Ben Johnson Reasonable Expectations

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I think the reasonable expectation is a national title. Or at least a BIG title. Or maybe 7-9 conference wins.

Honestly though, with this year's team being in tournament conversation at the end of non-conference play along with the Michigan win gave some hope. Depending on transfers, there may be some growing pains for the recruiting class to come to BIG form and might be ugly. But I think they'll pull in some good players to morph around Battle, Ihnen, Fox and make a serviceable team to be in that conversation mid-conference time.
Not based on anything more than just my maroon glassed perception, but I see NIT at least but NCAA conversation late in the year. If they make it, no idea, but I think they will be much improved.
 

leib0039 said:
In terms of "reasonable expectations", this to me is 100% what I mean. Below is the list of schools that 247 has listed for Taison Chatman. Those are the schools I expect Ben to beat for local kids. Those are good programs but not the top of the top. I think we would all love the Jones'/Brown/Suggs/Chet/Hurt's of the world to come here, but when KU/UNC/Duke/Gonz come calling I get it, those are at a different level. When you hire a coach and your schtick is that he is going to get local kids, this is 100% the teams they need to beat for them. I can buy that he didnt have time to get King/Watson away, but Chatman will now be 3 years out, he is a must get in my opinion.

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I refuse to call any one recruit a must get, but agree in principal. He needs to win more of these types of battles
 

salzie said:
I refuse to call any one recruit a must get, but agree in principal. He needs to win more of these types of battles
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Yeah, there are too many variables in recruiting to ever say a particular recruit is a "must get". But the hope would definitely be that Johnson will be able to win head to head battles more often than not for local recruits when going up against schools that are comparable to us. Always going to be an uphill battle when going against the blue bloods or elites.
 

IIRC, Coyle stated he brought in CBJ to get the kids to MN, even against the blue bloods or elites.
 


BarnBurner said:
IIRC, Coyle stated he brought in CBJ to get the kids to MN, even against the blue bloods or elites.
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Coyle said that "they talked about the importance of recruiting in the state of Minnesota." There was no mention of blue bloods or elites. There were no promises made. The expectation is that Johnson can build relationships with local youth more effectively than his predecessor. These relationships aren't built overnight but we should start to see the fruits of this labor in high school recruits this summer.

You need to pick one side of the cage to bang your head against or another. Your mind is all over the place. Is it wins that matter or MN recruits now? If Johnson locks down the borders and gets all of the top kids to stay home but finishes in the middle of the pack, will you be happy or will you jump back to wins being the most important?

Do you have any patience at all to allow things to grow at a reasonable pace or is it Final Four in year one or bust for you? Can you put a lid on your negative agenda for one second to point out any positives that you see in the program? Did you enjoy watching this team at all this year? Were you pleased with the ability of the staff to make a team out of a bunch of misfit toys in a short time? Or is everything a failure because they did not win a B1G championship in year one?

If you weren't literally negative and contrary in every single post, you wouldn't have posters blocking you every day. Although that is really what you want, isn't it? I think that you like to stir up trouble. I think that you like the notoriety of getting under other poster's skins and side-tracking threads.

Your games are not going to work with me. You have no power over me. Bullies like you have no place in the world.
 

ecoperson said:
Coyle said that "they talked about the importance of recruiting in the state of Minnesota." There was no mention of blue bloods or elites. There were no promises made. The expectation is that Johnson can build relationships with local youth more effectively than his predecessor. These relationships aren't built overnight but we should start to see the fruits of this labor in high school recruits this summer.

You need to pick one side of the cage to bang your head against or another. Your mind is all over the place. Is it wins that matter or MN recruits now? If Johnson locks down the borders and gets all of the top kids to stay home but finishes in the middle of the pack, will you be happy or will you jump back to wins being the most important?

Do you have any patience at all to allow things to grow at a reasonable pace or is it Final Four in year one or bust for you? Can you put a lid on your negative agenda for one second to point out any positives that you see in the program? Did you enjoy watching this team at all this year? Were you pleased with the ability of the staff to make a team out of a bunch of misfit toys in a short time? Or is everything a failure because they did not win a B1G championship in year one?

