Transfer portal success. Is anybody close?

[Jaydumo20]

I'm being lazy and I know a lot of you like this kind of research: in the short life of the TPortal, has any program had this rate of success? I'd think it'd have to be a huge bonus for any attractive portal free agent. I can't be sure but I doubt Cam, Joey, Diarra and Tristen would've had similar exposure and success had they stayed at their previous schools.
Nobody does it better than this staff

 

[willie99]

Well, since we won a title and we're currently number 1, and transfers have played a major role in both years.... I'm going with an emphatic NO

 

[REB1094]

Even before the portal was a popular thing, too. RJ Cole was a BE first teamer and Tyrese Martin was an NBA draft pick

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

I'm being lazy and I know a lot of you like this kind of research: in the short life of the TPortal, has any program had this rate of success? I'd think it'd have to be a huge bonus for any attractive portal free agent. I can't be sure but I doubt Cam, Joey, Diarra and Tristen would've had similar exposure and success had they stayed at their previous schools.
Nobody does it better than this staff

Hurley and staff definitely do a great job identifying players that either have a weakness that can be improved upon or carving out perfect roles for them. I would like to think if we got Timberlake instead of Spencer, Timberlake would also be lighting it up.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Hurley and staff definitely do a great job identifying players that either have a weakness that can be improved upon or carving out perfect roles for them. I would like to think if we got Timberlake instead of Spencer, Timberlake would also be lighting it up.

I never thought of it that way. It seems that Cam has a better skill set than Nick overall, but it's not unfathomable that Timberlake would have been a big success here. We all think we lucked out that he didn't choose us, but I bet this staff would've made him into something more than he is currently.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Even before the portal was a popular thing, too. RJ Cole was a BE first teamer and Tyrese Martin was an NBA draft pick

Given how the last two years have gone, it is a legitimate question whether the main thing holding Hurley back in his first few years was the (morally correct) decision to keep the Ollie holdovers instead of fully turning over the roster.

 

[husky429]

Given how the last two years have gone, it is a legitimate question whether the main thing holding Hurley back in his first few years was the (morally correct) decision to keep the Ollie holdovers instead of fully turning over the roster.

It was a part of it, but Hurley has admitted to needing to change his offensive philosophy that was holding us back.

 

[gtcam]

Nearly every team that is playing high level D1 ball has experienced success in the portal, or they wouldn't be where they are today.
UConn has experienced very good results with its portal players - no doubt, however it is not exclusive.

 

[Tenspro2002]

It was a part of it, but Hurley has admitted to needing to change his offensive philosophy that was holding us back.

This is fair, but I also wonder if that was a bit of post hoc rationalization.

Like, I find it hard to believe that up until 2022 he preferred a defensive-minded, offensively-limited 4 like Whaley in a 2-big, weak-shooting lineup, and then all of a sudden decided he wanted a guy like Karaban at the 4 who can dribble, shoot, and pass.

It seems more likely that his "philosophy" (or the way it manifested on the court) was more driven by personnel than the other way around.

 

[bfs3]

Hurley and staff definitely do a great job identifying players that either have a weakness that can be improved upon or carving out perfect roles for them. I would like to think if we got Timberlake instead of Spencer, Timberlake would also be lighting it up.

Agreed. Maybe a different role but I have had the same thoughts.

 

[bfs3]

Given how the last two years have gone, it is a legitimate question whether the main thing holding Hurley back in his first few years was the (morally correct) decision to keep the Ollie holdovers instead of fully turning over the roster.

It’s hard to say. He was a players coach but who knows if the level of talent would have been similar or if it would have proven more successful by getting his kind of guys.

Keeping those guys and developing them could have also contributed to getting the players that won us a championship and have us ranked number 1. I have no doubt that Tristan and Cam saw what he did with RJ and Tyrese. I’m sure Whaleys development and Carltons success at Houston only helped legitimize the staff’s ability to develop bigs.

