Who do you think is going to be the biggest surprise on this years team that with his play good or bad? Read an article on KSR, Grady is saying TY TY is unbelievable but also how strong and skilled Hopkins is. He says both with be huge contributors to this years team. I’ll go with Toppin having a huge breakout season.
Surprise Player
- Thread starter ScottGreene22
- Start date
If he gets some minutes; Bryce Hopkins. I've been saying this for months.
All of the freshmen may surprise considering how much experience is on the team.
I legit didn’t even know who Hopkins was 2 months ago. For some reason I just completely missed his recruitment I guess? So if he’s actually really good that would clearly be my biggest surprise.
This. I think Hopkins is much better than advertised. He’s also very versatile.
Hopkins is a big dude. Seeing him in person at camp he reminds me of Chuck Hayes with a better jumper tbh. He has to be 230-240.
I think he could definitely be a contributor day 1.
I'm going with one of Toppin or Wheeler.
I think Toppin has the tools to be All SEC. Wheeler....I simply think he is going to surprise some of the board, he has great court vision and seems to be a team player.
I think Toppin has the tools to be All SEC. Wheeler....I simply think he is going to surprise some of the board, he has great court vision and seems to be a team player.
Collins is being overlooked ..He's Jackson with a jumper
I suggested that Hopkins might be an upgrade over Brooks I said that even before we knew Brooks was coming back
Brooks is going to be a surprise to the people who are grossly undervaluing how good he’ll be as a junior. It won’t be a surprise to some of us.
Alternate timeline. Did you know a new Marvel movie came out last week? Some Chinese superhero. Blew my mind.
The problem with Brooks is he’s not a 3 and Cal will use him as a 3
What are the expectations of those undervaluing him? And what expectations do those who won’t be surprised have of him? This is a very ambiguous proclamation. Let’s put some numbers to it.
Most likely candidates have to be Collins (most are expecting him to be a 2-year player), Wheeler (criticized for his TOs and outside shot), Brooks and Toppin (could they take the next step?), Hopkins (the forgotten man of this class who's extremely physical and versatile), and Tshiebwe (might dominate inside far more than we expect if he returns to his freshmen year ceiling).
I don't think many of us will be surprised if TyTy is a star, Allen and Frederick are dependable shooters, Grady is a reliable scorer, Mintz gives us the steadiness he gave us last year but at fewer minutes, or Ware gets lost on the bench.
Of the more likely candidates, I think Hopkins has the most potential to surprise, followed by Collins, Toppin, and Wheeler (if his TOs come way down or his outside shot and/or assists go up). I think because of his physicality and versatility and his ability to hit the outside shot, Hopkins will have more opportunity to play more meaningful minutes than we all think. He's my pick, and even he's under my radar a bit.
As a whole, I expect this team to surprise fans snakebitten by last year, and expect an Elite 8, Final Four level team.
I don't think many of us will be surprised if TyTy is a star, Allen and Frederick are dependable shooters, Grady is a reliable scorer, Mintz gives us the steadiness he gave us last year but at fewer minutes, or Ware gets lost on the bench.
Of the more likely candidates, I think Hopkins has the most potential to surprise, followed by Collins, Toppin, and Wheeler (if his TOs come way down or his outside shot and/or assists go up). I think because of his physicality and versatility and his ability to hit the outside shot, Hopkins will have more opportunity to play more meaningful minutes than we all think. He's my pick, and even he's under my radar a bit.
As a whole, I expect this team to surprise fans snakebitten by last year, and expect an Elite 8, Final Four level team.
I agree, if he is healthy he will be a strong player for us that could live at the free throw line. He needs to be aggressive and not settle for jumpers.
I have a feeling our fans are expecting too much from Toppin this year. So much of what he did - late in the year - was because everyone else was just a collective bust (minus IJ and Mintz).
Grady, not sure many people realize how good he really is. Will probably be our leading scorer.
I like that there are lots of different players picked here. I really think we have the numbers this year to where we aren’t stuck if a guy isn’t getting it done. We can turn to someone else, quickly.
My hope is it’s Keon Brooks, but my guess is Toppin. If Brooks was our most improved player we would be very good IMO.
B Hop off the bench. He has better handles and shooting than people realize. Hopkins can play the 3 or a small ball 4. He's a hard nosed Chicago kid and he knows how to score.
I’d say Toppin could be the most pleasant surprise. As far as bad surprise, I’d rather not say but there’s a few possibilities. I got them ordered 1 through 4 as far as the likelihood of them being a disappointment.
There’s going to be several opportunities on the big stage for us to see rather early if I am correct or not, only time will tell. If they do start messing up early, it’s not going to be a good sign moving forward because unlike in years past we have quite a number of players with experience already. So there should be no excuses
There’s going to be several opportunities on the big stage for us to see rather early if I am correct or not, only time will tell. If they do start messing up early, it’s not going to be a good sign moving forward because unlike in years past we have quite a number of players with experience already. So there should be no excuses
I could see this being Collins, Hopkins or even Toppin, but a guy who could surprise us is Ware. It's well known players make a big improvement between their fresh and soph year. Ware already had decent size at a listed 240 or so a whole year in a weight room a whole off season free of covid restrictions and the addition of an asst coach like OA who is known for big man development could see Ware being a big surprise. Especially if Collins isn't physically ready.
Also wouldn't be surprised if healthy to see CJ be a bigger impact then some think.
Also wouldn't be surprised if healthy to see CJ be a bigger impact then some think.
You dare to question the way Cal will play Brooks? You dare to insinuate the way in which Cal will play Brooks is wrong?
And you dare to say this to Wildcat55?
Man you’re just irritating. Kind of like a fly always lurking with no valid input. Check yourself Morg. You’ve already been outed.
Wheeler. The pg spot is critical and if he can be a table setter for everyone else then damn look out. Dude averaged 7 assists per game at UGA so if he can get somewhere close to that or at least 5+ in the minutes he plays then UK should be a second weekend floor type of team come March!
Hopkins big body and skill set will give him the chance to have a big year. He will be very hard to match up with.
I agree as I said earlier. He was our most raw player coming in. He had virtually no summer training cause of covid last season. A full off season of weights and training and an asst coach good at developing bigs like OA. Plus a typical soph jump. I'm not saying he would could end up a starter but he may be a serviceable back up and that could be huge with Collins being 190 and if 0T gets into foul trouble.