2017-2018 College Basketball Season

[Jack Lambert]

I think it's time to get this thread started. The season is less than two weeks away, and I know there are a few college basketball fans here. I think we'll definitely have some great talent to support this year, before the next two years bring in some high profile white freshman for the media types to talk about. Over the next couple weeks, I'll be posting about different players and teams. Please, contribute guys!! I'm busy and may not hit everybody. I'll get the thread started off on a high note with a few players/teams I'll be watching.

One cannot talk about college basketball without mentioning the most high-profile and polarizing player in the country: Grayson Allen. After a tough season last year resulted in Allen being injured and losing his starting spot and captaincy, he is back with a vengeance for his senior campaign. The athletic combo guard is hated by nearly all DWFs, and he's going to give them plenty of reasons to hate him again this year. He's got his mind back in the right place (being named a captain again, as well as getting his starting role back) and is ready to lead the young Blue Devils on a National Championship run. Look for Allen's numbers to rebound this year. Allen needs no introduction here, and is on the Wooden Award Watch list as well as several preseason All-America teams. His supporting cast will be mostly black, save for three bench players not likely to see much time in athletic freshman two-guard Alex O'Connell, center Antonio Vrankovic, who may sneak into the game, and wing Jack White, who could play due to Duke's lack of depth there this year.

Grayson Allen

The next player and team I'm going to mention is going to be CF's favorite team all-year long. That would be 6'11 Australian center Jock Landale and the all-white St. Mary's Gaels. The Gaels will start the year in the Top 25, and are actually the favorites in the WCC, unseating Gonzaga as the top dog in the conference. Landale nearly averaged a double double last year (16 PPG and 9.5 RPG), and he is looking to improve upon those numbers. I'm thinking he will. He's a runaway favorite for WCC player of the year and is also on the Wooden Award list, as well as All-America teams. Joining him will be crafty point guard Emmett Naar (a fellow Aussie), who will look to rebound after an inconsistent campaign last year. Long-time starter Joe Rahon is gone, so Naar will have to step up and produce. Grad-transfer Cullen Neal is a good scoring threat, and will look to fill Rahon's shoes in the starting lineup. Other players to look for are three-point threat Calvin Hermanson, bench spark-plug Tanner Krebs, a guard/wing who's instant offense, and big man Evan Fitzner. The Gaels have a couple more white guys coming off the bench in what looks to be a nearly all-white rotation again this year.

Jock Landale

Emmett Naar

Thomas Welsh, UCLA's lone returning starter from last year, is back for his senior season after pulling out of the draft. Welsh (who will likely be UCLA's only white starter this year) will look to have a great senior campaign. He's got the best jump from a center I've seen in a while, and he also plays pretty good defense. Other than Welsh, the Bruins' only white players will be GG Goloman, a senior forward who may start, and Alex Olesinski, a combo forward who should see some reserve minutes.

Thomas Welsh

I would talk about Wisconsin, but I think Celtic will have them covered lol. That's it for tonight. There's plenty more to talk about, but I thought I'd cover a few to start with.

 

[Freethinker]

Good start to one of my favorite threads.

Have you been able to find any websites that show depth charts for the 17-18 season? I haven't been able to. I usually refer to realgm.c0m but they still have stuff from last year.

Just off the top of my head, some programs worth following will be Virginia, Michigan, Northwestern, Villanova, Iowa, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, BYU, Purdue, Maryland, Davidson, Yale and Marquette. I'll preview some of them once some depth charts come out. Not to finish on a down note, but the recruiting class coming in this year is blacker than I've ever seen in the top ranks.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Good start to one of my favorite threads.

Have you been able to find any websites that show depth charts for the 17-18 season? I haven't been able to. I usually refer to realgm.c0m but they still have stuff from last year.

Just off the top of my head, some programs worth following will be Virginia, Michigan, Northwestern, Villanova, Iowa, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, BYU, Purdue, Maryland, Davidson, Yale and Marquette. I'll preview some of them once some depth charts come out. Not to finish on a down note, but the recruiting class coming in this year is blacker than I've ever seen in the top ranks.