Amok, Bouknight, Sanogo and Jackson and Hawkins all committed to play on a team after visiting those guys. The latter players helped to convince Castle, Donovan and Alex to commit to some degree I’m sure.

Either way, I wouldn’t trade a single one of our guys for any player in the country. We won’t a championship with exactly the right ingredients.

 

[DogMania]

I never thought of it that way. It seems that Cam has a better skill set than Nick overall, but it's not unfathomable that Timberlake would have been a big success here. We all think we lucked out that he didn't choose us, but I bet this staff would've made him into something more than he is currently.

We wouldn't be atop the AP top 25 nor BE if not for Spencer.

As for comparing these two players, Timberlake put up his numbers while at Townsend against much inferior competition than Spencer did who showed an excellent all-around game last year at Rutgers in the B10. With that said, I'm surprised that Timberlake has struggled at KU and shot the three ball so poorly. He usually doesn't get much playing time and it's very hard for sharpshooters to knock 'em down at a good clip when they only get a few minutes on the court. Maybe, Hurley would have done a better job of developing him if he were here, but nonetheless I'm happy with the player that we got.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Well, since we won a title and we're currently number 1, and transfers have played a major role in both years.... I'm going with an emphatic NO

This is pretty much the top line BLUF.

Others can get in to the nuances of it, but for effect? UConn wore it best.

 

[elmcityboy]

This is fair, but I also wonder if that was a bit of post hoc rationalization.

Like, I find it hard to believe that up until 2022 he preferred a defensive-minded, offensively-limited 4 like Whaley in a 2-big, weak-shooting lineup, and then all of a sudden decided he wanted a guy like Karaban at the 4 who can dribble, shoot, and pass.

It seems more likely that his "philosophy" (or the way it manifested on the court) was more driven by personnel than the other way around.

i think that there is some truth to both points, but look at the guys that hurley was recruiting at the 4 before karaban -- akok and johnson were brought here as pretty similar archetypes, athletic power forwards who can block a shot and (theoretically) hit an open three.

i think that part of the reason he was looking for guys like this was because of his early determination to blitz the pick-and-roll, relying on a help defender to protect the rim on the backside of the play. both hurley's offensive and defensive philosophies shifted in the offseason before 2022-23.

 

[NJHusky]

i think that part of the reason he was looking for guys like this was because of his early determination to blitz the pick-and-roll, relying on a help defender to protect the rim on the backside of the play. both hurley's offensive and defensive philosophies shifted in the offseason before 2022-23.

IMO the best coaches are those that adapt to personnel rather than force feeding a system on players. If u have Peyton Manning u don’t run an offense like u do for Josh Allen.

You obviously recruit players that fit the way you want to play, but then you have to adjust the nuance based on what they can &cannot do well. The change in how he used Andre is testament to this.

 

[Captbluefin]

Luke Murray came here right when we kicked it up a couple notches.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. His offensive genius and recruiting play a huge part of our success.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Newton alone probably puts us at the top of the list

 

[tykurez]

Luke Murray came here right when we kicked it up a couple notches.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. His offensive genius and recruiting play a huge part of our success.

We have the top assistants in all of college bball. These guys are relentless on the trail - just gotta hope whoever we bring in next has the same energy. Hurley said it in the press conference yesterday both Kimani and Luke will be at the top of the list for coaching jobs in the offseason.

 

[UConnJim]

Hurley and staff definitely do a great job identifying players that either have a weakness that can be improved upon or carving out perfect roles for them. I would like to think if we got Timberlake instead of Spencer, Timberlake would also be lighting it up.

