Trey Thompson

[Hawkfnntn]

Huge get to say the least. I'm assuming the reclassifying part is what put us over the top for him. I'm not sure how much to expect from him yr 1. We actually seem pretty stacked at the 3-4 positions. With Manyawu Banks Koch and Folgueiras that's a pretty stacked spot considering all of them are JRs except Koch who's a RS freshman.

Manyawu may end up playing a lot of the 5 for us if we go small ball alot just due to the makeup of the team so far so there's that. But still it'll be interesting to see how TT fits in early on. If he's as advertised he may play quite a bit. But then again if you don't start for Ben your mins may be kinda limited I don't see him going 9-10 deep very often. Way too early to predict what'll happen I think anyone throwing out ideas is just guessing. But I can't wait to find out.

​

 

[Chickenlounge]

Purdue and Tennessee fans are super salty about this. Like Dead Sea salty.

 

[Zstatman]

Huge get to say the least. I'm assuming the reclassifying part is what put us over the top for him. I'm not sure how much to expect from him yr 1. We actually seem pretty stacked at the 3-4 positions. With Manyawu Banks Koch and Folgueiras that's a pretty stacked spot considering all of them are JRs except Koch who's a RS freshman.

Manyawu may end up playing a lot of the 5 for us if we go small ball alot just due to the makeup of the team so far so there's that. But still it'll be interesting to see how TT fits in early on. If he's as advertised he may play quite a bit. But then again if you don't start for Ben your mins may be kinda limited I don't see him going 9-10 deep very often. Way too early to predict what'll happen I think anyone throwing out ideas is just guessing. But I can't wait to find out.

​

Did you forget Tate Sage out of Oklahoma?

I'll be interested to see how Tavion Banks factors in. He's listed at 6'7" and his bio reads like he's built like a wing. His shooting stats weren't all that good last year, but he was Missouri Valley sixth man of the year, so he's got something going for him. If he has improved his shooting this off season, he could be a factor.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Its hard to get excited for more than just what is coming up in the next season given NIL and the portal, but landing this kid could be a game changer for the program. He could be a multi-year starter. I was already pumped for this upcoming season, but having a kid who can score regularly from the 3, but who also has a big enough frame to play the 4 is a huge get. The only real hole remains a lack of a true big, but the way basketball is played these days, that is not as big a deal as it used to be. Its great to be excited about MBB again. Hopefully the crowds will be returning to Carver next season.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Did youj fodrget Tate Sage out of Oklahoma?

I'll be interested to see how Tavion Banks factors in. He's listed at 6'7" and his bio reads like he's built like a wing. His shooting stats were n't all that good last year but he was Missouri Valley sixth man of the year so he's got something going for him. If he has improved his shooting this off season, he could be a factor.

No I didn't forget I thought Sage was more of a 2-3 kinda like a Pryce Sandfort type. I didn't look at him and TT playing for the same mins so much. How TT fills out will be interesting he's listed at 220 as an 17-18 yr old. What if he puts on another 10-20 lbs of muscle? Even if he doesn't get to 240ish I'd say he's going to fill out at least some more which pretty much solidifies him as a solid 4 man I'd think.

 

[Grady]

Huge get to say the least. I'm assuming the reclassifying part is what put us over the top for him. I'm not sure how much to expect from him yr 1. We actually seem pretty stacked at the 3-4 positions. With Manyawu Banks Koch and Folgueiras that's a pretty stacked spot considering all of them are JRs except Koch who's a RS freshman.

Manyawu may end up playing a lot of the 5 for us if we go small ball alot just due to the makeup of the team so far so there's that. But still it'll be interesting to see how TT fits in early on. If he's as advertised he may play quite a bit. But then again if you don't start for Ben your mins may be kinda limited I don't see him going 9-10 deep very often. Way too early to predict what'll happen I think anyone throwing out ideas is just guessing. But I can't wait to find out.

