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Grant Mullins-Columbia transfer?

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catstime16

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2015
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Grant Mullins who went for 22 pts. & 6 assists vs. NU this season has exhausted his Ivy
League (4 yrs to play 4) eligibility due to sitting out Soph. yr. with concussion. I know talk
is that Cats may be in market for JVZ type Grad. Transfer,... would 6'3 sharp shooting
5th year guy be useful?...YES!.....Is their room?.....Probably not?!?...Definitely not?????
 
catstime16 said:
Grant Mullins who went for 22 pts. & 6 assists vs. NU this season has exhausted his Ivy
League (4 yrs to play 4) eligibility due to sitting out Soph. yr. with concussion. I know talk
is that Cats may be in market for JVZ type Grad. Transfer,... would 6'3 sharp shooting
5th year guy be useful?...YES!.....Is their room?.....Probably not?!?...Definitely not?????
Click to expand...

Very interesting. I'd love to see him in purple.

No scholarships available right now.
 
catstime16 said:
Grant Mullins who went for 22 pts. & 6 assists vs. NU this season has exhausted his Ivy
League (4 yrs to play 4) eligibility due to sitting out Soph. yr. with concussion. I know talk
is that Cats may be in market for JVZ type Grad. Transfer,... would 6'3 sharp shooting
5th year guy be useful?...YES!.....Is their room?.....Probably not?!?...Definitely not?????
Click to expand...

(My response is based on assumption that we are able to use Vassar's scholarship on a graduate transfer, which of course is not guaranteed)

Scoring may become a concern for next year's squad (especially if it takes Vic a little while to get into the swing of things), so a guard that can consistently hit from outside would certainly be helpful, at least in theory. However, if we are looking at a player in the mold of Craig Moore (I know very little about Mullins), you still have issues.

With a hybrid starting line up of, say:

1) BMac 2) Law 3) Lumpkin 4) Falzon 5) Pardon

Assuming BMac and or Law can step up, do we have a legit secondary scoring options? Can Falzon, and especially Pardon, play defense regularly without drawing a ton of fouls? Is anyone beside BMac comfortable taking the ball up?

With a more traditional starting line up of, say:

1) BMac 2) Lindsay 3) Law 4) Falzon 5) Pardon

This line up has potential to be solid, but it's just that, potential. Lindsay can shoot and is capable of bringing a ton of energy on defense, but he disappears way too often. He's an enigma. You still have Pardon's issues to contend with and no Lumpkin to solidify the defense. Once again, who is secondary ball handler?

Subbing Mullins in for either Lumpkin or Lindsay

I think it's fair to say NU probably has enough secondary scoring options in this scenario. You may be able open things up for a guy like Law, or even BMac, to attack the basket too. However, what does Grant bring to the table on the defensive end? And perhaps just as important, can he be trusted to handle the ball? NU really needs someone to take some of the pressure off Byrant. Also, the 'Cats get a little smaller without Lumpkin or Lindsay on the floor.

My gut feeling is someone like Mullins could be pretty helpful, but would not be the answer at the 2. Demps, for better or worse, brought something to table that no one else on this roster could last season (his endurance was amazing as well). That void will likely take a of couple players to fill and even then, I'm not sure NU has someone who can create their own shot like Tre could.
 
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Appreciate the work ColumbusCatFan. It makes me worry that both of those line ups are
extremely "length challenged".....4 X 6'6/6'7 guys and BMac. Can anyone in Chicagoland
area please advise if young Barret Benson can handle 16 mins. per game of BIG TEN action
or is their no other option? Mr. Skelley?.....anyone?....anyone?...........Bueller?
 
catstime16 said:
Appreciate the work ColumbusCatFan. It makes me worry that both of those line ups are
extremely "length challenged".....4 X 6'6/6'7 guys and BMac.
Click to expand...

Syracuse seems to have done OK with a bunch of guys who are "length challenged" and play a 2-3 zone......their top 7 guys go 6'4", 6'7", 6'8", 6'6", 6'8", 6'8", and 6'9"......and they pretty much play just these 7 guys.
 
