1 HC be?

[Lamont Sanford]

one out of FIVE

Dahmir Bishop already transferred.

This is a shitshow. I really hope we fire Travis right now. I have no idea how we put a team together next year.

Recruiting some transfers the year after you were a 1 seed is kinda easy to do. Who the hell would walk into this fuckin mess roster?

single digit wins next year guys. hate to say it.

I can just see the thread now..."How many years has it been since X missed the big dance 4 years in a row???". This returning roster is NOT dancing next season. Time to cut bait on Coach Aluminum now. Time to rebuild with someone else holding the clipboard.

[xuphan]

I can just see the thread now..."How many years has it been since X missed the big dance 4 years in a row???". This returning roster is NOT dancing next season. Time to cut bait on Coach Aluminum now. Time to rebuild with someone else holding the clipboard.

I can just see it now. Christopher and Steele are probably sitting together in the office smoking Cuban cigars laughing at all the comments on Xavierhoops.com.

[Xuperman]

one out of FIVE

Dahmir Bishop already transferred.

This is a shitshow. I really hope we fire Travis right now. I have no idea how we put a team together next year.

Recruiting some transfers the year after you were a 1 seed is kinda easy to do. Who the hell would walk into this fuckin mess roster?

single digit wins next year guys. hate to say it.

Welcome to the ledge space waiting list on this board. You people have officially lost your f'ing minds due to the toxic "fire Steele" cloud you're huffing. So now you are going to let those toxic effects to warp your view of the players?

The single digit wins comment is so deranged that it seems like you're in competition with the other ledge walkers, to make the most ridiculous post possible.

We return an All BE/top rebounding sophomore, an ALL BE frosh and the best pure young PG anywhere. That is 3 boxes checked. If Stanley comes back and X gets a Serviceable transfer Big it's on.

[kellernr]

That would be Dwon Odom. Not to mention that nagging PG problem solved in aces!!Tandy is a better scorer than Odom. Odom can't shoot to save his life

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

[Masterofreality]

I can just see it now. Christopher and Steele are probably sitting together in the office smoking Cuban cigars laughing at all the comments on Xavierhoops.com.

As they watch other, better led schools, compete in the greatest sporting event of the year.
Just what we all wanted.
These comments on this site that are critical of Coach Practice are legitimate. This guy has proven zero.

[Xuperman]

Tandy is a better scorer than Odom. Odom can't shoot to save his life

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

Most athletic was the topic.....stay on point if possible.

Besides, Odom proved to be an extremely effective scorer,...better scorer than Tandy. Shooter is another category.

[drudy23]

They're both small guards that are ultra athletic - they just play different games.

KyKy is without a doubt a more pure scorer.

[Masterofreality]

Welcome to the ledge space waiting list on this board. You people have officially lost your f'ing minds due to the toxic "fire Steele" cloud you're huffing. So now you are going to let those toxic effects to warp your view of the players?

The single digit wins comment is so deranged that it seems like you're in competition with the other ledge walkers, to make the most ridiculous post possible.

We return an All BE/top rebounding sophomore, an ALL BE frosh and the best pure young PG anywhere. That is 3 boxes checked. If Stanley comes back and X gets a Serviceable transfer Big it's on.

Hett has been an accurate and legit poster on this and previous boards for years. He’s not prone to hyperbole.
You do know that you need 8-10 guys on a roster who can compete at a high level? We ain’t got that.
Stop with your rose colored Man love for Steele and get real.

[boozehound]

Reading between the lines, and knowing what we know about KyKy's father, I think this is precisely what happened.

Travis wants to build a particular culture and modus operandi through hard work at practice, KyKy doesn't buy-in enough at the beginning of this season, expecting to be a "lock" for substantial playing time based on his freshman year potential and pre-season accolades. So, the season bumbles along, but with Jones, Wilcher and Kunkle working their butts off, and KyKy finding himself moving down the row to one of the last seats. Steele wasn't making adjustments, so it isn't like KyKy was going to find court time in a 1-in/4-out scheme.

All along, his father was probably losing it, while pumping him with toxic messages along the way. Steele appeared to utilize him for one moment for Georgetown in desperation, breaking reliance on his system out of sheer need. But, if you happened to notice it at MSG, when the cameras did pan in on the bench, KyKy had his warm-up shirt on - he never appeared to be prepared to enter the game against Butler.

We have clearly lost a talent. The issue is whether or not we lost a talent that was tethered to a head-case father. It is an expensive, terrible miss - no other way to look at it. Perhaps Travis could have handled it differently. Perhaps Travis should have handled it differently (i.e. ratchet down the reliance on SkyMile Practice Points and play the best talent in different schemes). Just understand that the problem of the tethered father would not have gone away. In fact, that dynamic probably would have become noisier.

Once again: the optics for this for Travis are terrible, but we don't have all the facts. KyKy was at least partially responsible - either directly or possibly because of the impact his father had on him - for this outcome.

Either way, if comparing the standing of a coach was similar to evaluating the composition of a chess board, then Travis is quickly running out of strategic pieces. As has been clearly pointed out here by others, his roster will make it even more difficult for him to survive next year, and that doesn't even account for all the things he needs to do and the adjustments he needs to make in order to become an effective head coach.

Valid points. If that dynamic with the father is that bad, it's probably not new and should have been evident while we were recruiting him. Maybe the answer was to just pass on KyKy altogether as a recruit if you don't want to deal with that baggage. It's all moot now, I suppose.

[noteggs]

Valid points. If that dynamic with the father is that bad, it's probably not new and should have been evident while we were recruiting him. Maybe the answer was to just pass on KyKy altogether as a recruit if you don't want to deal with that baggage. It's all moot now, I suppose.

Agree moot at this point. However, there were definitely concerns around his father. If I remember correctly, his father was bad mouthing UK to anyone who would listen for not recruiting his son. With that said, haven’t heard much about his Dad since he’s been on campus.

[xukeith]

one out of FIVE

Dahmir Bishop already transferred.

This is a shitshow. I really hope we fire Travis right now. I have no idea how we put a team together next year.

Recruiting some transfers the year after you were a 1 seed is kinda easy to do. Who the hell would walk into this fuckin mess roster?

single digit wins next year guys. hate to say it.

That is a bit extreme. A mess? Nate Johnson and Griffin did not come to X because they were a number 1 seed. X thrives on small classrooms, every game on national tv, and winning.
X is not winning as frequent as the good old A 10 days. Recruits are better and opponents are better. It is difficult but not a mess.

[MHettel]

Hett has been an accurate and legit poster on this and previous boards for years. He’s not prone to hyperbole.
You do know that you need 8-10 guys on a roster who can compete at a high level? We ain’t got that.
Stop with your rose colored Man love for Steele and get real.

Thank you sir!

We really will have 5 returning players that we can at least count on: Free, Kunkle, Odom, Wilcher, and Jones. I DO like that.

But I'm not counting on Stanley, coming off a bad injury and not sure if he's big enough to bang in the BE.

And I'm NOT counting on Miles or Ramsey to a) be here or b) contribute.

Our Freshmen coming in look solid, but one is super young I think. And neither can bang / play big.

MAYBE if Griffin decides to come back, we have a big man. Otherwise we are stuck in the transfer market without much "bait" to attract anyone decent. That's a fact.

And something I have factored into my "Single digit wins" assessment is that Steele flat out sucks and will lose us games that we should win because he's a bottom 25% X&Os guy.

that, to me, is the reason to bag him now. I don't care how many star recruits he gets, he'll fuck it up when it's gametime.

[MHettel]

That is a bit extreme. A mess? Nate Johnson and Griffin did not come to X because they were a number 1 seed. X thrives on small classrooms, every game on national tv, and winning.
X is not winning as frequent as the good old A 10 days. Recruits are better and opponents are better. It is difficult but not a mess.

Yes, the roster is a giant mess:

Since Steel took over, we've had the following scholarship players: Marshall, Scruggs, Tyrique, Hankins, Goodin, Welage, Castlin, Harden, Kennedy, James, Freemantle, Carter, Tandy, Moore, Bishop, Miles, Ramsey, Johnson, Odom, Colby Jones, Kunkle, Griffin, Wilcher, and Stanley.

That's 24 players in 3 years.

We're about to get about 6-8 new faces next year.

I don't know how you build any type of culture when you don't have a group of leaders that know "the way."

Next year, Freemantle will be a Junior and will be the only guy on the roster with more than 1 year of experience playing for XU (and he's only got 2!).

You have confidence that Steel can work with a roster like that? That he can evaluate and utilize the talent by creating a style and system that works with that talent?

Have you been watching???

[Dblue]

I kinda felt Kyky was a net 0 player after Kunkle started playing. For as fast as he is on offense, I felt there were a lot of Naji/Q style 3 pt bricks with 25 secs on the shot clock. Plus he seemed to be a step late in reaction time on defense. I felt and still feel like he has potential to be an outstanding college player if he works on team ball with more focus on defense.

Question on Ramsey...didn't he just get cleared for basketball activities in the middle of the season? If so, why is he being written off by so many?

