2024 Offseason

[clenz]

I can see that "issue" but I would argue that playing the long game is going to work better now that you can transfer freely. Wes and all of those other guys had to sit out a year unless they had a good reason according to the NCAA which meant they were less likely to transfer down to us. Now they can transfer whenever they want which makes it easier for guys like Hutson, Wes, Paul to come back sooner instead of contemplating sitting out a year.

I would also argue that Paul and Wes were not game changes when we got them. In fact, Wes averaged 8.3, 7.6 and then 14.2ppg each season he was with us. Paul averaged 5.9 and then 10.8ppg. They were good pieces to add to the team we currently had and then developed a great fit with Jeremy Morgan, Bohannon, and Koch by their senior years when they needed to step up.

I think our high school recruiting is where it needs to be and if we can develop them and then add in a piece or two like Hutson every other year then I think we are good to compete for the top of the MVC and compete to get into the tournament.

We are, largely, agreeing but saying it in different words.

We need to recruit HS to develop the depth and majority of our pieces, but we need to take more "chances" on guys to come in and be the pieces that forces other teams to make changes against us. Jake has only ever done that when he knows for a fact those guys will come here and he recruited them out of HS. You never see us connected in transfer recruiting. If we are you know there is about an 80% chance they end up here.

Wes and Paul absolutely were game changers, but not in a drop-20-a-night way.

Wes gave us athletic ability on on the outside that we hadn't had before, or since. His ability to slash and drive on offense and match up anywhere on defense without needing help was game-changing because it meant one less defender having to help off to take his guy on defense. His ability to slash and drive opens up options for guys like Bo on the outside to shoot. Defenses had to pick between helping off Bo to stop the drive and take passing lanes or let Wes penetrate and draw fouls/dish off.

Paul's size plus shooting made him a match-up nightmare for other defenses, and much like having Wes out there, forced defenses to pick their poison. He opened up so many other options for other guys on the court. Similarly on defense his length, and being a good enough athlete, made him a ***** to go against when we were on defense because he could take the wing and do just fine and take the majority of post guys as well.

I get when people think "game changer" they think of someone like AJ Green, Seth Tuttle, Tucker, Xavier Johnson, etc. That's not what we need in a game changer in our system. A game changer for us forces the other team to alter what they are doing just enough to let the other pieces of the roster do what they do well.

We didn't have anyone that could do what Wes, or Kwadzo, did from the point allowing Bowen to not have to fight for 30 minutes a game to get half-decent looks. No one to help cover a combo of wing/post defensively.

Heise is a hell of a player. He can/did do it all for us. He shouldn't have been the #1 though. He is a jack-of-all master-of-none type player. Nate as the #2 option to run the team is where he will, truly, flourish. He isn't "good enough" to force the other team to alter what they are doing offensively or defensively to open up the rest of the roster to be dangerous. That's not me going "He isn't one of us anymore, so I'm going to knock him". To the contrary, his being forced into that role and doing it as well as he did shows how good he is. Heise at the 3 with Bowen at the 3 with someone with a similar skill set to Wes (even at his 8ppg self) running the offense would have made this offense so damn dangerous.

That's what I mean by game changer. I don't think we need to try to find a 20/7/5 guy in the portal. We need guys in here that bring skills and abilities lacking from the rest of the roster we are getting out of HS that prop those guys up. Which is why I said 2 or 3 of them in any given roster cycle. One "fresh to the roster" guy that has a year with Jake to get into the system but is already developed a bit, one older guy that's been here a year or two already, and then maybe a third as a depth piece.

[PantherAlum09]

I was speaking more to finding some kids who have potentially been through adversity. I know that's something that's been brought up in the past for a team that appeared to be lacking some toughness or creativity on the offensive end. I am not "dictating" anything as to how Jake and the coaches approach the portal, but if we keep recruiting the same style of kid, we are going to have problems competing consistently. The thing we lacked compared to ISU, Drake, and Bradley were high end athletes in comparison. Fortunately Jake is a great coach and we can overcome some of that, but it's not the old days. Look what happened with Virginia last night. There are a lot of similarities with the way we do things and how we recruit. They are falling behind. They have a similar roster construction. Kids with good skills but not elite athleticism. We have to find our way to getting that even if they have flaws in some of the other areas we typically value so much. Wes is the best example for our recent history because he put so much pressure on the defense.

That's all I was trying to say. I genuinely don't care where we get kids from, but I want to see us adapt and compete at the top. We have the coaching to do it. Now we just need to take some chances like clenz said and find some legitimate athletes that can bring something different to the team.

[PantherAlum09]

For crying out loud. Now Landon Wolf is in the portal.

[Wxcpanther]

Cole we knew about. Nate wasn't a total shock. Mike and Ege, made sense. Landon is a shock. Would have potentially pegged him as a starter/6th man with Mike and Nate gone.

[BCPanther]

That's 4 rides we've got to play with.

Let's get a roster together that looks like the teams that have seemingly passed us by in the last couple years.

[PantherAlum09]

That's 4 rides we've got to play with.

Let's get a roster together that looks like the teams that have seemingly passed us by in the last couple years.

I agree. But I was also really excited to see what Landon could do. He really showed some good stuff at the end of this year. He was one of the few that really drove it into the trees. Hard to imagine a Wolf leaving UNI.

[DownGoesKansas]

What is going on?

I get the let's build a roster sentiment. But we don't exactly have a track record of doing that to build confidence..

[clenz]

What is going on?

