State of the Program 2021

[ShockingButTrue]

Yeah, but what's he gonna do about the rebounding???

)

Please don't go there molly ; D

[ShockingButTrue]

Here's the line sck used that pretty much says IB failed as a recruiter



That's not taking a wait-and-see attitude to see if the recruits work out. That's just outright implying failure with no evidence other than a personal opinion. The use of the word "we" instead of "I think we" makes a huge difference in the meaning of the comment.

There seem to be some attitudes among some posters that go like this:

We should never have fired Marshall. We didn't. The boosters and Boatright, who saw the report, fired Marshall.
We should have hired Jans. We didn't. That ship has sailed. Word is that Jans and Boatright don't see eye-to-eye and that was never going to happen.
We should never have hired IB. He was hired and now he's WSU's coach.

There are a lot of posts critical of IB. It seems more logical to look at what he's accomplished under incredibly difficult circumstances and see success rather than failure at this point in time.

You've gotten to the root of why 'some' posters insist on carrying this discussion here to a thread which is about who transferred and who didn't.

This thread should be renamed Marshal Is Gone & So Is Jans; Get Over It

Or, better yet, how about Can D1 Teams Compete For Natty's With 6'5 Power Forwards and 6'8 Centers?

[ShockingButTrue]

I think the three guys we’ve signed so far are exactly what we needed. Personally, I don’t care how many stars a player has, especially one that has already proven themself at a level higher than HS (D2, JUCO, D1).

Obviously we will have to wait and see how it goes but all three appear to have the ability to make an immediate impact and fill or possibly exceed the production vacated by Trey Wade, Gilbert and IPBC.

I'd say.

WSU will have more much needed size in the frontcourt next year. Pleasant's gonna help down there (no offense to Trey).

[Wuzee]

I think the three guys we’ve signed so far are exactly what we needed. Personally, I don’t care how many stars a player has, especially one that has already proven themself at a level higher than HS (D2, JUCO, D1).

Obviously we will have to wait and see how it goes but all three appear to have the ability to make an immediate impact and fill or possibly exceed the production vacated by Trey Wade, Gilbert and IPBC.

I agree. Our roster is covered now position to position, and we can be very selective and patient in finding the right players for the final three scholarships. We'll have to be patient, too, because players continue to hit the portal even now, jucos just wrapped up their seasons and campus visits can't begin until June 1. Consider that Verbal Commits shows more than 100 players 6'9" or taller who are uncommitted right now. This is going to take a month or so to shake out. I am confident that we're going to be in good shape when that's over.

[Shockm]

I think the three guys we’ve signed so far are exactly what we needed. Personally, I don’t care how many stars a player has, especially one that has already proven themself at a level higher than HS (D2, JUCO, D1).

Obviously we will have to wait and see how it goes but all three appear to have the ability to make an immediate impact and fill or possibly exceed the production vacated by Trey Wade, Gilbert and IPBC.

Agree. They don't appear to be Tier 1 now, but probably Tier 2. They might turn out to be Tier 1 recruits next year. That's happened before for us (we've never had too many Tier 1 guys until after we see the results -Fred and Ron are perfect examples), but I still would prefer to get some Tier 1 players.

[Shockm]

I agree. Our roster is covered now position to position, and we can be very selective and patient in finding the right players for the final three scholarships. We'll have to be patient, too, because players continue to hit the portal even now, jucos just wrapped up their seasons and campus visits can't begin until June 1. Consider that Verbal Commits shows more that 100 players 6'9" or taller who are uncommitted right now. This is going to take a month or so to shake out. I am confident that we're going to be in good shape when that's over.

There is a lot of common sense here.

[Shockm]

I'd say.

WSU will have more much needed size in the frontcourt next year. Pleasant's gonna help down there (no offense to Trey).

It will be nice if Pleasant turns out to be better than Trey. But he does seem to be very similar, and Trey was a pretty highly sought after recruit (Florida, etc.). Trey also wasn't a bad player, but I still hope Pleasant is a step up.

