Shaving

[Aargh]

This staff seems to be shaving fairly regularly. Mills has said that he didn't understand the level of talent and physicality he needed in this league and has said he's not recruiting the way he did in his first year here.

Ighovodja and Bamba are still here. They were recruited before Mills said he learned about recruiting in the AAC. The fact that he's stayed loyal to them says a lot about his character. They may still be end of the bench players, but someone has to be at the end of the bench. Mills keeping them instead of getting rid of them says that Mills feels he can recruit enough talent to win games while keeping some players who may never comntribute to winning games on the roster.

That level of loyalty can be criticized for not bringing in better talent to win games, but it can increase loyalty among players and increase retention rates.

I think that if the regular rotation players see Mills stay loyal to his recruits (if they bust biutt in practice) the reguar rotation p;layers are more likely to stay at WSU instead of entering the portal. That doesn't matter much when there are 9 Sr's on the roster. Or does it?

If Pipkin, Williams, Borziak and Washington stay there's a decent returning group for next year.

[shock]

Joy and Yanis are high upside, VERY raw players that are worth holding on to for at least a couple years. Players like that are worth holding on to if the work ethic is there. it’s ok to have a couple on a team. It’s not ok to have a team of diamonds in the rough like he was doing at ORU, or Marshall was doing in the MVC.

[Stickboy46]

This staff seems to be shaving fairly regularly. Mills has said that he didn't understand the level of talent and physicality he needed in this league and has said he's not recruiting the way he did in his first year here.

Ighovodja and Bamba are still here. They were recruited before Mills said he learned about recruiting in the AAC. The fact that he's stayed loyal to them says a lot about his character. They may still be end of the bench players, but someone has to be at the end of the bench. Mills keeping them instead of getting rid of them says that Mills feels he can recruit enough talent to win games while keeping some players who may never comntribute to winning games on the roster.

That level of loyalty can be criticized for not bringing in better talent to win games, but it can increase loyalty among players and increase retention rates.

I think that if the regular rotation players see Mills stay loyal to his recruits (if they bust biutt in practice) the reguar rotation p;layers are more likely to stay at WSU instead of entering the portal. That doesn't matter much when there are 9 Sr's on the roster. Or does it?

If Pipkin, Williams, Borziak and Washington stay there's a decent returning group for next year.

*Bosnjak. As of right now, I don't think he's eligible to come back. We need to the NCAA to actually give us a waiver. So I'm not counting on that lol.

Looks like as of now the only players that COULD return are Pipkin, Williams, Washington, Bamba, and Joy. Both Bosnjak and McGinnis could with a waiver.

I am cautiously optimistic for this year. I feel much better about roster construction that last fall. It is a pivotal year though. Most of the "shaving" will be in the portal next spring with needing to replace 7-10 guys likely. So getting some momentum this year is huge. Would be really nice of Joy and Bamba can start to slide into at LEAST the deep part of the rotation by the end of the year for that reason. If they don't see the floor, it raises the likelihood that they look elsewhere next year and we could be looking at only 2-3 returners.

[WuDrWu]

Recruiting value has diminished and will continue to diminish until there are some changes. You have to go out and find the transfers that are ready to play, at least in '24-'25.

[TrackSuitAndTie]

*Bosnjak. As of right now, I don't think he's eligible to come back. We need to the NCAA to actually give us a waiver. So I'm not counting on that lol.

Looks like as of now the only players that COULD return are Pipkin, Williams, Washington, Bamba, and Joy. Both Bosnjak and McGinnis could with a waiver.

I am cautiously optimistic for this year. I feel much better about roster construction that last fall. It is a pivotal year though. Most of the "shaving" will be in the portal next spring with needing to replace 7-10 guys likely. So getting some momentum this year is huge. Would be really nice of Joy and Bamba can start to slide into at LEAST the deep part of the rotation by the end of the year for that reason. If they don't see the floor, it raises the likelihood that they look elsewhere next year and we could be looking at only 2-3 returners.

Did I read correctly that DeGray might have a shot at another year as well?

[Stickboy46]

Did I read correctly that DeGray might have a shot at another year as well?

Wouldn't surprise me but I don't remember. Hard to keep track. I think I read they were proposing 5 years of eligibility anyways. Almost to the point of anyone can stay as long as they want.