Thanks Freethinker!! It's always one of my favorite threads as well. I have not found any "official" depth chart, unfortunately. I guess my predictions are kind of guesses, based on what I've read from various basketball articles as well as the Blue Ribbon Yearbook. It's very comprehensive and has a nice article on every team. It gives the projected starters of the Top 25 teams as well. I also read forums of certain teams. As exhibition games are starting, those box scores are helpful for who's being looked at for the starting 5.

That's a pretty good list of our teams as well! Nearly all of them should be in NCAA contention. I'd add Creighton and Oregon State. I'll preview both of these teams (hopefully) later tonight, as well as a couple of the teams you've got listed, if you don't mind .

I agree. The first white in the Top 100 comes in at No. 65 w/ Nate Reuvers, a Wisconsin freshman. There's only 8 whites total in the Top 100 from 2017. 2018 is a little better, with three whites at least in the Top 50, and 12 overall. 2019 has two whites in the Top 10, so the classes seems to be improving slowly. 2020 has a few great white prospects as well.

 

[celticdb15]

Golden thread JL! Go ahead and do the Wisconsin preview if you have time buddy.

 

[Riggins44]

Good start to one of my favorite threads.

Have you been able to find any websites that show depth charts for the 17-18 season? I haven't been able to. I usually refer to realgm.c0m but they still have stuff from last year.

Just off the top of my head, some programs worth following will be Virginia, Michigan, Northwestern, Villanova, Iowa, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, BYU, Purdue, Maryland, Davidson, Yale and Marquette. I'll preview some of them once some depth charts come out. Not to finish on a down note, but the recruiting class coming in this year is blacker than I've ever seen in the top ranks.

I was going to mention Butler, but it seems like black head coach Lavall Jordan is darkening up the roster. Still, it appears that Sean McDermott, Paul Jorgensen, and Joey Brunk will all be part of the rotation this year, with at least McDermott starting.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I was going to mention Butler, but it seems like black head coach Lavall Jordan is darkening up the roster. Still, it appears that Sean McDermott, Paul Jorgensen, and Joey Brunk will all be part of the rotation this year, with at least McDermott starting.

I'd give Jordan a chance. There were two white freshman on the roster, but they both transferred. Kyle Young, the highest rated Butler signee last year, followed Holtmann to Ohio State; he was closer with the old staff. Jordan tried his hardest to keep him. Cooper Neese, the other freshman, apparently was having academic issues, so decided to transfer last month. A shame. Jordan's got one commit so far, for the 2019 class. That would be a white player, local product John-Michael Mulloy. They just offered another local Indiana white player in Alex Hemenway. They are also involved with former Wisconsin signee Tyler Herro, as well as potentially with Michigan decommit Taylor Currie. He also nearly got Northwestern commit Miller Kopp, despite the late start he got on recruiting him. Now, he may wind up like most black coaches and ignore whites, but Jordan played at Butler with a bunch of white players. His coaching career consists of stops at Butler (assistant), Michigan (under Jon Beilien, a fairly white-friendly coach), and at Milwaukee last year, where it looks like he got 2-3 white players signed in his year there. If there was ever a black coach who was going to give white players a fair shake, it'd be Jordan. David Shaw has been a very white-friendly coach at Stanford; who knows, maybe Jordan can do that at a similar academic institution in Butler.

Riggins pretty much got Butler's preview right. It looks like McDermott will be a starter. He's been constantly derided by message board DWFs as a bad player who'll "never compete in the Big East." Well, Jordan has called him the most improved player on the team, and a "great defender." Jorgensen is going to be a great offensive player. He's started the first exhibition game today, and should be a big part of the team. His role isn't for certain, but he's getting the first crack at the starting job. I think he'll lose it to a hyped black freshman before too long. Nate Fowler and Joey Brunk will be rotating in at the 4/5 spots. I'm not sure how their rotation will shake out, but that's why I didn't mention them.

