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Kanaan Carlyle in the portal

NU has a great situation for any quality point guard.

For what it’s worth, good or bad, Carlyle’s teammate also entered the portal. Andrej Stojakovic is Peja’s son and is a 6-7 wing.



The Boo-sized hole is bigger than the Langborg-sized one, of course.
 
I don't know what point guard NU is going to get from the transfer portal, but I fear we'll all be disappointed because Boo was just TOO good. Our expectations are going to have to be "good" point guard, but there just aren't guys out there that are as good as him that NU can get, so while Carlyle looks pretty good, short of finding John Stockton, we may be disappointed.
 
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I don't know what point guard NU is going to get from the transfer portal, but I fear we'll all be disappointed because Boo was just TOO good. Our expectations are going to have to be "good" point guard, but there just aren't guys out there that are as good as him that NU can get, so while Carlyle looks pretty good, short of finding John Stockton, we may be disappointed.
Boo is a true All American and somewhere between the second- and eighth-best point guard in the country, behind Braden Smith and then maybe nobody else. (Joking!)

There will be nobody available to “step in” for him. There will be players who can be similar, and who recognize the value in stepping in to play alongside four tournament-tested starters. (Matt, Mart, Barny, Berry.)

I would *prefer* NU was able to go the route that MSU did a few years ago, getting multiple years of Tyson Walker. But a grad transfer would be great too.

Any talented point guard who wants to join a great situation would be foolish to turn down a call from CCC.
 
I think NU will get someone really good and Boo himself might even help with the recruiting, but no one will ever be Boo, so I just hope we aren't disappointed or dismissive because whoever we get isn't that good. It's like I see Carlyle, who has had success in a big conference as a freshman and was a great recruit a year ago, and my initial thought was "not good enough!" and that's just unreasonable (not to mention unfair to Carlyle). Maybe this is just a me problem and I'm not articulating it well.
 
We are not going to replace Boo. We are not a school attracting all american talent in the portal.

But we do need a proper point guard. In my mind not necessarily one with impressive stats. What we need the most is experience, a steady hand, lots of maturity.

I've seen a lot of opinions here we desperately need a big. I don't understand that one. We need height, that's what we need. And that height would serve us better at 3-4 IMO.

Get a senior mature PG and a tall dude and we got the pieces to get in the sand box again.
 
Boo is a true All American and somewhere between the second- and eighth-best point guard in the country, behind Braden Smith and then maybe nobody else. (Joking!)

There will be nobody available to “step in” for him. There will be players who can be similar, and who recognize the value in stepping in to play alongside four tournament-tested starters. (Matt, Mart, Barny, Berry.)

I would *prefer* NU was able to go the route that MSU did a few years ago, getting multiple years of Tyson Walker. But a grad transfer would be great too.

Any talented point guard who wants to join a great situation would be foolish to turn down a call from CCC.
Boo must be recreated in the aggregate.

From a scoring standpoint, we need further development and stepping up from Brooks, Nick, and a guard who isn’t much of a rotation piece but could be one (Clayton, Hunter, etc). We need the return of Ty. We need whoever comes in to be able to do a little something.

From a facilitation/ball-handling-point standpoint, we need to replace his 40 minutes a game with competent point guards. Hopefully Clayton can develop to provide 15-25 mpg of this. That leaves 15-25 mpg of competent facilitation coming from the portal. We have Brooks as an excellent secondary ball handler and “big point” type guy, so these guys don’t have to be one man wrecking crews, they just have to be able to help Brooks stir the drink.
 
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We are not going to replace Boo. We are not a school attracting all american talent in the portal.

But we do need a proper point guard. In my mind not necessarily one with impressive stats. What we need the most is experience, a steady hand, lots of maturity.

I've seen a lot of opinions here we desperately need a big. I don't understand that one. We need height, that's what we need. And that height would serve us better at 3-4 IMO.

Get a senior mature PG and a tall dude and we got the pieces to get in the sand box again.
By "big", I assume everyone means another 5 who can be there in case of emergency. This team doesn't have any freshman or incoming freshman bigmen, so we may need to pick up a third one on the portal after Nicholson and Hunger. We're in big trouble if either Matt doesn't come back or one of them get hurt.
 