[ShockTalk]

Wouldn't surprise me but I don't remember. Hard to keep track. I think I read they were proposing 5 years of eligibility anyways. Almost to the point of anyone can stay as long as they want.

For a lot of them, the money may be better in college than elsewhere.

[pogo]

Recruiting value has diminished and will continue to diminish until there are some changes. You have to go out and find the transfers that are ready to play, at least in '24-'25.

I find that this is a true statement but as far as finding those transfers that are ready to play I think depends on our ability to PAY those players that are ready to play as much as I hate every part of that.

[Atxshoxfan]

Wouldn't surprise me but I don't remember. Hard to keep track. I think I read they were proposing 5 years of eligibility anyways. Almost to the point of anyone can stay as long as they want.

NCAA infringing on their rights to earn an income by limiting their eligibility.
Sounds like a potential court case in the not so distant future.

[ShockBand]

NCAA infringing on their rights to earn an income by limiting their eligibility.
Sounds like a potential court case in the not so distant future.

So we could rebuild a team from years past? Oh, if only...

[Stickboy46]

*Bosnjak. As of right now, I don't think he's eligible to come back. We need to the NCAA to actually give us a waiver. So I'm not counting on that lol.

Looks like as of now the only players that COULD return are Pipkin, Williams, Washington, Bamba, and Joy. Both Bosnjak and McGinnis could with a waiver.

I am cautiously optimistic for this year. I feel much better about roster construction that last fall. It is a pivotal year though. Most of the "shaving" will be in the portal next spring with needing to replace 7-10 guys likely. So getting some momentum this year is huge. Would be really nice of Joy and Bamba can start to slide into at LEAST the deep part of the rotation by the end of the year for that reason. If they don't see the floor, it raises the likelihood that they look elsewhere next year and we could be looking at only 2-3 returners.

https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article291965410.html

Apparently McGinnis' waiver was denied. So 8 guaranteed scholarships open next year

I'm curious if we have ever actually gotten a waiver? So far the only ones I can think of were the blanket waivers

[WuDrWu]

Meanwhile, Casey Thompson, who has redshirted, plus 3 more years at Texas (mostly as a starter), a year at Nebraska (as a starter) and another at Florida Atlantic (as a starter) for 3 games before an injury, gets a SEVENTH year at Oklahoma this fall. He's 25.

[Kung Wu]

https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article291965410.html

I'm curious if we have ever actually gotten a waiver? So far the only ones I can think of were the blanket waivers

Why do you think we would ever get a waiver? Our General Counsel hasn't changed one bit ... same mix of attorneys, same processes, same results, year after year after year: https://www.wichita.edu/profiles/adm...nsel/index.php

It wouldn't surprise me if our waiver requests _don't even go through our general counsel_. *sigh*

Until Muma takes a look at KU's General Counsel and sees the GAPING HOLE in ours and then advocates for change in our GC structure, we'll continue to be the laughing stock of the NCAA.

Millions of dollars flow through our athletics department year after year. The difference between our men's basketball program having a losing season and a season where we make the NCAA tourney in pure dollars is a bit jaw dropping. But where is our athletics department and where are our athletes in terms of representation?

Look at this General Counsel seat at KU:

Megan Walawender
Senior Associate General Counsel and Deputy Athletic Director for Compliance and Legal Affairs

We had an attorney on here tell me that the lawyers at schools don't get involved/oversee/have anything to do with waivers requests.



Wanna make a bet?

Even K-State has General Counsel members with legal experience in NCAA athletics.

[Aargh]

Eldridge wrote an in-depth article on WSU's recruiting targets. I'd have to bump A LOT of threads to post anything to individual recruit threads. It appears that the highest priorities are going to Tyrus Rathan-Mayes from Cooz'x AAU team and a potential new recruit in Terrion Burgess, a 6'9", 4* wing from Burgess, Arkansas. You would think that the staff wouldn't waste a coach's time and travel unless there was some level of mutual interest that had been found.

This article should satisfy those who complain that Mills' recruiting is too secretive. There are probably a dozen recruiting targets listed in this article - open in a private or incognito window

https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article291965410.html

[pinstripers]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/2025-prospects-wichita-state-basketball-100100814.html