[The Mad Hatter]

The reality is that WSU is not in prime position to easily land the most coveted transfers. Why? Well there are two basic situations that would be attractive to high level transfers:

Situation 1: Lots of playing time clearly available.

Situation 2: Playing for a clear-cut national title contender.

WSU is currently in the mid-point between these two situations. We are returning enough of a core that minutes and being "the guy" is not guaranteed like it is on rosters that need a rebuild (like an OU), but we are not perceived to be so good that we are seen as a great bet at a title run (like a Gonzaga or Houston).

I think that we have a strong enough core that we can legitimately be a Sweet 16 team with the addition of solid pieces (and I think we have added solid pieces) and would not have to add superstar talent to achieve that. If we do that, it would make attracting that proven superstar talent easier even if we are returning lots of starters going forward.

In one sense, signing Grant and Pleasant makes it harder to sign a proven PG or PF (the two positions where starter minutes are most notably up for grabs), but there would be real risk in passing on players that you believe can solidify an already good team in the hopes of signing that superstar player (since you might end up failing to sign any of them and settling for mediocre talent). Now that we have met our most pressing needs, we can (as others have said) be selective and might be able to sell an elite guy that we have put together a roster situated for a March run.

[Stickboy46]

At this point, we are 2 deep at basically every position. Some aren't proven, but there are no glaring holes in our team and we have a clear cut "leader" when it comes to scoring. That 100% will impact transfers that are looking for bigger roles. As much as anything, anyone coming in needs to understand that they aren't guaranteed anything. That will eliminate a lot of transfers. A grad transfer will likely be scared off due to that if they only have one year.

[ShockingButTrue]

It will be nice if Pleasant turns out to be better than Trey. But he does seem to be very similar, and Trey was a pretty highly sought after recruit (Florida, etc.). Trey also wasn't a bad player, but I still hope Pleasant is a step up.

Rational.

He brings some things to the table that Trey lacks.

[N Crestway]

So WSU has 3 scholarships available? One or two more recruits who have the potential to get significant minutes would be a very solid recruiting class. Personally still hoping for a skilled 6'9"- 6'10" big.

[SubGod22]

Definitely still need another big

[pie n eye]

Rational.

He brings some things to the table that Trey lacks.

He’s taller but based on his career stats that isn’t going to equate to more rebounds or blocks. I think he can match what Trey did on the boards but he doesn’t seem like much of a shot blocker. Tall ain’t all.

Where I think (hope) he will be an upgrade over Trey is shooting and ability to attack off the dribble.

[ShockingButTrue]

He’s taller but based on his career stats that isn’t going to equate to more rebounds or blocks. I think he can match what Trey did on the boards but he doesn’t seem like much of a shot blocker. Tall ain’t all.

Where I think (hope) he will be an upgrade over Trey is shooting and ability to attack off the dribble.

He's bigger, not just taller (think G. Blair with a scoring punch, at least). He'll take up more space down on the block (or wherever he's located on the court). He'll command more respect on the glass too, if you know what I mean. It'll be nice for WSU to have a couple of bigs' on the court at the same time, as needed.

Averaged double figures 2 years in a row for 2 NCAA tournament participants.

Pleasant.jpg

[Shockm]

He's bigger, not just taller (think G. Blair with a scoring punch, at least). He'll take up more space down on the block (or wherever he's located on the court). He'll command more respect on the glass too, if you know what I mean. It'll be nice for WSU to have a couple of bigs' on the court at the same time, as needed.

Averaged double figures 2 years in a row for 2 NCAA tournament participants.

Pleasant.jpg

According to rosters I’ve seen, Pleasant is listed at 6’8 and 220 while Trey Wade is listed at 6’6 and 221. According to that, Joe P. Isn’t bigger than Trey Wade. Taller but not bigger.