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You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

I wonder with Lahkin...hate to wildly speculate but I've been wondering this for a few months...here is a kid whose country is at war losing 900-1000 guys from the battlefield a day and he's of conscription age. Not just the constant reminder living here that the lunatics running his country and military are in a multi-year war of aggression but he probably knows of or is possibly related to young men who have been thrown into that meat grinder. For all we know if he goes home he's a conscription candidate. Perhaps that has nothing to do with how he oddly vanished a lot of the past few months but it can't be easy.

(03-27-2024 12:05 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I wonder with Lahkin...hate to wildly speculate but I've been wondering this for a few months...here is a kid whose country is at war losing 900-1000 guys from the battlefield a day and he's of conscription age. Not just the constant reminder living here that the lunatics running his country and military are in a multi-year war of aggression but he probably knows of or is possibly related to young men who have been thrown into that meat grinder. For all we know if he goes home he's a conscription candidate. Perhaps that has nothing to do with how he oddly vanished a lot of the past few months but it can't be easy.

Russia's been in Ukraine for a decade and the greater invasion started two years ago. Unless he has some close friends/family members that are on the frontlines, I doubt that that the war is the greatest of his problems right now. I work with Ukrainians and Russians every day. Their culture isn't about throwing a pity party for themselves. If he misses his family that much, he can meet them in Dubai during the offseason.

At worst, Vik can grad transfer next season and hopefully get back on track for a pro career.

(03-27-2024 12:05 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I wonder with Lahkin...hate to wildly speculate but I've been wondering this for a few months...here is a kid whose country is at war losing 900-1000 guys from the battlefield a day and he's of conscription age. Not just the constant reminder living here that the lunatics running his country and military are in a multi-year war of aggression but he probably knows of or is possibly related to young men who have been thrown into that meat grinder. For all we know if he goes home he's a conscription candidate. Perhaps that has nothing to do with how he oddly vanished a lot of the past few months but it can't be easy.

I can’t imagine the terrorist attack helped either. No idea what is really going on but the conflict can’t help his mental state.

That being said, I believe I posted something about how UC wouldn’t make the NCAA tournament until all the Brannen recruits were gone from the program. Well we are almost there.

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

(03-27-2024 08:35 AM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

Because he checked out and didn’t put the effort in. All the talent in the world doesn’t matter if the player isn’t invested in the team.

(03-27-2024 08:38 AM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 08:35 AM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

Because he checked out and didn’t put the effort in. All the talent in the world doesn’t matter if the player isn’t invested in the team.

Then why did Reynolds continue to get minutes? I haven't seen many players who look more checked out than Reynolds when he's playing.

I think it’s pretty clear that Vik and Reynolds are strong candidates to leave the program. When the BCJ crew starts making negative comments about those players on their podcast it’s a good sign that information is coming from a combination of what they see and what they hear from inside the program.

Low Motor: Reynolds
Checked out: Vik

That tells you everything you need to know about their future. Could something change over the next few weeks. Heck yes because there is always time to refresh and reflect and make an rational and not an emotional choice.

(03-27-2024 12:05 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I wonder with Lahkin...hate to wildly speculate but I've been wondering this for a few months...here is a kid whose country is at war losing 900-1000 guys from the battlefield a day and he's of conscription age. Not just the constant reminder living here that the lunatics running his country and military are in a multi-year war of aggression but he probably knows of or is possibly related to young men who have been thrown into that meat grinder. For all we know if he goes home he's a conscription candidate. Perhaps that has nothing to do with how he oddly vanished a lot of the past few months but it can't be easy.

Yeah, I cant imagine going through what he is going through. We have a couple of Russian students at our University that I've been working with lately and you can tell they're both just mentally and emotionally worn down by everything.

(03-27-2024 08:42 AM)skyblade Wrote:  Then why did Reynolds continue to get minutes? I haven't seen many players who look more checked out than Reynolds when he's playing.

(03-27-2024 08:43 AM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  I think it’s pretty clear that Vik and Reynolds are strong candidates to leave the program. When the BCJ crew starts making negative comments about those players on their podcast it’s a good sign that information is coming from a combination of what they see and what they hear from inside the program.

