Milan's been a pleasant surprise on defense. He's never going to be a shut-down wing defender or anything, and he does get burned from time to time, but he's far from the sieve that was expected. He's very capable on defense and I think will only get better.
Bigs for next year?
- Thread starter clonedude
- Start date
It started when BRE transferred in because they went to the same high school (Prior Lake, MN).
Think Garcia has already transferred twice though.
He has, although I don't think that even matters anymore. NCAA allows all transfers without much restriction.
Nice part is with our back court we don't need scorers, we need guys that will guard and rebound. Those will be easier to find than needing a big that can get you 15 ppg.
Wait, what. Now we can't count on quality minutes out of Omaha next year, that seems crazy. Are you expecting him to transfer or is there reason to think he's a total bust? I do not understand how recruiting rankings could be that far off that he goes from NBA lottery pick to now he can't play in college.
Definitely need a big from the portal. Maybe 2. The PF spot I'm not too worried about. Momcilivic can play there. So can Watson and Omaha. Honestly, I think that Dwayne Pierce might be able to play some 4 as he has a similar build to Deonte Burton. The 5 is what I'm worried about. Rock is the only one on the roster and who knows how ready to play he is. There's not someone like Tre King that could rotate in if there's injury or foul trouble. So I think we need 2 guys. Don't need to be super skilled, just be able to move their feet on defense, protect the rim and run the floor. Or maybe one shot blocker and one pick and pop threat.
His future is not as a center. We need a new big and Blum is on it. SEND IN MONEY, I have donated 3 different times.
Xavier Foster have any eligibility left? He could come back to replace BRE, King and Ward..... or TJ will just find a quality transfer to throw in there.
He barely puts effort into get dressed in the morning you think he would come back?
Burton is listed at 6'4", Pierce is listed on 247 at 6'5" (though I'd bet he's actually 6'4"). But yeah, they're built similar. As far as game similarity, I think Pierce has more playmaking skill and is a better defender, but he probably has less quickness and vertical than Burton. But Pierce will still be coming in with a Big 12 body and should be able to compete physically in a way that most freshmen aren't able to.
For that reason, I kind of think he's more likely to be a contributor than Nojus next season, though most people here seem to be higher on Nojus (not that I'm low on him; I just think that Pierce probably fits in better as a role player for next year's team).
I had a similar thought watching him last night. He's improved throughout this year...and i'm sure in the off season will continue to work on it. Not every guy can be as intense as Tamin/Jones/Gilbert, but i think Milan will continue to work on where to be/when, quickness...and he's tall enough that he also takes up space with his arms, etc that is nice.
I was just talking to someone about the early TJ time here...i remember when Xavier was supposed to be a beast...and when he was let go/released/kicked off (?) many were like "uh oh...we are a crappy team and we just got rid of our best player?" shade at TJ.
What we know is TJ and his staff for sure will be having honest convos with current guys about their roles and will look for players that fit what we do....his track record on this is becoming very reliable.
I'm thinking more Kenny Pratt on PED's. Dude is built like a SBH.
More THT than Burton, I think, at least in that they envision him playing PG, or at least having PG capabilities
I've seen a few comments alluding to TJ not playing 4 guards, that he doesn't want to play small, or that the system can't work with 4 guards, which makes me think some have forgotten a few of the lineups that Otz has played.
2023/24: The combo of Lipsey/Gilbert/Pav/Jones has played 33 minutes
2022/23: Combo of Lipsey/Grill/Holmes/Kalscheur played 179 minutes (remember that Grill's injury/leaving the team kept this lower)
2021/22: Combo of Hunter/Grill/Brockington/Kalscheur played 285 minutes
(stats per cbbanalytics.com)
This season, he hasn't done it as much because there are more guys who fit as a prototypical 4 and Pav hasn't forced his way into the lineup. But overall, Otz has been very willing to play 4 true guards when it's been the best option for the roster. With the length of Hamilton, Pierce, and Indrusaitis, I think we could see 4 guards again in the future, as long as they all contribute enough on the boards. That being said, as long as Momcilovic is here, there probably won't be too many minutes with 4 true guards because MM will always be playing the 3 or the 4.
2023/24: The combo of Lipsey/Gilbert/Pav/Jones has played 33 minutes
2022/23: Combo of Lipsey/Grill/Holmes/Kalscheur played 179 minutes (remember that Grill's injury/leaving the team kept this lower)
2021/22: Combo of Hunter/Grill/Brockington/Kalscheur played 285 minutes
(stats per cbbanalytics.com)
This season, he hasn't done it as much because there are more guys who fit as a prototypical 4 and Pav hasn't forced his way into the lineup. But overall, Otz has been very willing to play 4 true guards when it's been the best option for the roster. With the length of Hamilton, Pierce, and Indrusaitis, I think we could see 4 guards again in the future, as long as they all contribute enough on the boards. That being said, as long as Momcilovic is here, there probably won't be too many minutes with 4 true guards because MM will always be playing the 3 or the 4.
I don't think they're mutually exclusive. We will sign a traditional center to replace Rob Jones/Hasan Ward. Hope Rock is ready. AND TJ can play Momcilovic and Biliew together as our 2 post players to create match-up issues.
Look around the Big12- there are very few players like Dickinson (KU), Hughley (OU), Missi (BU), Khalifa (BYU), etc. I have a tough time coming up with a team that can put 2 traditional posts on the floor to fill 40 minutes. KU- No. / Baylor- No. / BYU- Maybe / OU- No. Look at Houston, they do pretty well where the tallest impact player is 6'8".
