2023 Returnees

[Xuperman]

If the 247 WildcatAuthority.com insider is correct, we're getting Kerr Kriisa. His scoring numbers are nearly exclusive to 3s....didn't manage to average one made 2 per game. That also limited his ability to score from the charity stripe, however he does make a high % when he gets there. Only 20 steals...Tandy had 11. Doesn't rebound either...Des Claude had more 87-83. His 180 assists tops any of our guys, but coughed it up 90+.

Hard to get too excited about that limited tool box.

[Xavier]

The only concern is defense. After watching boum get burned so much it really causes Defense to continually help and rotate etc. which in turn causes more breakdowns. Offensively he can knock down 3s and lead the pac-12 in assists. Going to a system which lead the country in assists per game.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Kerr def has some positive and negatives and you can tell the AZ fanbase is mixed on him leaving with some seeing it as not a huge loss.

However at this point we need veteran capable players for next year. Sign me up for a PG who lead a major conference in assists and has played in some big time games. He isn't going to be a Boum on offense but we are going to need ball handlers who can distribute. Tommy Lloyd has done a great job in Arizona but if you're asking me if I think Miller can get the max out of any PG who plays for him, I'll answer with a resounding yes!

[SemajParlor]

Yeah Kerr Kriisa is really good guys. We should sign up for this in a heartbeat.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Freemantle's injury seemed to be a bit of a tipping point this past season. No question, we had a great year, far better than many of us expected after four years in the desert. Nevertheless, Free going down exposed a few players..........

Nunge is simply not a great low post player and when Free went down, Jack was forced to try to be what he isn't, and he was forced to play many more minutes at a much higher level than he is capable of playing. Edwards was exposed also----as an incapable backup. Cesar saw minor action even when it was obvious that Nunge needed rest.

Souley won games for us this year----big important games. But, Souley's inability, at times, to play more of a pure point guard, driving and dishing, also became an issue. Last night, he needed to drive, pass and get to the line but he became almost entirely a jump shooter. We must find a capable floor general, next year, if we are to advance. Perhaps that sounds like I'm disappointed in Boum. I am not. But once Free went down we needed something more than a scorer and Souley couldn't fill that void. As good as he was for us, he was too one-dimensional. Colby was definitely exposed because he was unable to put the team on his shoulders. He just doesn't, to me, have that gear. That isn't a slight either because he's a very good player-----just not a great player in crunch time. His play in the tournament increased my doubt as to his readiness to play in the NBA. That said, if he gets the opportunity, he should take it.

Kunkel, on the other hand, showed the heart of a lion. I scoff at the mid-season post on this board, that criticized Kunkel as not Big East worthy. I hope we see him join the staff next year, as a Grad Asst., and begin his coaching career. Love that young man's fire.

Hunter stepped up and hope he returns in an even bigger role next year. Another guy written off on this board last year, even though he possessed the ability to do everything well except hit the three ball.

With the rise of the transfer portal, we should expect to see the most interesting upcoming off-season since, well, last off-season. In today's more fluid transfer environment, if a team is not improving in the off-season, they aren't staying the same, they are getting worse. If Free returns and Nunge returns (decisions of which I am skeptical) our front court problems are not solved. First, is Free truly healed or will he reinjure the foot yet again? And Nunge's value to us is dependent on him playing away from the basket and logging significantly less minutes---I say about 25 is his max. Without consistent low post scoring from others, Nunge is not effective. That means we still must go to the portal for guys that can operate in the paint.

And we will need help at the point. Xuperman's post about Kriisa is not exciting. Dez doesn't seem to be the answer---he is inconsistent from the line, dribbles into traffic and turns the ball over too much and cannot hit the outside shot. He's a contributor next year, particularly on defense but he is not the answer at PG. So, today, that leaves us with Green who may very well be the second coming but he is yet to play a minute.

Miller needs to re-tool the frontcourt (perhaps completely) and add veteran backcourt talent. To me, that means Edwards, Miles, Tucker and probably KyKy have limited roles, if any, next year. Of the three, I would like to be wrong about KyKy. He's done (or tried to do) everything asked of him. The other three, in my opinion, simply haven't shown the skill to play at this level. If they want to continue their college careers, it might be best if they hit the portal.

Most importantly, Miller needs to hit the portal hard....and soon.

[Xville]

Kerr is a floor general… the guy was the pac 12 assist leader so I think he’d be a good fit. My concern or question though is how is his defense? Boum and kunkel were atrocious on that side of the ball. Miller I’d assume expects better

[SemajParlor]

Freemantle's injury seemed to be a bit of a tipping point this past season. No question, we had a great year, far better than many of us expected after four years in the desert. Nevertheless, Free going down exposed a few players..........

I have to agree with this. Losing a top scoring option like Free shifted everyone up to a more prominent offensive role. Some people thrived in that role and others probably would've benefited from Zach being out there. All in all proud of the team's effort for staying tough when that happened - but you need a lot of things to go your way to get to that Final 4 Level. That was a death blow.

[Masterofreality]

My morning after hot take FWIW:
This is a psychological thing but in many ways this team was afraid of success. I know as a golfer when you are really playing well and trying to go low, that your mind gets in your way and you start questioning yourself. You gotta really fight to get over that.
I think back on the season and every time this team got close to REAL success, - beating Gonzaga, at Marquette to basically clinch the BE Regular Season, the Big East Championship game, last night, they folded. Also the times when they tried to fold- first halves vs DePaul and Kennesaw State that Sean's called them out from- where they almost did.
Sean did all he could to eliminate Steele's Milquetoast Mindset, finally calling them Charmin Soft at halftime of the Kennesaw game, but he couldn't get it out completely. I want Colby, Hunter, Nunge back to let Sean toughen them up some more. I am lukewarm on Free for “reasons” but maybe one more year gets him over the hump. Get that PG Kriisa from AZ and bring in the recruits. The rest either leave or ride the bench. I just don’t see it with Dez Claude, his instincts suck, he can’t consistently shoot- even free throws- and he got used by Texas numerous times. He’s 6:5 but I don’t see the Colby that others do in him. Dez is a minute sub at best to me.
One. That is ONE freshman recruit from The Former Guys 4 year tenure contributed to this run- Colby. Thank goodness the transfers were lured in by the Tradition of Xavier going to the Tournament (although TFG wasn’t gonna get them there), and Sean was able to convince them to stay.
The stench of Steele has to go. Rinse and refresh.

[XUGRAD80]

I suspect that the picture on who is staying and who is leaving g will become much clearer by the end of the 1st week of April. There are certainly a lot of question marks and nothing would surprise me at this point. It’s been posted on Twitter and elsewhere that X has reached out to players in all positions, so I suspect that not everyone that is eligible to return will return. But how that breaks down individually? Your guess is as good as mine.

[Xavier]

If we are talking transfers- I think Kerr is for sure coming to X. I know Tubelis is leaving Arizona. The overwhelming thought is he will head to play overseas but he’d be great addition as well. A perfect fit for this offense. From what I’m seeing- the back up center for Indiana looks to be coming to X. I’d assume more depth piece, he hasn’t seen much time at all (granted playing behind TJD) but was the #12 center in his class coming out of high school.

I think Sean can do great things in the portal.