​

TT said the biggest factor for him -- other than the coaches -- was he was told Iowa needed him to play right away...something the Purdue's and Tennessee's of the world probably couldn't commit to. Coach M has been around long enough to know you don't tell somebody they're going to get playing time, and then not follow through -- especially in this portal era. So I expect him to play.
This is looking like an increasingly deep team, and I expect Coach M may go deeper than he typically has in the past. I expect the guards to log a lot of minutes, but I'm guessing you're going to see him subsitute freely along the front line -- partly to give different looks, but also to make sure he's getting all-out energy on the boards to offset the lack of size at the 5.

 

[TritonHawkeye]

Its hard to get excited for more than just what is coming up in the next season given NIL and the portal, but landing this kid could be a game changer for the program. He could be a multi-year starter. I was already pumped for this upcoming season, but having a kid who can score regularly from the 3, but who also has a big enough frame to play the 4 is a huge get. The only real hole remains a lack of a true big, but the way basketball is played these days, that is not as big a deal as it used to be. Its great to be excited about MBB again. Hopefully the crowds will be returning to Carver next season.

I agree with you that the biggest hole maybe at the 5. The argument to that is the development of Jirak. In video and pictures of recent, he seems huge and passes the eye test, can he play at the big level that we will have to see but I do like the makeup of this roster.

 

[Zstatman]

Between Jirak, Matteoni, and Manyawu we'll be at least OK at the 5. I'm hoping one of them will really emerge.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

TT said the biggest factor for him -- other than the coaches -- was he was told Iowa needed him to play right away...something the Purdue's and Tennessee's of the world probably couldn't commit to. Coach M has been around long enough to know you don't tell somebody they're going to get playing time, and then not follow through -- especially in this portal era. So I expect him to play.
This is looking like an increasingly deep team, and I expect Coach M may go deeper than he typically has in the past. I expect the guards to log a lot of minutes, but I'm guessing you're going to see him subsitute freely along the front line -- partly to give different looks, but also to make sure he's getting all-out energy on the boards to offset the lack of size at the 5.

I musta missed that... I can't see Ben doing that though. He seems like a you gotta earn it kinda coach. I don't see coach telling him he's promised a starting spot right away. Not before he's been to a practice yet. That seems like something Calipari would do not Ben. I think Ben would say the opportunity is there for sure. But look at the roster he's got JRs all over the place at the 3-4 spots already. I'll be pleasantly surprised if TT starts day 1. But I for one am not counting on it

 

[Zstatman]

No I didn't forget I thought Sage was more of a 2-3 kinda like a Pryce Sandfort type. I didn't look at him and TT playing for the same mins so much. How TT fills out will be interesting he's listed at 220 as an 17-18 yr old. What if he puts on another 10-20 lbs of muscle? Even if he doesn't get to 240ish I'd say he's going to fill out at least some more which pretty much solidifies him as a solid 4 man I'd think.

If someone is 6'8" and can shoot the 3, I look at them as a wing and don't really worry about whether or not they are a 2, 3, or 4.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

If someone is 6'8" and can shoot the 3, I look at them as a wing and don't really worry about whether or not they are a 2, 3, or 4.

It's for the defensive end more so then the offensive end. I don't think Sage is as physical as what Thompson is going to be for that end of the floor. Sure offensively those 6-6-6-8 guys are almost interchangeable setting screens for each other on the wings and doing similar things.

 

[BigD]

I agree with you that the biggest hole maybe at the 5. The argument to that is the development of Jirak. In video and pictures of recent, he seems huge and passes the eye test, can he play at the big level that we will have to see but I do like the makeup of this roster.

The development of Jirak is gonna be huge. That guy has the build to be dominant underneath the boards.

Growth spurts could likely happen with some of the younger guys.

No one questions Ben’s ability to coach the X’s and O’s of college basketball. Even though he coached at a lower division his consistency and continued success shows he knows his shit.

Interesting that Ben picked up an assistant who has a reputation for recruiting. He was the one who just got Trey to come on board. Let’s hope this snowballs moving forward.