Sean McDermott

Paul Jorgensen

Nate Fowler

 

[Riggins44]

I didn't realize Jordan has recruited that many white players. You're right, he deserves a chance to show he is impartial and will give our guys a chance. He seems to be doing that so far. We can enjoy watching the Bulldogs this year.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Here are a couple of previews:

Oregon State had a dismal record last year with just 5 wins. Injuries decimated the Beavers last year, including their best players. Well, the Beavers' best player is back and ready to go this year. That guy is forward Tres Tinkle, who was leading the Beavers in scoring and rebounding through six games last year before getting hurt. The good news is that Tinkle got a medical redshirt, and is only a sophomore this year! The son of coach Wayne Tinkle, Tres is a pretty good athlete who's a good shooter from beyond the arc. It'll be interesting to see where his development goes this year. Tinkle's absence allowed forward/center Drew Eubanks (he's getting NBA looks) to emerge as one of the top players on the team; he was second on the team in scoring, and led the Beavers in rebounding. Tinkle and Eubanks, along with black guard Stephen Thompson, should form a formidable trio for Oregon State. In addition, the Beavers will also have role players Seth Berger, Gligorgie Rakocevic, and Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, freshman Zach Reichle seeing the floor, with Berger or Rakocevic possibly starting. The Beavers should be a MUCH improved team this year, and with Tinkle's good coaching, should have a shot at the NCAAs.

Tres Tinkle

Drew Eubanks

Creighton is another team to watch this year. The Bluejays will be looking to get back into the NCAA tournament, and they'll be playing a few more white players this year than last year. Two of them should be starting in senior forward Toby Hegner, a prototypical stretch four, and sophomore Slovenian forward Martin Krampelj, who should be more of an inside presence. The other two contributors in the post this year will be white guys in senior grad transfer Manny Suarez, and high upside freshman center Jacob Epperson. Epperson will be a stud one day. McDermott reportedly wanted to redshirt him, but due to lack of options, Epperson should be playing right away. He's gt all the potential int he world, and I think he'll be much better in February than in November. In the backcourt, freshman two guard Mitchell Ballock will be fun to watch this year. Everything I've seen says Ballock will be a big contributor off the bench this year. Senior Tyler Clement, a walk-on, should get 5-10 minutes of backup PG duty. So two white starters, and possibly four white reserves off the bench? Sounds like a good team to me.

Toby Hegner

Martin Krampelj

Finally, I figured I'd mention a player who'll be doing pretty well on an otherwise all-black team: Luke Maye. The national hero of the NCAA tournament last year with his buzzer beater against Kentucky, Maye will be starting in the frontcourt for UNC this year. Get this: Maye has reportedly been the player that's been standing out in Tar Heels' practices. Tar Heel DWFs everywhere will no doubt be shocked when Maye simply puts up good numbers this year. I've read articles predicting a nice jump in Maye's stats. Unless freshman sharpshooter Andrew Platek really impresses, Maye will likely be the only white Tar Heel to see significant minutes. Still, he's a great guy to cheer for.

Luke Maye: Cementing Himself in NCAA Tournament History

I didn't realize Jordan has recruited that many white players. You're right, he deserves a chance to show he is impartial and will give our guys a chance. He seems to be doing that so far. We can enjoy watching the Bulldogs this year.

Yep! It's been hard, but I've been trying to give new coaches a little bit of a chance, especially at a school that's traditionally had some white players on the team. Jordan also has Jeff Meyer, a great former Michigan assistant, on his staff.

 

[Deceptive Speed]

Notre Dame
2017 Notre Dame earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament in March, and were knocked out in the second round by West Virginia. HC Mike Brey led the Irish to a 26-10 record in 2016-17, finishing 4th in the ACC. They lost 2 key players to graduation in (black)F- V.J. Beachem, and (white) G- Steve Vasturia who was arguably their most important player averaging 13 ppg and 3.3 apg. Black and very under-sized 6'5 225 PF Bonzie Colson returns, and he somehow managed a double-double 17.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg. White Lithuanian (Sr) Martinas Geben will be the starting Center. (So) F- John Mooney 6'9 246 is another white player to keep your eye on, he'll likely back-up Bonzie.

Returning (Sr) PG Matt Farrell is the engine and leader of this team, but he's much more than just a game controller. Farrell has the speed to finish on the break, and make hard drives to the basket. He hasn't gone unnoticed either being named on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List, which honors the Nations Top Point Guard! In a fair world Matt Farrell would at least be worthy of 1st round interest, but DWF scouts are quick to point out the fact he's undersized, and lacks the athleticism for the NBA. Farrell averaged 14.1 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.4 spg in 2016-17.

