I think Boatright is one of those players that comes in and makes an immediate impact from day one and then gradually improves over his remaining 2-3 years. It's very rare for a player to improve substantially between his junior and senior season, but if there is one person that could buck that trend it is Giffey. Confidence has been half the battle for Giffey over his career, and there's no way his confidence didn't grow astronomically this summer after going to to toe - and often times, outplaying - proven NBA commodities like Nicklas Batum.
As far as I'm concerned, there are two options here, though: Calhoun and Nolan. I've long been one of Calhoun's biggest proponents on this board - he showed flashes of becoming a really good college player in the second half of last season. He's just one of those kids whose confidence and fearlessness is so striking that it's hard to imagine him not having a huge impact on this program. People forget, last summer, there were reports of Calhoun pushing Kemba to the limit in one on one and possibly being the best player on the team as a freshman. I have to think his hip injury limited his mobility and he persevered last season purely on savvy and skill.
If it is indeed Nolan that is the most improved player, this team is, in my estimation, undeniably a legitimate national title contender, and I don't think I'm being a homer in saying that. And there's good reason to think he can be, as he was an entirely different player at the end of last season than he was at the beginning of the year. He was moving his feet in the paint, anticipating plays, throwing elbows around on the block, and even tossing in some flashes of skill I was a bit taken aback by (does anybody remember the play against Cincy where he sliced through the paint and no-looked a pass to an open cutter?). I know he's a sour topic on this board, but Alex Oriakhi's improvements from his freshman to sophomore season were a large reason we cut down the nets. His rebounding totals jumped by over two a game, his field goal percentage shot up, and he nearly doubled his scoring average. His final numbers that season: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 51% shooting. Despite his deficiencies, he was at least a reliable entity down low and someone that was going to hold his own in big games and occasionally dominate the glass. We need Nolan to be 75-80% of what Oriakhi was his sophomore season: give me a 5 point, 7 rebound, 2 block line and I think everybody here will be very happy. Given his added bulk, in addition to the extra inch or two he allegedly gained over the summer, this seems like a fair bench mark for Nolan, and frankly, the ceiling of next years team probably hinges on his development.