[XUBANDGRAD]

I kinda felt Kyky was a net 0 player after Kunkle started playing. For as fast as he is on offense, I felt there were a lot of Naji/Q style 3 pt bricks with 25 secs on the shot clock. Plus he seemed to be a step late in reaction time on defense. I felt and still feel like he has potential to be an outstanding college player if he works on team ball with more focus on defense.

Question on Ramsey...didn't he just get cleared for basketball activities in the middle of the season? If so, why is he being written off by so many?

Lol you really believe kunkel is better than Tandy? Get real. Kunkel can’t even do what aluminum brought him in to do.

[HenryMuto]

Come to Kentucky KyKy !!!

[xukeith]

Yes, the roster is a giant mess:

Since Steel took over, we've had the following scholarship players: Marshall, Scruggs, Tyrique, Hankins, Goodin, Welage, Castlin, Harden, Kennedy, James, Freemantle, Carter, Tandy, Moore, Bishop, Miles, Ramsey, Johnson, Odom, Colby Jones, Kunkle, Griffin, Wilcher, and Stanley.

That's 24 players in 3 years.

We're about to get about 6-8 new faces next year.

I don't know how you build any type of culture when you don't have a group of leaders that know "the way."

Next year, Freemantle will be a Junior and will be the only guy on the roster with more than 1 year of experience playing for XU (and he's only got 2!).

You have confidence that Steel can work with a roster like that? That he can evaluate and utilize the talent by creating a style and system that works with that talent?

Have you been watching???
2021-22 -- will have 2 frosh and probably 3-4 transfers does not seem so unusual looking at different recruiting class sizes and transfers in X past.
2020-21 team had 7 new faces
2019-20 team had 5 new faces
2018-19 team had 5 new faces

Mack years :
2017-18 4 new faces
2016-17 3 new faces
2015-16 3 new faces
2014-15 5 new faces
2013-14 5 new faces
2012-13 2 new faces
2011-12 5 new faces
2010-11 4 new faces
2009-10 4 new faces

[Xville]

2021-22 -- will have 2 frosh and probably 3-4 transfers does not seem so unusual looking at different recruiting class sizes and transfers in X past.
2020-21 team had 7 new faces
2019-20 team had 5 new faces
2018-19 team had 5 new faces

Mack years :
2017-18 4 new faces
2016-17 3 new faces
2015-16 3 new faces
2014-15 5 new faces
2013-14 5 new faces
2012-13 2 new faces
2011-12 5 new faces
2010-11 4 new faces
2009-10 4 new faces

So Mack averaged about 4...Steele averages 5 or so. Now compare with 4 year players graduating and normal recruiting turnover vs the transfer carousel that Steele has been on since he moved a seat over.

[JEHARDI]

Hett has been an accurate and legit poster on this and previous boards for years. He’s not prone to hyperbole.
You do know that you need 8-10 guys on a roster who can compete at a high level? We ain’t got that.
Stop with your rose colored Man love for Steele and get real.

Plenty of successful teams that only play 7 guys; Nova often one. 10 guys competing at a high level is a pipe dream.

[SM#24]

Lol you really believe kunkel is better than Tandy? Get real. Kunkel can’t even do what aluminum brought him in to do.

Yes, and so is Odom. KyKy is a better shooter outside 6 feet than Odom, that's it. Odom is much, much better at everything else.

I'm probably the only one, besides the coaching staff, that thinks Kunkel is a better player than KyKy.
He's a better ball handler, better passer, better intuition, plays harder. He plays within the confines of the offense. While not a good defender, he's better than Tandy.
And contrary to popular belief, I also think he's a better shooter. From 2, Kunkel shot 62.5% this year (47.5% last year at Belmont), Tandy 41.8% (last two years). From 3, Kunkel shot 26.5% this year (39% last year), Tandy has shot 35.5% (last two years). Personally, I'm willing to bet that Kunkel shoots better than 35% next year from 3. I believe this year was an anomaly for him.
That said, I do think somehow Tandy should have received more minutes this year, especially in the second half and especially in the games where others were struggling with their shots but I can see why he was an option after Scruggs, Odom, Johnson, Kunkel.
My list of issues with Coach Steele is somewhat lengthy; other than the previous sentence, Kunkel v. Tandy is not on it.

[Xville]

Odom vs Tandy....Don't care I would like to have both of them...different skill sets, different intangibles, I'd like both of them and send Kunkel back to Belmont. Maybe last year was the anomaly since he was shooting against mostly inferior competition, and it is the only good shooting year he has had out of 3 in college.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Lol you really believe kunkel is better than Tandy? Get real. Kunkel can’t even do what aluminum brought him in to do.

This year? I 100% believe Kunkel was better than Kyky this year.

Kyky has way more potential though.

[xukeith]

So Mack averaged about 4...Steele averages 5 or so. Now compare with 4 year players graduating and normal recruiting turnover vs the transfer carousel that Steele has been on since he moved a seat over.

Remember the good ole' days with frosh Jay Canty, Griffin McKenzie,Brian Walsh, Brandon Randolph, Joey Rey, Brien Hanley, Kenny Harvey, Larry Austin, Dez Walker, Obi Harris, Makinde London.....etc. I can go on for hours.
Frosh don't stay if they don't fit or are not happy.
Which of the above frosh would you beg to stay at X and develop? It is a scorned lover thinking another option would be best.

[Xville]

Remember the good ole' days with frosh Jay Canty, Griffin McKenzie,Brian Walsh, Brandon Randolph, Joey Rey, Brien Hanley, Kenny Harvey, Larry Austin, Dez Walker, Obi Harris, Makinde London.....etc. I can go on for hours.
Frosh don't stay if they don't fit or are not happy.
Which of the above frosh would you beg to stay at X and develop? It is a scorned lover thinking another option would be best.

I could also go on for hours about 4 year players that stayed and developed and bought into what was once a culture at x that won championships and made and advanced in tourneys. I’m not ignorant to the fact that transfers can be plugged in and play and that Mack used them as well but not the extent Steele has and willl néed to do again.

[Dblue]

Lol you really believe kunkel is better than Tandy? Get real. Kunkel can’t even do what aluminum brought him in to do.

That wasn't meant as a comparison to the two, but more of a time that his game started to slide. As the nonconference was winding down and Kunkel started getting minutes, Kyky looked more and more lost or atleast less confident.

[xukeith]

I could also go on for hours about 4 year players that stayed and developed and bought into what was once a culture at x that won championships and made and advanced in tourneys. I’m not ignorant to the fact that transfers can be plugged in and play and that Mack used them as well but not the extent Steele has and willl néed to do again.

Steele is averaging 1.3 more new faces per year.

Which frosh from Mack, Miller or Steele did you wish stayed another year or two to develop?

[MHettel]

Plenty of successful teams that only play 7 guys; Nova often one. 10 guys competing at a high level is a pipe dream.

You need 8. #8 might not get a ton of minutes, but you need him. Foul trouble, nagging injuries, etc.

And by the way, you need 10 just to figure out who the 7 are.

Remember the "Semaj years?"

Semaj, Travis Taylor, Redford, Justin Martin, Dee Davis, Philmore, Jeff Robinson and James Farr (as a frosh). That's what it's like when you have 8 available. You actually play walk on transfer Erik Stenger who scored 84 career points. That team went 17-14 in the A10. How many of those guys would have seen the floor in the Big East? MAYBE Semaj. And Farr as an upperclassman. That roster was decimated as well.

[MHettel]

So Mack averaged about 4...Steele averages 5 or so. Now compare with 4 year players graduating and normal recruiting turnover vs the transfer carousel that Steele has been on since he moved a seat over.

Lets not do so much "rounding." Mack averaged 3.9 new faces a year and Steele is at 5.7. That's only counting the actual years where we know who the new people are. If Steele brings in 6 new guys next year he'll be at 5.75. If he brings in 7, then it's 6 new faces on average per year. The roster is 13 deep. He's turning over between 38-46% of the roster annually.

[MHettel]

Yes, and so is Odom. KyKy is a better shooter outside 6 feet than Odom, that's it. Odom is much, much better at everything else.

I'm probably the only one, besides the coaching staff, that thinks Kunkel is a better player than KyKy.
He's a better ball handler, better passer, better intuition, plays harder. He plays within the confines of the offense. While not a good defender, he's better than Tandy.
And contrary to popular belief, I also think he's a better shooter. From 2, Kunkel shot 62.5% this year (47.5% last year at Belmont), Tandy 41.8% (last two years). From 3, Kunkel shot 26.5% this year (39% last year), Tandy has shot 35.5% (last two years). Personally, I'm willing to bet that Kunkel shoots better than 35% next year from 3. I believe this year was an anomaly for him.
That said, I do think somehow Tandy should have received more minutes this year, especially in the second half and especially in the games where others were struggling with their shots but I can see why he was an option after Scruggs, Odom, Johnson, Kunkel.
My list of issues with Coach Steele is somewhat lengthy; other than the previous sentence, Kunkel v. Tandy is not on it.

EVEN IF I AGREE WITH YOU, I still cant get past the reality that KyKy is a much better scorer than Kunkle, and lack of scoring was our problem. So who really cares about the discussion of who is 'better". I want to start the discussion about who could have added more value.