If you weren't literally negative and contrary in every single post, you wouldn't have posters blocking you every day. Although that is really what you want, isn't it? I think that you like to stir up trouble. I think that you like the notoriety of getting under other poster's skins and side-tracking threads.

Your games are not going to work with me. You have no power over me. Bullies like you have no place in the world.
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WINS matter. Perhaps you dont think so? Recruiting matters a great deal and have never said otherwise. So your contention of one side or the other is wrong.

If MN kids are the conduit to winning big, great!!!!! If winning big requires out of state kids, great!!!!!

You have ALL the answers, eco. ALL of them.

And dont lecture anyone on patience. Been on this wagon 50 years. Seen it all and heard it all, from genius' just like you.
 
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Bob_Loblaw said:
You really don't know what I'm talking about? It's really too complicated for you or are you just doing that weird pretending to not understand thing you do. Hitting on 3 of 12 people isn't impressive. He didn't do a good job in the portal. If we had 3 scholarships to give and hit on all of them, kudos. If you have 12 scholarships to give and you only hit on 3, you didn't do well.

As far the point you're failing to make. I've said numerous times that I don't blame Ben for the amount of talent he brought in via the portal, you're the one with trouble comprehending.

In the post that started your hissy fit, I went to great lengths explaining that I realize Ben walked into a difficult position last year. I then posted this "I don't blame them for the people they added, I was merely pointing out that talent needs to be better (as a whole) for us to improve. But I really don't blame Ben, at all, for the talent he brought in last year."

I don't blame him for the talent he brought in, but I do expect significantly more talent being brought in via the portal. We couldn't give away Big 10 scholarships. Two of the people we gave those away to should never be on a Big 10 roster. Those players SHOULD have received significant minutes playing in the Big 10. You're acting like Ogele and Daniels were buried in the depth chart, they weren't. The fact is that Ben couldn't GIVE Big 10 minutes away to even mid-major level talent. For the 10th time in this thread, I don't blame him for that. But I do expect he will do a better job in the portal.
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I will make a wager with you. The only kids coming here from the portal are "close to homers" or kids who don't belong in the B1G. We won't land anyone as productive as Battle and Willis.
 

Allshade said:
I will make a wager with you. The only kids coming here from the portal are "close to homers" or kids who don't belong in the B1G. We won't land anyone as productive as Battle and Willis.
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You negative a hole! Ecoperson will be by to give you a stern lecture.

JK
 



Allshade said:
I will make a wager with you. The only kids coming here from the portal are "close to homers" or kids who don't belong in the B1G. We won't land anyone as productive as Battle and Willis.
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I guess that depends on your definition of "close to homers" and "don't belong in the B1G". Loewe is from WI and not a star but I have no problem adding a couple of guys like him.

Are you saying that the only players we will add in the portal that aren't from MN will be Ogele and Daniels caliber players? EJ Stephens was a outlier? Or you don't think he's good enough to play in the B1G?

If we are at a point next season where we can't give scholarships away to guys who can, at least, provide decent depth next season, that's a massive issue. I think Ben will be able to add more talent (on the whole) than last year. If he can't, it's a problem.
 

leib0039 said:
In terms of "reasonable expectations", this to me is 100% what I mean. Below is the list of schools that 247 has listed for Taison Chatman. Those are the schools I expect Ben to beat for local kids. Those are good programs but not the top of the top. I think we would all love the Jones'/Brown/Suggs/Chet/Hurt's of the world to come here, but when KU/UNC/Duke/Gonz come calling I get it, those are at a different level. When you hire a coach and your schtick is that he is going to get local kids, this is 100% the teams they need to beat for them. I can buy that he didnt have time to get King/Watson away, but Chatman will now be 3 years out, he is a must get in my opinion.

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I agree with you 100%. I also kind of think Chatman's offer list might look a little different soon.
 