(Sr) PG- Matt Farrell 6'1 180


Another top player returning for the fighting Irish is SG Rex Plueger, whom coaches call their best defender. He's also their most Athletic player too, capable of throwing down thunderous jams! Pflueger only held averages of 5.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 1.0 spg in 2016-17, but with Vasturia and others gone he figures to have more freedom on of. He should get a shot at the NBA simply because of his Athleticism and wingspan, he has the making of a solid 3 and D guy in the NBA!

(Jr) SG- Rex Pflueger 6'6 210 . These highlights show-case what he's all about:

(Sr) C Martinas Gebin 6'10 255
The Lithuanian Big man started 23 games last season, only averaging 3.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg in 12.4 mins. Geben does the dirty work critically under-sized F Bonzie Colson 6'5 225 can't/won't do, protecting the rim, setting screens, bodying the other teams Big. His numbers will improve, but what makes him so valuable doesn't show in the boxscore.

 

[Riggins44]

Here are a couple of previews:

Oregon State had a dismal record last year with just 5 wins. Injuries decimated the Beavers last year, including their best players. Well, the Beavers' best player is back and ready to go this year. That guy is forward Tres Tinkle, who was leading the Beavers in scoring and rebounding through six games last year before getting hurt. The good news is that Tinkle got a medical redshirt, and is only a sophomore this year! The son of coach Wayne Tinkle, Tres is a pretty good athlete who's a good shooter from beyond the arc. It'll be interesting to see where his development goes this year. Tinkle's absence allowed forward/center Drew Eubanks (he's getting NBA looks) to emerge as one of the top players on the team; he was second on the team in scoring, and led the Beavers in rebounding. Tinkle and Eubanks, along with black guard Stephen Thompson, should form a formidable trio for Oregon State. In addition, the Beavers will also have role players Seth Berger, Gligorgie Rakocevic, and Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, freshman Zach Reichle seeing the floor, with Berger or Rakocevic possibly starting. The Beavers should be a MUCH improved team this year, and with Tinkle's good coaching, should have a shot at the NCAAs.

Tres Tinkle

Drew Eubanks

Creighton is another team to watch this year. The Bluejays will be looking to get back into the NCAA tournament, and they'll be playing a few more white players this year than last year. Two of them should be starting in senior forward Toby Hegner, a prototypical stretch four, and sophomore Slovenian forward Martin Krampelj, who should be more of an inside presence. The other two contributors in the post this year will be white guys in senior grad transfer Manny Suarez, and high upside freshman center Jacob Epperson. Epperson will be a stud one day. McDermott reportedly wanted to redshirt him, but due to lack of options, Epperson should be playing right away. He's gt all the potential int he world, and I think he'll be much better in February than in November. In the backcourt, freshman two guard Mitchell Ballock will be fun to watch this year. Everything I've seen says Ballock will be a big contributor off the bench this year. Senior Tyler Clement, a walk-on, should get 5-10 minutes of backup PG duty. So two white starters, and possibly four white reserves off the bench? Sounds like a good team to me.

Toby Hegner

Martin Krampelj

Finally, I figured I'd mention a player who'll be doing pretty well on an otherwise all-black team: Luke Maye. The national hero of the NCAA tournament last year with his buzzer beater against Kentucky, Maye will be starting in the frontcourt for UNC this year. Get this: Maye has reportedly been the player that's been standing out in Tar Heels' practices. Tar Heel DWFs everywhere will no doubt be shocked when Maye simply puts up good numbers this year. I've read articles predicting a nice jump in Maye's stats. Unless freshman sharpshooter Andrew Platek really impresses, Maye will likely be the only white Tar Heel to see significant minutes. Still, he's a great guy to cheer for.

Luke Maye: Cementing Himself in NCAA Tournament History



Yep! It's been hard, but I've been trying to give new coaches a little bit of a chance, especially at a school that's traditionally had some white players on the team. Jordan also has Jeff Meyer, a great former Michigan assistant, on his staff.

Great write up JL!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Thanks Riggins; I appreciate it! Also, great write-up on Notre Dame, Deceptive Speed! I look forward to seeing more of your contributions.

