24-25 Season

I wanted this guy. I think Barnes and his staff can improve him and he's already solid.

 

This is a big point that people should keep in mind. What good are double doubles in the season if they disappear in the tournament?

 

Aidoo had some game and I appreciate what he brought at times but to the point, he airballed a 2 footer on 1st possession of the game vs Purdue. Soft and scared at that point. Terrible start. Infectious. If this new dude gets the ball in the same situation he’s probably trying to break your arm on the rim. That’s what we lack.

 

They had him in aidoo's number in the photo, lol

 

Aidoo's biggest problem was mental game. He could not play against equal or better competition. And yes, he was soft.

 

Or he was matched against similar or better talent. He was great when he wasn't challenged.

 

I lothe soft

 

Just watched 5 minutes of highlights. I don’t think he will be dominate like the zona kid and others but he’s an athlete and played with an edge. He can be a little awkward down low so don’t expect dominate and smoothe but he’s quick off his feet. He doesn’t always gather and go up for a dunk, but oftentimes gets it off quick off the glass before defense knows the shot is off. He doesn’t explode on those but it’s part of his game. Def a rim protector. Hands look good. He did post at times and had a little right and lefty jump hook they can work on with him and you know Barnes will have him doing high release stuff to hopefully help open up his game a little.
Main thing that sold me is one play he got it down low, gave a shoulder bump and got up to dunk it before the defender knew what happened and took a ball to the face thru the net on his way up. Aidoo didn’t bump anybody then dunk one time in his career that I can recall.
Couple more pieces and I’m excited about next year.

 

We finally got a Hamilton heights kid.

 

To be fair, Uros was one too lol

Felix also has a brother in Chattanooga currently playing for Silverdale Academy, but I don’t think he’s going to be as good a prospect unless he has a big senior year.

 

Logically, I would rather have Aidoo, but he really pissed me off the last few weeks of the season. It definitely wasn't just the Purdue game. Let's try the new guy.

 

I honestly have no memory of him going there. I guess since he wasn’t highly ranked.

 

Nope, I can't stand soft. Don't think you can coach that out. He is what he is. Soft gets you beat in critical, high pressure games. Soft messes up team dynamics. I'll trade stats for toughness.

 

I mean, he left. If he doesn't want to be here then okay.

 

He’s a good player. Looks like we’re taking care of ourselves though

 

Oh boy. Predictions for Lanier to the Vols. May get Milicic too. If they get both on top of Dubar and Okpara, we'll be back in the Final Four hunt again.

 

Wonder what the 2 deep looks like if we land those 4? Seems like we will have a lot of guys whose primary position is the 2 (Lanier, Gainey, Carr, Mashack, Dubar). Obviously a number of them could slot in at the 3, even if a bit undersized for what I'd like to see there. Dubar can probably play some 4 as well. Seems like some of them could also play the 1, but ZZ plays nearly the whole game already.

 

How good is the Milicic kid? Ranked lower than the others, but looks like more of a stretch 4 guy whose big enough to also play the 5. I like that skill set if he's good.

 

I assume Mashack would do 3 and even 4 stuff. He's probably going to be a bit like JJJ, in that you just plug him in to the next spot as you move through a rotation.

And ya, I think you find at least one of those guys you listed to give ZZ a little rest. Him playing the whole way against Creighton may have been a factor against Purdue. They need someone who can give him 2 or 3 minutes per a half to get some water and sit.