2026 Vols Transfer Portal Thread

#10,376
#10,376
oldaaucoach said:
I think Michigan, Michigan St, Illinois, Indiana and several other big 10 teams would disagree.
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And they’re welcome to! Different schemes. Different roster construction. Different player evaluation. It really isn’t complicated.

I also don’t know that those are great examples. Indiana wasn’t very good. Illinois plays their bigs on the perimeter a ton and really prioritizes shooting at that position.
 
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#10,377
#10,377
Vols410 said:
And they’re welcome to! Different schemes. Different roster construction. Different player evaluation. It really isn’t complicated.

I also don’t know that those are great examples. Indiana wasn’t very good. Illinois plays their bigs on the perimeter a ton and really prioritizes shooting at that position.
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Doesn't change the fact that they built their rosters by going after quality bigs just like Michigan and Michigan State.
 
#10,378
#10,378
Vols410 said:
And they’re welcome to! Different schemes. Different roster construction. Different player evaluation. It really isn’t complicated.

I also don’t know that those are great examples. Indiana wasn’t very good. Illinois plays their bigs on the perimeter a ton and really prioritizes shooting at that position.
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Right, it is not complicated, their schemes seem to be more conducive to FInal Four appearances.
 
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#10,379
#10,379
VolArmy74 said:
It wasn't possible to defend Edey, he was allowed unlimited time in the lane, and contact he initiated resulted in a foul on the defender.
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So why was that example supposed to convince any one of JP’s long gone defensive potential?

Edey only scored 3 more points than his average that day.. I didn’t leave that game with the impression that we had the next Matumbo on our squad.
 
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#10,380
#10,380
johnfnkelly said:
Do JG/ Okpara even want to come back?
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And if they do, Ames and Lundblade all of a sudden lose minutes, especially Ames. Who plays PG primarily, JG or Hill?

Felix, on the other hand, will be just what the doctor ordered for this roster.
 
#10,381
#10,381
oldaaucoach said:
Yes, that is exactly the point, and many of us are wondering if this is the right approach given that the last four NCAA championships were won by teams with big, strong, formidable front courts as well as with quality, good-shooting guards and forwards. In other words, BALANCE. We seem to have put together a team with a high-quality backcourt and an undersized, mediocre frontcourt. I guess time will tell if this works out. We will see how the frontcourt players do against the high quality bigs of the top-rated teams.
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They had big, strong, formidable front courts but their scoring was still primarily from their guards and wings. We aren't done with this roster yet, and it's a matter of opinion whether it is 'mediocre' at this point. I agree that we can use a Felix-type 7-footer, but Brown and Rubin are both big boys who have shown rim protection skill. Let's play this out before we throw dirt on this group.
 
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#10,382
#10,382
sami said:
They had big, strong, formidable front courts but their scoring was still primarily from their guards and wings. We aren't done with this roster yet, and it's a matter of opinion whether it is 'mediocre' at this point. I agree that we can use a Felix-type 7-footer, but Brown and Rubin are both big boys who have shown rim protection skill. Let's play this out before we throw dirt on this group.
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Yes, that's why I said BALANCE is needed. As you said, we can use a Felix-type 7-footer. I don't think that is throwing dirt on anyone, it is just saying that the current portal signees may not be good enough to get us to a FF. I happen to like both Rubin and Lue but I think either would struggle at the 5-position against top level bigs.
 
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#10,384
#10,384
adam.vol said:
So why was that example supposed to convince any one of JP’s long gone defensive potential?

Edey only scored 3 more points than his average that day.. I didn’t leave that game with the impression that we had the next Matumbo on our squad.
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A lot of those points were against Aidoo as I recall. Considering how Jonas was getting cooked, JP’s defense looked much better by comparison.
 
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#10,385
#10,385
oldaaucoach said:
Right, it is not complicated, their schemes seem to be more conducive to FInal Four appearances.
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And lots of teams have gone to the Final Four without that kind of player (Houston, Bama, Auburn, the Villanova champions).

I’m not saying Estrella is a bad player (he’s not.) I’m not saying Michigan doesn’t have a great scheme (they do.) I’m not saying that for the right team (including lots of smart teams) Estrella isn’t worth lots of money (he is.)

I’m saying that you’re not gonna remake your scheme for one player. You’re going to go with what you believe in (and one that lots of teams have won championships with) and you’re going to assign value accordingly to the spots you have to fill.
 
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#10,386
#10,386
Vols410 said:
And lots of teams have gone to the Final Four without that kind of player (Houston, Bama, Auburn, the Villanova champions).

I’m not saying Estrella is a bad player (he’s not.) I’m not saying Michigan doesn’t have a great scheme (they do.) I’m not saying that for the right team (including lots of smart teams) Estrella isn’t worth lots of money (he is.)

I’m saying that you’re not gonna remake your scheme for one player. You’re going to go with what you believe in (and one that lots of team have one championships with) and you’re going to assign value accordingly to the spots you have to fill.
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I don’t know about anyone else, but I appreciate you being a voice of common sense in this thread.
 
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#10,388
#10,388
oldaaucoach said:
Yes, that's why I said BALANCE is needed. As you said, we can use a Felix-type 7-footer. I don't think that is throwing dirt on anyone, it is just saying that the current portal signees may not be good enough to get us to a FF. I happen to like both Rubin and Lue but I think either would struggle at the 5-position against top level bigs.
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Considering what it takes to go to the FF, who thought we would go EE a couple weeks into the SEC season this year? It’s college ball with portal and nil. Tough to predict.
 
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#10,389
#10,389
I think looking for value in the post is smart, given how much other teams are spending. What would be awesome to improve the offensive balance to the team's seemingly loaded (please get Juke, too!) guard scoring are one of two things:

1) Rubin, Lue, any other portal add in the post play at the required level. I'm a little skeptical-hesitant, but their finishing at the rim is good, hopefully it translates up.

2) Brown improves/breaks out into a starting-caliber player. Kid is awesome and has real touch around the rim. Given what he's shown as a freshman, his jump in ability could be the best value we get. If he exceeds expectations, sky is once again the limit for the roster.

And if both of these things are true... oh my.
 
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#10,391
#10,391
Vols410 said:
And lots of teams have gone to the Final Four without that kind of player (Houston, Bama, Auburn, the Villanova champions).

I’m not saying Estrella is a bad player (he’s not.) I’m not saying Michigan doesn’t have a great scheme (they do.) I’m not saying that for the right team (including lots of smart teams) Estrella isn’t worth lots of money (he is.)

I’m saying that you’re not gonna remake your scheme for one player. You’re going to go with what you believe in (and one that lots of team have one championships with) and you’re going to assign value accordingly to the spots you have to fill.
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I'm glad we finally got this settled, you guys have gnawed this bone to death...
 
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#10,398
#10,398
All the Vols need is Juke and I think they are Top 10. Good enough for me. Just roll the dice and see what happens. If for some reason, the Vols don't get Juke, I wouldn't be surprised if Haralson made a run at SEC PoY, all-SEC will be the floor, and the Vols will be a top 20 team. Either way, next year is going to be fun, imo
 
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