BarnBurner said:
WINS matter. Perhaps you dont think so? Recruiting matters a great deal and have never said otherwise. So your contention of one side or the other is wrong.

If MN kids are the conduit to winning big, great!!!!! If winning big requires out of state kids, great!!!!!

You have ALL the answers, eco. ALL of them.

And dont lecture anyone on patience. Been on this wagon 50 years. Seen it all and heard it all, from genius' just like you.
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You are part of the problem not part of the solution. Whining and crying aint going to get it done. Go grab your ball and run home.
 

ecoperson said:
Coyle said that "they talked about the importance of recruiting in the state of Minnesota." There was no mention of blue bloods or elites. There were no promises made. The expectation is that Johnson can build relationships with local youth more effectively than his predecessor. These relationships aren't built overnight but we should start to see the fruits of this labor in high school recruits this summer.

You need to pick one side of the cage to bang your head against or another. Your mind is all over the place. Is it wins that matter or MN recruits now? If Johnson locks down the borders and gets all of the top kids to stay home but finishes in the middle of the pack, will you be happy or will you jump back to wins being the most important?

Do you have any patience at all to allow things to grow at a reasonable pace or is it Final Four in year one or bust for you? Can you put a lid on your negative agenda for one second to point out any positives that you see in the program? Did you enjoy watching this team at all this year? Were you pleased with the ability of the staff to make a team out of a bunch of misfit toys in a short time? Or is everything a failure because they did not win a B1G championship in year one?

If you weren't literally negative and contrary in every single post, you wouldn't have posters blocking you every day. Although that is really what you want, isn't it? I think that you like to stir up trouble. I think that you like the notoriety of getting under other poster's skins and side-tracking threads.

Your games are not going to work with me. You have no power over me. Bullies like you have no place in the world.
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If you argue with the wall, you'll get more reasonable replies then you will from Barnburner, wouldn't waste the energy.
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
I guess that depends on your definition of "close to homers" and "don't belong in the B1G". Loewe is from WI and not a star but I have no problem adding a couple of guys like him.

Are you saying that the only players we will add in the portal that aren't from MN will be Ogele and Daniels caliber players? EJ Stephens was a outlier? Or you don't think he's good enough to play in the B1G?

If we are at a point next season where we can't give scholarships away to guys who can, at least, provide decent depth next season, that's a massive issue. I think Ben will be able to add more talent (on the whole) than last year. If he can't, it's a problem.
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You raise many good points. I guess I'm so negative about our team I can't think straight. Hopefully the team will move up the ranks slowly but surely. Thanks for focusing on my stated position and not attacking me personally.
 

Fleckoff said:
If you argue with the wall, you'll get more reasonable replies then you will from Barnburner, wouldn't waste the energy.
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Yeah.....I truly regret the amount of time I wasted trying to have anything resembling a rational discussion with that guy. So much wasted time. Nice not having to read it anymore or sift through any of Spaulding's "witty" one liners.
 

ecoperson said:
You are part of the problem not part of the solution. Whining and crying aint going to get it done. Go grab your ball and run home.
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Eco bails. Eco already went home. Eco can’t respond to logic.
 

ecoperson said:
You are part of the problem not part of the solution. Whining and crying aint going to get it done. Go grab your ball and run home.
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Nobody posting on a message board is either part of the problem or part of the solution. We are fans. The only way to be part of the solution is to buy a ticket. Shouting at harmless fools like Barney is not a solution to anything.
 

Dakota2 said:
Nobody posting on a message board is either part of the problem or part of the solution. We are fans. The only way to be part of the solution is to buy a ticket. Shouting at harmless fools like Barney is not a solution to anything.
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Calling Burner a problem identifier vs solution offerer better for you then?
 



Reasonable expectation is to get the Minnesota bball player of the year. Good job Ben.
 

Dakota2 said:
Nobody posting on a message board is either part of the problem or part of the solution. We are fans. The only way to be part of the solution is to buy a ticket. Shouting at harmless fools like Barney is not a solution to anything.
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I disagree. We can all do more. I am working on some fan engagement opportunities that will also help increase the success and profile of the program. I hope to unveil them in the near future. In the meantime, BB can start writing checks to the athletic department so that they have the resources to compete.
 