Like most I can’t wait to see how Ben’s basketball orchestra blends together.

If You Build It, He Will Come - Field of Dreams (1/9) Movie CLIP (1989) HD

Field of Dreams movie clips: http://j.mp/1Ja20LzBUY THE MOVIE: http://amzn.to/rPcyVpDon't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6prCLIP DESCRIPTIO...

youtu.be

 

[NorthKCHawk]

While the availability of playing time was a big factor, what intrigues me is that we had sufficient cash to at least be in the same neighborhood as KU. Self has been buying players long before it was legal. KU has deep pocket donors for MBB. Iowa must have been competitive, financially. Maybe the House settlement is narrowing the gap between the Haves and Have Nots?????

 

[haydensly]

I don't fully understand how reclassifying works. I guess he had enough HS credits to graduate. Some of these players think way ahead and are probably loading up with credits early on in HS. Cooper Flagg did the same thing last year.

What surprises me is that no one else must have made the offer? It seemed to get us over the hump with him. But I've also read that he really liked the coaching staff and as NorthKC just pointed out, we must have been at least competitive in the NIL space.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I don't fully understand how reclassifying works. I guess he had enough HS credits to graduate. Some of these players think way ahead and are probably loading up with credits early on in HS. Cooper Flagg did the same thing last year.

What surprises me is that no one else must have made the offer? It seemed to get us over the hump with him. But I've also read that he really liked the coaching staff and as NorthKC just pointed out, we must have been at least competitive in the NIL space.

My understanding is that these kids are usually looking to stretch their high school years out so they are older and more mature and ready for the college game. So, my guess is that he was at or near what he needed to graduate in the Spring, but planned to stick for one more year of high school ball. When the Iowa opportunity came along, he changed plans

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Sean Bock was all over how this went down. Sounds like TT had to think about the whole reclassifying part of it initially. It didn't seem to be his idea to do so. I found that interesting but I think you'll enjoy listening to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye2B1YmDtzw

 

[NorthKCHawk]

It is really rather extraordinary that we landed this kid given all the teams that wanted him. Ben and his staff really knocked his socks off. It is interesting that reclassifying was not his idea, but he went with it. This story has so many hopeful signs for Iowa MBB future.

 

[BigD]

Sean Bock was all over how this went down. Sounds like TT had to think about the whole reclassifying part of it initially. It didn't seem to be his idea to do so. I found that interesting but I think you'll enjoy listening to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye2B1YmDtzw

Thanks for the link. That was good listen.

 

[thedukeofearl]

The development of Jirak is gonna be huge. That guy has the build to be dominant underneath the boards.

Growth spurts could likely happen with some of the younger guys.

No one questions Ben’s ability to coach the X’s and O’s of college basketball. Even though he coached at a lower division his consistency and continued success shows he knows his shit.

Interesting that Ben picked up an assistant who has a reputation for recruiting. He was the one who just got Trey to come on board. Let’s hope this snowballs moving forward.

Like most I can’t wait to see how Ben’s basketball orchestra blends together.

If You Build It, He Will Come - Field of Dreams (1/9) Movie CLIP (1989) HD

Field of Dreams movie clips: http://j.mp/1Ja20LzBUY THE MOVIE: http://amzn.to/rPcyVpDon't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6prCLIP DESCRIPTIO...

youtu.be

"Let’s hope this snowballs moving forward"

Here's Hoping

 

[Hawkfnntn]

One angle to this I hadn't really thought of with landing him was that the odds are pretty high that he'll be a one and done player for us for a couple reasons.

1. If he's an absolute stud he'll go pro. No shocker there that's just how it goes.

But the other reason is the NIL transfer portal just being what it is. If he doesn't start right away/play a ton or whatever or even if he kinda does but just isn't looked at as an NBA ready guy yet it could be likely he hops in portal and shops himself around to the highest bidder. The odds the kid plays 3 plus yrs for us seems extremely slim. I'd say the over under is 1.5. If we get a 2nd season from him I think I'll be pleasantly surprised.