I get the let's build a roster sentiment. But we don't exactly have a track record of doing that to build confidence..

We haven't had transfers out the last few years. We were the one program that always avoided the transfer issue.

How could the staff create a record of doing that to "build confidence"?

Going into this past season the running joke I went with "Good news: everyone is bad. Bad news: every one that is back finished in 8th place the year before"

There hasn't been the ability to rebuild a roster - for better or worse.

I get this is new to this program, but stop freaking out and going "what is wrong?" "what is happening" "is Jake leaving" (as I've seen elsewhere). We were the one program that had avoided any transfer-related shifts.

This program had got stale, and having AJ for a few years hid that. This is a chance for Jake, and crew, to hit a bit of a reset.

I think UNI fans, even those outside, are going to be in for a bit of a wake-up call for where this roster truly has gotten to when we start to see where anyone that is leaving right now, outside of Heise, actually ends up and how they perform there.

I don't think we see many/any "go up" so to speak.

[BCPanther]

I was speaking more to finding some kids who have potentially been through adversity. I know that's something that's been brought up in the past for a team that appeared to be lacking some toughness or creativity on the offensive end. I am not "dictating" anything as to how Jake and the coaches approach the portal, but if we keep recruiting the same style of kid, we are going to have problems competing consistently. The thing we lacked compared to ISU, Drake, and Bradley were high end athletes in comparison. Fortunately Jake is a great coach and we can overcome some of that, but it's not the old days. Look what happened with Virginia last night. There are a lot of similarities with the way we do things and how we recruit. They are falling behind. They have a similar roster construction. Kids with good skills but not elite athleticism. We have to find our way to getting that even if they have flaws in some of the other areas we typically value so much. Wes is the best example for our recent history because he put so much pressure on the defense.

That's all I was trying to say. I genuinely don't care where we get kids from, but I want to see us adapt and compete at the top. We have the coaching to do it. Now we just need to take some chances like clenz said and find some legitimate athletes that can bring something different to the team.

1000% this. We don't need to lead the world in GPA and we don't need to have every single kid come from an upper middle class suburb.

I also think we see what UNI basketball looks like with more athleticism and length when you look at what Iowa State is doing. That is a carbon copy of UNIs scheme from 2008-2015 but they've got dudes. Obviously, we're not getting that level of size but there's no reason we can't get that level of athleticism.

[06panther10]

Landon and Duax leaving due to playing time is pretty laughable to me. If they want to transfer down a level just so they can play 25+ min a night, then more power to them. But if they think they are transferring laterally or upward and finding increased playing time and roles, they are mistaken. They are both good to solid role players on a good D1 basketball team.

Coach Jake now as an opportunity to really earn his paycheck and rebuild this roster and change the direction of this program in a mater of just a few months. We have really intriguing roster spots open on a team that still has very good pieces in place. There is a chance to find players to plug in to this program next year that makes us a great team again. The coaches just have to go out and get them. Add players that raise our ceiling. Add players that don't take 3-4 years to get a return of investment on.

Unique opportunity to turn this ship around, its time to strike.

[SteinPizza]

I think UNI fans, even those outside, are going to be in for a bit of a wake-up call for where this roster truly has gotten to when we start to see where anyone that is leaving right now, outside of Heise, actually ends up and how they perform there.

I don't think we see many/any "go up" so to speak.

I agree with this. Heise is the one portal guy who has a legit chance at P6 minutes. Someone at the mid major level may take a chance on Wolf purely as a shooter, but there are plenty of shooters in the portal every year who are as good or better than him.

No offense to anyone who might leave. They all had their positives and contributed. If they’re leaving to get larger roles somewhere else, more power to them and I hope it works out.

[clenz]

Landon and Duax leaving due to playing time is pretty laughable to me. If they want to transfer down a level just so they can play 25+ min a night, then more power to them. But if they think they are transferring laterally or upward and finding increased playing time and roles, they are mistaken. They are both good to solid role players on a good D1 basketball team.

Coach Jake now as an opportunity to really earn his paycheck and rebuild this roster and change the direction of this program in a mater of just a few months. We have really intriguing roster spots open on a team that still has very good pieces in place. There is a chance to find players to plug in to this program next year that makes us a great team again. The coaches just have to go out and get them. Add players that raise our ceiling. Add players that don't take 3-4 years to get a return of investment on.

Unique opportunity to turn this ship around, its time to strike.

Bingo.

This roster needed something like this

And the guys leaving will find success somewhere, but it's not going to be at a higher level than where they were at UNI - especially if they are doing it to get more minutes.

[BCPanther]

There's still a really nice core with Born, Campbell, Anderson and Hutson. If we can get some athleticism and shooting to put around them we've got a chance to jump quick. Rubin and Hornseth are also going to make a difference and you hope that RJ and Pock take that 2nd year jump.

My biggest fear is that Jake replaces the guys that left with the exact same type of player and wants to go with that returning group in expanded roles. That's not the way to go about this.

[Wxcpanther]

Everything that has been said above, PLUS Jake FINALLY has institutional support and will really have something to sell to recruits beyond "Family". The man has been working with 1 arm tied behind his back for a long time, cut him Tutt and G loose with 4 scholarships and something to sell. I'm pumped again, when is media day??

[CyCarp]

Man, I wasn't anticipating Landon leaving, I thought he could have been a dude for us with his ability to shoot. Well coaches, time to earn for paychecks. With that said, yes, I love the idea of getting the type of kid who has been through adversity and bringing a bit of an attitude.