To not make the tournament through four years and still have a job is the very definition of no expectations to me. I don't buy that Covid and transfers made this job tougher for Ben Johnson. The additional year granted to kids combined with the free transfer granted made it so there was more talent available in the Spring than there had ever been previously. You also had so many jobs open last Spring at high majors that a bunch or recruits shook free late too so the quality/quantify of late signee Freshman was much better than usual as well. In the past, you'd likely have had a Liam Robbins leave with his uncle regardless and Marcus Carr would have went to the draft/overseas (limited options due to Covid) and there would have only been grad transfers available to replace them. Now do you really just give Ben a pass for Gabe or Brandon Johnson transferring to ISU and DePaul? Then you get down to guys like Martice Mitchell, Tre Williams, Sam Freeman, etc who you were clearly better off with their scholarships to use elsewhere. When you include Omersa and Mutaf you are looking at like half of the guys who were on scholarship in '20-'21 who couldn't help you in the Big Ten.

To me, last Spring was the easiest time for Ben to shape his roster. He could offer starters minutes at all 5 positions and was a complete unknown as a head coach. I feel it's tougher for him now. Instead of a complete unknown he's still a very low profile head coach...but one coming off a 4-16 last place Big Ten record where his team also played at a tempo so slow that Dick Bennett would blush. Ben can point to his transfers playing a ton of minutes, but what else can he sell? I'd rather be in his position last year than I would this year in terms of selling the Ben Johnson brand.

By this time next year we will have a much better idea of where things stand. In a best case scenario Ben adds 4 pieces between now and August that can help him get to the tournament next year. At least a couple of the Freshmen contribute and look like guys that can be starters in '23 or beyond. Chatman and Winter commit somtime between this Spring and next Fall.

A worst case scenario involves not improving upon last years transfer portal additions and the Freshmen looking a lot like the younger players on the '21-22 roster. Team finishes in the bottom 4 again. Chatman and/or Winter commit elsewhere and the replacement commitment(s) are "sleepers".

I hope it's much closer to the best case scenario. What I really don't want is any scenario where there has not even been a tournament appearance through 3 years and provided we're not massive favorites to make it in year 4 (ex preseason top 20 in the stuff that comes out after the Final Four) we give him "another chance". There have been way too many lame duck years here that have badly hurt fan interest, program perception, and roster quality.
 

EG#9 said:
To not make the tournament through four years and still have a job is the very definition of no expectations to me. I don't buy that Covid and transfers made this job tougher for Ben Johnson. The additional year granted to kids combined with the free transfer granted made it so there was more talent available in the Spring than there had ever been previously. You also had so many jobs open last Spring at high majors that a bunch or recruits shook free late too so the quality/quantify of late signee Freshman was much better than usual as well. In the past, you'd likely have had a Liam Robbins leave with his uncle regardless and Marcus Carr would have went to the draft/overseas (limited options due to Covid) and there would have only been grad transfers available to replace them. Now do you really just give Ben a pass for Gabe or Brandon Johnson transferring to ISU and DePaul? Then you get down to guys like Martice Mitchell, Tre Williams, Sam Freeman, etc who you were clearly better off with their scholarships to use elsewhere. When you include Omersa and Mutaf you are looking at like half of the guys who were on scholarship in '20-'21 who couldn't help you in the Big Ten.

To me, last Spring was the easiest time for Ben to shape his roster. He could offer starters minutes at all 5 positions and was a complete unknown as a head coach. I feel it's tougher for him now. Instead of a complete unknown he's still a very low profile head coach...but one coming off a 4-16 last place Big Ten record where his team also played at a tempo so slow that Dick Bennett would blush. Ben can point to his transfers playing a ton of minutes, but what else can he sell? I'd rather be in his position last year than I would this year in terms of selling the Ben Johnson brand.