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By "big", I assume everyone means another 5 who can be there in case of emergency. This team doesn't have any freshman or incoming freshman bigmen, so we may need to pick up a third one on the portal after Nicholson and Hunger. We're in big trouble if either Matt doesn't come back or one of them get hurt.
Well if Matt doesn’t come back it pretty drastically changes what the team needs and its outlook, frankly. As is, we need a guy who can be depth to credibly guard a 5 and protect the rim. If that guy is actually a 4 offensively, sure, fine, ok.
 
Well if Matt doesn’t come back it pretty drastically changes what the team needs and its outlook, frankly. As is, we need a guy who can be depth to credibly guard a 5 and protect the rim. If that guy is actually a 4 offensively, sure, fine, ok.
I agree
 
By "big", I assume everyone means another 5 who can be there in case of emergency. This team doesn't have any freshman or incoming freshman bigmen, so we may need to pick up a third one on the portal after Nicholson and Hunger. We're in big trouble if either Matt doesn't come back or one of them get hurt.
If Matt comes back I don't understand why we need a 3rd big. We did not have one last year. And here we are, advocating for a 3rd big when Martinelli is 6'7 and Barnhizer is a 6'6 excellent defender but can't operate miracles on a guy like Garcia. But sure, we need a guy forgotten at the end of the bench more than we need a tall 3/4.
 
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Ought to at least kick the tires
I have seen him a bunch throughout the season and when he is healthy he is the closest thing to Boo out there. Fast, very good at getting his own shot, great outside shooter, and a good distributer.

He would be a great get for NU - and helps fill the void left by Boo. We don't have a playmaker who can get his own shot whenever its needed like now with Boo.

***Also I posted about Kanaan last month and hoped that this could maybe happen...FWIW. A broken clock is also right twice a day.
 
If Matt comes back I don't understand why we need a 3rd big. We did not have one last year. And here we are, advocating for a 3rd big when Martinelli is 6'7 and Barnhizer is a 6'6 excellent defender but can't operate miracles on a guy like Garcia. But sure, we need a guy forgotten at the end of the bench more than we need a tall 3/4.
Because of foul trouble and injuries, I think you need 3 bigs (or guys capable of guarding opposing bigs). I don't think Martinelli or Brooks are big enough for that role. Unless you can get a really high impact player (regardless of position) to fill that spot (and we're assuming there will be an open spot), I think we need a back-up big more than we need another wing player. I assume we agree that a PG gets the first spot.
 
maybe with Edey gone it’s not as big of a deal to have “15 fouls” at the 5.
As it stands ou starters at 2-4 are Berry/Barnhizer/Martinelli. Our backups are 6'4 Mullins, 6'6 Smith and 6'7 Barkley. I have high hopes for Mullins but we lack height and experience. Height is not as much of a problem if we were very athletic (like IL or Nebraska), which we are not.

Edey or not, if he had another year, that's 2 games max. We need to have priorities. Bench guys are priorities, like Verhoeven last year. Bench guys for bench guys are rarely a priority.
 
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I have seen him a bunch throughout the season and when he is healthy he is the closest thing to Boo out there. Fast, very good at getting his own shot, great outside shooter, and a good distributer.

He would be a great get for NU - and helps fill the void left by Boo. We don't have a playmaker who can get his own shot whenever its needed like now with Boo.

***Also I posted about Kanaan last month and hoped that this could maybe happen...FWIW. A broken clock is also right twice a day.
I know some folks think we need a senior/grad transfer lead guard but I disagree if we are able to get a younger transfer prospect like this.

We have the veteran leadership in the locker room already in Ty, Matt, Brooks and Nick.

Get a top-50 guy if you can, all day every day. Lead guards might want to play here more than other schools given the Boo success! Let’s ride it.
 
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Because of foul trouble and injuries, I think you need 3 bigs (or guys capable of guarding opposing bigs). I don't think Martinelli or Brooks are big enough for that role. Unless you can get a really high impact player (regardless of position) to fill that spot (and we're assuming there will be an open spot), I think we need a back-up big more than we need another wing player. I assume we agree that a PG gets the first spot.
Edey is gone from the conference
 
NBA DaftNet has this to say about KC:

The skinny: he got game; would love to land him.

