End of season player evaluations.
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I know we still have a couple (maybe a few) games left to play, but the regular season is over now and there's not going to be much excitement for tournament play. Though I do think the Crown tournament could be a fun watch, mainly because half the team may already be in the transfer portal.
Four guys who exceeded expectations and played like real Bearcats. If Wes is serious about setting the expectation of effort, Day Day, Josh and Betsey are the three main guys who I want back.
Day Day Thomas - was our best player if you ask me and hopefully will be back. Made a huge improvement to his three point shooting, still played good defense and better shot selection than Jizzle. Good for a dumb turnover or two per game, but other than that was a good player and the guy I most want back.
Josh Reed - consistently our best defender, smart player and didn't make many mistakes. Need him to figure out how to bring more offense, but can't complain about him.
Aziz - He had his struggles, but he played hard, gave it his all. Our lack of a backup center meant he was asked to do too much, play too many minutes and got beat up.
Betsey - he's not great at defense yet, but he showed improvement and a willingness to work throughout the season. At the start of the season he was a terrible defender, now he's at least serviceable and tries hard.
Three guys who showed flashes, but were way too inconsistent and don't bring consistently bring the effort levels that should be demanded of Bearcats. Wouldn't promise any of them starting spots or much NIL money if the want to come back. I expect at least 2/3 to move on.
Jizzle James - When he was on, he was our best player. When he isn't, he takes too many bad shots, plays hero ball and take dumb shots.
Mitchell - He's an elite athlete, but he didn't show the attitude needed to excel. He was talked up preseason, but his defense wasn't great, he doesn't consistently work to rebound, he doesn't work for the full 30 seconds on defense. I expect him to transfer and would only take him back for cheap and as a backup.
Skillings - Similar to Mitchell and James. He showed flashes of brilliance, but the effort just isn't there game in and game out. He seems like a great guy and has potential out of this world. Hopefully he can figure it out and be a star, but a change of scenery would probably do him some good.
Complete Disasters.
Simas - who knows what happened to him, maybe injury related. He didn't play hard or box out well last year, but he could score and play offense. This year his offense just became non-existent and his defense got worse.
Page - Lazy, doesn't box out, can't defend. I don't expect him back, Wes may tell him not to come back. He does show the offensive ability we desperately need from a big man, but that doesn't matter if he can't rebound or defend.
Unknowns, but I'd take them back as long as it's cheap.
Griffith - Seems like he's in the Newman mold. Defends, rebounds and gives great effort. Hopefully he sticks around, can improve on offense and earn some minutes next year.
McKinley - Who knows, but he's got the size we need and supposedly some offensive skill.
Dzellat - Another complete unknown, it's not a good sign that he couldn't earn minutes this year with our complete lack of depth at center, but probably cost us next to nothing to keep around. Basically a high-level walk-on who might eventually earn some minutes.
Four guys who exceeded expectations and played like real Bearcats. If Wes is serious about setting the expectation of effort, Day Day, Josh and Betsey are the three main guys who I want back.
Day Day Thomas - was our best player if you ask me and hopefully will be back. Made a huge improvement to his three point shooting, still played good defense and better shot selection than Jizzle. Good for a dumb turnover or two per game, but other than that was a good player and the guy I most want back.
Josh Reed - consistently our best defender, smart player and didn't make many mistakes. Need him to figure out how to bring more offense, but can't complain about him.
Aziz - He had his struggles, but he played hard, gave it his all. Our lack of a backup center meant he was asked to do too much, play too many minutes and got beat up.
Betsey - he's not great at defense yet, but he showed improvement and a willingness to work throughout the season. At the start of the season he was a terrible defender, now he's at least serviceable and tries hard.
Three guys who showed flashes, but were way too inconsistent and don't bring consistently bring the effort levels that should be demanded of Bearcats. Wouldn't promise any of them starting spots or much NIL money if the want to come back. I expect at least 2/3 to move on.
Jizzle James - When he was on, he was our best player. When he isn't, he takes too many bad shots, plays hero ball and take dumb shots.
Mitchell - He's an elite athlete, but he didn't show the attitude needed to excel. He was talked up preseason, but his defense wasn't great, he doesn't consistently work to rebound, he doesn't work for the full 30 seconds on defense. I expect him to transfer and would only take him back for cheap and as a backup.
Skillings - Similar to Mitchell and James. He showed flashes of brilliance, but the effort just isn't there game in and game out. He seems like a great guy and has potential out of this world. Hopefully he can figure it out and be a star, but a change of scenery would probably do him some good.
Complete Disasters.
Simas - who knows what happened to him, maybe injury related. He didn't play hard or box out well last year, but he could score and play offense. This year his offense just became non-existent and his defense got worse.
Page - Lazy, doesn't box out, can't defend. I don't expect him back, Wes may tell him not to come back. He does show the offensive ability we desperately need from a big man, but that doesn't matter if he can't rebound or defend.
Unknowns, but I'd take them back as long as it's cheap.
Griffith - Seems like he's in the Newman mold. Defends, rebounds and gives great effort. Hopefully he sticks around, can improve on offense and earn some minutes next year.
McKinley - Who knows, but he's got the size we need and supposedly some offensive skill.
Dzellat - Another complete unknown, it's not a good sign that he couldn't earn minutes this year with our complete lack of depth at center, but probably cost us next to nothing to keep around. Basically a high-level walk-on who might eventually earn some minutes.