By this time next year we will have a much better idea of where things stand. In a best case scenario Ben adds 4 pieces between now and August that can help him get to the tournament next year. At least a couple of the Freshmen contribute and look like guys that can be starters in '23 or beyond. Chatman and Winter commit somtime between this Spring and next Fall.

A worst case scenario involves not improving upon last years transfer portal additions and the Freshmen looking a lot like the younger players on the '21-22 roster. Team finishes in the bottom 4 again. Chatman and/or Winter commit elsewhere and the replacement commitment(s) are "sleepers".

I hope it's much closer to the best case scenario. What I really don't want is any scenario where there has not even been a tournament appearance through 3 years and provided we're not massive favorites to make it in year 4 (ex preseason top 20 in the stuff that comes out after the Final Four) we give him "another chance". There have been way too many lame duck years here that have badly hurt fan interest, program perception, and roster quality.
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Trying to recruit in Minneapolis after the events of the last two years was a bigger issue than most think or at least talk about. All these players we could get? If you can’t get kids basically promised a starting spot in the Big Ten your problem isn’t a new coach. It’s the culture and perception. The hope is Ben will build the right way and in time change that. It’s not a one or two year project. I like the way he handles the team and how he handles being the face of the program. I’m optimistic he and his staff can do this.
 

EG#9 said:
To not make the tournament through four years and still have a job is the very definition of no expectations to me. I don't buy that Covid and transfers made this job tougher for Ben Johnson. The additional year granted to kids combined with the free transfer granted made it so there was more talent available in the Spring than there had ever been previously. You also had so many jobs open last Spring at high majors that a bunch or recruits shook free late too so the quality/quantify of late signee Freshman was much better than usual as well. In the past, you'd likely have had a Liam Robbins leave with his uncle regardless and Marcus Carr would have went to the draft/overseas (limited options due to Covid) and there would have only been grad transfers available to replace them. Now do you really just give Ben a pass for Gabe or Brandon Johnson transferring to ISU and DePaul? Then you get down to guys like Martice Mitchell, Tre Williams, Sam Freeman, etc who you were clearly better off with their scholarships to use elsewhere. When you include Omersa and Mutaf you are looking at like half of the guys who were on scholarship in '20-'21 who couldn't help you in the Big Ten.

To me, last Spring was the easiest time for Ben to shape his roster. He could offer starters minutes at all 5 positions and was a complete unknown as a head coach. I feel it's tougher for him now. Instead of a complete unknown he's still a very low profile head coach...but one coming off a 4-16 last place Big Ten record where his team also played at a tempo so slow that Dick Bennett would blush. Ben can point to his transfers playing a ton of minutes, but what else can he sell? I'd rather be in his position last year than I would this year in terms of selling the Ben Johnson brand.

By this time next year we will have a much better idea of where things stand. In a best case scenario Ben adds 4 pieces between now and August that can help him get to the tournament next year. At least a couple of the Freshmen contribute and look like guys that can be starters in '23 or beyond. Chatman and Winter commit somtime between this Spring and next Fall.

A worst case scenario involves not improving upon last years transfer portal additions and the Freshmen looking a lot like the younger players on the '21-22 roster. Team finishes in the bottom 4 again. Chatman and/or Winter commit elsewhere and the replacement commitment(s) are "sleepers".

I hope it's much closer to the best case scenario. What I really don't want is any scenario where there has not even been a tournament appearance through 3 years and provided we're not massive favorites to make it in year 4 (ex preseason top 20 in the stuff that comes out after the Final Four) we give him "another chance". There have been way too many lame duck years here that have badly hurt fan interest, program perception, and roster quality.
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I agree, this job isn't tougher due to Covid. What the issue with most, is they don't respect how hard this job actually is in the first place. I'm ok having expectations and not being ok with 4 years without an NCAA run. That doesn't mean this isn't a tough job.

