I’m not gonna lie, 48 hours ago this roster felt kinda rough. Now it feels… not fixed but at least pointed in the right direction.
We finally have two real guards again. Diallo and Wilkins change everything right away. Diallo can get downhill and actually create, and Wilkins gives us a bigger guard who can handle the ball and score. That alone makes this feel like a real team again instead of whatever that offense was last season.
Kam is still a big swing piece. You can see it, some nights he looks like a future pro, and he really started to come on before the injury. Trent Noah is one of us and a depth piece. Braydon Hawthorne is the wild card nobody really knows about yet. Could be huge, could take time. Malachi is solid, gives us something inside and should improve. Reece is still kind of a mystery since he has yet to play at this level.
So yeah, it’s better. But it’s still incomplete. We need one more guard. We need a real 4. That spot is gonna decide whether the offense looks smooth or gets stuck again. And if we’re being honest, we could probably use another body at the 5 too depending on how things shake out. That’s the whole offseason right there.
Terrence Hill Jr is the guy you take if you can get him. Easy decision.
He can score, he can handle it enough, and he gives you that burst off the bench or even late in games. You can picture him coming in with Kam and just getting buckets when things slow down.
If that doesn’t happen, Leroy Blyden Jr makes a lot of sense. He’s not flashy but he’s steady. He moves the ball, hits shots, and doesn’t try to do too much. After last season, that actually sounds really nice lol.
Some of the other available guards are good players, but they feel like more of the same. We don’t need another guy who needs the ball all the time.
The real debate is at the 4
Donnie Freeman is the upside piece. He can score, he can take over stretches, and if he’s healthy, he gives you something you just can’t really find easily. A guy who can go get you a bucket when everything else breaks down. He also has the raw talent to go toe to toe with the tougher opponents on the schedule next season.
But Sebastian Rancik… man, that dude just fits imo.
The leap he made is real. You don’t go from a small role to 12 and 5 in a power conference by accident. And the way he plays just makes sense. He passes, he spaces, he doesn’t force things. He looks like a guy who would just slide right into Pope’s offense and keep it moving. Hello, Andrew Carr, 2.0. It really comes down to this. Do you want more talent, or do you want the rock to have year one Pope motion?
Then There’s Stokes. We are so back if Tyran ends up here. Now you’ve got a guy who can do everything. He’s one of those players where you stop worrying about positions and just let him play. If you get him, suddenly you don’t need as much from everyone else. If we don't then we need Freeman, Rancik and Hill or another high-end backcourt piece.
Right now, there are a few different directions we could take next season, and the pieces are still coming together.
If no other major roster additions happen, this feels like a 15 to 18 win team. Not where we want to be.
If we add a guy like Blyden and land Rancik, now we've got something that actually makes sense. The ball moves, roles are clear, and you can see how we win games (Think Pope’s first year, but with a higher IQ backcourt this time. Not counting Butler of course.) That feels like a 20 to 22 win team that could make some noise if things break right.
If we land Hill and one of Freeman or Rancik, now it starts getting interesting. The offense has juice, and the roster feels more balanced. That’s team that can play with anyone on a given night, but not a 30 win squad or anything.
If Stokes comes onboard on top of that, now we’re talking about a team people don’t want to deal with (I'm looking at you Nate Oates JK lol). That’s when we start hearing top 10 talk again.
If somehow everything hits… Stokes, Hill, Freeman, Rancik… this might actually be one of the better teams in the country. So, we still have a chance to create something special.
You can kinda see what Pope is doing without him saying anything. That’s probably the best move after last season.
The first couple additions got things back on track for us. But the next couple are the ones that actually decide how good this team is. Dark Pope ain’t talking much right now. But you can tell he’s thinking about all of this.
Just relaxing on a Saturday evening and wanted to share my thoughts. Go Cats!
We finally have two real guards again. Diallo and Wilkins change everything right away. Diallo can get downhill and actually create, and Wilkins gives us a bigger guard who can handle the ball and score. That alone makes this feel like a real team again instead of whatever that offense was last season.
Kam is still a big swing piece. You can see it, some nights he looks like a future pro, and he really started to come on before the injury. Trent Noah is one of us and a depth piece. Braydon Hawthorne is the wild card nobody really knows about yet. Could be huge, could take time. Malachi is solid, gives us something inside and should improve. Reece is still kind of a mystery since he has yet to play at this level.
So yeah, it’s better. But it’s still incomplete. We need one more guard. We need a real 4. That spot is gonna decide whether the offense looks smooth or gets stuck again. And if we’re being honest, we could probably use another body at the 5 too depending on how things shake out. That’s the whole offseason right there.
Terrence Hill Jr is the guy you take if you can get him. Easy decision.
He can score, he can handle it enough, and he gives you that burst off the bench or even late in games. You can picture him coming in with Kam and just getting buckets when things slow down.
If that doesn’t happen, Leroy Blyden Jr makes a lot of sense. He’s not flashy but he’s steady. He moves the ball, hits shots, and doesn’t try to do too much. After last season, that actually sounds really nice lol.
Some of the other available guards are good players, but they feel like more of the same. We don’t need another guy who needs the ball all the time.
The real debate is at the 4
Donnie Freeman is the upside piece. He can score, he can take over stretches, and if he’s healthy, he gives you something you just can’t really find easily. A guy who can go get you a bucket when everything else breaks down. He also has the raw talent to go toe to toe with the tougher opponents on the schedule next season.
But Sebastian Rancik… man, that dude just fits imo.
The leap he made is real. You don’t go from a small role to 12 and 5 in a power conference by accident. And the way he plays just makes sense. He passes, he spaces, he doesn’t force things. He looks like a guy who would just slide right into Pope’s offense and keep it moving. Hello, Andrew Carr, 2.0. It really comes down to this. Do you want more talent, or do you want the rock to have year one Pope motion?
Then There’s Stokes. We are so back if Tyran ends up here. Now you’ve got a guy who can do everything. He’s one of those players where you stop worrying about positions and just let him play. If you get him, suddenly you don’t need as much from everyone else. If we don't then we need Freeman, Rancik and Hill or another high-end backcourt piece.
Right now, there are a few different directions we could take next season, and the pieces are still coming together.
If no other major roster additions happen, this feels like a 15 to 18 win team. Not where we want to be.
If we add a guy like Blyden and land Rancik, now we've got something that actually makes sense. The ball moves, roles are clear, and you can see how we win games (Think Pope’s first year, but with a higher IQ backcourt this time. Not counting Butler of course.) That feels like a 20 to 22 win team that could make some noise if things break right.
If we land Hill and one of Freeman or Rancik, now it starts getting interesting. The offense has juice, and the roster feels more balanced. That’s team that can play with anyone on a given night, but not a 30 win squad or anything.
If Stokes comes onboard on top of that, now we’re talking about a team people don’t want to deal with (I'm looking at you Nate Oates JK lol). That’s when we start hearing top 10 talk again.
If somehow everything hits… Stokes, Hill, Freeman, Rancik… this might actually be one of the better teams in the country. So, we still have a chance to create something special.
You can kinda see what Pope is doing without him saying anything. That’s probably the best move after last season.
The first couple additions got things back on track for us. But the next couple are the ones that actually decide how good this team is. Dark Pope ain’t talking much right now. But you can tell he’s thinking about all of this.
Just relaxing on a Saturday evening and wanted to share my thoughts. Go Cats!
Last edited:
but