While I love our guys and know how hard they work I'm not sure that they had Syracuse
type offers to sift through in the recruiting process. Now if you would like CC to go strictly
2/3 zone I could buy into that!
 
catstime16 said:
While I love our guys and know how hard they work I'm not sure that they had Syracuse
type offers to sift through in the recruiting process. Now if you would like CC to go strictly
2/3 zone I could buy into that!
Click to expand...

I'm not saying that our guys are as good as the SU guys, just that you don't need to be a bunch of giants to be successful. And an active zone is a great height equalizer.
 
ColumbusCatFan1 said:
(My response is based on assumption that we are able to use Vassar's scholarship on a graduate transfer, which of course is not guaranteed)

Scoring may become a concern for next year's squad (especially if it takes Vic a little while to get into the swing of things), so a guard that can consistently hit from outside would certainly be helpful, at least in theory. However, if we are looking at a player in the mold of Craig Moore (I know very little about Mullins), you still have issues.

With a hybrid starting line up of, say:

1) BMac 2) Law 3) Lumpkin 4) Falzon 5) Pardon

Assuming BMac and or Law can step up, do we have a legit secondary scoring options? Can Falzon, and especially Pardon, play defense regularly without drawing a ton of fouls? Is anyone beside BMac comfortable taking the ball up?

With a more traditional starting line up of, say:

1) BMac 2) Lindsay 3) Law 4) Falzon 5) Pardon

This line up has potential to be solid, but it's just that, potential. Lindsay can shoot and is capable of bringing a ton of energy on defense, but he disappears way too often. He's an enigma. You still have Pardon's issues to contend with and no Lumpkin to solidify the defense. Once again, who is secondary ball handler?

Subbing Mullins in for either Lumpkin or Lindsay

I think it's fair to say NU probably has enough secondary scoring options in this scenario. You may be able open things up for a guy like Law, or even BMac, to attack the basket too. However, what does Grant bring to the table on the defensive end? And perhaps just as important, can he be trusted to handle the ball? NU really needs someone to take some of the pressure off Byrant. Also, the 'Cats get a little smaller without Lumpkin or Lindsay on the floor.

My gut feeling is someone like Mullins could be pretty helpful, but would not be the answer at the 2. Demps, for better or worse, brought something to table that no one else on this roster could last season (his endurance was amazing as well). That void will likely take a of couple players to fill and even then, I'm not sure NU has someone who can create their own shot like Tre could.
Click to expand...
Second line-up is better all around, mainly because Lumpkin is just not a starting Big ten forward. Think Pardon, Benson and Skelly can handle the 5 but need another combo guard badly. Maybe CC and company can work the phones and find Vassar a new, nice, warm place or maybe some of his former teammates can reason with him. Don't remember this ever happening at NU or anywhere else for that matter, although it likely has. Wonder how it was handled.
 
I am with you FITZPHILE! I am merely suggesting that our guys do not "punch above
their weight class" when it comes to listed heights as it relates to "length". While Pardon
is a long (maybe?) 6'8 his length is mitigated by other B1G Ten centers. Lumpkin must
work arse off to compete with PF's. Would Falzons game really change if the was 6'4 instead
of 6'8? Does BMac get to rim or settle for Bmac "floater"? Tough to compete nightly over
40 minutes when you are fighting "length" issues at majority of positions. I come in peace!
 
Nice discussion of a possible addition. On balance I would rather have another big than another guard, because I would rather be height challenged at shooting guard (at times) than at center, and I could see Brown/Ash/McIntosh playing together as pairs when Lindsey isn't in the game. A mature and experienced big would be a major help, however. And we wouldn't be stuck with no option if one of our young bigs gets hurt or doesn't develop defensively. Bigs are much harder to find than good shooting guards, and we could use either, but I'll hold out for one until I know better.

Oh, looked up Mullins' stats. He's a career 36% 3 point shooter, with a high of 37% We already have 3 or 4 guys with better averages than that. Not interested.
 
spartcat said:
Oh, looked up Mullins' stats. He's a career 36% 3 point shooter, with a high of 37% We already have 3 or 4 guys with better averages than that. Not interested.
Click to expand...

