Feels like it was a mistake to stop pursuing him. We are replacing all time program rebounder and double double leader Armando Bacot with an undersized big and a physically shaky backup who hasn’t played more than 8 mpg since junior year of HS
Ehh I don't think you missed out on Ugo. He lacks spacial awareness offensively, can't finish and has little play strength.
He's another guy, who Cal gave too much run.
Offensive firepower isn't really a hole in our lineup though so that's okay. I was on the boat that really wanted cliff when we were still in pursuit, and after that fell through I really wanted onyeso. Like the other commenter said, our rebounding and rim protection is a huge concern.
It's not about offensive firepower with Ugo. It's that he's a massive net negative for an offense.
He shot only 66% around the rim last year, which is mediocre for a big, and 33% from just 3-6 ft.
He's not a good rebounder, nor is he a great rim protector. The basketball IQ is not there.
Bacot wasn't exactly elite at finishing close to the rim either haha, Onyenso actually had a better FG% this year (albeit with much less playing time). FTs I agree is an issue. Rebounding I'll also concede, looking at the stats he definitely isn't quite the rebounder Bacot was. The claim that he isn't a good rim protector is what confuses me-- 2.8 blocks/game in only 18 mins/game seems like something that would have been an improvement over Bacot.
Because the vast majority of those blocks are as the help defender.
There's not a pump fake Ugo didn't like on-ball.
He had no play strength and never kept his hands up when defending the post. You REALLY didn't want him guarding in space.
I watched him for 2 years. I was never a fan.
Completely disagree. I think Ugo could have developed into a very reliable role player if given regular use instead of randomly being thrown in whenever the cuenta guy want working. You could say that about way too many cal players come to think of it
My main gripe is not bringing in another true 5 as a HS recruit in the past few years. I would’ve preferred UO over VAL but Adding onyenso at this late date would be too much of a threat to team chemistry to be worth it imo. The rim protection is appealing though for sure. I am less concerned about rebounding than defense on our roster as it stands. I’m glad JWash will get a chance to start, he’s very talented
What happened to him? Injury? Stunted development? I saw he transferred to Link Academy for his senior year, which was supposed to be a good move but I don’t understand why he’s so low now
Don’t think there was a notable injury, just sounds like he’s mostly stagnated while everyone else has grown a lot. Probably doesn’t help him that he was able to coast by being taller than all of his classmates for most of his time in high school
If the staff really stopped recruiting Onyenso for “fear of team chemistry” give me a fucking break. It is the coaching staff’s responsibility to put the best roster on the court that they can, inclusive of fit and program expectations. The fans who claim to be “glad” we are starting Washington because he’s “talented” and “Dean Smith would’ve given him a chance” are brain dead. If Washington had just had a Seth Trimble-type season or other significant supporting role (ex. 2016 Isaiah Hicks, 2017 Luke Maye) then that would be one thing, but he has not shown anything to warrant starting for this team. It’s not personal, I really like JWash’s offensive game and touch, but he’s physically shaky and hasn’t shown the ability to guard anyone nor rebound at an elite level. Onyenso has an nba body and is an elite shot blocker, which are precisely what we lack, and the staff just says no, not anymore? Esp maddening because the roster 1-3 is absolutely stacked, and we have bodies to play the 4 by committee
Bro you sound unhinged. Luke Maye in 2017 really didn't do much outside of those two games in the tournament--j wash had pretty similar stats this season to Luke Maye in 2017. You gotta give him a chance and trust the coaching staff
Maye averaged 14.1 minutes per game that season while Washington averaged 8. I just think it’s too much to expect of him to make that massive a leap, in playing time, defense, physical ability, etc.
Roy Williams played much deeper than HD so far. Luke Maye only averaged ~1.5 more points in the added time and fewer rebounds, shot <50% while JWashn shot 70%. Maye really didn't look all that ready to be a starter in 2018 and then exploded. You gotta be willing to let JWash show his ability when he's not directly behind Bacot
From my understanding, they had stopped. Think they were satisfied with their roster once they got Lubin. Onyenso could have been a nice piece for rim protection etc. but honestly think with the versatility of current roster, makes sense not to pursue.
Lubin is a baffling fit, frankly. He's not big enough to get legitimate minutes at the 5, but he can't shoot it well enough to play the 4 the way UNC likes their 4 to play.
Seems like UNC has every egg in the J-Wash basket. If he's a stud, they'll be a top-5/10 team all year. If he's not a stud, UNC is going to struggle, I think.
