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Post by mySTRAS on Jul 9, 2023 15:49:33 GMT -8
I'm in enemy territory... Las Vegas. I traded annual trips to Fresno and SJSU for a 15 minute drive to UNLV. Got my ticket to opening day of Vegas Summer League today. Excited to see Wembanyama and Scoot play... man, I LOVE the entertainment options in this city! Nice! My wife won’t consider Vegas for many reasons others wouldn’t - plus we have 2 very young grandkids now in NorCal so we are “stuck” in CA… never thought I’d say that. I was pushing to consider Reno - which is getting so much nicer and South Reno -especially Montreaux is spectacular with a 30 minute up and over to Incline. The thought of having a nice boat there ready to go on Fridays-Sunday for 4-5 months of the year was intriguing. We should now be 90 minutes door to Lake (Tahoe City) so that will be nice. Plus buying a beautiful house with 1,000 more SF for half the price and banking/investing a big chunk of change will be awesome as well. I’d love to have access to all the entertainment options that you do. It’s tough to leave all the great things of CA… whether SD, OC, Bay Area… Enjoy the summer league game, that’ll be a huge crowd and related hype. Report back your thoughts … I always enjoy your posts. Family is everything... and being 'anchored' down by grandkids will be a delight! Anywhere between Lake Tahoe and Reno... is beautiful country. Golf, boating, fishing, hiking, winter-sports... sounds like a fantastic retirement life to me! I tried to get my wife to retire to Michigan...either my hometown of Sparta (about 15 minutes north of Grand Rapids) or on the shores of Lake Michigan near Traverse City. But she just couldn't warm to the thought of humid summers and bone-chilling winters. We made out pretty well... selling in the East Bay for $1.1mm and buying in Las Vegas (Summerlin) for $449k. Our house here is slightly bigger, much nicer and 25 years newer. As far as NBA summer league goes... Scoot Henderson (#3 to the Blazers from G-League Ignite) looks like the real deal. Amen Thompson (#4 to the Rockets from Overtime Elite) also looked really good! Victor Wembanyama... very intriguing, but an enigma and very much still a work-in-progress. Forget all the highlight reels, his jumper is not very good. His handles, howver, would be considered good for a point guard. Hard to see any PF or C staying in front of him on the perimeter. On the block is a different story though, he will get bullied by NBA big men. But as weak-side help defense he will definitely affect the game immediately. Seems like a really good kid and will be easy to root for.
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Post by Gundo on Jul 10, 2023 12:59:47 GMT -8
Just an observation, but 6'9 225 PF/C Michael Barber became the 1,803rd guy to hit the portal. A redshirt senior who has played, NCAA DI at Howard, Alabama State, and MVS. And Juco at SW Miss CC, is a Redshirt Senior. A decent stat line at 40/MPG during his college career. Again, this is an observation over a recommendation, with the signing of Magoon it may be moot, but we all assume Magoon will RS this year. www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/michael-barber-1.htmlwww.youtube.com/watch?v=6XjXLZ84yPQ
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Post by docmm on Jul 10, 2023 14:50:25 GMT -8
His body is impressive but I worry about his stats being so low at schools that are barely borderline D1 schools.
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Post by hoobs on Jul 10, 2023 16:07:00 GMT -8
Doesn't look to be in any way someone the Aztecs staff would be looking at...
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Post by Gundo on Jul 10, 2023 18:26:13 GMT -8
Doesn't look to be in any way someone the Aztecs staff would be looking at... 1,803 DI players hit the portal. Aztecs have 0 post/rim protectors in the transfer class of 2023. Surprising after the national title run. I understand we gained height and even secured 2 future big men. But we have little depth in the Center position. LeDee 6'9 240 age 23, RS Senior, 118 games & 1,574 minutes Saunders 6'8 240 age (19?), Soph 16 games & 31 minutes Johnson 6'10 235 age (20?), RS Soph, 9 games & 93 minutes Alger 6'9, 195 age (21?) Senior, 24 games & 50 minutes Heide 6'9 225 age (18?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Gwatch 6'11 190 age (17?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes
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Post by sdsuball on Jul 10, 2023 20:05:44 GMT -8
Doesn't look to be in any way someone the Aztecs staff would be looking at... 1,803 DI players hit the portal. Aztecs have 0 post/rim protectors in the transfer class of 2023. Surprising after the national title run. I understand we gained height and even secured 2 future big men. But we have little depth in the Center position. LeDee 6'9 240 age 23, RS Senior, 118 games & 1,574 minutes Saunders 6'8 240 age (19?), Soph 16 games & 31 minutes Johnson 6'10 235 age (20?), RS Soph, 9 games & 93 minutes  Alger 6'9, 195 age (21?) Senior, 24 games & 50 minutes Heide 6'9 225 age (18?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Gwatch 6'11 190 age (17?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Pal is the transfer PF that we landed. Heide is depth at center, Alger and Gwatch are depth at power forward. I think we are fine, worst care if Johnson isn't up to par Heide or Saunders get backup minutes at the 5, and moving Saunders to the 5 at times is okay with Gwatch and Alger as depth at the 4.