[MHettel]

Remember the good ole' days with frosh Jay Canty, Griffin McKenzie,Brian Walsh, Brandon Randolph, Joey Rey, Brien Hanley, Kenny Harvey, Larry Austin, Dez Walker, Obi Harris, Makinde London.....etc. I can go on for hours.
Frosh don't stay if they don't fit or are not happy.
Which of the above frosh would you beg to stay at X and develop? It is a scorned lover thinking another option would be best.

Yo. No love for Churchill Odia or Jaison Williams?

[Xville]

Steele is averaging 1.3 more new faces per year.

Which frosh from Mack, Miller or Steele did you wish stayed another year or two to develop?


My main point was that the number that the turnover Mack had vs the Steele has had in his first four years are quite different even though the numbers are similar. Mack was more due to senior graduation, transfer here and there etc. Steele has been putting bandaids on for three plus years now. There’s no culture anymore.

[xukeith]

Yo. No love for Churchill Odia or Jaison Williams?

Ahh yes. Markus Mason too

[LOLmickcronin]

That statement says idiot to me. If ZFree ends up having the brilliant career that looks pretty darn likely, how can it be viewed in anyway other than fantastic!

Uh easily in the way that that would mean a decent sophomore class ends up with one guy? Do that every year and you end up with a very thin roster?

[paulxu]

Otherwise we are stuck in the transfer market without much "bait" to attract anyone decent. That's a fact.


I would think the chance to come to X and play significant minutes as a 5, playing in the BE with national exposure, would be pretty good bait to attract some decent transfer interest.

[LOLmickcronin]

EVEN IF I AGREE WITH YOU, I still cant get past the reality that KyKy is a much better scorer than Kunkle, and lack of scoring was our problem. So who really cares about the discussion of who is 'better". I want to start the discussion about who could have added more value.

The sad part to me is that with scruggs and Nate johnson gone next year and no incoming guards to surpass Tandy he probably would have gotten a lot more PT and still decided to leave. And I think an Odom/kunkel/Tandy backcourt is a pretty solid complimentary group.

[xudash]

I would think the chance to come to X and play significant minutes as a 5, playing in the BE with national exposure, would be pretty good bait to attract some decent transfer interest.

MH is making some pretty good points along the way here, but this wasn't one of them. I agree, Paul.

As the Xavier program stands today, it still remains on very solid footing as brands go, and the selling points you cited would absolutely be present and work in our favor. We have the right bait. The question is whether or not there are any viable, impactful fish available out there right now.

p.s. If I remember correctly, there were a number of schools vying for Kunkel's services. And we landed him. Anecdotal perhaps, and yes he is a guard, but still...

[MHettel]

I would think the chance to come to X and play significant minutes as a 5, playing in the BE with national exposure, would be pretty good bait to attract some decent transfer interest.

Ok. And if you identify a guy that is good enough to step in and contribute under your scenario then he's got a list a mile long of other options that are just as good but have had recent success and a coach that has accomplished something. We are not special.

[paulxu]

Ok. And if you identify a guy that is good enough to step in and contribute under your scenario then he's got a list a mile long of other options that are just as good but have had recent success and a coach that has accomplished something. We are not special.

Guess I look at it this way. There are a lot of transfers, for a lot of reasons. Yes, we aren't in the top 10 destinations, but I would think easily in the top 50.
Many of the other schools might not have the openings because of current rosters, incoming classes, playing time availability.
We did okay with Kantar and Hankins. Hope we can do it again.

[XUBANDGRAD]

MH is making some pretty good points along the way here, but this wasn't one of them. I agree, Paul.

As the Xavier program stands today, it still remains on very solid footing as brands go, and the selling points you cited would absolutely be present and work in our favor. We have the right bait. The question is whether or not there are any viable, impactful fish available out there right now.

p.s. If I remember correctly, there were a number of schools vying for Kunkel's services. And we landed him. Anecdotal perhaps, and yes he is a guard, but still...

Lmao if they were vying for kunkel after this season they are glad they didn’t get him.

[XUGRAD80]

Lmao if they were vying for kunkel after this season they are glad they didn’t get him.

Did anyone expect him to come in and make a huge difference? Remember, the original plan was for him to SIT this year, train, gain strength and weight, and start playing NEXT year. He played this year only because it took away NO eligibility. He still has 3 more years. In essence, this was his freshman year. Not bad for a freshman IMO.



Xavier WILL be seen as an attractive destination for some transfers because they have playing time available. It’s still a well known and well thought of school that plays in one of the top 5-6 conferences in the country.

It’s NOT the National Powerhouse that some seem to see it as and never has been. Yet despite that it has been able to recruit many top 100 rated freshman players and many high quality transfers. I have no doubt but that they will be able to attract a couple of highly thought of transfers.

But just like the freshman coming in, and all other players that have come through the gym doors, you never know how well they will do until they actually start competing. As we saw with Carter and with Hankins, past success is no guarantee of what the future holds. Carter was an all MAC performer and OU’s top scorer and rebounder. There was no one that I can remember that wasn’t excited about him coming to X. On the other hand, Hankin’s ability to compete at this level was the subject of much debate before the season started. I expect the ratio of recruit rankings to actual performance to be totally out of wack for the next year or two. Many of those rankings are based only in hearsay and film, not actually in person scouting. But there is a lot more known about the transfers out there. I can certainly see why a lot of college coaches are going to be looking at transfers over HS players as a good way to fill holes in their rosters.

[Masterofreality]

Plenty of successful teams that only play 7 guys; Nova often one. 10 guys competing at a high level is a pipe dream.

I said 8-10 dude. And it depends on what positions you have on your team.
You guys quit putting inaccurate words in my mouth or “misremembering” what I said to try to skewer.
And I call BS on successful teams consistently playing 7.

[xavierj]

I said 8-10 dude. And it depends on what positions you have on your team.
You guys quit putting inaccurate words in my mouth or “misremembering” what I said to try to skewer.
And I call BS on successful teams consistently playing 7.

No a ton of good teams play 7 guys but you do need more than that on the roster. It’s tough to keep 10 guys happy. Just look up stats. Gonzaga regularly plays 7 guys until it’s not close and really they play 6.5 guys. Duke has always been that way. Look at the box from Gonzaga v BYu. The two guys who played off the bench for Gonzaga played 11 and 9 minutes.

[Xavier]

Didn’t that Nevada team that beat UC play 6 guys? I just remember thinking how those guys must have loved playing so much.

I agree though, great teams have an 8 man rotation. 7 guys getting most minutes with the 8th still contributing. Throwing in a 9/10 young guy and try to slowly get them minutes. But I do think it’s tougher and tougher to get Freshman to buy into limited to no rolls and growing/developing. I think it’s more challenging in that regard these days than it was in the A-10 days. Maybe because recruits are better and think they deserve to play more right away.

[Masterofreality]

No a ton of good teams play 7 guys but you do need more than that on the roster. It’s tough to keep 10 guys happy. Just look up stats. Gonzaga regularly plays 7 guys until it’s not close and really they play 6.5 guys. Duke has always been that way. Look at the box from Gonzaga v BYu. The two guys who played off the bench for Gonzaga played 11 and 9 minutes.

One game. You need have 8-10 quality per game in a full season- 27 to 31 games. Nobody plays just 7 guys a game for a whole year consistently. No, not Duke.
That is ludicrous. Your guys would be blown out by game 18. And you have to account for injuries AND guys who are having off nights. Players aren’t machines. You need to have ready-to-play depth.
Everybody was screaming last season for Xavier’s lack of depth. Welp.....
This is a stupid discussion. Xavier is gonna very possibly have a thin roster next year if guys like Stanley or Johnson or Griffin don’t come back for another year. That was the whole point.

[D-West & PO-Z]

MAYBE Semaj.

Maybe Semaj???? I have no issues with any of this post except this part.

I think Semaj is one of the most underappreciated/underrated players in Xavier history.

That dude was awesome.

[xavierj]

One game. You need have 8-10 quality per game in a full season- 27 to 31 games. Nobody plays just 7 guys a game for a whole year consistently. No, not Duke.
That is ludicrous. You’re guys would be blown out by game 18. And you have to account for injuries.
Everybody was screaming last season for Xavier’s lack of depth. Welp.....

Sorry man you are just wrong. A lot of teams play 7 guys most of the minutes. 8th might play sparingly. It’s really not hard to look it up. Look how many guys Ohio State and Michigan played on Saturday and Ohio State and Illinois in an OT game. Starter play a ton, 6th and 7th guys 10-18 min and if it gets to 8 they are not playing many minutes. Gonzaga who has killed everyone they played has 7 guys who average double figure minutes. Then scrubs who got in during blowouts. They will not play more than 7 in the tourney unless it’s a blowout. May only play 6

[D-West & PO-Z]

EVEN IF I AGREE WITH YOU, I still cant get past the reality that KyKy is a much better scorer than Kunkle, and lack of scoring was our problem. So who really cares about the discussion of who is 'better". I want to start the discussion about who could have added more value.

I honestly think Kunkel was more net positive offensively than Kyky.

Don't get me wrong I thought Kyky should have been playing but there were games even early on where he was getting run and when it comes to those two if both are off on their shots Kunkle did more to contribute to the offense without scoring. Like that pass to Scruggs in the Providence game when Jones hit the game winner. No way Kyky could have made that play.