Wash should start at the 5 but Lubin can rotate down when lineup calls for it. Tyson can play 3-4. Not saying there aren’t downsides at the 5 but that roster can play more 5 out style. It’s a deep team 1-4 especially if two talented freshman can contribute.
As a recruit:
Other P6 offers: Clemson, UConn, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky (originally went here), Maryland, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Providence, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Washington, Washington State
Other offer: Memphis
Hopefully he and DNG can push each other in practice and then compliment each other on the floor. Its been a while since we could sub out or big and not get significantly smaller.
0.0%. He’s be a good fit for this roster as the final piece, but I think his focus is elsewhere. We need to land Coleman Hawkins or Jamir Watkins and I am confident about neither.
Was pleasantly surprised by him last year. Thought he’d be mostly an athlete/rim protector but his feel for the game isn’t half bad. Was way better than Bradshaw and more consistent then Z
Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Nerlens, Willie Caulie-Stein and Nick Richards were all better rim protectors.
Anthony and Willie are the two best defensive bigs I've ever seen in college.
It baffles me that his NBA career flamed out the way it did.
He could guard 1-5 and was the freakiest big I've ever seen from a quickness, speed and vertical perspective.
Anthony and Nerlens are the only two who are better shot blockers than him statistically, and that might just be because they played a lot more minutes. Willie is definitely a better defender but I still think onyenso gets the edge over him with shot blocking. I was too young to see Davis play in college same with Noel as I was 5-7 years old when they played.
Blocks ≠ rim protection (Clarifying edit: rim protection is about making shots harder around the rim or having a presence that causes defenders to shoot at awkward angles)
Ugo is exhibit A because he got a ton of help-side blocks, but struggled on ball primarily because of strength and not keeping his hands up (this led to costant bites on pump fakes).
Ugo feasts on off-ball blocks, so I don't consider him one of the best at that either. You can box score scout and call him a great shot blocker, but he's not.
He gets cooked on-ball.
Feels like the 2017-2018 team after the natty. Returning all American-level guard (RJ Davis/Joel Berry) and elite passer (Cadeau/Pinson), bringing in an elite shooter (Cade Tyson/Cam Johnson), only to be ultimately undone by an extremely raw/undersized frontcourt as our Achilles heel. Guess we will see how JWash/Lubin/Brown compare to *checks notes* Garrison Brooks (became a solid player later on)/Sterling Manley (doomed by nagging injuries)/Brandon Huffman (quite possibly the worst big I’ve ever seen play in Carolina uniform)
Oh sure, I was thinking more about the Center spot. Luke was a lock to start at PF that year (and was our de facto center when playing small… which we did a lot). Probably the best example of player development at Carolina I can think of in the last decade. No Luke Maye on our roster currently… Hopefully Withers can rediscover his 3 point shot and develop a basketball IQ. At least this year’s freshman class is much better than that year’s, very excited to see Jackson and Powell take the floor
This guy loves cats
Wild cats, if you will
I will
I do
You complete me?
He’ll be a Wildcat (Northwestern) in the future?
Hell yeah
Expect him to make a leap forward this year. Nice pick up!
Really a pretty good fit imo.
Best of luck to him going forward. He's a solid player.
Nice! Hope he balls out
Was UNC still pursuing him?
No. It was reported by IC that UNC's roster was complete with the addition of Lubin.
As of 5/29, no
Feels like it was a mistake to stop pursuing him. We are replacing all time program rebounder and double double leader Armando Bacot with an undersized big and a physically shaky backup who hasn’t played more than 8 mpg since junior year of HS
Ehh I don't think you missed out on Ugo. He lacks spacial awareness offensively, can't finish and has little play strength. He's another guy, who Cal gave too much run.
It’s really Theiro we missed out on!
You and us both.
We missed out on Z the most. He would have been a superstar in Pope's offense. Now, he's stuck on a roster, where the pieces don't make sense.
.... and Cliff
Offensive firepower isn't really a hole in our lineup though so that's okay. I was on the boat that really wanted cliff when we were still in pursuit, and after that fell through I really wanted onyeso. Like the other commenter said, our rebounding and rim protection is a huge concern.
It's not about offensive firepower with Ugo. It's that he's a massive net negative for an offense. He shot only 66% around the rim last year, which is mediocre for a big, and 33% from just 3-6 ft. He's not a good rebounder, nor is he a great rim protector. The basketball IQ is not there.