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Post by aztecdan8 on Jul 10, 2023 20:50:26 GMT -8
Nice! My wife won’t consider Vegas for many reasons others wouldn’t - plus we have 2 very young grandkids now in NorCal so we are “stuck” in CA… never thought I’d say that. I was pushing to consider Reno - which is getting so much nicer and South Reno -especially Montreaux is spectacular with a 30 minute up and over to Incline. The thought of having a nice boat there ready to go on Fridays-Sunday for 4-5 months of the year was intriguing. We should now be 90 minutes door to Lake (Tahoe City) so that will be nice. Plus buying a beautiful house with 1,000 more SF for half the price and banking/investing a big chunk of change will be awesome as well. I’d love to have access to all the entertainment options that you do. It’s tough to leave all the great things of CA… whether SD, OC, Bay Area… Enjoy the summer league game, that’ll be a huge crowd and related hype. Report back your thoughts … I always enjoy your posts. Family is everything... and being 'anchored' down by grandkids will be a delight! Anywhere between Lake Tahoe and Reno... is beautiful country. Golf, boating, fishing, hiking, winter-sports... sounds like a fantastic retirement life to me! I tried to get my wife to retire to Michigan...either my hometown of Sparta (about 15 minutes north of Grand Rapids) or on the shores of Lake Michigan near Traverse City. But she just couldn't warm to the thought of humid summers and bone-chilling winters. We made out pretty well... selling in the East Bay for $1.1mm and buying in Las Vegas (Summerlin) for $449k. Our house here is slightly bigger, much nicer and 25 years newer. As far as NBA summer league goes... Scoot Henderson (#3 to the Blazers from G-League Ignite) looks like the real deal. Amen Thompson (#4 to the Rockets from Overtime Elite) also looked really good! Victor Wembanyama... very intriguing, but an enigma and very much still a work-in-progress. Forget all the highlight reels, his jumper is not very good. His handles, howver, would be considered good for a point guard. Hard to see any PF or C staying in front of him on the perimeter. On the block is a different story though, he will get bullied by NBA big men. But as weak-side help defense he will definitely affect the game immediately. Seems like a really good kid and will be easy to root for. Great response, thanks for taking the time. I appreciate it. Sounds like a great move for you, it’s hard to beat the Bay Area in so many ways but there are a lot of negatives and seemingly getting worse before our very eyes. I’ll be lucky to be able to drive back in a tad more than 90 minutes or so when I need to or want to… I expect I’ll be back quite often… but as a visitor. Weird. Completely agree on the grandkids. You don’t really get it until they arrive. That’s when you know your kids are really grown up as well, they morph into younger versions of ourselves. Thanks for the NBA comments. Seeing NBA play in person from seats down low makes you realize how freakishly athletic and good they are.
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Post by Gundo on Jul 10, 2023 21:10:20 GMT -8
1,803 DI players hit the portal. Aztecs have 0 post/rim protectors in the transfer class of 2023. Surprising after the national title run. I understand we gained height and even secured 2 future big men. But we have little depth in the Center position. LeDee 6'9 240 age 23, RS Senior, 118 games & 1,574 minutes Saunders 6'8 240 age (19?), Soph 16 games & 31 minutes Johnson 6'10 235 age (20?), RS Soph, 9 games & 93 minutes Alger 6'9, 195 age (21?) Senior, 24 games & 50 minutes Heide 6'9 225 age (18?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Gwatch 6'11 190 age (17?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Pal is the transfer PF that we landed. Heide is depth at center, Alger and Gwatch are depth at power forward. I think we are fine, worst care if Johnson isn't up to par Heide or Saunders get backup minutes at the 5, and moving Saunders to the 5 at times is okay with Gwatch and Alger as depth at the 4. At 6'9" 190, he is much more of a perimeter/wing player than an intimidating post player/rim protector. If he is playing the 4 all year, he will be playing out of position or more of a stretch 4. I did take that into consideration when I did the analysis. Even Lamont has broader shoulders and a stronger frame. I am happy Jay Pal is on the Mesa, perhaps he can play his way into a McD or Malik Pope role. Both have matureed, McD is 6'9 205 (age 25), Pope 6'10 210 (age 26), while Pal is 6'9 190 (age 23.)