I'll get to Wisconsin once I can see what their exhibition starting lineup against Northern Iowa (another team to watch, especially with Wichita State out of the MVC) on Wednesday. Hopefully, I'll get a couple more teams/players up tonight.

 

[Jack Lambert]

A player that I believe could warrant All-ACC plays for Georgia Tech. That is senior center Ben Lammers. The 6-10 big man exploded on to the scene for a very improved Yellow Jackets team last year. Lammers was among the nation's leaders in blocks last year with 3.4. He nearly averaged a double double with 14.5 PPG and 9.6 RPG last year. He's going to be a monster this year, mark my words. Lammers will be fun to watch, even on an otherwise nearly all-black team. The only other white player who may see time is freshman forward Evan Cole.

Ben Lammers obviously exercising his white privilege.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I was going to wait for Wisconsin's game on Wednesday to write them up, but I saw that Gard revealed their starters and the first part of their bench from the Badgers' weekend scrimmage against Missouri (which the Badgers won).

The Wisconsin Badgers under Bo Ryan and now Greg Gard have been a model of consistency. They've made the NCAA tournament in 19 straight season!! What's probably even more perplexing to observers is that they've mostly been doing it with "homegrown" and "blue collar" players. Of course, the other way Wisconsin has been consistent is in being fair to white athletes, actually giving them a shot to develop and succeed. The result? Look at the start of the paragraph; they've been what you want in a college basketball team.

This year's team doesn't look to change the Badgers' winning formula. Wisconsin will likely have three white starters to open the season, with several more contributing off the bench. 6'3 sophomore two-guard Brevin Pritzl is moving into Zak Showalter's shoes in the starting lineup. Pritzl is a bit more offensive oriented than his predecessor; Pritzl's strength is lighting up the nets from beyond the arc. I'm glad to see his defense is apparently now at a level where he can play big minutes. Look for big nights from Pritzl. At the 4 spot, the starting honors look to be going to 7'0 junior Belgian Andy Van Vliet. Even more so than Pritzl, Van Vliet's minutes were limited last year. Now with Hayes departing, it looks like Van Vliet has the leg up for Hayes's old spot. From what I've heard, he's improved his game a LOT this year, and should be fun to watch. Off the bench, you'll see freshman combo guard Brad Davison, who will be one of the first players in the game. He's going to be special; he's had a great summer/fall. Others white players likely to be seen at some point are forwards Alex Illikainen and Nathan Reuvers.

I've saved the best Badger for last. He needs no introduction anywhere in the country. That would be 6'10 Junior forward/center Ethan Happ. Happ is simply a monster inside, nearly unstoppable at times. Happ is great on offense and on defense; he averaged 14 PPG and 9 RPG last year, to go with 43 blocks and 67 steals! He's one of the Top 10 players in the country, and is on various preseason All-America teams. Happ is the engine that makes Wisconsin go, and I think he's got a good enough supporting cast for Wisconsin to surprise "experts" this year.

Ethan Happ: All-American

Brevin Pritzl

Andy Van Vliet

 

[Freethinker]

Heard that Happ has been working on this 3-point shot. If he expands his range to beyond the arch, he’ll have a much more rounded and dangerous game. It also improves his NBA aspirations greatly.

 

[Deceptive Speed]

Virginia Cavaliers
HC Tony Bennett's Cavaliers' will look to improve on 2016-17's 22-10 overall record in the ACC, and they have all the weapons required to do it. (Sr) PG- London Perrantes departed for the NBA. Talented Memphis transfer (Jr) F Austin Nichols was a huge disappointment, as he was dismissed from the team early last season.

Virginia have a very talented back court to look forward to! Phenom G Kyle Guy returns as a starter, after an impressive Fr. year averaging 7.5 ppg 2.0 apg in 18.6 mins. Pairing with Guy in the backcourt is PG Ty Jerome who also impressed as a Fr. last year, coming off the bench to post 4.8 ppg 2.8 apg in 13.9 mins.
Virginia's front court will be just as impressive, with returning starter (Jr) C Jack Salt. Along with RS (Fr) F Jay Huff projected to start, at 7'1 240 he's got coaches excited. (Fr) F Austin Katstra 6'6 214 is a back-up swing-man who will see some playing time as well.