[Masterofreality]

Sorry man you are just wrong. A lot of teams play 7 guys most of the minutes. 8th might play sparingly. It’s really not hard to look it up. Look how many guys Ohio State and Michigan played on Saturday and Ohio State and Illinois in an OT game. Starter play a ton, 6th and 7th guys 10-18 min and if it gets to 8 they are not playing many minutes. Gonzaga who has killed everyone they played has 7 guys who average double figure minutes. Then scrubs who got in during blowouts. They will not play more than 7 in the tourney unless it’s a blowout. May only play 6

The Tournament with long time outs is different, MAN. Try playing 6 or 7 per game for a full season and see how that goes for you. It won’t go well.
No. You are the one who’s wrong.

[xavierj]

The Tournament with long time outs is different, MAN. Try playing 6 or 7 per game for a full season and see how that goes for you. It won’t go well.
No. You are the one who’s wrong.

Gonzaga says you are wrong. They played 26 games. They play 7 guys, well really 6.5 if the game calls for it. Ohio state and Illinois were not playing a ton of guys this last weekend when they had to play three straight days and an OT game. Georgia Tech plays 7 guys, Oklahoma state 7, West Virginia pretty much 7, Baylor 8, Kansas 7, and Nova 7 to name a few. Wright Hs always done that. There are many teams that stick to the tight rotations so guys can get into a flow. Yes a lot of teams play more than that too but there are a lot of teams that like short rotations. And these are college kids. They don’t get tired

[XUBison]

Jones, Wilcher, Fremantle, Odom, Kunkel, Stanley...

I think you could argue that Scruggs, Tyrique, and Marshall are each better than any of those guys.

[UCGRAD4X]

I'm sure there is a stat out there for how teams divvy up PT to the players. If someone more savvy and less lazy than me were to dive into that I think it would be very interesting to see.

[boozehound]

Jones, Wilcher, Fremantle, Odom, Kunkel, Stanley...

I think you could argue that Scruggs, Tyrique, and Marshall are each better than any of those guys.

Mostly, although it's hard to say with Freshmen like Jones, Wilcher, and Odom. I could see one of those three ending up being better than Paul Scruggs, but it's by no means a certainty or even a likelihood. Paul has had some ups and downs, and really hasn't been great in my opinion. Very good, but not a great player.

[JTG]

Jones, Wilcher, Fremantle, Odom, Kunkel, Stanley...

I think you could argue that Scruggs, Tyrique, and Marshall are each better than any of those guys.

Were they as sophs and jrs ? Let's see next Feb how good these guys are. They will all have an entire off season to get better as a unit, unlike this past year. Don't get me wrong if Steele was gone tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a tear, but I think these guys mentioned have talent. I 'd bet if Pitino or Matta or Miller had these guys, the'd be in the Dance next year

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I'm sure there is a stat out there for how teams divvy up PT to the players.

The average D1 team has 31.1% of their total minutes to bench players. So there are 40 minutes in a game, times 5 players, so 200 Available minutes. The average D1 team has 62 bench minutes per game. 31 bench minutes per half. If you play 8 guys, on average, those three off the bench are playing 10 minutes each per half. Play more, they play fewer, play less, they play more.

Villanova is 322nd in the country in Bench Minutes -- 22.1%.

Gonzaga is 282nd in the country in Bench Minutes -- 26.1%.

Xavier was 147th in the country in Bench Minutes -- 32.1%.

================================================== ===

Maybe interesting only to me, but the two extremes in terms of Bench Minutes are both former Xavier "guys".

Of NCAA Tourney Teams, Winthrop has the most bench minutes per game, 42.2% of their minutes go to non-starters.

Of NCAA Tourney Teams, St. Bonaventure has the fewest bench minutes (and the fewest in the Country for the year), 10.0% of their minutes (20 per GAME total) to non-starters.

[Masterofreality]

Gonzaga says you are wrong. They played 26 games. They play 7 guys, well really 6.5 if the game calls for it. Ohio state and Illinois were not playing a ton of guys this last weekend when they had to play three straight days and an OT game. Georgia Tech plays 7 guys, Oklahoma state 7, West Virginia pretty much 7, Baylor 8, Kansas 7, and Nova 7 to name a few. Wright Hs always done that. There are many teams that stick to the tight rotations so guys can get into a flow. Yes a lot of teams play more than that too but there are a lot of teams that like short rotations. And these are college kids. They don’t get tired

Tell that to Skip Prosser’s teams who were gassed at year end.
8-10. That’s what you need to thrive in a long season.

[Masterofreality]

Daniel Ramsey. Gonzo

[UCGRAD4X]

The average D1 team has 31.1% of their total minutes to bench players. So there are 40 minutes in a game, times 5 players, so 200 Available minutes. The average D1 team has 62 bench minutes per game. 31 bench minutes per half. If you play 8 guys, on average, those three off the bench are playing 10 minutes each per half. Play more, they play fewer, play less, they play more.

Villanova is 322nd in the country in Bench Minutes -- 22.1%.

Gonzaga is 282nd in the country in Bench Minutes -- 26.1%.

Xavier was 147th in the country in Bench Minutes -- 32.1%.

================================================== ===

Maybe interesting only to me, but the two extremes in terms of Bench Minutes are both former Xavier "guys".

Of NCAA Tourney Teams, Winthrop has the most bench minutes per game, 42.2% of their minutes go to non-starters.

Of NCAA Tourney Teams, St. Bonaventure has the fewest bench minutes (and the fewest in the Country for the year), 10.0% of their minutes (20 per GAME total) to non-starters.

Thanks. I wonder if there is a breakdown on who gets the most out of their top seven.

Who has the highest percentage of minutes going to only two off the bench and where are those teams in terms of success.

[MHettel]

The average D1 team has 31.1% of their total minutes to bench players. So there are 40 minutes in a game, times 5 players, so 200 Available minutes. The average D1 team has 62 bench minutes per game. 31 bench minutes per half. If you play 8 guys, on average, those three off the bench are playing 10 minutes each per half. Play more, they play fewer, play less, they play more.

Villanova is 322nd in the country in Bench Minutes -- 22.1%.

Gonzaga is 282nd in the country in Bench Minutes -- 26.1%.

Xavier was 147th in the country in Bench Minutes -- 32.1%.

================================================== ===

Maybe interesting only to me, but the two extremes in terms of Bench Minutes are both former Xavier "guys".

Of NCAA Tourney Teams, Winthrop has the most bench minutes per game, 42.2% of their minutes go to non-starters.

Of NCAA Tourney Teams, St. Bonaventure has the fewest bench minutes (and the fewest in the Country for the year), 10.0% of their minutes (20 per GAME total) to non-starters.

Lots of thoughts here.

#1- if you can win with playing mostly 7, and there is a big drop-off at #8 then might make sense.
#2- If 62 minutes of bench time is the AVERAGE, then there are a whole lot of schools that are going much deeper and logging more bench minutes. I mean if you were at the average and only player 7 guys, then that means 28.6 minutes per guy. You never see that.
#3- 200 total minutes split among 8 guys is exactly 25 minutes per player. I have the career minutes played for 59 former XU Players, of which 28 average 25 or more minutes per game...so about half.

Go back to #1 above. Would you say that XU was in that category last year? Winning with a short bench? Hell NO! We could have, and should have, played deeper and faster. We left fresh legs on the bench while unproductive guys stayed on the floor.

[GoMuskies]

Who are these fucking kids trying to give Kyky the 'rona?!?

https://twitter.com/iamchrisjung/status/1377339312836993025?s=20

[D-West & PO-Z]

Who are these fucking kids trying to give Kyky the 'rona?!?

https://twitter.com/iamchrisjung/status/1377339312836993025?s=20

Still rocking the X gear. Maybe he is considering staying?

[GoMuskies]

Hope so!

[xu82]

Still rocking the X gear. Maybe he is considering staying?

Could be laundry day??? Remember THAT in college? I can’t say college was the best 6.5 years of my life........


....but, my parents did keep Dana’s afloat!


.

[bleedXblue]

With KyKy, he has some glaring weaknesses that I don't think can be easily overcome. The biggest being he simply isn't comfortable with the ball in his hands and his ball handling is suspect at best. He's a pure spot up shooter to me (and a good one), but I think we need way more from him in order to win in the BE. He's small. 6'2 is a gift IMHO. He's an average defender, isn't a ball hawk like smaller guards need to be. I don't know, just not seeing it.

[xavierj]

With KyKy, he has some glaring weaknesses that I don't think can be easily overcome. The biggest being he simply isn't comfortable with the ball in his hands and his ball handling is suspect at best. He's a pure spot up shooter to me (and a good one), but I think we need way more from him in order to win in the BE. He's small. 6'2 is a gift IMHO. He's an average defender, isn't a ball hawk like smaller guards need to be. I don't know, just not seeing it.

No I think Kyky wants the ball in his hands all the time but the offense is not predicated on that and that’s why he was a little disjointed. In high school the ball was in his hands 95% of the time. He would drive and finish or pull up and bang threes. One thing he is capable of is driving to the basket and finishing. He is a good athlete with strength. We have seen flashes is his drives hang, get fouled and finish. He needs to do more of that.