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Post by sdcoug on Jul 10, 2023 21:57:45 GMT -8
Doesn't look to be in any way someone the Aztecs staff would be looking at... 1,803 DI players hit the portal. Aztecs have 0 post/rim protectors in the transfer class of 2023. Surprising after the national title run. I understand we gained height and even secured 2 future big men. But we have little depth in the Center position. LeDee 6'9 240 age 23, RS Senior, 118 games & 1,574 minutes Saunders 6'8 240 age (19?), Soph 16 games & 31 minutes Johnson 6'10 235 age (20?), RS Soph, 9 games & 93 minutes Alger 6'9, 195 age (21?) Senior, 24 games & 50 minutes Heide 6'9 225 age (18?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Gwatch 6'11 190 age (17?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes You just listed 6 guys who could easily play the 5 yet we have no depth or size? If you said we don't have a lot of experience behind Ledee at the 5 I'd get that. But we definitely have depth, and I'd trust the coaches to judge the talent. There's no rule saying you need a 6'11 fly swatter in your rotation to be successful. Many have had great success without. The main reason it was hard to get a fly swatter is due to what we already had on the roster. That's a compliment to the talent on this team. PS. Exhibit A - Houston. Tallest player on their roster was 6'8 yet one of the best defensive teams in the country. UCLA had basically the same size we'll have & was #2 nationally in D. Texas's tallest player was 6'9. That's more the norm than the exception.
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Post by standiego on Jul 11, 2023 9:37:31 GMT -8
a thought Alex Yetna a grad transfer with only 1 year to play - was injured last season -
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Post by Gundo on Jul 11, 2023 22:52:48 GMT -8
1,803 DI players hit the portal. Aztecs have 0 post/rim protectors in the transfer class of 2023. Surprising after the national title run. I understand we gained height and even secured 2 future big men. But we have little depth in the Center position. LeDee 6'9 240 age 23, RS Senior, 118 games & 1,574 minutes Saunders 6'8 240 age (19?), Soph 16 games & 31 minutes Johnson 6'10 235 age (20?), RS Soph, 9 games & 93 minutes Alger 6'9, 195 age (21?) Senior, 24 games & 50 minutes Heide 6'9 225 age (18?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Gwatch 6'11 190 age (17?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes You just listed 6 guys who could easily play the 5 yet we have no depth or size? If you said we don't have a lot of experience behind Ledee at the 5 I'd get that. But we definitely have depth, and I'd trust the coaches to judge the talent. There's no rule saying you need a 6'11 fly swatter in your rotation to be successful. Many have had great success without. The main reason it was hard to get a fly swatter is due to what we already had on the roster. That's a compliment to the talent on this team. PS. Exhibit A - Houston. Tallest player on their roster was 6'8 yet one of the best defensive teams in the country. UCLA had basically the same size we'll have & was #2 nationally in D. Texas's tallest player was 6'9. That's more the norm than the exception. Depth is obviously the wrong word, I was referring to experience, w/less than 200 minutes for the 5, outside of LeDee. LeDee also played less than 20 minutes a game last year. Looks like were all in on Shay & Saunders + Pal (if he plays the stretch four)
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Post by Gundo on Jul 11, 2023 22:57:32 GMT -8
1,803 DI players hit the portal. Aztecs have 0 post/rim protectors in the transfer class of 2023. Surprising after the national title run. I understand we gained height and even secured 2 future big men. But we have little depth in the Center position. LeDee 6'9 240 age 23, RS Senior, 118 games & 1,574 minutes Saunders 6'8 240 age (19?), Soph 16 games & 31 minutes Johnson 6'10 235 age (20?), RS Soph, 9 games & 93 minutes Alger 6'9, 195 age (21?) Senior, 24 games & 50 minutes Heide 6'9 225 age (18?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Gwatch 6'11 190 age (17?) Frosh, 0 games & 0 minutes Pal is the transfer PF that we landed. Heide is depth at center, Alger and Gwatch are depth at power forward. I think we are fine, worst care if Johnson isn't up to par Heide or Saunders get backup minutes at the 5, and moving Saunders to the 5 at times is okay with Gwatch and Alger as depth at the 4. From the official SDSU site, GoAztecs.com goaztecs.com/news/2023/5/31/mens-basketball-aztec-officially-adds-jay-pal-for-2023-24-season.aspx SAN DIEGO – Jay Pal, a prototypical San Diego State wing, has signed a Grant-In-Aid officially making him the newest member of the Aztecs men's basketball program, SDSU head men's basketball coach Brian Dutcher announced today. Last year, the 6-9, 190-pound forward competed at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., and is immediately eligible to compete for the Aztecs in the 2023-24 season.