G Kyle Guy 6'2 175
Former Mr. Basketball in Indiana, and a rare white McDonald's All-American. (S0) Kyle Guy play's a combo-guard role for Virginia, but will play PG in a pinch. Guy is Virginia's best shooter with a 49.5% clip from down-town, he will be their go-to scorer entering the season.
Guy has been critcized for his slim 175 lb frame, and needs to bulk up. To sum him up he's just a talented all-around scorer, and has the athleticism to throw a couple down. He will be very fun to watch!


PG Ty Jerome 6'5 200
A Former 4-star recruit, who came off the bench mostly last season as a PG/SG. Ty Jerome is actually projected to be Virginia's primary ball-handler despite his size at 6'5. Last season he produced 4.5 ppg in 13.9 mins, he projects to see a huge spike in production. Ty is a big and physical PG that can shoot, and control the game with his ball-handling and passing ability. His weakness is on defense "reportedly", but I think he has tools to prove some doubters wrong. Look out for the Jerome to Guy connection!!


C Jack Salt 6'10 250
A native of Auckland, New Zealand, (Jr) Jack Salt averaged 4.2 ppg 4.1 rpg and 0.7 bpg last season. A returning starter, he holds down the middle. A tenacious rebounder, he should see a up in production as well!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Great write-up on UVA, Deceptive!!

Michigan under Jon Beilien is usually a CF favorite, frequently featuring at least a couple of white players on the team. This year's team looks to be the same; the Wolverines will have two white starters, and two white forwards coming off the bench. The star of the team is 6'11, 245 lb. junior Mortiz Wagner. The big German has rightly drawn comparisons to Dirk. This guy is simply amazing when he's on. Wagner has some dribbling skills, is athletic, can hit the three, drive to the basket, post up, you name the way, and Wagner will score. Defense (of course) has been looked at as his weaker point. Wagner will look to improve that this year, hopefully not committing as many fouls as the last two years. Wagner turned down the NBA to return to Ann Arbor, so look for him to be the team's go-to guy. He's Michigan's returning leading scorer, rebounder, and steals man. If all goes to plan, his numbers (12 PPG, 4 RPG) should sky-rocket this year. Wagner should have a shot for 1st team all Big 10 if he plays to his potential.

Moritz Wagner

With DJ Wilson off to the NBA, the other starting forward spot will go to senior Duncan Robinson, who played the super-sub last year. The 6'8 guard/forward will be lighting it up from beyond the arc this year, as Robinson is the team's best threat from deep. He's more than just a deep threat, and I hope he'll show that this year. There are times when he can slash to the basket. He's also competent on defense and is more athletic than given credit for, despite what DWFs say. Look for Robinson to be one of the team's leading scorers this year as his minutes expand again. As a side note, Robinson was mired in obscurity at a DIII colleges until a former assistant coach of Jon Bielien's, who coached Robinson at the DIII level, recommended him to Beilien. I'm curious how many Duncan Robinsons may be out there at lower levels, but don't get noticed.

Duncan Robinson show he isn't just a three point threat.

The other two white men who will see time for Michigan this year are both big guys. Those would be sophomore Jon Teske, at 7'1, 255, and redshirt freshman Austin Davis, at 6'10, 245. I haven't seen either of these guys, but I've heard Beilien likes Davis inside, and that Teske moves the ball really well when down low. I'm expecting they'll do a lot of subbing for Wagner, or one of the guards if Michigan wants to put Robinson on the wing and move Wagner to forward. I could see times where the Wolverines will have three white guys on the court this year if Teske and Davis are ready to play. Another great Big 10 team to cheer for! Go Wolverines!