[Xavier]

Yeah, I think that is somewhat opposite of who he is. He is only comfortable with the ball in his hands, he can drive effectively with his pull up jumper, and he is not a good defender at all (if he was average that would be fine given his offensive output).

[bleedXblue]

No I think Kyky wants the ball in his hands all the time but the offense is not predicated on that and that’s why he was a little disjointed. In high school the ball was in his hands 95% of the time. He would drive and finish or pull up and bang threes. One thing he is capable of is driving to the basket and finishing. He is a good athlete with strength. We have seen flashes is his drives hang, get fouled and finish. He needs to do more of that.

In high school he was playing against absolute scrubs in small town KY.

[bleedXblue]

No I think Kyky wants the ball in his hands all the time but the offense is not predicated on that and that’s why he was a little disjointed. In high school the ball was in his hands 95% of the time. He would drive and finish or pull up and bang threes. One thing he is capable of is driving to the basket and finishing. He is a good athlete with strength. We have seen flashes is his drives hang, get fouled and finish. He needs to do more of that.

In high school he was playing against absolute scrubs in small town KY.

[bleedXblue]

Yeah, I think that is somewhat opposite of who he is. He is only comfortable with the ball in his hands, he can drive effectively with his pull up jumper, and he is not a good defender at all (if he was average that would be fine given his offensive output).

I don't recall a single time last year where KyKy held onto the ball with patience, beat his guy off the dribble and got into the lane to finish or dish. The vast majority of times, he was chucking 3's. So if he has this capability we have seen very, very little of it.

[xavierj]

I don't recall a single time last year where KyKy held onto the ball with patience, beat his guy off the dribble and got into the lane to finish or dish. The vast majority of times, he was chucking 3's. So if he has this capability we have seen very, very little of it.

Early in the year he had a game where he went to the line 13 times. Also against Georgetown he took it to the basket and got an and one against some trees. He did it as a freshman too. He is capable. Is strong and has like a 40” plus vertical. Needs to be part of his game where ever he plays.

[Xavier]

If he does transfer I think he will shine running the offense and the ball in his hand most of the time. His numbers will look very good as well. I don't know that Xavier would be very successful doing that. If he does come back, Travis needs to be able to find a balance that highlights his strengths.

There were countless times I thought the offense looked stuck and they should hand the reigns over to KyKy for 4-5 minutes and get us out of the funk.

[xavierj]

Here are is freshman highlights. Kid can play.

https://youtu.be/cLOvOQv3CHM

This was his scouting report coming out of high school.

COMPARISON
Mark Lyons
ARIZONA WILDCATS
At only about 6-foot-1, is an off-the-ball player who has the potential to be a high-level scorer. Built like a tailback, is fast, explosive and powerful. A good shooter from deep, and should only get better with reps. When attacking the rim he uses his significant vertical explosion and strength to finish through taller players. On the defensive end his toughness and athleticism give him significant potential, though he does need to have more of a commitment - especially off the ball. A solid prospect who can play both guard spots, but is more suited as a scorer who is a secondary ball handler and decision maker

[drudy23]

It's a really bad loss - this isn't a kid that's going to land in the MAC. He's a dynamic scorer that can score in bunches when he gets hot. Yes, he probably struggles fitting into more of a team concept an playing tough defense, but that's what coaches and four years are for. We're going to regret this move. He's also right up there with Odom in terms of athleticism.

He would honestly be a fantastic 6th man off the bench getting 20-25 minutes per game.

[XU 87]

I don't recall a single time last year where KyKy held onto the ball with patience, beat his guy off the dribble and got into the lane to finish or dish. The vast majority of times, he was chucking 3's. So if he has this capability we have seen very, very little of it.

Kyky has talent, but too often he did what you describe.

Kyky's Kenpom offensive rating was about 101 last year, which is below average and was one of the worst ratings on the team last year.

[Xavier]

Wow, that surprises me a bit. Would anticipate Carter being lower, any chance you have the list? I am not sure how it is calculated but if shot selection is included I can see the issue. He loved the pull up shot just inside the 3 point line which most computer raiting would say is least effective shot I assume

[XU 87]

Wow, that surprises me a bit. Would anticipate Carter being lower, any chance you have the list? I am not sure how it is calculated but if shot selection is included I can see the issue. He loved the pull up shot just inside the 3 point line which most computer raiting would say is least effective shot I assume

Carter was lower at 98. Kyky was one of the worst, but not THE worst.

Of the 10 players who played this year (excluding Miles, Ramsey and Stanley) Kyky finished 8th per KenPom. He was ahead of Carter and Kunkel, who was at 98. Now I would argue that while Kunkel had a terrible year shooting from the three, he at least did things on offense that wouldn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet (ball movement).

[bleedXblue]

Kyky has talent, but too often he did what you describe.

Kyky's Kenpom offensive rating was about 101 last year, which is below average and was one of the worst ratings on the team last year.

I love when I'm right and basing my opinion solely on what I watched with my own eyes this year. :)

[xavierj]

I love when I'm right and basing my opinion solely on what I watched with my own eyes this year. :)

Right when he was reduced to 0-10 min. When he played a lot his offensive rating was much higher and probably near the top on the team. Look at the team offensive ratings in conference. Just brutal. Paul barely over 100, Nate at 98, Carter at 85 and Zach barely over 100. The two highest offensive ratings during conference was Jones at 106 and Odom 107.

[XU 87]

Right when he was reduced to 0-10 min. When he played a lot his offensive rating was much higher and probably near the top on the team. Look at the team offensive ratings in conference. Just brutal. Paul barely over 100, Nate at 98, Carter at 85 and Zach barely over 100. The two highest offensive ratings during conference was Jones at 106 and Odom 107.

Kyky's Kenpom stats from 12/6-1/6:

UC- 11 minutes and 46 offensive rating
Ok- 11 minutes and 76 rating
Marquette-9 minutes and no rating
Creighton-12 minutes and 98 rating
Seton Hall-15 minutes and 41 rating

His minutes plummeted after the SH game. But when your minutes get cut, you don't deserve more minutes if you're not playing well. And he didn't play well after his minutes got cut.

[noteggs]

Torvik also shows offensive ratings which are very similar to Kenpom, but it’s free. You can break it down from all games or just BE. Besides what XavierJ quoted accurately, what jumped out to me was CJ’s O rating of 110 in BE which led the team.

https://barttorvik.com/team.php?&team=Xavier

[bleedXblue]

Right when he was reduced to 0-10 min. When he played a lot his offensive rating was much higher and probably near the top on the team. Look at the team offensive ratings in conference. Just brutal. Paul barely over 100, Nate at 98, Carter at 85 and Zach barely over 100. The two highest offensive ratings during conference was Jones at 106 and Odom 107.

OK, LOL

Probably near the top?

So our coach should have played him more right?

[xavierj]

OK, LOL

Probably near the top?

So our coach should have played him more right?

Well yeah as bad as the team played after January, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea. I still think he was used wrong. His defensive rating in conference was also higher than Paul’s. Now that of course is due to the minutes but he was still higher all year than Kunkel all year. Look I am not saying Kyky is a sure fire guy, but he is talented and showed great promise his freshman year, I just think he was used wrong. I think he is a guy that can bring value to the team if used the right way. Sometimes you have to let guys make plays and don’t be so freaking controlling. Watch the NCAA tourney. The guys are not being controlled but are allowed to just make plays. Travis has to overcome that.

[XU 87]

Well yeah as bad as the team played after January, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea. I still think he was used wrong. His defensive rating in conference was also higher than Paul’s. Now that of course is due to the minutes but he was still higher all year than Kunkel all year. Look I am not saying Kyky is a sure fire guy, but he is talented and showed great promise his freshman year, I just think he was used wrong. I think he is a guy that can bring value to the team if used the right way. Sometimes you have to let guys make plays and don’t be so freaking controlling. Watch the NCAA tourney. The guys are not being controlled but are allowed to just make plays. Travis has to overcome that.

If nothing else, Kyky was allowed to make plays. The guy would shoot as soon as he touched the ball. That was part of the problem.

[xavierj]

If nothing else, Kyky was allowed to make plays. The guy would shoot as soon as he touched the ball. That was part of the problem.

So you think he should come in and not take open shots? If so that is interesting.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

If nothing else, Kyky was allowed to make plays. The guy would shoot as soon as he touched the ball. That was part of the problem.

I did think Tandy forced the action too much as his minutes declined. That's probably a reaction to attempting to earn more minutes. Don't think we should overly rely on Kenpom after his playing time declined. Steele yanked him at first mistake (sometimes, it seemed, in anticipation of that mistake). You guys who are focusing on Kenpom are torturing the data to make it confess.

XJ has it right, I think. Watching Tandy, the guy can play. I suspect he wasn't handled in the best way as he seemed to lose confidence and push the action more---including forcing up some poor shots. I hope he decides to come back and, if that happens, hope Steele handles him differently.

[xudash]

I did think Tandy forced the action too much as his minutes declined. That's probably a reaction to attempting to earn more minutes. Don't think we should overly rely on Kenpom after his playing time declined. Steele yanked him at first mistake (sometimes, it seemed, in anticipation of that mistake). You guys who are focusing on Kenpom are torturing the data to make it confess.