I strongly disagree with the roster building. Last spring Ben had two choices. Spend a ton more time trying to assemble a roster with 8 transfers or start building 2022 recruit relationships. Remember he also had to finish putting together his staff as well. There wasn't a ton of time. This year, they have pieces already here and they can dedicate time to 4 specific spots for transfers. This helps with identification plus they have assistants here from day one to reach out in the portal. The other reason I think they can have a better chance at finding kids is because the actually have film to show kids now too. It's not just selling a vision anymore, they can show some things on the court.
 

EG#9 said:
To me, last Spring was the easiest time for Ben to shape his roster. He could offer starters minutes at all 5 positions and was a complete unknown as a head coach. I feel it's tougher for him now. Instead of a complete unknown he's still a very low profile head coach...but one coming off a 4-16 last place Big Ten record where his team also played at a tempo so slow that Dick Bennett would blush. Ben can point to his transfers playing a ton of minutes, but what else can he sell? I'd rather be in his position last year than I would this year in terms of selling the Ben Johnson brand.
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Could not disagree more with this entire section. You can't really believe that him being a complete unknown as a head coach would be something that high level transfers would have seen as a positive.

Last year he had to adjust to being a head coach for the first time, hire a staff, and rebuild an entire roster over the span of a couple of months. It cracks me up how easy some apparently want to believe that is. The transfer portal isn't a fantasy draft where you just go pluck the players you want. You have to evaluate them, vet them as much as possible, and then beat out other schools for their services.

Johnson's job this off-season is 1000 times easier. He has a year under his belt, his coaching staff is in place, and he has some solid pieces on the roster and coming in as freshman to fill in around. He also has film from last season to show recruits to give them a sense for how he wants to play (even if that is likely to change some with better roster balance and healthy front court players).
 

Allshade said:
I will make a wager with you. The only kids coming here from the portal are "close to homers" or kids who don't belong in the B1G. We won't land anyone as productive as Battle and Willis.
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I agree with your last sentence in terms of likelihood although I would word it as "not likely to land anyone as productive as Battle and Willis." I don't know why some of you find unequivocal declarations so appealing.

Kids who belong in the Big Ten are those who play well, or well enough, after they arrive in the league. That's the only standard that matters. We won't know that until after they arrive. Off the top of my head, here are a number of transfers (excluding Willis and Battle) who played well in this league after transferring from lower level programs:

Reggie Lynch, Minnesota (from IL State)
Akeem Springs, Minnesota (from Wisconsin Milwaukee)
Liam Robbins, Minnesota (from Drake)
Brandon Johnson, Minnesota (from Western Michigan)
Mike Smith, Michigan (from Columbia)
Devante Jones, Michigan (from Coastal Carolina)
Duncan Robinson, Michigan (from DIII Williams College)
Jon Octeus, Purdue (from Colorado State)
Sam Sessoms, Penn State (from Binghamton)
Jalen Pickett, Penn State (from Siena)
Fatts Russell, Maryland (from Rhode Island)

I'm sure I could find more if I really dug into it.
 

cjbfbp said:
I agree with your last sentence in terms of likelihood although I would word it as "not likely to land anyone as productive as Battle and Willis." I don't know why some of you find unequivocal declarations so appealing.

Kids who belong in the Big Ten are those who play well, or well enough, after they arrive in the league. That's the only standard that matters. We won't know that until after they arrive. Off the top of my head, here are a number of transfers (excluding Willis and Battle) who played well in this league after transferring from lower level programs:

Reggie Lynch, Minnesota (from IL State)
Akeem Springs, Minnesota (from Wisconsin Milwaukee)
Liam Robbins, Minnesota (from Drake)
Brandon Johnson, Minnesota (from Western Michigan)
Mike Smith, Michigan (from Columbia)
Devante Jones, Michigan (from Coastal Carolina)
Duncan Robinson, Michigan (from DIII Williams College)
Jon Octeus, Purdue (from Colorado State)
Sam Sessoms, Penn State (from Binghamton)
Jalen Pickett, Penn State (from Siena)
Fatts Russell, Maryland (from Rhode Island)

I'm sure I could find more if I really dug into it.
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I think that's a compliment to Willis and Battle more than anything. They were very productive players (especially Battle). That being said I bet one of our four transfers is at the level of those two. The others I think will match or be in-between those two and Loewe (who I thought was fine as a 5th starter, but he had to be our 3/4th).
 

