Is There ANY Doubt that this Needs to be our Starting Center Next Year?

TheAssignment9 said:

But you're missing the point.

We need to UPGRADE our talent.

Guess what? Jelly and BG aren't good enough. So your argument saying "this guy is every bit as good as them or could maybe even be a bit better" isn't good enough.

Now Jelly can still develop and get a lot better, but for next year, this Graves kid better not be our starting PF. More decisions like that will lead to another year like this year.

Our WHOLE issue this year is that Pope went and got a bunch of 6th men from other teams/leagues and expected them to make huge jumps.

So your solution is to go get a 6th man from the WCC and make him our starting PF? THAT sounds like the best option to you?

That has 9th place in the SEC all over again written on it.

Now if he wants to come in for an Ansley Almonor type role off the bench? Sign me up.

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You're after a player that probably doesn't exist this portal cycle.
Graves would be a top 10 player in the portal at minimum if he enters.

TheAssignment9 said:

But you're missing the point.

We need to UPGRADE our talent.

Guess what? Jelly and BG aren't good enough. So your argument saying "this guy is every bit as good as them or could maybe even be a bit better" isn't good enough.

Now Jelly can still develop and get a lot better, but for next year, this Graves kid better not be our starting PF. More decisions like that will lead to another year like this year.

Our WHOLE issue this year is that Pope went and got a bunch of 6th men from other teams/leagues and expected them to make huge jumps.

So your solution is to go get a 6th man from the WCC and make him our starting PF? THAT sounds like the best option to you?

That has 9th place in the SEC all over again written on it.

Now if he wants to come in for an Ansley Almonor type role off the bench? Sign me up.

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I had never heard of Graves, but he is mocked in the first round of this year's draft on a couple of sites.

NBA Mock Draft - NBADraft.net- number 29 here
NBA mock draft 2026: First-round update with college regular season ending - Yahoo Sports- number 23 here.

Graves is shooting over 40% from 3 and scoring more than 20 points and averaging over 11 boards per 40.

He had only 9 turnovers total in conference play to go along with a TS% over 65. His conference offensive rating was 152. It's the WCC, but none of Gonzaga's players are getting close to that.

The guy is a stud.

TheAssignment9 said:

A few articles are saying if he isn't guaranteed a lottery (which he isn't by any means) that he would entertain coming back to college.

And if Jack Pilgrim is hearing he would be open to UK if the price is right, I'd say there's more than a chance.

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Said he could be had not by just UK.

We recruited him before. How did we miss?

Jkr21790 said:

In a perfect world. We’d get Stokes. Steinbach. A true 15 and 5 PG in the portal. A SG who can take 7 3’s a game and shoot over 40% and a big physical PF to backup.

Transfer PG / Lowe
Chandler / Transfer shooter / Jasper
Dink / Kam / Hawthorne / Noah
Stokes / transfer (rebounder/defender
Steinbach / Moreno / Potter

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Dink isn’t a 3, he is a PG or 2 guard.

He's not a PG in the college game.
The Mavs gave Flagg some run at PG this year.
The NBA game is totally different.

SkyPrince said:

He's not a PG in the college game.
The Mavs gave Flagg some run at PG this year.
The NBA game is totally different.

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The traditional PG archetype is on life support in the NBA. Gonna be up to Reed Shepard to revive it lol

I’m all in on Steinbach

Smeegs said:

He’s now being projected as a first rounder in NBA mock drafts, so it’s doubtful that he’ll even be in college ball next season.

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So was Yaxel. That’s the thing with NIL now is first round isn’t guaranteed gone to the NBA anymore.

man we have to be aggressive and throw kids money fr. Who cares. throw 6\7 mil at both Stokes and Steinbach. We’re uk. I wanna see Mo D. Jelevic both replaced as BACKUP Bigs. If Lowe wants to come back as a backup let him. Same with others. Then. Man. I wouldn’t care if Noah even left and hell Pope will eventually be fired anyways so just play JQ in the tourney. Hes not coming back so. Im not trippin. He’d helped us against UF This right here is the only thin that should be done. MAJOR. ELITE. NBA TYPE TRANSFERS ONLY. WE HAVE ENOUGH BACKUP TYPES……. portal - ELITE NBA caliber PG who can run the team. Handle the ball. Not turn it over. Shoot well and give us 15 and 5 night after night. immediately becoming one of the top SEC PG’s. Then 2 bigs to backup the starters. We need a rough 4 who can bang in the black. Do dirty work. Physical like Boogie. A young C with potential. Shot blocker. Rebounder. Lob threat with potential. Then we need a shooter. Like a 7 plus 3’s a game 40 some % type. Let him challenge Chandler for the starting 2.

Transfer stud PG / Lowe / Juco true PG
Transfer elite shot maker / Chandler / JJ
Kam / Hawthorne / Noah
Stokes / Transfer
Steinbach / Moreno / BG / Potter

Rainmaker said:

Dink isn’t a 3, he is a PG or 2 guard.

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But……..He could play the 3. You want him as the PG ? Or had you rather have a stud PG and let him play a Point Forward role. People say Stokes is a 3. But he’d dominate at the 4. And with subs we would move guys around. Dink at the 2. Stokes at the 3 etc. but I want my 2’s to shoot lights out from 3. Talking Reed. Monk. Murray. Booker etc. Chandler needs to come out next year and score double figures vs everyone and play his best games against the best teams. Like 25 in a close game vs a blue blood etc.

Let’s just face Pope is garbage and we need Rick back. Or Pearl. Golden. Oates. We ain’t winning with Pope. Things was so much better when Cal had WWW around. S porn star was reppin UK and messed with Booker. Cal telling kids what they wanna hear. Things like that.attract college recruits.