 

[DixieDestroyer]

“BSPN” gives its pre-season top 50 player list. Happ is #2, Allen #6, Landale # 10, Mike Daum # 26, Moe Wagner # 31, Matt Farrell # 40, Haas # 42, sviatoslav mykhailiuk # 47.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/21273080

 

[Deceptive Speed]

Arizona State: Here's one you probably didn't expect!
2016-17 HC Bobby Hurley's Sun Devils finished 15-18 in the PAC-12, which is pretty shitty so I guess he realized maybe he needed some (Crafty) players.
Their Back court took a big hit when G Sam Cunliffe transfered to Kansas this off-season, he's a Monster! Do-it-all Sr. G Kodi Justice will compensate for his loss! Justice played in a combo guard role last year, and managed 9.2 ppg 2.4 apg and 1.3 spg. PG depth is stocked with white PG's, Sr. Austin Witherill 6' 175, and So. Grant Fogerty 6' 180! Witherill will be the first PG off the bench, and Fogerty will mainly see garbage mins.
The Sun Devils Front court is what really grabbed my attention, with bona-fide star and caste-buster Mickey Mitchell. From the Ukraine Fr. Vitaliy Shibel should start or be their spark plug off the bench. They also have a potential hidden Gem in former FC Barcelona and Spainish National Team player S0. F Ramon Vila 6'8 245!

Back to Mitchell, he was Rated the top Player in Texas coming out of HS in 2015, and was a highly touted recruit for Ohio State. He transfered to Arizona st. sitting out 16-17 per transfer rules. If you haven't seen Mickey's HS highlights you've been missing out! He's an explosive, physical, Tank scoring the ball, but what makes him special is his "tight handles" and "defense spliting passes"! He can even play PG some games at freakin 6'7 230! He has the potential to be a "White Lebron James" dead serious!!!
(So) F- Mickey Mitchell 6'7 230

Arizona native Kodi Justice was lightly recruited out of HS. Turns out he's a deadly shooter with a team best 42% from 3. Not just a catch and shoot guy either he consistently creates his own shot, and drives to the rim hard keeping the D honest. He posted 9.2 ppg 2.4 apg and 1.4 spg in 16-17, with no Cunliffe there's no reason he can't drop 14 ppg!
(Sr) SG- Kodi Justice 6'5 190


Ukrainian Shibel is a lanky, agile PF in the mold of 76'er Dario Saric. He play's like a modern stretch-4, and there still isn't that many in college. He'll give Arizona st. a dimension they probably havn't had in a long time, which is a Big man knocking down 3's.
(Fr) F- Vitaliy Shibel 6'9 215

 

[Deceptive Speed]

Ole Miss: The Rebels have a new trend going, which is I guess recruit a ****-load of Euro's! HC Andy Kennedy's Rebels finished 22-14 in 16-17. Kennedy must've not got the memo of how Ole Miss' roster is suppose to look like, because he's got 7 whites (2 starters) on it! Yes their mostly Euro's, but still when was the last time Ole Piss flirted with the possibility of 3 white starters!?
Their back court is not there yet, but they have a little gem. Ukrainian Fr. PG Ilya Tyrtyshnik 6'3 190 who was one of the highest rated Euro Guard prospect's of 2017. Ilya's pretty much it, other than (Sr) PG Lane Below who gets some mins, and walk-on Fr. Antonio Morgano.

Their front-court was what really caught my eye with returning starter F Justas Furmanavicius, and C Dominik Olejniczak holding down the paint! The scenario would've been even crazier for Ole Piss with 3 white starters, but Latvian Fr. F Karlis Silins 6'11 245 was ruled out for the season, after injuring needing surgery on his knee. Silins will still have a bright future hopefully! Lastly So. F Eric Horn 6'7 190, a JC transfer is on scholarship and looks like he could contribute.

Lithuanian Justas Furmanavicius is a tweener type, who plays the 3 and 4 spot. At 6'7 215 he's slightly under-sized for PF, but he plays well there by using his physicality, long wing-span, and jacked-up physique. As for the 3 spot, his athleticism is there and he may be their best defender, but his shooting is just "decent" at .285% from 3. If he can improve his shot, and build on his 16-17 numbers of 6.8 ppg 5.5 rpg 1.0 spg and 1.1 bpg in 25 mins, he'll really surprise some people!
(Sr) F- Justas Furmanavicius 6'7 215


Poland native C Dominic Olejniczak is a transfer from Drake, that sat out 16-17 per transfer rules. He's a Big bodied C at 7'0 255, he averaged 6.5 ppg and 4.2 rpg as a Fr. for Drake in 2015-16. He's by far the biggest player on the Rebel's roster after Silins was lost, and he probably will be their most important player this year. With no other True Centers on the Reb's roster, expect Olejniczak to play alot and post Big numbers!
(So) C- Dominik Olejniczak 7'0 255


The Ole Miss Euro Pipe-line is real!

 

[celticdb15]

3 UCLA student affletes including Li Angelo Ball were arrested in China for shoplifting while playing there for a tournament.

 

[Jack Lambert]

First, another round of great previews from deceptive speed! Great job!

3 UCLA student affletes including Li Angelo Ball were arrested in China for shoplifting while playing there for a tournament.

Unfortunately for those three at this time, it may not be looking too good for them. Due to the fact these three have next to no education about anything unrelated to basketball or "hip hop culture" they decided to no doubt disregard the various warnings they got about breaking the law in China from the coaches, etc. Even an average person knows not to do anything stupid in Communist China. No doubt these three are used to getting their way in the USA, and they'll no doubt be shocked the Chinese "justice" system isn't like the good old USA. It'll be interesting to follow this. Although 3-10 years for shoplifting is absolutely insane.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...e-3-10-years-in-jail-for-shoplifting-in-china

 

[Bruce]

3 UCLA student affletes including Li Angelo Ball were arrested in China for shoplifting while playing there for a tournament.

If standard practices are applied, the three UCLA basketball players – including LiAngelo Ball – arrested Tuesday in mainland China under suspicion of shoplifting face between three and 10 years in prison if convicted, according a lawyer familiar with Chinese law who communicated with Yahoo Sports on the condition of anonymity because he doesn’t want to speak out about the Chinese government.

The three men could be detained for more than a month without American-style bail before local prosecutors even decide whether to press charges, according to William Nee, a Hong Kong-based researcher of the Chinese court system for Amnesty International.

Nee said it is not uncommon for a defendant to wait 30-37 days before being officially indicted. Among those indicted, Chinese prosecutors enjoy a 99.2 percent conviction rate, according to Nee’s research.

While it is unknown exactly what the players are being detained for, Chinese law calls for a fine and between three to 10 years in prison for anyone convicted of “robbing public or private property using force, coercion, or other methods.”
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let's hope justice prevails. And for anyone who doesn't follow basketball that closely this kid comes from a well off family. The idea that crime and poverty are correlated has always been ridiculous. It's blackness and crime that are directly correlated .

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Unfortunately for those three at this time, it may not be looking too good for them. Due to the fact these three have next to no education about anything unrelated to basketball or "hip hop culture" they decided to no doubt disregard the various warnings they got about breaking the law in China from the coaches, etc. Even an average person knows not to do anything stupid in Communist China. No doubt these three are used to getting their way in the USA, and they'll no doubt be shocked the Chinese "justice" system isn't like the good old USA. It'll be interesting to follow this. Although 3-10 years for shoplifting is absolutely insane.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...e-3-10-years-in-jail-for-shoplifting-in-china

3-10 years is indeed too much. They should just publicly lash them & make them pay a fine...then send ‘em packing.

 

[Jack Lambert]

The season starts tomorrow, so I figured I'd give CF users a list of games to view over the weekend. These will only be the games that are on TV somewhere. I'm not sure which games will be on the main network channels... those are just the channels I've got listed.

Friday
7:00PM EST
UNC Greensboro, Virginia (ESPN3)
SCST, Wisconsin (BTN)
Maryland, Stony Brook (BTN)
Elon, Duke (ESPN3)
Kennesaw State, Butler (FCS)

8:00PM EST
SIUE, Purdue (BTN)
L-MD, Northwestern (BTN)

9:00 PM
Chicago State, Iowa (BTN)
Belmont, Washington (Pac12)

11:30 PM
Georgia Tech, UCLA (ESPN)

Saturday
4:00 PM EST
DePaul, Notre Dame (FS1)

7:30 PM
North Florida, Michigan (BTN)

 

[Riggins44]

“BSPN” gives its pre-season top 50 player list. Happ is #2, Allen #6, Landale # 10, Mike Daum # 26, Moe Wagner # 31, Matt Farrell # 40, Haas # 42, sviatoslav mykhailiuk # 47.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/21273080

DD, who is Haas? Looking through this thread I don't see anyone with that name.