Spartcat,

I tend to agree with your thoughts on an experienced big, however, I'm not sure where you are getting Mullins' 3 point stats from.

Per ESPN, he shot 43.9% from behind the arc last year. Assuming Vassar transfers and no graduate C or Demps-esque SGs are available, Mullins could be very helpful. Maybe used 15-20 mins. I envision a steady hand capable of knocking down open 3s. Not an outstanding defender, but not getting lost on that end either. Basically an improved version of Sobo from 2 years ago. Seems like very useful player to me, at least.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/62241/grant-mullins
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/62241/grant-mullins
 
Last edited:
ColumbusCatFan1 said:
Spartcat,

I tend to agree with your thoughts on an experienced big, however, I'm not sure where you are getting Mullins' 3 point stats from.

Per ESPN, he shot 43.9% from behind the arc last year. Assuming Vassar transfers and no graduate C or Demps-esque SGs are available, Mullins could be very helpful. Maybe used 15-20 mins. I envision a steady hand capable of knocking down open 3s. Not an outstanding defender, but not getting lost on that end either. Basically an improved version of Sobo from 2 years ago. Seems like very useful player to me, at least.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/62241/grant-mullins
Click to expand...

The kid scored 22 points against NU last year, so I think he can play a little..........
 
I know it's fun to speculate about possible new additions to the team. However, for good or bad, we simply don't have a scholarship available. Collins is building a solid program with young players. Guys aren't failing out of school, getting kicked off the team for violating team rules, deciding to transfer or leaving early for the NBA. The Vasser situation is what it is: he will use up a scholarship for another two years--which will affect one more incoming recruiting class. Oh well. We don't have a slot available, but we do have a bunch of talented freshmen and sophomores who are becoming essential sophomores and juniors in this program. I believe in the coaches and the players we have in the system now. Go 'Cats!
 
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backdoorpass said:
I know it's fun to speculate about possible new additions to the team. However, for good or bad, we simply don't have a scholarship available. Collins is building a solid program with young players. Guys aren't failing out of school, getting kicked off the team for violating team rules, deciding to transfer or leaving early for the NBA. The Vasser situation is what it is: he will use up a scholarship for another two years--which will affect one more incoming recruiting class. Oh well. We don't have a slot available, but we do have a bunch of talented freshmen and sophomores who are becoming essential sophomores and juniors in this program. I believe in the coaches and the players we have in the system now. Go 'Cats!
Click to expand...
I'm sorry but this kid is just being selfish, period.
 
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backdoorpass said:
I know it's fun to speculate about possible new additions to the team. However, for good or bad, we simply don't have a scholarship available. Collins is building a solid program with young players. Guys aren't failing out of school, getting kicked off the team for violating team rules, deciding to transfer or leaving early for the NBA. The Vasser situation is what it is: he will use up a scholarship for another two years--which will affect one more incoming recruiting class. Oh well. We don't have a slot available, but we do have a bunch of talented freshmen and sophomores who are becoming essential sophomores and juniors in this program. I believe in the coaches and the players we have in the system now. Go 'Cats!
Click to expand...

How do you know this?
 
Nobody really knows anything about this situation because, for some strange reason, none of our Rivals staff will pick up the phone and call Collins, Vasser or the NU athletic department to ask a couple of pretty simple questions. Why not mystifies me.
 
IdahoAlum said:
Nobody really knows anything about this situation because, for some strange reason, none of our Rivals staff will pick up the phone and call Collins, Vasser or the NU athletic department to ask a couple of pretty simple questions. Why not mystifies me.
Click to expand...

As you say, nobody really knows. When I asked another poster about the Vassar situation a couple of posts above, I didn't notice that I was responding to our resident troll (one of them, I guess). Always amazes me that so many people spend so much time just trying to bring others down. How pathetic their lives must be.
 
IdahoAlum said:
Nobody really knows anything about this situation because, for some strange reason, none of our Rivals staff will pick up the phone and call Collins, Vasser or the NU athletic department to ask a couple of pretty simple questions. Why not mystifies me.
Click to expand...
Seriously? You think anyone is going to say anything on this situation?
 