EG#9 said:
To not make the tournament through four years and still have a job is the very definition of no expectations to me. I don't buy that Covid and transfers made this job tougher for Ben Johnson. The additional year granted to kids combined with the free transfer granted made it so there was more talent available in the Spring than there had ever been previously. You also had so many jobs open last Spring at high majors that a bunch or recruits shook free late too so the quality/quantify of late signee Freshman was much better than usual as well. In the past, you'd likely have had a Liam Robbins leave with his uncle regardless and Marcus Carr would have went to the draft/overseas (limited options due to Covid) and there would have only been grad transfers available to replace them. Now do you really just give Ben a pass for Gabe or Brandon Johnson transferring to ISU and DePaul? Then you get down to guys like Martice Mitchell, Tre Williams, Sam Freeman, etc who you were clearly better off with their scholarships to use elsewhere. When you include Omersa and Mutaf you are looking at like half of the guys who were on scholarship in '20-'21 who couldn't help you in the Big Ten.

To me, last Spring was the easiest time for Ben to shape his roster. He could offer starters minutes at all 5 positions and was a complete unknown as a head coach. I feel it's tougher for him now. Instead of a complete unknown he's still a very low profile head coach...but one coming off a 4-16 last place Big Ten record where his team also played at a tempo so slow that Dick Bennett would blush. Ben can point to his transfers playing a ton of minutes, but what else can he sell? I'd rather be in his position last year than I would this year in terms of selling the Ben Johnson brand.

By this time next year we will have a much better idea of where things stand. In a best case scenario Ben adds 4 pieces between now and August that can help him get to the tournament next year. At least a couple of the Freshmen contribute and look like guys that can be starters in '23 or beyond. Chatman and Winter commit somtime between this Spring and next Fall.

A worst case scenario involves not improving upon last years transfer portal additions and the Freshmen looking a lot like the younger players on the '21-22 roster. Team finishes in the bottom 4 again. Chatman and/or Winter commit elsewhere and the replacement commitment(s) are "sleepers".

I hope it's much closer to the best case scenario. What I really don't want is any scenario where there has not even been a tournament appearance through 3 years and provided we're not massive favorites to make it in year 4 (ex preseason top 20 in the stuff that comes out after the Final Four) we give him "another chance". There have been way too many lame duck years here that have badly hurt fan interest, program perception, and roster quality.
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Great post. If one or more of the 4 frosh doesn’t start THIS year we have serious problem IMO.
 

EG#9 said:
By this time next year we will have a much better idea of where things stand. In a best case scenario Ben adds 4 pieces between now and August that can help him get to the tournament next year. At least a couple of the Freshmen contribute and look like guys that can be starters in '23 or beyond. Chatman and Winter commit somtime between this Spring and next Fall.

A worst case scenario involves not improving upon last years transfer portal additions and the Freshmen looking a lot like the younger players on the '21-22 roster. Team finishes in the bottom 4 again. Chatman and/or Winter commit elsewhere and the replacement commitment(s) are "sleepers".
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As to your first paragraph, I would say that 1) I would prefer that he gets his four transfers by at least the middle of June so he can bring them here for a summer session like he did last year and 2) with four freshmen, I don't see how Ben can't get more out of the freshman class than he got this season.

As to the second paragraph, I really think that at least 70% of the problem with this year's team was its lousy post area play. Our rebounding percentage (45%) ranked #347 out of 358 teams and was the absolute worst among P6 teams. Directly above us at #346 was Nebraska that finished 10-22. The only other P6 team very close to our ranking was Oregon State at #339; they finished 3-28. Washington at #326 did manage to go 17-15 so, if we shoot as well as we did this year and take care of the ball as well but rebound better, getting above .500 might not be so difficult. Although I think our post play almost has to be better this season, Ben really should get one transfer player who has an aptitude for rebounding the ball and post defense.
 

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