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Post by sdcoug on Jul 12, 2023 10:00:24 GMT -8
You just listed 6 guys who could easily play the 5 yet we have no depth or size? If you said we don't have a lot of experience behind Ledee at the 5 I'd get that. But we definitely have depth, and I'd trust the coaches to judge the talent. There's no rule saying you need a 6'11 fly swatter in your rotation to be successful. Many have had great success without. The main reason it was hard to get a fly swatter is due to what we already had on the roster. That's a compliment to the talent on this team. PS. Exhibit A - Houston. Tallest player on their roster was 6'8 yet one of the best defensive teams in the country. UCLA had basically the same size we'll have & was #2 nationally in D. Texas's tallest player was 6'9. That's more the norm than the exception. Depth is obviously the wrong word, I was referring to experience, w/less than 200 minutes for the 5, outside of LeDee. LeDee also played less than 20 minutes a game last year. Looks like were all in on Shay & Saunders + Pal (if he plays the stretch four) Pal played the 4 & 5 at Campbell. Technically he started at the "5", since he was the tallest player on their roster & was their leading shot blocker. Kenpom lists him as their starting 5 & playing 49% of the available minutes at the 5. Lusane, a big 6'7 kid, came in off the bench & he'd slide to the 4. He has ball skills, much like Jalen did, allowing him to play more of a stretch 4 at times. He'll be fine at either the 4 or 5, and technically he's very experienced (albeit some adjustment period stepping up a level). Given our "position-less" style of play I'd expect him to do well. If I had to guess, as of today I'd think the depth chart would be: "5": Ledee (26+ minutes), Shay, Pal, Saunders, Heide, MG "4": Parrish or Pal, Saunders, w/ Ledee possibly getting a few minutes with Shay Overall, I'd say Butler, Trammell, RDW, Ledee, Parrish & Pal all play 25+ minutes, with Byrd, Saunders, & Shay taking the majority of the rest. 1 of the 3 FR could get "Saunders-like" minutes from last year, subbing in a pinch.
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Post by azteccc on Jul 12, 2023 10:11:08 GMT -8
Technically he started at the "5", since he was the tallest player on their roster & was their leading shot blocker. Honest to god this quote explains so much
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Post by sdsuball on Jul 12, 2023 11:00:58 GMT -8
Depth is obviously the wrong word, I was referring to experience, w/less than 200 minutes for the 5, outside of LeDee. LeDee also played less than 20 minutes a game last year. Looks like were all in on Shay & Saunders + Pal (if he plays the stretch four) Pal played the 4 & 5 at Campbell. Technically he started at the "5", since he was the tallest player on their roster & was their leading shot blocker. Kenpom lists him as their starting 5 & playing 49% of the available minutes at the 5. Lusane, a big 6'7 kid, came in off the bench & he'd slide to the 4. He has ball skills, much like Jalen did, allowing him to play more of a stretch 4 at times. He'll be fine at either the 4 or 5, and technically he's very experienced (albeit some adjustment period stepping up a level). Given our "position-less" style of play I'd expect him to do well. If I had to guess, as of today I'd think the depth chart would be: "5": Ledee (26+ minutes), Shay, Pal, Saunders, Heide, MG "4": Parrish or Pal, Saunders, w/ Ledee possibly getting a few minutes with Shay Overall, I'd say Butler, Trammell, RDW, Ledee, Parrish & Pal all play 25+ minutes, with Byrd, Saunders, & Shay taking the majority of the rest. 1 of the 3 FR could get "Saunders-like" minutes from last year, subbing in a pinch. 5: LeDee, Shay, Saunders, Heide, MG 4: Pal, Saunders, LeDee, Alger Regarding MG, I know you were saying if he plays it would be at the 5. But on offense, if you have MG and Saunders on the floor for example, or MG and LeDee - I think you want MG behind the 3 point line a lot. MG stretches the floor with his 3 point shooting ability. That would be more of a "4" position look then a "5" position look on offense. On defense, if the opposing team had a big down low who was strong, no way can MG guard him. But Saunders or LeDee can. So I don't think it's clear cut at all what position MG could play next year, as MG has the length of a center at the same weight as Pal.