Compare the 2022/2023 stats between Spencer and Timberlake:

Timberlake: FG%: 45.5%, 3PT%: 41.6%, FT: 84.5%, Reb: 3.9, Assists: 2.4, Steals: 1.0, TO: 2.4, Pts: 17.7

Spencer: FG%: 44.4%, 3PT%: 43.4%, FT: 89.4%, Reb: 3.8, Assists: 3.1, Steals: 2.0, TO: 1.4, Pts: 13.2

It appears they were similar shooters, but Spencer was a better facilitator. And, Spencer played in the Big 10 vs. Timberlake playing in the CAA. I am shocked that Spencer was not perceived to be a top transfer given his stats at Rutgers.

I think Timberlake's role at UConn would have been to come off the bench and hit 3s similar to his role at Kansas was supposed to be. Spencer starts because he is an all around player which fits what UConn is trying to do.

Timberlake made the right decision going to Kansas as he is getting paid more than he would have at UConn.

 

[superjohn]

Luke Murray came here right when we kicked it up a couple notches.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. His offensive genius and recruiting play a huge part of our success.

You never know for sure how an assistant will do with his own program but I think Luke Murray will be a big time head coach in the future. Maybe he's back here as head coach someday down the line.

I'm a huge fan of his.

 

[jibsey]

This is fair, but I also wonder if that was a bit of post hoc rationalization.

Like, I find it hard to believe that up until 2022 he preferred a defensive-minded, offensively-limited 4 like Whaley in a 2-big, weak-shooting lineup, and then all of a sudden decided he wanted a guy like Karaban at the 4 who can dribble, shoot, and pass.

It seems more likely that his "philosophy" (or the way it manifested on the court) was more driven by personnel than the other way around.

Karaban changed our lives.

 

[LStudfellow]

Luke Murray came here right when we kicked it up a couple notches.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. His offensive genius and recruiting play a huge part of our success.

... and how ridiculously stupid does whoever at Louisville made the decision to let him go? It probably was not Chris Mack's decision as he had stated his support for both Murray and his other main assistant at the time Dino Guadio right before they were told their respective contracts would not be renewed upon their ending in April of 2021... and so it looks like it was their AD at the time Vince Tyra.

If anyone is wondering, Tyra had a less-than-stellar track record during his 5 year tenure as the Louisville AD after taking over for the besmirched Tom Jurich in 2017. You may remember Jurich was put on administrative leave and eventually let go due to the misconduct allegations against him in the famous, sprawling FBI probe into college basketball corruption back then.

As some of you also may recall, both Mack and Guadio got into trouble as well, which led eventually to Guadio receiving probation and a fine, and Mack eventually getting fired as well. Murray was never implicated in any wrongdoing, but apparently Tyra decided both he and Guadio needed to be canned. Thank God Tyra was such an idiot. Luke Murray has proven to be the perfect fit on our coaching staff, and will obviously be moving on soon to his first head coaching gig.

A look back at Vince Tyra's time as the Louisville athletic director

After a week of speculation, the University of Louisville officially received Tyra's letter of resignation, effective Dec. 8.

www.courier-journal.com

Such sweet revenge against those lying, cheating scum bags at the school forever known as Louisville Community College.

 

[willie99]

I absolutely love Cam, and wouldn't trade him for any other transfer. It's much more than the skill set, it's the fire and the chemistry

This guy wants it

 

[businesslawyer]

I never thought of it that way. It seems that Cam has a better skill set than Nick overall, but it's not unfathomable that Timberlake would have been a big success here. We all think we lucked out that he didn't choose us, but I bet this staff would've made him into something more than he is currently.

Staff was looking to get him, and haven’t been wrong on any of the portal players they’ve brought in. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that he’d be starting here and doing fine. (Although I doubt he’d be doing as well as Spencer.)

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

We have the top assistants in all of college bball. These guys are relentless on the trail - just gotta hope whoever we bring in next has the same energy. Hurley said it in the press conference yesterday both Kimani and Luke will be at the top of the list for coaching jobs in the offseason.

Hopefully it's not too much to ask but selfishly I hope they stagger their departures. Either way I'm sure Hurley's already got his phone calls lined up.