Low Motor: Reynolds
Checked out: Vik

That tells you everything you need to know about their future. Could something change over the next few weeks. Heck yes because there is always time to refresh and reflect and make an rational and not an emotional choice.

I saw the podcast you're referencing. The way Chad mentioned it led me to believe it was his opinion vs inside knowledge. I think Reynolds is also the type too who doesn't show a lot of emotion which I think kind of looks worse than it is but I don't disagree that it needs to improve. I bet part of their thought process with him was getting him in shape would improve his energy and that didn't happen. Last night we had to play someone considering Aziz was using a lot of energy trying to guard both inside and out but I would have probably used Ody a little more.

ViK- who knows. Awesome guy and was one of our better players until the illness but weird that he never got back after that. But if he returns he needs to be Aziz's backup. The game is way too skilled to try to play 5's at the 4 and he always had a tendency to make silly mistakes in space.

(03-27-2024 08:35 AM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

They scored 1.16 points per possession last night. They did not lose this game on offense. They did more dribbling than normal because they wanted to put Avila in pick and roll action all night and UC repeatedly guy great looks going toward the rim as a result.

They also created open threes and shot well from outside. They didn't lose the game on the offensive end...other than, they were too sloppy with the ball in the second half...which is the only thing that slowed down the offense all night. They got whatever they wanted in the half court.

(03-27-2024 09:31 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  They also created open threes and shot well from outside. They didn't lose the game on the offensive end...other than, they were too sloppy with the ball in the second half...which is the only thing that slowed down the offense all night. They got whatever they wanted in the half court.

I think the problem with this roster was it had 3 5's and Ody was the only 4. Don't get me wrong you had to take Aziz when he became available but it left us vulnerable to perimeter oriented bigs. Hoping the size of McKinley gives us a different look defending perimeter bigs.

(03-27-2024 08:35 AM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

A guy who quits on a team because he's disgruntled over losing a starting position or playing time is TOXIC. You can't have that. Period.

IF Vik quit on this team, then he needs to be GONE. Period. End of story.

You can't "count on a guy" who does that. If he's a quitter, then he's a cancer that needs to be cut out.

(03-27-2024 11:56 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  A guy who quits on a team because he's disgruntled over losing a starting position or playing time is TOXIC. You can't have that. Period.

IF Vik quit on this team, then he needs to be GONE. Period. End of story.

You can't "count on a guy" who does that. If he's a quitter, then he's a cancer that needs to be cut out.

But we do not know if that is the case or not. I think we are all curious, but to condemn without knowing would be wrong.

(03-27-2024 09:31 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 08:35 AM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

They scored 1.16 points per possession last night. They did not lose this game on offense. They did more dribbling than normal because they wanted to put Avila in pick and roll action all night and UC repeatedly guy great looks going toward the rim as a result.

They also created open threes and shot well from outside. They didn't lose the game on the offensive end...other than, they were too sloppy with the ball in the second half...which is the only thing that slowed down the offense all night. They got whatever they wanted in the half court.

Bolded... completely agree with this take. They hung with and led one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country for almost the entire game. This game was lost because UC defenders chose to go under screens and allow open 3s or not defend the 3 at all due to matchups.

As for the critics of CWM through the year being outcoached, IMO, Jizzle was proof of his coaching prowess for exactly the reasons Mark pointed out. I thought it was a great strategy and wish we had Day Day to attack from the other side as well or that Dan had better success with his usual spinning and driving attacks. I loved having Dan at the free throw line to break down the zone and wish UC had utilized that plan earlier in the year so it was more polished. Dan and Vik at that position passing to Aziz or Reynolds or Simas on the baseline just seems like a productive plan

(03-28-2024 12:47 PM)Cal1362 Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 09:31 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 08:35 AM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:45 PM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  You can’t allow Lakhin to be on the roster next year if you run a serious program. He couldn’t be counted on to help the team the second half of the season and it’s not like he was an under classman. The standard needs to be raised.

Why couldn't he be counted on? I don't agree with Wes demoting him the second half of the season. Last night was a perfect example of when he was needed. UC had no inside presence despite being a significantly bigger team. Other than Lukosius shooting threes, the entire offense stemmed around Jizzle over-dribbling while everyone else stood around. I really just don't get it. Lahkin is a decently skilled big man with a soft touch around the rim. He rebounds acceptably. So why has he gone from leading scorer to DNP over the course of 3 months.