Is Vassar not returning calls or refusing to do interviews?
 
Fitzphile said:
Why would he do an interview? He isn't on any team at NU.......
Click to expand...

Why not? Are non-athletes off-limits for interviews? Anyway, it doesn't hurt to ask him or athletic department staff for an interview.
 
Gladeskat said:
Why not? Are non-athletes off-limits for interviews? Anyway, it doesn't hurt to ask him or athletic department staff for an interview.
Click to expand...

It's just typical general lack of interest in our basketball team by the rivals staff. They spend tons of time on football, but very little on basketball...
 
Seriously, folks, this isn't Watergate. I can't imagine that a call to Vasser, Collins or the NU athletic department wouldn't clear up the central questions here: Is there a scholarship available or not? If not, how long will that be the case?
 
There's no question as to those points, though. There's no scholarship available. His scholarship won't be available until he leaves the school through graduation or otherwise.

This was reported at the start of basketball season. http://www.insidenu.com/2015/11/2/9...rthwestern-transfer-scholarship-chris-collins

What people really want to know is who said or did what/how the whole situation went down. Well, I doubt Collins or Vassar is going to speak to that.
 
rwhitney014 said:
Hate to tell you, but Michigan's interested in him.
Click to expand...
I honestly don't understand what I did to anger the gods this much. If he and Duncan Robinson are in the same team, I'm going to lose my voice and mind by halftime. The only way it can be worse is if they both transferred to Iowa.
 
IdahoAlum said:
Seriously, folks, this isn't Watergate. I can't imagine that a call to Vasser, Collins or the NU athletic department wouldn't clear up the central questions here: Is there a scholarship available or not? If not, how long will that be the case?
Click to expand...
What confuses me is why Collins doesn't want him to practice with the team. Isn't it better to have an athletic guy in practice to run press break against and to push our point guards? I assume that you are not entitled to a scholarship if you are not actually on the team unless the coach advises you he doesn't want you to participate.
 
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clarificationcat said:
What confuses me is why Collins doesn't want him to practice with the team. Isn't it better to have an athletic guy in practice to run press break against and to push our point guards? I assume that you are not entitled to a scholarship if you are not actually on the team unless the coach advises you he doesn't want you to participate.
Click to expand...

Well of course you don't want him in practice.

It's like the coble situation: get in, or get out.
 
thewildcat2011 said:
There's no question as to those points, though. There's no scholarship available. His scholarship won't be available until he leaves the school through graduation or otherwise.

This was reported at the start of basketball season. http://www.insidenu.com/2015/11/2/9...rthwestern-transfer-scholarship-chris-collins

What people really want to know is who said or did what/how the whole situation went down. Well, I doubt Collins or Vassar is going to speak to that.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, I hadn't seen this story before. To me, Collins answers all the questions with these comments:

"Scholarships are four-year scholarships now," Collins said. "So as long as [Vassar] wants to be a student here, we made that commitment to him. So the ball is in his court.

"But he wants to still play," Collins said. "So it's not like he's definitely going to be here the whole time. It's just he didn't get what he was looking for, and he's looking for the right spot. He could leave at [the end of the] quarter, he could leave at the end of the year, he could leave next [year.]"

But, Collins said, "if he were wanting to stay here, he could stay."

The rest is up to Vassar -- whether he finds another situation more to his liking, or he chooses to stay at NU and get a great education. So as a reporter, I'd call Vassar and ask him, "Are you staying at NU, or are you still looking to transfer?" Pretty straightforward question, and I'd have no idea why he wouldn't answer it.
 
Don't see the situation as being the same. Coble was a senior and one of our best players. And Coble chose to leave the team after he and Carmody couldn't agree on the status of his injury. Vasser was a freshman that rarely played and that I doubt would have an impact in the locker room Why couldn't Collins inform the team that Vasser wants to transfer but will continue to practice with the team and play in an emergency? You have walk-ons to help in practice. Why not a scholarship player.
 
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