XJ has it right, I think. Watching Tandy, the guy can play. I suspect he wasn't handled in the best way as he seemed to lose confidence and push the action more---including forcing up some poor shots. I hope he decides to come back and, if that happens, hope Steele handles him differently.

+1

[bleedXblue]

I did think Tandy forced the action too much as his minutes declined. That's probably a reaction to attempting to earn more minutes. Don't think we should overly rely on Kenpom after his playing time declined. Steele yanked him at first mistake (sometimes, it seemed, in anticipation of that mistake). You guys who are focusing on Kenpom are torturing the data to make it confess.

XJ has it right, I think. Watching Tandy, the guy can play. I suspect he wasn't handled in the best way as he seemed to lose confidence and push the action more---including forcing up some poor shots. I hope he decides to come back and, if that happens, hope Steele handles him differently.

At what point is it on the player to learn, make adjustments and listen to his coaches? I am sure that Steele and his staff worked their asses off to try and get Tandy to play more effectively and be a bigger part of the team. Tandy has talent, but how long do you wait for it to develop and refine itself? I think we're all wasting our time regardless. I think his chance to return to the team is very small.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

At what point is it on the player to learn, make adjustments and listen to his coaches? I am sure that Steele and his staff worked their asses off to try and get Tandy to play more effectively and be a bigger part of the team. Tandy has talent, but how long do you wait for it to develop and refine itself? I think we're all wasting our time regardless. I think his chance to return to the team is very small.

Don't disagree with your point. In general, Tandy has responsibility to adjust his style of play or risk not playing. And, he did make some bonehead plays.

But, it is Steele's job to get the most out of the talent on his team. What I'm saying (and others, like XavierJ) is that KyKy has a bunch of talent. Steele's job is to blend the talent he has on the team into winning basketball. Presumably, when he recruited Tandy, he had an idea of how he wanted use the young man. And, we must assume Tandy liked what he heard because he came to X. Today, there is clearly a disconnect. And, I just don't have confidence that Steele communicates well with his players. Having watched Steele for the last three years, I don't see a coach that connects with his players. Hell, some of the stuff he says publicly makes no sense to me.

[UCGRAD4X]

At only about 6-foot-1, is an off-the-ball player who has the potential to be a high-level scorer. Built like a tailback, is fast, explosive and powerful. A good shooter from deep, and should only get better with reps. When attacking the rim he uses his significant vertical explosion and strength to finish through taller players. On the defensive end his toughness and athleticism give him significant potential, though he does need to have more of a commitment - especially off the ball. A solid prospect who can play both guard spots, but is more suited as a scorer who is a secondary ball handler and decision maker

Ooops!

[bjf123]

So you think he should come in and not take open shots? If so that is interesting.

I think too many of those open shots were taken about 5 seconds into the play clock with no one from X in any position to get a rebound if he missed. Still, he should have been on the floor more than he was.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[XU 87]

So you think he should come in and not take open shots? If so that is interesting.

We both know that’s not what I said or meant. He got in the game and all he often did was look to shoot, often taking bad shoots. Get it now?

[IM4X]

At what point is it on the player to learn, make adjustments and listen to his coaches? I am sure that Steele and his staff worked their asses off to try and get Tandy to play more effectively and be a bigger part of the team. Tandy has talent, but how long do you wait for it to develop and refine itself? I think we're all wasting our time regardless. I think his chance to return to the team is very small.

That may be part of the problem with this staff. They are waiting for these players to develop instead of actually helping them get there. Our bigs should be getting better defending in the paint- yet they still struggle. Steele has been saying Miles has one of the highest ceilings of any big he’s coached - yet it’s been two years now and he has hardly seen the floor. Jason seems to have taken a step back this year instead of forward. Kyky was starting to look really confident and patient and poised a year ago in games and now this year he looks uncomfortable and rushed.

X had a worse defense this year than last... and while some components of the offense have looked good, there weren’t many times where all five X players on the court looked in sync or played like they were all on the same page.

[XUGRAD80]

That may be part of the problem with this staff. They are waiting for these players to develop instead of actually helping them get there. Our bigs should be getting better defending in the paint- yet they still struggle. Steele has been saying Miles has one of the highest ceilings of any big he’s coached - yet it’s been two years now and he has hardly seen the floor. Jason seems to have taken a step back this year instead of forward. Kyky was starting to look really confident and patient and poised a year ago in games and now this year he looks uncomfortable and rushed.

X had a worse defense this year than last... and while some components of the offense have looked good, there weren’t many times where all five X players on the court looked in sync or played like they were all on the same page.

Not defending them, as I mostly agree, but some of that failure to improve has to be contributed to the lack of practices and constant interruptions during this past season.

[hoopster68]

That may be part of the problem with this staff. They are waiting for these players to develop instead of actually helping them get there. Our bigs should be getting better defending in the paint- yet they still struggle. Steele has been saying Miles has one of the highest ceilings of any big he’s coached - yet it’s been two years now and he has hardly seen the floor. Jason seems to have taken a step back this year instead of forward. Kyky was starting to look really confident and patient and poised a year ago in games and now this year he looks uncomfortable and rushed.

X had a worse defense this year than last... and while some components of the offense have looked good, there weren’t many times where all five X players on the court looked in sync or played like they were all on the same page.

+1

[drudy23]

That may be part of the problem with this staff. They are waiting for these players to develop instead of actually helping them get there. Our bigs should be getting better defending in the paint- yet they still struggle. Steele has been saying Miles has one of the highest ceilings of any big he’s coached - yet it’s been two years now and he has hardly seen the floor. Jason seems to have taken a step back this year instead of forward. Kyky was starting to look really confident and patient and poised a year ago in games and now this year he looks uncomfortable and rushed.

X had a worse defense this year than last... and while some components of the offense have looked good, there weren’t many times where all five X players on the court looked in sync or played like they were all on the same page.

I'd also like to point out that Steele always pumps up "his guys" with some hyperbole. Go back and you'll hear a statement of "he's going to be the best _________" - fill in the blank for each player. That's what these coaches do - their guys are the greatest and you can't tell them otherwise. "My guys" - it's all marketing and BS honestly.

It feels very used car salesman.

[IM4X]

Not defending them, as I mostly agree, but some of that failure to improve has to be contributed to the lack of practices and constant interruptions during this past season.

Some of the things mentioned by me above may fall into the acceptable “constant interruptions” excuse, but not all of them. It seems Steele is given a pass with one excuse this year and another excuse the next and another one the following. Some of the problem areas we saw this year had nothing to do with Covid or pause in play. Those are the things that concern me. One of those things is not having a big who can defend well in the paint. Why is that? We all knew the situation last year. Other than Tyrique and Marshal, our post play on defense was incredibly suspect. How in the world did he expect that to get better? Maybe he thought Ramsey was going to be healthy and worthy of 20 more minutes a game. While Griffin and Stanley were fine pickups, they are 6’8” and 6’6”. It’s hard to believe he thought Miles was going to be a great stopper this year. What is scary is that it looked more like he thought Jason was going to be the answer to our banger worries down low... or worse that we didn’t really need that type of player.

I am so done with all this promising by him that things (like defense and shooting) are going to get better followed by some lame excuses why it didn’t at the end of the season. Moving forward, it is this simple. His main priority (now with Scruggs and Nate in the fold) is to go get that big 6’10” fella (not some 6’ 8” stretch 4 wanna be) who can rebound and stop defenders in the paint.

[OTRMUSKIE]

And D1 talent not D2. Embarrassing.

[bleedXblue]

And D1 talent not D2. Embarrassing.

100000000000% agree

Steel's MO will be to panic and pull in a D2 guy.

It's going to get harder for him to land guys when the general sense is that if he doesn't win next year he will be out of a job.

[drudy23]

100000000000% agree

Steel's MO will be to panic and pull in a D2 guy.

It's going to get harder for him to land guys when the general sense is that if he doesn't win next year he will be out of a job.

When you don't put any emphasis on solid 4s in the draft (recruiting), you have to roll the dice with the waiver wire (transfers and D2 guys). Every now and then, you strike gold with the waiver wire, but most of the time, your bread and butter are the draftees.

He needs to start actively recruiting a couple true big guys every year in this league, and not just the stretch 4 wanna be's. But he can't help himself - he's IN LOVE with the stretch 4 wanna-be's.

[Xavier]

Completely agree, you have to get better at recruiting legit Bigs. (I know Freemantle is really solid and plays the 4, sometimes 5) but like you guys have mentioned there has been some solid success at transfer Bigs as well.

Stainbrook was at Western Michigan and Hankins was a D2 player, I cant remember where Kanter came from. Stanley showed a lot of promise in scoring before his injury, can't really judge him yet. But it is more risky, you also see guys like Griffen. Transfer bigs have been somewhat successful at X, but they also came in with established bigs already (Reynolds and Jones). You need a foundation Big to start with, and bring in complementary pieces that you don't depend on.