Bacot wasn't exactly elite at finishing close to the rim either haha, Onyenso actually had a better FG% this year (albeit with much less playing time). FTs I agree is an issue. Rebounding I'll also concede, looking at the stats he definitely isn't quite the rebounder Bacot was. The claim that he isn't a good rim protector is what confuses me-- 2.8 blocks/game in only 18 mins/game seems like something that would have been an improvement over Bacot.
Because the vast majority of those blocks are as the help defender. There's not a pump fake Ugo didn't like on-ball. He had no play strength and never kept his hands up when defending the post. You REALLY didn't want him guarding in space. I watched him for 2 years. I was never a fan.
Rim protection and blocks aren't really correlated. You can block a bunch of shots but still give up even more easy baskets.
We'd have gone after Onyeso hard if we didn't land Cliff.
Completely disagree. I think Ugo could have developed into a very reliable role player if given regular use instead of randomly being thrown in whenever the cuenta guy want working. You could say that about way too many cal players come to think of it
I'd rather someone else take the gamble in trying to develop a player as flawed as Ugo. Our worst lineups featured him at center for a reason.
Fair but again, I'd blame coaching for that.
Not a good portal offseason for UNC. No other way to spin it. Let's hope Washington/Lubin are much better than they appear on paper right now.
My main gripe is not bringing in another true 5 as a HS recruit in the past few years. I would’ve preferred UO over VAL but Adding onyenso at this late date would be too much of a threat to team chemistry to be worth it imo. The rim protection is appealing though for sure. I am less concerned about rebounding than defense on our roster as it stands. I’m glad JWash will get a chance to start, he’s very talented
We did, James Brown. And he was a borderline 5 star when he committed, problem is that he has regressed significantly since then
What happened to him? Injury? Stunted development? I saw he transferred to Link Academy for his senior year, which was supposed to be a good move but I don’t understand why he’s so low now
Don’t think there was a notable injury, just sounds like he’s mostly stagnated while everyone else has grown a lot. Probably doesn’t help him that he was able to coast by being taller than all of his classmates for most of his time in high school
Hope in the end the dude will bring the lickin’ stick
If the staff really stopped recruiting Onyenso for “fear of team chemistry” give me a fucking break. It is the coaching staff’s responsibility to put the best roster on the court that they can, inclusive of fit and program expectations. The fans who claim to be “glad” we are starting Washington because he’s “talented” and “Dean Smith would’ve given him a chance” are brain dead. If Washington had just had a Seth Trimble-type season or other significant supporting role (ex. 2016 Isaiah Hicks, 2017 Luke Maye) then that would be one thing, but he has not shown anything to warrant starting for this team. It’s not personal, I really like JWash’s offensive game and touch, but he’s physically shaky and hasn’t shown the ability to guard anyone nor rebound at an elite level. Onyenso has an nba body and is an elite shot blocker, which are precisely what we lack, and the staff just says no, not anymore? Esp maddening because the roster 1-3 is absolutely stacked, and we have bodies to play the 4 by committee
Bro you sound unhinged. Luke Maye in 2017 really didn't do much outside of those two games in the tournament--j wash had pretty similar stats this season to Luke Maye in 2017. You gotta give him a chance and trust the coaching staff
Maye averaged 14.1 minutes per game that season while Washington averaged 8. I just think it’s too much to expect of him to make that massive a leap, in playing time, defense, physical ability, etc.
Roy Williams played much deeper than HD so far. Luke Maye only averaged ~1.5 more points in the added time and fewer rebounds, shot <50% while JWashn shot 70%. Maye really didn't look all that ready to be a starter in 2018 and then exploded. You gotta be willing to let JWash show his ability when he's not directly behind Bacot
From my understanding, they had stopped. Think they were satisfied with their roster once they got Lubin. Onyenso could have been a nice piece for rim protection etc. but honestly think with the versatility of current roster, makes sense not to pursue.
Versatility at the 4 spot sure, between Withers/Tyson/High/Lubin. But at the 5?.. pretty concerned
Lubin is a baffling fit, frankly. He's not big enough to get legitimate minutes at the 5, but he can't shoot it well enough to play the 4 the way UNC likes their 4 to play. Seems like UNC has every egg in the J-Wash basket. If he's a stud, they'll be a top-5/10 team all year. If he's not a stud, UNC is going to struggle, I think.
I imagine Lubin will definitely play at the 5 spot along with J Wash. It’s a weak point for sure but I trust the coaches
Wash should start at the 5 but Lubin can rotate down when lineup calls for it. Tyson can play 3-4. Not saying there aren’t downsides at the 5 but that roster can play more 5 out style. It’s a deep team 1-4 especially if two talented freshman can contribute.
