So, I look down the roster and see a lot of highly recruited guys. Golden, Tatum, Woolridge, McRae, Hall, and Maymon are all guys that, coming in, seemed to have the ability to be good players at the college level. The recruiting services thought so, and the offer lists ranged from "solid" to "pretty damned impressive." Most of them have shown flashes of good play at some point. Are things as dire as they look at first glance? Did we recruit every overrated bust in the nation during a 3 year period, or is there something in these guys still waiting to emerge?
Tatum was legit but had injury problems and frankly has not had to be the go-to man on any of the squads. Can he handle the pressure of being the man? I don't know. Hall is a diamond in the rough but needs a scheme that suits his inabilities with his back to the basket. If he could really shoot the ball he would be loads better given his athleticism. Golden and McRae the jury is out on. Golden will probably play 25-30 minutes a game so he better catch on quick. McRae is an athletic freak that needs good coaching to be great. Woolridge got big really quick, had a famous last name, but didn't fully understand how to play the game. The ratings services missed that one. Cuonzo has him playing the 4, which could be interesting. Maymon was a big fish in a small pond, which explains his hype. He needs to be a junkyard dog for this team.
Yes. Maymon has zero offense. Hall came from a background that he didn't really know how to work or even go about it. He will be much improved this year. A person on UT's staff told me he'll be the best player on the team. Woolridge sucks. McRae is super athletic but is lazy on D an outside shot is not consistent. Golden is pretty good but not as explosive as you would like which makes it tough for him to finish in the lane.
Golden and McRae will be productive in expanded roles. Hall will be alright. Tatum is physically shot and Woolridge and Maymon simply can't play.
MHF couldn't handle the heat at TOOS, where he was in a shark cage. The 8th would be like skinny-dipping 50 miles off the Cape of Good Hope while menstruating.