Strengths: Athletic, long, score-first guard with a developing and increasingly reliable outside shot … Displays great energy. Looks like he’s having a lot of fun when he plays, and is fun to watch … Strong off the dribble and has a fairly complete offensive package … Can throw down highlight reel dunks … Can catch a lob and throw it down in reverse. Dunk contest type of athlete … Good finisher, capable of very athletic, crafty, bending finishes below the rim as well as above … Can pull up from mid range or hit a floater… Gets to the free throw line at a decent rate and is very accurate (currently 89%) from there … Decent passer, generally makes the right pass (though he does look to score first)… Appears to have long arms and decent anticipation defensively … Reportedly a high character guy, good student (both in the classroom and of the game) … The year with Overtime Elite seemed to do him a lot of good. Both the rate at which he improved his game, and what he’s currently showing in his ability to knock down outside shots, are very positive .

Weaknesses: Questions about how much of a point guard he is, despite his apparent excellent vision and passing … Needs to become better at the nuances of playing point guard, setting the tempo, running the offense on a regular basis, breaking pressure etc … Coming out of high school, Carlyle struggled with a slow outside shot that wasn’t quite accurate enough to be considered a core part of his game … Though he reportedly put in a lot of work last year with Overtime Elite, and so far this year with Stanford the shot looks much improved (both in speed of release and accuracy) … Will need to keep it up to convince scouts of his potential as an outside shooter… He only has five college games under his belt so far due to starting the season late (academic-eligibility related) … Despite his length — an asset for defense — questions remain about his interest as a defender … However, we liked his defensive potential two summers ago when we scouted him at the 2022 Nike Chris Paul Camp … In high school, largely relied on athleticism. But so far in college, has yet to display elite level quickness a la a Ja Morant type player … Needs to continue to advance in his ability to get his own shot with ease off the dribble. But that could improve as he gets more reps … Currently just 2 assists per game, but does show some court vision and smarts on the floor …

Notes: Carlyle was a 4-star recruit for most his high school career before making the jump to 5-star toward the end… Took a nontraditional path of playing a season between high school and college with Overtime Elite… Note: Overtime Elite is a pro league aimed at developing young talent. But players who choose to compete in the Overtime Elite league can reportedly forego a salary and retain their NCAA eligibility, as Carlyle did … Last season, Carlyle averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists per game for the YNG Dreamers of Overtime Elite … Carlyle missed the beginning of this (2023–24) college season due to Stanford academic standard reasons. His first game was on Dec 17 (a win against Idaho) … Previously led Milton High School to a Georgia state championship as a sophomore in 2021 … As a freshman with Milton High School, scored 30 points in a win against Scoot Henderson and Georgia state rival Kell High School… was one of the youngest player on the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas championship in Tijuana … Was named AP NCAA National Player of the Week on Jan 2, 2024 … Reportedly looked up to Allen Iverson as a kid. You can see some of that flair in Carlyle’s game. Also mentions Ja Morant, Jordan Poole, Tony Allen and Marcus Smart as players he’s studied …
 
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Dug McDaniel in the portal. Not a bad little player, though his academic troubles will probably make him a no go for NU.
 
I’m sure he’s talking about Carlyle.

Fair. I knew the Michigan kid had an academic suspension, Carlyle didn’t debut until December. Perhaps had to do with his transfer to a basketball-centric school for his senior year?

At the end of the day, Stanford was able to get over whatever the issue was. I would hope we could do the same if it comes down to it.
 
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Fair. I knew the Michigan kid had an academic suspension, Carlyle didn’t debut until December. Perhaps had to do with his transfer to a basketball-centric school for his senior year?

At the end of the day, Stanford was able to get over whatever the issue was. I would hope we could do the same if it comes down to it.

He was OTE, so could have something to do with eligibility, even if he didnt take a salary.
 
Overtime Elite, which is a college alternative league for 16-20 year olds based out of Atlanta. Amen and Ausar Thompson were first round picks out of OTE last year.

Right yeah. Wasn’t sure if I was missing something there.

Either way, point stands: Stanford could figure it out, hopefully we can/could if it comes down to it.
 
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Right yeah. Wasn’t sure if I was missing something there.

Either way, point stands: Stanford could figure it out, hopefully we can/could if it comes down to it.

Yep - as usual writing fast.

There was a thing where players were playing for OTE, but not taking a salary. There were some questions around eligibility, so one potential reason would have been to keep him out until fully cleared, but could have been a thousand other reasons why he was held out.
 
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