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Post by sdcoug on Jul 12, 2023 12:27:53 GMT -8
Pal played the 4 & 5 at Campbell. Technically he started at the "5", since he was the tallest player on their roster & was their leading shot blocker. Kenpom lists him as their starting 5 & playing 49% of the available minutes at the 5. Lusane, a big 6'7 kid, came in off the bench & he'd slide to the 4. He has ball skills, much like Jalen did, allowing him to play more of a stretch 4 at times. He'll be fine at either the 4 or 5, and technically he's very experienced (albeit some adjustment period stepping up a level). Given our "position-less" style of play I'd expect him to do well. If I had to guess, as of today I'd think the depth chart would be: "5": Ledee (26+ minutes), Shay, Pal, Saunders, Heide, MG "4": Parrish or Pal, Saunders, w/ Ledee possibly getting a few minutes with Shay Overall, I'd say Butler, Trammell, RDW, Ledee, Parrish & Pal all play 25+ minutes, with Byrd, Saunders, & Shay taking the majority of the rest. 1 of the 3 FR could get "Saunders-like" minutes from last year, subbing in a pinch. 5: LeDee, Shay, Saunders, Heide, MG 4: Pal, Saunders, LeDee, Alger Regarding MG, I know you were saying if he plays it would be at the 5. But on offense, if you have MG and Saunders on the floor for example, or MG and LeDee - I think you want MG behind the 3 point line a lot. MG stretches the floor with his 3 point shooting ability. That would be more of a "4" position look then a "5" position look on offense. On defense, if the opposing team had a big down low who was strong, no way can MG guard him. But Saunders or LeDee can. So I don't think it's clear cut at all what position MG could play next year, as MG has the length of a center at the same weight as Pal. I think we see some small ball with Parrish at the 4 (or RDW). Dutch went to that on occasion last year, even using Seiko there on occasion. Definitely over Alger. I think you can make an argument that our most gifted offensive lineup would be Ledee, RDW, Parrish, Trammell & Butler. Those 5 could really stretch the floor. IMO you are who you can guard. MG has quick feet for a 7' guy, but no chance he can guard D1 4s on a regular basis. I think in scenarios where the opposing team has bulk he simply doesn't play. He'd only play when they'd play someone who's not as bulky at the 5 (i.e., Diongue of SJSU, etc.). But frankly, I don't see him playing, period. At least not within the rotation. Agree with you offensively. He's a stretch/PnP 5 offensively. At least until he throws on some weight. I really like him for those 15-16 footers.
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Post by sdcoug on Jul 12, 2023 12:53:06 GMT -8
Not that we'd go in this direction, or they'd come to SDSU for a backup role, but I do find it interesting that guys like Dandridge, Muoka & Ighoefe are still w/o a home in mid July. It leads me to believe they still may be wrapping up their credits to graduate, or they're very, very picky.
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Post by fisherville on Jul 12, 2023 14:37:03 GMT -8
I very much doubt they’ll get another big tho it hasn’t been for not trying. Going into next year with only 11 scholarship guys including 2 “green” freshman plus a third year guy who hasn’t played much at all will be very tough. But in dutch i trust
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Post by fastaztec on Jul 12, 2023 16:17:14 GMT -8
I very much doubt they’ll get another big tho it hasn’t been for not trying. Going into next year with only 11 scholarship guys including 2 “green” freshman plus a third year guy who hasn’t played much at all will be very tough. But in dutch i trust ***************************** 12 now.
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Post by couldashoulda on Jul 15, 2023 8:25:13 GMT -8
So, Cade Alger has apparently decided to stay here. This guy has been banging with our big guys in practice for a couple of years, has learned our defensive schemes, and has some skills. He is never going to be mistaken for Shaq or Lebron body wise, but he has benefitted from two more years of eating and building muscle. Could he not have some value to us this coming year?
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