[MADXSTER]

Believe Kanter came from Green Bay Wi. Sounds like you guys want a BIG big like Stainbrook which I don't mind but he didn't help X on defense many times. When the other team was good at swinging the ball he would be caught out of position and Reynolds would have to help thus getting either a foul called or Reynolds man would get a dunk with the extra pass. Also Stain wasn't quick enough at ball hedges.

IMO most top teams seem to have rim protectors more so than BIG bigs.

I do think that a team needs 1 BIG big but they are not easy to come by because every team needs that guy. Also lets not forget that we have Free for three more years. He made a significant, major even, improvement from Freshman to Sophomore year. He knows what he needs to improve on so I wouldn't be surprised to see the same type of dedication to improving himself.

[IM4X]

Completely agree, you have to get better at recruiting legit Bigs. You need a foundation Big to start with, and bring in complementary pieces that you don't depend on.

Exactly. Better to have two tools in the shed that can be used to get the job done. One you already know you can count on for the heavy lifting and another one just to have available just in case - that can be used sparingly or in a pinch.

[xukeith]

Exactly. Better to have two tools in the shed that can be used to get the job done. One you already know you can count on for the heavy lifting and another one just to have available just in case - that can be used sparingly or in a pinch.

What team last won in the NCAA tourney with dominant pfs and centers in the mold of 6'9-7'0 bruisers? I can't think of many unless it was Purdue, Wisconsin, or Nebraska.

[Backyard Champ]

They aren’t looking for dominant Bigs. Just Bigs that can make a positive impact on the game. Rebounding, clogging up lane/defense/rim protector kinda guy.

[drudy23]

They aren’t looking for dominant Bigs. Just Bigs that can make a positive impact on the game. Rebounding, clogging up lane/defense/rim protector kinda guy.

Yes - I don't know why this is complicated for some.

We're not looking for Patrick Ewing to run an offense through.

[IM4X]

What team last won in the NCAA tourney with dominant pfs and centers in the mold of 6'9-7'0 bruisers? I can't think of many unless it was Purdue, Wisconsin, or Nebraska.

It’s not about how wide the big is. It’s how tough the big plays in the paint. I posted a few times now how the kind of big we need has to stay in the paint, defend dry well, grab some rebounds, make a few buckets and block a few shots now and then. I pointed to Hankins and Tyrique as good examples of that kind of big. I also brought up Timme from Gonzaga, Riley from UCLA and the pair from Baylor as being similar. All of those bigs can do the things mentioned well and none of those bigs spent as much time out on the perimeter as Carter and Freemantle did this season.

The “two tools in the shed” post you responded to was about our coaches not just having one guy they “hope” will be good at filling that role of a stopper on the roster (shucks maybe Carter or Miles or Ramsey or Griffin can handle it). They need to “know” they have two guys on the roster who are absolutely capable of getting the job done. One who you know has the talent and endurance to do it for 25-30 minutes a game. The other needs to be able to be counted on in a pinch.

I originally posted about getting a big ol’ truck who can take up space because I was feeling (as we all were) the sense of urgency that SOMEBODY needs to be able to show some more toughness than what we’ve seen this past season from our bigs (who frankly didn’t show much of it at all)... and we need that somebody to love playing in the paint. Someone who’s built and plays more like Hankins or Tyrique would be ideal because they bring the entire package we need (including the ability to run with the guards) which is desperately needed and none of the “Look at me out on the perimeter jacking up just as many threes as our shouting guard ” crap that has hurt the team.

[XUBison]

It’s not about how wide the big is. It’s how tough the big plays in the paint. I posted a few times now how the kind of big we need has to stay in the paint, defend dry well, grab some rebounds, make a few buckets and block a few shots now and then. I pointed to Hankins and Tyrique as good examples of that kind of big. I also brought up Timme from Gonzaga, Riley from UCLA and the pair from Baylor as being similar. All of those bigs can do the things mentioned well and none of those bigs spent as much time out on the perimeter as Carter and Freemantle did this season.

The “two tools in the shed” post you responded to was about our coaches not just having one guy they “hope” will be good at filling that role of a stopper on the roster (shucks maybe Carter or Miles or Ramsey or Griffin can handle it). They need to “know” they have two guys on the roster who are absolutely capable of getting the job done. One who you know has the talent and endurance to do it for 25-30 minutes a game. The other needs to be able to be counted on in a pinch.

I originally posted about getting a big ol’ truck who can take up space because I was feeling (as we all were) the sense of urgency that SOMEBODY needs to be able to show some more toughness than what we’ve seen this past season from our bigs (who frankly didn’t show much of it at all)... and we need that somebody to love playing in the paint. Someone who’s built and plays more like Hankins or Tyrique would be ideal because they bring the entire package we need (including the ability to run with the guards) which is desperately needed and none of the “Look at me out on the perimeter jacking up just as many threes as our shouting guard ” crap that has hurt the team.

I agree we need to be better in the paint, but it’s amusing to see people pining for our roster from two years ago that everyone hated. We weren’t very good when we had both Hankins and Tyrique. Not a knock... just think it’s funny. I also think it’s funny to see so many saying we need someone like Hankins, while we also keep hearing people demanding no more D2 transfers.

[XUGRAD80]

I agree we need to be better in the paint, but it’s amusing to see people pining for our roster from two years ago that everyone hated. We weren’t very good when we had both Hankins and Tyrique. Not a knock... just think it’s funny. I also think it’s funny to see so many saying we need someone like Hankins, while we also keep hearing people demanding no more D2 transfers.

Are you really expecting consistency from this board? LOL

“Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”.......Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Xavier]

I agree we need to be better in the paint, but it’s amusing to see people pining for our roster from two years ago that everyone hated. We weren’t very good when we had both Hankins and Tyrique. Not a knock... just think it’s funny. I also think it’s funny to see so many saying we need someone like Hankins, while we also keep hearing people demanding no more D2 transfers.

I feel like when Steele went to having both of them in at the same time is when the season started to turn around. Though I do agree- the "no D2" guys are same that would love another Hankins

[Masterofreality]

I feel like when Steele went to having both of them in at the same time is when the season started to turn around. Though I do agree- the "no D2" guys are same that would love another Hankins

Agree 100%

[UCGRAD4X]

I agree we need to be better in the paint, but it’s amusing to see people pining for our roster from two years ago that everyone hated. We weren’t very good when we had both Hankins and Tyrique. Not a knock... just think it’s funny. I also think it’s funny to see so many saying we need someone like Hankins, while we also keep hearing people demanding no more D2 transfers.

We all want a sure thing. If only....

Hankins was a D2 POY if I remember correctly and may have at least 'fit the profile' of that kind of big. I'm not sure that is a scenario that may come around any time soon. So, getting a D2 would seem a much greater risk this time around.

So, I'm not sure this is that much of a contradiction.

But yeah....if only...

[boozehound]

Switching gears a little bit - should we take the lack of news on a landing spot for Tandy as indicating that it is looking more likely he returns? I'm a little surprised we haven't been hearing anything about a landing spot etc.

[xavierj]

Switching gears a little bit - should we take the lack of news on a landing spot for Tandy as indicating that it is looking more likely he returns? I'm a little surprised we haven't been hearing anything about a landing spot etc.

I think he is announcing today. My guess is Western KY or SLU.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I think he is announcing today. My guess is Western KY or SLU.

Jordan Nesbitt a top 80 2021 recruit who joined Memphis early just announced he was transferring to SLU last week. Not sure if that would effect Kyky's decision about SLU. I would love Kyky at SLU though. Nesbitt is listed at guard but maybe plays some 3? Not sure?

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Both of those destinations would be downgrades. That would surprise me a little. Wilcher landed in the Big 10, bottom feeder but still against top talent.

[Xville]

SLU I can see....good fit, good coach....program has stabilized there and is incrementally getting better. I'd be beyond shocked if he chooses a place like WKU.

[GoMuskies]

Why? Western Kentucky is an excellent program.

[XUBison]

Why? Western Kentucky is an excellent program.

I think he would light it up there. I hope he does, even though it would hurt a little every time.

[Xville]

Why? Western Kentucky is an excellent program.

Based on what?

[GoMuskies]

Based on what?

Based on a long history for one thing. And they're consistently at or near the top of their league. It's probably a really good fit for both Tandy and WKU.

[Xville]

Based on a long history for one thing. And they're consistently at or near the top of their league. It's probably a really good fit for both Tandy and WKU.

I disagree...mainly a one bid league with good facilities though , slimeball for a coach, haven’t made the tourney in 8 years. I think SLU is a much better fit but that’s just me

[xudash]

KyKy goes to SLU, where he puts up a 6-0 or whatever record against VD in his career there.

At the end of his sixth win against VD, which takes place at the Dump (one week following the removal of sewage and river water from it from its annual dumping), KyKy goes to mid court and flashes the X, then he flashes a Billiken, if that is possible.

[Xavier]

SLU would be a good spot. WKU maybe wants to be closer to home and be the man running things. You certainly can make a name for yourself carrying a team and winning a game in the tournament.

I also think SLU is a better landing spot/program than a bottom team in a Major league.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I disagree...mainly a one bid league with good facilities though , slimeball for a coach, haven’t made the tourney in 8 years. I think SLU is a much better fit but that’s just me

Travis Ford is the biggest jerk in College Basketball and it isn't particularly close. I'd send my kid to play for Stansbury before him 100 times out of a 100.