They scored 1.16 points per possession last night. They did not lose this game on offense. They did more dribbling than normal because they wanted to put Avila in pick and roll action all night and UC repeatedly guy great looks going toward the rim as a result.

They also created open threes and shot well from outside. They didn't lose the game on the offensive end...other than, they were too sloppy with the ball in the second half...which is the only thing that slowed down the offense all night. They got whatever they wanted in the half court.

Bolded... completely agree with this take. They hung with and led one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country for almost the entire game. This game was lost because UC defenders chose to go under screens and allow open 3s or not defend the 3 at all due to matchups.

As for the critics of CWM through the year being outcoached, IMO, Jizzle was proof of his coaching prowess for exactly the reasons Mark pointed out. I thought it was a great strategy and wish we had Day Day to attack from the other side as well or that Dan had better success with his usual spinning and driving attacks. I loved having Dan at the free throw line to break down the zone and wish UC had utilized that plan earlier in the year so it was more polished. Dan and Vik at that position passing to Aziz or Reynolds or Simas on the baseline just seems like a productive plan

i think that works against poor, unathletic rim defenders like Avila. it probably wouldn't have the same success against more athletic bigs that he sees in b12 competition. if he develops a reliable mid-range jumper, he can park at the FT line and become a dual scoring threat (still don't trust his passing, especially in close quarters). Until that happens, he's really just challenging defenders at the rim. He makes more of those than most but it's not ideal.

(03-10-2024 08:30 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 07:37 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  The third place team in this league had seven losses in conference.

It's an absolute beast. Kansas beat 3 likely one seeds this year and Kentucky. They have 8 conference losses. Baylor is a top 10-15 team. They have 7 conference losses.

Uc was so close to having a special season. In this league you're a few bad breaks from looking way worse than you are.

In another thread- about next year you agreed with a poster that we should be top 25, and semifinals of Conf tournament etc. The conference is a gauntlet and you are giving one such ex above. I hope you both will be right.

(03-28-2024 10:52 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 08:30 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 07:37 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  The third place team in this league had seven losses in conference.

It's an absolute beast. Kansas beat 3 likely one seeds this year and Kentucky. They have 8 conference losses. Baylor is a top 10-15 team. They have 7 conference losses.

Uc was so close to having a special season. In this league you're a few bad breaks from looking way worse than you are.

In another thread- about next year you agreed with a poster that we should be top 25, and semifinals of Conf tournament etc. The conference is a gauntlet and you are giving one such ex above. I hope you both will be right.

I hope we as a fanbase don't underestimate the Big12 for next year. In the AAC UC could fairly easily make a significant jump from season to season with a key addition. In the Big12, every team almost is a desirable destination for kids in the portal, JUCOs and HS seniors... not just the top 2 or 3 teams. Plus, when you realize the conf is replacing TX (8th) and Okla (9th) who collectively didn't even finish at .500 in the league with AZ (NCAA Top 5-10), Colorado (won 2 games in the NCAAT), UT (semis of the NIT) and ASU next year the road thru the conf and to the NCAAT seems to get more challenging, not less. UC needs stability of roster thru the top 5 or 6 guys and a key add or two to make a move. And keep in mind, IIRC UC had the oldest roster in the conf, if not one of the oldest in the country this year which means growing pains for newer, younger guys. I'm hopeful for a jump but realize the challenge ahead for CWM and the guys.

I do expect, and hope for a move up 2-4 spots in the Big12 standings and would love to see a 4-5 spot move but to be disappointed or p!ssed off if we lose 8 or 9 conf games next yr is not real IMO. I believe the 8th place team in the league, who WILL be a tourney team, will have 8 or 9 conf losses. I half wish that Day Day hadn't gotten hurt so that we could hide Jizzle a little longer :-) because now teams will be game planning for him - but that's a great "problem" to have.

(03-29-2024 02:43 PM)Cal1362 Wrote:  

(03-28-2024 10:52 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 08:30 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 07:37 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  The third place team in this league had seven losses in conference.

It's an absolute beast. Kansas beat 3 likely one seeds this year and Kentucky. They have 8 conference losses. Baylor is a top 10-15 team. They have 7 conference losses.

Uc was so close to having a special season. In this league you're a few bad breaks from looking way worse than you are.

In another thread- about next year you agreed with a poster that we should be top 25, and semifinals of Conf tournament etc. The conference is a gauntlet and you are giving one such ex above. I hope you both will be right.

I hope we as a fanbase don't underestimate the Big12 for next year. In the AAC UC could fairly easily make a significant jump from season to season with a key addition. In the Big12, every team almost is a desirable destination for kids in the portal, JUCOs and HS seniors... not just the top 2 or 3 teams. Plus, when you realize the conf is replacing TX (8th) and Okla (9th) who collectively didn't even finish at .500 in the league with AZ (NCAA Top 5-10), Colorado (won 2 games in the NCAAT), UT (semis of the NIT) and ASU next year the road thru the conf and to the NCAAT seems to get more challenging, not less. UC needs stability of roster thru the top 5 or 6 guys and a key add or two to make a move. And keep in mind, IIRC UC had the oldest roster in the conf, if not one of the oldest in the country this year which means growing pains for newer, younger guys. I'm hopeful for a jump but realize the challenge ahead for CWM and the guys.

I do expect, and hope for a move up 2-4 spots in the Big12 standings and would love to see a 4-5 spot move but to be disappointed or p!ssed off if we lose 8 or 9 conf games next yr is not real IMO. I believe the 8th place team in the league, who WILL be a tourney team, will have 8 or 9 conf losses. I half wish that Day Day hadn't gotten hurt so that we could hide Jizzle a little longer :-) because now teams will be game planning for him - but that's a great "problem" to have.

Yes. This is what I am getting at. Finishing 5th in this conference will not be easy. We could still be a top 6 NCAA seed with a 6th or 7th place finish. Just spitballing but with 20 teams I would figure Top 6-8 finish is more likely where we finish (roster is not set yet for us and opponents though).

(03-30-2024 02:02 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(03-29-2024 02:43 PM)Cal1362 Wrote:  

(03-28-2024 10:52 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 08:30 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 07:37 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  The third place team in this league had seven losses in conference.

It's an absolute beast. Kansas beat 3 likely one seeds this year and Kentucky. They have 8 conference losses. Baylor is a top 10-15 team. They have 7 conference losses.

Uc was so close to having a special season. In this league you're a few bad breaks from looking way worse than you are.

In another thread- about next year you agreed with a poster that we should be top 25, and semifinals of Conf tournament etc. The conference is a gauntlet and you are giving one such ex above. I hope you both will be right.

I hope we as a fanbase don't underestimate the Big12 for next year. In the AAC UC could fairly easily make a significant jump from season to season with a key addition. In the Big12, every team almost is a desirable destination for kids in the portal, JUCOs and HS seniors... not just the top 2 or 3 teams. Plus, when you realize the conf is replacing TX (8th) and Okla (9th) who collectively didn't even finish at .500 in the league with AZ (NCAA Top 5-10), Colorado (won 2 games in the NCAAT), UT (semis of the NIT) and ASU next year the road thru the conf and to the NCAAT seems to get more challenging, not less. UC needs stability of roster thru the top 5 or 6 guys and a key add or two to make a move. And keep in mind, IIRC UC had the oldest roster in the conf, if not one of the oldest in the country this year which means growing pains for newer, younger guys. I'm hopeful for a jump but realize the challenge ahead for CWM and the guys.

I do expect, and hope for a move up 2-4 spots in the Big12 standings and would love to see a 4-5 spot move but to be disappointed or p!ssed off if we lose 8 or 9 conf games next yr is not real IMO. I believe the 8th place team in the league, who WILL be a tourney team, will have 8 or 9 conf losses. I half wish that Day Day hadn't gotten hurt so that we could hide Jizzle a little longer :-) because now teams will be game planning for him - but that's a great "problem" to have.

Yes. This is what I am getting at. Finishing 5th in this conference will not be easy. We could still be a top 6 NCAA seed with a 6th or 7th place finish. Just spitballing but with 20 teams I would figure Top 6-8 finish is more likely where we finish (roster is not set yet for us and opponents though).

16 teams, 20 conference games. Go 12-8 or better with one loss in the non-conference and your getting a 7 seed at worst.