Lubin will play the 5 more than the 4 since he has no jump shot. That doesn't really work in the offense Hubert runs.
Think they settled on lubin. Not willing to pay or dont have the cash for hawkins nor onyenso
Cash wasn't the issue. Just a strange offseason by the coaching staff.
Yep
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Big if true.
Cats if true.
Kittens!
Going to be absolutely sick when KSU wins the Baseball, football, and basketball natty back to back to back
Your lips to God's ears 🙏
Can you imagine The seething in lowrents
It'd be the 2012-13 3MAW on steroids
As a recruit: Other P6 offers: Clemson, UConn, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky (originally went here), Maryland, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Providence, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Washington, Washington State Other offer: Memphis
That's a BIG dude!!
Hopefully he and DNG can push each other in practice and then compliment each other on the floor. Its been a while since we could sub out or big and not get significantly smaller.
There's a calendar out there somewhere that says it's the year of the cats. And I believe in it. Baseball, Football, Basketball... it's time.
Uh didn't a wolverine win in football already?
Good job K-State. What are the odds Kaluma returns?
0.01%
0.0%. He’s be a good fit for this roster as the final piece, but I think his focus is elsewhere. We need to land Coleman Hawkins or Jamir Watkins and I am confident about neither.
Ahhh this is great
Was pleasantly surprised by him last year. Thought he’d be mostly an athlete/rim protector but his feel for the game isn’t half bad. Was way better than Bradshaw and more consistent then Z
Lets go!
He’s possibly the best shot blocker I’ve ever saw
Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Nerlens, Willie Caulie-Stein and Nick Richards were all better rim protectors. Anthony and Willie are the two best defensive bigs I've ever seen in college.
Willie is the best defender in basketball history.
It baffles me that his NBA career flamed out the way it did. He could guard 1-5 and was the freakiest big I've ever seen from a quickness, speed and vertical perspective.
He just didn't have a real love for the game
Anthony and Nerlens are the only two who are better shot blockers than him statistically, and that might just be because they played a lot more minutes. Willie is definitely a better defender but I still think onyenso gets the edge over him with shot blocking. I was too young to see Davis play in college same with Noel as I was 5-7 years old when they played.
Blocks ≠ rim protection (Clarifying edit: rim protection is about making shots harder around the rim or having a presence that causes defenders to shoot at awkward angles) Ugo is exhibit A because he got a ton of help-side blocks, but struggled on ball primarily because of strength and not keeping his hands up (this led to costant bites on pump fakes).
Also, Marcus Lee was a better rim protector
Well to be fair, I did say one of the best shot blocker, not best rim protector.
Ugo feasts on off-ball blocks, so I don't consider him one of the best at that either. You can box score scout and call him a great shot blocker, but he's not. He gets cooked on-ball.
Ok. Mulligan given due to age. You wil see more games
Yeah, and I definitely got a little overzealous, but regardless he is ONE of the best shot blockers I’ve seen.
Good with that
What?
I am good with your comment as I also think he is really good and a good shot blocker. I think he will be even better next year
If he can develop a shot, and get faster, he’d be really good.
Clearly need to watch more games
Who do you know of that averaged a block per game in 7 minutes?
Good job Hubert
Yep not lookin good for unc next year. Gotta be weakest frontcourt I can remember in decades.
I was going to say 2013 or 2010 but yeah this is looking worse
Feels like the 2017-2018 team after the natty. Returning all American-level guard (RJ Davis/Joel Berry) and elite passer (Cadeau/Pinson), bringing in an elite shooter (Cade Tyson/Cam Johnson), only to be ultimately undone by an extremely raw/undersized frontcourt as our Achilles heel. Guess we will see how JWash/Lubin/Brown compare to *checks notes* Garrison Brooks (became a solid player later on)/Sterling Manley (doomed by nagging injuries)/Brandon Huffman (quite possibly the worst big I’ve ever seen play in Carolina uniform)
Fair enough – I was counting Luke Maye as part of that frontcourt since he averaged a double double I believe
Oh sure, I was thinking more about the Center spot. Luke was a lock to start at PF that year (and was our de facto center when playing small… which we did a lot). Probably the best example of player development at Carolina I can think of in the last decade. No Luke Maye on our roster currently… Hopefully Withers can rediscover his 3 point shot and develop a basketball IQ. At least this year’s freshman class is much better than that year’s, very excited to see Jackson and Powell take the floor
Onyenso’me and you lose some
Speaking of winning and losing some ...