WKU and SLU each have positives and negatives versus the other, but you using a shot at Stansbury as one of those reasons when SLU has Travis Ford is a big miss.

[Xville]

Travis Ford is the biggest jerk in College Basketball and it isn't particularly close. I'd send my kid to play for Stansbury before him 100 times out of a 100.

WKU and SLU each have positives and negatives versus the other, but you using a shot at Stansbury as one of those reasons when SLU has Travis Ford is a big miss.

Interested to hear why or what your experience is? I don't have any personal interaction with the guy, but I'm from St. Louis and family is still there and everyone speaks highly of him, even after he left Mizzou for UK back in his playing days.

I think Stansbury is scum because he cheats his behind off.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Interested to hear why or what your experience is? I don't have any personal interaction with the guy, but I'm from St. Louis and family is still there and everyone speaks highly of him, even after he left Mizzou for UK back in his playing days.

I think Stansbury is scum because he cheats his behind off.

If you know anyone with any kind of AAU connections worth anything, you know everyone is getting something. This idea that some schools cheat and some don't is laughable. The reality is the levels each do and how much the coaching knows or if they choose to keep their head in the sand will vary.

That said, Ford is not a nice guy but Bobby Hurley is worse. I go to ASU games and sit low enough to hear how he treats his players and berates the refs. I don't know if anyone could be worse. I guess Frank Martin could be worse but I feel like he mellowed a tad in his older age.

[Masterofreality]

Heeeee’sss BAAAAAACK!!

#RedshirtHim

[PURPLE REIGN]

Welcome Back to Xavier Kyky Tandy!!!

[GoMuskies]

That's nice.

[markchal]

At least we'll get another year of complaining about Tandy v Kunkel for who our 8th man in the rotation should be! (seriously though Tandy has got loads of talent so if he can figure it out, and if Steele can figure out their relationship, he could give us three good seasons)

[D-West & PO-Z]

In the words of Mick Cronin: "That's big time".

I have issues with Steele but Johnson and Scruggs returning for a 5th year and KyKy returning even after both of them returning? Steele is clearly liked by the players, and they clearly trust his vision. Doesn't mean Steele doesnt have issues or deserve criticism but he definitely deserves praise there. Essentially the opposite of the situation at UC.

[Lloyd Braun]

Why would we redshirt him? So he can play when he’s 24 years old? Lol ok he should just transfer now if that is going to happen.

Glad he’s back but only because I think he’s good. I hope the coaching staff has some reflection sessions between now and the season.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Why would we redshirt him? So he can play when he’s 24 years old? Lol ok he should just transfer now if that is going to happen.

Glad he’s back but only because I think he’s good. I hope the coaching staff has some reflection sessions between now and the season.

Clearly there was a conversation and an understanding between Kyky and Steele before Kyky made this decision. So I feel much better about their relationship than I did during the season.

[Xville]

KyKy my man!! If used correctly, he can be a huge asset....exciting!

[Lloyd Braun]

Clearly there was a conversation and an understanding between Kyky and Steele before Kyky made this decision. So I feel much better about their relationship than I did during the season.

Once a cheater always a cheater? Oh baby I’d never do you like that again... We know Trav has eyes for Kunkel. What will change between now and next year? Scruggs, Nate Dogg, Jones, Kunk, KyKy... that’s a lot of mouths to feed.

[markchal]

What will change between now and next year? Scruggs, Nate Dogg, Jones, Kunk, KyKy... that’s a lot of mouths to feed.

Don't forget Odom! Six guys for three guard positions...I'd start Odom/Nate/Scruggs, bring Tandy/Kunkel/Jones off the bench. A lot of scoring there, but let Trav and the practice points figure things out

[UCGRAD4X]

[QUOTE=Lloyd Braun;702263]Once a cheater always a cheater? Oh baby I’d never do you like that again... We know Trav has eyes for Kunkel. What will change between now and next year? Scruggs, Nate Dogg, Jones, Kunk, KyKy... that’s a lot of mouths to feed.[/QUOTE

Downhill Assassin gonna be hun-ga-ry too.

[Lloyd Braun]

Thought I had Odom in there too but yea that’s a lot of talent. They better play fast!

[HAAS_U]

In the words of Mick Cronin: "That's big time".

I have issues with Steele but Johnson and Scruggs returning for a 5th year and KyKy returning even after both of them returning? Steele is clearly liked by the players, and they clearly trust his vision. Doesn't mean Steele doesnt have issues or deserve criticism but he definitely deserves praise there. Essentially the opposite of the situation at UC.

Agree 100%. Seeing the UC drama unfold has given me a little more perspective. The players must feel like Steele has their backs, otherwise they wouldn’t be returning.

[XUBison]

Agree 100%. Seeing the UC drama unfold has given me a little more perspective. The players must feel like Steele has their backs, otherwise they wouldn’t be returning.

Yep. It is starting to seem that the Wilcher transfer was simply a case of sour grapes.

[GoMuskies]

Someone change the thread title for our Tandy!

[xavierj]

In the words of Mick Cronin: "That's big time".

I have issues with Steele but Johnson and Scruggs returning for a 5th year and KyKy returning even after both of them returning? Steele is clearly liked by the players, and they clearly trust his vision. Doesn't mean Steele doesnt have issues or deserve criticism but he definitely deserves praise there. Essentially the opposite of the situation at UC.

Right, and apparently Jonas has now turned Tennessee down four times. I would say he is comfortable with Travis. With players coming back and Jonas wanting to stay, kind of shoots MOR’s sinking ship narrative.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Could only be one of two things, Steele convinced him to return or Tandy didn't like what he heard on the transfer market. With how many open spots there are, I can't believe he wasn't hearing from high major teams.

[xukeith]

Could only be one of two things, Steele convinced him to return or Tandy didn't like what he heard on the transfer market. With how many open spots there are, I can't believe he wasn't hearing from high major teams.

If Tandy was that amazing, he would have had several top 40 basketball programs drooling to sign him.
Two things hurt Tandy. He is only a sophomore. Teams wanting to win usually want a senior leader who has experience. Tandy might have not been given a lot of opportunities. When X did let him play, he played selectively and usually stood outside the line and shot multiple tims.
Oh and his YouTube videos were predictably against poor competition like most high schoolers.

Tandy is a shooter. He struggles to penetrate and not lose his dribble. I hope something magical happens to him this upcoming season.

We shall see.

[XUBison]

This whole experience has to have been very humbling for Tandy. Hopefully that translates to a renewed focus to improve his overall game.

[noteggs]

This whole experience has to have been very humbling for Tandy. Hopefully that translates to a renewed focus to improve his overall game.

Good perspective and this is most likely the case.

[Lloyd Braun]

That’s an interesting perspective because I was think that hopefully it’s humbling for Steele and not Tandy.

[XUBison]

That’s an interesting perspective because I was think that hopefully it’s humbling for Steele and not Tandy.

I think Steele won this one.

[noteggs]

That’s an interesting perspective because I was think that hopefully it’s humbling for Steele and not Tandy.

Hopefully they both can learn from this.

[Olsingledigit]

That’s an interesting perspective because I was think that hopefully it’s humbling for Steele and not Tandy.

A little mutual humbling is never bad.

[xu82]

Hopefully they both can learn from this.

THIS is the correct answer.

[bjf123]

Welcome back, KyKy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xu82]

welcome back, kyky!


Sent from my iphone using tapatalk

....and this!

[Strange Brew]

Welcome back indeed! I see lots of buckets in bunches in his future.

[Xuperman]

I'm thinking some serious discussion was made about work ethic. Some here foolishly scoff at Coach Steele and his "practice points" but that's where PT is earned, right?

[XUGRAD80]

Time to take this thread down, isn’t it?

[xukeith]

one out of FIVE

Dahmir Bishop already transferred.

This is a shitshow. I really hope we fire Travis right now. I have no idea how we put a team together next year.

Recruiting some transfers the year after you were a 1 seed is kinda easy to do. Who the hell would walk into this fuckin mess roster?

single digit wins next year guys. hate to say it.

I am not picking on MH but it is entertaining to look back on postings and see the other reactions and predictions.
What a difference a couple tweets makes.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Lol you really believe kunkel is better than Tandy? Get real. Kunkel can’t even do what aluminum brought him in to do.

Yes.....

[noteggs]

Yes.....

This had me intrigued…

Honestly, any news on this?

[D-West & PO-Z]

This had me intrigued…

Honestly, any news on this?

Not thsi year, but I don't think anyone would be surprised. I also wouldn't be completely shocked if he stays and contributes in some way at X.

[Xuperman]

Odom vs Tandy...I'd like both of them and send Kunkel back to Belmont

HeHeHe.

[Xuperman]

Hett has been an accurate and legit poster on this and previous boards for years. He’s not prone to hyperbole.
You do know that you need 8-10 guys on a roster who can compete at a high level? We ain’t got that.
Stop with your rose colored Man love for Steele and get real.

HeHeHe

[Xuperman]

Lol you really believe kunkel is better than Tandy? Get real. Kunkel can’t even do what aluminum brought him in to do.

Worth repeating. This is fun.
:pointandlaugh: